The book of John talks about 7 miracles. The fourth miracle was Jesus feeding the 5,000. The 5,000 people only counted the men, so the total crowd could have been 30,000 including wives and children.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all include this miracle. It’s the only miracle that is mentioned in all 4 gospels. This must be a very important story.
Ask yourself: Why do you follow Jesus? Is it because He provides food? Who is Jesus to you? Why do you serve Him and follow Him? Why do you go to church? Do you follow Jesus because He is your provider? Because you know He’s going to do a miracle in your life?
When you only see Jesus as your provider, He will step back and move far away from you. After He fed the 5,000, Jesus departed from them. (John 6:15)
John 6:1-2
1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
They followed Him because they saw signs. That’s a problem. When you only follow Jesus because of His signs, it will not last long. We must follow Jesus because of who He is and His love.
The feeding of the 5,000 took place 2 years after He started His ministry.
Mark 6:30-32
30 Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught. 31 And He said to them, “Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. 32 So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
They disciples were probably very happy to be taking a break, to be getting some rest.
Mark 6:33
33 But the multitudes saw them departing, and many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him.
When they got there, a multitude of people were already there. The disciples were probably pretty disappointed, maybe even angry. They wanted a break. They wanted some time to themselves.
But how did Jesus respond? He had compassion on the multitudes. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd and received them with mercy. That is how Jesus receives us.
Jesus doesn’t reject those who come to Him. He receives them with mercy.
The book of John ministers to us that through Jesus we receive everlasting life.
John 6:3-14
3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” In this multitude of people, there were probably a bunch of mothers who had brought food for their families. This little boy was the only one who was willing to give up his food for others.
Think of the parable of the servants who were given talents. Jesus praised the servants who were given 5 talents and 2 talents because they multiplied their talents and gave them back to God. It didn’t matter how much they had. It only mattered that they gave and used and multiplied those talents.
When we give our talents to God, He can multiply them. When you give your 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread, God can multiply them.
Those two fish weren’t that big. They didn’t look like they could accomplish too much. When you think about what you have to offer God and you feel like it’s not big enough or good enough, remember these fish.
When you give to God, He makes it enough.
God bless you,
Pastor Sun East