The Lord of All—The Bread of Life
John 6:1–15
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following Him, because they saw the signs that He was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up His eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.
And when they had eaten their fill, He told His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself. (ESV)
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for providing for all that we need. Not only have you sent your Son to be our Savior, but you also continue to give us blessing upon blessing in our earthly life. Help us to remember that we are entirely reliant upon your grace and mercy, knowing full well, that you provide all that we need. In Jesus, who is the Bread of Life. Amen!
Dear friends in Christ,
Jesus was not the first person to claim to be the Messiah. The words Messiah or Christ both mean, “anointed one.” The Messiah was the one prophesied in Scripture, the Savior promised by God. From Scripture we learn of numerous false christs both before and after Jesus. From historians like Josephus, we learn about others not even mentioned in Scripture. Even in recent history, we see people claiming to be a prophet sent by God or the “true” messiah.
What’s interesting is that though there have been hundreds, if not thousands, of people claiming to be the Messiah, we don’t hear about them after their popularity faded. Why didn’t people continue to believe in these other messiahs like people believed in Jesus?
Every generation thinks that it is much smarter than those before them. I sometimes hear atheists and Bible skeptics speak as though previous generations were so gullible, that they would believe any magician, charlatan, or scam artist. Of course, these people don’t believe in the possibility of miracles and so they reason that Jesus must have tricked the people, planted someone in the crowd, or something along those lines. But what these people fail to account for is that people—from every generation—have been suspicious of imposters. In fact, even the Bible warns us about deceivers who claim to be the messiah or a prophet from God. So why don’t we hear about all the other people who claimed to be the messiah before, during, and after Jesus? It’s because the people saw through their lies. Their message didn’t hold up. They were proven to be false prophets and their followers dispersed.
But Jesus was different. He fulfilled every prophecy spoken of in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah. He was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). He fled to Egypt (Hosea 11:1). He was from the city of Nazareth (Isaiah 53). God the Father claimed him as his own beloved Son (Matthew 3:17). Jesus taught with authority (Matthew 7:29). He performed miracles that were greater and more numerous than all the Old Testament prophets combined. For this reason, John wrote at the end of his Gospel, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30–31).
In our lesson, we see one of these miracles so that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This miracle not only shows us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Bread of Life, without whom there is no life, but also who our Lord Jesus is and how he acts towards us.
Jesus and his disciples traveled to the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee which was far away from the city, lodging, and food. The Passover attracted Jews from all over to Jerusalem. We are told that large crowds followed Jesus because of the many great signs or miracles that Jesus performed. When Jesus saw the crowds approaching, he knew that they would be hungry, and he had a plan for how he would provide for them. But Jesus, who is the master teacher, also saw this as an opportunity to teach his disciples. They were in the wilderness—away from any sources of food. Jesus wanted his disciples to see the hopelessness of their situation and turn to him to solve the impossible dilemma.
Jesus asks Philip what they should do. Philip points out that even if there was a source for food, they could not afford enough for all these people. Then Andrew came to Jesus with the news that there was a boy who had five barley loaves and two small fish. However, this would not be enough either.
As the disciples desperately sought to come up with a solution, they failed to see that the answer was right in front of them. The disciples had seen Jesus turn water into wine at the wedding of Cana. They had seen Jesus perform numerous miracles, but they didn’t even begin to think of Jesus as the solution to their problem.
While it might be easy for us to see the obvious error in the disciples’ thinking, it’s often much harder to see it in ourselves. How often do we look like the disciples, pacing back and forth trying to calculate how we will make things work, while not even considering who is the One who actually provides and helps. While we might not have Jesus standing next to us like the disciples, we certainly have God’s promise to be with, to provide for us, and to never abandon us.
When a problem came it didn’t take long for the disciples to forget the many miracles that Christ had done. The same is true for us. When we are going through hardships or facing different challenges, it doesn’t take long for us to forget all the times the Lord has seen us through hard times, provided for us, and protected us. It’s not a new phenomenon for Jesus’ followers to fret and worry about things that are beyond our control, and to think that we must be the solution. As we look back on our own lives, how often have we felt like things were not going to work out, but they do. How often have we forgotten that God is in control—not us or our calculations!
Ultimately, all worry and doubt stem from unbelief. It is failing to trust in God as the one who does and will provide for us. Yet, here we see the kindness of our Savior. He doesn’t rebuke Philip and Andrew for their unbelief. Instead, he shows them again and again who he is and his divine power.
At times God tests us with impossible dilemmas. While the problem might be impossible for us, it is possible for God. The Lord uses these times to teach us to rely on him as our good and gracious Provider. The disciples lost hope—their solution was to send the crowd away. But Jesus told them to have the crowds sit and then performs the unfathomable miracle of multiplying the bread and the fish. He shows himself to be true God, by doing only what God can do! While Philip’s solution of 200 denarii would only give the people enough for a “little” for each of them, Jesus’ solution provides more than their fill!
Jesus is the Lord of all. He turned water into wine, commanded the winds and waves to cease, and multiplied five barley loaves and two fish to feed five thousand men along with the women and children. Jesus is God. He is the Word through whom the heavens were made. He is the Word made flesh, who creates something out of nothing, and turns a little into more than enough. Surely, Jesus’ power over earthly elements is amazing—it’s a miracle!
Yet, the Apostle John, would have us see Jesus as more than just a miracle worker. The miracles that Jesus performed were extraordinary. But John refers to Jesus’ miracles throughout his Gospel—not as miracles—but as signs for a reason. Signs point us to something. The signs that Jesus performed show us that his word is true. He was a prophet sent from God, the one greater than Moses.
The people wanted to make him king, but Jesus slipped away. Why? Jesus came into this world not just to fill our bellies. All the people that Jesus fed would be hungry again. Even if he were to feed them for years to come, they would still die. Their hunger was a minor symptom of a far greater problem. Their souls were facing spiritual starvation.
Just as Jesus had compassion on the crowds who were hungry, the Lord had compassion on the entire human race who were stuck in sin—spiritual famine. The Father planned to provide his Son, the Bread of Life, to save our starving souls. He came to do what we could not do. When we failed to trust in God to provide for us, Jesus submitted himself to God the Father’s care. When we have fallen for the devil’s tricks to doubt that God will provide for us, Jesus trusted perfectly. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” He endured hunger and thirst so that we could be filled. He carried the heavy burden of our sins to the cross so that we might be forgiven and freed from the sting of death.
No matter the amount of food, wealth, or luxuries you have in this life, you will never be fully satisfied. The fact that you can never be completely satisfied in this world, proves that we were meant for another world. And it is that world, the land flowing with milk and honey, our heavenly home, that Jesus seeks to bring you. The food that we need every day of our lives is a reminder of the greater food that we need for our souls. But this is not something that you work for or earn. It is God’s free gift to you. By offering up his holy life and death for us, making full atonement for all our sins, Jesus has provided something that truly satisfies our hunger and thirst. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
If we only see Jesus as someone who can help us in our earthly lives, an earthly bread king who can fill our bellies, then we are missing the sign—the purpose of Jesus life. Jesus has come to save us from our sin and bring us out of this vale of tears to himself in heaven where there is no more hunger, sorrow, or tears. He came for our greater good.
There are two things that you should take with you from our lesson today. First, Jesus is true God. He can create something out of nothing, and turn a little into more than enough. Secondly, he has compassion on us. The one who is Lord of all creation has compassion on you. Every single one of us goes through difficult times—when we feel like we have run out of options or are without hope. And without Jesus, that would be true. But it’s not true, because God cares for you. As Paul writes, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). Yet, for the times when we face life challenges and feel as though we do not have enough, we need to remember our Lord’s words, “My grace is sufficient for you.”
That’s why we come to church. It’s here that God gives us his Word to strengthen us in the faith. We come to his altar to receive his body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and strength to carry on in our earthly lives. It might be the same forgiveness and the same old message each week, but it is something that never gets old. Amen.