John 6:1-15 – Jesus is the answer to man’s hunger

All four Gospels carry the account of the feeding of the 5,000. Each one gives a different emphasis. In John’s Gospel, the theme finds its backdrop in the Passover. It brings us back to the time when God provided manna for the children of Israel in their wilderness wandering.  In John’s account, we recall God’s provision of manna, the heavenly bread that fell from heaven daily, to meet His children’s needs. Enthralled by signs that Jesus was performing in the healing of the sick, huge crowds followed Jesus. Now we see a similar circumstance, the people had been following Jesus for a while already and had eaten nothing. And they were in a place where they could not buy food even if they had the money. Of course, Jesus and His disciples were too busy ministering that they also did not find the time to eat.

In John’s account, we see Jesus engaging Philip in a conversation. Jesus Himself knew what He would be doing. For He had the intention to provide for the people, just like God had provided the manna for the people in the wilderness. Here He spoke to Philip only to test him. We will remember that in the wilderness the people grumbled, because they didn’t have bread to eat. Although Philip did not grumble like them, his reply seems like a mild protest. Perhaps he did think to himself “Where can we find the bread?” He must have thought that they were so far out from town. And the place where they could find bread was very far away. Even if he could go and come back, it would be very, very late. Besides, where could he find the funds to buy for so many people? It would require at least two hundred denarii, about almost seven months of a person’s wage. And even that amount wouldn’t be able to buy sufficient food for each of them. He really had no idea. So also was Andrew, who did know what to do, but he found a lad with five barley loaves of bread and two fish. In Andrew’s mind, he knew these were too little to be able to feed such a huge multitude. He was at his wits end too.

Jesus then told them to have the multitude seated, took the five loaves and two fish, gave thanks to God and have the precious little distributed to the five thousand men that followed Him. This figure of five thousand men did not include the women and the children. The food virtually multiplied to feed all of them. Think a little further with me, the bread and fish actually multiplied in the Lord’s hand. And when He handed it to the disciples to distribute, the loaves and the fish also multiplied in their hands. There was truly a multiple of miracles. When everyone had their fill, Jesus then told the disciples to gather the left over fragments and we are told that it made up twelve baskets full. This miracle was so obvious that the people immediately identified Him as the prophet Moses spoke about, the one that was greater than he. However, John wants us to know that Jesus is the Messiah. But the time for His unveiling as King to the masses had not come. So Jesus perceived that they were intending to force the timing, He withdrew Himself to the mountain for a quiet retreat. There is divine timing for everything. No one can force it.

What lessons can we gleaned from an account like this? Firstly, that God’s supply always equals demand. When our needs arise, God will provide more than sufficient for all our needs. Fret not! Jesus is still our provider today. Secondly, we learn that there is no problem too big that Jesus cannot solve. The seeming insurmountable problem of feeding the multitude was to Jesus an insignificant problem. Whatever your problem is, it is never big to Jesus. Indeed, there is no problem too big that Jesus cannot solve. Thirdly, would be that: there are no gifts too little that the Lord cannot use. The five barley loaves and two fish seem inadequate to feed the multitude of 5,000 men, not including the women and children. Like that boy, if we hand our precious little over to Jesus, He will multiply it to meet the needs of many. Finally, there this account tells us that there is no one so insignificant that the Lord will pass over. The person who had the five loaves and two fish was just a lad. He seemed insignificant in an adult world. But when he was willing to come forward, He was the very instrument that Jesus used to feed the multitude. We may feel that we are too small for the Lord to use. Think of this little lad. Our littleness is nothing by itself but in God’s hand it is everything. We have a God big enough who can meet all our hunger in life. Yes, Jesus is the answer to man’s hunger and needs!