Devotional - John 6:1-14 - Five Thousand Fed

Passage To Study:

John 6:1-14

[1] After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberius. [2] Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. [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's 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.”

What are the facts of the passage?:

Jesus heads over to the Sea of Galilee
A great multitude followed Him because of the signs He did.
He went up on a mountain to teach them
We are specifically told that the Passover was near.
Jesus asks His disciples where they will get the bread to feed the multitude. This was a test for them because He knew what He would do.
Phillip says they don't don't have enough money.
Andrew says that a small boy has some food, but not nearly enough.
Jesus takes the boy's lunch and feeds the multitude.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus has the disciples gather the remains and they gather 12 baskets full.
Those who had seen Jesus do this sign proclaim Him a Prophet come into the world.

What do those facts mean?:

I have thought about this passage in a new way today. The context of the passage is clearly one that is, in part a rebuke of those who follow for the miracles sake. We have seen Christ withhold Himself from men because He knew their hearts. We have seen Him rebuke and condemn the Pharisees because they knew the Law and yet were not instructed by it. Could it be that this miracle serves the same purpose? The end of the chapter would seem to bear this idea out. Taken as a whole, the chapter falls very well into the pattern we are considering.
Christ performs a miracle to bear testimony to truth He is presenting.
People flock to Him because of the miracle.
Christ requires more than admiration and emotional response.
The crowd is not willing to give more.
Christ with draws Himself from them.
Dare I suggest that this passage is not primarily about either the compassion of Christ or about the miracle itself? Rather, it is another demonstration that man will refuse the truth unless God does a prevenient work in him.

How do those facts apply to my life?:

It makes the difference between a man-centered and a God-centered religion.

What should I do in response?:

Let it be true!

Day

Five Thousand Fed