Message

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We thank God for Jesus, who is the Christ and the Son of God. He is the one whom God sent for our salvation. The work of Jesus was the work of God the Father that revealed God’s love and power. His work is life-giving and life-changing. Today we see another distinctive work of Jesus, his feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish. This event is written in all four gospels thus showing its significance. As we study this passage, may we learn how to serve him and his work. First, the disciples’ position (1-6). Look at verse 1. “Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias).” When we refer to the Synoptic gospels, at this time Jesus’ disciples needed some rest after hard work of evangelistic campaign. Jesus wanted to take his disciples to a quiet place for some rest. So he went to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee with them away from the crowd. To the disciples it was an unexpected vacation. They were gliding on the Sea of Galilee with their wonderful Master. They must have felt they were in the kingdom. Then what happened next? Verse 2 says, “and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.” The crowd followed Jesus’ band like a shadow. They invaded and ruined the disciples’ short vacation. But to them their situations were so urgent that they did not care about anything else. Each of them seemed to be an emergency case, and was desperate not to lose this chance. We can imagine that each one was shouting, “Oh, Jesus, help me.” What did Jesus do with this great crowd of people, so demanding in their need? What might the leaders of the world do with such a crowd? Look at verse 3. “Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.” Of course, to Jesus’ eyes they were not a protesting or annoying crowd. Most probably Jesus wanted to heal each of the sick people one by one right away. But what he did at this moment was somewhat striking. Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. Surely Jesus did not go up to the mountainside in order to escape from them and enjoy the mountain scenery. Jesus knew that they were in need, but he was not swayed by their needy situation. He did first what was most important before God. It was to train his disciples as leaders for the crowd. So he went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. When Jesus sat down with his disciples on a mountainside, he was helping them to know their position. Before Jesus’ calling, the disciples were Galilean fishermen, very ordinary people. But when Jesus had called them, he wanted them to be shepherds and spiritual leaders for the people of the world. Now Jesus wanted them to know that they were in the position to help and serve the crowd, getting out of the crowd position. Jesus did not want his disciples to be concerned only about themselves and their own problems. He wanted them to see the crowd from birds’ eye view and perceive their life problems. Most people in the world only see their own situations pressed by day to day’s life. To see others’ situations and problems is not easy at all. Yet, Jesus’ disciples were to be different. What kind of position and view one has is very. Genesis chapter 1 teaches us man’s position: Man is below God and above all. Man is to honour God and rule over all things as the stewards and care-takers of the world. When God called Abraham, God wanted him to be a blessing for all people of the world. There were times for him to be engrossed by his own life problem. But God helped him again and again to be reminded of his position and keep God’s view and vision for him (Ge 13:14; 15:6). God even changed his name from Abram to Abraham: “I have made you a father of many nations” (Ge 17:4). God brought the Israelites out of the land of slavery into the promised land. In doing this, he set them in a new position to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation for the world. When the early Christians received severe persecution and suffered a lot, Apostle Peter did not sympathize with them. Though they had no position in the society, he helped them to know their position in God’s history: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…” (1 Pe 2:9). Those who know their position in God can have God’s view and vision. They can have a sense of responsibility, and their thinking becomes different, different from the crowd mentality. They can pray according to God’s vision and make constant effort to fulfill God’s will and purpose. In a matter of time their vision in God will come true. Through Bible study we can find our position in God and his hope and vision for us. And those who know their position in God should never give up the position and vision God has given them no matter what. Winston Churchill was asked to speak at the English school he had been educated and give the reason for his success as commander-in-chief of the British forces during World War II. Churchill’s answer came in three words: “Never give up.” Then he elaborated: “Never give up. Never give up. Never, never give up.” Second, Philip and Andrew (5-9). When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (v5) Jesus wanted to train specifically one person, Philip. We don’t know why Jesus selected Philip among the twelve. It was probably because Philip was called by Jesus around that place and he was most familiar with the area (Jn 1:44). Philip, probably, was most brilliant and most promising among all the disciples. Amid many guesses, one thing is sure that Jesus had a great hope in Philip to raise him as a future spiritual leader, and Philip needed this training or test. Verse 6 says, “He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” It was going to be 1:1 test. Then what was Philip’s answer to Jesus’ test? Look verse 7. “Philip answered him, ‘Eight months wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’” In short, Philip’s answer was “No”, “We cannot feed the great crowd”, “No way.” When we think of Philip’s answer, we see that he had not even understood Jesus’ question. Jesus did not ask him for the possibility of feeding the crowd; he asked him a way to feed the crowd, “How?” What kind of person was Philip? No doubt he was a brilliant man who could estimate the size of the crowd at a glance and calculate what was needed to feed them. He was a man of brains getting the correct information quickly. He was a man of reason with a sense of reality. But he became a man of negativism and despair, because he did not have “eight months wages.” To him the task given him was impossible because he did not have what seemed to be need according to his calculation. There are so many people who are frustrated and despair because they think from what they do not have. They cry for “eight months wages,” and sigh, and do nothing in despair. They have received much from God, but because of their habit of thinking from what they don’t have, they cannot use even what they have. They ignore what they have and do nothing. They are bitter toward God and themselves and toward their family, community and society. Philip’s second mistake was that he did not include Jesus in his calculation. He probably knew his position, sitting together with Jesus in front of the crowd. But he did not know that Jesus was not only a tester but also a helper. At the impossible situation his eyes were completely blocked to see Jesus, who was right there to help him. As a smart man, he could put all the numeric and necessary information into his computer-like brain, but he did not input Jesus. Humanly speaking his calculation was correct, but spiritually it was incorrect. He was a man of ability but of no faith in Jesus. So he failed. Because of having no faith in Jesus he was useless when God wanted to use him for a great task. Now here comes another disciple. Look at verses 8,9. “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother spoke up, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” In short, his answer was “yes,” “we can feed the great crowd.” Wow! Let’s see what kind of person the disciple was. When Andrew brought his brother Peter to Jesus, Jesus did not seem to pay attention to him, but only to Peter his brother. And this time Jesus did not seem to be interested in him, but Philip. Jesus did not ask the question, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” to him, but Philip. Maybe he was not a leadership material. But Andrew did not mind whether he was a leadership material or whether Jesus was interested in him. He himself paid attention to Jesus and had in mind Jesus’ question. Though he was not asked directly, he knew the point of Jesus’ question and could read Jesus’ mind and heart that Jesus was going to feed the crowd. He knew his position sitting with Jesus and wanted to participate in Jesus’ shepherd heart for the crowd. So he began to search for what he had. Even though he did not have any money in his pocket, he did not stop there. He searched around him, increasing his search area until he found something. What he found was a boy with his small lunch box. He brought the boy to Jesus and said, “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish…” There were probably some adults with better and bigger lunches. But he could not approach and persuade them. However, he could approach a boy and talk with him and persuade him. He let the boy with his loaves and fish come and offer them to Jesus. What the boy had were small things, but Andrew let them be presented to Jesus. They were too small to be recognized and contributed to the task, but he somehow made them put into the hands of Jesus. When he did this, he did not rely on himself or any other thing. He depended on Jesus. He seemed to be a man of no common sense and no sense of reality. But he had a sense of mission and a sense of Jesus’ presence. He succeeded because he knew Jesus’ heart and mind and solely depended on Jesus. To him all things were possible in Jesus: “Mission Possible.” His nickname may have been Andrew the Possible. Here we learn the importance of bringing what we have, our five loaves and two fish, to Jesus with faith. Little we bring can be much in Jesus’ hands. We must learn this principle and it must be our life-pattern. After bringing a boy’s five small barley loaves and two small fish to Jesus, Andrew said, “How far will they go among so many?” When he brought these small things, his face probably blushed with shame. He said, “How far will the small things go among so many?” But still “many” was in his mind. What he offered would probably unable to go more then ten. Yet, he believed that his offering would go anyway, and he entrusted “how far” matter to Jesus. In fact, his words, “How far will they go among so many?” was Andrew’s prayer. He did what he could do and prayerfully entrusted the rest to Jesus. Andrew was a man of faith and vision and prayer. Third, God’s overflowing blessing (10-15). Now let’s see what Jesus did with what Andrew brought. Look at verse 10. “Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.” Jesus gave his disciples the job of having the people sit down. Some of the crowd may have said, “Why should we sit down? Are you going to give us bread, while you have nothing in his your hands?” Anyway the disciples could manage this job and worked together with Jesus to make a good environment for God’s work in the crowd. Jesus then took the loaves and gave thanks. What a beautiful scene that Jesus gave thanks to God for the five small barley loaves and two small fish before the great crowd of five thousand people! And then Jesus distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. Jesus’ hand became a limitless bread-distributing machine. Andrew’s offering was increased until the five thousand had all had enough to eat. And there were leftover, twelve basketfuls of bread. Indeed little in Jesus’ hand was multiplied to be much, much enough to feed the great crowd and still have leftovers. In this passage we see Jesus’ discipleship training and Andrew’s faith that offers five loaves and two fish to Jesus. We thank God for our position in him to feed U of T students and young people in this city and this country. May we offer our five loaves and two fish to Jesus with faith so that he may feed all of them, making U of T a university of Jesus’ disciples, Toronto, a holy city, and Canada, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

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