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Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

5 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?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you imagine the story this boy tells his mother when he gets home? How was your day, did you have enough to eat? It was great, I met Jesus, I fed over 5000 people with my lunch and I have a few extra baskets left over…. 

 

 

 

 

  -  the crowd was physically starving… but also spiritually starving as well. Jesus attended to their physical needs in order to continue to attend to their spiritual needs.

 

 

 

 

How much do you have to give?

 

 

V. 14 When you give God a little he blesses it and it becomes a witness to the world. Your blessing becomes a witness to the world! 

 

 

 

  -   Jesus uses an insignificant boy… but this story is one of the only stories told in all 4 gospels. 

 * Insignificant boy

 * Insignificant gift

 * Insignificant place in society

 

 

Jesus takes the bread and makes it more than enough. What did Jesus say? I will give you life and life abundantly… more than enough life. Life eternal. 

 

 

 

 

I wonder if this boy took his scraps home and continued to share them allowing the bread to continue to multiply. 

 

 

 

 

We see the faith of a child. He knows this Jesus is Godly, some say he is the Messiah… he simply trusts him with all that he has. 

 

 

 

Andrew points out the boy… think of that for a second. 

  - are you skipping that seems insignificant in your life

 

 

 

 

 

We see 4 solutions to this problem:

  -  Its not our problem… send them away. 

  -  To much money (Money is not always the answer) 

   -  The third solution was “lets just worry about who is most important” here is a boy who has enough for Jesus. Jesus will be glad that I thought of him (brownie points) 

 

 

  -  Let’s take what we have, put it into Jesus hands and see what happens. 

 

 

There is reason to believe that this boys mother packed the lunch for him to take to Jesus. And the boy comes to the disciples to give the food to Jesus. 

*The boy could have sold it- a little entrepreneur make a quick turn around. 

 

 

Practical:

  1- When there is a need give what you have

  2- When there is a need give all you can

  3- Jesus in all 4 gospels gives thanks. Was it enough? No, but he thanked God the father for what he had in faith.

12 baskets left over = 12 is the symbol of perfection of totality.

He takes our little bit/not enough and makes it complete. 

 

 

11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

 

The greek word… they were gorged. 

 

Human nature kicked in and some people most likely took way more than they needed - Jesus did not have a problem with that. 

 

 

I ask you today… what do you have to give?

Not just money - What time do you have to give

What talent

What ideas

What service

What gifting

What small step of faith might be that one bread crumb that multiples