Five Thousand Fed (John 6:1-15)

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.799 And please remain standing if you're able, and let's turn to John, Chapter 2 00:00:03.879 --> 00:00:11.150 six, verses one through fifteen. John Six, one through fifteen. Let's 3 00:00:11.150 --> 00:00:15.910 hear God's word this morning. After this, Jesus went away to the other 4 00:00:15.990 --> 00:00:20.629 side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberius. In 5 00:00:20.789 --> 00:00:24.579 a large crowd was following him because they saw the signs that he was doing 6 00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:29.379 on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain and there he sat down 7 00:00:29.500 --> 00:00:34.060 with his disciples. Now the Passover, the Feast of the Jews, was 8 00:00:34.179 --> 00:00:38.850 at hand. Lifting up his eyes then, and seeing that a large crowd 9 00:00:38.929 --> 00:00:42.770 was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, where are we to buy 10 00:00:42.770 --> 00:00:47.770 bread so that these people may eat? He said this to test him, 11 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:53.280 for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him two hundred Dinari 12 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:56.560 worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little. 13 00:00:57.640 --> 00:01:00.759 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon, Peter's brother, said to 14 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:04.030 him, there is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, 15 00:01:04.510 --> 00:01:10.030 but what are they for? So many Jesus said, have the people 16 00:01:10.109 --> 00:01:15.549 sit down now. There was much grass in the place, so the men 17 00:01:15.750 --> 00:01:21.620 sat down about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves and when 18 00:01:21.659 --> 00:01:26.379 he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So 19 00:01:26.620 --> 00:01:30.340 also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten 20 00:01:30.379 --> 00:01:34.170 their fill, he told the disciples gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may 21 00:01:34.209 --> 00:01:40.730 be lost. So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from 22 00:01:40.730 --> 00:01:45.810 the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw 23 00:01:45.930 --> 00:01:49.040 the sign that he had done, they said this indeed, this is indeed 24 00:01:49.079 --> 00:01:55.560 the Prophet who is come into the world. Perceiving then that they were about 25 00:01:55.599 --> 00:01:59.959 to come and take him by forest to make him king, Jesus withdrew again 26 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:05.109 to the mountain by himself. This is to us the bread of life, 27 00:02:05.909 --> 00:02:08.990 the Word of God in Christ may bless it to us, he may be 28 00:02:09.069 --> 00:02:16.620 seated. What we're seeing now is that Jesus is a controversial figure. We've 29 00:02:16.659 --> 00:02:23.259 spent some time in John Five thinking about some miracles that he did there and 30 00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:30.289 how that inspired certain people among the Jews to want to murder him. Now, 31 00:02:30.569 --> 00:02:34.729 at the end of John Six, after doing some miracles, we find 32 00:02:34.810 --> 00:02:39.689 that certain people among the Jews want to make him a king. It doesn't 33 00:02:39.729 --> 00:02:45.599 get much more stark than this. Some people wanting you dead, others people 34 00:02:45.759 --> 00:02:53.120 wanting you to rule over them forever. Jesus is not someone that you can 35 00:02:53.439 --> 00:03:00.030 hay lightly. He's not someone that you can sort of pass by. When 36 00:03:00.110 --> 00:03:02.110 you see who he is, when you see his works, when you hear 37 00:03:02.229 --> 00:03:09.110 what he says and say that's interesting. It'd be like a tornado coming down 38 00:03:09.189 --> 00:03:13.900 on your house and use acting like it was just some wind that moved by. 39 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:19.099 It just doesn't work like that with Jesus. Jesus is doing things here 40 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:23.259 that are truly remarkable. We see that in the reaction of these people, 41 00:03:23.379 --> 00:03:28.650 in fact every single person that he's come in contact with. It's made a 42 00:03:28.969 --> 00:03:35.330 big difference. Sometimes the person reacts in a very negative way. That's a 43 00:03:35.889 --> 00:03:38.889 bad way to put it, but, like I said, they wanted to 44 00:03:38.930 --> 00:03:43.080 murder him. And sometimes it's in a very positive way, in the way 45 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:47.759 that, for example, the woman at the well believed him and went out 46 00:03:47.919 --> 00:03:53.919 and told others about him. And so one of the reminders that we have 47 00:03:54.120 --> 00:04:00.349 here, as we think through how John Teaches us about Jesus, is that 48 00:04:00.430 --> 00:04:03.669 we must be a paying attention. If you're not paying attention that you are 49 00:04:03.750 --> 00:04:08.789 not seeing and you are not understanding, at even the most basic level, 50 00:04:09.150 --> 00:04:14.979 what the original what Jesus is original audiences we're seeing and feeling. If You 51 00:04:15.340 --> 00:04:20.860 are hearing the Gospel, John's Gospel about Jesus and and you are not having 52 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:26.769 any reaction one way or another two to who he is, then you're probably 53 00:04:26.889 --> 00:04:31.370 not understanding who he is. Given the way that other people are reacting toward 54 00:04:31.410 --> 00:04:35.250 him, people of all different kinds and all different reactions. It's always a 55 00:04:35.649 --> 00:04:43.000 quite strong it doesn't mean that we always have to have strong reactions to Jesus, 56 00:04:44.160 --> 00:04:48.480 but you see my point. He's important, he's remarkable and if you 57 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:53.670 don't sense that, then you're missing the message. You're not understanding what John 58 00:04:53.750 --> 00:04:59.069 is saying. But having heard that and having been reminded of of what we 59 00:04:59.189 --> 00:05:02.149 are encountering here, as we encounter the son of God in the word, 60 00:05:02.949 --> 00:05:08.540 we come now to John, chapter six. After these people who are angry 61 00:05:08.579 --> 00:05:13.540 about Jesus, his work on the Sabbath and these explanations, he withdraws. 62 00:05:13.699 --> 00:05:20.569 He withdraws to a mountain and we have this famous, this very famous scene 63 00:05:20.610 --> 00:05:27.850 in which Jesus feeds five thousand people, likely more than five thousand, because 64 00:05:27.889 --> 00:05:30.009 only the men are counted here, so we've added to that number women and 65 00:05:30.089 --> 00:05:36.399 children as well. Five thousand plus people with five loaves, barley loaves and 66 00:05:36.639 --> 00:05:41.839 a few fish. Amazing. And not only does he feed them with us, 67 00:05:41.879 --> 00:05:45.879 but there are so many leftovers. There's twelve baskets, baskets full, 68 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:50.470 that we read of. Who, who's ever seen anything like this? We 69 00:05:50.589 --> 00:05:54.910 joke about this sometimes, right, you know, if we have a big 70 00:05:54.949 --> 00:05:57.550 meal and it seems like there's some left and we say, Oh, it's 71 00:05:57.589 --> 00:06:00.269 a miracle, but of course we were we we only are joking, we're 72 00:06:00.310 --> 00:06:04.620 only sort of talking about in a simple way, about the abundance that we 73 00:06:04.699 --> 00:06:08.740 have. Can you imagine what that would be like to actually show up to 74 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:13.139 Thanksgiving dinner with, you know, one bread roll on the table and then 75 00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:16.620 to leave with the whole kitchen just full of food? Where did it come 76 00:06:16.660 --> 00:06:21.850 from? Him? I don't know. How do you explain these things? 77 00:06:21.889 --> 00:06:30.730 Jesus somehow. Clearly, they were amazed at it's so amazed. They said 78 00:06:30.769 --> 00:06:33.959 this indeed is the prophet who is coming to the world, and they were 79 00:06:34.040 --> 00:06:45.120 almost their force was so strong that Jesus withdrew. He got away. I 80 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:49.990 had the opportunity to go recently to a softball game at the UFA. I 81 00:06:50.069 --> 00:06:54.589 haven't been in a crowd in a while and I was reminded at the power 82 00:06:54.629 --> 00:06:59.310 of a crowd. I was also a dance recital to last night. Again 83 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:02.339 the crowd. They there's a power in it and when you look out at 84 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:05.420 a crowd and you can sort of send something is go about to happen, 85 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:10.259 this is what happened with Jesus. He heard the noise, he saw their 86 00:07:10.420 --> 00:07:13.819 faces, he said, I can see what's going to happen here and he 87 00:07:13.939 --> 00:07:17.970 withdrew. This was how strong there was reaction. Was it seeing this abundance 88 00:07:18.009 --> 00:07:26.050 of food after this miracle? Another thing to notice is we kind of think 89 00:07:26.089 --> 00:07:28.529 about what's going on here in this scene. Is I think that most of 90 00:07:28.569 --> 00:07:31.439 us are used to thinking about what's going on here, with everyone seated very 91 00:07:31.519 --> 00:07:36.279 neatly in listening to Jesus, and that does eventually happen. But notice the 92 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:42.000 movement. At the beginning of the story. We read in verse two that 93 00:07:42.120 --> 00:07:46.269 a large crowd was following Jesus. Right Jesus. They weren't all sort of 94 00:07:46.310 --> 00:07:49.870 nicely seated and then Jesus walk up and gave his lecture. Now they were 95 00:07:50.350 --> 00:07:54.829 following him a lot. Have you ever been followed by a large crowd? 96 00:07:55.709 --> 00:08:00.420 By me, I hope it never happens. Jesus was followed by a very 97 00:08:00.500 --> 00:08:03.540 large crowd. They were following him around. He goes up onto the mountain 98 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:09.060 with his disciples, possibly to want to be left alone. Then he looks 99 00:08:09.139 --> 00:08:13.769 down over the mountain. Any here they come. He sees them coming, 100 00:08:13.769 --> 00:08:16.930 coming toward him. He lifts up his eyes, we read in verse five, 101 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:22.810 and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, he says this 102 00:08:22.970 --> 00:08:28.360 to Philip. Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? 103 00:08:28.519 --> 00:08:33.559 So John tells us that a lot of people were in town because of 104 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:37.120 the Passover and they were coming to see the Lord. They had seen these 105 00:08:37.240 --> 00:08:43.029 miracles that he was doing. They were seeing these things that were happening and 106 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:48.950 that's why they were there. Another neat, another detail to notice about the 107 00:08:48.029 --> 00:08:52.669 passage as we consider the these various things that are going on here, is 108 00:08:52.750 --> 00:08:58.779 that the note about the Passover is not just an incidental detail to tell us 109 00:08:58.779 --> 00:09:01.220 why there were so many people. It is that, but it's also there 110 00:09:01.299 --> 00:09:05.740 for another reason that I'm telling you so that you kind of put in the 111 00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:11.009 back of your mind or your back pocket for later, and the reason is 112 00:09:11.090 --> 00:09:15.649 this what Jesus does here in this miracle and the things that he's going to 113 00:09:15.730 --> 00:09:20.850 say later on the Nis chapter are going to inform us and help form our 114 00:09:20.889 --> 00:09:26.120 understanding of the Lord's supper. That will come later on. One of the 115 00:09:26.200 --> 00:09:31.480 ways in which we understand what the Lord's supper is about, what Jesus did 116 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:37.200 there is because of this event here, and we do that for several different 117 00:09:37.240 --> 00:09:39.429 reasons. One of them is that both of them happen on the Passover. 118 00:09:41.429 --> 00:09:46.590 John Marks this point in all the gospel writers do that there's a connection between 119 00:09:46.950 --> 00:09:50.309 these two events. You also see it in the words when he had given 120 00:09:50.429 --> 00:09:54.539 thanks, he distributed it to them, and the other Gospel Writers we also 121 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:58.139 find these words. He blessed it, he broke the bread, he gave 122 00:09:58.259 --> 00:10:03.779 it to them. These, of course, perhaps I should says our words 123 00:10:03.820 --> 00:10:07.809 that sound familiar to you on the are the words that Jesus also uses in 124 00:10:09.009 --> 00:10:13.009 the Lord's supper, the same verbs in the same order. In a way, 125 00:10:13.169 --> 00:10:16.850 Jesus, this isn't the what we think of is the Lord's supper itself. 126 00:10:16.970 --> 00:10:20.009 That will be instituted later, but he is providing a meal here. 127 00:10:20.049 --> 00:10:26.440 He is handing and distributing out bread in particular, also fish. But he's 128 00:10:26.480 --> 00:10:28.960 doing it in a way that will help us to understand this later meal that 129 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:33.080 is to come. We won't have time to get to it today, but 130 00:10:35.159 --> 00:10:37.669 when we get to the latter half of John Six, this will become even 131 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:43.350 more clear when Jesus talks to him, talks to them about himself as the 132 00:10:43.590 --> 00:10:48.990 bread of life. This is my body, which is given for you do 133 00:10:48.190 --> 00:10:54.419 this in remembrance of me. He talks about this bread as a way of 134 00:10:54.620 --> 00:11:01.700 pointing to him as our sustenance, as our as our life. Well, 135 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:05.570 before we get to all of that, and that's again a prelude for you 136 00:11:05.649 --> 00:11:11.769 to begin thinking about it, I want to finish our reflections on this passage 137 00:11:11.809 --> 00:11:16.529 this morning by considering again the miraculous way in which all of this comes to 138 00:11:16.690 --> 00:11:22.200 us and points us to Jesus as the bread of life and the Kingdom of 139 00:11:22.279 --> 00:11:28.720 God that is coming in him. As I've mentioned already, this miracle is 140 00:11:28.919 --> 00:11:35.149 a miracle. It's extraordinary and it's not just an amazing trick or something like 141 00:11:35.190 --> 00:11:41.950 that Jesus is doing something here that only God can do. Only God can 142 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:48.259 create something out of nothing, only God can take five loaves of bread and 143 00:11:48.740 --> 00:11:56.980 feed a crowd of thousands. And we've seen the work of Jesus and these 144 00:11:56.019 --> 00:12:01.809 miracles several times before, with the official son that was healed, with the 145 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:05.090 water that was turned into wine, with the way in which he spoke into 146 00:12:05.169 --> 00:12:11.090 this woman's life at the well and John for this is important not only because 147 00:12:11.129 --> 00:12:16.679 it proves his divine nature, that the works that he is doing are the 148 00:12:16.759 --> 00:12:18.480 works that have been given to him by the father to do, as we 149 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:28.399 read in John Five, but that the salvation he brings is different. It's 150 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:33.750 characterized by something that is that is different from much of what we experience. 151 00:12:35.269 --> 00:12:41.190 The Salvation Jesus is bringing is not of this world, and that's one of 152 00:12:41.230 --> 00:12:43.980 the main points here, of of this passage. It's one of the main 153 00:12:45.019 --> 00:12:50.940 things that we are intended to learn from here and Jesus's other signs. We're 154 00:12:52.019 --> 00:12:56.740 not merely to marvel at the fact that Jesus pitied these people or that provided 155 00:12:56.860 --> 00:13:03.129 for them, but the way that he provided for them is important. Why? 156 00:13:05.649 --> 00:13:11.090 Let me mention a few reasons. One reason is that the miraculous nature 157 00:13:11.090 --> 00:13:16.240 of Jesus signs point to us his nature, the nature of his salvation and 158 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:22.200 the kingdom that is coming, and in that it is a comfort to people 159 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:28.629 who are oppressed and trapped by the world. In other words, the way 160 00:13:28.789 --> 00:13:33.110 that Jesus Salvation comes, which is not from this world. Right, you 161 00:13:33.190 --> 00:13:37.870 don't just turn five loaves and defeating five thousand people, a few fish and 162 00:13:37.950 --> 00:13:43.899 defeating all of these people. The fact that Jesus is war, salvation and 163 00:13:43.940 --> 00:13:46.899 kingdom is coming, not of this world, is a great comfort to people 164 00:13:46.899 --> 00:13:54.460 who are oppressed in the world, who feel trapped by the world. A 165 00:13:54.539 --> 00:14:00.409 great example of this might be Joseph. Remember Joseph's story in the Old Testament. 166 00:14:01.250 --> 00:14:05.169 He was trapped by the world in all kinds of ways. First in 167 00:14:05.250 --> 00:14:09.250 a difficult family situation where there was all kinds of conflict between him and his 168 00:14:09.409 --> 00:14:13.480 brothers, brothers who eventually sold him into another kind of entrapment, slavery. 169 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:18.000 He was a trapped in this way. Then after that he was trapped in 170 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:24.830 an impossible work situation where, despite his his faithfulness and is doing his good 171 00:14:24.950 --> 00:14:30.669 work, his boss's wife was trying to trap him and put him in a 172 00:14:30.750 --> 00:14:35.269 difficult, challenging situation where she wanted him to commit adultery with her, of 173 00:14:35.389 --> 00:14:41.299 course, against God's law, against her own marriage, against his work relationship 174 00:14:41.299 --> 00:14:50.899 with his owner employer. Joseph was trapped in a difficult family situation. Joseph 175 00:14:50.980 --> 00:14:56.330 was trapped in slavery. Joseph was trapped in a difficult work situation and and 176 00:14:56.009 --> 00:15:01.570 we're relationships there. Then after that he was trapped at a prison, unjust 177 00:15:01.730 --> 00:15:05.889 imprisonment. On top of that poverty. Probably we can add that all kinds 178 00:15:05.929 --> 00:15:13.799 of other things. Joseph, though, was reminded that his salvation would come 179 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:16.720 from God, which was not of this world, that, though all of 180 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:20.360 these things were holding him, oppressing him, trapping him, there was someone 181 00:15:20.399 --> 00:15:26.629 who stood outside of all of that who could save him did save him through 182 00:15:26.710 --> 00:15:37.700 miracles, amazing things, dreams and visions and amazing acts of Providence. You 183 00:15:37.779 --> 00:15:41.259 can think of other people who have been trapped. Hannah, constantly belittled and 184 00:15:41.460 --> 00:15:46.820 troubled by Pannina, unable to have a baby but wanting one so badly, 185 00:15:48.980 --> 00:15:52.289 or Moses trying to lead his people that God had told him to lead lead 186 00:15:52.330 --> 00:16:00.529 them out from Egypt, out from his adopted Father Pharaoh, but seemingly but 187 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:07.799 facing and seemingly unbreakable wall of Pharaoh's heart. Can you imagine what it would 188 00:16:07.840 --> 00:16:12.080 be like to persevere after the first plague didn't work, or the second, 189 00:16:12.080 --> 00:16:18.240 or the third, or the fourth, or the fifth or the sixth or 190 00:16:18.360 --> 00:16:22.669 this set? How many times is this going to take? This is impossible. 191 00:16:23.269 --> 00:16:30.149 We are not getting out of Egypt. But they did, didn't they? 192 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:37.539 The fact that the Lord works outside of the powers of this world is 193 00:16:37.620 --> 00:16:44.019 a great comfort to those who are trapped by the world. If you are 194 00:16:44.220 --> 00:16:48.169 trapped and find yourselves in need of comfort, whether it's in relationships or your 195 00:16:48.570 --> 00:16:53.730 physical state or your place in society or whatever it is. And we are 196 00:16:53.809 --> 00:17:00.009 blessed with so much freedom, but nevertheless we and many people around the world 197 00:17:00.049 --> 00:17:07.720 find themselves under the power of the world and needing comfort and hope and perseverance 198 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:11.880 to continue. When God reveals these miracles to us, not just doing things 199 00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:15.589 that sort of take this piece of creation in that piece of creation and kind 200 00:17:15.589 --> 00:17:19.269 of move them together in another way. That's what we do all the time, 201 00:17:21.230 --> 00:17:25.109 but he works outside of this world with a power that is divine in 202 00:17:25.190 --> 00:17:29.309 the power that is you need eek. Only to him we are reminded that 203 00:17:29.750 --> 00:17:33.819 salvation is possible, no matter how hard it is, no matter how deep 204 00:17:33.980 --> 00:17:38.339 the slavery is, no matter how great that wall is, God can break 205 00:17:38.420 --> 00:17:45.690 it down. So He provides hope and comfort and perseverance for us. And 206 00:17:45.849 --> 00:17:48.849 of course there's no better way in which this is shown to us than in 207 00:17:48.890 --> 00:17:56.490 Jesus himself, who died, who was eventually murdered, took on our sins 208 00:17:56.970 --> 00:18:03.599 and nevertheless rose again from the dead, forever taking us out of the bondage 209 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:07.519 and slavery that we have to sin, so that we might belong no longer 210 00:18:07.599 --> 00:18:12.029 in a dominion of darkness, as Paul says in Colossians, but that we 211 00:18:12.069 --> 00:18:19.670 might belong to a kingdom of light. My chains fell off, my heart 212 00:18:19.750 --> 00:18:23.150 was set free, I rose, went forth and followed thee as we saying 213 00:18:23.190 --> 00:18:30.299 earlier, the miracles of Jesus, in the way that he is coming, 214 00:18:30.339 --> 00:18:33.980 as he feeds the five thousand, and is he does these other things as 215 00:18:33.019 --> 00:18:38.380 that another way to remind us, remind US another, another thing about the 216 00:18:38.460 --> 00:18:42.730 world, one it brings us hope and perseverance. It also reminds us not 217 00:18:42.849 --> 00:18:48.410 to be enchanted by it. On the one hand, we can be remembered, 218 00:18:48.529 --> 00:18:52.089 we can remind ourselves and be reminded by God's word that no matter how 219 00:18:52.210 --> 00:18:57.079 dark it is, there is light in God. But it also reminds us 220 00:18:57.160 --> 00:19:06.079 not to be fooled by by the false light of this world. All that 221 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:11.269 glitters is in gold. Right to see these, these miracles of Jesus, 222 00:19:11.349 --> 00:19:15.349 to sit there on the grass and eat the bread and eat and and to 223 00:19:15.190 --> 00:19:19.190 a take of the fish, and to see this man who is obviously a 224 00:19:19.390 --> 00:19:26.980 prophet, the Prophet prophesied by Moses, tells us that something else is going 225 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:33.220 on. We get so zeroed in and so focused on the things of this 226 00:19:33.420 --> 00:19:37.900 world, the things of this life. It is so helpful to be reminded 227 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:41.569 from God's own mouth, God's own word, that this world is not all 228 00:19:41.690 --> 00:19:49.769 there is. Sometimes those those those reminders come in very hard ways. You 229 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:55.480 Remember Nebuchadnezzar on his roof, looking out on his great kingdom, so proud 230 00:19:55.559 --> 00:20:00.079 of all that he had done. Instantly God turns him into a kind of 231 00:20:00.240 --> 00:20:07.910 beast. Or going back to Moses, from Pharaoh's perspective, Moses and the 232 00:20:07.950 --> 00:20:12.430 people felt trapped. Will we ever bet let go? Pharaoh felt selfassured, 233 00:20:14.109 --> 00:20:19.509 strong, powerful. I withstood this God of Moses. One, two, 234 00:20:21.109 --> 00:20:26.460 three, four, five, I can keep going. Bring it, Moses. 235 00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:33.339 Sorry, Pharaoh felt very strong. Indeed he was. As far as 236 00:20:33.339 --> 00:20:37.730 it went. There are ways in which we can look out on our kingdoms, 237 00:20:37.809 --> 00:20:40.970 on our lives, on the things that we do, on the things 238 00:20:41.009 --> 00:20:45.930 that we create, and we can be overly confident in them. The miracles 239 00:20:45.009 --> 00:20:48.970 of Jesus, the fact that Jesus is bringing about not just some bread for 240 00:20:49.000 --> 00:20:53.720 us to eat, but a kingdom that is going to come into this world 241 00:20:55.119 --> 00:20:59.720 with power and will never end, is a reminder not only that we can 242 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:03.559 be set free from this world, but not to be entrapped by it either, 243 00:21:03.589 --> 00:21:08.910 to not give ourselves over it as Judas did thirty pieces of silver. 244 00:21:15.269 --> 00:21:19.140 How Sad. Of course. I know how hard it is, I know 245 00:21:19.339 --> 00:21:22.900 how strong the temptations are, how much it seems like the things of this 246 00:21:23.140 --> 00:21:33.089 world really are worth running after. But let the miracles of Jesus, this 247 00:21:33.369 --> 00:21:41.609 one included, remind you how suddenly all can be lost and how quickly all 248 00:21:41.730 --> 00:21:47.720 can be gained. God is the one who is in control, and he 249 00:21:47.759 --> 00:21:52.039 has brought what he has a brought his son, he has sent his son 250 00:21:52.240 --> 00:22:02.630 into the world to establish something that is eternal, unchanging, everlasting. Don't 251 00:22:02.710 --> 00:22:06.750 put your hope in the things of this world, even in your next meal. 252 00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:11.509 Let God provide it all. And so when we pray the Lord's prayer 253 00:22:11.549 --> 00:22:15.380 and we ask for our daily bread, really pray that depend not on your 254 00:22:15.420 --> 00:22:18.980 own strength, on your own wisdom, on our economy, is on our 255 00:22:19.099 --> 00:22:23.220 systems, on our the ways in which we may can transport and all the 256 00:22:23.299 --> 00:22:30.809 rest. Our food depend ultimately on God. He's the one who gives us 257 00:22:30.930 --> 00:22:37.529 every meal. He's the one who gives us the bread of life that we 258 00:22:37.569 --> 00:22:45.160 might enjoy and eat of the Lord and live forever. We also find joy 259 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:52.000 in these things, because this is the nature of our salvation. We find 260 00:22:52.119 --> 00:22:57.630 joy comfort in these things. We also might notice that Jesus, you, 261 00:22:59.190 --> 00:23:06.509 is pleased to use ordinary things to accomplish these extraordinary ends. He uses this 262 00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:11.109 question to Philip. Where are we to buy bread so that these people may 263 00:23:11.150 --> 00:23:17.740 eat? Of course Jesus wasn't confused, he was being a leader. He 264 00:23:17.900 --> 00:23:22.740 was asking a question to test one of his disciples, to open up a 265 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:30.730 vein of discussion, to prove something to be true. Jesus uses this question. 266 00:23:30.809 --> 00:23:36.809 Jesus uses the fish from this unnamed boy, uses they loaves, uses 267 00:23:36.930 --> 00:23:42.000 the disciples, distributing and taking these things up. This extraordinary thing that Jesus 268 00:23:42.079 --> 00:23:47.720 does in the world, this amazing Kingdom of Grace and power and glory, 269 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:53.039 and he uses us, unimportant people, unimportant things, water, fish, 270 00:23:53.319 --> 00:24:00.029 bread, ordinary things, and this is how God continues to work. He 271 00:24:00.069 --> 00:24:06.029 uses ordinary people to witness to his kingdom and to do its work. Ordinary 272 00:24:06.109 --> 00:24:14.059 people, ordinary things, but extraordinary, eternal, everlasting miracles. How exciting 273 00:24:14.140 --> 00:24:21.740 it would have been to be that boy, I think, when we witness 274 00:24:21.900 --> 00:24:26.849 to sinners, when God brings them out of darkness to life, when he 275 00:24:26.009 --> 00:24:30.289 opens their heart and sets them their feet free on new paths, when they 276 00:24:30.369 --> 00:24:34.769 lose their taste for the stale and rotten bread of this world and gain a 277 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:41.160 desire for the bread of Heaven, because of the things that we say, 278 00:24:41.400 --> 00:24:47.039 because of the with things that we do, we are that boy, we 279 00:24:47.200 --> 00:24:52.150 are his disciples, we are being used by him to do these amazing things. 280 00:24:55.109 --> 00:24:57.150 I think this point is so remarkable because it means that not only do 281 00:24:57.269 --> 00:25:03.670 we experience these blessings, but we in a way become the blessings themselves. 282 00:25:03.829 --> 00:25:07.740 This is how rich an abundant God's mercy is. One of the other things 283 00:25:07.819 --> 00:25:12.539 that's proved by this miracle. When God does the when God gives us our 284 00:25:12.539 --> 00:25:21.299 daily bread, he's so often doesn't merely give us our daily bread. He 285 00:25:21.769 --> 00:25:25.809 provides for US abundantly. Think about that when you eat your lunch today. 286 00:25:26.970 --> 00:25:30.769 Think about that as you hear his word now, the abundance with which he 287 00:25:32.049 --> 00:25:37.920 provides for you. Praise God. So let me speak to you, then, 288 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:42.200 who may not know Jesus. I mean both those who are very familiar 289 00:25:42.359 --> 00:25:47.599 with him but do not yet love him or walk with him or serve him, 290 00:25:47.599 --> 00:25:51.829 and I also mean those who are hearing about Jesus, perhaps in a 291 00:25:51.990 --> 00:25:57.710 new way or for the first time. As our Savior spoke in this story, 292 00:26:00.470 --> 00:26:03.579 he tells the people to sit down, to eat and be filled. 293 00:26:06.259 --> 00:26:10.380 They could have doubted. They could have said, we don't see food, 294 00:26:11.380 --> 00:26:14.500 we don't see store houses of food, we don't see waiters, we don't 295 00:26:14.500 --> 00:26:18.690 see tables. They could have doubted, they could have left, maybe some 296 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:23.089 dead, who knows? But we do know, however, is that everyone 297 00:26:23.130 --> 00:26:27.529 who sat down on the grass that day at the command and the promise of 298 00:26:27.569 --> 00:26:33.359 Jesus were nourished by him. Yet for a few more hours, through his 299 00:26:33.640 --> 00:26:40.200 miraculous power, and those who believed not only of the bread that he put 300 00:26:40.279 --> 00:26:42.559 in their mouths, but believed in him, is the bread of life. 301 00:26:44.160 --> 00:26:52.269 They are nourished eternally. There are given the promise of eternal life. If 302 00:26:52.349 --> 00:26:56.029 you think this miracle is amazing, consider this as only a sign to the 303 00:26:56.109 --> 00:27:02.700 greater one that he would perform when he gave himself, when he broke himself 304 00:27:03.819 --> 00:27:07.420 and was broken, that we might have life in him, eternal life, 305 00:27:07.539 --> 00:27:12.019 both for the nourishment of our bodies, which we will receive glorified on the 306 00:27:12.059 --> 00:27:17.250 last day when he returns, and to our souls. With all that being 307 00:27:17.289 --> 00:27:19.690 said, my question to you, then is, will you not sit down, 308 00:27:22.130 --> 00:27:30.119 he says, eat, drink. Come to me, you who are 309 00:27:30.400 --> 00:27:36.759 weary and heavy, laid and entrapped and in slavery and brokenhearted and wounded and 310 00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:42.640 dying, and I will set you free, I will heal your wounds, 311 00:27:42.839 --> 00:27:49.470 I will bind your broken hearts, you will not leave hungry and hopeless and 312 00:27:49.670 --> 00:27:59.500 disappointed. All who stay and sit before him and expectant faith will not be 313 00:27:59.779 --> 00:28:04.980 disappointed. It's Jesus, this one, who is healing the sick, this 314 00:28:06.140 --> 00:28:11.619 one who is providing this bread, who ultimately will give him, give us 315 00:28:11.660 --> 00:28:19.289 himself, this overflowing life, this overflowing love, this overflowing hope and comfort. 316 00:28:21.250 --> 00:28:25.410 Indeed, he is the Prophet who has come into the world. This 317 00:28:25.730 --> 00:28:30.640 is not the reason to kill him or walk away from him. It is 318 00:28:30.759 --> 00:28:37.960 the reason to listen and gather to him every hour, every minute of every 319 00:28:37.039 --> 00:28:47.950 day. Jesus, of course, ends all of this by escaping, not 320 00:28:48.069 --> 00:28:52.990 because he didn't want to provide them more, not because he didn't want to 321 00:28:52.109 --> 00:28:56.940 be their king, but because he didn't want to do it on their terms, 322 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:03.220 on their worldly terms, on the terms in which they had in their 323 00:29:03.259 --> 00:29:08.980 mind about the power and the force of this world. Jesus was would become 324 00:29:10.130 --> 00:29:14.769 their king and the king of all who believe and put their heart their faith 325 00:29:14.890 --> 00:29:19.130 in him, Kingdom of all the world, but he would do it not 326 00:29:19.490 --> 00:29:25.799 through the world, the world's glory and the world's power, but the glory 327 00:29:26.000 --> 00:29:32.319 and the power that comes from heaven, through the Cross. And this is 328 00:29:32.440 --> 00:29:34.720 good to us, because if Jesus was our king, apart from the cross, 329 00:29:36.200 --> 00:29:38.829 he'd have to kick us all out of his kingdom. They'd say you're 330 00:29:38.910 --> 00:29:44.269 not worthy to be here, you're not worthy to belong. But Jesus comes 331 00:29:44.349 --> 00:29:48.950 in humility, Jesus comes in grace. Jesus comes from through the Cross so 332 00:29:48.069 --> 00:29:52.299 that we might be transferred out of a dominion of darkness and into the Kingdom 333 00:29:52.339 --> 00:29:57.660 of God, his beloved son, not because of our greatness, but because 334 00:29:57.740 --> 00:30:07.490 of his. So with that, let us be grateful people. Let us 335 00:30:07.490 --> 00:30:11.609 sit down and eat and feed on the Lord, Jesus Christ, of course 336 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:15.529 when we take the Lord's Supper, as we will this evening, but every 337 00:30:15.690 --> 00:30:22.640 time you hear the words of him, the Prophet of God, hear his 338 00:30:22.839 --> 00:30:30.880 words, believe them, take them in. They are your life. Let's 339 00:30:30.920 --> pray