Bread from Heaven
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. (John 6:11)
At the height of His ministry in Galilee, Jesus spoke to huge crowds that came to hear His unmatched teaching. On this occasion in John 6, Jesus saw the great multitude decided to do something to bring food to these thousands of people.
If you had to prepare lunch for thousands of people, where would you begin? Jesus began by asking His disciples a question. Of course, He knew all along what He wanted to; it was not as if Jesus needed suggestions from His disciples to solve a problem that He otherwise could not solve. Part of this test was an invitation to the disciples, for them to participate in the work of Jesus. Even when Jesus has everything figured out and planned, He still wants His people to help Him in the work. Aren’t you glad about that?
The disciples (specifically Philip) understood the challenge: Where do you get enough bread to feed so many? Their problem had at least two parts. First, they did not have the resources to feed the multitude (either the bread itself or the money to buy the bread). Second, even if they did have the money, it would be impossible to find enough bread to purchase to feed them all.
Philip didn’t think about what God could do; instead, he thought in terms of money, and how much it would take to do God’s work in a small way. He calculated it would take more than six months wages to feed them all a little. Philip’s math was accurate, but it was also useless in solving the problem. We often clutter our minds with useless facts that are of no help in seeing God’s work done among us.
They found five barley loaves. Barley was always regarded as simple food, better for feeding animals than people. Five barley loaves were not much to work with, but God doesn’t need much. Little is much when we put it in the hands of Jesus. Yet, Jesus waited until they brought something to put in His hands. God doesn’t need any help – but He often deliberately restrains His work until He has our participation.
The miracle came from the hands of Jesus. Bread comes from grain, which has the power of multiplication and reproduction within itself. But as grain is made into flour for bread, the grain must be crushed, making it “dead.” You can multiply grain by planting it, but never by crushing it. No one ever multiplied wheat by planting flour. The greatness of Jesus is that He can bring life – even multiply it – from death.
Think of what Jesus can bring from what you put into His hands today. Even if it is as simple as few loaves of barley bread, Jesus can do great things with it.
Click here for David’s commentary on John 6