If you don’t remember where we were studying, go back and check the archives page.
Jesus had sent the disciples away, and they have now returned.
Luke 9:10-11
10 When the apostles
returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them
with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called
11 But the crowds
were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to
them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
Sometimes to study an event in detail, you have to look at
all four gospels. There are a few things
that happen between Jesus arriving in
John 6:1-7
1 After these things
Jesus went away to the other side of the
2 A large crowd
followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who
were sick.
3 Then Jesus went up
on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover,
the feast of the Jews, was near.
During this time, the Jews are all starting to travel to
5 Therefore Jesus,
lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to
Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?"
6 This He was saying
to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending
to do.
The Lord certainly knew that He was going to feed the people! He was going to provide their spiritual sustenance AND their material sustenance. There’s a lesson here: as you orient your life around getting spiritual sustenance from taking in the Word of God, God will provide in grace what you need materially.
What was Philip’s test? Philip knew who Jesus was, and what He was capable of doing. He needs to realize HIS inability to feed the multitude, and turn in faith to the One who IS able to feed them. But instead, Philip, the analytical mathematician, does some quick calculations in his head:
7 Philip answered
Him, "Two hundred denarii (one denarius was
one day’s wages) worth of bread is
not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little."
Philip’s answer shows that he has failed the test. Six months wages wouldn’t give everyone even a small bite! His faith was in the money that had with them, not in the Lord’s ability to provide.
Now let’s jump back to Luke:
Luke 9:11-12
11 But the crowds
were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to
them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
As the Lord provides their spiritual nourishment, the disciples start to worry about their physical nourishment. They had heard Jesus ask Philip the question, and it’s been bothering them all day while Jesus taught! Imagine the teaching they missed while they worried!
Don’t let worries and problems about simple physical problems keep you from taking advantage of every opportunity to learn the Word of God! Have faith that He is able and willing to provide any need you may have.
Of course, the disciples ALL failed this test. At the end of the day, they approach Jesus with a well thought out, reasonable, logical solution:
12 Now the day was
ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the crowd away, that
they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and
get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place."
Would their solution have worked? Well, maybe. There may have been enough food in the towns around where they were to feed all the people. But here’s the problem: How much glory would the disciples’ solution bring to the Lord? NONE! Their solution is not based on grace, and it doesn’t require any faith. So we’ll skip to Matthew and see how the Lord answers:
Matthew 14:16
16 But Jesus said to
them, "They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!"
Jesus is trying to get them to trust in Him to do what is impossible for them to do. Have you ever faced a problem that seems to have no solution? Have you come up with a reasonable, well thought out solution that excludes God? Maybe God is testing YOU like He did these disciples! Have faith that He is able and willing to provide solutions to any problem.
Of course, instead of having faith and turning to Him, the disciples come back with a smart ___ answer:
Mark 6:37-38a
37 But He answered
them, "You give them something to eat!" And they said to Him,
"Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on
bread and give them something to eat?"
38 And He said to
them, "How many loaves do you have? Go look!" …
What will they find? Will the disciples come up with a better solution? Will the multitude panic? Will they all starve to death? Can Jesus really come up with a solution in an impossible situation?!
Tune in next time, and we’ll see what happens!