Title: Jesus Feeds Abundantly / John 6:1-15
Content For people, what they need when they are hungry is food they can eat. When the Israelites listened to Jesus, they were hungry. However, there were many people gathered and there was no food, so I was very worried. Jesus fed the hungry people with a child's lunch box. It was an amazing incident where even after 5,000 people ate, there were 12 Gwangjuli left.
Jesus not only gave these people the food of life, but also filled the hungry people with a body of flesh. That's right. Jesus not only fills our spiritual problems abundantly, but also solves all our physical problems. Therefore, we must report all our problems to Jesus. You have to rely completely on it. Then you will receive the grace that fills you abundantly.
If we look at the incident in today's text, it is said, "The Passover, the Jewish festival, is near." Why did you tell the story of the Passover while talking about this miraculous event? What does this mean? There are two things to think about here. One means it was a time when people traveled a lot to attend the holidays. Another is the deep meaning that Jesus was trying to show that He is the bread of life that satisfies the hungry souls of mankind by tearing up His body with the Passover lamb by feeding the hungry.
1. What was the situation at the time of the text?
The circumstances of those who followed Jesus can be summarized into three points.
First, those who saw the signs that Jesus performed and followed them.
In verse 2 of the text, those who wanted to be healed eagerly followed. The sick's family and friends followed along. Wanting to see the sign again, I followed it. These are people who have already been healed. I was living in awe. Those who followed Jesus in anticipation of amazing signs. These people experienced the amazing miracle of the 5 bottles and 2 fish, which is the incident in today's text.
Second, the followers of Jesus were hungry.
Humans need to eat three meals a day to survive. But these people have been out of the house for a long time. I was very hungry. But the Lord, who gave us the bread of life, fed the hungry abundantly. The work of power filled with the love of the Lord made them full.
Jesus is the bread of life. We must fill our hungry souls with the Word. You cannot work when you are hungry. because there is no power. You must be poor in spirit. We must become spiritually hungry and eat to our full by the word of the Spirit that the Lord fills us with.
Third, they are those who want to make Jesus the king of the world. In verse 14, we can see that the people who saw the sign said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into this world.” The prophet is the Christ prophesied in the Old Testament. But people had a misunderstanding of the prophet. I knew that when Christ came, he would rule this world.
He did not know the meaning of the king of kings and was mistakenly thinking that he was the king who ruled over Judea. They did not even know the original meaning of feeding them to their fullness. I was just satisfied with the fact that my body was full. So, I thought that if this person became king, the problem of eating would be solved.
Aren't we who believe in Jesus, like these people, waiting for Jesus with only physical problems and wanting to meet him?
Jesus is the Bread of Life and He who tore His body and gave it to us at the Passover. He died on the cross to fulfill the purpose of redemption in the world. However, many followers of Jesus did not know this fundamental purpose, so after performing a miracle, he went to the mountain alone to pray.
2. Then, what was the true intention of Jesus who performed the miracle?
The first reason he performed the miracle was to feed those who were tired and hungry after hearing the word. But more importantly, through the incident of filling this body, we want to know the true meaning of the death of the ransom lamb on the Passover. In other words, Jesus taught that He is the bread of life for mankind.
The reason I asked Philip where we would buy bread so that these people could eat was to make him realize that money cannot buy. Instead, it means to give what we have. Indeed, in empty places, it was difficult to find bread to give to so many people, and there was not enough money.
Philip, who was quick to calculate, said that two hundred denarii was not enough. One denarius is the daily wage of a long-haired person, so that's a lot of money. So Philip's answer means that it is impossible on our own. Indeed, in the circumstances of the Bethsaida wilderness, it was impossible for the disciples alone to fill the body of so many people. And it is the fact that the satisfaction of the soul cannot be achieved through the power of men. In this world, the satisfaction of the soul is not achieved by human strength. Without Jesus there is no bread of life. There is no real satisfaction. You cannot enjoy abundance.
Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down. This means to make sure you are full. Jesus already had five barley loaves and two fish. A child gave to Jesus instead of eating. The reason people had to sit was for order. He also taught us to obey by faith.
We too must have the attitude to believe and receive the fact that the Lord gives us the Bread of Life. To do that, you must first sit before the Lord. Just as the whole family of Cornelius sat down to hear the words coming out of Peter's mouth, just as the people in the wilderness of Bethsaida watched the Lord, we must sit and watch the Lord.
This is the right attitude of those who receive grace. That's right belief. That's right obedience. In this way, you can experience that your heart is filled with the spiritual food that the Lord gives you.
The obedient disciples saw that many people were satisfied. Also, I had a lot left over after I was full. At this time, Jesus told them to pick up the crumbs and collect them.
We need to imitate the richness Jesus valued the crumbs. In grace, even the crumbs are precious. The Syrobonic woman was able to heal her daughter even by the grace of the crumbs.
Everyone!
Don't waste too much. Don't just think about my fullness. Because there are people who need even these leftovers from my meal. Jesus could make all things rich, but he cherished even this crumb.
3. What is the important lesson from this miracle?
First, it is a small lunch box for a child, but it is dedicated to the Lord. It is the fact that the beginning of this wonderful miracle, the abundant miracle, also began with this small dedication. A heart of love, a heart of devotion is the beginning of a miracle. What a beautiful heart in a world full of selfishness. It is the heart where the history of life takes place. Where does this heart come from? It comes from hearing the words of Jesus.
Where there is always unselfish love, there is contentment. The Lord's power is revealed where we are willing to dedicate ourselves. Even the smallest things change into many things when they are held in the Lord's hands.
Second, it is the spirit of sharing and eating Jesus.
Although it was one person's lunch box, it was the Lord's intention that these many people should share even a small amount. That's why he told me to have a lot of people sit down.
Third, faith and obedience.
The disciples believed and obeyed, and the crowd believed and obeyed. It was absolutely impossible for a human to think. But when Jesus told them to sit down, no one quarreled or complained. I don't have food, where can I get it? no money either. No one had ever said such an unbelieving thing. God's power is shown in believing and obeying.
⊙ When it is said that if you look at the copper snake, you will live. Those who obeyed by faith lived.
⊙ When I was told to sit on the grass, I obeyed and sat down, and amazing works happened. As he sat down, Jesus took food and worked. Then he broke it and gave it to his disciples. Disciples receive and carry food. drive hard. How refreshing would it be? Each disciple was responsible for four hundred people. Food was not a concern. I just received it and gave it to you. I just had to make sure no one was missing. If the crowd asked for more, I could go and give it to them. Here and there they say they are full now. I ate a lot. I was really excited. Lots of crumbs left. When he told me to give it to them, they all obeyed.
Fourth, the order of the group.
As no one disobeyed and obeyed, it became an orderly place. Since there are 5,000 people, it would have been a mess if they had fought each other and offered to receive them first. It would have been like hell. What would have happened if we had to eat first, and we were clamoring because we couldn't stand it? All I had to do was sit down. All you have to do is take it and eat it.
God is a God of order. From the creation of the heavens and the earth to the providence of history, God values order. We need to know this. We should see the 5,000 people in the wilderness of Bethsaida keeping order, and we should also lead an orderly life of faith.
Through this event, Jesus revealed that He is the Bread of Life. In the Wilderness of Bethsaida, you are filled with food from the flesh, but the Lord gives the bread of life to those who come before Him. When we come to Jesus, we are satisfied with the flesh. There is spiritual satisfaction. Therefore, we must believe and obey the words of Jesus. Then an amazing story will happen. Even if we have little things, we must have sincerity to give them to the Lord. The fact is that this dedication is the beginning of a miracle.
I hope that you, dear ones, will live your life with satisfaction with the food that the Lord provides for you, both physically and spiritually, while obeying the word of the Lord.