Standing in front of the subject matter
Contents
Standing in front of problems (John 6:1-15)
Dr. Gerald Jelison, an American psychiatrist, said that on average people lie about once every eight minutes. As novelist [Eun Hee-kyung] described in her book <A Bird's Gift>, our language conventions rely on lies.
What does a person who rhymes with “It’s like I’m proud of myself” really want to say? self-pride. If you start a conversation with “I don’t want to say this,” it means that you have to say that before your intuition is released. Human nature is weak and evil, so it is always self-defense and self-interest. In the process, lies will eventually sprout naturally.
The greatest value of being a human being is the ability to think. But looking at people's lives, there are two styles. One is that there are people who live according to their instincts first and then adapt their thoughts to this.
Another is a person who thinks first and lives according to those thoughts. What would be a wise person? Perhaps the latter would be wiser. This thought is important. But the problem is that there is misfortune when you think about things that are not worth thinking about and care about things that you do not need to care about.
In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul divides human beings into <the fleshly> and the <spirit>. And in Romans 8:5-8 it says:
“Those who are after the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who follow the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it be; for those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” If you are a Christian, this is something to ponder.
So, where do your thoughts stay? Will you value spiritual values? Will you dwell on the animal life, guided by simple physical instincts? If humans are spiritual animals, of course, we must become people who live in spiritual values, and only such people can experience miracles. Today, I hope that you will live in the miracle of God every day you live according to your spiritual values.
Then, the person who sees with spiritual values must be different in the face of problems. Even the way you see the problem and the way to solve it must be spiritual. The world we live in is not without problems. We are always exposed to problems and live through problems. Now, I hope that you will be able to obtain the spiritual insight that enables you to stand as a confident Christian in the face of this problem in today's Word.
Today's text is the famous incident called <The Miracle of the Five Breads>, in which the hungry people were fed with two fish and five barley loaves in the wilderness of Bethsaida. All the Gospel writers are recording the same miracle of how important it is. The same incident is recorded in Matthew 14:13 and below, Mark 6:32 and below, Luke 9:10-17, and in John 6 in today's text.
Based on the four Gospels, this is the story of this event. Jesus spoke in the wilderness, and many people are listening to him. The Bible says that five thousand people were gathered together. How could such a large number of people have gathered?
In verse 2 of the text, one reason appears. “A great crowd followed, and they saw the signs he was doing to the sick.” It is said that it was to see miracles such as healing. On the other hand, there were people who are here now for other purposes.
Verse 15 says, “Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, he departed again to the mountain alone.” In other words, there were people who came here for political purposes. Anyway, many people gathered there, and since it was a wilderness, the people in the back probably couldn't hear Jesus' words well. But strangely, the people who initially gathered according to their own needs were absorbed in the words of Jesus as the sermons deepened. It was getting dark, forgetting that lunchtime was over and dinnertime was approaching. After Jesus has finished speaking, he is about to send them back, but I am worried. I wish I could send some food to those who are too tired. He tells the disciples to give them something to eat.
But there is nothing to feed. Today's problem is this. However, each of the disciples reacted to this when they heard it. Today, the types of disciples who respond to this problem are revealed. It is also our attitude in the face of problems soon. Please find the identity of your faith in the text.
The first is an avoidant reaction. "Oh, I'm hungry. They've been sitting around and running out of time. Is it our fault? We only have to preach the word, don't we have to worry about what we eat?” So, in Mark 6:36, the answer is, “Send the crowd to go to the villages and villages throughout the country to buy and eat something.” It's the indifferenceists who say it doesn't matter to me whether people starve or not. It's the type of people who don't like to get involved in anything. There are so many people today who wonder what the church does or what it does with me. I want to avoid it. It is a real problem that there are such people in any church.
The second reaction is a computational reaction like Philip. Jesus asks Philip. “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” Why did Jesus ask Philip among the many disciples? The Bible says that Jesus was trying to tempt Philip. To see Philip's loyalty and faith. Moreover, Bethsaida is Philip's hometown. Philip knew the geography of the area well, so he may have asked him to check it out. But what does Philip say? “Two hundred denarii of bread would not be enough, even if I gave them little by little.” But it seems like a huge cost. And then I think to myself. ‘No, you have to tell me what is going to happen, so you say it without any calculations?’ In a way, he is a very common sense, rational, and smart person.
There are many people like this today. No matter where you go, you will be the first person to be interviewed. He is a person who can get a job well, and he has an extraordinary head that can quickly rise to an executive position. In that sense, Philip's calculation is realistically accurate. But that wasn't the answer the Lord wanted. I don't know if Philip has lived a good life without losing money with a very smart brain, but look at how unbelieving he is if you look at it as a matter of spiritual values. First, he put his surroundings ahead of his faith. The number of visible crowds was the first thing that caught my eye.
This appearance is always an obstacle to faith. The visible always leads to the loss of the invisible and spiritual, and makes people fall into calculations. Sometimes I envy people who are good at calculations. In particular, I do get this calculation wrong, but I really hate it. It's a story from a long time ago, but there are still things that I will never forget. When I was passing by the street, I saw that one tie was sold for 1,500 won, and I thought it was really cheap. so simple to do
I bought three with the thought, “If you give three copies for five thousand won, you can get them cheaper.” Then he gave me a piece of 5,000 won and he was going to give me 500 won change. I just came home because I thought, 'No, he said he would give me three cards for 5,000 won, but he made a mistake no matter what change he gave me.' I came and boasted to my wife that I bought a tie today at a ridiculously cheap price and made it cheaper because I bought three. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I feel friendly. I live like this without any calculations. By the way, I almost wish I hadn't come home and talked about it. If that were the case, I would still be drenched in the euphoria of a cheap tie in my own way. Sometimes I think like that. If you don't do the calculations, you are happy, but after you try it, it is painful. Philip is here.
Now, Philip shows another unbelief. In his words, “Even if each one receives a little.” that is said. “Little by little” in the presence of the One who is infinite power and grace. It is a consequential story.