Jesus has the power to do the unexplainable to overcome our lack of resources to meet the needs of others...

This week, we have been looking at a section of an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of John. Tuesday, we looked on as Jesus responded to the arrival of a large crowd by teaching them many things about God and the kingdom of God. However, like many preachers and teachers, Jesus was long winded and the day quickly flew by.  As the disciples looked on, they began to recognize a potentially serious problem brewing. You see, this large group of men, women and children had traveled a significant distance and spent the afternoon in the desert sun listening to Jesus teach. And since they were in a desolate place a great distance from any community, there was little possibility for obtaining food to meet the group’s needs.

Jesus, upon seeing the large crowds that were surrounding Him, and recognizing the lack of resources to feed such a crowd that would be tired and hungry after tracking Him down, asks Phillip, who was one of His closest followers, a question:  "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" In other words, Jesus basically says to the disciples “Hey guys we need to feed these people. We have a responsibility to meet their needs. So where are we going to get the resources to feed these people and meet their needs?”

Jesus was giving His closest followers a one question pop quiz designed to reveal whether or not they understood what He was trying to teach them about following Him. We looked on at the reality that, like the disciples, we see the immense needs that people have. We see that people are in desperate need of resources to meet those needs. People are in desperate need of the resource of our time. People are in desperate need of the resource of our talents. People are in desperate need of the resource of our treasure.

And as we look at all of the needs, we realize that we just do not have the resources that are necessary to meet those needs. We don’t have enough time; we don’t have enough talent; we don’t have enough treasure. How often can we find ourselves feeling just like the disciples here? Like the disciples, we come to Jesus and say “Jesus, all we have are two sardines and five tortillas. We cannot possibly meet the needs of these people”. Today, we will see how Jesus responded to their answers to His pop quiz in John 6:10:

 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.

Now to fully understand what happened in this event in history, I want us to paint a picture of what the disciples were seeing. When John states that five thousand men sat down on the side of this elevated location, that does not include women and children. Many scholars believe that up to 15,000 people could have been present. Now you are a disciple. Jesus has just told you to feed everyone in that field. How are you feeling right about now? 

John tells us that after having the disciples tell the crowds to sit down, Jesus after offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the resources that they had, took the five tortillas and two sardines and distributed them to the people. However, to fully picture how Jesus distributed the tortillas and sardines to the people, we need to look at another account of Jesus life that is recorded for us in the Bible called the gospel of Mark. In Mark 6:41, we see revealed for us exactly how Jesus distributed the tortillas and sardines to the people:

And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

Let’s take a moment and paint a picture of what is happening here. Jesus, after blessing the food, gives the food to the disciples to distribute to the people. Remember, the people are sitting on the grass in groups. The disciples are serving the people. The disciples are the contact point for the people.

Imagine yourself as one of the disciples. You get your tray filled with tortillas and sardines and go serve a group. Then you get back in line. What thoughts are going through their mind? What thoughts would be going through your mind? “Wow, Jesus is still handing out tortillas and sardines. He will have to run out by the time I get up there. Get food and serve. Get back in line. Hey Jesus still has more tortillas and sardines!”

John tells us that Jesus had the disciples distribute tortillas and sardines to the people until they had as much as they wanted. So Jesus basically provided an all you can eat tortilla and sardine buffet for up to 15,000 people. After the crowds were stuffed with tortillas and sardines, John records for us what happened next:

 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost." So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

John tells us that after the buffet line closed down, Jesus closest followers were sent out to gather up the leftovers so that there would be nothing wasted. As they gathered up the leftovers, the disciples found themselves with twelve basketfuls of extra food, one for each disciple. These baskets were small wicker baskets that every Jewish person carried when away from home. In these baskets, a Jewish person would carry their lunch and some needed essentials so that they would not have to defile themselves by eating Gentile food.

So what began as five tortillas and two sardines ended as twelve basketfuls of food that met the needs of everyone involved in this event from history! John then concludes this section of his letter by revealing for us how the crowds responded to what Jesus had done in verse 14:

 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

John explains that as the large crowd reflected on Jesus unexplainable activity was designed to reveal and point people to something significant about who Jesus is and what He came to earth to do, they came to a conclusion. And that conclusion was that Jesus was the prophet who is to come into the world. The crowd believed that Jesus was the prophet referred to in God’s promise to the Jewish people in Deuteronomy 18:15. There God had promised that someday in the future He would send a prophet that was greater than Moses who would teach and lead the Jewish people.

You see, the crowds viewed Jesus as another prophet like Moses who would feed and provide for them like Moses did in the wilderness with Manna. The crowds were looking for a prophet who would provide for their physical needs, not a Messiah who would meet their deepest spiritual needs. And as a result, the crowds wanted to coronate Jesus as their king so that He could continue to provide for their physical needs and potentially overthrow the Roman government that had previously conquered them and was ruling over them. Jesus, however, sensing the crowds desire to take Him by force and make Him king, slipped away by Himself to the mountain alone.

However, it is in the one question pop quiz to His disciples that resulted in the unexplainable multiplication of five tortillas and two sardines to feed fifteen thousand people, that we see revealed for us a timeless truth when it comes to Jesus. And that timeless truth is this:  Jesus has the power to do the unexplainable to overcome our lack of resources to meet the needs of others. Just as it was with this unexplainable activity involving a lack of resources in the face of an overwhelming need, just as it has been throughout history, Jesus has the power to do the unexplainable to overcome our lack of resources to meet the needs of others.

You see Jesus, in doing the unexplainable, was providing a sign that was designed to reveal and point people to something significant about who He is and what He came to earth to do. And that sign was that Jesus has power as God to intervene and act in a way that meets the needs of others, despite what we may see as a lack of resources.

Jesus has the power to take our five tortillas and two sardines and multiply them to meet the needs of people around us. Jesus has power as God to intervene and act by multiplying our resources to meet the needs of others. What Jesus asks of us is that we invest the resources that He has given us to meet the needs of others and trust that as we are faithful to invest those resources, that Jesus has the ability to overcome our lack of resources to meet the needs of others.

So here is a question to consider: What are you doing with the five tortillas and two sardines that Jesus has given you? Are you investing the resources of your time, your talents, and your treasure into the mission that God has given us as we meet the needs of others?  Do you believe that Jesus has the power to do the unexplainable to overcome our lack of resources to meet the needs of others?