John 6:8-15

John 6:8-15

One out of His disciples, Andrew – the brother of Simon Peter, says to Him, “A little child is here who has five loaves of bread of barley and two fish.  But what are these to so many?”  Jesus said, “Make the people recline to eat.”  And much grass was in the place.  Therefore the men reclined to eat, the number was as five thousand.  Therefore Jesus took the bread and after giving thanks He gave to the one who were reclining to eat and in the same manner He gave out of the fish as much as they were desiring.  And after they were being satisfied, He says to His disciples, “Gather up the pieces that are in abundance in order that nothing should be lost.”  Therefore they gathered and they filled twelve baskets of pieces out of the five loaves of barley bread which were in excess from the eating.  Therefore the men who saw that He did the sign they were saying that this one is truly the Prophet who comes into the world.  Therefore Jesus knew that they were about to come and to seize Him in order that they should make a king.  He again withdrew into the mountain alone.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Andrew came with a solution.  It didn’t seem like much of a solution, but it was a solution.  A little boy had brought a picnic lunch with him.  It was practically nothing.  Barley bread was the cheapest bread that you could find.  Barley was cheap to grow and plentiful.  But what is neat about this is that God willingly takes the meager offerings of the boy and works a sign of His power.  God doesn’t have to have only our best.  He doesn’t only work through the great things of the world.  God is open to using whatever we are willing to bring into His presence and genuinely offer into His service.

What can this passage say to you about your service with God?  Do you have to be the best or have the best in order to be useful in His hands?

Second Thought:

God does indeed work through the meager offerings of the boy.  He works so abundantly that there is twelve medium sized baskets left over!  Not only are all the people fed, but there is way more food than they started!  God’s abundance is beyond our ability to fathom and measure.

In what ways is God’s hand abundantly present in your life?  When are you surprised by how God’s hand works?

Third Thought:

Just because God’s hand is at work doesn’t mean that the people come to the correct conclusion.  The people see Jesus doing miraculous things and they immediately desire to take Him and make Him into the Messiah.  They want Him to be king of Israel and oust the Roman people.  They miss the boat completely.  Jesus is the Messiah but not the kind of Messiah that the people desire.  Jesus came to fight the battle against sin, not Rome.  Jesus came to fight for our souls, not our position in this world.  Jesus came to fight so that we can be in humble relationship with God, not some glorified relationship over the world.

Is Jesus the Messiah you want?  Has He given you all that you need for Him to give?  Has He given all that you desire Him to give?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 6:16-21