The Divine Power

COLERAINE EVANGELICAL CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 25 MAY 2025 – MR BRYAN CRUISE

JOHN 6 VERSES 1 TO 13

The well known account of the feeding of the 5000. In verse 6 we read “after these things” and we have to ask ourselves – “what things?” It does not immediately follow on from John chapter 5. There is a significant period of time between these 2 chapters. It is probable that 10 to 12 months have passed and that is a significant period of time.

Verse 4 mentions the Passover. This is the second of 2 Passover’s mentioned in John’s Gospel, the first being in John 2 verse 13. In fact John 5 verse 1 mentions the feast of the Jews. Jesus is now one third of the way into his 3 year ministry. Jesus sent his disciples out to the nearby towns, villages and countryside to preach and do mighty miracles. Now they have returned to report back on what had happened. They needed rest after their time away and that is why they went up the mountain in verse 3. Jesus had just been informed of the death of John the Baptist and with the Passover feast fast approaching there were lots of people gathering. Jesus wanted quiet time. In understanding all this you can start to work out why Philip reacted the way he did and also why they considered it an impossible task to feed 5000 people. That makes sense in our minds, you just cannot do it. It is ironic that the disciples had just returned from neighbouring towns and villages and the surrounding countryside, had seen amazing miracles in and through the power of Jesus’ name.  In Luke 9 we are told that Jesus gave them authority to do these things but he never takes it back. They were able to do signs and wonders but nowhere does it say he took that back again. “How will we feed all these people?” The disciples think that it is impossible even though they had just returned from months of doing signs and wonders in Jesus’ name.

Stranger still is the question that Jesus asks in verse 5. When these people came, Jesus turned to Philp and asked him “what shall we do?” Why did Jesus ask Philip this question? Well he was from Bethsaida and knew where they could find bread locally. In verse 6 we see that Jesus knew what he would do but he wants to probe the minds of his disciples. He did that often to see how his disciples would react. As we said last week parents are good at probing their children, asking them questions when they already know the answers. Philip replies “Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” 8 months wages would not be enough to feed all the people. Philip begins to calculate how much it would cost to feed the people who were approaching them. It depended on people not on God. Jesus bypassed human effort and does the impossible. Philip had a horizontal view but he needed a vertical one. “What can we do to feed all these people?” became “what can God do to feed these people?” We need someone to run up the cost of a venture but sometimes we look at it horizontally not vertically. We need to ask ourselves “what can God do in the need of this church, of my family, of our community?”

Andrew was the man who brought people to Jesus. Andrew’s name is only mentioned 12 times in the New Testament. On 3 occasions he brought someone to Jesus. In John 1 verse 42 he brought his brother Peter to Jesus and here in John 6 he brings a lad with 5 loaves and 2 fishes. In John 12 he brought some Greeks to meet Jesus. If there was an inscription I would like on my headstone it would be this – ‘here lies a man who brought people to Jesus.” It could be a woman or a Sunday School teacher or a Church Treasurer. What a thing to say of an individual.

Andrew brought a lad with 5 barley loaves and 2 fishes to the Lord. John is the only writer that records the detail of what the lad brought. Every gospel records this miracle but John 5 only mentions the barley loaves. Barley loaves were from the poorer class of individual. Jesus used them to feed 5000 individuals. Matthew’s gospel records that there were 5000 men “beside” women and children. 5000 beside women and children. Women outnumbered the men. That is true usually in the church work. The women outnumber the men. If you need something done in the church where would we be without the women? We find it in most churches. Praise God for women who are faithful and serve the Lord. Bible scholars and commentators say the number of people that day was closer to 15,000. Women and children were not usually part of the headcount in the bible. They were not considered in the head count. Considered insignificant. That is what the Lord does – takes the least of these and transfers them into a miracle. You might think of yourself as one of the least of these but God uses the least of these. God looks for the individual. He looks for the one overlooked. That is why the youngest son was not considered worthy to be brought in from watching the sheep. Andrew’s focus is of a little lad and his lunch – verse 9 “but what are they among so many?” Just like Philip. 200 pennies would not be enough. Andrew also says that 5 loaves and 2 fish would not be enough. He focuses on what they don’t have, that they do not have enough. Maybe you are here today and what you have to offer the Lord is not enough. Your gifting, your abilities, your capabilities are not enough to offer to the Lord. Little is much when God is in it. Whatever you can do for your local church or Christian organisation – remember  -little is much when God is in it. God can take it and use it. He can further the gospel through your little contribution.

Verse 10 the Greek secular word “sit down” described horticulture. The term represents the division between flower beds. It describes walkways where someone can walk between the flower beds to water them. These individuals sat down in groups and the disciples were able to walk amongst them. For 5000 people to sit down and probably more likely 15,000 – that would have taken some time. Miracles take time. Some miracles are instantaneous whilst others take time. Maybe you have been praying for some time in your family. You have been praying for years and are maybe at a point when you think ‘God why are you not listening?” Can I assure you that God is listening and moving. I was saved at 16 years of age as a result of God’s power. I had a grandmother who attended Limavady Baptist Church. She prayed every day for the salvation of all her 5 grandchildren. She died before she saw them all saved but they are now all saved today. She didn’t see the answer to her prayer this side of eternity. Some miracles take time. You can begin to plead and wrestle with God on behalf of individuals and that takes time.

For 15,000 to sit down was a miraculous thing. Whenever they sat down on the grass there were no walls, no gates, no-one to stop them coming. Anyone could sit down, anyone could eat at this feast, enjoy this abundance of food. We don’t know who sat down but we know they were all sinners. Everyone of them was welcomed into the banqueting hall of this feast. If you are not saved can I stress once again, there is nothing you can do to come and enjoy the Lord other than simply respond and believe the singular action of turning from your sin and turning to Christ. Come and enjoy the Lord.

The Lord took these fishes and loaves and gave thanks. They were given to the Lord. How did that young boy feel that day? He walks forward with trembling hands and hands over his lunch. He didn’t say ‘you take 1 fish and I will take the other’ or ‘I would like 1 loaf but will give you the other 4.’ He gave everything to the Lord, he kept nothing for himself. You and I as children of God are called to give everything to the Lord. Do we do that? Perhaps you are thinking ‘you are preaching to the choir Bryan’, yes but in the quiet place is that true? You have a gift, a capability, an ability and you don’t think it is much. The lad came and gave all to the Lord. Can you hear the voice of God to you today – ‘bring them hither to me and I will multiply them’? That is what Jesus did. The miracle happened that day. All the people were fed and filled by the Lord.

At the end of the passage in verse 13 we read “Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them.”  Fragments gathered up. Fragments are not crumbs. They are in fact large pieces of the loaves. This is not included in the other gospels, only John includes it. Why were fragments gathered up and put in 12 baskets? Why were there 12 baskets? I believe that there were 12 baskets left over because the disciples still doubted his power to provide so the Lord tells them to gather up 12 baskets. One basket for every disciple. A reminder for them all – later on in the chapter we read of Jesus walking on water to his disciples on the boat. The disciples would have had those baskets on the boat with them. They were still afraid even though they had a reminder of Jesus’ power. I have baskets in my life that I can look to when I doubted and I have seen the hand of God work. Maybe you have baskets in your history, times when you doubted and were scared but you seen God’s provision. The disciples saw the demand but Jesus saw the supply. For our Samson the Lord Jesus has not lost any of his hair. For our Solomon the Lord has not lost any of his wisdom. For our Immanuel the Lord has not ceased to be God. This same omnipotent Jesus provides for you. He is the same omnipotent Saviour. Jude 24 and 25 “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” He has the same glory, majesty, dominion, power and he intercedes for you today. You have the assurance today that he intercedes for you. Let’s not doubt God’s power on our behalf. Let’s live confident of our Saviour’s power and authority.