The One Year Bible Club with Teaching
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 9
John 6:1-21
Commentary by Nick Boork
May 9
John 6:1-21
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May 9 - John 6:1-21
After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at the miracles Jesus did recorded in this portion of John's Gospel. Remember, John said that he wrote his gospel to record the miracles of Jesus Christ that prove that He is the Son of the living God so that people would believe on Jesus to eternal life. In this portion of Scripture we see Jesus performing the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish to feed 5000 people and the supernatural miracle of walking on the water across the sea to his disciples that were rowing against the waves in a boat.
In the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish to feed 5000 people we see several elements that made this miracle happen. This is not a formula for all miracles. However, I believe that we can understand the way God works through this particular miracle. So let's look at the elements of this miracle.
Element 1 – A need without a natural solution
This is obviously the case because the Bible says this group of people came to Jesus out in the wilderness. There were no Walmart’s, Meijer’s or other big-box stores. There were no chains of restaurants like Wendy's, McDonald's or Burger King’s. There was nothing out there except rocks, mountains and scrub trees. The people were hungry and would be fainting on the way to eat because the journey would be so long. It was a situation much like the children of Israel in the middle of a sun scorched, hot and dry desert.
Element 2 – Evaluating options to meet the need
Jesus asked Philip where are we going to get enough bread to feed these people? The Bible says Jesus asked this question to test him because He knew what he was going to do. Why did Jesus do this? Because as Christian leaders, the Lord wants to develop in us our reliance and trust in Him as our provider. God has a solution for every need but we need to learn how to hear his voice and put our faith in Him.
Element 3 – Submission to God and His Word
Notice that Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down. This represents submission to delegated spiritual authority, in other words, following the directions that the Lord gives spiritual leaders that are guiding his flock or local churches or ministries. It’s a position of submission to the Word of God. The people could've said defiantly, are you crazy I'm not sitting down, No I’m going to remain standing! This is critical and I believe it’s one of the key factors in why we either see miracles happen or not today.
When we obey God and His Word following the directives of the spiritual leaders He's placed over us, we put ourselves in a position of spiritual submission and the Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice. So, in this situation the people obeyed what the disciples told them to do and that was a word given directly through Jesus Christ to His disciples. Remember what happened when Naaman the Syrian came to the Prophet Elisha? Naaman thought that Elisha would come out of his house and lay hands on him and that he would be healed of his leprosy but that's not what happened. Elisha didn't even come out of his house he just spoke to one of his servants to go and tell Naaman what to do. Naaman was furious! However his servant persuaded him to submit to the word of Elisha and go and dip seven times in the river Jordan. When Naaman did this he was completely healed. It may not have made sense in his mind but when he submitted to the Word of God through the prophet a miracle happened! So, this multitude instructed by Jesus through His disciples also put themselves in a position of submitted obedience.
Element – 4 Giving God what you have as seed for your miracle
A young boy had seen the need. Verse 9 says “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” So the boy was willing to bring to Jesus the food that he had and give it to him. Jesus took the little food that the boy brought to him, gave thanks and began to distribute it to the disciples. Remember the story of how the oil and flour was multiplied when the widow did what the prophet Elijah told her to do?
Element – 5 Prayer
The Bible says Jesus gave thanks and then a miracle happened! As he touched the bread and the fish it began to multiply in his hands. What does this teach us? That through prayer God can intervene no matter what the situation is to supply a need and bring supernatural provision into our lives. Give thanks to God for what He is about to do, that is releasing faith!
Element – 6 Leadership receives and distributes miracles from God
The Bible says that the disciples came to Jesus and received directly from Him the bread and the fish that was multiplied. The disciples then distributed the miraculous provision of God to the hungry people. This is what Jesus calls leaders to do. Christian leaders are to be connected to Jesus the source of all life, blessing and miracles.
Remember the church is called the body of Christ. God has called pastors and leaders to receive directly from Him fresh bread, spiritual nourishment and supernatural miracles to distribute among His people, his body the church. It's not that leaders are the only ones that God uses to perform miracles but many times you do see God's miracles coming through the spiritual leaders He's appointed to serve his people.
Element – 7 God is glorified through miracles
The Bible says in verse 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” What is this mean? It means that they recognized Jesus was sent from God the Father in Heaven. When miracles happen today in the name of Jesus and people's needs are met, God is glorified as the source of the miracles.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Typically miracles just don't happen spontaneously.
2) There were several steps that led to this mighty miracle.
3) Submission to the Word of God through spiritual leaders is a key factor.
4) When we give what we have as a seed to meet a need God can multiply it.
5) Jesus Christ is the source of all miracles from God.
6) Prayer, thanksgiving and faith in Jesus name can bring about mighty miracles today!
7) God uses His servants to distribute his power and miracles to meet people’s needs.
8) Remember to give God all the glory because without Him we can do nothing.
After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. 18 Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
OKAY, HERE'S MY TEACHING COMMENTARY
Let's look at the miracles Jesus did recorded in this portion of John's Gospel. Remember, John said that he wrote his gospel to record the miracles of Jesus Christ that prove that He is the Son of the living God so that people would believe on Jesus to eternal life. In this portion of Scripture we see Jesus performing the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish to feed 5000 people and the supernatural miracle of walking on the water across the sea to his disciples that were rowing against the waves in a boat.
In the miracle of multiplying the bread and fish to feed 5000 people we see several elements that made this miracle happen. This is not a formula for all miracles. However, I believe that we can understand the way God works through this particular miracle. So let's look at the elements of this miracle.
Element 1 – A need without a natural solution
This is obviously the case because the Bible says this group of people came to Jesus out in the wilderness. There were no Walmart’s, Meijer’s or other big-box stores. There were no chains of restaurants like Wendy's, McDonald's or Burger King’s. There was nothing out there except rocks, mountains and scrub trees. The people were hungry and would be fainting on the way to eat because the journey would be so long. It was a situation much like the children of Israel in the middle of a sun scorched, hot and dry desert.
Element 2 – Evaluating options to meet the need
Jesus asked Philip where are we going to get enough bread to feed these people? The Bible says Jesus asked this question to test him because He knew what he was going to do. Why did Jesus do this? Because as Christian leaders, the Lord wants to develop in us our reliance and trust in Him as our provider. God has a solution for every need but we need to learn how to hear his voice and put our faith in Him.
Element 3 – Submission to God and His Word
Notice that Jesus told his disciples to have the people sit down. This represents submission to delegated spiritual authority, in other words, following the directions that the Lord gives spiritual leaders that are guiding his flock or local churches or ministries. It’s a position of submission to the Word of God. The people could've said defiantly, are you crazy I'm not sitting down, No I’m going to remain standing! This is critical and I believe it’s one of the key factors in why we either see miracles happen or not today.
When we obey God and His Word following the directives of the spiritual leaders He's placed over us, we put ourselves in a position of spiritual submission and the Bible says obedience is better than sacrifice. So, in this situation the people obeyed what the disciples told them to do and that was a word given directly through Jesus Christ to His disciples. Remember what happened when Naaman the Syrian came to the Prophet Elisha? Naaman thought that Elisha would come out of his house and lay hands on him and that he would be healed of his leprosy but that's not what happened. Elisha didn't even come out of his house he just spoke to one of his servants to go and tell Naaman what to do. Naaman was furious! However his servant persuaded him to submit to the word of Elisha and go and dip seven times in the river Jordan. When Naaman did this he was completely healed. It may not have made sense in his mind but when he submitted to the Word of God through the prophet a miracle happened! So, this multitude instructed by Jesus through His disciples also put themselves in a position of submitted obedience.
Element – 4 Giving God what you have as seed for your miracle
A young boy had seen the need. Verse 9 says “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” So the boy was willing to bring to Jesus the food that he had and give it to him. Jesus took the little food that the boy brought to him, gave thanks and began to distribute it to the disciples. Remember the story of how the oil and flour was multiplied when the widow did what the prophet Elijah told her to do?
Element – 5 Prayer
The Bible says Jesus gave thanks and then a miracle happened! As he touched the bread and the fish it began to multiply in his hands. What does this teach us? That through prayer God can intervene no matter what the situation is to supply a need and bring supernatural provision into our lives. Give thanks to God for what He is about to do, that is releasing faith!
Element – 6 Leadership receives and distributes miracles from God
The Bible says that the disciples came to Jesus and received directly from Him the bread and the fish that was multiplied. The disciples then distributed the miraculous provision of God to the hungry people. This is what Jesus calls leaders to do. Christian leaders are to be connected to Jesus the source of all life, blessing and miracles.
Remember the church is called the body of Christ. God has called pastors and leaders to receive directly from Him fresh bread, spiritual nourishment and supernatural miracles to distribute among His people, his body the church. It's not that leaders are the only ones that God uses to perform miracles but many times you do see God's miracles coming through the spiritual leaders He's appointed to serve his people.
Element – 7 God is glorified through miracles
The Bible says in verse 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” What is this mean? It means that they recognized Jesus was sent from God the Father in Heaven. When miracles happen today in the name of Jesus and people's needs are met, God is glorified as the source of the miracles.
WHAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE?
1) Typically miracles just don't happen spontaneously.
2) There were several steps that led to this mighty miracle.
3) Submission to the Word of God through spiritual leaders is a key factor.
4) When we give what we have as a seed to meet a need God can multiply it.
5) Jesus Christ is the source of all miracles from God.
6) Prayer, thanksgiving and faith in Jesus name can bring about mighty miracles today!
7) God uses His servants to distribute his power and miracles to meet people’s needs.
8) Remember to give God all the glory because without Him we can do nothing.
ORDINATION
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
We provide Ministry Credentials and Ordination through Diamond Ministerial Association. Click to learn more and apply! http://www.diamondinstitute.org/ordination
ONLINE COURSES
For Bible courses and ministry resources see our online school Diamond Institute. Enroll free today and get access to our free and pay as you go courses. http://www.diamondinstitute.org/enroll
