This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus,” by looking at when Jesus fed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch.
Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share be sharing with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
This miracle was captured in writing by all four gospels writers. I will share the passage from John, but here are all four references: Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-14.
You have probably heard the term “synoptic gospels.” The term “synoptic” comes from the Greek words “syn” (together) and “optic” (seen). It is used to describe the relationship between the gospels. The writings present a similar or “synoptic” view of the life and teachings of Jesus. They have a lot of the same stories, often told in a similar order and with similar wording. The fourth Gospel, John, is different in style and content. Some don’t consider it to be synoptic.
Before I get into this miracle, I would venture to say that most people are familiar with this story. No matter who I’m preaching to, most Christians are at least aware of the day when Jesus fed 5,000+ people with a little boy’s lunch (a 2-piece fish dinner). This morning, I will attempt to represent the story to you in a way that will resonate with your daily life, with whatever you were dealing with.
(John 6:1-14 NIV)
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),
2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.
4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”
6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,
9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).
11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.”
13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
I will highlight a few things from the other gospels.
Matthew tells us that the disciples wanted to send the crowd away
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
He also tells us that Jesus told the disciples to give them something to eat (note: Mark and Luke capture the same point).
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
Mark tells us that when Jesus told the people to sit down and get into groups. He wanted them organized.
39 Then Jesus directed them to have all the people sit down in groups on the green grass.
40 So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
So what does this mean for you today? I won’t be able to get through this miracle today. But I will give you a few thoughts and share more tomorrow.
1. God cares about your provision.
— This was a miracle of provision. Unlike many of the other miracles, in this one, God is not dealing with a life-or-death situation, a terrible illness, or an organ-threatening disease. This was just a situation where people were hungry, and Jesus cared. He wanted to do something about it. He even used the miracle power of God to provide for a physical need. This tells us something about God.
— This is a reminder that while our God cares about the weightier matter of life, He also cares about provision. He cares about you. He cares about you having all you need to make the most of the one life He gave you.
— Jesus cared that people were sick. But Jesus also cared that people were hungry.
— We serve a God who cares about you, and He has made His grace available to do something about your situation. His grace can be tapped into when you have a need, and the grace of God will manifest abundance to the point where God will supply more than you need.
2. Our God is a God of abundance and overflow.
— We must learn to think like the God we serve. Phillip, because of his analytical nature, began to do the math and calculated how much money they needed for each person to have just one bite of bread. If he could do the math for just one bite, he could have just as easily done the math for a full meal. But he was not thinking that way.
— Many believers have a poverty or scarcity mindset. When they do the math, they are looking for just enough to get by. But God is a God of abundance and overflow. He never thinks about just getting by.
— Jesus was not looking to feed these people one bite of bread. The text says that they had as much as they wanted, they ate until they were full, and there were still 12 baskets of food left over.
— We must learn to think like God if we are to receive abundantly from Him. Jesus said that one of the purposes of His coming to the earth was so that we would “Have life,” and “Have it more abudantly!” (John 10:10). The Amplified version of John 10:10 tells us that God wants us to have life to the full, till it overflows!
— When you pray, remember who you are addressing. This is God, not a man.
— This is the same God who provided an entire forest, fed by four streams, with a built-in supernatural irrigation system, for just two people (Adam and Eve).
— This is the same God who made Abraham rich in cattle, silver, and gold.
— This is the same God who made Solomon the richest man on the planet.
— This is the same God who took the nation of Israel from the land of not enough (Egypt) to the land of just enough (the desert) to the land of TOO MUCH STUFF (Canaan).
— Our God is not a small God. If you want to receive from God on the level He is capable of operating in, you must learn to think on His level. THINK BIG! Dream God-sized dreams in 2023!
3. Prepared blessings come to prepared people.
— Before Jesus fed 5,000 with a little boy’s lunch, He had the disciples organize the crowd into groups (groups of hundreds and fifties). This seems like a small thing, but it is not. The miracle did not happen in chaos. The miracle was performed in order and organization. Jesus required the crowd to get organized before He released the blessing. We can learn from this.
— Sometimes, we think we are waiting on God to move supernaturally, but He is actually waiting on us to get organized. There are many people who claim they want God’s blessing, but they are not ready to receive it, because they are not prepared.
— God was not going to release the miracle of fish and loaves into an unruly crowd. If He did, the miracle could have turned into a riot; the blessing could have turned into a curse.
— If God releases a blessing to you BEFORE you are capable of properly receiving it, the blessing can actually turn out to be a burden. So, if you claim you are waiting on God, please take self-inventory to ensure you are ready for God. You may think you are waiting on God, and He may be waiting on you to get ready.
— God does not bless mess! Prepared blessings come to prepared people!
— For this year to be a year of blessing for you, it must also be a year of divine preparation and organization.
— God prepared things for you for 2023. Now, He is working with you to prepare you for what He has already prepared for you.
— Make preparations for the blessing you claim to be expecting. Once you are ready, then GET READY; it can happen at any time!
That’s enough for today. We will learn much more from this miracle tomorrow.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for Your love and grace! I believe this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
As I study the miracles of Jesus, my faith is reignited and increased!
This year I will experience supernatural manifestation like never before because I committed to being led by Your Spirit in all things.
I am preparing myself for this season. I am quick to do whatever You lead me to do in order to be ready for what You want to accomplish through me this year.
I get organized. I get prepared. I get ready to receive. And once I am ready, I enter every day with a spirit of expectation, knowing that it can happen at any time!
This year shall be the best year of my life! My preparation will be seen in my performance! This is how I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
