John 6:1-15 *
Dear Friends in Christ,
In 1999 an anonymous donor who “wanted to get people thinking about God” funded an advertising campaign. The result was a series of short, thought-provoking statements which give the impression that God Himself is the author. They’re still around, and maybe you’ve seen or heard about some of these “God billboards” (or if you’re an e-mail person, maybe some one has sent you the entire list).
A number of them are really quite clever. A few examples… “Let’s meet at My house Sunday before the game. God.” … “We need to talk. God.” … “Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage. God.” … “I don’t question your existence. God.”
Calling these to mind reminded me of another spiritual billboard message I saw on a country road a number of years ago. It was dark blue with a cross, and the big words written on it said: “Christ is the answer. What’s the question?”
This, too, calls for a little thought. Logically speaking the message is backwards because you can’t do that. You can anticipate a question (husbands and wives do this all the time), but you can’t answer a question before it is asked. Yet in this case we can. Because any and all questions or concerns we have in any area of life ultimately find their answer in Jesus Christ. And that’s the point of the billboard.
It’s also a point which is clearly made in our text for today. So let’s borrow it and put it to use as our theme for the day:
JESUS IS THE ANSWER. WHAT’S THE
QUESTION?
1. His willingness to answer
2. His ability to answer
The account of Jesus feeding the 5000 is pretty familiar territory for anyone who grew up with Bible stories. It’s certainly one of the best known of Christ’s miracles. It took place as Jesus was entering the third and final year of His ministry. Soon the opposition against Him would be growing, but at this period He was about at the height of His popularity. People had heard of His miracles and knew of the authority with which He spoke, and they wanted to see Him.
Because of this, Jesus needed some down time. For the intended purpose of rest, relaxation
and personal time with His disciples Jesus crossed over the
Once the crowd got there Jesus had compassion on them and He
and His disciples were soon confronted with the dilemma of feeding all these
people. As our text states, this whole
occasion provided Jesus with an opportunity to test the faith of His
disciples. So He asked them, “Where shall we buy bread for these people
to eat?”
Disciple Philip did a little calculating and figured even eight months’ wages wouldn’t be enough to do the trick, whereas disciple Andrew was a little less theoretical and produced a boy with five pieces of bread and two fish – all the while noting that this wouldn’t go too far. We could say that the disciples knew what the question was, but they didn’t go to the right place for the answer…
Instead of looking to their Lord, they looked to themselves and their own human reason. And they came up way short. Really, they should have known better. After all, by this time in His ministry the disciples must have seen Christ perform hundreds of miracles. They witnessed miracles of healing, miracles over nature, miracles of exorcism, and yes, even miracles of resurrecting the dead. But Jesus’ track record seems to have not counted for much. How soon they had forgotten what the Son of God could do. So they were reduced to counting their assets on two hands, with three fingers left over.
Before we become too judgmental toward the disciples and the
way they handled this situation, isn’t it true that we are often guilty of the
exact same thing? Isn’t it true that we,
too, sometimes forget what God can do?
We’ve all had those times, haven’t we, when we’ve been faced with problems or questions similar to that of the disciples; problems or questions where the odds seem unbeatable? Maybe it has something to do with our work (or lack of it) or personal relationships or getting along with that family or individual it seems the Lord created for the solitary purpose of getting under our skin. Maybe it’s a personal problem known only to the Lord and us with which we struggle every day…
We all have the questions; this issue is: where do we turn for answers? Where do we turn for help? We know where the disciples went. They went first to themselves as they tried to squeeze an answer out of logic and reason and ingenuity. And they came up empty. They had a battleship of a problem which they were trying to sink with spitballs.
What is most instructive for us at this point in our text is where the disciples didn’t go. They didn’t go to Jesus. And we must confess that at times neither do we. Instead, we (like them) calculate and calibrate and cogitate the things that are bothering us; we reframe the issues that are on our mind and try tackling them from a different angle only to discover that more often than not we’re no closer to a solution than when we’ve first begun.
When we turn only to ourselves, we make the disciples’ mistake. But it’s a mistake that can be rectified, which we’ll talk about in just a moment.
Returning to our text, we know how the crowd was provided for. Jesus had them sit down and then miraculously multiplied the food so all were satisfied. On top of that they gathered twelve basketsful of remaining food. All this proved not only the ability of Jesus to help, but His willingness as well. These people were dear to Him. He took care of them. He was the answer to the question of how they would be fed.
Likewise, we are His people and, as such, we are dear to Him. He will take care of us. He will provide for us. While the disciples experienced the temporary futility of trying to beat the odds, the crowd simply embraced the One for whom there are no odds. And they were satisfied.
And therein is the lesson for us. To put it in cliché form – let go and let God. The disciples were controllers, while the crowd was made up of receivers.
But let’s be sure that as we let go, we also let God be the final decision maker on how to best deal with the things that trouble us. Letting go and placing things into God’s hands does not mean we do so with strings attached – that is, with a preconceived notion of how God should answer our prayers. Because that is a sure-fire recipe for disappointment with God.
The fact of the matter is that Jesus is the answer, but He may not always answer on our command. Which is not to be interpreted that He doesn’t know what He is doing. He always does. He may have His reasons for waiting or delaying or denying. And it may be that the wisdom of those reasons will not be evident for a while – or even on this side of heaven.
But in the mean time we trust that He will give us exactly what we need. Maybe it’s more emotional strength or endurance. Maybe it’s a willingness to accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world. Maybe it’s a brokenness of spirit which moves us in every area of life to become less reliant on ourselves and more reliant on God…
Whatever the case may be, this promise from the Book of
Proverbs is the guiding principle under which we operate: “Trust
in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all
your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Jesus is the answer. But what might be some of our questions? Let’s get a little more specific and consider some of the things that may weigh on our minds at various times. Maybe you can relate to some of these examples; maybe you can’t. But my guess is most of us will…
Have you ever found yourself saying, “Lord I am weary” or “I am tired” or “I feel so much pressure” or “I don’t know how much longer I can take the strain?” Jesus is the answer. Jesus points us to a bare cross and an empty tomb and reminds us that the biggest pressure we could feel – the weight of our sins which leads to damnation – has been removed from us forever by His life, death and resurrection. And He reminds us that if He has met our greatest need, He’ll meet every other need as well. In comparison to that, every other care and trouble in our life fades into nothingness…
Nevertheless, fragile creatures that we are, we still find
ourselves troubled and burdened at times.
As for those daily pressures and strains, Jesus says: “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened
and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls.”
Let’s look at some more examples…
Have you ever found yourself saying, “Lord, I am worried about this or that” or “Lord, I am scared of the future and how things might turn out”? Again, Jesus is the answer. The Word of God through the Apostle Peter tells us to cast all our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us. And the cross proves it.
Do you sometimes find yourself saying, “Lord, I believe and
I am appreciative of all you’ve given me.
But my life doesn’t seem to be quite in balance.” Jesus is the answer. In His Sermon on the
Do you sometimes find yourself saying, “Lord, I feel
lonely. I don’t feel your presence in my
life. I feel that maybe you’ve withdrawn
from me or even abandoned me.” Jesus is
the answer. Even in our darkest and
loneliest moments He assures us: “I am
with you always, even to the end of the age,” and “Never will I leave you, never
will I forsake you.”
Do you sometimes find yourself feeling down? Not worth much. Everybody’s got something going for them except me. Jesus is the answer. Jesus says, “You as an individual are important to Me.” Jesus says I died not just for him and him and her – but for you. Moreover, “I have called you by name, you are mine.” And if you are mine, then you are an heir of everlasting life and a child of God who stands tall in the Kingdom of Heaven regardless of your stature here on this earth.
Ever found yourself thinking those things? Asking those things? We could go on. But let us just simply know this: Jesus is able. Jesus is willing. Jesus has proven it. Jesus is the answer.
What’s your question? Amen.