Lent 4/St. John 6:1-15 

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

What if Jesus had gone about this all differently? Kind of a provocative opening question, isn’t it? What He did in this well-known text, was to provide miraculously, food for the thousands who had gathered, 

• demonstrating Himself to be the prophet who is to come into the world (as the people said at the end),

• demonstrating Himself to be God in human flesh—the One Who can solve any problem.

That’s what He did.

It’s interesting to see Jesus address something like this. He looks up and sees the crowd, and notes (in a way) to His disciples, that people are in need. 

This isn’t the only time that sort of thing is written about Jesus. St. Matthew records that one time, when [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (9:36). Now, on that occasion, He was talking about the crowd’s spiritual situation. He goes on to say to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (9:37,38). He’s talking about preaching the Gospel to bring people to faith so they can be forgiven, and saved. Jesus’ concern for these two different crowds is presented the same way whether it’s an issue of bread for their bodies, or the bread of life that he provides for their souls. It’s important for us to see that here. 

Jesus’ solution to that problem of needing Gospel preachers to reach the lost for Him is interesting too; the solution is, pray earnestly. It isn’t a problem with a human solution; it’s a problem solved only by God.

We’re capable of human solutions of a certain sort. We find out we don’t have any milk to make pancakes (something I happen to like on Saturday mornings), we run to the store and get some. Our child skins her knee on the driveway, we go to the cabinet and get a band-aid. By God’s grace, scientists have found cures for diseases. We’re capable of human solutions of a certain sort. 

In our text we see that our ability to provide solutions has limits. Jesus asks a question of His disciples for which He knows they have no answer: “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He asks it so that they will struggle. He wants them to see what they can’t do. The answer is the same as it was in that other account (the one about the need of spiritual help for those sheep without a shepherd). The answer, again: pray earnestly. Now, Jesus doesn’t say it like that here; the message ends up being the same though. These humans won’t…work this out somehow. No amount of calculating or arranging will produce an answer. There won’t be a human solution to this; it will have to be from God Himself. In our helplessness, then, we put our trust in Him. We reach out to Him with our concerns and needs. We pray earnestly.

We asked, What if Jesus had gone about this all differently? What if instead of solving the problem like He does, He had instead said, “I can handle this for you. You just need to put me in charge of it, okay? Ask Me to do it, I’ll do it.” But the disciples sort of set that aside, as if any old person had said it. They go on with their calculations, brainstorming, worrying, maybe even plotting and scheming in some sinful way to come up with an answer. Jesus reminds them, “I’m here. I’m willing.” But they set that aside, and keep on with their own strivings. Wouldn’t Jesus have used that as an occasion to condemn their unbelief, like it says He did after His Resurrection, when He appeared to them in the Upper Room (Mark 16:14)? In that situation, too, they’d been reluctant to believe that He could rise from death like witnesses had said He’d done (like He Himself had said He would do). They’d refused to recognize in that weak moment, that He is the all-powerful God, capable of anything!

Now, we know that Jesus did this miracle in our text that demonstrates His divinity. He never put them in the situation of ignoring His help, or anything; He went ahead and did it. But He did want them to wrestle for a moment with the idea that they need to rely on Him in this life (and regarding the things of the next life, for that matter). The Gospel writer John says He asked this question to test them. He wanted them to have it as a matter of instinct that they would turn to Him for all of their needs. 

We float out the hypothetical idea because it puts us into the picture a little more. Jesus is at our disposal like He was at theirs. He’s eager to help us like them. He wants us, as a matter of instinct, to turn to Him for all of our needs. 

Isn’t it true that you and I have neglected to do this as we should? We have had Jesus standing next to us, saying, “I can handle this for you. You just need to put me in charge of it, okay? Ask Me to do it, I’ll do it.” But we set it aside as if any old person had said it. We have gone on with our calculating, brainstorming, worrying, maybe even plotting and scheming in some sinful way to come up with an answer. Jesus reminds us in a text like this, “I’m here. I’m willing.” And isn’t it true that we have neglected to cast our anxieties on Him (1 Pet. 5:7), as He invites us to do?

The devil doesn’t want us doing this; we know that. He’s want us to be thinking things like: 

• How could I have made such a mess of things? I have to get this all sorted out before I even think about bothering God with it. Or maybe:

• How can I go to Him when He knows all things; He knows my thoughts and my deeds? He might even consider me His enemy right now. I certainly don’t deserve His help; I got myself into this trouble.

If those thoughts are your thoughts, consider the one in our text who looks up and sees that crowd and resolves instantly to meet the need of every person in it. And consider that that same person sees you with every one of your needs in this life. The compassion with which He provided food for their bodies, even as in His preaching He saw to the needs of their souls is the same that He directs toward you this morning. He directs it in the form of His Spirit-filled Word that nourishes your faith. It invites you to confess your sins and receive His forgiveness. In an even more concrete way, He invites you to the communion rail to receive from Him the very thing that made atonement for your sins—His true body and blood along with bread and wine. He reminds you there, that you’re Baptized into His death—connected to Him so that His righteousness is considered by God to be your righteousness.

The one Who sees you in the crowd and longs to meet your every need is the one Who became needy for you. The fact that He never neglected to put Himself in the Father’s hands, praying constantly, right up to time of being unjustly arrested and tried before sinners, makes atonement for every shortcoming on your part. Every sin is forgiven in this one Who meets the needs of body and soul. Go to this Savior in confidence with your burdens that He might remove them as promised. He is the one Who can solve any problem. God be praised. Amen.