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As the second large crowd was arriving, Jesus asked Philip, “Where
can we buy bread?” Philip did not know that was a test.
This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. (NASB) John 6:6 Tests are nothing new! Each of us is tested by our God. Divine tests
are designed for our spiritual growth. How we react reveals our divine
perspective or lack of one. If we are sensitive to God, we learn from
the test. This was a test of Philip’s perspective about Jesus.
The question was simple, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these
may eat?” Philip knew that the two hundred denarii that were in
the treasurer’s bag was not enough to feed the enormous crowd of
people. So that was his response.
Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” (NASB) John 6:7 Two hundred denarii in Jesus’ day represented about eight to ten
months of a common laborer’s salary (Matt. 20:8). Yet, it was not
enough to feed 20,000 or more men, women, and children. At best, the
money could have fed 8,000 people, but not 20,000 people. There was not
enough money for the people to receive even a snack, and Philip knew
it. Philip was correct, but he missed the point. He failed the test.
Jesus’ question had been a set-up - a test. He failed to realize
that Jesus was all that he needed - nothing more! He did not need money.
He only needed Jesus. It appears that Jesus did not answer Philip! If
that is true, it must have caused Philip to think about his answer.
Often we are like Philip. We look to the people around us to help us
- doctors, politicians, pastors, the elders of the church, neighbors,
or family members. We forget that God is all that we really need. Sometimes
we think that money is the solution. Are you trapped among the sights,
sounds, and the desires of this world? If God is the supplier of our
daily bread and our daily needs, then He is all that we need. He and
He alone can meet all of our needs, including those that we do not think
about! It all comes down to your perspective. Is Jesus everything to
you?
Evening Comes. The three other gospels reveal that there is a break in
the events that occurred after the conversation between Jesus and Philip.
That is, not all of the events of the day were recorded. If we look closely,
it is clear that Jesus’ teachings of the day are not recorded.
We are not told what miracles Jesus may have performed. We do not know
if Jesus spoke with any other people; nor do we know what occurred in
the afternoon. Did they eat midday? The scriptures do not try to give
us all of the details. All that we know is the next thing that we are
told is that evening is approaching. It is late in the day. The day is
ending.
Now the day was ending, and the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” (NASB) Luke 9:12 The Jewish evening came at about 5-6 pm. Darkness would be coming in
several hours. So the twelve disciples came to Jesus and asked Him to
send the people away so that they could buy food. They are trying to
be kind. Matthew 14:15 and Mark 6:35 add that the place where Jesus was
teaching and preaching was desolate, implying that food and water was
not scarce - it did not exist there.
What just occurred was very different from the events that occurred earlier
between Jesus and Philip. Then Jesus asked Philip the question about
buying food. Here the disciples ask the question. The first time Jesus
initiated the discussion. This time the disciples initiated the discussion.
How did Jesus respond? He took the opportunity to test all twelve disciples.
But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” And He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” (NASB) Mark 6:37-38 This time Jesus did not ask a question but gave them a command. “You
give them something to eat!” Just like Philip, the twelve could
only think in earthly terms - two hundred denarii. Just like Philip,
they knew that the money could not feed the enormous crowd. So they answered, “Shall
we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something
to eat?” Then just as it appears that Jesus did not answer Philip,
it appears that He did not answer the question of the twelve disciples
either. He left them hanging, except to ask and command, “How many
loaves do you have? Go look!”
Feeding The Crowd. The disciples hurried off to find food, and they discovered
five loaves and two fishes. When the disciples returned, the gospel of
John says that Peter told Jesus what they found - five barley loaves
of bread and two fish. The food belonged to a young boy. Was it his dinner?
One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (NASB) John 6:8-9 Then Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down in groups of fifties and hundreds.
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. (NASB) John 6:10 They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. (NASB) Mark 6:40
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| Life & Heart of Jesus | |||||||
