John 6:1-15
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.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. [1]
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Does Jesus continue to test us the way that He tested Philip? Is there any reason to think that He doesn’t?
What was the test? John tells us that Jesus already had the situation well in hand, already knew that He was going to perform a major miracle that would point to Him as Messiah, that would call to mind the Exodus and draw parallels between Him and Moses.
But all of Jesus ministry with the people was conducted on two levels. On the one hand, there was the actual ministry – the teaching, healing, etc. On the other hand was the ongoing discipleship of the disciples, the training that He was giving them, the equipping and preparing for the ministry that was ahead of them. So in this case as well, Jesus’ concern was not just to feed the crowds, but also to teach train His disciples.
And what He was testing Philip on was faith. Did Philip really believe that Jesus had this situation in hand, that He could provide, that He could do anything. It was a test to see how far Philip and the others had come in seeing who Jesus really was, and how much they were ready to put their trust in Him.
Is there any reason to think that Jesus doesn’t still do this today? On the one hand He is involved in our world and in our lives, and He has a plan for what He intends to accomplish. And part of that plan undoubtedly is to call us to an ever-growing faith and trust in Him.
Am I trusting in Jesus for the challenges I’m facing for this day? What are the challenges that are ahead of me for the next 24 yours? For this week? Do I trust that Jesus already knows what He wants to do? Do I trust that He is at work and that He is Lord and that I need have no worries or fears? As I’m meditating on this text today, I am thinking of my calendar for the next few days, as well as the situations and challenges in the lives of people that I will be around. And I’m listening for Jesus’ voice: Do you trust me? Do you believe I am at work here?
So this is my prayer today, a prayer for faith. That I will go into this day, offering Him my meagre bread and my fish, trusting that He is Lord and will be at work to bring blessing in and through it.
[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Jn 6:1–15). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.