John 6:1-15 “Jesus, the Better Moses and Better Manna”

1:25And it was like an hour each way to the hardware store. By the time we got there, It was probably going to be closed. By the time we got back, even if they were open, it would be dark and we couldn't see. And so everybody was really discouraged. On the ground, people are cleaning up the job site, getting ready to go home for that last day. And then one of the eighth graders who's on the roof with me turns to me and says, Well, we could pray and ask God to give us what we need.

1:55And I was like, Yeah, Clayton, I guess we could. So he prays and he gets it done. And I kind of pat him on the back, like, you know, it was worth a try. And not 10 seconds later, one of the leaders on the ground yells up to us, Hey, do you guys need more shingles up there? And as they were cleaning up, underneath a piece of scrap lumber, they found a package clear on the other side of the property. I have no idea how it got there, of shingles.

2:30And Clayton just kind of turns and looks at me and smiles. Like, you taught me how to pray. And we did, and it happened. Today, in John 6, the disciples face a much bigger problem. They've got thousands of people out in the middle of nowhere with nothing to eat. And so the question in this moment that they face is, are they going to turn to Jesus or are they going to turn to human resources for help?

2:58Now, what you need to understand. About this passage is that besides the resurrection, this is the only miracle that appears in all four gospels. It's the only one. The feeding of the 5,000 and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are the only two miracles that appear in all four gospels. And because this is recorded by four different historians, we get four different perspectives on what's going on before and during this event, because John doesn't give us a lot of background here.

3:29We don't really know a lot about the circumstances leading up to this moment and what happens here. So, in terms of the background, there's quite a lot going on with both Jesus and the disciples before this happens. And in Matthew's Gospel, he notes that King Herod had John the Baptist brutally executed to impress his dinner guests on his birthday. I want you to look at Matthew 14. Herod sent and had John beheaded in the prison, and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother.

4:02And his disciples came and took the body and buried it, and they went and told Jesus. Now, when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. Now you have to remember that Jesus is fully human, and he experienced the full range of emotions that we experience. And so, right before the events of John, 6, Jesus finds out that his cousin, the man who prepared the way for his ministry, was a friend, was a co-laborer, had been murdered in the most gruesome manner.

4:44And John records, now when Jesus heard this, as you can see, now when Jesus heard this, he went away, he withdrew from there in a boat to a desolate place by himself. Jesus is fully God. This did not catch him off guard. It was not like he did not know that this was going to happen. And yet, upon hearing this awful news, Jesus immediately gets in a boat and sails away to be alone, only to land and find thousands and thousands of people waiting for him.

5:19So that's what's going on with Jesus. Now, as for the disciples, both Mark and Luke record that right before the events described in John chapter 6, Jesus sent them out to minister. Take a look at Mark chapter 6 on the screen. And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. Then Luke adds this, take a look at Luke chapter 9.

5:51And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Right before the events of John 6, Jesus has sent out the disciples to preach, to heal, and to cast out demons. Luke says that they were doing this everywhere. They cast out many demons and healed many people. So here is how Mark begins his account of this exact same thing that we're going to read in John chapter 6. Take a look, Mark 6.

6:19The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while. For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in a boat to a desolate place by themselves. So the disciples have been pouring themselves out for a long time. They are ministering everywhere. They're so busy preaching and healing and casting out demons that they don't even have time to eat.

6:56For his own reasons, John doesn't record these details in his gospel account, but Matthew, Mark, and Luke do. And because they do, we have a much clearer picture of the context and what's going on right before what happens here in John 6. Jesus is wiped out. He's been preaching, healing, probably casting out demons along with his disciples, and he just found out that his cousin was murdered. He didn't even get to go to the funeral. The disciples are wiped out. They've been preaching, healing, casting. Out demons. They were so busy they didn't even have time to eat.

7:35So Jesus invites them to come away by themselves and rest for a while, which they badly needed, whether they knew it or not. And so that's the background here. Now let's pick up in John chapter 6, verse 1. 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.

8:05So Jesus and the disciples were last in Jerusalem, and they were there celebrating one of the three annual feasts. That's where they were right before this. And while they were there, Jesus healed the paralyzed man, and he explained to the Jews that he had authority to grant life, he had authority to judge, and that he was equal with God the Father. So after these events, they travel north through Samaria to the north side of the Sea of Galilee. And we know from the other accounts that Luke says they were close to the town of Bethzeta, which is about nine miles away from where they're at right now. And Peter, Andrew, and Philip are all from that town. So when they arrive, they sit down on the mountainside, probably the Golan Heights, which is right outside of Bethzeta. And as we saw, Jesus and his disciples are worn out. Jesus himself had suggested why. Why don't we go away by ourselves and rest?

9:04But they've got this large crowd, this enormous crowd following them because they saw the signs that Jesus was performing on the sick. A lot of these people may have needed healing themselves. They may have known somebody who needed to be healed. Maybe some of them just wanted to come out and see if the rumors were true. They were just curious about Jesus and this man that they'd heard so much about. But at any rate, this large crowd is headed right for them. And we know from the other accounts, Jesus has compassion on them because they're like sheep without a shepherd.

9:34The religious leaders have utterly failed them, and they are desperate for truth. So Jesus teaches them for a long time. And then look at what Mark records in chapter 6. And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat. Send them away. These guys are exhausted. The introverts in the group are losing their minds. It's just too much. The end of the day comes and they say, Jesus, get these people out of here. It's late. There's nothing to eat. And then you come to verse 4. Take a look at verse 4.

10:31Now 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. John's note in verse 4 is very interesting. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Why does John include this detail? It seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the text.

11:07Well, Jesus' earthly ministry, as we know, lasted about three years. And so, what that means is that there were three Passovers during his earthly ministry. We know that during the first Passover, he was in Jerusalem because that's when he cleared the temple, back in John chapter 2. We know, of course, that he was in Jerusalem for the last Passover because the entire point of that is that he was presenting himself as the perfect, spotless Passover lamb who is going to be crucified and killed in our place for our sins in Jerusalem.

11:39But here, in the second year of his ministry, this is the only time that Jesus is not in Jerusalem for the Passover. It is the only time in his ministry. So, why does John mention that the Passover is at hand? What does that have to do with him feeding 5,000 people in Galilee? Well, I think. John wants us to understand everything that is happening here through the lens of the Passover. So I want you to hold that thought, and we're going to come back to that. Verse 5, Jesus sees the crowd coming toward him, and he turns to Philip and he asks, Where are we to buy bread that these people may eat?

12:22Now remember, Philip is from Bethzeta, right up the road. He's a local, and so it maybe makes sense that Jesus is turning to him as a guy who grew up in this area and is asking, where are we supposed to buy bread for these people to eat? But guys, this is the first century. Food is not mass-produced and packaged and delivered to grocery stores where you go and buy as much as you want whenever you want. That's not how it works. Everything was made fresh from scratch.

12:55So Jesus' question, you've got thousands and thousands of people. Jesus' question, where are we to buy bread that these may eat, is absurd. It's like he said, where are we to buy fighter jets for all of these people? Like, it's that bizarre that he would say such a thing. They'd be like, what do you mean? There's no place in the world that you could get that much food. But the key is found in verse 6. He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

13:30Jesus was testing Philip. He was testing him. Not because he didn't know how Philip would respond, but because Philip didn't know how Philip would respond. Nobody likes tests. They make us uncomfortable, and that's because tests provide objective feedback about what we know and what we can do. They just provide objective feedback. So you take the tests, you get the results, and you either know the answers or you don't. You either have the skills or you don't. Tests provide objective feedback. And the same is true when it comes to tests from the Lord. They provide objective feedback. See, if it was up to us, we would choose to go through life without trials, without tests of any kind. We would love to just go through life on cruise control. But friends, that also means that we would be easily deceived into thinking that we have more faith than we have.

14:39It deceives us into thinking that we're more spiritually mature than we are. It deceives us into thinking that we've grown in areas that we really haven't. So you see this all the time in sports. A team builds up an undefeated record against inferior competition. And then they play a good team. And it becomes clear really quickly whether they are actually a good team or whether they've just built up this record against inferior competition and they have a long way to go. That's a test. It proves where the team is at. And in the same way, that's what the tests from the Lord do. Take a look at James 1 on the screen.

15:24Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. So, church, when we meet trials of various kinds, God is putting us to the test. Not because he doesn't know how we'll respond, but because we don't know how we'll respond. We may think that we have really strong faith. We may think that we've finally gotten a hold on our anger. We may think that we've matured in these certain ways, but we have not. And that's what was true of the disciples. Before Jesus was arrested, they all said, Look, even if we have to die with you, we will never deny you. But then the test came, they all denied him. All ran away. They failed the test.

16:34So we need to learn to see tests and trials as a gift from God. That's why James tells us to count it all joy when we go through trials of various kinds. Being tested by God is not fun. But, friends, testing is the only way that we can know where we're at spiritually, where we still need to grow. Now, I don't want to miss the second part of John's statement here because this statement that he records is so important. Look again at verse 6.

17:08He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. God hires no consultants. He does not need our advice or our counsel about anything. So when Jesus asked Philip where they could go and buy bread, it wasn't because he was stuck trying to figure out what to do and he was trying to think through all the available options. That's not what was happening here. Jesus already knew that he was going to perform a miracle. He already had the situation completely under control. All Philip had to do was remember that truth and acknowledge it, live in light of it.

17:56So when I read this this week, it reminded me about God. And the prophet Ezekiel, how God takes him to that valley of dry bones, and he shows him all of those dry bones, and he says to him, Son of man, can these bones live? And Ezekiel could have been like, You know, I don't know. Do we have like a reconstructive surgeon around? Or like, are there some doctors, or could we do something? He doesn't say that, he says, O Lord, you know.

18:30Oh, Lord, you know. That's what Philip should have said. Where are we to buy bread so that these thousands and thousands and thousands of people can eat? Oh Lord, you know. But he doesn't do that. Look what happens instead, verse 7. Philip answered him, 200 denarii would not buy enough bread for each one of them to get a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, in case you forgot, said to him, There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?

19:15Now, to be fair to Philip, Jesus' question was: Where are we to buy bread? That's what Jesus said: Where are we to buy bread? In his defense, he's just answering the question, right? But even if there was somewhere that had enough bread to feed all of these people, they wouldn't have had nearly enough money to pay for all that food. Philip notes, his estimate is that it would have taken 200 denarii. A denarius was a day's wage. You're talking about half a year's wages, like six, seven months of income, wouldn't have been enough for all of them to have just a little bit.

19:57That's Philip's answer. But this is a test, and Philip fails the test. The test was intended to show Philip where he turned when he was exhausted and when his circumstances seemed overwhelming. Can you relate to that? When you are exhausted and your circumstances seem overwhelming, where do you turn in those moments? This is the test. Meanwhile, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, is always trying to solve problems, and here he's trying to solve the problem again. And what's his solution? He finds a little boy who has five barley loaves and two fish. And he brings this little boy to Jesus and presents him to him. And he asks this question: but what are they for so many?

20:55He doesn't know he's being tested either, but he's failing the test too. He is completely failing. Forgotten John chapter 2, they run out of wine. Jesus turns the water into the very best wine that any of them have ever had. He's completely forgotten this. He looks at this little meal and he's like, What can you do with this? Five loaves, two fish? It's not enough. And church, it's so easy for us to look at Philip and Andrew and how they failed this test and to think to ourselves, well, they should have turned to Jesus. All they had to do was look to him and ask. How could they not remember that? How could they not do that?

21:35But they are right in the middle of all of this. I mean, they don't know all that's going to happen, that Jesus is going to die and rise from the dead. They've only seen a couple of these miracles. They don't know that all of Jesus' words are going to come true. They're not sure at this point that he is the Messiah, the Christ that's been promised. So, in my mind, they get more of a pass for not turning to Jesus in faith in this moment.

22:06But what about us? What is our excuse for not turning to Jesus in moments like these where we are exhausted and our circumstances are overwhelming? We know exactly who Jesus is, the Son of God, who conquered sin and the grave. We know that we have access to God the Father. Through our mediator, Jesus, that every prayer is heard. We know that we have the Holy Spirit residing in us, who is our advocate, and helper, and friend. We know all of that to be true. And yet, when we face challenging circumstances, we often assess the situation as though God does not exist and Jesus is not alive.

22:52We act just like these disciples that didn't have all of the truth that we have. We look at our bank balance, we look at our resources, we look at the circumstances, and we say, Look, the situation is hopeless. And I speak to you as the chief offender, the chief of sinners in this regard. That situation that I told you about with the roof and the mission trip, I have repeated that same scenario over and over and over again in my life. Where I have faced a trial, faced a test of some kind, and if I go to the Lord in prayer, it is only because I've exhausted all the other resources that I have at my disposal. I have often looked at God as a last-ditch effort rather than going to Him first and saying, when I'm faced with those questions, those circumstances, I don't know what to do. Instead, I don't go to the Lord and say, Lord, you know. You know. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to solve this problem. But you do.

23:57They fail to do that, and so do we. So here's what I predict for us. And this is a prediction, not a prophecy. So don't stone me if this doesn't come true. I predict that we are all going to have to go through a lot more trials until we learn to trust God and to go to Him first. Because I think God will continue to test us and test us and test us until we pass the trial.

24:27Verse 10. Jesus said, Have the people sit down. Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, about 5,000 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 12 baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

25:08Jesus does not even bother to respond to Philip or to answer Andrew's question. Doesn't even bother, just calm as you please, tells them, Have the people sit down. It's fine. I've got this. So they sit down and then. John records a couple of details. The first detail that he records is that there was much grass in the place. Why does that matter? What does that have to do with anything? Like, if you're like a lawn guy and you love landscaping or a lawn girl and you love land, like that, maybe like you look at that and you're like, that's such a nice thing to say there. But like, what? Who cares? Who cares? Here's what it does, guys. And I just love to point this stuff out to y'all.

25:53You only record that kind of a detail when you remember something. When you make up stories, you don't tell the story and you're like, you know, in the grass, it was just so pleasant that day that Jesus fed 5,000 men. Like, who cares? That has nothing to do with this miracle. But it just goes to show you that, again, these are true recollections of eye-hand witnesses. First-hand witnesses. What's an eye-hand witness? First-hand witnesses. We're just so close to the sabbatical. I cannot, I don't even know what I'm saying anymore.

26:36But this detail just confirms the timeline. You know, this is like the one time of the year. It's in the spring. This is the one time that Palestine is really green. And so it just confirms the timeline. Second detail here is that John notes there were about 5,000 men present. Well, you know, there's kids present because one of the kids brought him the food. So with women and children, you might have 20,000 or more people here. But whatever the final Number is, it's way too many people to feed with five loaves and two fish. So Jesus takes the bread and the fish, he gives thanks to God the Father, and then he distributes them. And if you've heard people talk about this passage before, there are lots of people out there that suggested, you know, it just seemed like a miracle. Most of the people decided they actually weren't hungry and they didn't eat. Or everybody just kind of took a little bit. Can you imagine like five barley loaves and two fish? What the size? We're talking about like atomic, you know.

27:32And so there are people out there that will say this just appeared to be a miracle. But again, John just blows that idea up because look what he says. They all ate how much? As much as they wanted. And they had all eaten their fill. So then Jesus says, gather up the leftovers so that nothing is lost. And maybe he just wants to make sure they have something to eat on the road next. Maybe he's thinking about the poor and how they can share the leftover fragments. But friends, I think that Jesus does this to show that even after thousands and thousands of people have eaten, there were still 12 baskets full of leftover food. The initial food, the five barley loaves and two fish, wouldn't have filled one basket. Now they've got 12 baskets full of leftovers. That is an amazing miracle. And it doesn't take a lot of reflection to figure out why everybody thought it was so. Amazing. All four gospel writers include it in their account.

28:36And the crowd thought it was amazing too. Take a look at verse 14. 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. Now you might recall that the Jewish people were expecting a prophet like Moses to be raised up. And I want to remind you of what Deuteronomy 18 says. Take a look at the screen.

29:17The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me. This is Moses talking, a prophet like me from among you, from among your brothers, and it is to him you shall listen. Then God says this, beginning in verse 18: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I commanded him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.

29:51So God says, and Moses confirms, that God is going to raise up a prophet like Moses and put his words in that prophet's mouth. Anybody that Don't listen to that prophet is going to be judged. So there was great expectation that God would one day raise up this prophet like Moses. They already asked John the Baptist, are you him? Are you this prophet that we should expect from Deuteronomy 18? And John said, no. So now they see Jesus out in the wilderness, just like Moses was out in the wilderness for 40 years with the people. They see him teaching and instructing thousands of people, just like Moses did out in the wilderness for 40 years. They see Jesus miraculously providing bread for all of these people, just as God did through Moses during the wilderness. And they asked this question: Is this him? Surely this has to be him. This has to be the prophet.

30:54But Jesus knew that the people were about to make him king. And so he withdrew to the mountain by himself, no doubt to pray and to spend time with his heavenly father. And I want to remind you that before he began his public ministry, Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Spirit, where he was tempted by Satan. And he fasted and prayed for 40 days. And at the end of that time, he was hungry, and the devil tempts him three times. That third temptation, take a look. I want to remind you of what happens.

31:27Matthew says, again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said to him, Be gone, Satan, for it is written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

32:00Satan offered Jesus what appeared to be a path to the kingdom that avoided suffering and avoided the cross. And Jesus had to decide if he was going to reject the Father's plan and accept Satan's to obtain this kingdom apart from suffering, apart from the cross, apart from the will of the Father. And here in John 6, the people gathered out in the wilderness. They offer Jesus a path to the kingdom that will avoid suffering and avoid the cross. All he has to do is reject the Father's plan and accept their plan to make him king now.

32:46But friends, when Jesus came the first time, he did not come to be coronated. He came to be crucified. He did not come to consummate his kingdom. Kingdom, he came to inaugurate his kingdom. But that meant that Jesus had to stay the course that the Father had set for him. A course that did not end in Galilee in front of an adoring crowd. No, the course ends in Jerusalem in front of an angry crowd, yelling, crucify him, crucify him.

33:26Surely Jesus withdrew by himself because it was so tempting. He was tempted in every way and yet was without sin. It was so tempting to him to take this other path to the kingdom that avoided suffering and avoided the cross, avoided being forsaken by the Father. But friends, that path would have still left us in our sin. That path would not have defeated sin and its close companion, death. The wages of sin is death. And if Jesus avoids suffering and avoids the cross, then we are still in our sin and still without hope, even if he is the king.

34:10I want you to remember back earlier today, we talked about verse 4. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. And we noted that it seems to have nothing to do with the rest of the text. But I think that it does. God instructed Moses to observe the Passover at the beginning. Of those 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. And during that time, God fed them with manna. Literally means, what is it? This bread-like substance that came down from heaven and fed them every day that they wandered in the wilderness.

34:48And you may recall that at the end of chapter five, Jesus told the Jews that Moses would not be their defender on the day of judgment, he would be their accuser, even though they had set all of their hope on him. I want you to look at John chapter 6, verses 32 and 33. This will be in a couple of weeks, but this is where Jesus explains what's happening in this passage. Take a look on the screen or in your Bible.

35:15Jesus then said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. In other words, Jesus is the better Moses and the better manna. Moses, great as he was, was an imperfect man in need of God's grace and mercy, and the bread did not come from him. Even the manna that God provided, necessary as it was to sustain life in the wilderness, it could not grant them eternal life. Life.

36:03But when Jesus instituted what we call the Lord's Supper, he did so during the Passover. And he took that Passover bread and he said, Take, eat. This is my body, which is broken for you. Every time we do that, when we eat the bread of the Lord's Supper, it is a reminder that Jesus is the true bread of God who came down from heaven. And he came down from heaven to take on our sin, to be broken in our place, to suffer the death that we should suffer for our sin and our rebellion against God.

36:52So in just a moment, we're going to have the opportunity to take the Lord's Supper and remember that our sins are forgiven, that we have been reconciled to God, that we have eternal life, not through faith in Moses, not through faith in ourselves, but through faith in Jesus, whose body was broken for us. And so, friends, if you've not put your faith in Jesus, understand this morning that he is the true bread of heaven who came down to satisfy you in every way. You cannot be satisfied. With the manna of this world.

37:33And there is nothing that you can do to make up for your sin. Only Jesus' broken body and shed blood represented in the Lord's Supper. Only his broken body and shed blood can pay for your sins. So this morning, if you have not, feast on Christ through faith. For all of us who are already walking with Jesus, I want to encourage you to remember the truth about the Lord's Supper. That yes, it is a reminder of the costliness of sin, but it is also a reminder that we have internalized the person and work of Jesus and what He's done on our behalf every time we take it through faith.

38:24Do not believe the lie that you are still separated from God, that He is upset with you, that He is angry with you. All of those things He put on His Son, Jesus, when His body was broken and His blood was shed. So take the supper with faith this morning, knowing that we have a Savior who died and rose again in our place. We have, and we have eaten through faith the true bread of heaven. Let's pray.

39:24God, we thank you that you have satisfied us fully and completely in the person and work of Jesus Christ. That we do not have to look to things in this world to do for us what they cannot do. That we are not left on our own to try to figure out how to make ourselves right with you, but that you sent your Son Jesus, who willingly came and laid down his life in our place for our sins, and who rose again so that we could be counted righteous through faith.

40:14God, we thank you for Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, who carefully recorded this wonderful sign, this wonderful miracle, and included different details so that we could. Get a fuller, more complete picture of all that was going on with Jesus and with the disciples. And I pray that we would be encouraged that we have a Savior who worked and suffered so much for us and still continued to serve us. We are not worthy of that kind of servanthood, that kind of sacrifice.

41:04But your great love and Jesus' great love made it a joy to serve us in that way. And so we worship you this morning. We thank you for the reminder that Jesus is God and a willing Savior for us. In Christ's name we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to the sermon audio from New Life Baptist Church in College Station, Texas. For more information or to support our ministry, visit us online at newlifecs.net.