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How Does A Disciple Trust Jesus John 6:1-21 is the topic that will be discussed today on RIOT Podcast, a Christian Discipleship Podcast.
In our last show, we finished John 5. We talked about the paralytic at the Bethesda pools and also how Jesus’ persecution from the Jewish leaders had begun.
This week we will be unpacking John chapter 6 verses 1-21 and spend most of our time in vs 1-14 where Jesus feeds the 5000.
To give this chapter context we must understand that John's gospel is selective. He does not record events in the life of Jesus that do not help him fulfill his purpose.
Between the healing of the paralytic in John 5 and what we will cover today in the feeding of the 5000, you have many events taking place. Some are mentioned in Luke 6 to Luke 9 and Mark 3 to Mark 6. During this period Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount and gave parables of the Kingdom.
In our reading today of the miracle feeding of the 5000 we must assume that this miracle was a huge event for all 4 gospels to record.
Read John 6:1-14
A great multitude had been following Jesus for several days, listening to His teachings and also witnessing His miracles. Jesus had tried to get away to rest, but the needs of the crowd pressed upon Him. Because of His compassion, he ministered to the multitude in three different ways. We will cover 2 of those ways in today’s show.
The first way he ministered to them is in the most obvious way, he fed them. The problem Jesus had to overcome was how was he going to meet their needs with such a vast crowd?
His disciples proposed to him 4 different solutions.
The first was to have Jesus send them away. But Jesus knew that the hungry people would faint on the way if someone would not feed them and it was evening.
The second solution proposed to him came from Philip in response to Jesus’ test question. Vs 5 Raise enough money to buy food for the people. Philip counted the cost and decided they would need the equivalent of 200 days' wages. And even that would not provide enough bread to satisfy everyone.
The third solution came from Andrew, but he was not sure how the problem would be solved. He found a little boy who had a small lunch which contained 2 little fish and 5 barley cakes. Notice once again Andrew bringing someone to Jesus.
The fourth solution came from Jesus himself. And it was the truest solution. He took the little boy's lunch, blessed it, broke it, handed it out to his disciples and they fed the whole crowd.
It is significant to notice that John mentioned the fact that Jesus gave thanks twice. Vs 11 and vs 23. Mathew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus looked up to heaven and gave thanks. By that very act, He reminded the hungry people that God is the source of all good and needful gifts.
Read John 6:15-21 and uncover the second way Jesus ministered to the people, which was by Him leaving the multitude.
Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat because He knew they were in danger. The crowd was now aroused and there was a movement to make Him King.
Did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Of course, he did. Then why did He deliberately send His friends into danger?
Sometimes we are caught in a storm because we have disobeyed the Lord. Jonah is a good example of this, but sometimes the storm comes because we have obeyed the Lord.
Jesus was never impressed by the great crowds. He knew that their motives were not pure and that most of them followed Him in order to watch His miracles of healing. We must never be deceived by wanting to be popular.
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