Page 59 - The Gospel of John - Student textbook

A Miraculous Meal
John 6:1-15

The Fickle Crowd
John 6:1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of
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Galilee (or Tiberias). And a huge crowd was
following Him because they saw the signs that
He was performing on the sick. So Jesus went
3
up a mountain and sat down there with His
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disciples. Now the Passover, a Jewish festival,
was near.

The Faithless Disciples
John 6:5 Therefore, when Jesus looked up and
noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He
asked Philip, “Where will we buy bread so
these people can eat?” He asked this to test
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him, for He Himself knew what He was going
to do. Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii
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worth of bread wouldn’t be enough for each of
them to have a little.” One of His disciples,
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Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—
but what are they for so many?”

A denarii was the equivalent of one day’s wage earned by most people in Jesus’s day. Today, we might say a
day’s wages was about $200 for most middle-class people (yearly about $60,000). So, in today’s terms, Philip
was saying that $40,000 could not cover the cost of a full meal for all the people there. That’s probably realistic.
That would be about $4 per meal for all the people there. There were 5,000 men, besides women and children,
so probably the population exceeded 10,000 people.

The Fulfilling Dinner
John 6:10 Then Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat
down. The men numbered about 5,000. Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed
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them to those who were seated—so also with the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were full, He
told His disciples, “Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted.” So they collected them and filled 12
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baskets with the pieces from the five barley loaves that were left over by those who had eaten.

Notice that each disciple collected a basketful as a demonstration to each of God’s abundant provision. This
miracle was as much for them as it was for the people. At the end of the day, the disciples’ lesson should have
been clear. The size of a challenge should never be gauged in terms of our capability. What we have to offer will
never be enough. God never calls us to provide; that’s His responsibility. Instead, He calls us to commit whatever
we have – even if it’s no more than a sack lunch. His call comes with a promise: you take care of the addition, I’ll
be in charge of the multiplication, and the mission I’ve invited you to join will be accomplished.

The False Coronation
John 6:14 When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, “This really is the Prophet who was to come
into the world!” Therefore, when Jesus knew that they were about to come and take Him by force to make
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Him king, He withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.

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