John 6:1-15 (NRSV)
1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" 10 Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus 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. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
I have been hearing and reading these passages since I was a young child. I remember hearing in Sunday School about the little boy who gave up his lunch so that 5000 people could be fed. I remember being amazed at this and the fact that Jesus was able to turn so little food into so much. I remember, as so many of you do as well. I can tell you this story by heart, it is so familiar to me.
But as I sat down to read it again, I found something else, something that isn’t about the loaves and the fishes.
Listen again to the passage, this time putting the miracle part of it to the back of your mind and searching for the new message.
READ SCRIPTURE AGAIN.
Maybe you didn’t hear what I heard. But it jumped out at me. The disciples seem to forget who Jesus is.
Jesus asks Philip, “Where are we going to be able to buy enough bread for all of these people to eat?”
It was a pop quiz for Philip.
I read this again, thinking, “surely Philip could have gotten this one right. Surely he could have said, “I know that you will take care of their needs, Lord.”
But no, Philip fails the pop quiz and says how even if they had six months income to use, they wouldn’t even have enough to give them just a little. Poor Philip, all he had to do was remember who was asking the question.
Andrew comes along and jumps in. He has found a boy with five loaves of bread and two fish. When you read that, you can’t help but hold out hope that Andrew has remembered who Jesus is and what he has been doing.
But then,Andrew says that even that isn’t anything when there are so many people to feed. Poor Andrew,
He just doesn’t get it either. All he had to do was remember who Jesus was.
In order for us to understand the significance of the faux pas that each of the disciples seems to be making, lets look back just a little. According to the Gospel of John, Jesus (in the first chapter) calls Andrew, Simon Peter, Philip and Nathanael as his first disciples. This means that Philip and Andrew, the two who seemed to forget who Jesus was, these two disciples had been there from the very beginning. They were part of the first four disciples, before there were 12. Philip and Andrew had seen everything that Jesus had done.
They saw the water turned into wine at the wedding at Cana.
They saw Jesus as he turned the temple upside down and inside out.
They saw how he did not fear standing up to the religious authorities.
They had heard of all that he shared with Nicodemus.
Philip and Andrew had forgotten what Jesus had been sharing with the crowds who would follow him and how he spoke with authority.
They didn’t seem to remember that it was Jesus who took the time to show kindness to a Samaritan woman, spoke to her and offered to her a new life.
They seemed to have forgotten that Jesus was the one who had healed the ill son of a royal official.
He healed the man who had laid by one of the pools in Jerusalem who had been there for 38 years, waiting for his chance to be healed in the water.
The disciples had seen all of this and more, but still, when Jesus presents them with the opportunity to show how they remember all that he has done and anticipate all that he will do, they can’t don’t do it. They didn’t remember.
These men who had been with them from the very beginning of his ministry, they didn’t seem to remember who they were talking with.
So, once again, Jesus had to show them who he was by taking the loaves and fish and giving them to the people.
In the end, what was left over was 12 baskets, essentially one basketful of reminders for each disciple. Reminders about who he was and what he could do. The disciples had forgotten that this man Jesus who they followed was not an ordinary man. He was the son of God, the messiah, the fulfillment of prophecy and scriptures. They had forgotten that he is the one who had come to save them from their sins.
And this brings us to today. We have become too much like the disciples in this passage. We have become the ones who seem to have forgotten. We have become the ones who seem to stand there and say that we don’t have enough to take care of the needs for this or that. We say that what we have isn’t nearly enough. We forget that what we are doing is for God. We forget that through the power of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, miracles can happen. Miracles will happen. Lives will be transformed.
Why is it that today, in our world, we have forgotten the importance of who Jesus was and is? Why is it that we have forgotten to trust that God will shine through in every situation? Why have we forgotten? Why?
When the mountain stands in front of us, we look at it and see an obstacle, not an opportunity. When those in need are calling us, we see a burden on society, not an opportunity. When a family moves into our community,
why aren’t we the first people at their doors? Have we forgotten the wonderful works of Jesus Christ? Sometimes it feels like we have. Sometimes it feels like we try to find the obstacles and not the opportunities.
We want to build a building. That takes money. Is it an obstacle or an opportunity? We have to invest time, energy and money into building our children and youth programs. Is it an obstacle or an opportunity? We have opportunities all around, but we go looking for the obstacles, just as the disciples did as they forgot who Jesus was.
Five thousand people were hungry… obstacle or opportunity? Only five loaves and two fish…obstacle or opportunity? Fifty percent of our community do not attend a church…obstacle or opportunity? We have a building that sits empty most of the week…obstacle or opportunity? Many youth and young adults today do not find traditional worship spiritually moving and want to see new things in worship…obstacle or opportunity? You are needed to give earnestly of your time and your talents to God, obstacle or opportunity?
Never forget who Jesus Christ was and is. Never forget that in Christ, obstacles are really opportunities in disguise. If you forget, all you will see is obstacles. If you remember, you will see opportunities and find that your faith and trust in Jesus Christ will grow more than it ever has.
Never forget. Always remember.
©2009, Angie Gage
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