Sermon Tone Analysis

Crowds gathering

Rumor has it and it is getting around about Jesus the Nazarene healing people, so crowds are gathering and following.

Jesus had just been in Jerusalem and healed man at pool of Bethesda (5:1-9)

Was confronted about breaking the Sabbath (5:16-18)

Jesus claims equality with God (5:19-30)

Jesus witnesses presented (5:31-47)

You can find parallel with various focuses of this story in (Lk9; Mt14-15).

Our focus tonight is on the John passage.

So, here we are trudging forward in our study of gospel of John.

As a reminder, what is the purpose for the gospel of John and where do you find the answer?

Tonight we will look at the passage, it is a longer passage, we will read it entirely, but then break it down

The crowd (6:1-4)

The question (6:5-7)

The help (6:8-9)

The miracle (6:10-11)

The gathering and results (6:12-14)

Lot’s of sub points tonight so we better get moving and see how far God allows us to go tonight.

Our Passage

It’s God’s word we are to study and treasure in our heart.

So, let’s do that together tonight.

What are your general observations?

Why was the crowd following Him (v.2)?

What was coming up, was near (v.4)?

You can see the testing question and response with Philip, can you describe it (vv.5-7)?

Who brought the boy (lad) to Jesus (vv.8-9)?

What was the number of men who were instructed to sit down (v.10)?

Did Jesus bless or thank God for the loaves and fish (v.11)?

What was Jesus instructions to His disciples, and why (v.12)?

What were the results of the miracle/sign (v.14)?

Some more points to make in using the parallels too.

There were several solutions made.

Send the people away (Mk6:35-36; Mt14:15)

It is late, send them away to get their own food

Need to do some fund raising to do it (Jn6:5-6)

Where are we going to get the money to buy the food for them, even to get just a little?

Andrew brought another solution (Jn8:9; Jn1:40-42)

Andrew, the people person always making introductions and inviting people to Jesus like with Nathaniel in chapter 1, now this young lad here.

Andrew believed that Jesus could and would do something with what the boy had.

And the true solution came from the Lord Himself (Jn6:10-11)

Tell them to sit, kinda a remnant of what you find in Ps23:2, He makes me sit, lie down in green pastures.

He gives thanks for the Fathers provision and distributes more than enough for all to be full

I think the practical lesson from this story is whenever there is a need, give all that you have to the Lord and let Him do the rest.

Begin with what you have.

The Crowd

John spends most of his time recording things that happen in and around Jerusalem, but a few in Galilee, this is one of those storied, and the crowd from Jerusalem followed Him.

After these things.

After the healing on the Sabbath, after the feast Jesus heads back to Galilee.

We do not know the timing of exactly when, some commentators put John 6 prior to John 5 chronologically since John 6 mentions the Passover.

But that is not the point of this chapter, of this story.

There was a great multitude that followed.

Jesus had compassion of them.

Commentator Morris said “The multitude ‘kept following’ Jesus because they ‘continually saw’ the signs that He ‘habitually did’ on the sick.”

(consider Lk9:10-11)

As mentioned earlier the other gospels reference this story, but only in John does it mention the Passover, could the crowd be a multitude that is following Jesus back to Jerusalem for the Passover and are in a deserted area now?

Could this be their wilderness experience like the Exodus where God provided?

He went up on the mountain

FF Bruce says : The ‘high ground’ is the sharply rising terrain est of the lake, well known today as the Golan heights.

From there one overlooks the level plain east of the river and the lake.”

(Transition) this brings us to Jesus question, Jesus test of Philip.

The Question

Sometimes a question is not really a question, it is a set up, a test.

That is what we see here in the passage.

Why ask Philip?

Was it because he was from Bethsaida and they are near there (Jn1:44; Lk9:10)?

Mark makes mention they had been listening to Jesus all day, and hence why Jesus was concerned about feeding them (Lk6:34ff).

Jesus asked Philip already knowing what He was going to do.

Philip had seen the signs Jesus had already been doing, so there should have been no question from Philip about the divine resources that Jesus had (Guzik).

Morris said “with greater faith and knowledge, Philip might have said: ‘Master, I don’t know where the food is to feed this crowd but You are greater than Moses whom God used to feed a multitude everyday in the wilderness, and God can certainly do a lesson work through a Greater Servant.

You are greater than Elisha, who God used to feed many sons of the prophets through little food.

What is more, the Scriptures say that man shall not live by bread alone, and You are great enough to fill this multitude from the words of your mouth.”

Philips assessment, two hundred denarii is not enough.

Philip was thinking logically, and should have been thinking with faith.

With God all things are possible.

(transition) - This now leads us to the help, the provision in an unlikely way

The Help

Help can come from various ways, various means, but help comes from the Lord.

And in this case from a young lad.

The word ‘lad’ in its use probable meaning ‘little boy,’ as most commentators believe.

The use of barley loaves displays more than likely the boy came from a poor family

many believed that barley was better for the animals than for people.

Two small fish

FF Bruce says “while other Evangelists use the ordinary word for fish (ichthys), John calls them osparia, indicating that they were two small (perhaps salted) fish to be eaten as a relish along with the cakes of barley.”

Not much to work with, but God really doesn’t need anything to work with does He?

God often restrains, deliberately restrains the work until He has our participation.”

(i.e.

Salvation)

The Miracle

Jesus already knew what He was going to do (5:6) now it was time to do it.

But it required some participation.

Tell them to sit (c.r.

Ps23:1-2, 5-6)

Jesus the Great Shepherd (Heb13:20), is He fulfilling Ps23?

So the green pastures, the green grass, that there was much of.

Then a few verses later

In midst, presence of enemies, the flesh, isolation, hunger, doubt, the Great Shepherd prepared a meal, a table before them, not with a little but exceedingly abundantly more.

Participation needed (vv.10-11)

The ones who were fed were the one’s who sat down, who followed Jesus command.

Jesus gave more than enough to them.

He gives more than enough to us who obey His commands.

Spurgeon in speaking of the thanks - given says: