John chose to highlight particular signs or miracles to help us believe that Jesus is who He says He is, and find life in His name and no other. One of the miracles is the event of the multiplication of loaves and fish in John 6.
Jesus had regrouped with His disciples privately to a mountain. Seeing a multitude coming His way, He asked a question of Philip, the logical one, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:3-5).
Philip’s answer helps us see the gravity of the situation: “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little” (John 6:7). One denarius was a worker’s typical day’s wage. About five thousand people came (John 6:10). How much bread can one full day’s wage buy? (I don’t know.) Was Philip exaggerating the amount when he saw the huge crowd? (I don’t know.) It was way out of their budget to provide for the crisis.
Andrew pointed out a young child, probably among the early arrivals, with five loaves and two small fish (John 6:9). That amount was woefully insufficient for so many. But Jesus was testing them, and already had a plan (John 6:6).
Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. “And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted” (John 6:10-11).
When they gathered up the leftovers after everyone was filled (John 6:12-13), they had twelve baskets full. I don’t know if there were actually twelve baskets present (why would someone bring a basket to listen to a hilltop speech?) or if they eyeballed the amount piled on a blanket. The disciples testified verbally that they did not have enough food or finances on hand to provide for everyone. These specific details were given to help us see that a miracle had occurred.
Later on, the people showed up again—then the lessons began in earnest (John 6:22). What does Jesus intend to communicate with this story? Jesus knew they returned for the food, not for Him (John 6:26). Jesus came to proclaim that the kingdom of God had come. The miracles were to help them identify and accept the King in their midst. They completely missed this when they asked how they may do the works of God (John 6:28), their minds resolutely set on the miracle, not the miracle worker.
Jesus answer points back to Himself: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (John 6:29). This is why He came. This is why He preached and did signs and wonders—because together they validated His message of the kingdom. The words and works were the evidences of the kingdom the Old Testament prophets spoke of. The people were supposed to recognize the Messiah in their midst as Israel’s King who is no less than the Son of God.
Is Jesus more than you figured Him to be? Perhaps you are finding the Christian faith underwhelming because you are focusing on the rituals or habits of what you think needs to be done, but they’ve gotten in the way of seeing the person of Christ. I’ve seen that drift in me over and over, and I’ve needed to redirect my course each time. Is Jesus your Lord, or a lord?
Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10), a life where we are filled, like the people were filled. But filled with His life, life in His name, a life that’s personally attributable to Him alone.
The people wanted to see a sign that would justify them believing, evidently not having recognized the one they just witnessed. As an example of a sign, they pointed out the manna in the days of Moses given during the trek from Egypt to Canaan (John 6:30-31). But Jesus ties in the bread they ate with the bread Jesus came to give in the kingdom of His followers: “For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). Then Jesus gets more pointed: “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).
Jesus puts the finger on the real issue, “But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe” (John 6:36). It’s not what works we do but the person we put our faith in. The Jews knew the commandments of God, but didn’t know the God behind the commandments. Should a housewife do the duties of the house and forget the man of the house?
Jesus came to recover a people for His kingdom by the will of God. Jesus lived and acted on the basis of the will of God, which is an idea foreign to many in the church. Because Jesus was faithful to the will of God, we can see God acting through Jesus. When we live on the basis of God’s will by faith (Romans 12:1-2), people will see Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). This is God’s goal with the kingdom in this age. To recover a people who are molded into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). This can’t happen if we do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God. God is looking for more sons (Romans 8:14), and Jesus set the example of how sons of God are to live. By a Holy Spirit-inspired faith, a “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). This is life in His name.
The authority in this life is in His name, not ours. We don’t have the ability to give ourselves life. We merely live. But Christ gives the life that propels us into a spiritual dimension that we can’t experience on our own. It’s a dimension where we are in communion with a God who directs His people. Our direction is not just from rules telling us what to do (religious or otherwise), or culture, or upbringing. The book of Acts is clear that it’s the Holy Spirit in His people who directs them.
As God provided manna to lead the children of Israel out of captivity of Egypt and into the land of Canaan, the land of freedom, so the Son multiplied the fish and bread to point to Himself. The Son will supply all our needs for the journey out of slavery to sin and into the place of freedom and abundance. In all these signs and miracles, accompanied by His teaching on the kingdom of God and its King, what prevents us from yielding all to Him?
