John 6 - Part 4...A Meal with Twelve To-Go "Baskets"

Meals are not only an essential part of life, but also an enjoyable one.  I don't know about you, but a meal prepared by Jesus Christ Himself would have to rank as one of, if not the most, amazing dining experiences.  Even if it took place in a field of grass and the only thing on the menu consisted of bread and fish.  Here's a quick glance into Chef Jesus' miraculous meal-making.

Again, John writes:

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough 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 for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then 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 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:1-15, ESV, emphasis mine)

I think it is easy to read through this text and write it off as one of those childhood stories you may have heard or one you may have thought about during a Bible study or a Sunday morning sermon.  But pausing again to really take in the words, we see some important ingredients which make this meal mandatory for inclusion in God's holy Scriptures.



The providing for their nourishment is substantial in the miracle being performed by the Lord.  He shows His heart for the people by meeting their physical needs, yet at the same time, providing a sign to point people to the Truth of Who He was - God (see v.14), thereby meeting spiritual needs as well.  In verse 11, Jesus Himself took the loaves, and in showing care to them, He first gave thanks (or as other gospels say, He blessed the bread), and then the bread was distributed.  

This gospel says that He distributed the bread.  Matthew, Mark and Luke all mention that Jesus gave the broken bread to the disciples, and then they distributed it to the people (see Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:33-44; and Luke 9:11-17).  I paused when I read this.  Why would this Gospel say that He distributed it to the people?  And like John, I think the Lord gave me understanding.  Regardless of whether the disciples gave the bread to the people, Jesus was still THE distributor of the bread.  Using the hands of His disciples, He met the hungry need of the crowd.  

I recall another passage.  See the similar thought processing.  In John 15, when Jesus taught the disciples that He was the vine and they were the branches, we learn that the purpose was to produce fruit for the Vinedresser, aka, God the Father.  But it is not the branch that is able to produce fruit on its own; even though the fruit grows from the branch, its ability to bear fruit comes from its attachment to the vine which provides the nourishment and nutrients needed.

So, in John 6, the disciples serve as an extension of the source of ALL provision, Jesus the Christ.  What a necessary reminder for us.

When the meal was concluded, and all had gotten their fill, there was a collection of the leftovers so that there would be no waste.  These to-go boxes, I mean baskets (which would have been quite large), were filled completely and would probably have been used to feed others.  Again, meeting needs even probably not yet realized by the people.

Why do we question how our needs will get met?  Why don't we stop long enough to realize that perhaps we would be used by Jesus to provide for the needs of others?  Whether it is one or one hundred, let's invite others to experience Jesus through us as we distribute what we have to show them the miraculous love of Jesus.  And this is true whether we have much or we have little - for look at what Chef Jesus was able to make with just a little boy's lunch of five loaves and two fish.  :)

#4hisfame.