John Study 9: 6:7-34

Dear Student of the Word,

It's time once again for your latest installment from John's gospel. This week we look at when Jesus fed the 5,000 with just a few loaves and fish with which to work.  He used this miracle to introduce an important teaching that indicated that He was the bread of life. We will look at that lesson in the next study, but for now, let's look at what I wrote on day two of this seven-day study:

6:11 – After the people had followed His instructions, Jesus took the boy’s loaves and fishes, gave thanks and distributed them to the crowd of 5,000.  Notice that He gave thanks as part of the multiplication process.  He was thanking the Father for the miracle before it took place, so confident was He of the outcome. Can you thank God for something for which you have faith, yet cannot see at the present time?

v. 12 – Everyone didn’t just receive a snack; they were completely satisfied!  They had all that they wanted.  Jesus wanted His disciples to see that God wasn’t in the business of just meeting needs with barely enough.  God deals in abundance with everything He does. Everything Also, Jesus had a purpose and He was always teaching and training.  I publish a daily devotional quote from Proverbs and today’s quote was:

My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge (Proverbs 5:1-2).

Jesus lips always preserved and spread knowledge. Do yours?

v. 13 – The disciples gathered the leftovers and they filled 12 baskets!  Jesus would move from this miracle into a discussion of the fact that He was the bread of life from heaven.  Do you see the connection here?  There isn’t just enough of God’s grace to go around; there is an abundance in Christ!  God never exhausts His supply.  He can meet all our physical and spiritual needs and never run out of reserves. God is endless and infinite and so are His blessings!  Thank You, Jesus!

v. 14 – The people knew what had taken place. They had followed Jesus to this place because they had seen Him heal. Now they saw Him provide for their physical needs.  They had seen all they needed to see in order to proclaim that He was the Prophet to come, the Messiah!  Yet their focus was wrong.  They were ready to “vote” Him in as the Anointed One based on what He could do for them.  They really did not understand what He had come to do, so Jesus had to thwart their plan and momentum to crown Him as their new King, for He had not come to be a King as Caesar was.  What’s more, Jesus was already King, but the people and the disciples had yet to comprehend this spiritual and not political truth.

v. 15 – So Jesus withdrew and avoided the scenario where they would take and make Him king by force. What a comic picture!  They would come and take the Lord of peace and force Him to be their king!  Yet that is what I have done from time to time.  I have tried to force Jesus to rule over my life, while I was still ruling it myself.  I wanted Jesus to meet my needs but I did not want to fulfill His commands.  Who is really on the throne of your life?  Have you tried to set Jesus there on your own terms, or have you yielded to His Lordship and made Him king of every area of your life?

As always, I welcome your comments to this week's study. You can write them or find the studies to Corinthians, Colossians, First Timothy, and Matthew's and Mark's gospels on the site where this week's entry is posted. You can also go there to sign up to receive each week's study.

Plus my website archives contains a complete collection of all my verse-by-verse Bible studies from Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, Hebrews and Revelation, along with the unpublished Faith Files.

Download John Study 9

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THE SOPHIA FUND:  We received almost $1,200 this past week for The Sophia Fund. That is just super. Thank you so much for responding. but please don't stop now. The need is urgent and the workers are grateful, but are requesting even more help.  If you didn't read the email below that I received last week from Eddie Adembesa in Kenya, here it is again:

Greetings from us all WEMA widows with the trust that all is well by the grace of God.
 
This is to acknowledge that we have received $1,000 Sophie Fund and $50 St. Paul’s Baptist Church which you sent to us through SARAH NETWORK towards the feeding programme for orphans under the care of WEMA widows.
 
This has not only put a smile on the face of the children but also the widows who have great lack due to the prolonged drought that Kenya is facing.
 
To every single person who made this possible, it’s a big thank you and God truly bless you and enlarge your territories. A good measure shaken together, pressed down and overflowing. I call this a divine connection from God. Let’s continue to pray for one another as we continue noble task. Once again thank you and God bless you.

As I promised, every penny you send is going to feed the poor in Zimbabwe and Kenya. Nothing goes to overhead or administration.  With reports like the one above, won't you consider helping orphans and widows today?  You can read about my rationale for The Fund here (named after my late mother) that will help feed widows and orphans in Kenya and Zimbabwe. 

Please consider a contribution of at least $5 toward the fund and hopefully more.  You can use the "Chipin" widget on the Monday Memo site to contribute, or go directly to my website to contribute there through PayPal, or send a tax-deductible check to PurposeQuest, PO Box 91099, Pittsburgh, PA  15221.  Make sure you let me know it is for The Sophia Fund. Don't delay; give today and make a difference in the world.

The most recent posted entry about The Sophia Fund is here.