Good morning, Eric, one of the pastors here at Garden City. We’re in John chapter 6 if you have a Bible.¹

The past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the identity and authority of Jesus. Next week, we’ll take a closer look at what it means that Jesus is the bread of life, but we’re gonna spend our time this morning looking at what might be Jesus’s most well-known miracles: his feeding the 5,000 and walking on water.

And as we get started, I just want to acknowledge: Miracles can stir up tension for us. Of course, we believe God is powerful, and he can do whatever he pleases. But that doesn’t keep us from wondering why he doesn’t always show up the way we hope he would. Like,there are things you’re probably asking God to do in your life right now, and it feels like nothing’s happening, and we just don’t get it.

Now we’re not meant to be miracle-chasers, as if we come to God just to get him to changeour circumstances. And if that’s all we look for when we come to Jesus, we’ll always end up disappointed, because life will always have more problems.

But here’s what we can count on: God doesn’t withhold himself from us. And there’s nothingwe face today that he’s unable to handle. Maybe what looks like inactivity to you is actuallyan invitation for you to recognize your weaknesses and put more of your weight on the Lord.

Let me give you an example of this: James Fraser was a missionary to the Lisu people in southwest China in the early 1900s, and he wanted to see thousands come to know Christ more than anything. But he’d often experience the Lisu people profess faith in Jesus only for them to drift back into idolatry.

Thousands converting to Christianity felt like an impossibility, so he decided to focus hisprayers on asking for just 200 families. That was all the faith he thought he had. So, after five years of ministry and very little fruit, he requested to be reassigned.

But before he left, he decided to go back into the villages to preach just one more time. And the next morning, one of his Lisu friends came to him, telling him there was a family that wanted to follow Jesus if he would come help them.

So Fraser came and told them to burn their idols and submit to Jesus. And they did. So he kept going, and soon after that, village after village began responding to the gospel. Within two months, 129 families had come to faith, and today, more than 80% of the Lisu people profess Christ.

Fraser recognized the circumstances of the situation were too great for him, so he put it in the Lord’s hands. He prayed big and went about his work. And just because he asked forreassignment didn’t mean he stopped believing. He still believed God would do it somehow. He just didn’t see how it would involve him until it did.

And we see something similar happening with these miracles in John 6. See, God calls us to put our impossible situations in his hands and then look to him to do as he will.²

But ultimately, the point isn’t that we’ll get a miracle. It’s that true satisfaction only comes through knowing Jesus.

[v. 1] – [After he had healed a paralyzed man] Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

² Story comes from Paul Miller’s, A Praying Church.

Probably because he was trying to spend some time in solitude with his disciples. Which isn’t a bug, but a feature of Jesus’s spiritual life. He’d do great works, people would marvel, and then he’d retreat to the desolate places, which just highlights the importance of our inner and outer lives. The point is that what you take in from the outside affects what’s happening on the inside, and what you fill your inner life with will affect how you relate to people in your outer life.

See, God made you to need spiritual nourishment, which means you’ll get your fill fromsomewhere. That’s what we do when we get hungry. We eat.

And Jesus knows the importance of a balanced spiritual diet. He’s just showing us what it looks like to take seriously the truth that [Deut. 8:3] – “Man does not live by bread alone, butman lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”

You need times spent in the desolate places being filled by the Lord, so you’re ready to pouryourself out in service to others. Otherwise, you’ll fill yourself with spiritual junk food that leaves you hungry and out of shape.

[v. 2] – And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

The people didn’t come to Jesus because they wanted Jesus. They wanted what Jesus could do for them, which means it’s possible to come to Jesus with wrong motives and to leave him discontent.

We often assume ministry success means having lots of people at our events, but if peopleare coming for the wrong reasons, then you’ll either compromise your convictions to cater to their wants (which, in this case, means losing the gospel) or you’ll see people leave. That’s what we do.

But Jesus can spot the difference between what I say I want and what I need. And he didn’tcome to satisfy our personal interests; he came to feed our souls with himself.

[v. 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.

That’s an important detail I don’t want you to miss—because God often repeats patterns in theBible of ways he’s worked in the past as a way of drawing us in to trust his provision of future grace.

Here’s what’s happening: Jesus and his disciples leave the Pharisees, cross the Sea ofGalilee by boat, and go up a mountain. But before they can rest, crowds show up looking for signs.

When talking about the same story, Mark’s gospel tells us Jesus led his disciples to a desolate place to rest—it’s like they were entering into a wilderness.

Then [v. 4] clues us into the fact that it was the Passover, the Jewish holiday that celebratesGod rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt. The Exodus was THE defining moment in Israel’s history. This would be like celebrating Merdeka Day in Malaysia or the 4th of July in the US. It’s a matter of national pride that shapes the identity of the people.

They have freedom on the mind, they’re looking at a guy with unrivaled power, and they needa King to help them overcome the oppressive Rome.

See, during the Exodus, God raised up Moses to lead the people out of Egypt, through the parted seas, and into the Promised Land. But before they could experience rest, theywandered in the wilderness for 40 years, where their stomachs grumbled and their faith was tested.

It’s in the wilderness that God provided bread from heaven called manna. Which brings us to our first point.

1. Sometimes God gives us just enough grace to teach us he’s all we need.

During Israel’s time in the wilderness, God gave the people manna, which literally means“What is it?” because they had no idea. All we know about manna is that it was white and crisp and made with honey. I kind of like to think of it as something similar to roti tisu. Now, I’m not suggesting eating roti tisu 7 days a week is the best diet, but it does sound delicious.

In [Ex. 16:4] the LORD tells Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them,whether they will walk in my law or not.” So Moses instructs the people each morning to gather just enough bread and each evening just enough meat…so that they’ll know the LORD is their God and that he’s able to give them all they need.

The point of the manna wasn’t just to fill their grumbling stomachs; it was to invite them to know God as Jehovah Jireh. That the Lord is our Provider, and we can depend on him.

The manna saved them from starvation, but it was also a sign meant to teach them to trustin the Word of the Lord who satisfies our every need. He does that to grow our faith in him.

But like the Israelites, we’ve learned to depend on all sorts of things—our abilities, careers, money, family, food, or even our world leaders. We say we depend on God, but we don’talways realize how little we trust him until one of those things we lean on falls apart—and we fall with it.

J.I. Packer says, “Grace is God drawing us sinners closer and closer to himself. How doesGod in grace prosecute this purpose? Not by shielding us from assault by the world, the flesh, and the devil, nor by protecting us from…frustrating circumstances…but rather by exposing us to all these

things, so as to overwhelm us with a sense of our own inadequacy, and to drive us to cling to him more closely.”

God tested the Israelites in the wilderness to draw people to himself so that they would learn to trust in his provision. Jesus tested his disciples in the desolate places to do the same thing.

[v. 5] – Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesussaid 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.

Jesus isn’t asking Philip because he didn’t know what to do; he’s asking to test him. Andsometimes Jesus tests us now so that we’ll stop holding on to other securities and learn to rely on him by faith.

See, Jesus is in the faith-growing game. You may not always enjoy his methods, but he wantsto see your faith strengthened, and when you put yourself in his hands, you can count on him to do it.

[v. 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 tohim, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

Jesus turns to Phillip because they’re right near his hometown of Bethsaida. Jesus seesthousands of people coming toward them, and he’s like, “Hey Phillip, wanna order some Grab food for our friends?” I’m sure Judas is in the background somewhere telling them they don’t have the budget for that.

But this brings us to #2. Faith shrinks when we focus on our weakness, but grows when we put our weakness in the hands of the Lord.

See, Philip’s only thinking in natural terms, which happens all throughout the gospel of John.When Jesus is talking with Nicodemus, he tells him You must be born again and Nicodemus is like, How can someone go back into his mother’s womb? When Jesus tells the woman at the well that he has living water, she’s like You don’t even have a bucket to draw water with.

At every turn, Jesus is offering eternal life, but people get stuck in the details. They get stuck on the impossible circumstances around them. I mean, how often do we come to God withsomething that feels hopeless and act like nothing can be done?

You know, it wasn’t that long ago that this church was in a tough spot—no one even knew ifthe church would even survive. They were just hoping to find a pastor.

Imagine if they had the faith to ask God for a good pastor. But when Pastor Peter and I visited three years ago, one of the things that stood out to us was that, even in a difficult season, people were starting to dream again about what God could do.

After that trip, I remember talking to my wife, and we both saw how hard things looked, butthere was a hope here. There was a belief that God was going to move. It wasn’t just wishful thinking. It was faith that waited with expectation.

When you focus on fearful circumstances, all you can see are the limitations, but when youfocus on God and his power, you start looking for him to do the impossible.

That’s what Jesus wants to draw out of the disciples by testing them. But that’s not what Philip’s thinking. Philip’s like, “200 denarii worth of bread wouldn’t feed this many people.” A denarius was a day’s wage. So he’s saying, 8 months’ worth of salary couldn’t foot the bill for this, Jesus.

And as that’s going on, Andrew’s at least being resourceful. He’s found a boy willing to share his barley bread and fish. But you can just hear Andrew’s faith fading as he speaks: “There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish…but what are they for so many?”

Again, that’s because they’re thinking in natural terms. But why should they? These guys saw Jesus turn water into wine by the jar-full. He gives sight to the blind. He makes the lame walk with just a word. Garden City prayed for God to send a pastor, and he sent two. JamesFraser prayed for God to save hundreds, and he saved thousands. The disciples saw Jesus manifest his glory, and they believed. So why so little faith here?

See, it’s not the passion of our faith but the object of our faith that brings real power. Littlefaith comes from focusing too much on yourself and not enough on the power of God to move.

You’d think one of the disciples would have the audacity to pray big. To ask, is anything too difficult for our God? That’s what we’re professing when we turn our difficult situations over to the Lord and ask him to intercede in real ways. God doesn’t just give us what we want, but he calls us to pray his will, which means praying for his kingdom to enter into my life at this present moment, and believing he can do it.

That’s the picture being presented to us through the feeding of the 5,000. We say, God, Ican’t. But you can. God, act on behalf of your people for the sake of your great Name?

Faith shrinks when we focus on our weaknesses, but faith grows when we put our weaknesses in the Lord’s hands.

3.  Jesus puts his mission in the hands of his disciples.

We give him our weaknesses, and he gives us his life-changing power.

[v. 10] – Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place.(Which sounds like a random detail to throw in, but it’s just further evidence that it was springtime, which is when the Passover was) 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.

Watch this. We all know what the miracle is, but notice where it happens: After hisdisciples acknowledge the impossibility of the situation, Jesus says Give it to me. Put the situation in my hands. So he takes the bread, he gives thanks to God for being Jehovah Jireh: The God who Provides. And then, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all say, Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples and said, “Alright, now you give it out.”

I mean, just put yourself in their sandals here for a second. That would be like if I handed you 5 loaves and 2 fish and said, Alright, stand outside KLCC park and feed every personyou see for the entire day. [v. 10] says there were 5,000 men. That’s just counting the headof household. It’s not even including single men, women, or kids. We’re talking about 15-20 thousand people.

You’d probably say, “I don’t think I’m gonna need to stand out here all day. We’re gonna run out of food in two seconds.”

This wasn’t like the time God covered the ground with manna. No bread fell from the sky. All they had were 5 loaves and 2 fish. The disciples probably thought, “This is crazy. We’re gonna look ridiculous.” But because it was Jesus, they trusted him and did what he said.

At first, they were probably handing out small pieces, trying to make it last. But as they kept going, they must’ve noticed—they always had more to

give. They couldn’t give the bread away fast enough. People kept asking, and they kept handing it out. It wasn’t running out. [v. 11] says everyone ate as much as they wanted. Andthen in [v. 12], Jesus tells them to collect the leftovers.

See, the miracle happens because God supplied the power, but he does it in the hands of his disciples. Jesus was pleased to do his work through them.

The disciples saw a situation they couldn’t change. They wanted to send the people away.But Jesus saw an opportunity to reveal himself and the nature of his kingdom. And the kingdom of God is nothing like the kingdoms of this world.

So what does that mean for us?

When we’re faced with real need and brokenness, we might feel overwhelmed andfrustrated. But that’s also a moment for us to remember: God’s kingdom is coming, and we can pray for him to act now.

See, in Jesus’ kingdom, no one who draws near to the Son goes away hungry. In hiskingdom, disciples are empowered and sent out, and what they do through God’s strength bears real fruit.

That’s why we say at Garden City, the Great Commission is in the hands of disciple-making disciples. Because we all have a role to play in presenting others as mature in Christ. Jesus has tasked us to multiply our faith to the ends of the earth, and he’s equipped us in the power of the Spirit to do it.

[v. 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.

See, John calls miracles signs because the purpose of the miracle is to reveal who Jesus is. So after Jesus feeds the crowd, the people are starting to get it: this isn’t just any prophet—he’s the Prophet; he’s the one Moses said would come. And they’re right to recognize that,but then Jesus withdraws from them. Why does he do that?

Because they’re excited for the wrong reasons. They want to make Jesus king, not toworship him, but to use him. They’re under Roman rule, and they want freedom. So whenthey see this miracle, they think, “This is our moment. Let’s crown him and fight back.”

Mark’s Gospel tells us that when they sat down to eat, they sat down in groups of 50s and 100s, which was a military formation. That’s why they’re counting the men. They’re gearing upfor a revolution. But Jesus pulls back because he didn’t come to lead a rebellion. He came to save our souls.

Now, I would guess there are people here this morning who are looking for Jesus to give us something we desperately want. Maybe it’s your visa situation, so you can stop stressing about the future. Maybe you want kids, and nothing’s working. Maybe you feel stuck in your career, and you want God to do something about it. Or maybe your body’s breaking down and you need a healing. And it’s not that Jesus doesn’t care about those things, I mean, he feeds the hungry people.

But Jesus didn’t come just to change your situation. He came to change you—to rescue you from sin and death, and lead you into real life.

Don’t miss the sign. Don’t settle for what you want now and miss the One who offers you everything you truly need.

[v. 16] – When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, andstarted across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and

they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

We said faith shrinks when we focus on our weaknesses, but faith also shrinks when we trust in our strengths.

When Jesus fed the 5,000, the disciples knew they couldn’t do it—they had to rely on him. But getting in a boat and crossing the Sea? They were fishermen. That’s what they do.

But faith isn’t part-time work. It’s not just depending on God when we’re weak and leaning on ourselves when we feel strong.

4.  Faith is full-time dependence on Jesus in everything.

In feeding the 5,000, the disciples knew they needed Jesus. Now, in the storm, they need to learn that even in their strengths, they’re weak and needy, and they need to learn to abide in Jesus.

Now, at this point, you’d expect Jesus to come back to the disciples to explain the feeding of the 5,000. Like, maybe we can have a little debrief meeting to understand what just happened.But instead, Jesus sends them ahead of him across the sea to Capernaum.

[v. 17] tells us it was dark and Jesus hadn’t come yet. I don’t want to make too much of that, but I think there’s something to be said that life without Jesus is like walking in darkness. It’s like entering the boats of death without any hope of life.

Back then, people had a healthy fear of the sea—the waters symbolized chaos and danger.And that’s exactly what the disciples faced. Their trip from Bethsaida to Capernaum should’ve been short. They probably would’ve stayed along the coastline.

But a strong storm hits and pushes them off course. The fierce waves push them further awayfrom the shore. Matthew’s gospel says they were battling the waves for nine hours. That’s what storms do—they turn normal tasks into exhausting struggles.

And sometimes, God allows the storms to remind us: even in the things we think we canhandle, we still need him. The disciples are doing all they can just to stay afloat when Jesus walks right out to meet them.

[v. 19] says the disciples were afraid when they saw Jesus. And honestly, who wouldn’t be? You’re stuck in a storm, in the middle of the sea, it’s late at night, and suddenly, someone’swalking on water. They probably thought it was a ghost or even Death coming for them. Like, this is how our life ends.

That’s what fear does. It clouds your vision. It’s like walking in the dark. You stop seeing what God might do and start shrinking back. And if we’re honest, many of us live that way—quietly driven by fear. We don’t talk about it, but fear shapes how we live.

But Jesus calls us out of our fears into greater trust in him. And how does he do it? By calling us to look to him. See, Jesus doesn’t just calm the storm around us—he quiets the fear within us by the power of his Name.

[v. 20] Jesus says, “It is I; do not be afraid.” In the Greek, it literally says, “I AM.” Jesus is using the divine name of God, the same one God gave to Moses at the burning bush. When Moses asked, “Who should I say sent me?” God said, “Tell them ‘I AM’ sent you.”

It was God’s way of saying, I’m not like man. I don’t have a beginning or an end. I don’t grow weak and tired, and I don’t need anyone to supply me with strength because I’m the source of life. All things exist by me and through me and for me.

And so whenever Israel needed help, God would attach his promises to his name as a way of building their faith. So when they were hungry, they learned to call out to Jehovah Jireh—I AM your provider. And when they were afraid, they called on Jehovah Shammah—I AM the God who is present with you.

And in that moment on the water, the disciples were asking Jesus to reveal himself. Who is itthat’s come to us? When Jesus said, “It is I” they realized who he is. He’s the Great I AM. He’s God, come to rescue them. That’s what quieted their restlessness. That’s what freed them to receive Jesus with joy.

And that’s the invitation being made to us now: Look to Jesus, the one who feeds your souland calms your fears. Receive him. Trust him. Worship him with gladness.

¹ Works Consulted:

• The Gospel According to John – Carson
• “I Am the Bread of Life” – Greear
• “The All Providing King Who Would Not Be King” – Piper
• “Do You Believe Even When the Doubts Creep In?” – Martin