Manna from Heaven . . . Again (Matthew 14:1-21; Mark 6:14-44; Luke 9:7-17; John 6:1-15)

What happens when Jesus meets a crowd of thousands with only a boy’s small lunch? The result isn’t just full stomachs—it’s a lesson in faith, provision, and the power of God. In this episode, you’ll discover why Jesus fed the 5,000, how He involved His disciples in the miracle, and what this moment reveals about the sufficiency of Christ. Your personal limitations are no barrier to His unlimited power. Learn how He turns barley bread and sardines into a feast—and how He still does the impossible through you today.

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Transcript

Herod’s Guilt And John’s Death

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Well, today is the first time in our chronological study in the life and ministry of Jesus where all four Gospels write about the same event. We call it the feeding of the five thousand. Now, just before this miracle takes place, Herod, the Tetrarch, hears about Jesus' ministry, and he's so paranoid he thinks Jesus is John the Baptist resurrected from the grave. Matthew 14 tells us here in verse 2. He said to his servants, This is John the Baptist. He's been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him. Let me tell you, Herod is being driven mad by his guilt. Mark's gospel account tells us about Herod's hatred for John the Baptist. John had publicly denounced the marriage of Herod and the wife he stole away from his own brother. Her name was Herodias, and she had been seething with anger over John's preaching against their adultery. So, if you know the word of God, you're old enough in the faith, you probably know that there was a birthday party she threw for her husband Herod. Her daughter Salome danced before the king and his guests, and we we really can't sanitize it here. This was an erotic dance. And Herod told her afterward that he would give her whatever she wanted, and her mother knew just what she wanted, and she asked for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, and reluctantly Herod had John beheaded. Well, after Jesus hears about the murder of John, Mark chapter six tells us over in verse thirty two that Jesus and his disciples go away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Well we know they go over to

Jesus Withdraws To Grieve

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the north shore of Galilee to a town called Bethsida, and they're gonna they're gonna get away, I believe, they're gonna rest, and probably grieve for a while over the loss of this faithful prophet and friend. Let me tell you, beloved, we do sorrow at the death of our family and friends. We sorrow, we grieve, yet not without hope. First Thessalonians chapter four, verse thirteen. Listen, if Jesus wanted to be alone for a while, to grieve John the Baptist's death, there's certainly nothing wrong with you doing the same thing. And don't ever criticize other Christians as being unspiritual because they they want to be alone for a while. They want to grieve, they're grieving, they're crying over the loss of someone they've loved. Well, Jesus hardly has time to be alone. We're told here that a crowd is waiting for for the Lord and his disciples as they rode ashore. Now all four gospels tell us that there are about five thousand men. Undoubtedly there are women and children as well. This is a massive crowd, it could be as high as twenty thousand people. There are going to be two different reactions now to this multitude waiting for them as the disciples row ashore. The disciples, well, they

Compassion For A Shepherdless Crowd

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want Jesus to send the crowd away. But Jesus sees this large crowd in Mark's gospel here in chapter six and verse thirty-four says He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things. Matthew fourteen, fourteen adds that he healed their sick. See, the disciples saw the crowd as an interruption. Jesus was moved with compassion. Now I want to pick it up here at John's gospel account, chapter six and verse five, where we read Jesus said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat? He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Now you might read that and wonder like I did, why pick on Philip? Well, this is Philip's hometown, John one

Philip’s Test And Andrew’s Find

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forty four tells us. Philip knew where the bakery was. Philip knew how much bread cost in this region. You know, I just sort of see Philip getting out his pencil and his notepad, and let's see, a five thousand men plus women and two or three children per family, maybe less he multiply that by three cents a loaf and divide that by ten bites or whatever. Okay, Lord, I got it. Verse 7 says, 200 denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little. Now two hundred denarii amounted to nearly the average annual salary in this day. So Philip is effectively saying, Lord, uh that take my entire year's salary. We don't have that kind of money in our little money bags. By the way, the Lord is not testing Philip's finances. He's testing Philip's faith. Now Andrew shows up, verse nine says, Well, there's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. Well, barley was the bread of the poor people. It was baked in round, flat pieces, about the size of the palm of your hand. So this little boy has little barley bread, and he's got two fish, we're told here. The word John uses for fish, upseria, refers to little minnow size, a little sardine-sized fish. People in this day used to season them, uh pickle them, and that would add flavor to that rather coarse barley bread. Well, Andrew says, this is what I found. Then he sort of apologizes for it here in verse 9 and adds, but you know, but what is this for so many people? In other words, you know, but what am I thinking, Lord? Listen, beloved, don't ever apologize for what you have to offer the Lord. Don't ever say, you know, I I don't have very much to give him. I'm just one little person, uh just one little talent, maybe, not much experience. No, just just put what you are and what you have in his hands. You see, the amazing thing isn't just that Jesus does so much with so little. The amazing thing is that Jesus wants to use so little, the little bit you give him, and with it to do so much. Now verse eleven says 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. The other gospel accounts record that Jesus has the apostles handing out all that bread and fish. He's

Loaves Multiplied And Baskets Left

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including them in the process of ministry. They're also used to collect the leftovers, twelve baskets full. Well, that's as if the Lord's going to remind them that he's going to take care of them as well. Now, back in Matthew chapter 14, we're told in verse 20 that this crowd ate until they were satisfied. That word satisfied could be translated completely full, filled up. We would say it this way. They were stuffed. Now, the liberals uh love to say here that this would have been impossible for Jesus to do, of course they think any miracle is impossible. What really happened, they say, was that this crowd was so embarrassed by this little boy offering his lunch that they all took out their lunches, and then they all shared them. They had this big potluck. Well, let me tell you, fifteen thousand people did not miss what happened here. They knew an incredible miracle had just taken place. That's why the crowd says over in John chapter six and verse fourteen, this is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world. In other words, Jesus is reminding them of Moses and manna from heaven. And they believe Jesus is the prophet like Moses that God promised to give them way back in Deuteronomy chapter 18 and verse 15. They're at this point ready to follow Jesus then and there. In fact, the the problem is, however, they're they're thinking, you know, in political terms, they're not thinking in spiritual terms. Yeah, they're they're ready to follow him, they're ready to follow him to overthrow Rome. No, Jesus is planning to overthrow Satan. Yeah, Jesus has the power to bring manna down from heaven, and he does it, as it were, but he's also teaching his disciples here some important lessons for their own future ministry. Here's something we can apply in our ministry today. One lesson is that our personal insufficiency never handicaps his all sufficiency. Yes, you offer your barley bread, you you give them your little sardines, and then watch what he's able to do. Luke

Insufficiency Meets Christ’s Sufficiency

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writes in chapter 9 and verse 16. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. I love the fact that he included them here. He used them to co-labor with him. And by the way, he's doing the same thing with you and me today. We're we're frankly just handing out what he does, what he offers. He's the creator. We are just the courier for his glory. So hand out whatever you have, then come back to Christ for more, more strength, more wisdom, more resources. I love what Alexander McLaren wrote on this text over a hundred years ago, that the disciples always found that whenever they returned to the Lord with their hands empty, his hands were always full. You see, when you've reached the point of impossibility, when you're out of strength, when you're out of money, when you're out of ideas, when you're way beyond your experience or talent or ability, well, you just need to hand him your little pieces of barley bread, and you you give him a couple of sardines, and then watch what he will do. We'll stop here for today until our next wisdom journey, beloved. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.