WEBVTT 00:00:23.280 --> 00:00:24.399 Good morning. 00:00:27.920 --> 00:00:37.359 Philip and I went into the heritage centre in Worksworth before it closed, and he drew my attention to this quote. 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:43.600 Worksworth was a town when where Philip? 00:00:45.439 --> 00:00:48.640 Liverpool was a swamp and Canterbury was a village. 00:00:49.679 --> 00:00:53.119 Yeah, that's what it blows your mind, doesn't it? 00:00:53.439 --> 00:01:04.000 And I wanted to just focus very quickly on some stuff to do with Worksworth that I think you'll see later will connect with what we're talking about. 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.799 So it was given a charter as a town in 865. 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:12.000 There was a church located where St. 00:01:12.159 --> 00:01:15.200 Mary's Church is from 653. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:24.799 In the census of 2021, the population was 4,902 with 200 more women than men. 00:01:25.680 --> 00:01:29.599 And that number has been rounded up to 5,000. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:37.519 Harlem Mill, where we are today, was built in the 18th century for grinding corn. 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:55.840 And in 1815, it was repurposed and renamed as Harlem Mill, and it was used to make the I think this is right, the red tape that goes around official documents like in Westminster council offices. 00:01:56.079 --> 00:01:59.439 So that's what this place made where you are sitting now. 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:09.599 It's now a wedding venue, and since January, February, it's been the location of our church here. 00:02:09.919 --> 00:02:13.840 And I say our church because to me it feels like our church. 00:02:14.159 --> 00:02:17.680 So three things have lined up in my brain. 00:02:18.479 --> 00:02:24.080 I've had lots of um like this, so my talk might be a bit like that. 00:02:24.479 --> 00:02:38.400 The number 5,000, the population, our church, and then in January, before we even started, Helen saw this in one of the rooms downstairs, caught her eye. 00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:41.439 She didn't see the whole thing, she saw this. 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:53.919 I love this, and I don't know whether the fact I love it has influenced my choice of subject. 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:59.759 So I wanted to talk about the feeding of the 5,000, a very familiar passage. 00:02:59.919 --> 00:03:01.120 Where can I leave this now? 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:02.080 In my hand. 00:03:02.319 --> 00:03:03.120 In your hand. 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:05.439 There you go. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:16.400 So the feeding of the 5,000 and the resurrection are the only two miracles that occur in all four gospels. 00:03:16.879 --> 00:03:32.240 And when you think of the outrageous scale of these two miracles, the sheer number of 5,000 minimum, and the sheer scale of the resurrection, beyond our understanding, completely tipped the world upside down. 00:03:32.479 --> 00:03:35.919 It's no wonder four gospels have included it. 00:03:36.240 --> 00:03:41.919 So talking of numbers, um, it's 5,000 men, it says. 00:03:42.159 --> 00:03:51.199 So there were clearly women and children, so it could be 8,000, 10,000, and some commentaries even say 20. 00:03:52.240 --> 00:03:54.000 I'm not convinced by that. 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:59.199 But it was massive, it was a miracle of mass provision. 00:03:59.599 --> 00:04:10.319 And I'm sure in the people who experienced it and went on to live their lives, it will have caused some retelling, some reliving, and some reflection. 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:15.120 So no wonder every gospel writer wanted to include it. 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:17.920 I want to look at John's account. 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.600 Um, I've actually um, no, I'm not going to do that first. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:37.040 So on the first slide, I don't know if you can see that, John had a particular purpose in writing his gospel, and it's stated in chapter 30, verses 30, sorry, 20, verses 30 and 31. 00:04:37.839 --> 00:04:45.519 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs, in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:58.319 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name. 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:04.720 John included seven specific miracles in his gospel. 00:05:05.279 --> 00:05:20.160 He chose them for a particular purpose, and he doesn't call them miracles, he calls them miraculous signs, with the stated purpose of pointing his readers to Jesus. 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:23.839 For him, miracles were a signpost, Steve. 00:05:24.079 --> 00:05:25.120 There we are. 00:05:25.600 --> 00:05:29.120 Sorry about that, I couldn't get rid of the name of the person who wrote this. 00:05:29.279 --> 00:05:31.839 But I liked, I like that. 00:05:32.160 --> 00:05:36.639 The seven miraculous signs in the Gospel of John. 00:05:37.920 --> 00:05:47.040 A sign is not a destination, sorry, it's not a destination, but points to a destination. 00:05:47.439 --> 00:05:53.120 So a miraculous sign is not the destination, it's where it points. 00:05:53.439 --> 00:05:55.040 So we're going to read John's account. 00:05:55.120 --> 00:06:04.720 Now I've printed off some sheets because I um I like to have this in front of me, the Bible, and I particularly wanted a translation. 00:06:04.879 --> 00:06:12.720 So if you've got your phones and you want to use the New Living Translation of John chapter six, verses one to fourteen, I think it is. 00:06:12.879 --> 00:06:17.360 Otherwise, I'm going to do my teacher thing and say, please could you pass these round? 00:06:31.759 --> 00:06:33.199 So we're going to read it. 00:06:39.920 --> 00:06:46.240 John chapter six, verses one to fifteen. 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:58.959 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberius. 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:05.680 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:09.759 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. 00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:13.199 It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration. 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:18.639 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:24.399 Turning to Philip, he asked, Where can we bribe buy bread to feed all these people? 00:07:25.040 --> 00:07:29.120 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 00:07:29.439 --> 00:07:34.879 Philip replied, Even if we worked for months we wouldn't have enough money to feed them. 00:07:35.279 --> 00:07:38.639 Then Andrew, Sam's Peter's brother, spoke up. 00:07:38.959 --> 00:07:45.279 There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish, but what good is that with this huge crowd? 00:07:45.920 --> 00:07:48.480 Tell everyone to sit down, Jesus said. 00:07:49.040 --> 00:07:51.759 So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.560 The men alone numbered five thousand. 00:07:55.040 --> 00:08:00.639 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. 00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:06.079 Afterward he did the same with the fish, and they all ate as much as they wanted. 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:13.920 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, Now gather the leftovers so that nothing is wasted. 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:22.399 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. 00:08:23.040 --> 00:08:30.560 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, Surely he's the prophet we've been expecting. 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:37.440 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:44.559 So we're going to think about four groups or characters in this account. 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:55.120 And we're going to look at what it says, but I'm also going to use the talk last week, if you were here, no, just a really short note was about using our mind. 00:08:55.360 --> 00:08:58.879 And I'm encouraging us to use our imagination. 00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:03.360 So a disclaimer that some of this is from my imagination. 00:09:03.519 --> 00:09:05.600 So it doesn't mean it's true. 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.000 So let's just I just want to say that. 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:11.200 And also there are a few asides in my talk. 00:09:11.440 --> 00:09:16.320 As I said, I kept firing in different places, and it's uh I just wanted to include one or two. 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:21.200 So, verse one, it says, after this, after what? 00:09:22.480 --> 00:09:27.279 Jesus had been in Jerusalem where he healed the man by the pool of Bethesda. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.360 A miraculous sign, one of the miraculous signs. 00:09:31.919 --> 00:09:39.440 Because, and especially because he healed on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders were harassing him, looking to kill him. 00:09:39.919 --> 00:09:48.320 And it follows a block of Jesus' teaching and challenging Jewish leaders, and that's if you ever want to read it previous chapter. 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:51.600 Jesus didn't mince his words. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:55.120 You do not have God's message in your hearts. 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:58.639 You refuse to come to me to receive life. 00:09:58.960 --> 00:10:01.519 You don't have God's love within you. 00:10:02.879 --> 00:10:08.399 According to John, this is the precursor to the feeding of the 5,000. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:18.159 However, the other three Gospels put before the feeding of the 5,000 the beheading of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist. 00:10:18.399 --> 00:10:20.879 That is not in John that account. 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:28.799 And it's no surprise to imagine that grief might have been part of the reason Jesus wanted some time out. 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:35.039 He wanted some downtime with his disciples, some space, some peace. 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:36.639 We all know that feeling. 00:10:36.799 --> 00:10:39.519 Perhaps not for the reasons Jesus needed it. 00:10:39.919 --> 00:10:46.000 So he left Capernaum and he crossed the Sea of Galilee to Beth Beth Seda. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:49.600 It's about four miles by boat. 00:10:50.080 --> 00:11:00.960 If you look at verse, I don't know whether you've got the verses in your um it actually says in verse 2 huge crowd kept following him wherever he went. 00:11:01.279 --> 00:11:02.879 Can we have the map? 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:12.639 Okay, so Sea of Galilee, Capernaum, Beth Seda. 00:11:13.440 --> 00:11:16.399 Jesus made that journey by boat. 00:11:18.240 --> 00:11:20.960 How did the crowd follow Jesus? 00:11:22.159 --> 00:11:25.360 I don't think it's likely they used boats. 00:11:26.080 --> 00:11:27.440 They walked. 00:11:28.399 --> 00:11:37.279 That's around six to eight miles, including crossing the River Jordan, fording the river Jordan. 00:11:37.679 --> 00:11:41.840 If you walk around Carsington, that's eight miles. 00:11:42.240 --> 00:11:46.799 So a similar length journey ups and downs. 00:11:47.120 --> 00:11:49.759 I don't know the lay of the land there. 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:53.200 But it's quite a walk. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:58.320 It's not an easy or a quick journey. 00:11:59.519 --> 00:12:03.759 Matthew and Luke record that people came from many towns. 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:12.000 It was the week before Passover, so maybe people were on their way to Jerusalem and thought maybe this Jesus is who we're looking for. 00:12:12.799 --> 00:12:22.159 And I feel like there might have been some FOMO's there, people who were just a fear of missing out, saw a crowd and join in because they want to know what's cracking off. 00:12:22.720 --> 00:12:26.480 I wonder if you can imagine that walk. 00:12:27.519 --> 00:12:36.080 They were poor, marginalized, sick, the oppressed, the disabled, the abused, the mentally ill. 00:12:36.960 --> 00:12:41.759 Mark says that they ran, but I don't think all of them ran. 00:12:43.120 --> 00:12:49.759 They were, to use a little cliche, the last, the least, and the lost. 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:55.039 And Jesus' response in verse 5, he saw them. 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.639 He saw the crowds. 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:10.240 Just a point of interest here: the healing of the man in the pool at Bethesda was a healing of one person. 00:13:10.960 --> 00:13:13.600 So that was a miraculous sign before this. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:21.440 The miraculous sign that comes, I think, after, or next but one after this, is the healing of the one man born blind. 00:13:21.600 --> 00:13:26.000 So Jesus sees the one, that's El Roy, he sees you. 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:31.200 But he also sees the crowd, and that's what he does here. 00:13:31.679 --> 00:13:34.799 And he didn't say, Oh, give me a break. 00:13:35.120 --> 00:13:39.759 Can I not just have five minutes, peace, and quiet? 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:41.919 This is my first aside. 00:13:42.240 --> 00:13:49.360 We often do a book recommendations, and I want to recommend a book I have read and loved so much. 00:13:52.480 --> 00:13:54.559 I will if I can find it. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:13:59.039 Under what? 00:14:03.120 --> 00:14:03.679 Nope. 00:14:03.919 --> 00:14:04.960 Okay, I can't recommend. 00:14:05.200 --> 00:14:06.159 Oh, yeah, we go. 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.159 This is the book I want to recommend. 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.840 If you don't know it, read it. 00:14:14.320 --> 00:14:18.159 It's about a mum who wants five minutes, peace, and quiet. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:20.080 It's well worn. 00:14:24.960 --> 00:14:32.320 So, on the hill there were about eight to ten thousand people, with and he was there with his disciples. 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:45.600 So, after the miraculous provision, which we'll come back to, they were full and confident that Jesus was the expected prophet and wanted to push him into being the king. 00:14:46.879 --> 00:14:49.919 So the next group we're going to look at are the disciples. 00:14:50.399 --> 00:15:02.159 The disciples were with Jesus at this time, and in verse 5, Jesus turns to Philip and says, Where can we buy bread to feed all these people? 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:09.200 Philip was one of three of the disciples who came from Bethesda, Bethsaido, sorry, I'm getting them mixed up. 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:14.399 And I feel that Jesus had a bit of a twinkle in his eye. 00:15:14.559 --> 00:15:17.759 And he was saying, Come on, Philip, you're the local lad. 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:21.200 Where's the nearest sandwich shop that we can go and get some grub? 00:15:22.559 --> 00:15:24.960 He was but he was testing Philip. 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:36.080 And Philip answers him, Jesus, even if there was a huge Tesco, we'd way not enough money to buy enough food to feed all these people. 00:15:36.960 --> 00:15:38.960 Good logical thinking. 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:44.080 Then Andrew speaks up and he tells us about the boy. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:49.039 I'll just read that verse, verse eight. 00:15:49.440 --> 00:15:55.840 Andrew, Simon Peter, Simon Peter's brother, I'm sorry, my mascot, spoke up. 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:00.159 There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. 00:16:00.639 --> 00:16:04.559 But what good is that with this huge crowd? 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:15.200 What good is that with this? 00:16:16.799 --> 00:16:23.200 I wonder what your that might be, or what your this might be. 00:16:23.840 --> 00:16:38.399 What bit of money, energy, time, ability do you feel that you have that feels absolutely useless in the face of what your this might be, what you're facing. 00:16:38.720 --> 00:16:46.639 And that'll be different for all of us, but this verse has caught this bit is what first caught my attention about this miracle. 00:16:46.799 --> 00:16:50.639 What good is this that I've got here with that? 00:16:52.720 --> 00:16:56.720 I found it, oh yeah, and this is my second aside. 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:58.960 This is a miracle of provision. 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:04.160 I used to work with some people in debt, and I learnt a lot. 00:17:04.319 --> 00:17:06.960 I learnt a lot that shame is huge. 00:17:07.519 --> 00:17:16.720 People who are in debt they hide, they deny, they lose sleep, they're irritable, overwhelmed to the point of unopened posts and even suicide. 00:17:16.880 --> 00:17:22.160 You may know someone who is weighed down by debt and cannot see a way forward. 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:29.839 So I just wanted to say one of the things this church does, or Matlock, sorry, is work with people in debt. 00:17:30.880 --> 00:17:33.920 And there are some leaflets here. 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:37.759 It's a small thing you might do. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:42.079 You might take one of these, and it like the Alpha, and it sits on your side, and you don't know. 00:17:42.160 --> 00:17:43.599 I don't know who anybody. 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.319 That's the small thing you might be able to take that. 00:17:46.400 --> 00:17:54.079 And I've also written out some organizations who offer free debt advice, uh, and that could be lying around somewhere. 00:17:54.240 --> 00:17:56.160 So that was my second aside. 00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:04.400 I found it helpful to know that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:14.799 He was the one when he'd met Jesus, went and looked for his brother, and he said to Simon Peter, we found the Messiah, the Christ. 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.559 It was a bold declaration of Jesus' identity. 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:29.920 The man who'd heard Jesus' teaching, Andrew, seen miracles, Andrew, in that moment, he struggled. 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:34.240 What good is this with that? 00:18:35.519 --> 00:18:38.079 He hadn't joined the dots. 00:18:38.640 --> 00:18:40.160 Bit like us then. 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:45.519 So the disciples were told to tell get people to sit down. 00:18:46.240 --> 00:18:57.839 And then in verse 11, very, very simply, it says, Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. 00:18:58.559 --> 00:18:59.839 So simple. 00:19:00.720 --> 00:19:04.000 We don't know at what point the miracle happened. 00:19:04.240 --> 00:19:07.359 Maybe that's something we can surmise. 00:19:08.000 --> 00:19:11.200 The disciples were tasked with handing out the food. 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:12.880 Was it well organized? 00:19:13.279 --> 00:19:14.880 Was it chaotic? 00:19:15.279 --> 00:19:20.079 I can hear somebody going, can you pass down, can you pass this down the line, please? 00:19:20.400 --> 00:19:22.559 Or somebody saying, I haven't got any fish. 00:19:22.640 --> 00:19:24.319 Could you pass me some, please? 00:19:24.960 --> 00:19:26.640 Imagine the smell. 00:19:27.119 --> 00:19:34.400 Besides the fact they were undoubtedly sweaty because they'd done that hike, there'd be the smell of fish. 00:19:34.720 --> 00:19:36.240 Imagine the noise. 00:19:36.720 --> 00:19:38.640 Imagine the chatter. 00:19:40.240 --> 00:19:44.000 Afterwards, Jesus tells the disciples to gather the leftovers. 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:46.480 What happened to the leftovers? 00:19:48.640 --> 00:19:52.400 Where did they get twelve baskets from on the mountain? 00:19:54.640 --> 00:20:01.279 But I am drawn to the statement in verse 12 where it says, nothing is wasted. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:05.680 Nothing is wasted. 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:10.000 That's the closest I can get to any understanding of all that. 00:20:12.880 --> 00:20:15.279 Just a little thing about Philip. 00:20:15.440 --> 00:20:18.000 If we could put the next slide up, please, do you? 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:22.400 This is about Philip in Acts. 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:31.599 Crowds listened intently to Philip because they were eager to hear his message and see the miraculous signs he did. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:38.960 So Philip, who'd become the person who was going, I don't know, I don't know where to get food. 00:20:39.039 --> 00:20:39.599 What do we do? 00:20:39.680 --> 00:20:40.720 What do we do? 00:20:42.559 --> 00:20:57.279 After the resurrection, in the early days of the church, he drew crowds listening to him to speak, speaking about Jesus, and to see, and it's interesting to me, the miraculous signs. 00:20:59.599 --> 00:21:01.359 Right, let's move on to the boy. 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:02.640 How are we doing for time? 00:21:02.799 --> 00:21:04.160 Are we alright? 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:07.599 We know so little about the boy. 00:21:08.079 --> 00:21:12.240 I think we know he was probably poor because he had barley loaves. 00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:18.079 If you were if you were comfortably or well off in those days, you had bread made of wheat. 00:21:18.319 --> 00:21:21.359 If you were poor, it was made of barley. 00:21:22.240 --> 00:21:27.680 I assume he left that day thinking he'd be out all day because he had a pet lunch. 00:21:28.640 --> 00:21:31.839 Now imagine if you'll indulge me a bit. 00:21:32.079 --> 00:21:38.000 Imagine his mum, could have been his dad, but I'm imagining his mum, making his pet lunch. 00:21:38.559 --> 00:21:40.880 She probably did this a lot. 00:21:41.599 --> 00:21:47.039 And him stuffing it in his pocket or a bag of some kind and off he goes, and she says, Have a good day. 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:51.359 Come back to that in a minute. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:59.839 Well I wonder whether the boy of his own volition went, I've got some food here and it will it help? 00:22:00.480 --> 00:22:04.400 Or Andrew came across the boy and took him to Jesus. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:07.519 Here's a side number three. 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:18.640 Currently, the food bank that is run from the church in Matlot is very short of food to share with those who need some help. 00:22:19.039 --> 00:22:22.480 Perhaps this is another little thing we could do this week. 00:22:22.640 --> 00:22:24.079 We're meeting here next week. 00:22:24.160 --> 00:22:25.920 We're having food. 00:22:26.240 --> 00:22:34.079 Perhaps if we all brought something to put in the food bank, a little something, if we all did it, makes a difference. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:38.319 If you want to bring a lot for the food bank, great, I'm sure Steve would be delighted. 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:45.440 We're not feeding thousands, but for those we're helping, it makes a significant difference. 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:53.759 Can you imagine that boy getting home and his mum asking, how was your day? 00:22:58.160 --> 00:23:18.880 Not just the boy amazed, but I can imagine it tumbling out of his mouth, telling his family, and I can't because I'm with the mum in this, I think of her doing what she did that morning, which she's done many times before, the ordinary task of making food, preparing a snack for her boy. 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:34.319 But on that day, God took the ordinary thing that she's done over and over again, and she was it was turned into something extraordinary, and she became part of that miracle. 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:40.960 She didn't see the miracle, but by I'm sure her son talked about it a lot. 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:47.759 Of course, it isn't just mums who day after day do the mundane and the routine. 00:23:49.279 --> 00:23:58.319 It may never be acknowledged, appreciated or even seen. 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:02.160 But let's remind ourselves that God sees. 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:07.759 He saw the crowd, he saw the blind man, he sees the mum. 00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:14.640 God sees your quiet faithfulness, and who knows what he may do with that. 00:24:18.640 --> 00:24:26.079 So, Jesus, the last sort of character, not the lasting, but the best, but the last, you know, that what I'm trying to say. 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:33.680 Okay, um, I just want to put out a few things that I think this passage shows us about Jesus. 00:24:33.920 --> 00:24:38.720 And so, if it shows us about Jesus, what can we learn about ourselves? 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:47.039 As we learn more about who Jesus was and his life, his miraculous signs, what can we learn for ourselves? 00:24:47.279 --> 00:24:49.920 The first thing was he was interruptible. 00:24:50.400 --> 00:24:53.119 He'd gone for his five minutes peace. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:00.480 It wasn't that he was always interruptible, but on this occasion he was. 00:25:00.880 --> 00:25:07.759 And that's interruption was not an obstacle, but an opportunity to demonstrate God's kingdom. 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:12.079 So maybe interruptions in your life are opportunities. 00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:12.799 Maybe not. 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:18.240 I'm not saying, you know, please don't hear me saying a blanket, be interrupted all the time. 00:25:18.319 --> 00:25:20.559 It's awful, isn't it, see, when you're interrupted all the time. 00:25:21.279 --> 00:25:22.160 Phone going. 00:25:25.839 --> 00:25:35.839 Another thing about Jesus that I've sort of let slip in my thinking, he was fully God. 00:25:38.079 --> 00:25:43.440 So often, because we can relate to the humanity of Jesus, that's the bit we see. 00:25:44.640 --> 00:25:48.720 I've seen looking at this miracle a God. 00:25:49.359 --> 00:25:54.880 I mean, who else could do what happened on that mountainside? 00:25:55.279 --> 00:25:56.240 Amazing. 00:25:56.880 --> 00:26:03.680 You know, just the population of Worksworth Plus Plus, feeding them with stuff left over. 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:13.599 Third thing, Jesus didn't ask questions because he needed to know the answer. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:17.440 I think this is really important. 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:32.000 He asks questions to draw people towards truth or into truth, or even into asking questions themselves, like, who is this man? 00:26:32.960 --> 00:26:38.400 Jesus made a lot of statements, but he also asked lots of questions. 00:26:39.440 --> 00:26:42.720 Next one, Jesus was counter-cultural. 00:26:43.440 --> 00:26:52.799 So I think a lot of the people on the mountains were sick, disabled, people who were different, women, children. 00:26:52.960 --> 00:26:59.599 They were on the edges of society controlled by Jewish rulers and Roman occupiers. 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:07.759 He was radical in that he prioritized the least, the last, and the lost. 00:27:09.279 --> 00:27:14.799 My I think it might be my final aside is this one, this photograph of this man. 00:27:16.880 --> 00:27:19.119 I don't know if you two know who this is. 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:20.160 You might do. 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:23.039 This is a worship leader called Brian Dirksen. 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:25.359 He's Canadian. 00:27:25.839 --> 00:27:28.640 He wrote, some of you won't know these songs. 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:35.279 He wrote songs like Come Now Is the Time to Worship, Faithful One, Purify My Heart. 00:27:35.519 --> 00:27:37.680 He wrote a lot of worship songs. 00:27:37.839 --> 00:27:41.920 And he died less than a month ago at 61. 00:27:42.160 --> 00:27:50.079 And I was reading a bit about his life, and um one of the things that stood out was his humility. 00:27:50.960 --> 00:27:52.960 He had six children. 00:27:53.599 --> 00:27:59.920 I think probably the first child he had was a boy, and he was a worship leader at this point, much in demand. 00:28:01.839 --> 00:28:10.400 And his first boy was born with something called fragile X syndrome. 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:13.279 I didn't know what that was. 00:28:13.599 --> 00:28:20.240 He had six children, two were boys, and both of the boys had this fragile X syndrome. 00:28:20.559 --> 00:28:30.720 When he discovered about his firstborn with this illness, he just completely went to pieces and he said, How can I lead people in worship? 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:32.480 How can I be a worship leader? 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:37.920 Stand at the front when I am desperate for healing and it's not happening. 00:28:38.079 --> 00:28:39.680 How can I do this? 00:28:40.079 --> 00:28:43.759 And this is the quote I read that caught my eye. 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:47.920 This is all to do with Jesus being counter-cultural. 00:28:48.799 --> 00:28:56.559 The world lifts up the victorious and successful, but God lifts up the brokenhearted. 00:28:57.599 --> 00:29:02.319 And here's a man who knew that from his own experience. 00:29:03.680 --> 00:29:06.160 Another point coming into land. 00:29:07.440 --> 00:29:11.119 Jesus can do miracles without the involvement of anybody. 00:29:11.440 --> 00:29:16.559 He has done, but he involved his disciples. 00:29:17.359 --> 00:29:25.359 God is a relational God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he wants to be in relationship with us. 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:31.279 It's a bit of a, you know, that's that's a bit mind-blowing. 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:32.799 With us. 00:29:33.279 --> 00:29:34.400 He wants it. 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:40.799 He can do his stuff without us, but he chooses to partner with us. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:45.519 Last point, I think. 00:29:46.480 --> 00:29:49.359 Jesus is interested in what you have. 00:29:50.400 --> 00:29:52.240 He actually knows what you have. 00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:54.240 Um, I don't know if you know that. 00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:55.440 I I love it. 00:29:55.519 --> 00:30:05.039 It's from the Bible, and we used to say it when we were giving the collection, and we'd say, All things come from you, O Lord, and of your own have we given you. 00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:06.240 It's all God's anyway. 00:30:06.400 --> 00:30:07.680 Is that the donut story? 00:30:07.759 --> 00:30:08.400 Yeah. 00:30:08.799 --> 00:30:10.480 Ask Neil if you need to know. 00:30:11.119 --> 00:30:14.000 All we have comes from God. 00:30:14.960 --> 00:30:20.640 The breath, the ability to walk, relationships, everything. 00:30:21.119 --> 00:30:23.759 But he wants to know what you have. 00:30:24.480 --> 00:30:32.640 He wants us to offer him whatever we have, how small it is, maybe it's quite a big thing. 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:36.319 And he wants to do what he did on that mountain. 00:30:36.640 --> 00:30:42.799 He wants to take what you offer, the equivalent of the bread and the fish. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:45.680 He wants it to be offered. 00:30:46.319 --> 00:30:48.160 That's an important part. 00:30:49.519 --> 00:30:59.839 He takes what we offer, he blesses it, and then he breaks it, and then he uses it to bless others. 00:31:01.920 --> 00:31:09.119 So I've been talking about small things like giving out leaflets, like bread, like an alpha invite. 00:31:09.680 --> 00:31:14.319 And some of you know I'm Welsh, and the patron saint of Wales is St. 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:18.319 David, and he has a well-known, well it's well known to me. 00:31:18.799 --> 00:31:20.400 Do the little thing. 00:31:21.839 --> 00:31:23.119 Do the little thing. 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:27.119 We don't always have to do the big things, the grand things. 00:31:27.359 --> 00:31:37.920 We can give an invite, we can put our arm around somebody, we can knock on somebody's door, we can pick up their iron ink, we can run them to an appointment. 00:31:38.079 --> 00:31:40.799 There's loads of little things we can do. 00:31:41.680 --> 00:31:43.440 And that blesses people. 00:31:45.119 --> 00:31:51.599 So I'm going to finish by reading a bit you haven't got on that piece of paper and then referring back to the first slide. 00:31:51.920 --> 00:31:54.799 So I would recommend you read the rest of chapter six. 00:31:54.880 --> 00:31:58.880 There's a lot in there, including where Jesus designed the bread of life. 00:31:59.359 --> 00:32:09.359 But right at the end of this chapter, it's clear that his teaching has caused some problems. 00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:16.960 And it says, at this point, many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 00:32:17.359 --> 00:32:19.920 So his teaching isn't easy. 00:32:20.640 --> 00:32:29.359 Then Jesus turned to the twelve and said, Here's a question he asked, Are you also going to leave? 00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:38.160 Simon Peter replied, Lord, to whom would we go? 00:32:39.759 --> 00:32:42.079 You have the words that give eternal life. 00:32:42.240 --> 00:32:45.440 We believe and we know that you are the Holy One of God. 00:32:46.160 --> 00:32:52.079 If we come back to the first slide, this is John's stated purpose. 00:32:53.119 --> 00:32:58.480 There's a synchronicity, there's a shape, and it ends with this. 00:32:58.640 --> 00:33:02.640 And sorry, I want to end with this and that verse. 00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:07.200 Simon Peter declared who Jesus was. 00:33:07.839 --> 00:33:09.119 He got it. 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.480 In this, um, no, it's not in this. 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:15.359 Yes, it is. 00:33:15.599 --> 00:33:19.680 There's the word, these are written so that you continue. 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:22.000 Continue. 00:33:23.359 --> 00:33:25.200 Continue to believe. 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:30.640 It's easy to start, but we need to continue to believe. 00:33:31.119 --> 00:33:32.640 Continue to trust. 00:33:33.519 --> 00:33:34.240 Continue to go. 00:33:34.559 --> 00:33:41.519 Well, I wonder if that dot over there means that it might have something to do with this dot over here. 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:47.920 And actually, I can see back in my past, there's a dot there where God was present. 00:33:48.240 --> 00:33:49.519 Continue to believe. 00:33:49.599 --> 00:33:53.200 And we've been singing a song about Jesus' name, thank you. 00:33:53.759 --> 00:34:05.279 And it's the name's important, and Neil read verses as well the same because there is power in his name and life in his name. 00:34:05.680 --> 00:34:09.280 If you don't know this Jesus, don't dismiss him. 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.360 Don't dismiss him. 00:34:11.679 --> 00:34:17.519 Read John, because John is specifically written with these signposts. 00:34:18.639 --> 00:34:26.000 Often people say when somebody is seeking God or has just become a Christian, read John. 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:35.679 And it's because there's a lot of stuff in there where John has purposely said, look, look, look. 00:34:39.199 --> 00:34:43.519 So take the little thing that's in your pocket as well. 00:34:43.760 --> 00:34:51.599 Whatever's in your pocket, take it, give it to Jesus, he'll bless it, he'll break it. 00:34:52.079 --> 00:34:57.760 And then you might use it to meet the hunger of the five thousand people who live around us.