“There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?” John 6:9
Dear Ones:
God has many ways to teach us of Himself, who He is, and what He does. Through Solomon, He revealed His wisdom. Through Samson, God’s power and strength were demonstrated. Through Abraham we see the faithfulness of God, as revealed in the covenants. Through David, we discover something of the desire of God, in His love, to work in and through His chosen vessel, to bring blessing to an entire nation. This blessing would be primarily spiritual in nature, for David was a great worshipper of God. When the Lord Jesus came, and specifically began His ministry, it was as if God opened a door of tremendous magnitude concerning the revelation of Himself, that it eclipsed all others before Him. Whereas in the lives of so many throughout history, in whom God would reveal something of Himself, some attribute or capacity, God would in Christ, reveal the full spectrum of His Divinity in the flesh. The great limitation that God imposed upon Himself, in sending the Lord Jesus into the world, was that of Christ’s physical being, and his chosen station in life as a servant, one who came to minister. All of this changed at the resurrection. It was by the demonstration of His power at that moment, and the gradual unveiling of Christ in His glory, that man, by the Spirit, began to grasp to an ever-increasing extent, the greatness and magnitude of the goodness and mercy of God. In light of the revelation of the exalted, glorified Christ, in this present moment, we need to look closely at His will, His purpose, and means by which that purpose is to be realized in us. To reveal Himself to the heart, the call is one to truly trust Him fully, according to His word, for His glory. The question then can be asked, will God truly “…prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies?” (Ps. 23:5) To answer the question, let us look at an event, totally unanticipated by the disciples in Jesus’ day, concerning the feeding of at least five thousand men, where faith comes face to face with glory.
The first thing that we must grasp in this story, found in John’s gospel, chapter six, is that Jesus’ intent in feeding miraculously this multitude, was for the purpose of teaching the disciples a lesson concerning faith. His method begins by asking a question: “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (5:5) Immediately in the eyes of the disciples, a mountain of logic rose to oppose even the slightest notion that all of these men could be fed. The reason for this was that the disciples, specifically Philip, did not first look at Christ, and see Him for what He was, the One who possessed all power and authority, which the Father would give Him. Secondly, the disciples did not inquire of the Lord as to what His solution was, as they did not know His will. Jesus knew what He would do, but the disciples did not ask Him that. In obedience, the disciples had all of the men sit down in groups of fifty. The Lord would then receive five loaves and two fishes presented by a little boy, then give thanks to God the Father. He distributed those elements to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the multitude. All were filled, and nothing was lost. The God who had prepared a table in the wilderness for Israel, was the same that day. David knew the reality of this provision of God, of daily bread, of essential sustenance, by saying, “…He prepareth a table before me…”
When Jesus prayed, “Give us our daily bread,” He most certainly was speaking of more than just the needed daily portion of physical bread. Since man can only truly live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, most certainly Christ was also referring to living bread, the living Word, quickened by the Spirit.
Dear Father, May Thine impressions become convictions, according to Thy word today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad