Bible Studies

GOD'S PICNIC

by Luella Campbell
01/14/14
Not For Sale
Author requests article critique

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GOD'S PICNIC

"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed Him because they saw the signs He had performed by healing the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with His disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

"When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do." John 6:1-6 (NIV).

John's Gospel is a masterfully written piece of literature. He skilfully wove his theme, Jesus is the Son of God, into his story, using carefully chosen miracles as evidence that Jesus was who He said He was, and the discourses He had with His opponents that ensued from His miracles to enlarge on and explain His claims.

On this occasion, Jesus and His disciples had crossed the lake to take time out from their busy lives, according to the other gospels. Jesus wanted to be alone with them to get some rest, but when the crowd arrived, instead of being annoyed with them, He graciously received them and spend days teaching them because He recognized their need, much to the annoyance of His disciples.

John did not comment on the extended time of teaching He had with them; only that they needed food and Jesus was as much aware of their physical need for bread as He was for their spiritual nourishment because they were like shepherd less sheep. He was quick to grasp hold of an opportunity to put His disciples to the test and to teach them to look beyond the natural to the supernatural where the Father was waiting for them to tap into His resources to meet needs.

Philip's response to Jesus' question, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' reveals his un-readiness to see what Jesus saw -- an opportunity to put God's glory on display by partnering with Him to meet their needs.

"Philip answered Him, 'It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!'" John 6:7 (NIV).

Philip's response would have been perfectly natural for a man who not walked with Jesus long enough to know that He always viewed crises as opportunities. He was caught off guard and responded from his awareness of the facts.

A vast crowd of people needed a large amount of money to feed them and (unspoken) a very large stock of bread which was unavailable in a remote place like this. Philip's response when he looked at the circumstances was, in a nutshell, 'Impossible!' This is a normal, natural human response when we, too, are faced with impossibilities. We look at the situation, shrivel up and throw up our hands in despair. 'Impossible!' says unbelief, and we weep with frustration.

Andrew chipped in and offered a tentative solution which sounded equally pathetic when he verbalized it. "Another of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?'" John 6:8, 9 (NIV). The emphasis on "small" was Andrew's attempt at making Jesus aware that He was setting them an impossible task. There was food available (if the boy was willing to part with it), but it was ludicrous to think they could feed the crowd with it!

That was enough for Jesus to interrupt their pathetic inadequacy with His plan which had been in place all the time. It was obvious to Him that they had not yet caught on to His modus operandi. When one view's things from God's perspective, it becomes easy and when one uses every situation to put God's glory on display, God will do His part.

When one reads John's gospel, it becomes clear that Jesus was never at a loss when faced with a crisis. He was in partnership with the Father and used people's needs to reveal the compassionate heart of the Father.

What a difference it would make if we saw our situations like that!