Bread. We all enjoy eating some with our meals. There are members in my family who can consume unprecedented amounts of it. Restaurants bring bread to the table knowing it will keep patrons satisfied.
Jesus knew bread was a necessity.
One day He sat down with His disciples, taking notice of the crowd which had followed them all. They had been with Him much of the day as He spent time healing and teaching. Jesus turns to Philip and asks:
“Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (John 6:5, NLT)
The irony of this question hit as I read for “it was nearly time for the Jewish Passover” (verse 4). I love that John drops this tidbit in his narrative. It’s as if to say … Remember the Passover? The time when the Israelites fled Egypt and their first concern was bread and water? It’s the feast of unleavened bread so don’t miss the humor in the question.
Jesus, concerned about bread. Or is He?
Philip takes the bait and does the logical thing – he looks to answer the question. Did he grab a stick and begin to do some math calculations in the dirt? Or was the size of the crowd suffice enough to make him realize exactly what was not able to be done? Philip answers with the impossibility of it all …
“Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” (verse 7)
And Jesus has them all right where He can step in, do the impossible, and give them the most powerful object lesson of all.
The people knew it was the time of the Passover. They would remember God’s provision to His people – manna – a bread like substance which came miraculously each morning. God had fed the people in the wilderness faithfully for forty years. And now Jesus was showing them, God’s provision for them eternally.
Jesus is sufficient to meet our needs. He is enough. He not only gives physical bread, but is the Bread of Life, eternal life.
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.” (John 6:35, NLT)
In feeding the crowd, Jesus shows them …
He does not merely give bread to eat,
He, Himself,
is the Bread of Life.
This is Day 26 of 31 Questions Jesus Asked. You can find the entire series here.
Today I am joining … Playdates With God and Sharing His Beauty and Inspire Me Monday and #WordsWithWinter and #SmallWonder .
Amen! I so agree with the Truth of God’s Word in your post…Jesus is sufficient to meet our needs…the Cross was enough. Many blessings to you!
Thank you for your encouragement, Beth. He is enough. May we always come to Him.
Ah yes… I remember bread! 😉 I love that you pointed out that it says it was the time of Passover and they would have all been reminiscing of the manna and miracles of days of old! LOVE that!
Thanks, Karrilee. There is something to be said about remembering what He has already done. It sure helps us to believe & hope for what is yet to come! Blessings!
Isn’t it just delicious that there is so much more to Scripture than meets the eye? Layers and layers of truth could keep us reading and re-reading our whole lives, and we’d never exhaust the depth and the breadth of it all!
It is amazing what we brings to our attention each time we read. This month has taught me so much as I dug deeper into these questions, which were familiar. Now I am feeling like I never really knew them at all 🙂
Our calculations can never predict God’s faithfulness – good news, for sure.
It’s so true, Kelly. He is simply astounding in all His ways, in all that He does!