Soar Like Eagles (Part 20)
God’s Specialty: Impossibilities! - John 6:1-21

Since John's Gospel is selective, he does not record events in the
life of Jesus that do not help him fulfill his purpose. Between the
healing of the paralytic (John 5) and the feeding of the 5,000, many
events have taken place, many of which are mentioned in Luke, chapters
6-9, and Mark, chapters 3-6.
During this period, Jesus preached the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matthew
5-7) and gave the parables of the kingdom (Matt. 13). The feeding of the
5,000 was a miracle of such magnitude that it is recorded in all four
gospels! Only the story of the crucifixion and the resurrection are
recorded by all the gospels!
A great multitude had been following Jesus for several days, listening
to His teaching and beholding His miracles. Jesus had tried to "get
away" to rest, but the needs of the crowds pressed Him (Mark 6:31-34).

* GOD’S SPECIALTY: IMPOSSIBILITIES (6:1-21).
"Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of
Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), {2} and a great crowd of people
followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on
the sick. {3} Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his
disciples. {4} The Jewish Passover Feast was near."
Everyone can list a few things in their life which might fit into the
category of "impossible." Jesus had already shown His disciples some
pretty "impossible" things; and great crowds of people were beginning to
also take notice.
Thousands of people have gathered in the area around the Sea of
Galilee to celebrate the Passover, and after preaching to them all day,
Jesus and the disciples desperately need rest and relaxation.
They had been watching the signs which Jesus had been doing for a long
time (2:23), though John does not give them to us in his gospel (Mark
1:29f; 2:1; 3:1; 6:5). The people were eager to hear him again (Luke
9:11) and to get the benefit of his healing power of them that were sick.
Mark (6:46) and Matthew (14:23) tell us that after the miracle Jesus
went further up into the mountain (vs. 3) to pray. There were at least
four things which led Jesus to seek retirement:
1. the news of the death of John the Baptist (Matt. 14)
2. the sudden, and probably evil, interest of Herod
3. the return of the 12 from intense evangelistic labors (Matt. 9-10)
4. the great multitude pressing upon Him continually (Mark 6:33)

This was likely the Lord's passover (2:13; 5:1; 6:4 and 13:1), but due
to the hostility (7:1) He did not attend this one.
Great opportunities are often disguised as unsolvable problems. Let's
watch as a humanly unsolvable problem becomes a great opportunity when
seen from a divine viewpoint:

- From a Human Perspective.
With their limited, human understanding, these weary fishermen can see
only a swelling sea of humanity threatening to wash over them. In verse
10 we're told that this great multitude numbered 5,000 men. Including
women and children, this figure could easily have been 8,000-10,000.

- From a Divine Perspective.
>From Jesus' point of view, the crowds weren't an infringement but an
opportunity--a chance to reveal His glory and, at the same time, stretch
his disciple's faith.

He begins with a test for Philip:
"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?" {6} He
asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going
to do. {7} Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough
bread for each one to have a bite!"
Mark 6:35-36 tells us that initially the disciples suggested that
Jesus send the people away...to get rid of the problem. But Jesus knew
that the hungry people would faint on the way if somebody did not feed
them. It was evening (Matt. 14:15), and that was no time for travel.
The second solution came from Philip in response to our Lord's test
question. Jesus' intent is not to humiliate or demean Philip; rather, He
wants to stretch Philip's muscle of faith, to help him grow and make him
stronger. A denarius was approximately a day's wages for the common
laborer. Philip is quick to come to the bottom line in terms of dollars
and cents, which they don't have.
Of course, Philip's balance sheet doesn't show the infinite wealth and
power of God, who owns the earth and all it contains (Psalm 24:1) and who
can do (Ephesians 3:20) "...immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
according to his power that is at work within us."
So how does Philip do on his exam?
- he sees only the situation, not the solution
- he's more concerned about the odds against them than about those for
them
- he calculates for only a bare minimum..."for everyone to receive a
little"
While Philip busily burns out the batteries in his pocket calculator,
Andrew scurries among the crowd looking for groceries:
" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,
{9} "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but
how far will they go among so many?"
Andrew, who has volunteered for this test, scores somewhat better
than Philip. A careful optimist, Andrew at least seeks a solution, even
though it is a human one. Putting his nose in a kid's picnic basket, he
finds five flat barley loaves and a couple of pickled sardines. But
notice: once again Andrew is busy bringing somebody to Jesus. We don't
know how Andrew met this lad, but we are glad he did! Though Andrew did
not have a prominent place in the gospels, he was apparently a "people
person" who helped solve problems.
Admittedly, it isn't much, but Andrew's approach is better than
Philip's. However, he also becomes overwhelmed by the circumstances.

We see the response of Jesus to the impossible.
"Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in
that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. {11} Jesus
then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were
seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. {12} When
they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the
pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." {13} So they gathered
them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves
left over by those who had eaten."
Calmly and methodically, Jesus sits the people down, dividing them
into manageable groups of hundreds and fifties (Mark 6:40). And taking
the scant supply of groceries, He looks to God in prayer and multiplies
the food for the masses...and they had 12 baskets full left over!
The practical lesson is clear: whenever there is a need, give all that
you have to Jesus and let Him do the rest. Begin with what you have, but
be sure you give it all to Him.
Remember, the crowd was made up of five thousand men who were strong
enough to go to war--and hungry enough to eat a large amount of food!
How did the people (the crowd) respond?
"After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began
to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." {15}
Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force,
withdrew again to a mountain by himself."
When the people saw the "sign" (6:14), they realized that the hand of
God was upon Jesus in a special way. They concluded that He was "the
Prophet who is to come into the world" (6:14). This expectation of a
coming prophet was based on a teaching from the Law where Moses had made
this statement: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like
me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him"
(Deuteronomy 18:15).
A few verses later, Moses quoted the Lord: "I will raise up a prophet
from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his
mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him" (Deuteronomy
18:18). With these words echoing in their ears, with patriotic dreams
burning in their hearts, and with the remnants of their meal clinging to
their beards, the five thousand would-be revolutionaries "were intending
to come and take Him by force, to make Him king" (6:15).
Such an intention was not to be taken lightly. If they had made Jesus
their king, the powers of Rome would have seen their actions as a
declaration of war. In order for one king to be enthroned, another must
be dethroned. Nevertheless, that was their intention!
Before going farther in the text, let us imagine what the five
thousand were thinking that day. Once they declared Jesus to be their
king, what could they expect to happen? Having just eaten their fill of
Jesus' miracle food, they probably expected Jesus to find a sword
somewhere and multiply it to equip this ragtag army of farmers and
shopkeepers. Then, with their swords glistening in the sun, they would
march against Tiberias across the Sea of Galilee.
In short order, they would overwhelm the city and then proceed to
march on to their ultimate target, Jerusalem. Since it was Passover
season, they would find the Roman garrison stationed there. The battle
would be fierce, but in the end the Romans would be vanquished.
Jesus and His army of common men would cleanse the temple of all its
pollution and abuses, and the Sadducees would be toppled from their
positions of power. When word of the capture of Jerusalem reached Rome,
the powerful legions of Rome would be brought against Jesus and His army.

In a spectacular and decisive conflict, the Jews would smash the
Romans to become the new world empire. This is probably what the average
member of Jesus' five-thousand-man would-be army thought would happen!
However, Jesus had something else in mind.

THEIR MISTAKE AND OURS
With expectations running high and excitement at a frenzied level,
Jesus did a most unexpected thing. He "withdrew again to the mountain by
Himself alone" (6:15). He was probably the only one on the entire
mountain that day who understood what He was doing. To the Twelve and
the other five thousand followers, it must have seemed as if Jesus had
walked away from the very goal He had worked so hard to accomplish.
The best comparison I call think of would involve a person who has
devoted four years of his life to becoming the leader of his country. He
has campaigned long hours and traveled fifty-two weeks each year to
promote his candidacy for office. Then, finally, all the hard work rays
off: In the primary elections, he has won the needed delegates to secure
his party's nomination. However, when the convention is held and the
nominating vote is taken, something unthinkable happens. While thousands
are screaming their support and waving signs with the candidate's name on
them, the man suddenly rises from his chair and walks out off the
concentration center.
Such an act would be unthinkable—but probably no more unthinkable than
what Jesus did when the five thousand were ready to make Him their king.
Jesus again demonstrated His unparalleled ability to stay focused on
His ultimate goal. He knew that the crowd's flattering intentions would
not accomplish the ultimate purpose of God; a revolt by the sea would
not save the world from sin. Furthermore, He knew that in their present
frame of mind there would be no reasoning with them. Therefore, He simply
walked away!
Two sights I see in the "mirror" of this text bother me. My first
concern is our human tendency to try to force Jesus into our mold. We
want to place our expectations on Jesus, rather than letting Him show us
who He is. Do we not sometimes make the assumption that Jesus is like us?

Americans tend to think of Him as an American, while Italians think of
Him as an Italian. English-speaking people assume that Jesus spoke
English, while Spanish-speaking people seem certain that Jesus favored
the Spanish language. Rich people see Him as rich, and poor people see
Him as poor. Those who are educated picture Jesus as educated, and the
uneducated are confident that He shared their distrust of schooling.
Emotional people view Jesus as emotional, while calmer people claim that
Jesus shared their relaxed demeanor.
The scene of Jesus walking away from the five thousand reminds us of
how wrong we can be when we place our own expectations on Jesus. He
insisted on doing His Father's will, even if the whole world
misunderstood.
The other warning this short passage gives us is that we, too, can
become so caught up in short-term problems that we ignore long-term
solutions.
The Jews of Jesus' day chafed under the domination of the Romans.
Longing for the time when someone would bring political freedom to
Israel, they overlooked "the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world!" (1:29).
Do we ever do that? Do we ever become so concerned with immediate
problems that we lose sight of life's biggest issues? Do we ever find
ourselves wanting deliverance from taxes, pain, conflict, stress, or work
more than we long for deliverance from sin? When we insist on making
Jesus fit our expectations and follow our agenda, we are doing what the
five thousand did that day on the mountain ... and Jesus walked away from
them!
The people had seen the miracle, and the gears in their minds begin to
turn in selfish and manipulative circles. John alone tells us that the
people wanted to make Jesus king by force. Jesus is indeed King of the
Jews, but when He does reign, it will be on His terms, not on man's or
Satan's (see Matthew 4:8-10 and John 6:15).
The Passover was a reminder of the deliverance from the bondage of
Egypt. And a deliverance from the bondage of Rome was definitely on their
minds here!
Certainly, His miracles and the feeding here of so many would only
enhance His popularity...though it was only temporary.
How did the disciples respond?
"When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, {17} where
they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it
was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. {18} A strong wind was
blowing and the waters grew rough. {19} When they had rowed three or
three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on
the water; and they were terrified. {20} But he said to them, "It is I;
don't be afraid." {21} Then they were willing to take him into the boat,
and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."
We must not think that the disciples were forgetful or discourteous
in leaving Jesus behind, for Mark tells us (6:45) that Jesus sent them
ahead, while he persuaded the crowds to go home. Jesus compelled the
disciples to get into the boat because He knew they were in danger
(Matthew 14:22). The crowd was now aroused and there was a movement to
make Him king.
Of course, some of the disciples would have rejoiced at the
opportunity to become famous and powerful! Judas would have become
treasurer and perhaps Peter prime minister. But this was not in the plan
of God.
Did Jesus know the storm was coming? It's quite likely! And He sent
them into this storm because of the need for balance in their
lives...they likely had experienced great joy in being part of a
thrilling miracle which brought great public acclaim.
Now they had to face the storm and learn to trust the Lord more. The
feeding of the 5,000 was the lesson, and the storm was the examination
after the lesson.
We're given some added insight into this event in Mark 6:51-52: "Then
he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were
completely amazed, {52} for they had not understood about the loaves;
their hearts were hardened."
The feeding of the multitude was used to sift his disciples (vs. 6).
Jesus had to let them know of His real nature and the nature of His
kingdom. John gives less space to the walking on water than Matthew or
Luke. The story centered in Jesus' relation to the disciples rather in
their peril or in the miracle itself.

These verses might be divided into three aspects:
1. Jesus apart from the disciples.
While Jesus was praying in the mountain alone the disciples waited for
Him on or near the shore. The "not yet" in verse 17 implies that the
disciples were expecting Him to join them.
The lake of Galilee was shallow, and subject to sudden violent storms
which were the terror of the fishermen who ventured upon it. The
disciples, expert sailors, knew the signs and were waiting to cross to
Capernaum before the storm broke.
They apparently had difficulty rowing, for they had traveled only 3-4
miles from shore, in a period of some 8-9 hours. It was some 6 miles
across. Mark and Matthew tell us it was about the fourth watch of the
night (3 a.m.) when Jesus appeared.
But, though He was apart from them, Mark also tells us that Jesus was
watching them. Up on the hill Jesus had not forgotten them! He was not
too busy with God to think of them. John suddenly realized that all the
time they had pulled at the oars Jesus's loving look was on them.
And when we are "up against it," Jesus is also watching us. He does
not make things easy for us...He lets us fight our own battles. Like a
parent watching his son/daughter put on a splendid effort in some
athletic contest, He is proud of us; or, like a parent watching his
son/daughter let the side down, He is sad. Life is lived with the loving
eye of Jesus upon us!

2. Jesus appearing to the disciples.
John also saw that Jesus comes. Down from the hillside Jesus came to
enable the disciples to make the last pull that would reach safety. When
our strength is failing, He comes with strength for the last effort that
leads to victory!
It must have been startling to see Jesus! No immediate reaction on
the part of the disciples is recorded by John. They saw Him as He got
closer and became afraid. John does not tell that the disciples thought
Jesus as a ghost (Matt. 14:26; Mark 6:49). It also does not share the
account of Peter walking on the water (Matt. 14:28-31).
And, notice too, that Jesus helps. He watches; He comes, and He helps!
The miracle revealed His power over nature. There were several
miracles here:
- Jesus walked on the water
- Peter did, too!
- Jesus stilled the storm
- And verse 21 tells of another miracle: the boat immediately made the
2-3 mile journey to shore

3. Jesus received by the disciples.
Both Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat! The crowd found the boat
and the disciples gone, so they crossed the sea hoping for another meal.
They found Jesus only to hear Him accuse them of carnal motives in their
search.
They still did not understand how Jesus had crossed over, but they
acted on the basis of the plain fact. They had a double motive apart from
the curiosity explained in verse 22...they had clearly not given up the
impulse of the evening before to make Jesus king by force (vs. 15) and
they had hopes of still another bountiful feast at the hands of Jesus as
He said (vs. 26).

What is our response? Will it be pessimistic, like Philip? Will it be
with guarded optimism, like Andrew? Will it be like the other disciples,
who seem to have slept through the whole lesson, or like the eager young
boy, excited to give what little he has and watch with wide eyes how the
Lord will use it to overcome the impossible!?

Conclusion
About two years ago, I saw a 4-D stereogram (a "four-dimensional
stereogram" is a picture which must be viewed on more than one level. At
first glance, it usually appears to be a jumble of colors. If one stares
"through" the pattern in just the right way, a second image--a
three-dimensional picture--comes into focus) for the first time. I was at
a shopping mall with my family, and we came upon a crowd of people
standing around a group of posters which were sitting on easels.
The posters contained colorful patterns which held within them
spectacular pictures. We all stood around and stared. Some found the
beautiful images hidden in the patterns, but others never could "see"
them.
John 6:1-15 is like a stereogram At the bottom of the picture is the
single word "Victory!" All of us stand around and look intently to see
the hidden image. What do we expect to see? Some probably expect to see a
dollar sign, while others expect to see their nation's Capitol building.
A few are certain they will see a mansion, and others anticipate catching
a glimpse of an army with tanks and bombers. Then, someone begins to see
the image that is hidden and whispers softly, "Oh, I see it."
One by one, everyone starts to see the picture, and it is not what
anyone expected. Instead, "Victory!" is a cross.
———————————————

Do You Live in the Basement?
In Holman Hunt's famous painting, "The Light of the World," the latch
is on the inside of the door. One critic, when first viewing the
painting, called the artist's attention to the missing latch. The artist
said that the door represented man, who, when Christ knocked, must open
himself.
When a small boy had seen the painting, he asked his father, "Daddy,
why don't they let Jesus in?" "I don't know," the father answered. A
moment later the boy said, "Daddy, I know why they don't let Jesus in.
They live in the basement, and they can't hear him knock."
-Joseph A. Smith

Last modified: April 18, 2006