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Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
We are in John Chapter 6, where crowds of people have come to hear Jesus Christ and a little boy has handed over five loaves and two fish. The people are hungry and Jesus cares.
Make the people sit down. There were around 5,000 men, plus women and children. We do not know what the exact number was, but what we do know is that Jesus made the people sit down and sometimes we too have to say that to people.
Jesus took the bread and the fish. He gave thanks and He distributed the bread and the fish. He just kept breaking off more and more bread and fish, until the people were fed and filled and satisfied.
It had been suggested that such a small amount of provisions would never be enough for these thousands of people.
Never assess difficulties in the light of our own limited resources. Little is much in the Hands of God, and it is only Jesus Who can truly satisfy. Why do not more men and women come to understand that?
In this passage Jesus tested Andrew and then strengthened and fed the massive crowd. This miracle is in all four Gospels and that has its own significance.
When the disciples gathered up the crumbs they filled twelve baskets. Were there gasps? Did the disciples look at one another? There appeared to be more left over than they had to start with.
Jesus wants no-one to leave unfed, unfilled or dissatisfied – ever – not when he is around. Jesus has no time for waste. Jesus does not waste food and Jesus does not waste time.
Everyone seemed to know it was a miracle. There was no explanation. John calls these incidents and events ‘signs’.
Jesus Christ had done something for which there was no obvious reason.
The people began to say, “Surely this is the prophet who is to come into the world.” This is the one. Here He is and during our lifetime!
People were saying all kinds of things. There was a lot of talk. No wonder!
Jesus could hear some saying that they wanted to make Him king, and do so by force. He slipped away and went up the hillside, where He could be on his own.
These people lived in an occupied country. They were under the rule of Rome. They were nationalists about to celebrate the Passover. If you have someone who can feed you supernaturally and miraculously and satisfy you without you having to put your hand in your pocket to pay, then why not make him king?
In this wave of emotion, they thought that if they could make Jesus King, He would set them free from Rome and provide them with food. This would be a mighty double-edged appeal.
This was an attractive possibility – to be set free – and to be provided with material goods. Jesus cleared out of the way – away from all this wrong political nationalistic thinking.
Jesus foresaw a problem with the crowd and Jesus refused to be moulded or shaped by people’s expectations. Jesus would not do whatever people wanted but He would meet their needs and serve them when the circumstances demanded it.
What a pattern and example for our own lives and ministries.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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