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Have you ever been at a restaurant and they bring you food that you didn’t order… free now! Or how about if DoorDash delivers food to your house saying it’s yours – but you know it’s not. Thanks!

Well, imagine having food being delivered to your house, over and over, and over, and over again. Keith Stonehouse from Michigan had a string of food deliveries and he couldn’t understand why.[1] Eventually, he and his wife realized their 6-y/o son had their smart phone with some game apps, but apparently found a very different kind of game – a culinary conundrum that his parents did not appreciate. The boy Mason ordered jumbo shrimp, salads, shawarma and chicken pita sandwiches, chili cheese fries, pizza, ice cream sandwiches, and several other foods and beverages totaling over $1K. The father thought it was like something out of a SNL skit, but it became an opportunity to share food with friends and neighbors for the next few days.

Needless to say, hunger can create poor decisions. The difference between hungry and hangry is that hungry says, “I need food,” and hangry says, “I need food or I’m going to make a scene in the likes of the Incredible Hulk.”

The same is true of our life: the core of many of issues is not just that we have problems, but that we have problems we have avoided so long that they can’t help but rain thunder and lightning. Today’s message will seek to help us understand how faith in Jesus put our problems in perspective.

Easter message today is not directly about the resurrection bc

1. Jesus Chronicles series.
2. Most people who have doubts about the resurrection are not convinced by a single sermon. There is ample information and evidence for the resurrection if you want to digest and dialogue about that…[2] So, usually it takes a few interactions with Scripture, a handful of conversations with Christians, and several gatherings at a church before someone cross the line from unbeliever to Christian.
   *If that’s you… glad you’re here and we want you back!

EXAMINE   When Impossible Happens  (John 6)

¹ After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. ² And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

• Jesus teaching with engaging parables and powerful truth
• Jesus helping people who are hurting and long-time suffering
• Crowds from up to 200 miles away are circulating bc of the signs/miracles of Jesus

³ Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

• Jesus & mountains = milestones. Everyone needs mountain-moments (that’s why you should come to church, bc you never can predict when God will speak powerfully to you).
• Jesus is with the disciples whom he has named… they’re ordinary laborers like fishermen, mixed with opposing ideologies like
  • schedulers VS free planners
• • battling brothers VS only child
• • tax collectors VS zealots
  • But Jesus is taking these untrained individuals and transforming them into a group that will change the world with generous grace and courageous truth-telling.
• Apart from the resurrection, this is the only miracle of Jesus that is recorded in all Gospels (Matthew 14:13-20; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17). However, John’s Gospel is unique with additional context.

⁴ Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

• John records 2 of 3 Passovers (cf Jn 2:13; 6:4; 11:55), which hints at heightened anticipation of the crowds surrounding and wanting to make Jesus king; (but it was not his time).
• Nonetheless, Passover connects us with the pending crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Passover was memorialized with a sacrificial lamb for each household to remember God’s sparing those with the blood of the lamb, but death coming upon those w/o the sacrifice.

⁵ Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” ⁶ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

• Jesus was hoping a boat ride across the lake would have created solitude, but instead the vast crowds followed. Does Jesus escape or express anger?

*ILLUS: What do you think/do with SPAM calls or door sales? You get my point!

• Why does Jesus ask Philip a question that he already knows the answer?
  Why didn’t Jesus just relay the plan? Why does Jesus test any of us?
  • 1)  Jesus doesn’t test us to shame us but to strengthen us. Faith is like a muscle that needs stretched & weight placed on it to grow. Frequently, Jesus quizzes the disciples so they develop muscle memory to apply faith in God in every situation.
  • 2) Jesus tests us to subtract from us. If prayer is our last resort instead of first priority, it’s likely we’re relying on other resources. As a Christian, we are to treat our resources as coming from God, rather than belonging to/from us. (Jn 15:2)
    3 views of resources[3]:
     – What’s mine is mine. This is selfish & prideful, and God humbles the proud.  
     – What yours is mine. This is greedy & theft, and one day God will reverse
     – What’s mine is God’s. This is stewardship; until we reach heaven God will
       subtract from us to learn this lesson.
  • 3) Jesus tests us to speak to others. In God’s sovereign plan, God uses our struggles and suffering to connect to and comfort others (cf 2Cor 1:3; 4:7-18; Hosea).

    In this case, Jesus may be testing Philip for all 3 reasons….[4]

There are at least three reasons Jesus tests us:
1) Strengthen our faith (Ro 8:28-29)
2) Subtract our self-reliance (Jn 15:2)
3) Speak to others (2Cor 1:3; 4:7-18)
And sometimes it’s all three.

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⁷ Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

• 200 denarii (about 8+ months wages) wouldn’t buy enough bread for 5K men = close to 20+K of crowd.
• Philip was focused on problem rather than asking Jesus how problem could be solved.
  à Our prayers don’t have to be eloquent; sometimes they’re best posed as questions to God with a posture of waiting humbly, patiently, quietly, and expectantly.
  Ps 25:5 “Teach and lead me… for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait”
  Ps 37:7 “Be still and wait patiently before the LORD”
  Lam 3:25-26 “The LORD is good to those who wait for and seek Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.”
  Ps 38:15 “O LORD, I wait for you; My God who will answer.”
  1Pe 5:6-7 “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.”
• Further, Philip underestimated Jesus’ powers & compassion, and overlooked people’s needs… too many Christians & churches do the same. People’s issues and suffering are not problems to avoid but opportunities to invite God’s help and hope.

Our prayers don’t have to be eloquent. Sometimes our prayers are best posed as questions to God with a posture of waiting – humbly, patiently, quietly, and expectantly. See Psalm 25:5; 37:7; Lamentations 3:25-26; Psalm 38:15; 1 Peter 5:6-7.

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⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, ⁹ “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

• Every time Andrew is referenced in the Scriptures, he is bringing people to Jesus
  • Bro Peter (Jn 1:40-41)
• • Young boy (Jn 6:8)
  • Greeks (Jn 12:21-22)  
• The young boy’s mom probably packed him a lunch and he’s going to come home with more food than he brought.

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.

• The other Gospel’s report groupings of 50 & 100 for logistical distribution. Jesus’ instructions always creates order.

¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.

• Jesus took the little and transformed it into much. The fish and bread were multiplied.
• Miracles can happen… Being suspicious of miracles actually isn’t rational[5]
  • If you believe in God who created world… then surely can generate bread
  • If you disbelieve in God, but acknowledge order from chaos, then your suspicion of supernatural isn’t being honest and your bias against Jesus is showing.
• John’s Gospel calls miracles a “sign.” IOW, the miracles are not magic but they have a message. They point to the identity of Jesus.
  • Water to wine = Jesus is purification
• • Healing on Sabbath = Jesus is our rest
• • Healing of blind = Jesus is light of world
• • Raising dead = Jesus is life
• • Multiplying food = Jesus is bread of life
  • Resurrecting self = Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior for our sins and Lord of life

     Every sign reveals the identity of Jesus and God’s means to reverse the curse. Our hope
     isn’t in magic tricks or the physical blessings of this world, but in the God who satisfies
     our deepest longings of hope, belonging, and freedom.

Jesus’ miracles were not magic. They were signs that pointed to something greater. Every miracle has a message that reveals the identity of Jesus and God’s means to reverse the curse of sin.

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¹² And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

• Jesus’ miracles came through the disciples. They distributed the food, and they gathered the leftovers in Tupperware containers : ) 12 disciples with 12 containers as a reminder that God uses Christians to accomplish His work in the lives of others.

¹⁴ When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” ¹⁵ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

• Jesus was not content to be an earthly king over a temporary empire.
  His aim was to be king of kings over our heart for all eternity.

²⁶ Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. ²⁷ Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ²⁸ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹ Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” ³⁰ So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
<> We must believe in Jesus for who He is not for what He can give us.
            Jesus is not merely useful, He’s beautiful.
            “We will never know Jesus is all we need, until Jesus is all we have.” Corrie Ten Boom

APPLY/TAKEAWAY

Not too long ago there was a survey of the phrases they want to hear most from their family. The top three were[6]:
1. “I love you.” (unsurprising, but we need to understand it’s not based on performance)
2. “I forgive you (often missing bc it’s so difficult to give up our edge or in relationships)
3. “Supper is ready.” (really > Yes. It’s an invitation to relational joy )

             – – -> Easter Message = endless doordash with Jesus – bread of life / living water

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[1] https://abcnews.com/GMA/Food/grubhub-offers-1000-gift-cards-parents-after-sons/story?id=96815372

[2] https://growinggodlygenerations.com/2023/04/06/can-we-believe-the-resurrection-of-jesus/  

[3]  Thought inspired from Joby Martin sermon on John 6.

[4] For more thoughts on this topic, see my handout: https://growinggodlygenerations.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/pdf_god-and-suffering.pdf

[5] Thought and explanation inspired by Tim Keller sermon on John 6.

[6] Reference from Philip Yancey, Vanishing Grace, who references Mark Rutland sermon