Jesus feeds 5000 people - John 6: 1-15 - 23 Feb 2024

Vocabulary

miracle / miraculous – amazing/unbelievable – above/separate from human or natural power.

loaf / loaves               piece / pieces                        gather – bring together/collect

prophet - a person who speaks for God or by God’s guidance/direction/leadership

withdraw/withdrew

Do you have something in mind? = Do you have a plan or an idea? I have something in mind.

to speak up – to shout out a thought or an idea             distribute – share, give/hand out

to do something by force – to use strength/power to make someone do something they don’t want to do.

Story

1 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 signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

⁵ 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, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ 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?”

¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 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.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, 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.

Summary

· Jesus goes to a certain place and a crowd come of at least/minimum five thousand people.

· The people need food.

· 5 loaves and 2 fish are available

· Jesus asks for the people to sit;

· Jesus takes the bread, breaks it and gives thanks to God.

· The food is distributed/shared/given out.

· Everyone eats until they are full / satisfied.

· There are 12 baskets of leftover food.




1. Bread: How can bread point to / make us think of Jesus?

2. Signs=miracles. Do we want signs and Jesus?

3. Reactions: What is our reaction to problems?

4. Jesus wants to work with people.

Prayer 

· For an experience of Jesus that satisfies like bread.

· For miracles in our lives and our relationship with Jesus (to talk to him, be with him, learn about him, thank him – as a friend).

· To ask Jesus for help when we have a problem.

· For opportunities for Jesus to work with us.