WHAT’S THE PROBLEM?

Every miracle in the Bible is performed in order to solve a problem. Miracles are not for showing off, they are for solving problems.

God sets up problem situations for us to face. He often sets up problems that are much too hard for us to solve. This is God’s way of training us to rely on Him to solve our problems. When we see God step in and solve the problem, we learn to trust Him.

I am learning that when I am faced with a problem, the first thing I should do is to talk to God about it. Sometimes God will give me a solution right away, but more often I must wait for Him to show me the solution. I have finally learned to trust God while I am waiting for Him to solve the problem. When I first tried this ‘waiting for God’, I got very impatient. This led me to try to solve the problem by myself. We call this “going ahead of God”...in other words, not waiting for Him. This way did not work at all. My solutions were bad solutions.

God will step in and show us that many times only He alone can solve our problems - that He is our only solution.

THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE TIME OF DAY.

As we said, this miracle was the only one recorded in all 4 gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all mention that it was the end of the day. Jesus had been teaching the multitude of people there. They were all far from their homes and there was no food to give them. So the problem was:

Dinner time had come for thousands of hungry people and there was no food. Stomachs were empty, children were crying, tempers were on edge, it was getting dark, the disciples did not know what to do...in fact, they did not want to be bothered with the problem.

THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE PLACE.

Matthew refers to the location as a “deserted place” (Matthew 14:13). It was a good place for a meeting, but not for feeding 5,000 hungry people. No restaurants; no grocery stores; nothing for miles around.

THE PROBLEM WAS RELATED TO THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE.

Matthew 14:21 says there were 5,000 men, “besides women and children”. If we assume that we are talking about 15,000 people all-together...that is a serious feeding problem!

WHAT’S THE SOLUTION?

Now that we know what the problem is, the next step is to think about solutions. In this story, there are a number of different things that lead up to the solution.

THE SAVIOR’S COMPASSION.

Matthew says it this way: “When Jesus went out He saw a great multitude;
And He was moved with compassion for them.” - Matthew 14:14

This is not the only time in the Bible when Jesus’ compassion surfaces in the presence of a crowd. If you stand in the middle of a busy street, and look out on the masses of people moving by, you will feel the same thing. You will wonder how many of them know anything about Jesus; how many have any sense of true spiritual knowledge? And the answer is---not very many. This answer will break your heart. Jesus was moved with compassion for the hungry people on the mountain side.

PHILIP’S CALCULATIONS.

The next thing that occurred was that Philip began thinking mathematically. Philip said it would take more than 200 days of wages to buy enough food to feed such a crowd. Now there is nothing wrong with calculation, but all too often we start looking at numbers instead of looking to the Lord. We treat the situation like a business problem, or a mathematical problem, instead of a spiritual problem.

Because the disciples did not have anywhere near 200 day’s wages with them, their best calculations was not going to solve the problem. The problem with Philip’s formula was that he left Jesus out of it.

It is interesting that Jesus already knew what He was going to do when He asked Philip’s advice (verse 6). So why then did Jesus test Philip? I think Jesus was testing Philip to see if he was including God in every problem he encountered in life.

THE DISCIPLES’ HARD HEARTS.

In Mark’s Gospel we read that the rest of the disciples did not do any better on the test than Philip did. They basically said,

“This is not our problem. Let them find their own food.”

That attitude is a sign of a hard, cold heart. They were not sympathetic. They were not concerned. They had no compassion. They did not care.

Many Christians today have been blessed with material things, as well as the blessing of having the Gospel of salvation. Yet they feel little desire to provide those same blessings to others. We are stewards of what God has given us and we have a responsibility to share with others the same thing that God has shared with us.

THE INSTRUCTION.

Philip and the other disciples had the wrong idea about this problem. Jesus was ready to show them what needed to be done. In Mark’s account, Jesus the disciples this instruction: You give them something to eat. - Mark 6:37

The disciples then asked Jesus if He meant for them to go buy enough bread for everyone. They were still thinking like Philip and they were not looking at Jesus as the solution to the problem.

ANDREW’S CONTRIBUTION.

Andrew steps forward with a small boy from the crowd. The boy had five barley loaves and two small fish. Did Andrew have any idea that Jesus could do something extraordinary with this small amount of food? The Bible does not say.

Barley was the food that only very poor people ate, and the loaves were not nearly as large as what we think of. They were probably small, flat wafers, and the two fish were probably the size of sardines; barely enough to feed the small boy.

DETAILS OF THE PROPOSAL

The plan is starting to come together, not in Jesus’ mind but in the disciples’ minds - or perhaps in Andrew’s mind, at least. Remember, Jesus already knew what He was going to do. And with Andrew’s contribution the door of a possible solution cracked open a tiny bit.

THE CALM OF THE SAVIOR.

Jesus never panics, never is in a hurry, and never gets upset in any situation. Jesus always knows what He is going to do and when He is going to do it. He always knows the plan and He always remain calm. When we are faced with some situation that does not seem to have any solution and we feel our temperature rising and our finger moving toward the “Panic Button”, then we need to STOP and PRAY. Jesus is already at work on the plan and solution. Prayer brings His calming presence into our hearts.

THE BLESSING OVER THE LUNCH.

Jesus blessed the food. Then He calmly gave the disciples instructions to have the huge multitude sit down. Just as calmly, as if it happened every day, He began to distribute the five loaves, then the two fish, to the disciples who then distributed them to the crowd.

Right here is a very important spiritual “gold nugget”; a diamond; a jewel; for us all to remember...Jesus started with a prayer, blessing the food. When Jesus prayed, the miracle started.

Remember this: MIRACLES START WITH PRAYERS.

THE COMPLETENESS OF THE PLAN.

By the time they were finished eating, everyone was full.

The feeding program that day had several parts to it. Jesus combined all the parts together into a creative miracle in order to solve the problem. The young boy, the lunch, the disciples, the crowd, the overflow, the surplus-Jesus never misses a detail when He solves our problems.

1. THE YOUNG BOY.

It is amazing that the young boy made it into Jesus’ presence, so small and limited were his resources. He might have been easily overlooked by the disciples who were just calculating the cost in money. Who would have thought that just a boy with such a little bit to offer would be the key to this mighty miracle?

2. THE LUNCH.

There was a lot of food left over. Jesus was showing us that not only does He solve our problems, He does it with more abundance than we could ask for or even imagine...in fact the Bible says this in Ephesians 3:20. When Jesus prayed over the loaves and fishes, I doubt if the disciples were praying,

“And Lord, help us to know what to do with the food that is left over.” We hardly ever think that God is going to bless us way beyond our expectations. And yet that is often what He wants to do...and it is what He does.

3. THE DISCIPLES.

Jesus could have met the hunger needs of the huge crowd without involving the disciples. He could have done it in some way that did not involve them at all. But then, would they have learned anything about having faith? Probably not.

God chooses to use us regular people in the working of His plans - even in His miracles. Just as He could have fed everyone apart from using the disciples, so He could save everyone in this world without using us. But He makes us the ones to share the Gospel with the rest of the world. It is our responsibility to go and it is an awesome privilege as well. God could implant the Gospel in the hearts of people, using some miraculous method, but He chooses to us you and me to preach, teach and tell it to them. This is how we grow in faith.

4. THE CROWD.

In Mark’s account we read that Jesus had the crowd sit down in “groups of hundreds and fifties” (Mark 6:40). Sometimes people say that the work of God should not be organized. That statement overlooks the fact that God Himself is organized. The creation is organized; the human body is organized; marriage is organized; the Gospel is organized. The crowd had a role to play in this miracle by submitting to the organization that God imposed on this setting. Your life is the same. You are to submit to the organization that God puts you in.

5. THE SURPLUS.

The secret to this entire miracle was giving. The boy gave his lunch; Jesus gave it to the disciples; the disciples gave it to the crowd; and the crowd gave the leftovers to the surplus that was collected. Giving may be the secret to more problem-solving than we realize, since we always reap what we sow.

RESULTS OF THE MIRACLE.

There were three great results of the miracle that took place that day.

1. THE PEOPLE WERE SATISFIED.

The result of this miracle was the people were satisfied. They had more than enough. You will be satisfied when you accept what Jesus offers you.

2. THE PRINCIPLE WAS VERIFIED.

The principle stated in Ephesians 3:20, tells us that: God will do exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask for or even imagine.

In the miracle of feeding the multitude, Jesus supplied food above and beyond anything they could ask for or even imagine. In the same way, He will supply us all with spiritual blessings that are more abundant than we can ask for or even imagine.

3. THE SAVIOR WAS GLORIFIED.

John 6:14 shows us how the Savior was glorified when it says:

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.”

DECIDING FOR YOURSELF.

Now that you know this story, the next step is for you to apply these principles to your own life. It does you no good to just walk out of Church and forget all about this message. So here are three questions for you to ask yourself:

QUESTION: 1. WHAT DO YOU HAVE?

You may say, “I do not have enough to make any difference”. The small boy in the story only had bread and fish. But if you are a Christian, you have at least one spiritual gift. I know you do because the Bible promises that every believer has at least one gift from the Holy Spirit. This is your one “tiny fish”. Perhaps “your fish” is not money, but is the talent or an ability that God gave you. We all have something. It may seem like what you have is insignificant, but that is not the point. The point is to say, “Here is what I have Lord, use it.” And He will.

QUESTION: 2. HAVE YOU ASKED GOD TO BLESS IT?

Next, have you lifted up what you have to Jesus and asked Him to bless it? How much you have is not important. The important thing is to offer it to Jesus so He can bless it. With His blessing comes the miracle. Whenever I am asked to speak before a group, first I pray and tell the Lord I have nothing to say that will change anyone’s life unless He blesses it. Then I stand up and start speaking expectantly, believing He will bless and multiply the “barley and fish” I have brought Him.

When you ask God to bless your contribution, He will.

QUESTION: 3. ARE YOU WILLING FOR GOD TO USE IT?

Suppose the little boy had asked Jesus to give him his fish back? If you bring what you have to Jesus and give it to Him for Him to bless and multiply, you must then be willing for Him to use it. Perhaps Jesus gave the little boy a big basket of leftovers to take home to replace the loaves and fish the boy offered.

So the questions we ask ourselves are:

Are we ready to be part of a miracle?
What do we have?
Have we asked God to bless it?
Are we willing for God to use it?

If you have never trusted God with your time, or your talent, or your and treasure...all your resources...this is the time to start. As you begin to give, you will discover that the Lord moves in where you are not adequate, and He abundantly supplies what is needed.

When we give what you have to God, and we ask Him to bless it, that is when the miracle happens. We can be a part of it if we want to. Do you want to?

A FINAL THOUGHT:

The feeding of the multitude calls to mind several events in Jewish history. For instance, God told Moses to feed 600,000 soldiers for a month. Moses said he could not do that because he did not have sufficient food. (Numbers 1:22).The miraculous provision came in the form of birds (quail) to eat.

When Elisha asked his servant to feed the company of 100 prophets, the servant asked “How?” since he had only a few barley loaves (2 Kings 4:43). He gave them the loaves and there was bread left over.

God fed the Israelites for 40 years while they wandered in the Desert. It was a miraculous provision of manna.

God fed them and the Bible assures us that God never changes. He will provide for us. Our job is to have faith that He will; to trust Him; and to pray when we need His help.