WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?

WHAT ABOUT THE BOY?

TEXT John 6:1–15

VIDEO TEXT

CONNECT I love this story. First sermon I ever wrote was from this text, but it was not the first sermon I ever preached. When I was about 10, one night I was at my grandparent’s house with my family and wrote a sermon while I was there. I called it “Sermon I Wrote at Grandma’s House”! I don’t remember it; I don’t remember what prompted it. I just wrote it and gave it to my mom to read. Maybe that’s why I never preached it; it must have been so bad she hid it so I wouldn’t share it somewhere!

I have referred to this passage many times in the past, but I can’t remember ever actually preaching from this text. So I am excited to share this story with you today and see what God may have to say to us together.

TENSION John refers to the miracles in his gospel as ’signs’. They point to something: Jesus is the ’Son of God’. Jesus said that He came to show us what the Father is like, to reveal the Father. Jesus took the covers off of God and showed us His glory. (John 1:14)

SOLUTION So each sign reveals something about God. As we look at this miracle today, ask the question, “What does this reveal to me about God?”

INSTRUCTION Only two miracles are mentioned in all four Gospels: the Resurrection of Jesus and the Feeding of the 5,000. The renderings are similar, but each writer adds different details.

A critical part of any story are the characters. In this story there are four characters: Jesus, the crowd, the disciples, and a young boy. Let’s look at each of them…

Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, was going about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. He was teaching in the streets, the synagogues, the Temple, and the countryside. Great crowds followed him.

What about the crowd? There was not anything really special about them. Sometimes the crowd is called the ’hoi polloi’, the rabble , literally ’the great unwashed’! Jesus was moved with compassion for them! He was concerned with their spiritual needs, their emotional needs, and their physical needs. He was ’with’ them. He was called a ’winebibber’ and a ’friend of sinners’. He touched the ’untouchables’! He reached people outside the camp: the sick, the blind, the lame, the outcast, the beggar, the leper, the prostitute, the tax collector, everyone who was forbidden to come into the Temple, into the Presence of God. Instead, Jesus brought the Presence of God to them! He loved the unlovely!

The problem with a crowd is that they can leave just as fast as they came. Jesus said that they followed Him because they saw the miracles He did. Later, they would follow Him because He fed them physical food and they were satisfied. They wanted to take Him by force make Him King right then! Jesus moves away from them.

Later, Jesus preached you had to “eat My flesh and drink My blood”! In other words, be intimately acquainted with Me in My suffering. What happened? Many of them left.

Ray Stedman writes, “They were not ready to follow him as the Messiah; they wanted to use him; they wanted God to work for them according to their program and their schedule… Israel has been looking for a king ever since the days of David. When these people beside the Sea of Galilee were fed by Jesus they thought, ’Here is the one who can take care of all our needs. We don’t have to worry again about eating. Let’s get him and make him to be our king.’ But our Lord would not consent to being used like that.”

Are we like the crowd? Do we serve God for what we can get out of Him? Or do we realize that, as T. Austin Sparks puts it, “God is totally ’other’ than us!” We must serve Him and worship Him simply because He worthy of our worship, worthy of our service.

What about the disciples? The Lord was testing them in this story. Jesus told them , “The people are hungry; you give them something to eat.” Jesus knew what He was going to do; He was inviting the disciples to participate with Him in a supernatural event! The disciples only saw the earthly reality; Jesus wanted them to look into the Spirit realm and see that they too had miracle working power. Oral Roberts wrote a great book, If You Can See the Invisible, You Can Do the Impossible! The disciples made a commitment to Jesus.  When everyone else left, they stayed!

The last character is the young boy. Only John mentions him. We don’t know his name, where he came from, who his parents were, or why he was there that day. We only know he had five barley loaves and two small fish.

There are Lots of opinions about him. Some say he was a spectator who had come to see Jesus; some say he had been commissioned by Andrew to carry supplies for the disciples as they journeyed. Perhaps he was one of the children that hung around the large crowds that were traveling to Jerusalem for Passover, selling meager provisions in hopes of making a small profit for their families.

We do know he was poor. He had barley loaves, bread for the poor, made from cattle feed, not the wheat that was produced in this area. I think he was probably a beggar, or a peddler to the crowd. A ’bridge boy’ trying to sell you stuff as you cross from El Paso to Juarez and back again. He is one of the ’least of these’. Instead of loaves and fishes, he could have had tortillas and sardines!

When Alba and I were in Israel many years ago, we saw these boys all the time. They were selling everything you could imagine for ’one American dollar’. They were masters at public relations and would steal your heart in a moment.

Children were always around Jesus.

Matthew 18:2–5 (NKJV) Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.

Mark 10:13–16 (NKJV) Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Children said, “Don’t mess with my kids!”

Matthew 18:6 (NKJV) “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

I believe this young man was attracted to Jesus like all kids were. When Andrew brought him to Jesus, he gave up what he had without reservation. Tradition says it was his lunch. The Bible doesn’t say that, but it could have been. It could also been what he brought to sell. It really doesn’t matter; he gave it all to Jesus. I don’t know if he realized he was providing the raw materials for a multiplication miracle, but I want to believe that he saw in Jesus someone he could trust.

Do we trust God that way? Do we give up to God without hesitation? Until we do, we will not experience all the fullness that God has to offer. God is into multiplication. What we give to God, He multiplies. The boy gave and got more than he had. He ate until he was full!

When we surrender all, God takes it, blesses it, multiplies it, meets needs with it, and then gives it back to us with an exponential increase!

I believe that this young boy was never the same after this.

INSPIRATION I want to ask you to bear with me right now in a little bit of Bible ‘What if?’. This is not in any way authoritative, but I asked myself the question: “Who is this young man?”

In Mark, Acts, and 1 Peter, we are introduced to a young boy named John Mark. He was around during the Last Supper because it was in his mother’s home. Some believe he was the man carrying water that led the disciples to the upper room. He was also present at the arrest and betrayal of Jesus. He was almost arrested, but fled naked after soldiers grabbed him by the sheet he was wrapped in.

Could it be that John Mark Was this young boy from the “Feeding of the 5000“? We cannot be certain, but I think he could be. If so, he was often around the early Christians who met in his mother Mary’s house to pray and worship, especially when Peter was released from prison. He was close to Peter, who called him his son. He went on the write the Gospel of Mark, the first of the Gospels written, and was a missionary with both Paul and Barnabas. He became a leader in the church in North Africa, and according to Coptic tradition, was the founder of the Coptic Church and served as their first pope. Coptics believe Mark was tied to a horse and dragged to his death by a mob of pagans on Easter, 68 A.D., in Alexandria.

What difference does it make? None, really. The important thing is that Jesus reaches out and used the faith of a youth to feed a multitude and the youth was forever changed!

APPLICATION What is the application for us today? There are so many things we could emphasize. Let me pick one.

This sign reveals that Jesus wants to relate to you. You decide the level of the relationship.

1.  You can choose to be in the ’crowd’ and follow Jesus because of the signs. Jesus will meet your needs.
2.  You can choose to be a ’disciple’ and follow Jesus because ’only He has the words of life’. Jesus will give you life.
3.  You can choose to be the ’one’, like the young man who gave it all, and follow Jesus without reservation. Jesus will give you Himself!

INVITATION Where are you today? Are you willing to move to the next level?

One last thought…

John 6:12 (NLT) After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.”

I know Jesus is talking about food, but when I read this, my heart broke. I heard Jesus say, “Gather up the leftovers, the outcasts, the ’ones’ no one else wants, so that no ’one’ is lost! That is my calling, our calling, to restore the fallen, rebuild the broken, refresh the weary. We must not forget that!

HERE'S YOUR SIGN Water into Wine

EIGHT IS ENOUGH Session Two

HERE’S YOUR SIGN: Water into Wine

CONNECT Have you ever ran out of something? I have run out of gas many times, usually at key moments. Have you ever run out of food or drink at a party? The party shuts down pretty quick.

TENSION Can you imagine what it would be like to run out of food or drink at a wedding reception? That is the situation the family in our story today faces. It is symbolic of the times of lack we all experience.

SOLUTION We are going to see how Jesus came to the rescue for that family and how He stands ready to rescue us.

PRAYER

BACKGROUND John writes about eight miracles in detail. These were not all the miracles Jesus performed.

John 20:30-31 (NKJV) And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John calls them signs. A sign points to something and gives information and instruction. It reveals something. The signs Jesus did point to His glory and demonstrated to the world that He is the Son of God. They caused people to believe in Him and find the eternal life He came to offer.

TEXT John 2:11 (NKJV) This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

INSTRUCTION Jesus was ready for ministry: under authority, baptized in water, filled with the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit.

He had called His disciples. They did life together. That’s how discipleship happens, hanging out. Teaching and ministry happen naturally; like in a family.

Illustration: No devotions in our family… Daughter got saved in the car…

John 2:1–10 (NKJV) On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

This is as a week-long party! Mary was probably a friend of the family…

² Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.

Jesus did not isolate himself from the world.

Luke 7:34 (NIV) The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.”

Luke 15:1-2 (NIV) Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

They had run out of wine. A source of embarrassment to the family.

1.     There was a lack!

We all have times we lack something. It could be resources, faith, power, health, strength, love, life, light, friends. The list is endless. You fill in the blank.

The lack can come suddenly. It can be your fault or result of circumstances. The cause doesn’t matter. It is still a lack.

It is embarrassing to have a lack. When you can’t pay your bills or provide the things you want to give your family. When you don’t have the strength to do what you need to do to overcome the battle you’re in. When your faith reserves are low, and you don’t have any power. When you are weak with sickness and you can’t get well. When you feel you lack the skills and experience to succeed in your job.  When your love has disappeared for your spouse or your family and you can’t get it back.

Lack is an accursed thing. But I have good news for us this morning. There is Someone who sees our lack and hears our cry for help, and He is able to meet us at the point of our  need!

Psalms 34:10 (NKJV) The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

2.     Jesus was already in the house.

When you have a lack or a need or a problem, Jesus is already there! He is with you!

Isaiah 43:2 (NKJV) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.

Daniel 3:25 (NKJV) “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Now take out the word “wisdom” and read it again.

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks… let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Now read it again. This time put your lack in that blank space.

James 1:5 (NKJV) If any of you lacks _____, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

God is ready today to fill that empty place in your life. Just ask Him! Cry out to Him from that empty place.

Now if you don’t feel like you can go for yourself, someone can go for you.

3.     We are called to intercede.

Intercession is going to God on behalf of someone else who can’t or won’t go on his own. God invites us to participate in intercession with Him. Mary demonstrates that. She took the lack as her own and took responsibility to meet the need through interceding to her Son and Savior.

The Bible sometimes calls intercession “standing in the gap”.

Ezekiel 13:5 (NKJV) You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the LORD.

Ezekiel 22:30 (NKJV) So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.

A ‘gap’ is an area of lack. It is the distance between what is and what God wants it to be. We can ‘stand in the gap’ for people who have an area of lack.

The Father is interceding for us today.

Romans 8:27 (NKJV) Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

The Holy Spirit is interceding for us today.

Romans 8:26 (NKJV) Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered.

Jesus is interceding for us today. Even this morning Jesus is praying for you.

Romans 8:34 (NKJV) Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV) Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

⁴ Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”

Notice that Jesus tries to rebuff His mother’s attempts in intercession. God will sometimes do that to see if we will fight through and persevere. Jesus did that with the Syrophoenician woman.

Jesus told a couple of parables about this. 

Luke 11:5-8 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV) Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

It is called importunity: hanging on until the answer comes; just like a bulldog...

Luke 11:10 (AMPC) For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.

Isaiah 55:6 (NKJV) Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.

Mary doesn’t let that dissuade her. She acts in faith as if the answer was coming. She takes action based on her knowledge of Jesus!

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”

4.     Obey what Jesus says

This is the key to life. Just do what God says. It is also the key to answered prayer. We pray the will of God.

⁶ Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. ⁷ Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. ⁸ And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.

Jesus uses the unbelieving servants to accomplish the miracle and fill the lack. God can use anyone and anything to meet your need.

Illustration: Oral Roberts and the dog race track owner…

⁹ When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. ¹⁰ And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”

5.     The best is yet to come.

If you have lack in your life today, that lack will turn into abundance in the name of the Lord.

John 10:10 (NKJV) The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

APPLICATION

1.     Where is your lack?

2.     Where is Jesus in your lack?

3.     Have others pray for your lack.

4.     Obey Jesus.

5.     Expect abundance.

INVITATION