Jesus, The Satisfying One
John 6:1-13
We are looking for the Biblical Jesus.
We just recently heard Jesus first sermon in the book of John.
Jesus talked about His unique relationship with the Father.
He is the Father’s Son
He is the Father’s Standard
He is the Father’s Savior
He is the Father’s Sermon
The point to that sermon was that if you miss Jesus,
You have missed everything. What a lesson for us in life.
What a lesson for you who are graduating
And about to take on the world.
If you miss Jesus, you have missed everything.
Money without Jesus…
Education without Jesus…
Popularity without Jesus…
Power without Jesus…
Religion without Jesus…
It is all empty. If you miss Jesus, you miss the point completely.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.”
Jesus spent His entire first sermon reminding us
That He is the One whom the Father wants you to see.
But, as we noted, they still didn’t see Him.
John 5:39-40 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
Despite Jesus teaching,
Despite the witness of the Father, John the Baptist and Scripture,
These Jews still refused to listen to Jesus.
Now, on the heals of sheer mental exhaustion from butting heads with them, Jesus retreats just to get away.
Verse 1, “After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).”
It is here that our story takes place.
Jesus is about to perform His most famous miracle.
He is about to feed the 5,000. I call it the most famous
Because it is the only one that found it’s way into all four gospel accounts.
That in itself shows us that we should pay attention.
And as we study this miracle, there are four truths about Jesus that I want you to see this morning.
#1 THERE IS NO PROBLEM TOO PETTY THAT JESUS WILL NOT TOUCH IT.
John 6:1-5
All John shows us is that Jesus wants to get away.
Matthew 14:13-16 “Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities. When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”
Matthew shows us that this miracle also occurred
Just after Jesus heard of the death of John the Baptist.
If ever there was a time for Jesus just to pull away, this was it.
But as Matthew, Mark, and Luke all show us,
Jesus was overtaken by compassion.
Matthew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”
Mark 6:34 “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”
Luke 9:11 “But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; and welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.”
Even though Jesus was tired,
Even though He was possibly a little discouraged,
Jesus still found time to preach the good news and heal the sick.
While we are no doubt impressed with His focus,
We do understand why He did it.
But you see John leaves all that out.
All John shows us is Jesus concern for their hunger,
This is where we cross the line.
John shows us that as Jesus saw the crowd, He asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”
The gospel and the sick, those are the two main things.
Surely He had done enough.
Food was not that big of a deal. Surely they made provisions.
AFTER ALL, WHEN JESUS WAS TEMPTED BY SATAN DIDN’T HE ALREADY REVEAL THAT THIS WAS A MINOR ISSUE?
Matthew 4:2-4 “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”
This problem was too petty to deal with.
There was no reason for Jesus to worry about such insignificant things as their hunger.
WE SAY THAT BECAUSE IT WASN’T OUR PROBLEM.
No problem is too small when it is our problem.
How many times have we prayed because of a head-ache?
How many times have we prayed because some one looked at us crossways and caused a bad day?
The point is Jesus deals with petty problems.
It may not seem big to everyone else, but it is big to you,
And Jesus cares about you.
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Many of Jesus miracles seemed necessary, but not all did.
He didn’t have to turn the water into wine.
He didn’t have to give Peter a large catch of fish.
BUT
That couple was about to be embarrassed, and He cares about that.
Peter was awfully discouraged, and He cares about that.
Jesus cares about you, even if your difficulty seems petty.
BILLY GRAHAM “and please let me find my hat.”
WE’VE ALL PRAYED ABOUT PETTY THINGS LIKE THAT HAVEN’T WE?
But the good news is Jesus cares.
Even when He is tired…
Even when He is grieving…
He still cares enough to meet the needs that seem a little too petty.
WHAT ARE YOU FACING?
It may be huge, like an illness,
Or it may be petty, like a little discouragement.
The Bibles says that Jesus is compassionate and that He cares,
And there is no better proof than the fact that He was willing to feed this multitude of people even when He shouldn’t have felt like it.
BUT ALSO, AS A CHRISTIAN, AM I MINISTERING LIKE JESUS DID?
Am I so in tune with others that even when I am having a bad day,
I am still willing to put others first.
God spanked me this week.
Thursday was a hectic day.
Sometimes we have to remember to minister like Jesus did.
Philippians 2:3-4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.”
Of course that verse goes on to say, “Let your attitude be like Jesus who: although existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God a thing to be grasped…”
Jesus is our chief example, but He is also the One you can run to today.
There is no problem too petty that Jesus will not touch it.
#2 There Is No Dilemma Too Difficult That Jesus Cannot Fix It
John 6:6-7
Now we see this is a test
And unfortunately, as we often do, Philip took the bait.
“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”
6 months wages wouldn’t buy enough bread to even give everyone a taste.
The point was Philip saw a problem too big to be solved.
Such ways of thinking are not foreign to us.
“It’s impossible”
“It can’t be done”
“I don’t see any way it can work out now”
“The test is positive – the deadline is past – the results are in”
We know an impossible situation when we see one.
Try these on for size.
John 5:7 “The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”
BUT JESUS RESPONED
John 5:8 “Jesus said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.”
Mark 5:35 “While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
Mark 5:36 “But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.”
Luke 8:23-24a “But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. They came to Jesus and woke Him up, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
Luke 8:24b “And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it became calm.”
John 4:11-12 “She said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? “You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 3:4 “Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
John 3:14-15 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”
Mark 9:21-22 “And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. “It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
Mark 9:23 “And Jesus said to him, ” ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”
AND THEN OUR PERSONAL FAVORITE
John 11:39 “Jesus said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”
BUT JESUS RESPONDED
John 11:40 “Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
SO WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM?
You have laid crippled for 38 years…NO
You have a hand that is withered…NO
You were born blind…NO
You are dead…NO
There is no dilemma too difficult that Jesus cannot fix it.
There was never anything He couldn’t handle.
That’s why we read this verse again.
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
Cast your cares upon Him.
Take your problems to Him.
I’m not going to promise you He will give you the answer you want.
Remember the woman at the well just wanted water,
Jesus wanted to deal with the sin in her life.
That’s because sometimes we don’t see our biggest problem.
We see our biggest problem as a lack of money
Jesus sees our unwillingness to trust Him with our finances.
We see our biggest problem as a lack of joy
Jesus sees our unwillingness to walk in obedience, which brings joy
We see our biggest problem as guilt
Jesus see our unwillingness to repent
We have to let Jesus fix the real problem,
But rest assured, He can fix any problem.
#3 There Is No Sacrifice Too Small That Jesus Cannot Use It
John 6:8-10
That’s like sending a tube of super glue to the Titanic.
That is exactly what Andrew thought.
While Philip saw a problem too big,
Andrew saw a solution too small.
But they have forgotten a very important fact.
There is no sacrifice too small for Jesus.
I WONDER IF YOU REMEMBER THE TWO TIMES JESUS USED MEDICINE TO HEAL PEOPLE?
Jesus used medicine to give sight to a blind man,
He used medicine to cause a mute man to speak.
John 9:6 “When He had said this, He spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and applied the clay to his eyes,”
Mark 7:33-35 “Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly.”
DID YOU CATCH THE MEDICINE JESUS NEEDED?
Spit.
WHAT IF A DOCTOR DID THAT TODAY?
You wouldn’t do a thing with that. No doctor can heal you with spit.
BUT IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH FOR JESUS
Jesus just was just delighted that there was a lot of grass so the people would have a place to sit.
The point is, there is no sacrifice too small
That Jesus can’t use it.
He honored the widow for her mites.
Mark 12:41-44 “And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”
He honored Mary for her perfume.
Matthew 26:12-13 “For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. “Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
He honored the disciples for following Him
Matthew 19:27-28 “Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
None of them gave very much, but each of them gave all they had.
It’s not the size of the gift that Jesus honor’s
It’s the size of the sacrifice.
What this boy had was meaningless. He had enough for himself.
And if you read commentaries they will tell you that Barley bread was just about awful to eat, and the fish were probably pickled fish, about like a sardine, just to help get the bread down.
What this boy had wasn’t much, but he gave all he had.
HE ENDED UP WITH A FEAST.
We learn two things here.
1) God blesses those who sacrifice
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2) God can use your sacrifice to bless others
The question is will you give what you have?
Acts 3:1-9 “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer. And a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb was being carried along, whom they used to set down every day at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, in order to beg alms of those who were entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!” And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, “I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene — walk!” And seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and his ankles were strengthened. With a leap he stood upright and began to walk; and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God;”
You may not think you are worth much,
But not sacrifice is too small that Jesus cannot use it.
That’s what makes giving such a blessing.
2 Corinthians 9:10-15 “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
There is no problem too petty that Jesus will not touch it
There is no dilemma too difficult that Jesus cannot fix it.
There is no sacrifice too small that Jesus cannot use it.
#4 There Is No Belly Too Big That Jesus Cannot Fill It
John 6:11-13
Now Philip was earlier concerned about them getting a taste, but John says they ate “as much as they wanted”
And in verse 12 he says, “When they were filled”
Psalms 81:10 “I, the LORD, am your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt; Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”
Where we often see a salad bar, Jesus sees a buffet.
There is no hole too deep…
There is no hurt too raw…
There is no pain too real…
Jesus doesn’t even use the word “too” in His vocabulary.
For if He did, then certainly the sin of the world
Would have been too high a debt.
But there is nothing out of reach when we are talking about Jesus.
JESUS IS THE SATISFYING ONE.
And not just empty stomachs.
It was Jesus who satisfied our sin debt.
Romans 3:23-24 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
Colossians 2:13-14 “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
It was Jesus who satisfied the wrath of God.
Romans 5:9-10 “Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”
Isaiah 53:10 “But the LORD was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.”
It is Jesus who can satisfy your soul
Romans 5:1-5 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Jesus is the One who satisfied God,
And He is the one who can satisfy you.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU CAME INTO THIS PLACE WITH THIS MORNING.
You may be a graduate and you came in here with the world in front of you. I’m here to tell you only Jesus will satisfy the hungers you have.
Maybe you came in here with a deep hurt that seemed too big. I’m here to tell you Jesus has the power to fix it.
Maybe you came with a little problem but it seemed to petty. I’m here to tell you that Jesus cares and He will listen.
Maybe you came in here with a hunger in your soul for something more. I’m here to tell you that Jesus is the answer.
He is the One that can forgive your sin, save your soul,
Change your life, and secure your eternity.
Of all the things that you could taste, only Jesus satisfies.
1 Peter 5:6-7 “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
