Fourth Sunday in Lent March 6, 2016
Fourth Sunday in Lent (Laetere)
John 6:1-15
March 6, 2016
“What Are We Going to Do, Philip?”
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
“Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.” That’s from our Gospel reading today. Jesus knew what He was going to do, but tested Philip, “What are we going to do, Philip?”
This was a legitimate crisis in the making. Jesus had sailed quite a ways across the Sea of Galilee to try and get away from the crowds. But people had walked for miles along the shore to find Him again. So they were long from home. And Jesus had then spent the better part of the day healing them and teaching them. So it’s getting late. People are far from home. And there’s hardly any food. That’s a crisis.
Only that’s not the worst of it. If it were 50 people, that might be managed. But it’s 5,000 people. But wait, that’s 5,000 men PLUS women and children. So probably around 10,000 people. Where do you get food for 10,000 people at the end of the day? A crisis is brewing. People are hungry. They have to travel back home. Some of the older, less healthy ones might have real trouble even making it home. So Jesus turns to Philip and says, “What are we going to do, Philip?”
“What are we going to do, Philip?” “Well, um, Jesus, first of all—why are you asking me? I don’t know what to do. I mean, two hundred denarii [today that’s anywhere from like $20,000 to $50,000 since one denarius is one day’s pay] wouldn’t be enough to feed all these people.”
So what’s Philip to say? Jesus is testing him. “Well, uh, Jesus, we can call McDonalds and tell ‘em we’re coming. Well, Jesus, we could have Monical’s start delivering pizzas.” What Philip may very well have been thinking is, “Jesus, just send everybody away. We can’t help them all. Nothing we can do here, right?” The point is—Philip has no idea what we’re going to do. He’s lost. Jesus says, “What are we going to do, Philip?” and Philip answers, “No idea.” But remember that verse I started with, ‘Jesus Himself knew what He would do.”
You’ve had to deal with some crises before, right? What do you do when you’ve got a real crisis on your hands? We’re not talking about like when you run out of milk and IGA is a few blocks or a few miles away. That’s not a crisis. We’re not talking about when the cable goes out. That’s not a crisis.
What do you do, though, in a real crisis where you lose everything? Like a tornado? Or a fire? When all your stuff is gone? What do you say when Jesus asks you, “What are we going to do?” Or what about a health crisis. Like cancer? Like heart attack or stroke? What do you answer when Jesus tests you, “What are we going to do?”
What about a crisis like adultery or divorce? When you and/or your spouse have ruined marriage? What do you say when Jesus asks you, “What are we going to do now?” What about when you’re in a crisis of addiction? When it seems you can’t stop gambling or can’t stop drinking or can’t stop looking at pornography or it seems to can’t stop gossiping? What do you say when Jesus asks you, “What are we going to do?”
These are real crises of life. “What are we going to do, Philip?” Are we going to fret and worry and act as if everything is hopeless? Are we going to get angry at God and whine that we didn’t deserve it? Are we going to fake it and act like our sins are really no big deal and we can handle it just fine on our own, “Don’t worry, God, I can handle this just fine on my own, thank you very much….”? Are we going to make false promises to God and say, “Next time I’ll do better, Jesus, I promise.”
OR will we remember these words, “Jesus Himself knew what He would do”? Will we turn to Jesus and say, “I don’t know what we’re going to do, Jesus, but You do and I believe in You and I trust You”? Repent, every one of us. Repent. Jesus has many times asked us what we’re going to do and we have fretted, worried, sinned even more, gotten angry, cursed, whined and complained. All of it. We have not trusted. Not believed. But Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the bread of life. “Where are we going to buy bread for all these people, Philip?” Well, Jesus, You are the bread. That’s your answer. Jesus.
God handles crises. This isn’t a problem for Him. For us, yes, it’s a big crisis. But God doesn’t know crises. He just takes care of everything. If you’ve been watching any of the presidential election stuff you know that all of the candidates keep talking about how we’re in a crisis. That gets the rest of us all worked up. “Oh no, our nation is in a state of crisis.” But God doesn’t know crisis. None of this is a problem for Him.
Think about the Israelites in the Old Testament reading today. “Oh no, a crisis!” They’re out in the middle of the desert and they start worrying about food. Their bellies start to grumble a little bit and they’re ready to throw God to the wind. Think how silly that is. They just watched God part an entire Red Sea where they walked through on dry ground. Can that same God provide some food for them? It’s not a problem. They whine and complain and make ultimatums, but God just rains down some meat and bread from heaven.
This is not a big deal for God. None of your crises are a big deal for God. He very much cares about them and very much cares about you. But He isn’t worrying and fretting as we are. This feeding of the 5,000 today? Not a big deal for God. “What are we going to do, Philip?” And Philip starts getting sarcastic about how even tons of money wouldn’t solve this problem. But all Jesus is looking for is for Philip to say, “You do something, Jesus.” Jesus can easily take care of this problem.
So there’s a little boy there who has five loaves and two fish. Perfect. Jesus will work with that. It’s so simple, right? There’s not a fireworks display with bread and fish falling from the sky. No, just Jesus saying, “Here, give me that bread and fish.” He give thanks and says, “Start handing it out.” What do you think the disciples thought when Jesus starts handing out these five loaves and two fish? What they’re thinking is, “This is going to be awkward. He’s going to run out after like twenty people.”
Remember that the five loaves and two fish didn’t all of a sudden become 5,000 loaves and 5,000 fish. No, it was always just five loaves and two fish. But they start handing it out and it just never ever runs out. It’s very much like the Elijah and the widow when her jar of flour never ran out and her jug of oil never ran out. It didn’t all of a sudden multiply. It just never ran out. Just like these fish and loaves of bread. They kept handing them out and kept having more until they get to the very end and there’s twelve baskets full of leftovers. That’s really when everybody gapes in awe and says, “Whoa! What happened?”
Jesus is perfectly capable of handling every crisis. In fact, God does these kind of miracles all the time. We just don’t give them any notice. You put one kernel of corn in the ground and it produces a hundred kernels. That’s a miracle. You put two people together in marriage and they produce a child. That’s a miracle. God does this stuff all the time. But here with 10,000 people and five loaves of bread—we take notice.
Now Jesus goes on to explain to the crowds after this that HE is the Bread of Life. They’re all clamoring for more bread and want more miracles. But they miss the point. Don’t miss the point. The point isn’t a bunch of bread. It is Jesus. He is the Bread of all Life. He is the answer to every crisis. He Himself knows what He’s going to do. He says that the bread that He gives for the life of the world is His flesh. He gave it on the cross and He gives it to us in the Lord’s Supper.
Think about what we pray all the time in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” What does this mean? God certainly gives daily bread to everyone without our prayers, even to all evil people. The point is—God will provide. He always will. Don’t worry. Don’t fret. It’s no big deal for God. But what we pray in this petition is that God would lead us to realize this and to receive our bread with thanksgiving. So, in other words, that we would see the real Bread of Life—who is Jesus Himself. That we would trust that He will always provide for every single need we have.
When you hear Jesus asking you, “What are we going to do, Jon?” You know He’s strengthening your faith. To trust Him and believe that He Himself knows what He will do. To know that He is the Bread of Life who will provide for all your needs. Don’t worry and fret. Don’t say, “Oh, I’m doomed. I’ve only got so much money. I’ve only got so much time. I’ve only got so many friends.” God will multiply what you’ve got. He fed 10,000 people with five loaves. He can do a lot with a little. Believe in Jesus the Bread of Life.
And one more thing should be said about the abundance that is left over. Twelve baskets full of leftovers. Remember that the point isn’t bread. The point is Jesus. And so the point is that there is plenty of Him to go around. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper here in a minute, Jesus Himself comes to every single one of you in and under bread and wine. How is it that He is here with you and me and at the same time Christians in other churches all around the world? Because there is plenty of Jesus to go around. There is always plenty of bread. Plenty of grace. On the cross He has won ample forgiveness for all your sin. No matter how great it is. So come to the Lord’s Table with your question, “What are we going to do?” and Jesus will answer with His body and blood given and shed for you.
Jesus is always your answer is any crisis. “What are we going to do?” Peter later answers in John chapter 6, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Jesus has the words. Jesus has the answer. He is the answer. We’re going to trust and believe Him and watch His grace and forgiveness multiply in our own lives.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.