March 27, 2020
The Perfect Provision
John 6:1–21
Shannon McQueeney
Central Truth
There is such freedom in fully submitting to Him even our small insecurities and worries, because He is the God of the universe and He provides. The perfect provision that comes only from God is so much better than anything you or I could ever desire.
Key Verse | John 6:5-6
Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Phillip, "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.
John 6:1–21
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii 1 6:7 A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on Water
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, 2 6:19 Greek twenty-five or thirty stadia; a stadion was about 607 feet or 185 meters they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
Dive Deeper | John 6:1–21
Several years ago, I was preparing to participate in a discipleship trip. Part of the expectation in going was raising support. Two days before our first half was due, I found myself with not even a quarter of the funds needed. I shared with my small group the struggles I faced. They prayed with me and encouraged me to further trust the Lord's perfect timing, but I still had no idea how the money was going to come through.
In John 6, the disciples are in a similar situation. Jesus has gained popularity and people have begun to follow Him and His disciples as they travel from town to town. We see Jesus' response in John 6:5-6. Naturally, Philip is concerned that they will never have enough money to feed this magnitude of people. Andrew points out that there's a young boy who has a small basket of food, but that will also never be enough. It's almost as if they have forgotten whom they are talking to! And does the Lord show up in a big way! God's provision is so full that there are enough leftovers to fill up 12 baskets. Twelve baskets!
However, even after seeing God provide in such a big way, the disciples are still frightened when they later see Jesus walking on water (John 6:19-20). The disciples had seen Jesus do amazing things right in front of their eyes, yet they still worried.
We are not unlike the disciples. We, too, have seen the faithfulness of the Lord in our lives, and yet we still question if He will come through. At the conclusion of my small group meeting, I was approached by a new gal asking for more information on my proposed trip. I shared with her my fundraising website and didn't think about it again. A few days later, I received an email stating that I was 80 percent funded. There is such freedom in fully submitting to Him even our small insecurities and worries, because He is the God of the universe and He provides perfectly.
Discussion Questions
1. What are areas of your life that you are not fully surrendering?
2. If not from the Lord, where do you seek comfort?
3. What are ways that you have seen the Lord provide?