Author: Jeff Englund

John 6: 14

” After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’”

John 6 begins with some general information. We are told it is Springtime. (The Passover is near) We are told that the scene is the “far shore of the Sea of Galilee.” John also mentions that Jesus has been healing people and as a result thousands of people have followed him to this remote area. Then John describes the feeding of the five thousand, how Jesus transforms a little tiny bit of food into a feast for everyone who was there.  Continue reading “Prophet”

John 6: 12-13

” When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”

Over five thousand people just ate their fill of five small barley loaves and two small fish. Maybe it was six thousand people all together with women and children or maybe it was ten thousand. It doesn’t really matter, does it? A little lunch for a little boy was just transformed into a meal that filled the bellies of thousands of people. Not only did they get more than just a “bite,” as Philip had postulated, but they ate “as much as they wanted” as it says in verse 11.

Now we find out that in addition to eating as much as they wanted, there was actually more food than anyone could possibly have eaten. Continue reading “Abundance”

John 6: 10-11 (Yes, again!)

” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).  Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

At last we come to the point in our story where we see the power of God! Jesus takes the loaves and fishes, and there is a blinding flash, and smoke billows up like a volcano and the ground shakes and everyone is knocked to the ground. When they sit back up the smoke is clearing, and as it clears they see a mountain of perfectly barbecued fish surrounded by baskets and baskets of French pastry. Jesus stands to the side of the mountain of fish, a slight glow emanating from his hands and head, and he yells out, “Come and get it!”  Continue reading “Miracle”

John 6: 10-11

” Jesus said, ‘Have the people sit down.’ There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.”

There is a kind of gracefulness in the way Jesus handles this situation. First, he gives the disciples something to do: “Have the people sit down.” This sounds simple as John tells the story, but imagine the logistics of trying to carry this instruction out. What would you do? Would you stand on a rock and yell at the people? Would you go out among them and say, “The Master says to sit down.”? Would you come up with another option? And how long would all of this take? Did the five thousand people arrive all at once? Had they been standing around for a while? Were they still a ways off when Jesus gave his instruction?  Continue reading “Feast”

John 6:7-9

” Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’”

John tells us more about Philip than any of the other Gospel writers, but even at that, he doesn’t tell us much. We know that he was called by Jesus and that Philip then went and got Nathanael who also became a disciple. We see Philip mentioned just a few more times in John’s Gospel. It isn’t until we read Acts of the Apostles that we see what became of him, and how effective he was preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ.  Continue reading “On the Spot!”

John 6: 5-6

” When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.”

On occasion, I have had the opportunity to help set up microphones for a sound system. At some point, when everything is switched on and the soundboard lights up, it is all ready to go. Except without someone saying something, there is nothing for the sound system to amplify. So we often defer to the old, “testing… testing … 1, 2, 3… testing” routine. It is called a “sound check” and it allows the person at the board to adjust volume, but more importantly it lets everyone know that the system is working.  Continue reading “Testing … Testing… 1,2,3”

John 6:4

” The Jewish Passover Festival was near.” 

Verse 3 follows Jesus and his disciples up the side of a mountain where they sit down. It is not hard to follow John’s train of thought as he remembers back to the day he is writing about. The sky is blue. Soft puffy clouds hang lazily above them. Perhaps there is a gentle breeze coming off of the Sea of Galilee below them. As the breeze passes, it stirs the grasses around them.

Ahhh… Then a long pause.

Then someone breaks the silence and says, “Huh. It is almost time for the Passover.”

Steeped in the traditions of their Jewish heritage, the disciples know Passover was always celebrated in the first month of the Hebrew calendar. (In our Gregorian calendar this falls in the springtime, March or April.) Sitting on the mountainside with nothing else to think of, the realization of what time of year it was comes to mind. Sort of like what you or I might say if we were sitting on the porch together… Continue reading “A Long Pause”

John 6: 3

” Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.”

I don’t know about you, but my world is rather busy. I think most people find themselves busy at some point. There is work to be done, shopping for food, cars to take care of, people to visit, things to see and do. Life is not boring in this wonderful age we live in, but it can be distracting.

In contrast, Jesus seems to me to be a master of staying focused on his Father’s will. Where we would be listening to the radio, checking our phones for messages, watching a bit of TV, or engaging in any of dozen’s of forms of social media, Jesus goes up on a mountainside and sits down. His disciples follow and do the same thing.

There they are. Sitting. Continue reading “Time Out”

John 6: 1-2

” Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.”

One thing about people that is fairly predictable is that we almost always look out for ourselves first. Oh, I know… there are the notable exceptions. Mother Teresa comes to mind. Many others exist as well, but all of them have something in common: they are exceptions to the rule. Continue reading “Funky Followers”

John 5: 45-47

” But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?”

Every great legal argument ends with a summation. Here Jesus is standing in the highest court in the land (as far as the Jews were concerned). He is persecuted by the Jewish leaders in front of his disciples and all the people. Jesus responds by defending himself and what he has been doing by testifying that he has a special relationship with God and is, in fact, equal with God. Aware that one testimony is not enough in court, he appeals to John the Baptist, the testimony of his miracles, and the testimony of God and the Scriptures.  Continue reading “Going on Offense (V) – Summation”