团契与门徒训练

The Bread/Rice of Life (John 6:1~15)

2015.11.22Nelson Jennings

Jesus is the bread of life and the source of all life. He feeds us far beyond what we need, calls us to find our life in him, and sends us to share that life with others.

Jesus seeks rest, but compassion meets the crowd (1-5)

Jesus withdrew across the Sea of Galilee after John the Baptist had been beheaded, a discouraging time when he wanted rest and solitude. Yet the crowds followed him, and he responded to them with compassion instead of turning them away. We who serve him can learn from this. Interruptions often come at the worst time and from people who seem insignificant to us, but Jesus shows us how to respond with discernment and compassion.

Following the crowd is not the same as knowing Jesus (14-15)

The crowd saw the signs and wanted more, and when they recognized him as the prophet they wanted to make him king by force. They were looking for a political liberator, not the one who gives life. We may be like them, and we should be patient with the crowd, since we would likely have wanted the same free and abundant food. But Jesus calls us to move deeper, to know his heart and who he truly is.

Jesus trains his disciples through small resources (5-9)

Jesus already knew what he would do when he asked Philip where bread could be bought, and he was testing him. Philip calculated that two hundred denarii would not be enough. Andrew brought a boy who had five barley loaves and two fish, but asked what good that was for so many people. Whatever we have, however small, can be offered to Jesus, who uses and multiplies it as he wishes. Through these ordinary men, Jesus was shaping the foundation of his new covenant people.

The extravagant grace of more than enough (10-13)

Jesus had the people sit down, gave thanks, and distributed the bread and fish, and everyone ate as much as they wanted. The text says all were full, and twelve baskets of fragments were left over. This was not merely enough to get by, nor only a moral lesson about sharing; Jesus truly created food for thousands in an extravagant way. That same extravagance appears in God giving us himself and living with us.

Jesus, the source of life, upholds all things

The one who fed the five thousand is the source of all life. Individually we depend on him for every breath, every possession, and every relationship, and he gives peace where worry troubles us. Colossians 1:17 says all things hold together in him, and Hebrews 1:3 says he upholds all things by the word of his power. Without his sustaining hand the world would be utter chaos. He is the source of life for us all.

Apply to Life

  • Let us find our life, purpose, and joy in Jesus every day and thank him for the gifts we receive from him.
  • Let us come to Jesus, the source of life, and submit our lives to him if we do not yet know him.
  • Let us share this life with others, since we have been fed and shown where the food is.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

← 返回영어 예배(English Service)