John Chapter 6 – Are We Like Philip?
John Chapter 6 carries with it so many teachings that many of the preachers and deacons would be in a better position to share them. Indeed, Pr Shee spoke about the Bread from Heaven just last Sabbath and we are indeed blessed.
As I read today’s chapter, I was drawn to the conversation that Jesus had with His disciples about what to do with the multitudes who have followed and listened to Jesus the whole day but are now hungry.
5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
~ John 6:5-7 ~
Why did Jesus ask Philip? One will never know but this was one of the few occasions in the Gospel books that Philip was mentioned.
Can you remember Philip in other occasions in the Bible? No… he was not that Philip who spoke to the Ethiopian eunuch. He was the Philip that introduced Nathanael to Jesus. And other occasions? I will leave it to you to find out.
But now faced with a great multitude, Jesus asked him “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
The Bible tells us that Jesus asked him to test him. And not because Jesus did not know what He would do.
If you were Philip, how would you have responded?
When I asked myself that question, I wondered too…
There was no possible answer or solution to the problem. They were away from the villages and there was no store nearby. And evidently, they also had little money. The question posed by Jesus was clearly a problem with no solution.
My response would have certainly been like Philip’s.
I would start thinking of money. Where can I possibly buy food? What could be good to feed the multitude? How to distribute the food? But finally would circle back to the first question… two hundred denarii is not enough to even make a dent in the problem.
In our lives, sometimes we are placed in a position where we can find no possible answer with the resources we have for our circumstances. When so, let us cast our minds back to this incident.
The answer given by Philip was factually right. But it was not the answer that Jesus wanted from him.
Has this not happened to us as well? When we are called to do church work or go out to preach His great commission. A lot of times, we focus on our current resources rather than the resources we have in Jesus Christ.
We look at the ‘200 denarii’ we have and say nothing can be done because it is insufficient. But we have forgotten this:
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
~ Phil 4:13 ~
Just as Philip failed to see the power of Jesus in this situation, many a times, we have also forgotten that Christ is there to strengthen and empower us when we are willing to look to Him.
How do we approach our service in Church? Is it by depending on our resources or by depending always on Jesus to strengthen us?
When we are called to serve, do we immediately respond like Philip? Yes, we can use our human knowledge, experience and ability in serving God.
But that can only go so far.
When we depend on Jesus all the time, great miracles can happen.
Andrew did just that. He told Jesus about the boy with five loaves and two fishes. And the rest is history and a living legacy.
So when I am next faced with the question “Where shall we buy bread, that they might eat?”, I must learn to turn my eyes on Jesus and let Him lead.
