“JESUS
CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
The
Doctrines of Grace people aka
the Calvinists, would have Jesus miraculously produce only just
enough
food for the 5,000 … none over … and measured out in one
ounce lots … “Ooops! Too much! Give it
back!” … just like
Christ’s limited blood supply for only those that get saved … not
enough
for all the world without exception. Enough said? … let’s move
on!
Dear
Reader, there are numerous
commentaries by various authors on this miracle, with many lessons.
However, we
will look at John’s approach being the only account to mention Philip
… with Christ looking to prove (test) Philip, and Christ
knowing full
well the outcome, in that he would be performing a miracle (John 6:6).
Here we
have the approved man (Christ) seeking to approve of Philip.
We
remember that John, one of the
disciples being involved, was watching Christ, Philip and all the other
disciples.
Philip
would have been present at the
Cana wedding, and seen the water turned into wine. Jesus is
simply testing,
not tempting, the character and tone of Philip’s mind. Here they are in
the
desert with an impossible situation of a huge crowd, not enough
money,
getting late, starving people, they’re all tired, no supermarket nearby
and so
on.
It’s
almost as if Jesus was saying to
Philip “Look Philip, you saw me do the impossible at the wedding … how
about
this time?” The difference between tempting and testing,
is that
Satan does the former to see us fail, while Christ will encouragingly
test us
to increase our faith.
As
with all of the disciples, Philip was
still coming to grips as to the real nature and character of Jesus
Christ. Indeed,
although prophesied and talked about, Christ’s resurrection was a
complete
surprise to the disciples.
Dear
Reader, it’s like you and me, as we
have seen the Lord rescue us time and time again … but unsure as to
whether he
can do it the next time we are faced with a crisis … Amen? “Look Lord,
I know you’ve
rescued me hundreds of time … is it just possible you can do it one
more time?”
Lack
of belief causes lack of faith.
Philip was like the rest of us … still at the sight stage …
“Come and
see” (John 1:46), and “Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficieth us.”
(John
14:8)
The
disciples discussed buying 200
pennyworth of bread (Mark 6:37) … about $20,000 or less today. In
those
days, a labourer, with no basic guaranteed wage, would earn a penny
per day
(Matthew 20:2), which in today’s money would equal $100 or less … the
basic
guaranteed wage being $175. But even this impossible amount, has Philip
saying
that this would not even be enough (John 6:7).
Even
if
the disciples had that amount of money,
Christ asks Philip where they could buy this food at such a late hour
(John
6:5). They are in the desert, it’s getting dark, and everyone’s tired.
The
disciples just wanted to send the crowd away, go home, put their feet
up and
flick on the TV and take their mind off things.
However,
there is a lad, with barley
bread (John 6:13), the poorest sort of bread there was, being
the food
for animals, with two small fish.
Dear
Reader, this account of the miracle
is absolutely littered with applications for us all, and books could be
written. Suffice to say, one of the lessons here, runs along the lines
of the one
talent parable … no matter how small you are, with miniscule
resources, are
you willing to offer all to Christ. Indeed will you give like the
widow? (Mark
12:42).
The
end result of the lad’s small
contribution, with Jesus Christ on the case, far outweighed the $20,000
dilemma
of the disciples with no solution.
Dear
Reader, it’s all about what God
approves! Jesus Christ, an absolute failure in the world’s eyes, is
approved,
and always was in God’s eyes (Acts 2:22) … and folks, that’s all that
mattered.
Even
our best, our all, even with
millions of dollars, avails for nothing unless for the power of the
Almighty
God, the I am, the Lord Jesus Christ (John 8:58) is in operation … and
this is one
of the lessons of this miracle.
Dear
Reader are you, will you, be
approved of God …
because
that’s all that matters!
Harley
Hitchcock
This
website’s front page is:
www.
“MONEY MATHEMATICS IN THE BIBLE”
“JESUS CHRIST - A MAN APPROVED OF GOD (Acts 2:22)”
Miracle #21-
Matt
14:24-27,28-31,32-33;
Mark 6:47-50,51-52; John 6:16-19,20-21