John 6: 1 - 13 1 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.
3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him. 4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.) 5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?" 6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip replied, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!" 8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up. 9 "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" 10 "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted." 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves. NLT
Jesus picked a fight. Well, not so much a fight, but He defiantly asked a question that He knew would make Philip's head spin like a top.
Jesus: "Hey Philip!" Philip: "Yes, Jesus?" Jesus: "Feed these people." Philip: *look of confusion and outright panic.* "What? Where am I going to buy all this food?"
Jesus knew what He was doing?
There is no doubt that Jesus stressed Philip out. But Jesus saw an opportunity to teach Philip, and the other disciples, a lesson about faith.
James 1:3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. NLT
Times of stress are opportunities for our faith to mature and deepen our relationship with Christ. I'll address how in the next couple of posts. But for this moment, what are you going through? Is it causing you to get closer to Christ? Is it causing you to seek a better and deeper faith in Him? Is it causing you to trust Him more?
Is it easy? No, it is never easy. But is it worth it? It is always worth it.
Pray: Dear Jesus, I am going through some stuff right now. I know that You are with me, but through this time, will you strengthen my faith and help me to get closer to You? In Jesus' name I pray-AMEN
Photo by nikko macaspac on Unsplash
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