We conclude our 3-week series on gratitude called Our Hymn of Grateful Praise exploring the essential nature of gratitude in our lives and in our faith.
The text this week is familiar. The story of the feeding of the five thousand is in all four Gospels, though some of the details are different—including the number of people who share in the meal together! And in three of the Gospels, it is linked to the story of Jesus walking on water—also with some differing details. Consider what it must have felt like to be in one of these settings. Consider what it must have felt like to have been in both of these settings! Sure, there’s the sense of awe at what happened… and there must have been a flood of emotions to follow. I imagine one of those feelings to have been gratitude.
John 6:5-23 (CEB)
5 Jesus looked up and saw the large crowd coming toward him. He asked Philip, “Where will we buy food to feed these people?” 6 Jesus said this to test him, for he already knew what he was going to do.
7 Philip replied, “More than a half year’s salary worth of food wouldn’t be enough for each person to have even a little bit.”
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said, 9 “A youth here has five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that for a crowd like this?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass there. They sat down, about five thousand of them. 11 Then Jesus took the bread. When he had given thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish, each getting as much as they wanted. 12 When they had plenty to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover pieces, so that nothing will be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves that had been left over by those who had eaten.
14 When the people saw that he had done a miraculous sign, they said, “This is truly the prophet who is coming into the world.” 15 Jesus understood that they were about to come and force him to be their king, so he took refuge again, alone on a mountain.
16 When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the lake. 17 They got into a boat and were crossing the lake to Capernaum. It was already getting dark and Jesus hadn’t come to them yet. 18 The water was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When the wind had driven them out for about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the water. He was approaching the boat and they were afraid. 20 He said to them, “I Am. Don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and just then the boat reached the land where they had been heading.
22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one boat had been there. They knew Jesus hadn’t gone with his disciples, but that the disciples had gone alone. 23 Some boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they had eaten the bread over which the Lord had given thanks.
Consider these questions:
- I’ve told a story before about a Communion service for a large crowd where the servers were running out of bread. People in attendance left to get whatever they could from their cars and discretely brought it to the table so all could be served. Have you had an experience in which you did not think there was enough, but plenty was available? If you have, where did you see God in the situation?
- As Jesus is walking on water, he tells the Disciples not to be afraid. This sentiment is given more than 200 times in the Gospels! In what part of your life would you like to be unafraid? In what part of your spiritual life would you like to be unafraid? In what part of your ministry of service would you like to be unafraid?
- In the opening paragraphs, I note that there must have been a flood of emotions after all this. What do you think was the emotional suffix? What did those who shared the meal feel after they had eaten their fill? What did those who saw Jesus walk on water feel after they reached the shore?
- The closing of verse 23 above names “the place where they had eaten the brad over which the Lord had given thanks.” Do you regularly give thanks? If so, for what? Would you like to give thanks more than you currently do? What would it take for you to do this?