God Speaks
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand, Walks on Water and Proclaims That He Is the Bread of Life
Verse of the Day: “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. . . . For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.” [Quotes in the original.] (John 6:38 and 40 NIV 2011)
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Watch TBR Day 291
We Respond
John 6
Reflection: This chapter contains two of the best-known events in Jesus’s life: feeding the five thousand and walking on the water. * In the feeding miracle: Jesus assessed the need (vs 5-9); proceeded in an orderly manner (vs10); gave thanks to God (vs 11); provided more than enough, in fact much more than at the start (vs12-13); brought glory to God (v14); and removed Himself from the spotlight (vs15). In the walking on water incident: Jesus saw their need and went to them (vs16-19), spoke calm over the situation (vs20), and finished the objective (vs21). This chapter also reports that Jesus said, “I am the bread of life.” He is the one who enlivens our spirits and nourishes our souls. After Jesus told His followers that they should eat His flesh and drink His blood, many of them misunderstood and quit following Him. Jesus then asked the Twelve if they would also leave. Peter responded that Jesus was the only one who had the words of eternal life.
*The other Gospels also cover these two events: Matthew 14:13-33 (both), Mark 6:30-52 (both), Luke 9:10-17 (Luke did not record walking on the water; however, Luke 8:22-25 tells how Jesus calmed a storm and the disciples after He had been awakened from sleeping while in the boat with them.)
Prayer: Dear awesome, caring Father God, thank You that Jesus’s feeding of the five thousand shows that You care for both our physical and spiritual needs. Lord, whenever I am in an overwhelming situation, please help me to calmly assess the need, proceed in an orderly manner, listen for Your instructions, give thanks for what You are about to do, participate as You provide more than enough, bring glory to You, and remove myself from the spotlight. Jesus, whenever I see people in need, may I stop and ask for Your perspective, then go to them, speak Your calming presence over the situation, and work with them to finish the immediate objective. Like the crowd the next day, may I diligently look for You. Show me where I might have the wrong motivation. Then, may I and others turn to You to receive the right motives and actions. May we feed on You, the bread of life, and receive proper nourishment for our souls. Help me and many others to really understand and act on what Jesus meant when He said, “I am the bread of life.” May I never walk away from You. I desire to be like Peter and tell other people that Jesus is the only one who has the words of eternal life.
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, which one of these He wants you to work on or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will make a list of at least 10 ways (each) in which God has met my physical and spiritual needs and thank Him for these gifts of love.
- I will use the pattern above (from feeding the five thousand) to deal with personal difficulties.
- I will follow the pattern above (from walking on water) when dealing with others’ difficulties.
- I will ask the Father to choose _______ (a specific person) to give to Jesus so that they will turn to Him and never be turned away; for then they will receive the words of eternal life and be saved.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________.