Jesus never asked a question to get information – He already knew everything. So when He asked Philip where to buy bread for 25,000 people, He wasn't looking for a grocery store recommendation. He was testing something much deeper.
John 6:5-6 "Therefore Jesus, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat?' This he was saying to test him, for he himself knew what he was intending to do."
Picture the scene: Jesus is emotionally and physically exhausted. John the Baptist – His friend, His cousin, the forerunner of the Messiah – has just been beheaded. Jesus wants to withdraw with His disciples to a quiet place to rest and regroup. They haven't even had time to eat.
But as Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee in a boat, He sees something remarkable. Twenty-five thousand people are sprinting along the shoreline like an army of ants, trying to beat Him to the other side. His heart is moved with compassion – not just sympathetic, but His bowels were moved. They were like sheep without a shepherd.
So Jesus asks Philip a seemingly logical question: "Where are we going to buy bread for all these people?" Philip was from that area, so he'd know the local resources. But verse 6 tells us the real reason: "This he was saying to test him."
What was Jesus testing? Philip's view of God.
Philip's response reveals everything: "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little." Philip was a calculator, cerebral and analytical. He did the math – about 200 days' wages wouldn't even give everyone a small bite. James Boice says Philip was so flattered at being asked this question that he began to show off his knowledge, and in showing off his knowledge, he actually revealed his ignorance.
Then Andrew chimes in: "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" He looked at the resources and shook his head in disbelief.
Here's what's remarkable: These disciples had already seen Jesus turn water into wine, heal the nobleman's son from a distance, and heal a man who'd been lame for 38 years. They were very familiar with His power and authority. But when confronted with this challenge, none of that came to their minds.
They had grossly underestimated their God. It's possible – as with the disciples – to be from all appearances deeply connected to God and yet maintain a deeply defective view of Him.
Remember David and Goliath? King Saul was the biggest, best-looking guy in Israel, head and shoulders above the rest. But he cowered in fear before Goliath because of his small view of God. Meanwhile, a 14-year-old shepherd boy stepped up and said, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty!"
Small view of God results in large amounts of fear, paralysis, and indecisiveness. But when you really know who God is, you can face giants with confidence.
The disciples looked at Jesus as their last resort rather than their first response. Their response to the challenge revealed their view of God. They ran to resources around them instead of running to the Messiah first.
How about you? Are you a Philip or an Andrew? When faced with impossible situations, do you calculate the costs and conclude it can't be done? Or do you remember that all the resources in the world belong to the King of Kings who has no limitations?
1. When facing overwhelming challenges, do you first calculate what's impossible or remember who God is?
2. How might your responses to difficulties reveal your actual view of God versus what you say you believe about Him?
3. What would change in your life if you truly believed that God owns "the cattle on a thousand hills" and has no limitations?
Stay dialed in.