Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2216
“Jesus took the loaves.” John 6:11.
Look, there are the people! Five thousand of them, as hungry as hunters, and they all need to have food given to them, for they cannot, any of them, travel to buy it! And here is the provision! Five thin wafers—and those of barley, more fit for horses than for men—and two little anchovies, by way of a relish! Five thousand people and five little biscuits to feed them! The disproportion is enormous—if each one should have only the tiniest crumb, there would not be enough! In like manner, there are millions of people in London and only a handful of whole-hearted Christians earnestly desiring to see the city converted to Christ. There are more than a thousand millions of men in this round world and oh, so few missionaries breaking the Bread of Life to them! Almost as few for the millions, as were these five barley cakes for those five thousand!
The problem is a very difficult one. The contrast between the supply and the demand would have struck us much more vividly if we had been there, in that crowd at Bethsaida, than it does sitting here, nearly 1,900 years later, and merely hearing about it. But the Lord Jesus was equal to the emergency! None of the people went away without sharing in His bounty—they were all filled. Our blessed Master, now that He has ascended into the heavens, has more rather than less power! He is not baffled because of our need, but can even now use paltry means to accomplish His own glorious purposes. Therefore let no man’s heart fail him. Do not despair of the evangelization of London, nor think it hopeless that the Gospel should be preached in all nations for a testimony unto them. Have faith in God, who is in Christ Jesus! Have faith in the compassion of the Great Mediator—He will not desert the people in their spiritual needs any more than He failed that hungry throng in their temporal need, long ago.
We will now look at these biscuits and sardines, which seem to be truly an insufficient stock-in-trade to begin with—a very small capital, indeed, on which to conduct the business of feeding 5,000 persons. I shall say of these loaves and fishes, first, that they had a previous history before being mentioned in our text. Secondly, when we get to our text, we shall find these little things in a very grand position—“Jesus took the loaves” and, therefore, thirdly, they will have an after-history which is well worthy of being noted. When things get into Christ’s hands, they are in the very focus of miracles!
I. We will begin by saying that THESE LOAVES AND FISHES HAD A PREVIOUS HISTORY. Andrew said to Jesus, “There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes.”
Notice, first, then, the Providence of God in bringing the lad there. We do not know his name. We are not told anything concerning his parentage. Was he a little peddler who thought that he could make some money by selling a few loaves and fishes and had he nearly sold out? Or was he a boy that the Apostles had employed to carry this slender provision for the use of Jesus and His friends? We do not know much about him, but he was the right boy in the right place that day! Be his name what it might, it did not matter—he had the barley loaves and fishes upon which the people were to be fed! Christ never is in need but He has somebody at hand to supply that need. Have faith in the Providence of God! What made the boy bring the loaves and fishes, I do not know. Boys often do unaccountable things, but bring the loaves and fishes he did. And God, who understands the ideas and motives of lads and takes account, even, of barley loaves and fishes, had appointed that boy to be there!
Again I say, believe in the Providence of God! Mr. Stanley tells us that when he came out of that long journey of his through the forest, I think after 160 days of walking in darkness, and found himself at last where he could see the sun, he
felt that there was a special Providence of God that had taken care of him. I am very glad that Mr. Stanley felt that it was the hand of God that had brought him out of the noisome shade, but I do not need to go to Africa to learn that we are beset behind and before by His goodness. Many of us have felt a special Providence of God in our own homes—we have met with His hands in connection with our own children. Yes, every day we are surrounded by tokens of His care. “Whoever is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving kindness of the Lord.” “I am sure God took care of me,” said one, “for as I was going along a certain street, I slipped on a piece of orange peel and had what might have been a serious fall—yet I was not hurt in the least.” To which his friend replied, “I am sure God has taken care of me, for I have walked along that street hundreds of times and have never slipped on a piece of orange peel, or on anything else.” Full often God draws near to us in common life—