“One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand,” John 6:8-10.

We take up our study where we left off last week. We noted how that this lad’s generosity is recorded in only the gospel of John, the gospel which emphasises the divinity, the Godhead of Christ. He is God and sees all that boys and girls do and say!

THE LAD’S ACTIONS CAUSED OTHERS TO RECOGNISE TO SOME DEGREE THE PERSON OF CHRIST

1. Please note that we need the Word of God if we are to recognise Christ! “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world,” John 6:14.

This was a reference to Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 18:15. “The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” We should so live and speak and honour the Lord Jesus as to bring to the minds of those around what it is they have been taught or heard from the Bible.

2. We should so live as to show our Saviour is indeed the One spoken of by the prophets and apostles. Surely it was because the lad saw something wonderful in the person of Christ that he surrendered his food!

The outworking of this lad’s kindness and submissiveness resulted in God’s Word being brought to the minds of the multitude.

3. Christians are commanded to witness of Christ. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved,” Romans 10:9. Believing and confessing go hand in hand! See John 4:39-42.

“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear,” 1 Peter 3:15.

4. Men do wrong when they try to take things into their own hands in an effort to advance God’s cause. “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone,” John 6:15.

Men who act so hinder rather than help the cause of God.