TREASURY OF SERMONS
Are You Eating the Bread of Death or the Bread of
Life?
By Rev (Dr) Jeffrey Khoo
Text: Mark 6:35-44, Matt 14:15-21, Luke
9:12-17, John 6:3-14 cf John 6:22-71
Introduction
The feeding of the 5,000 is perhaps Jesus’ best
known miracle. Many of us who have been brought in the church
probably have heard this story since we were children. We love to
tell this story to the children because it involves a young boy who
offered his five loaves and two fishes to Jesus, and how as children
we must offer our 5 little fingers on each hand and 5 little toes on
each foot, 2 eyes and 2 ears, 2 hands and 2 feet to the Lord Jesus
for His use.
This evening, I want to focus our attention not
on the little boy, but on Jesus and the special bread which He is
offering to you and to me. I have found that this story of Jesus’
miraculous feeding of the 5000 is often explained outside of its
proper context. The story really does not end in Mark 6:44, Matt
14:21, Luke 9:17, and John 6:14; it continues in John 6:22-71. And
John 6:22-71 is often a neglected passage when we tell the story of
the feeding of the 5000. The feeding of the 5000 must be read in the
light of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. When Jesus performed that
miracle, He did so not because it was dinner time and the people
needed to be fed; He fed the 5000 because He wanted to teach them a
very important spiritual lesson, namely, "Man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every Word that proceedeth out of the mouth of
God."
There are several lessons concerning what we
should desire to eat, and how we ought to eat in the story of the
feeding of the 5000, and Jesus’ teaching on the bread of life.
I. We should not make physical
food our life’s ambition (John 6:1-14)
After Jesus fed the crowd of 5000 miraculously
with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes, what was the response of the
people? What do you think will be the response of Singaporeans if
the PAP were to say that the people need no longer work, the
government will feed you FOC? I say, they’ll win the coming
elections hands down. Well, this was what happened with Jesus. After
they ate the bread and fish, they wanted to make Jesus their king:
"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). They wanted Jesus to be king because of the free
food. They thought that Jesus was going to be like Moses—the prophet
who fed them with manna from heaven—free food every day (John 6:14).
Yes, Jesus was the prophet like Moses predicted in Deut 18:15, but
He is the Moses-like prophet in the spiritual sense, not physical.
So the people misunderstand. They could only see the physical and
not the spiritual. They could not see beyond their physical hunger,
to realise that they were spiritually empty and needed to be filled
with the bread that gives eternal life.
There are people like that today. They can only
see their immediate, bodily needs and wants, and fail to see what
they really need—forgiveness of sins, eternal life, a Saviour. There
was once I went door-to-door witnessing, came to a home, asked if he
would like to hear about Jesus Christ, he replied, "If Jesus can
give me a million dollars, than I will listen to Him."
Then there are those who literally live to eat.
They eat until they can’t get out of bed (too heavy), can’t get out
of the house (too big). One had to call the fire department to knock
down the wall before the ambulance could get him to hospital. Dear
friends, we EAT TO LIVE, NOT LIVE TO EAT. Since Singapore is a food
paradise, we often forget that. Some people find life empty and
meaningless, so that fill that emptiness with food and in the
process destroy themselves.
Then there are those who live for money. Their
life’s ambition are the 5 Cs. They will not rest until they get all
the Cs. And it is interesting to note that there are many rich
people in Church today especially Charismatic ones. While if Jesus
can make me healthy and wealthy, why not enlist His help. Jesus only
asks for a 10% commission for the 100% that He gives me—that is a
very attractive proposition; a good investment.
What is your purpose in life? Food, money,
power, property? If you are looking to Jesus for all these things,
how would Jesus respond? "Jesus answered them and said, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles,
but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labour not
for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed." (John 6:25-27)
II. We should make spiritual food our life’s
ambition (John 6:22-71)
1. Eat of the Living Word—the Lord Jesus Christ
(John 6:22-59)
The world has 5 Cs, but the church has 4 Hs (4
is a biblical numer: 4 cherubims, 4 horsemen, 4 gospels). Him, Hope,
Happiness, and Heaven. If we want to leave a meaningful, purposeful,
life, it must first begin with HIM—CHRIST. There is a popular
saying, "Money makes the world go round." Yes, money makes you go
round until you get dizzy and so groggy, you do not know where you
are going. It sends you on a wild goose chase that leads to
destruction. But Jesus will not make you go round, He makes you walk
straight—there is direction (purpose in life), forward—there is
progress (change in life), and upwards (hope in life).
Jesus gives "that meat which endureth unto
everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him
hath God the Father sealed." (John 6:27)
"Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I
say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my
Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God
is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And
Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me
shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst"
(John 6:32-35).
"And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have
everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John
6:40).
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life"
(John 6:47-48).
"I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and
the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world" (John 6:51).
It is only when we have HIM, that we have HOPE,
and HAPPINESS, and HEAVEN.
2. Eat of the Written Word—the Holy Bible
What is your response to Jesus? Do you
understand what Jesus has said concerning Himself as the Bread of
Life? Do you understand and accept what Jesus has said? Many of
those who had eaten of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes understood what
Jesus said, but would not accept Him as their Saviour. So we read in
John 6:66, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him."
Then Jesus asked the twelve disciples, "Will you
also go away?" And Peter revealed that he understood, accepted, and
received with his whole heart what Jesus has said when he gave this
answer, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?
thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).
"Thou hast the words of eternal life," is the
meaning of Jesus’ declaration, "I am the bread of life." Do we take
the Written Word of life seriously. How much time do we spend in
reading the Bible? How much time do you spend with the TV, or in
sports? Compare that with your time spent on reading and studying
the Bible. How does it compare?
If you believe that the Word of God is powerful,
sharper than any two-edged sword, then you know you must learn to
use it skillfully. And there are programmes to help you study the
Word. Not many churches have the privilege of having a Bible College
taught by their own ministers. We have. Why not come study in the
BTFE evening courses at FEBC. Do the assignments, take the exam
towards the certificate. I must mention the good work done by one of
your members, who earned her certificate in religious knowledge
recently. And in Life BPC we had 2 of our deacons graduating with
their certificates. They set an example for all of us. You may be
students, or professionals working outside, but if you want to study
God’s Word, there’s really nothing to hinder you. And you’ll be
amazed how the Word of God can change your life when you study it
academically, and devotionally. Three night classes offered:
Mon—Minor Prophets (Rev Timothy Tow), Wed—Gospels in Unison (I’ll be
teaching), and Thur—Hermeneutics (Rev QSY).
I hope all of us would be like Peter who said,
"Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And
we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God." Let us not be Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord.
Conclusion
Jesus fed the 5,000, and His personal disciples.
Let us be like the Eleven represented by Peter, and not the 5,000
with Judas Iscariot. Let us yearn for spiritual bread rather than
physical bread. If you want to have a long, long life, then eat of
the Living Word, and the Written Word.
Let us pray.
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