John 6:1-15 - Share Your Sandwich

The Set-up:

Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee, with a massive crowd in tow. They are hungry for the spectacle and, frankly, just hungry.

Jesus goes up a mountain, sits down, and looks at the crowd coming toward Him. 

Jesus turns to Philip and asks a setup question: “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”

He’s testing Philip’s imagination, who pulls out the calculator. “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”

Andrew chimes in. He’s found a kid with a lunch: “Five barley loaves and two fish.”

Barley was the bread of the poor: the rough, cheap stuff.

Andrew adds a scarcity mindset: “But what are they among so many?”

Jesus ignores the math, takes the poor kid's lunch, and gives thanks.

A lesson for us all - Jesus  treats the scarce resource as an abundant gift. Then He starts distributing.

And the food... just... keeps... coming.

When you stop hoarding and start sharing with gratitude, the economy of the Kingdom takes over. Everyone eats. Everyone is filled.

Afterward, Jesus respects the food. In a throwaway culture, God wastes nothing. There is enough for everyone if you stop operating out of fear.

Then, refusing to let His grace be co-opted by their political agenda, he ghosts the crowd and leaves. 

The Takeaways

Ignore the Calculator.

God’s Kingdom doesn't run on standard economics.

Respect the Barley.

God uses the cheap, "poor" ingredients. You don't need a banquet to start a miracle; you just need a lunch.

The Boy is the MVP.

The unnamed kid gave up his entire meal. Without that act of radical generosity, the miracle doesn't happen.

Waste Nothing.

Gather the fragments. The abundance of God is not an excuse for wastefulness.

Resist the Trappings of Empire.

The world wants to turn spiritual power into political domination. Jesus walked away to stay true to the mission.

The Good News: 

is that your "little" is enough.

Look at your resources: your energy, your money, your patience, and don’t think, "What is this among so many problems?"

Jesus says: Hand it over.

The Good News is that God is a master of multiplication. When we surrender our scarcity and give thanks, we tap into a Generosity that can feed the multitude. You don't have to feed 5,000 people; you just have to be willing to share your sandwich.