God’s Inexhaustible Grace

Text: John 6:1-15 (EHV)

John 6:1-15 After this, Jesus crossed over tothe other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Sea of Tiberias). 2A largecrowd followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he was performing onthose who were sick. 3Jesus went up on the hillside and sat downthere with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover festival was near. 5When Jesus looked upand saw a huge crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buybread for these people to eat?” 6But Jesus was saying this to testhim, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7Philip answeredhim, “Two hundred denarii worth of breadwould not be enough for each of them to have just a little.” 8One ofhis disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9“There’sa boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what is that for somany people?” 10Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There wasplenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. There were about five thousandmen. 11ThenJesus took the loaves and, after giving thanks, he distributed pieces to thosewho were seated. He also did the same with the fish—as much asthey wanted. 12When the people were full,he told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over so thatnothing is wasted.” 13So they gathered them and filled twelvebaskets with pieces from the five barley loaves left over by those who hadeaten.

14Whenthe people saw the miraculous sign Jesus did, they said, “This really is theProphet who is coming into the world.” 15WhenJesus realized that they intended to come and take him by force to make himking, he withdrew again to the mountain byhimself.