By Pastor Jason Mecum
Psalm 23 describes the Lord as a shepherd who cares for and protects His flock. He who “makes me lie down in green pastures” and “leads me beside still waters” provides more than physical provision. Beyond what the sheep may want, this provision extends to what the sheep truly need. The Shepherd provides, leads and restores. Because the Lord is near, the psalmist lacks nothing. Want is replaced by trust and striving gives way to rest.
Likewise, John 6 describes Jesus sitting on a hillside looking out over a multitude of hungry followers. Like sheep lying down in a green pasture, the crowds were seated in the tall grass below. It was the time of Passover – a time to remember God’s provision in the wilderness and manna from heaven. Ironically, it was now late in the day for those who had followed Jesus seeking healing and miracles and they found themselves without provision in a remote wilderness.
Jesus had intentionally moved away from the crowds to be alone with His disciples. However, this logistical nightmare would allow Jesus an opportunity to reveal what His flock needed, rather than what it merely wanted.
It’s a significant detail that Jesus specifically asks Philip how they are going to provide food for the crowd. We learn in John 1:44 that Philip is from this area and would likely know which local villages and marketplaces could provide resources. The question Jesus poses is a rhetorical one. In a sense, Jesus is asking the “expert” for a solution, appealing to human reasoning. However, John 6:6 makes it clear that Jesus wasn’t expecting Philip to solve this problem. Instead, Jesus wanted his disciples to recognize that this was beyond their capabilities. That they needed help. This was a test.
With the lightbulb switched on and the disciples recognizing the seriousness of their dilemma, the seated Jesus was now ready to teach the lesson.
The Gospels repeatedly present us with disciples who witness the miracles and teachings of Jesus firsthand but continually fail to grasp who Jesus really is and what He is capable of. Presented with a logistical problem, the human response is to focus on resources and calculations, rather than faith in the sufficiency and provision of Christ. Imagine if Philip’s initial response had been to ask Jesus how He was going to provide sustenance for the crowds (and how Philip and the other disciples might assist). What if turning to Jesus for the answer wasn’t our last step?
The question that Jesus posed to Philip exposed the instinct we all have when facing a challenging dilemma: to calculate rather than trust. Are you facing a seemingly impossible challenge today where you can identify this “Philip Question”? For you, it may be an area of finance. Perhaps it’s a parenting challenge or a health issue. Something where a significant decision or action is yet to be made but the answer is not yet obvious to you. Where does our help come from?
I want you to grab a piece of paper and write down the following two questions (in this specific order) and their answers:
1. What must I do to solve this challenge?
2. What does God want me to do in the face of this challenge?
In John 6:10, Jesus commands the disciples to “have the people sit down” before he feeds them. “He makes me lie down…” – Psalm 23:2.
Are you treating this situation as a math problem or a discipleship moment? Before “fixing” the problem, I want you to pause and pray this simple prayer: “Lord, this problem is real and beyond my ability to solve. But I trust you. What is it that you are trying to teach me?”
The same Lord who makes His sheep lie down in green pastures also sits calmly on the hillside, untroubled by the size of the crowd, fully sufficient for the need.
[John 6:35 ESV] Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
The crowd sought Him for more food, but Jesus invited them to something deeper: not provision alone, but Himself. Don’t just seek bread – but the Bread of Life.
Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd and the Bread of Life.
Lead me away from self-reliance and into a deeper dependence on you.
Feed my soul through the reading of your Word and teach me to rest as I pray.
These are not just obligations for me to fulfill but a sacred pasture for me to enter.
A place to receive restoration.
With you leading me, I shall never want.
Amen.