Daily Bible Study
Topic: Jesus, Obedience/Discipleship, Faith/Trust
Some people just love numbers! They revel in figures, formulas and statistics. They're grounded in the reality of facts, eager to determine concrete solutions for problems. And that's great....unless Jesus is asking for more.
What Does God Say?
In John 6:5-14, Philip, one of Jesus' disciples, was busy with figures and facts. They were in a hungry crowd, with no pizza delivery and no money to pay the bill. For Philip, the problem was this: 5,000 people + 5 loaves of bread + 2 fish=big disaster!
"Jesus said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?'.... Philip answered him, 'Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little'" (John 6:5, 7, ESV). And he was right. But Philip only saw the facts before him, so he crunched out his formula and came up short.
Jesus had another idea. Look at John 6:6, the verse we skipped, "He [Jesus] said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do" (ESV). Jesus knew what He was going to do; He just asked Philip to give this disciple an opportunity to grow in faith. Jesus wasn't asking for solutions--He already had one in mind. He was looking for a heart that would trust Him. Philip was so busy considering his options and obstacles that he completely forgot who he was talking to.
Someone, however, did have an inkling of faith's possibilities. John 6:8-9 says, "One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 'There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?'" (ESV) Andrew saw something Jesus could work with, but he wasn't sure what was possible. But as Jesus said at another time, "What is impossible with men is possible with God" (Luke 18:27 ESV).
Faith doesn't ignore the facts; it just adds Jesus. Faith is confident in what Jesus can do, who He is and what He promises. It views the facts or numbers through the lens of Jesus' power and places them all into His hands.
My Thoughts
There were other times when Jesus looked for faith from people who were caught up in facts and circumstances.
Mark 2:1-12
Mark 7:24-30
John 4:46-54
John 9:1-7, 24-38
- What are the facts?
- How was someone required to exercise faith?
- What were the results?
My Part
So, what about you? Caught up in the facts or numbers of your circumstances? Are you lost in a problem which seems to have no formula or solution? Then take a few minutes to make some notes:
- What are the "facts" or "numbers"?
- Strip it down to the essentials.
- Can you see two or three ways you might take a step in faith?
- Then add those to your notes.
Now, take your notes to Jesus in prayer. Remember, it's not that you disregard the facts, but that you ask Jesus to take care of the equation. Ask Him for His help; give the "five loaves and two fish" into His hands.
What Does God Say?
My Thoughts
My Part
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