Crowd's Source.

When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, because He already had in mind what He was going to do. (John 6:5-6)


From time to time, Jesus asks questions. Why does the Lord of all creation need to ask any questions? Well, He doesn't need to ask. But He asks for our benefit, inviting us to reflect on the concerns of His heart.

Awareness. Pastor Sam shared with us that Jesus, in asking about the crowd, gave Philip an opportunity to understand the need at hand. Yes, Philip, we can preach to people. But they need more than just a serving of spiritual food. They need physical food. And, Philip, we are going to give them physical food. Start brainstorming: what are your ideas regarding how to feed them?

• Sometimes we get so absorbed in "doing our own thing" that we fail to see the need for doing other things. If we are truly interested in living lives modeled after the life of Christ, then our ministries must move beyond the venues of tradition. We are called to more than the music ministry or the trustee board. We are called to see the people we serve.
• Sometimes the needs of people are masked by external veneers that appear to indicate no need. There happened to be a large number of people who had come to follow Jesus's ministry of healing the sick, and those people decided to go to hear Jesus preach. On the surface, their presence presented nothing unusual. But when Jesus saw them approaching, He saw that there was a deeper concern, a sort of by-product of their zeal in making the journey to hear Jesus: they were experiencing lack. They had made the journey without carrying provisions.
• Sometimes Jesus, though He is the Answer, asks us to answer. Just as Jesus tested Philip then, He tests us now. We have made the choice to follow Jesus. This does not mean that we simply walk around saying nice things about Him and occasionally tossing in a Scripture or two in order to sound credible. It means that we engage in the hard work of reflection and forward-thinking so that we might address the relevant, current, "in-your-face" needs presented by our modern-day crowds. 

Look. See.
Look closely. See clearly.