FOOD

^[p. 260] FOOD

John 6: 1 - 13; John 21: 5 - 13; Luke 24: 41 - 43

These verses of scripture speak of the subject of food, an important subject in all connections, whether it be material food or spiritual, but particularly if it be spiritual; and whilst the scriptures treat of literal food, literal bread and fish, yet the meaning is spiritual. John 6 suggests an important lesson for believers in our own times, for that gospel is intended for our time.

You will observe that the passage begins with “after these things Jesus went away beyond the sea of Galilee”, note, beyond it. Chapter 5 deals with occurrences at Jerusalem, the religious centre in those days, which have their corresponding features now. That chapter brings out the opposition of the Jews; indeed the opposers are the Jews as such, not the leaders, although their leaders are more prominent in the synoptic gospels in the opposition than the Jews as a class, reminding us that circumstances arise when the masses are opposed, not only the leaders. Years gone by, but within the memory of some of us, were marked by opposition of great leaders. These remain, but their teaching so permeated the masses that we are now confronted with that kind of opposition. The masses are leavened, a very serious matter, because they are like the sea, which as it is lashed by the wind, becomes overwhelming, and so we find in chapter 10 that the Lord is surrounded by the Jews, who took up stones to stone Him and then He leaves them. He escaped out of their hands. He finds His way out, for in this gospel no human strength, nor skill of man, could in any way retard the Lord. He was free, being a divine ^[p. 261] Person. He could in no sense be prevented by any circumstances of strain arranged by Satan, so He leaves them, we are told, and next we find Him beyond the Jordan where John baptised at the first. These conditions of Jewish opposition necessitate first principles; that we should be clear, that we should clear ourselves, and in the open, take on and identify ourselves with first principles.

Well now, chapter 5 brings out that kind of thing, the opposition of the Jews. The Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to slay Him, we are told, and so He goes away beyond the sea of Galilee, and the crowds come to Him. They come to Him and He goes up into a mountain, that is to say, we have a new position taken up. He is away, far away, beyond the centre of religious influence and power, and He takes up a position on the mountain, another very important suggestion. Under these circumstances, He was withdrawn from the level of current ritual; He is on the mountain and His disciples are with Him. Precious touch, beloved brethren! It is our privilege to be with Him in such circumstances — at a distance from the religious centre, in elevation, above the strain, and in the healthy atmosphere, as you might say, of heaven. But the crowds come to Him there, proving that there is such a thing as a movement towards Christ in those circumstances. What a happy, blessed thing to be with Him in them and to see the movements of men coming to Christ! In this gospel He is generally the centre of attraction. Then we read He lifted up His eyes and saw a great company coming to Him. He is not indifferent, however many, and now the question is about feeding them, and He takes the initiative here in the matter. In the other gospels the disciples take the initiative; indeed they propose to send them away, but the Lord takes the initiative here in regard to this crowd, this multitude of people that had come to Him, and He says to Philip, “Whence shall we buy loaves that these may eat?” One questions oneself as to what one would say, if one were thus challenged by the Lord, because five thousand people before you is a large number, an excessive multitude, and the Lord says, as it were, ‘Now, Philip, what about this, how are these people to be fed?’ Then the Spirit of God adds, “this he said trying him”. Why should He try Philip? Well, Philip was a very important disciple, and the more important, and the more prominent the disciple is, the more he is to be tested. Philip shone earlier, as you will remember; in chapter 1 it was he whom the Lord Himself had found. He is distinguished in that way, and He found him as He went into Galilee. He is the Lord’s own fruit. He used no instrumentality to convert Philip; Philip could say, ‘The Lord Himself found me’. Nobody could claim to have been the means of conversion; the Lord did it, and then Philip finds a man in his own movement; he finds Nathanael, that is to say, Philip has a record. He has become distinguished among the disciples, and now the Lord would test him. It is all very well to get converts and to find your Nathanaels, but then these people have to be fed. One hears of thousands of people being converted by preachers, but what about the food? I know of men who preach and get converts in numbers, and they virtually avow that they have no means to feed them. They send them here and there with notes of commendation, but to find food for them is out of the question, and so here the Lord tests Philip, what about this? Immediately Philip is thrown back on mercantile thoughts. Whatever his occupation had been, it is a question of two hundred pennyworth. Well, that meant that he is not spiritual on this point, for he says, ‘Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them’, that is to say, it is beyond our resources.

^[p. 263] Well, that is Philip. He and Andrew are coupled in this gospel three times: in chapter 1, in this chapter, and in chapter 12. In the last instance Philip comes into contact with the Greeks and he and Andrew go up and tell the Lord about them, that is to say they are occupied with persons coming. Very important, but what about the food? How are these people to be fed? Then we are told what Andrew says; we are told so that there must be no misunderstanding that he is the brother of Simon Peter, the agent by whom Simon Peter was brought to Jesus. He is a man of note. Peter could not say like Philip that the Lord found me. It was Andrew who found him and brought him to Jesus, so that Andrew thus had distinction. Well, what is Andrew saying about the food? He says to the Lord, “There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fishes”, note, a little boy. That little boy is more important now than these two great men — these two men who had distinction. He has got something, and so Andrew and Philip are disqualified on this point. Now they could not afford that, nor can any one of us afford to be disqualified on that point, for the examination day will surely come, and the marks would show the appearance, whether good or bad, and we cannot afford, beloved, to lose on this point, the question of food, or to be without the means of helping people in this regard, and so the Lord takes what the boy had. Now he is “a little boy”. You may be sure there is something in that. The fact that Andrew calls him a little boy is a further evidence of where Andrew was — that he was minimising everything, and you may be sure that he who has what is wanted for the moment will be minimised in the natural mind. Who is he, whence is he, where are these qualifications? Do you have the food? That is the point; we have to get it. The little boy had it. That to us would mean that the thing locally is to ^[p. 264] make provision for every one. Who has any, however little? We are not to quench the Spirit; we are not to despise prophesyings; if we do, we shall shut out these little voices and we shall find ourselves without any food to eat, distinguished persons, distinguished Philips, distinguished Andrews, but nothing to eat. A poor substitute! Levitical renown without anything to eat. We need not seek renown of that kind. We want something to eat, and hence beloved, the thing is, whatever little there may be, make room for it. The Lord takes it up and blesses it. The little boy is not asked to distribute it. He is not asked to give thanks for it, the Lord does that, nor are the disciples asked here to distribute it. The Lord Himself takes what the little boy had. See how the Lord takes it out of his hands, as it were. It does not pass through the hands of the disciples. It goes direct from the Lord’s hands to feed the people. It is taken direct from the little boy, and thanks is given for it, and then it is passed to the people who need. The disciples are first ordered to make the men sit down; and we read there was much grass in the place. There was no crowd to thank for that; they did not make the grass; John would bring in the power of God in life. Grass is a symbol of life and is one of the first things mentioned in the Scriptures as the evidence of life, and it says here, “there was much grass in the place”. Now the food is passed round, and they all ate as much as they would; there were no limitations whatever. It is not that each one could have a little, but as much as they would. It is the magnitude of divine provision, that is to say the enlargement of what there is from any little boy or girl, any brother or sister, who has the Spirit of God. Five words it may be with the spirit, with the understanding, or some note of thanksgiving, or a hymn with the spirit, and see how it goes round, how every heart is touched. The Lord has done that.

^[p. 265] I go on now to the next passage which deals with persons who have gone astray. I wonder how many in this room have not. In John it is a question of the children of God, scattered abroad; that is the way he puts it, but then in this last chapter it is more than that, there is a definite movement on the part of responsible brothers. One says, “I go a fishing”, and some of their names are given. Seven of them go fishing. It is Peter who says, “I go to fish”, and then others say to him, “We also go with thee”, that is to say, you have a definite movement away from the truth. Now I am only speaking of this question of food. The Lord says to them, “Children”, what a subduing word; that is, they had been astray, they have had their own way for a while. It is very beautiful in Luke where this same Peter had strayed and denied the Lord, it is said, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon”, that is to say to that responsible man who had denied the Lord. It is a question of grace, but in John it is “children”, in keeping with the family thought. The Lord would soften our hearts. He would touch our hearts, that in all these movements the family thought has been missed. He has the family thought in view. “Children, have ye anything to eat?” Have you anything to eat? He is not asking anything for Himself, I will come to that in a moment. It is a question of them. He is thinking of them after all these movements, “Have ye anything to eat?” Did He need to ask that question for Himself? Not at all, but to bring out the fact for them to press it home upon them, for that night they had caught nothing. They answered Him, “No”. Very humble admission, no disguise, for if God is working you cannot hide, for the Lord knows. He knew all about it, but they owned it, and that was the happy part. They had caught nothing. Well, He says, “Cast the net at the right side of ^[p. 266] the ship and ye will find. They cast therefore, and they could no longer draw it”. A remarkable thing because locality is intimated there. In the similar passage in Luke, where Peter in early days is directed by the Lord to cast in the net, there is nothing said about the locality, it is simply, “into the deep”; “Launch out into the deep”, in keeping, I suppose, with the human side of Luke, the great sea aspect of humanity; the net is in the deep. It is let down there, but here locality is intimated as if we were more restricted in John. It is intelligible; but restricted to the favourable side, for the right is obviously the favourable. It is the side of power, that is God is working there, and you may be sure, beloved, that all our efforts are in vain unless God is working. Whatever we may be, it is a question of the work of God; that is the point in John. “My Father worketh hitherto and I work”. It is a question of the work of God; that God is working. The work of God never ceased for them. How important to be directed to the point where it is the Lord, where power is, where power is active — the right side, and there is no question about it. They do not argue with the Lord as Peter did earlier. Down goes the net, and they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. It is not the immensity. It is an immense draught, but it is countable, one hundred and fifty-three, a large draught. That is the result that you may expect where God is working.

Well now, that is something there to eat, but then the Lord has something for them to eat besides that. When I am coming back I find that the Lord has something all this time. Where He got it, must be left with His divinity. Where did He get it? He had it. There was the fire, the fish, the bread, all set in order. The Lord is doing it. You see how tender He is to us. He would not pass by the weakest of us, but yet He gives us to see that He is divine, and that ^[p. 267] He is thinking of the family. He is thinking of the children of God. One would love to catch the movements of His heart with regard to the people of God, scattered, and particularly those leading, leaders, persons who are given the honour such as are given here. Well, there is the fire and the fish and bread all ready. Then He says, “Bring of the fishes which ye have now taken”, that is to say, it is just now. It is fresh, fresh evidence of the work of God in my soul. I am under the Lord’s direction. I have got something. I have taken it just now. It is not something I have carried over for years and learned from books, it is what I have got now, and it is fresh. There they are and they brought them up, and then the Lord says, “Come and dine”. This is no ordinary matter, it is not a mere question of meeting the need, it is a dignified word this word “dine”. You see what the Lord would do for us, beloved, in owning Him. “Cast the net on the right side”, and in all this recognising that it is the Lord. John says that first. John says to Peter, “It is the Lord”. They are not like people looking around for another house. “It is the Lord”. They have caught sight of the Lord, and that settles everything. “It is the Lord”, he says, and they are so sure they cease asking questions. None of the disciples durst ask Him, “Who art Thou?” They knew it was the Lord. There was no doubt about it. We want to be certain about things. John would have us to know things, to be sure about them, and he says, “these are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life in his name”, John 20: 31. So that they know it is the Lord, and He spreads the dinner, and He is inviting them to dine. The christian is no ordinary being, and the Lord would impress upon you that you are not ordinary. You belong to the family of God. Now there is the dinner spread; He

^[p. 268] has done it; He has done it Himself. Precious fact! He goes forth to serve. In chapter 13 He served in washing the feet; now He has cooked and served the meal. Think of that! Think of the service of Christ! Is He not worthy of coming back to in the most unqualified way? He wants you. He looks out over christendom and He sees the children of God and He would die to “gather together into one the children of God who were scattered abroad”, and He would make the way as easy as possible, as attractive as possible, but then He would have His own way, and so you see what follows with Peter. He had His own way with Peter, but before He dealt with him, he is fed, he dined. It is a very remarkable thing that in the Scriptures the Lord deals with us while we eat. He challenged the disciples that one of them should betray Him, while they were eating. It is important to feed people if they are to be helped. You see the whole point, beloved in this respect, is having the food. The Lord had it. In chapter 6 a little boy had it, and the Lord enlarged it, but it was there, and there is little attached to any one of our meetings unless there is some food, something for the children of God to eat as they come and as they go. They would have something. Thus God is working. “Bring of the fishes which ye have now taken”.

Well now, that was all in John, but I want now to say a word about Luke. The Lord says to the disciples as coming in amongst them, “Have ye here any meat?” It is not now, ‘have you any?’ He is not working in regard to this. In John it was a question of their having it for themselves, but in Luke it is not so much that, as have you got any in the place. “Have ye here”. In Luke it is the local place, with John it is generally persons apart from where they are, but with Luke it is where you are, as well as who you are. In John it is who you are. The Lord ^[p. 269] comes to the place because you are there, but in Luke it is who you are and where you are, hence it applies to the localities where the people of God are, where they are accustomed to gather and assemble for the Lord’s supper. The Lord challenges us as to what we have here. We have much in Christ in an objective way, so while we have got everything in Christ, thank God it is intelligible. Eternal life is in Christ, heaven is in Christ, everything that God has got for us is in Christ; but what the Lord asks is, What have you here? That is the thing. You may have the objective side and have nothing subjectively. “Have ye anything here to eat?” He says. That comes home to every locality where the people of God are; then it says, “they gave him part of a broiled fish”. It is a question now of whether there is anything for the Lord. Think of Him wishing to have part with us! We should be exercised always that there should be something for the Lord, not only for us, but for the Lord, as David says, “I will not give sleep to mine eyes ... until I find out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob”, Psalm 132: 4, 5. “Have ye anything here to eat?” and it says they gave Him a part of a broiled fish and of an honeycomb. Now, dear brethren, I would press this. The Lord expects to have part with us, and He challenges us as to what there is, as to what there is here, here, in this city of Aberdeen, what there is here as we meet week by week. Those gathered together in Luke 24 were saying certain things. They were saying, “The Lord is indeed risen and has appeared to Simon”. Very important. That was the knowledge they had. They were speaking about it, and the two who had returned from Emmaus were saying that He was recognised by them in the breaking of bread; as they were saying these things, the Lord Himself stood in the midst. It is very important to be saying the right things, and I am ^[p. 270] sure that it is important that what we say in the assembly should be right, should be reverent, according to God. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God ... let thy words be few”, Ecclesiastes 5: 1, 2. It is a question of the quality. Well, the quality is to be according to the Lord. He loves what has been said. He Himself stood in the midst and says, “Peace be unto you”, but that is not all. He comes in on what you are saying, but how is He going out? This is now how He comes in, how is He going out? Is He going to have nothing? Is He merely to quieten our spirits as He does in this case, for they are perturbed, and then go out as He came in? No. He comes and expects things, so to speak. “I am come into my garden”, He says, “I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey; I have drunk my wine with my milk”, Song of Songs 5: 1. I have eaten it. He says, but how could He do it, if it were not here? So here, He can easily say, ‘I have been here and have had part in their honeycomb and in their fish’. They gave Him a part, not all, but a part. It is a question of His having part with what we have. They gave it to Him and He ate it. He ate it before them. What an experience to see Him eating what you give Him before you. These are spiritual things. The Lord is to be apprehended spiritually, so that He has part in what we give Him. He took it, we are told, and He did eat before them.

Well, that is all, dear brethren. You can see how important this food question is — food in regard to what we need for the multitude, also for the returning ones, and then for the Lord Himself. How wide the bearing of food is in the Scriptures!