Be the Miracle
June 14, 2020
Big Picture
With the overwhelmingly high number of deaths and unemployment rate due to covid-19, the increasing needs due to sickness and poverty, and the surging awareness of the unjust society we live in; have we grown numb to the needs around us? Numbers like these are numbing, dehumanizing, and can easily desensitize us. Statistics don’t give us the reality of the names and faces they represent and the dire needs we are called to meet as Christians. You may ask yourself, “What can I do with all these demands when I myself am in need or have very little resource?” This is where Pastor Jay Recto encourages and challenges us to not just push the numbers away, but rather to be the miracle with what we already have in our hands.
Sermon Recap
Recto’s message centers around John 6:5-12, in which Jesus and his disciples are faced with the need to supply food for a staggering number of followers who had come out to hear Jesus teach. The Bible records the number at five thousand men, not including women and children, which brings the total to an estimated twelve to fifteen thousand. Although Jesus’ disciples were faithful believers, similar to many followers of Christ today, they found themselves “In over their heads” when faced with a problem without resolve.
What do we do when we are faced with a need we don’t have the resources for? The reason we often feel we don’t have enough or can’t do enough is due to sin. Like drinking saltwater in the hopes of quenching our thirst, sin leaves us even thirstier than before. We need more! This is exactly what Jesus wanted to demonstrate to the crowd and to his disciples. He was not simply trying to feed hungry mouths that day, but rather fill their empty hearts, devoid mindsets, hollow expectations, and lacking faith.
By asking Phillip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” (Jn 6:5), Jesus was inviting his disciples to be part of the miracle he was about to perform and, in the process, bolster their faith. Where Phillip’s options ran out, Andrew “spoke up” (Jn 6:8) and brought to Jesus “a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish” (Jn 6:9), but even he was unhopeful in his delivery. It was then that Jesus miraculously multiplied the little they had into an amount enough for the entire crowd to eat and have twelve baskets left over. Sadly, like the disciples that day, we may also feel hopeless in seeing a miracle from God. But we can be assured that God can take the little that is in our hands and make it more than enough to meet any need.
Recto encourages us by saying, “To be the miracle of God, we have to receive the miracle of God.” In John 6:33-35, the day after everyone had more than enough food to eat, Jesus shocks the crowd yet again; but this time by declaring, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” It turns out, this was the real miracle he wanted them to receive all along. Recto also states, “To be the miracle of God, you have to share the miracle of God.” Don’t hoard the bread of life in your spiritual pantry, share it with your community. God can work through a seemingly senseless act of your obedience. The miracle of God takes place with obedience not confidence. Along with Jesus, there were three types of people in today’s message that took part in being the miracle:
The one who did the quiet and consistent act of caring to pack the loaves and fish.
The boy who was willing to give up the little he had for a greater cause.
The disciples who faithfully distributed the miracle.
Which one are you?
Pastor Jay Recto
Jay Recto is one of the Campus Pastors of Lifehouse Church where he has been serving since 2013. He and his wife Margaret and their three children Sean, Emma, and Ellie reside in Hagerstown, Maryland. They have a passion for pastoring and a heart for the local church. Their desire is to see people discover their purpose through faith in Jesus.