In John 6, as John recounts the story we call the feeding of the 5000, Jesus asks an interesting question:
“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, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” – John 6:5-6
Somehow, for all the times I’ve read and studied this passage, I’ve missed this question. The passage tells us that Jesus asks the question for a specific reason: to test Philip.
So, Philip gets all worked up about it. (We can’t fault him. You know that’s exactly what we’d do, too!) He tells Jesus that 8 months wages wouldn’t buy enough bread for each person present to have a bite.
Did Philip fail Jesus’ test?
Sometimes in life, I feel like the answer must be coming, but the situation before me seems impossible. Implausible. Unbelievable. I feel like if I had many more resources, I still could not accomplish the task. It can be frustrating, because although I am sure that God is working something on my behalf, I don’t always see His hand.
Is it possible that, through each difficult situation, God is pausing for a moment so that I can grasp how fully impossible it would be to effect the desired outcome on my own? So that I can grapple with just how far my own resources fall short to meet the present need?
When Jesus asked the question of Philip, we must remember that he already had in mind what he would do. Jesus already knew that a miracle was required. He seems to want the disciples to fully comprehend the need for a miracle, as well.
Perhaps sometimes God is allowing us to grasp the full need for a miracle on our behalf; the time to survey the situation, the grace to recognize our own inability to remedy it, and the opportunity to look to Him to see what He already has in mind. Each day, I am realizing more and more my full reliance on Him. How is that working out in your life?
