Jesus Can Meet Your Need

Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

John 6:14 (NKJV)

Jesus was teaching a great multitude of people out in a remote setting, far enough away that when evening was approaching, the Lord’s disciples understood the need to break for the day and give the people a safe chance to make it back to their villages for food. The ministry of our Lord had provided spiritual nourishment all day, but these people now needed physical nourishment.

The disciples imply to Jesus, “We packed commitment. We packed loyalty. We brought along with us curiosity and dedication, but Lord, we didn’t pack any extra food. You’ve got to let these people go. They need to eat.”

In John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus tested the disciples saying, “Where can we buy bread for all of these people?” And Philip tells Jesus that an entire day’s pay times 200 would not be enough to buy bread sufficient to feed this many people.

Andrew says, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what is that compared to the enormity of the need?” And Jesus takes those two fish and five barley loaves, He lifts them, prays over them, multiplies them, and feeds the multitude with them. Not only is everyone fed, but there are leftovers to spare.

The need was immediate. The need was urgent. The need was huge. And the provision was miraculous.

The provision was so miraculous that it confirmed for those who perhaps were on the fringes of belief in Jesus that what He had been teaching all day out there was worth believing. It was so miraculous that it became easy for many of the people to conclude that only God can make something like that happen and, therefore, Jesus must be the real deal.

The message Jesus sandwiches there between such need and such provision is amazing. It demands the attention of our hope. It is so simple, and yet it is powerful and life changing. And that message is this: You can’t ever have a need that is greater than the Lord’s ability to meet it.

Let me say it again: We all have needs, but not one of them is so big that Jesus cannot meet it. Jesus can meet your need.