[2026. 2. 1.] Moving Toward True Faith | John 6:1–15

[2026. 2. 1.] Moving Toward True Faith | John 6:1–15

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2026. 2. 1. 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 18
본문: 요한복음 6:1-15
제목: 참 믿음으로 나아가기

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

We have read the passage that is called the miracle of the five loaves and two fish. This miracle is recorded in all four Gospels. What does that mean? It means that it was important enough for all four disciples who wrote the Gospels to remember it and record it.

At some point in life, everyone asks a question like this at least once: “Is there anything I can do in this situation?” As I have lived my life, there have been many times when I could do nothing at all.

The disciples in today’s passage were standing in exactly that kind of situation. There was a huge crowd, everyone was hungry, they were in a wide open field with no shops nearby, and they had nothing. What do you think the disciples were thinking in that moment? “This is a big problem. What are we going to do?”

Is there anyone among us today who is in a similar situation? Are you facing an embarrassing and difficult moment because you have no wisdom, no method, and no resources to solve the problem before you? I hope that through today’s message, you will find the answer.

As Jesus resolves this difficult situation, we see that He reveals the hidden motives of faith deep inside the human heart. Through this, I hope that all of us will examine our own motives of faith and move forward into true faith.

 

1. From Need To The Lord

What we want to look at first through today’s passage is the heart of Jesus as He performs the amazing miracle of the five loaves and two fish. Why did such a large crowd follow Jesus? [Verse 2] A great crowd followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. The reason the large crowd followed Jesus was because they saw the amazing scenes of sick people being healed. Since Jesus healed many sick people, some followed Him so that their own diseases might be healed, others so that their family members or friends might be healed, and still others followed Him out of curiosity to see miracles.

Was this wrong? No, it was not. It is only natural for sick people to want to be healed. And when people see the sick being healed, it is natural for them to bring their sick family members or neighbors to Jesus.

Then how did Jesus see them? Although it is not written in today’s passage, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark say that He had compassion on them. [Matthew 14:14] “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.” [Mark 6:34] “When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.”

I believe this is the heart that those who serve according to the Lord’s will should have. As I minister, I sometimes examine my own heart to see whether I truly have compassion. When I have that heart, I treat others gently. But when I do not, I become administrative and legalistic, judging and condemning others, and in the end, I find myself repenting before the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, there is something we must remember first through today’s message. The Lord is the One who meets our needs. I hope that you and I truly believe this. He opens the eyes of the blind, makes the lame walk, raises the dead, gives water to the thirsty, gives food to the hungry, comforts weary souls, wipes away tears, leads those trapped in darkness into the light, and gives life to dead souls. That is why even today we come before the Lord with our needs, lift them up, and pray. This is truly precious faith.

However, the faith the Lord truly desires does not stop there. The faith the Lord wants is not a faith that ends with having our needs met and our problems solved, but a faith that goes beyond that—a faith that seeks the Lord Himself, is filled by the Lord, and finds satisfaction in Him.

If we look again at verse 2, the word “signs” is written there. ([Verse 2] “…because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.”) What does this mean? The miracles of healing the sick were not merely supernatural events. Through them, Jesus was revealing that He is the Son of God and the Savior. These miracles were meant to direct our hearts not toward the miracles themselves, but toward Jesus who performs the miracles.

We often seek Jesus because of our needs and become satisfied when those needs are met.

Faith may begin with need, but the destination of faith must be Jesus Christ. The Lord knows our needs, and He meets them. But I pray that our needs will never become greater than the Lord. Pray earnestly, seek God’s grace, and desire that your needs and problems be resolved. But at the center of seeking God’s grace, there must be love for God and trust in Him. Isn’t that true? Is it not because we love and trust God that we bring our needs before Him? It is possible to desire God’s grace without truly loving God. How can we tell? We can see it when our needs are not met and we enter even more difficult circumstances. We must ask whether we have faith that says, “Even if He does not do so, I will still love and trust the Lord.” I hope that you and I will reflect on the direction toward which our faith is headed.

[Application] Do I have a heart of compassion and love that looks upon my neighbors with mercy? Even when my problems and needs are not met, am I still holding on to Jesus?

 

2. From Realistic Calculation To Transcendent Faith

When Jesus saw a great crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip a question.
[Verse 5] 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?”

There must have been the twelve disciples around Jesus, and also many women who followed him. Then why did Jesus single out Philip and ask him this question? The reason is given in verse 6. [Verse 6] He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

It says that Jesus asked this in order to test Philip. This means that Jesus intentionally asked him because there was something He especially wanted to teach Philip, something He wanted him to learn. What was it that Jesus wanted to teach him? We can see it in today’s passage. Philip answers Jesus’ question: [Verse 7] Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

From this, we can see what kind of person Philip was. Philip was very rational, calculating, and logical. Among modern people today, more and more are like this. In fact, I myself am this kind of person. In one sense, this can be a good thing. But Jesus shows Philip that this can become a stumbling block to his faith.

When we are trapped by reason, calculation, and logic, it can no longer be faith. It becomes only reality and science. We must not misunderstand this. Faith does not ignore reality; rather, faith places God above reality. However, because human beings are bound to visible reality more than to the invisible God, we tend to put scientific and rational calculations ahead of God. The limitation of science is that it deals only with what is visible and does not acknowledge the invisible world. Pastor Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “Faith is not denying the situation; it is seeing God as bigger.”

Because Philip had this kind of limitation, we see him asking Jesus in John 14:8: [John 14:8] Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” There is another disciple who belongs to the same type as Philip. Who is it? Thomas. What does Thomas say?
[John 20:25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

To people who are rational, logical, realistic, and calculating—people who believe only what they can see—the Bible speaks about true faith: [Hebrews 11:1] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

Faith has a suprarational, supralogical, suprascientific, and supranatural aspect that goes beyond human reason, logic, calculation, science, and reality. What we call a miracle is exactly that. I hope you believe that the God we believe in is the God of miracles.

[Application] Is my faith trapped in reality, reason, logic, and calculation, or is it a faith that transcends them?

 

3. From Complaint And Doubt To Gratitude And Confidence

While Jesus was talking with Philip, someone suddenly interrupts. It is Andrew. Unlike Philip, Andrew does not seem to be the type who listens and calculates; rather, he appears to be a man of action who tries to solve the problem by moving his body and doing something.

While Jesus was speaking with Philip, Andrew may have been running through the crowd shouting something like, “Does anyone here have any food?” In response to this, one person answered, “I have my lunch here,” and that person was the boy mentioned in verse 9.
[Verse 9] “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Andrew’s words can be interpreted in two ways. One is a positive interpretation: “Could this possibly be enough?” The other is a negative interpretation: “There are so many people, and this is all we have,” said in a tone that almost mocks Jesus’ intention to feed such a large crowd. In fact, both interpretations are possible. But there was one thing missing in both cases. That was confidence.

What kind of food was this boy’s five loaves and two fish that were brought to Jesus through Andrew? The passage mentions barley loaves and fish. First, barley bread today may be considered healthy food, but at that time barley bread was tasteless bread eaten mainly by common people, not by the rich.

The fish mentioned here is called opsarion in Greek. When Jesus told the disciples to let down their nets into deep water and they caught many fish, those fish were called ichthys. Ichthys refers to large fish with commercial value. In contrast, opsarion refers to small fish or cut fish that had no commercial value. Fishermen would throw these away. Poor people would gather these discarded opsarion, salt them, and eat them as side dishes. This boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish was a truly insignificant meal of the poor, something the rich would not eat.

When Jesus received this insignificant meal, He did not complain or say, “Is this all there is?” If we look at what Jesus did, it feels very similar to what we do when we are about to eat a meal. What is the first thing He does? In verse 10, He tells the people to sit down.
[Verse 10] Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there).

The word “sit down” here is the Greek word anapesein, which means to recline or lean back. This was the posture Jews took when they ate a meal. We also say something similar to our children when we eat: “The meal is ready, come and sit down.” That is exactly what Jesus is saying here. There is no food prepared yet, and yet He tells them to get ready to eat. This shows His confidence that they were about to eat.

What is the second thing He does? [Verse 11] Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

Jesus took the bread and gave thanks. That is, He offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God the Father. It is the same as when we give thanks to God for our daily bread before a meal. However, we usually pray after everything is prepared, but Jesus gave thanks in a situation where there was nothing.

In the present situation, Jesus did not complain, did not doubt, and was not bound by the problem. Instead, with confidence, He gave thanks to the Father who was with Him. Thanksgiving in faith creates miracles.

The prayer of faith of Pastor George Müller, who is called “the father of orphans” and is said to have received answers to fifty thousand prayers, is well known. When there was no food to feed three hundred children, he had the children sit in the dining hall with empty plates in front of them and offered a prayer of thanksgiving, and immediately bread and milk were delivered. There is also a famous story about a time when he had to travel by ship to Quebec, but because of thick fog the ship could not depart. Pastor Müller went to the captain’s cabin and said, “Captain, I must be in Quebec by Saturday afternoon. Is there no way?” The captain replied, “That is impossible.” Pastor Müller said, “I have known my God for fifty-seven years, and I have never once prayed without meeting my King. Now let us pray together.” The captain thought to himself, “This man is crazy,” and said, “Mr. Müller, do you know how thick this fog is?” Pastor Müller replied, “No, I do not. My eyes are not on the thickness of the fog. My eyes are on God, who rules over my entire life.” He then knelt down, offered a short prayer of thanksgiving, stood up, and said, “Now, Captain, please stand up, open the door, and see that the fog has lifted.” When the door to the captain’s cabin was opened, the thick fog had completely disappeared.

What are we looking at? Fear, complaint, and doubt arise because our eyes are fixed on the problem. The Lord tells us to fix our eyes on the almighty God who is with us. When we look to Him, we can move forward into a faith filled with confidence and thanksgiving.

What is a miracle? I think that giving thanks in every situation is a miracle. Is it not a miracle that we are alive like this? The very fact that we are alive today and eating food is a miracle. On the 22nd, six people who were at a campsite died due to a landslide at Mt. Maunganui in Tauranga. But if we think about it even a little, such things can happen to anyone at any time. The fact that we are able to give thanks at this very moment is itself a miracle.

Through the miracle of the five loaves and two fish, the faith that Jesus teaches us is this: believe in God who is always with us wherever and whenever we are, and with that confidence, live each moment of our present life with thanksgiving.

[Application] Am I giving thanks for the daily miracles that happen in my everyday life? What is my gaze fixed on right now?

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.