This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Lord’s Supper” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, November 6, 1994.

This evening we are reading from John’s Gospel, chapter 6, beginning at verse 1. Let us give our attention to the reading of God’s holy words. After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as Tiberias. A great multitude was following him because they were seeing the signs he was performing on those who were sick. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. Now the Passover, the Feast of the Jews, was near.

Jesus therefore, lifting up his eyes and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread so that these may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was intending to do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for each to receive a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a young boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place, so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus therefore took the loaves, and having given thanks, he distributed to those who were seated, likewise also of the fish, as many as they wanted. And when they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”

And so they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. When therefore the people saw the sign which he had performed, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were intending to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself alone.

Some here this evening, like myself I am sure, grew up in Reformed and Presbyterian churches. It is this tradition that has historically gone to great lengths to safeguard the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper from corruption. You may recall the story about John Calvin who stood between the table and some political leaders in the city of Geneva, declaring to them that they would partake of the supper only over his dead body. He took this stand because he was convinced that these men had greatly offended Jesus Christ through their sinful actions. The sacredness of this sacrament has further been guarded in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition by a seasonal, as opposed to a weekly, celebration.

Contrary to even Calvin’s wishes, since he desired a weekly communion, you may know that the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition nearly uniformly adopted a quarterly celebration. This was done in the belief that the infrequency of the celebration would prevent abuse through over-familiarity and would break the pattern established by Roman Catholic practice. The Reformed and Presbyterian tradition has also taken with great seriousness the instruction from 1 Corinthians 11:28: “Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” It was decided that ordinary church members could not be left entirely to themselves in this examination, and that special mechanisms must be put in place to ensure that self-examination. Therefore, in addition to the infrequent observance—four times a year—elaborate preparations were established to encourage this self-examination. Thus, it was the practice in many churches to hold week-long preparatory services or special services on the Sabbath or during the workweek prior to the celebration.

Maybe some of you are already aware of this practice. Perhaps it is part of your past experience. Perhaps you know that this practice continues in some places among Presbyterian and Reformed communities to this day. Of course, there have been other expressions of this Presbyterian and Reformed perspective.

For example, the old custom of giving tokens, often connected to whether or not a potential participant had fully taken part in the preparatory services leading up to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. In any case, we can clearly see that the Presbyterian and Reformed tradition has placed great importance on the worthy reception of the Lord’s Supper. Although our specific practice may differ somewhat from that of our ancestors, we continue to pursue a thoughtful and reverent approach to this sacrament.

However, when we look at John 6, particularly verses 5 to 10, we notice that our Lord’s concern here is somewhat different from what receives the most attention in our circles. We will not go through our defense of this point—that this chapter, John 6, is deeply concerned with Christ’s true purpose in the Lord’s Supper. We have already presented our argument for this in a previous message.

But notice, as we walk into the account of the feeding of the 5,000 here, that Jesus examines His disciples, not the multitude. He examines those who will assist Him in serving the multitudes, not the multitudes themselves. Now, of course, this says nothing to diminish the necessity of communicants, like the multitude, examining themselves. In fact, the scrutiny of the multitudes comes afterward, after the feeding of the 5,000 in John chapter 6, as Jesus later subjects many of those who feasted on the loaves and fishes to a test of their own. But at this moment, in verses 5 through 10, the testing is with respect to the disciples, and concerns most directly the spiritual condition of those who assist in the sacrament or who officiate.

Two disciples are prominent in this trial, Philip and Andrew. Interestingly, these two appear together in John’s Gospel on several occasions. You may recall the opening of this Gospel, John 1, verses 40 and following. We have these two figures appearing there. But if you turn to the twelfth chapter of John, you will notice them appearing once again in verses 20 and following. This is especially noteworthy.

If we divide the Gospel at the end of chapter 12, with chapters 1 through 12 forming the first division and chapters 13 through 21 forming the second, then these two men, this duo, appear at the beginning, in John 1, in the middle, in John 6, and at the conclusion, in John 12, of the first division of the Gospel.

To say the very least, Philip and Andrew are very important. As John writes his gospel, especially as you consider the opening twelve chapters, these two become, in a sense, representative disciples through whom Jesus deals with and addresses the others. You will note that Philip has special importance. Not only does he have preeminence in this text, with Jesus singling him out and addressing him first, but the preeminence of Philip continues into chapter 12, where the Greeks seeking Jesus come to Philip first. This importance of Philip carries over, interestingly, into the second part of John’s Gospel, and into a passage that reveals Philip’s heart and opens up for us his significance as he is presented in this Gospel.

Now, the passage I have in mind in the second part of John’s Gospel is John chapter 14, verse 8, where Philip says to Jesus, “Show us the Father, and it is enough.” Think about that request in light of what we have learned from the other passages that speak about Philip in the first part of John’s Gospel.

I am asking you to call upon your knowledge of those passages, because I am not going to review them all for you this evening. Philip, in John 14, makes it plain that the man who, in chapter 1, invited his friend Nathanael to come and see the Messiah, and who in chapter 12 was approached by Greeks who wanted to come and see Jesus, is the same man who, in chapter 14, has come to Jesus but does not yet see.

Essentially, then, Philip is a representative disciple who does not see in Jesus all that he must see. And even beyond that, in keeping with the statement that Philip makes in the fourteenth chapter, there is a remark that indicates a sense of dissatisfaction in him. It seems that in his address to Jesus in the fourteenth chapter, Philip wants something more than what God has given him in Christ. Show us the Father, and it will be enough, he says. This clearly indicates that, according to Philip, there is a deficiency in what has now been communicated to him. Therefore, Jesus says to Philip, and hear the kindness of Jesus’ words: Have I been with you so long, and you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father.

But it is this residual dissatisfaction, this spiritual blindness, that Jesus is addressing in Philip—and through him, the rest of the disciples, even here in John chapter 6. Specifically at this juncture is the nature of the test to which Jesus is now subjecting Philip in the sixth chapter. His purpose is to determine whether the disciples, through Philip, see in him all spiritual sufficiency, and whether they are truly satisfied with him. Indeed, Jesus asks Philip in the sixth chapter: Where are we to buy bread that these may eat?

In effect, Philip responds: I do not know. I do not know. But by this response, you see, Philip further indicates that he is still operating at a level far below the level at which Jesus is operating. Philip is operating on the level of this world, this creation, while Jesus is operating in an entirely different realm.

The exchange between Jesus and Philip points to a world known by Jesus, where no amount of money can purchase its blessings. Amazingly, no money is necessary to acquire its priceless treasures. Jesus’ inquiry of Philip arises from a completely different order of things, an entirely new order, a new world altogether. The arrival of this world was foreseen by Isaiah when he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to ask: Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for that which does not satisfy? You who have no money, come, buy and eat. Jesus is speaking from another world, a world in which he sees things that Philip does not. But what is it specifically that Philip is to see?

They are beside the sea. A large crowd is present. Jesus is there with the disciples. All the features of the landscape are visible. There are clouds overhead, and the sun is in the sky. The text tells us that there is much grass in the place. What specifically is Philip supposed to see? The answer to that question comes from several lines in the text.

First, note an interesting feature in the description of the setting. Verse 3 states that Jesus went up on the mountain. Hold that detail, please, and move to verse 15, which says that Jesus withdrew again to the mountain. Can you tell me, between verses 3 and 15, when Jesus came down from that mountain so that he could withdraw to it again?

We are not told. But why are we not told? John, as the instrument of the Holy Spirit, wishes to leave his readers with the impression that the feeding of the five thousand took place on the mountain. Why would John, the instrument of the Holy Spirit, want to leave his readers with that impression?

Because, you see, in biblical writing and literature, the mountain is the scene of glory, and the impact of the story is such that it bathes the event in the transcendent glory of God’s heavenly Zion. But not only is the reader to understand this, the text also shows that this understanding is essential. Even though Philip has descended at some point with Jesus to the plain for the purpose of feeding the multitudes, Philip is to see the scene overlaid with heavenly glory, and such perception is essential to a right understanding of and administration of the meal. When you partake, you are being taken to heaven. And those who officiate must know that and understand it. But further, what Philip is to see is suggested by an Old Testament parallel to John chapter 6.

I have in mind Numbers chapter 11, where we find the story of Israel’s great dissatisfaction in the wilderness, where the people craved meat. But you will recall in that story that the people’s discontentment bred discontentment in Moses also, who himself then questioned the sufficiency of God’s provision to him. Moses asks of God, and you can hear the whine and complaint in his voice, “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?” verse 13 in Numbers 11. Jesus here in John 6 has raised a similar question in Philip’s mind. Both Moses and Philip do not think they can find adequate provision. Both then, Moses and Philip, are being tested, and both are found wanting. But in Philip’s case, the issue is not simply the adequacy of the provision found in God, it is the source of that provision. In Numbers 11, Moses is answered by Jehovah. In John 6, Philip is answered by Jesus. Do you get the point? In Numbers 11, Moses is answered by Jehovah. In John 6, Philip is answered by Jesus. What is the conclusion? Jesus is Jehovah.

In the meal, Philip, one who administers the meal for Jesus, or with him, must see that this supper is set in glory and that it is presided over by Jesus Christ, God himself, who is present to provide adequate and satisfying provision to those who come to him.

Irrespective of the attitude of the multitudes, those who administer this meal must have a firm grasp on the heavenly environment into which they lead the people of God, and on the true nature of Jesus Christ, who is none other than God himself, sufficient in himself to satisfy his people’s deepest longing. It is imperative that the leaders of Christ’s Church and those who would administer the sacrament see these things clearly, so that the congregations that they serve might see them also.

If indeed, Lord, we are to be lifted up to glory in the sacrament, may it be true of us by faith that we see beyond these things in this creation to things greater still. And Lord, if we are to acknowledge that you and your Son are sufficient for us, let us do so even as we perceive that this One who comes to us, Jesus Christ, is God himself. At the very least, O God, may we see these things clearly, and as we do, may other blessings come upon us. Bless your church with ministers especially who see these things rightly. We ask this in Jesus’ name.

The sermon text provided above is derived from the sermon audio recording making use of generative tools. It has not been manually edited. While transcription tools have a high degree of accuracy, the output may include generative textual, punctuation, and/or formatting errors.