EXCERPTS FROM THE MINISTRY

2. In Resurrection

John 6:9 tells us that the five loaves are barley loaves. In figure, barley typifies the resurrected Christ (Lev. 23:10). Thus, the barley loaves signify Christ in resurrection as food to us. While the loaves are of the vegetable life, signifying the generating aspect of Christ’s life, the fishes are of the animal life, signifying the redeeming aspect of Christ’s life. To satisfy our spiritual hunger, we need Christ’s generating life as well as His redeeming life. Both of these aspects are symbolized by small items—loaves and fishes. This indicates that the heavenly King did not come to His followers in this age to reign over them as a great King, but as small pieces of food to feed them.

3. With an Overflow

Verse 20 says, “And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up what was over and above of the fragments, twelve baskets full.” Twelve baskets full of fragments indicate not only that the resurrected Christ is unlimited and inexhaustible, but also that the Lord’s provision for us is abundant, more than sufficient to meet all our need. The five loaves and two fishes satisfied about five thousand men, apart from women and children (v. 21). What we offer to the Lord may be very little; but the blessing will be great, and the overflow, the surplus, will be greater than what we offered. What we offer to the Lord cannot be exhausted. Rather, it will be used by the Lord to bless others abundantly, even with a surplus, to testify that this is the Lord’s marvelous doing. In this record of the miracle, the Holy Spirit’s intention in His inspiration is to show that the real need of the followers of the heavenly King is the proper food to satisfy their hunger. The disciples of Christ did not know this, nor did the crowds who followed. The heavenly King knew this and would do something miraculously to impress them with their real need and His provision for that need. All they needed was His resurrection life to satisfy their spiritual hunger, as signified in this miracle.

What the heavenly King did also clearly indicates that He provides for the necessities of His followers while they follow Him in this rejecting world. This corresponds with His word in the heavenly constitution that the kingdom people need not be anxious concerning what they shall eat (6:31-33).

In following the rejected King, we must pass through many kinds of rejections. After these rejections, we shall be in want and have certain needs. But do not worry about your needs or be anxious concerning them, for the Lord takes care of them, even at the end of the day in a desert place. The Lord has a way to meet your need. Simply offer what you are and what you have into His hand, let Him break the offering, and let the broken offering feed the hungry ones. If you do this, you will enjoy satisfaction, and there will be a surplus remaining.

What the rejected King did in 14:14-21 was not merely a miracle to feed people. The miracle here indicates that as the rejected King, Christ has the adequate, sufficient, rich life supply for His followers. He not only takes care of our physical and material needs; He also affords the life supply to satisfy our hunger. Many of us can testify that after passing through rejection, we came into a situation where we had a shortage. Nevertheless, the Lord took care of us, and we did not lack anything. Eventually, we did not care about the material supply, but about the life supply to satisfy our spiritual hunger. As we follow the rejected King on the pathway to glory, we can testify that we are enjoying the life supply. Moreover, we are feeding others. And after such an enjoyment, there are still twelve baskets full of life supply.

Now we can say that this pathway is very good. Although here we have rejection and want, He is our life supply. He takes care of our physical needs and renders the rich life supply, even with an overflow, to meet our spiritual need. Therefore, we can say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Not only are we without want—we are rich, we are satisfied, and we have twelve baskets full. With Him we have the material supply and the life supply. As we follow Him, even in the desert, we enjoy Him as our source of supply. Thus, we are not afraid of anything. Because He is with us, we shall not want. As long as we have His presence, everything is all right. We welcome the rejection and, in a sense, we even welcome the situation of being in want, for we have Him. Our need affords Him an excellent opportunity to do something for us.