Doing the Math

A crowd follows Jesus by the Sea of Galilee, and a child offers five barley loaves and two dried fish. Jesus gives thanks, distributes the food, and feeds about 5,000 people until everyone is satisfied, then the disciples gather twelve baskets of leftovers. An accompanying painting and a child's retelling make the moment tangible, and John’s version of the story highlights that the boy’s food is poor person’s bread and dried fish, deepening the risk and faith in his giving. The narrative frames the problem as a kind of math: the elements for provision exist, yet fear, scarcity thinking, and narrow calculations convince people there is not enough.

A local congregation’s recent history replays the gospel logic: when volunteers, staff, space, and modest resources combined and offered themselves, the church experienced renewal and growth. The account of a cautious widow who hoards despite abundant assets illustrates how cultural narratives about security can mislead faithful people into fear-driven withholding. The text argues that fear, not greed, often blocks generosity; people hold tight because risk calculations convince them scarcity looms.

Contrasting “financial math” with “Jesus math,” the narrative insists that real multiplication happens when gifts circulate to meet needs—generosity produces communal abundance rather than mere individual accumulation. The story avoids promising material formulas but imagines that the boy likely received blessing rather than loss, and that leftovers could feed others again. Extending the insight, the text asks whether love, hope, justice, and care might multiply the same way food did—when enough people bring their gifts, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.

A litany of global prayers connects the miracle to the world’s hungers: conflict, displacement, climate stress, inequality, and civic division. The piece closes with a call to take risks of shared giving, to trust God’s invitation to multiply what is offered, and to become repairers of the breach through practical generosity, solidarity, and sustained prayer. The promise repeats: bring what exists, and watch how it multiplies for the good of many.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. A child's lunch becomes abundant The smallest, most humble offering can spark unexpected provision. Giving what one truly has—especially when that provision reveals poverty—tests faith and invites transformation. The story reframes giving as a risky trust that often yields communal flourishing rather than personal loss. [20:06]
• 2. Jesus multiplies what is shared Multiplication happens when resources move toward need, not when they sit guarded. The narrative shows distribution, thanksgiving, and the gathering of leftovers as evidence that sacred arithmetic rewards circulation. This challenges strategies that equate security only with accumulation and reframes stewardship as catalytic participation. [32:15]
• 3. Fear drives hoarding, not greed People with means sometimes refuse to give because fear shapes their calculations more than reality. Risk-avoidant hoarding grows from cultural stories that demand ever-more accumulation to guarantee safety. Breaking that cycle requires re-education of imagination and practice—small acts of trust that contradict scarcity narratives. [36:56]
• 4. Generosity builds communal security Generosity creates shared strength: pooled gifts meet needs now and produce abundance later. When enough committed people contribute what they can, systems of care emerge that prevent the social breakdown caused by fear-driven self-preservation. This model centers mutual dependence rather than isolated wealth. [42:30]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:10] - Children's painting and questions
• [20:06] - Joel's childlike retelling
• [25:13] - Gospel reading: John 6 begins
• [25:58] - The feeding of 5,000 described
• [27:47] - The boy's humble food explained
• [30:26] - Congregation's multiplication example
• [33:31] - Risk, fear, and the Catherine story
• [37:48] - Jesus math vs. financial math
• [40:13] - Multiplying love, hope, and justice
• [51:20] - Global prayers and intercession
• [59:32] - Blessing and sending forth

Bible reading: John 6:1-13 (ESV)
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

Observation questions

1. What specific details does John include about the boy's food that the other gospel writers do not, and what might that tell us about his situation? [27:47]
2. What was the initial reaction of the disciples when Jesus asked where to buy bread, and what does their calculation reveal about their perspective?
3. What three actions did Jesus take with the food before it was distributed to the crowd?
4. What was the final result after everyone had eaten as much as they wanted?

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus asked Philip where to buy bread, yet John notes that Jesus "himself knew what he would do." What might have been the purpose of asking a question he already knew the answer to?
2. The sermon suggests the real problem in the story was "a problem with math." [29:19] What does this mean, and how did the disciples' math differ from Jesus' math?
3. The story of "Catherine" illustrates how someone with significant resources can still be gripped by a fear of scarcity. [33:31] How does this story help interpret the mindset that prevents generosity?
4. The sermon contrasts "financial math" with "Jesus math." [37:48] What is the fundamental difference in how multiplication happens in these two systems?

Application questions

1. The boy offered his humble lunch, which was likely all he had. What is a "five barley loaves and two fish" kind of gift that you feel you have to offer, even if it seems small or insignificant?
2. Fear, not greed, is often what blocks generosity. [36:56] What specific fears (e.g., medical needs, retirement, instability) cause you to hesitate in sharing your time, talents, or treasure?
3. "Jesus math" argues that multiplication happens when gifts are circulated to meet needs, not when they are hoarded. [38:08] What is one practical step you can take this week to put a resource you have into circulation for the benefit of others?
4. The miracle produced an abundance of leftovers, suggesting the boy likely did not go home empty-handed. How have you experienced a personal blessing, or seen others blessed, after taking a risk to be generous?
5. The sermon wonders if love, hope, and justice can multiply in the same way the food did. [40:13] Where in your community or in the world do you see a deep hunger for these things, and what would it look like to offer your gift toward that need?
6. Generosity builds communal security rather than just individual security. [42:30] How can your small group, or your church, function more like a community that takes care of one another, making fear-driven self-preservation unnecessary?