He Himself Knew What He Would Do

After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased.
And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”
But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
[John 6:1-6 NKJV]

These first few verses of John 6 are intriguing, because they show us Jesus growing in stature and strength as He now knows that ‘His time has come’.

Jesus plainly at this time had a following and His reputation was spreading, so many came to hear Him and because they saw the healing work He had performed. This is early in Jesus’ ministry and — as is always the case — people only see what is of benefit to themselves. They have yet to see that He is the centre of their existence, not their own thoughts and ambitions.

First of all, we see that Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee — and naming it that is important for it was also known as the Sea of Tiberius, a Roman name. Galilee, however, is significant because it means commitment and trust at its essence. This is the point where Jesus committed Himself fully to the path He knew to be His destiny. He trusted the Father for the way ahead and so He knew in Himself what He would do.

Have you ever been in such a situation where despite the unfamiliar circumstances and a lack of certainty, you knew within yourself what you should do? The Holy Spirit will reveal to you the path, and often it will be counter-intuitive; it is the way you would not go if you tried to work it out for yourself. That is when trust is the only option; a commitment to Jesus and trust that He knows the answer.

When you are ‘all at sea’, the word is ‘Galilee’.

God cannot trust us with His unsearchable riches if we are not faithful in the least things. “The cares of this world” will make us put the least things as the most important.

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