5 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?" 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."
Comments:
While Jesus was on the mountain teaching the disciples the multitude came crowding around Him. He knew what they wanted (see yesterday's reading) but despite their selfish motives He still had compassion for them and still ministered to them (see Mark 6:34, Matt. 14:14, and Luke 9:11). He also knew their needs, so He recognized that they were going to need food. He used this opportunity to teach His disciples a lesson. He knew what kind of response Philip would have but wanted to use this situation as an object lesson.
He asked Philip where they could get the food to feed so many people. This was a test to see where Philip's trust was. As you know, Philip failed; his focus was still on the worldly things. His first instinct was to turn to the fallible physical things (money) instead of the infallible God, who was standing right there with Him.
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