Guitar Jim

Q3. (Daniel 7:18, 22, 27) Three times the angel assures Daniel that “the saints of the Most High” will ultimately receive the kingdom and possess it forever (Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27). In what circumstances is this truth most precious to God’s people? When they (we) are being persecuted. When tough times come, and not just spiritually tough either, we should take comfort from the knowledge that God is in Sovereign control and that in the long run we will be more than conquerors. In the Book of Revelation Jesus, in his messages to the seven churches, encourages them , and us, to hang in there. Those who do will enter the Kingdom. Though there may have been partial fulfilments, when do you expect the ultimate fulfilment? At the Second Coming. God, through Christ, established the beachhead with Jesus' death and resurrection and since then the Kingdom of God has been expanding. Before the Second Coming there will be serious problems for Christians, but we'll be saved from eternal destruction, not by out own might, but by Godly intervention.

Q1. (Daniel 7:1-2) What is the relationship of the Ancient of Days (God) to the various beastly nations that rage against each other and against him and his people? God is so far above them all in terms of power and authority that they're of little consequence in the grand scheme. Literally here today and gone tomorrow, while God is eternal. They rule for a time only because God permits it. They appear great and terrifying to their subjects, but to God they're pawns. He gave them their earthly power and he took it away when it suited Him. What happens to these beast-nations? One by one they were stripped of their power and glory. The fourth beast was completely destroyed while the others were permitted to live on, but with no real authority any more. Why is it sometimes so difficult to believe that God is in charge of the world we live in? World events happen and everyone despairs for the future. We see how things should be and yet governments seem to do the opposite, all the while telling us that harsh things have to happen to make a better future. These days various organisations are trying to gain control of the world politically and economically to everyone's detriment. People, even in our civilized age, are doing crueller and more heartless things to their fellow human beings than have been done for centuries . . and the cruelty to animals is getting unspeakably worse as well. Meanwhile the weather is getting wilder all the time and earthquakes and volcanoes are happening with greater frequency as well. Christians realize that all this has to happen but try telling that to unbelievers!! Even Christians sometimes wonder why God permits the things that are going on to occur. Those who preach only that God is Love must really struggle with God also being a consuming fire.

Q1. (Daniel 7:1-2) What is the relationship of the Ancient of Days (God) to the various beastly nations that rage against each other and against him and his people? God is so far above them all in terms of power and authority that they're of little consequence in the grand scheme. Literally here today and gone tomorrow, while God is eternal. They rule for a time only because God permits it. They appear great and terrifying to their subjects, but to God they're pawns. He gave them their earthly power and he took it away when it suited Him. What happens to these beast-nations? One by one they were stripped of their power and glory. The fourth beast was completely destroyed while the others were permitted to live on, but with no real authority any more. Why is it sometimes so difficult to believe that God is in charge of the world we live in? World events happen and everyone despairs for the future. We see how things should be and yet governments seem to do the opposite, all the while telling us that harsh things have to happen to make a better future. These days various organisations are trying to gain control of the world politically and economically to everyone's detriment. People, even in our civilized age, are doing crueller and more heartless things to their fellow human beings than have been done for centuries . . and the cruelty to animals is getting unspeakably worse as well. Meanwhile the weather is getting wilder all the time and earthquakes and volcanoes are happening with greater frequency as well. Christians realize that all this has to happen but try telling that to unbelievers!! Even Christians sometimes wonder why God permits the things that are going on to occur. Those who preach only that God is Love must really struggle with God also being a consuming fire.

Q4. (Daniel 4:30; 5:18-21) How does pride show itself in Nebuchadnezzar’s life? Nebuchnezzer thought he was unconquerable and didn't need to answer to any man or any god. He considered himself to be a self-made man who took great pride in all he'd done. In what ways does it show up in your life? I'm a good guitarist. Better than most out there. But I acknowledge God as the One who has made my solo music career, which I began at 43 years of age, even possible. Every now and then though, I get an overblown sense of my own worth. That's pride. I'm glad I read this lesson this morning because even today I was thinking along those lines and I repented. Thank God. Pride is tricky. How can pride mask itself with humility? Quite simply, we can be proud of our humility! Humility is a funny thing. The minute you tell someone you're humble, you're not. I think the best way to go is to quietly acknowledge God as the provider of every good thing. Did we buy ourself something we really like? Thank God for the ability to earn the money to buy that. Have we had success at work? Thank God for enabling us to achieve whatever we have achieved.

Q1. (Daniel 1:1-5) Have you ever made a rapid transition between your customary culture and a new and radically different culture? What did it feel like? Were you able to take your faith with you, or did it fade to the background during this time? I haven't ever had to go to another country or change to another culture but I suppose, on a smaller scale, the transition from school life to working life, changing jobs from one career to another altogether, and things like that all could, and have, caused considerable stress to someone like me who is resistant to change. In my case the transition from high school to working life was a huge challenge. At 17 I was a man physically but still immature mentally in that I was green to the ways of the world. To my shame I admit that my faith did fade so far into the background that I considered myself a believer in God but not fully Christian any more. It took three career changes and some pretty serious issues to bring me back to the point where I returned to the fold.

Q4. (5:13-14) What does it tell us about the status of the Lamb that he is worshipped alongside "him who sits on the throne"? The slain Lamb who purchased redemption for Mankind and for Creation itself is mentioned in the same line of the song of praise as God the Father Himself. The only conclusion to be made is that the Lamb of God is, in fact. God the Son. Reading that verse in total isolation, perhaps another conclusion could be reached, but with the weight of Scripture and the rest of the Book of Revelation itself to back it up, there is no doubt whatever that Jesus is God.

Q3. (Revelation 5:5) What has the Lamb done to "triumph" and so become worthy to take the scroll and open its seals? (Hint: See the "for" or "because" clause in 5:9 for the answer.) The Lamb . . Jesus Himself . . was slain and with His precious blood He purchased, or redeemed, people from every tribe, language, people and nation on earth. With this ultimate act . . and it was the ultimate act because no one can give more than His own life in any situation . . that made Jesus, the Son of Almighty God, worthy to open the seals and take His place as Ruler of all things, together with God the Father!!

Q1. (Revelation 5:5) Why is the Lamb called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" and "the Root of David"? What do these titles signify about him? As Pastor Ralph wrote in the text of this lesson, the prophecy made by Jacob the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, concerning his son Judah in which Judah is called a crouching lion will be fulfilled. Judah's descendants were also prophesied to become the leading tribe of the nation of Israel. This came to be the case by the time of the divided kingdom when Judah and Benjamin became the southern kingdom and were blessed by God . . as Jacob had prophesied a thousand years earlier . . and the northern kingdom just went from bad to worse! At the time these things were written the fiercest creature on earth was the lion. Lions also symbolized royalty and power. Isaiah had prophesied concerning the coming Messiah, calling Him the Root of David. This is curious because Jesus was David's earthly descendant while also being David's spiritual ancestor when we consider God's statement that He would be the Father to the king of Israel. 2 Samuel 7:14. So in Apocalyptic language the circle is complete.

Q5. In what way does each celebration of the Lord's Supper anticipate a future Passover meal? (Matthew 26:29; Luke 13:28-29; 14:15; 22:30; Revelation 19:9; 1 Corinthians 11:26) ​The Lord's Supper is a remembrance meal to commemorate the Lord's death till He comes again. As we remember His death, we also remember and rejoice at his resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ assures us that we who believe will also be raised from physical death at His second coming. Those raised from death will sit at the wedding feast of the Lamb in Heaven and be united with all the saints from the very beginning of Mankind. So when we partake of the Lord's Supper we do so with a great hope.

Q4. Why is it so important to forgive those who have offended us before partaking of the Lord's Supper? Jesus Himself set us the standard for worshipping at the Temple. He told His followers that if they have anything against a brother they should reconcile that before coming into God's presence. He also told them . . and us . . that if we do not forgive people who've wronged us then neither will God the Father forgive us. Very sobering words. That is something I've been struggling with for a very long time because plenty of people who've wronged me are still doing it to this day! Also, the life I lead today is a consequence of what happened up to 45 years ago when I was in high school. It's the very hardest thing to let all of that go and to not think about how people's actions impact our lives. That's part of forgiveness . . letting the person off the hook. Not constantly reminding yourself of the wrongs done you is an integral part of forgiveness. Every now and then I take time to actually forgive anew everyone I can think of who've wronged me. I believe we have to do that because even though we say the words, do we actually forgive? Do we actually fully let them off the hook? If we somehow or in some way get an opportunity to exact revenge, would we take it? To my shame I might . . and no jury on earth would convict me for it. But God would, and that's the whole point. In what sense are the Lord's Supper and unforgiveness incompatible? (Consider Matthew 26:28; 1 Corinthians 11:27; Matthew 6:14-15; 5:23-24; James 5:16.) Jesus suffered and died . . and rose again . . so that all who believe in Him might be forgiven. If we then selfishly don't forgive others we're denying Jesus' sacrifice it's power.

Q3. Why should the words, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28) fill us with sorrow? Because Jesus had to die for us. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness from sin. That's what God ordained. Jesus paid our penalty for us and died in our place. We still suffer physical death, of course, but are spared the second death, which is eternal separation from God in hell. Why should they fill us with joy? Well, for the exact same reasons outlined above.

Q1. In what way did the lambs on the first Passover protect the families of God's people? (Exodus 12) What is the primary point of comparison between the first Passover lambs and what Christ did for us as our Passover Lamb? The blood of the first passover lambs was put on the sides and the top of the door posts of every Israelite's house. In addition they were to eat the meat together in their homes and discard what was not eaten. The blood wiped on the door posts was a sign. God's angel of death would see the blood and not strike down anyone in that household. He killed the first born of every household in Egypt, right down to the farm animals in every household that did not have lamb's blood on the door posts. Thus the blood saved everyone under its protection. The primary point of comparison between the first Passover and Christ's sacrifice is that WE come under the protection of His blood. If we accept Jesus as our Saviour we are protected from the wrath of God. We are saved from the consequences of our sin. In addition, I believe the first Passover also introduced the concept of eating the flesh of the passover lamb. We partake of the Lord's Supper as a symbolic way of eating His flesh and drinking His blood to remember His sacrifice until He comes again. I agree with Pastor Ralph that Jesus did indeed see Himself as the final Passover Lamb. He was indeed the perfect sacrifice in every way.

Q4. (John 7:37-39) In Jesus’ teaching on streams of living water from within, whom does he invite to drink? Anyone who is thirsty . . That is spiritually thristy What does he promise to believers? Jesus says that streams of living water will flow from within the person who drinks from Jesus' spiritual water. The believer himself will be a source of living water if he/she is in Christ. How is this fulfilled at Pentecost rather than immediately after Jesus spoke it? The spring of living water that comes from the believer is the Holy Spirit, who had not yet been given. That occured on the day of Pentecost. To what degree has this been fulfilled in your life? Unfortunately I've had more downs than ups in my Christian walk

Q3. (John 7:17) Can we truly know God’s will if we’re not really willing to obey the truth we know? Why not? I don't think so. Things happen when they're ready to happen. As Jesus said earlier in our lessons on John's Gospel, no one can come to salvation unless God enables him/her to come. Even then, God has a timetable at work regarding our sanctification. I'm sure we've seen people who you'd think would be still newbies in the faith, yet are attending Bible college and on their way to being called Reverend. God purposely fast-tracked them because it was His will and pleasure to do so, just like He did with the apostle Paul. Then there are those of us who seem to struggle all the time with the basics of Christian living. We seem to be on the verge of a productive ministry, only to have life and circumstances snatch it away. How happy the person who has an unshakable faith that he's in the will of God and is on the life path God has set before him.

Q2. (John 7:15-17) How were rabbis trained in Jesus’ day? They were instructed in the Scriptures by older more experienced rabbis. As time went by the accumulated wisdom was disseminated among the rabbinical community. Every now and then an outstanding rabbi would come along who very possibly gained an insight from God via a direct impression on his heart by the Holy Spirit and he could impart new and deeper understanding of their Scriptures. Gamaliel was just such a man. When the more hot-headed Jewish authorities were screaming for the execution of the Apostles, Gamaliel was the voice of reason who convinced them to leave them be and see if their movement flourished or died out. Very wise man. How was Jesus trained? Apart from being the Son of God, Jesus also spent many hours every week in solitary prayer, communicating with His Father and thus gained even more wisdom as he matured physically and mentally. Jesus' training, as such, was in fact his complete surrendering to the will of God and His total obedience to the Father's plans for Him while on earth. There was no human agent at work there. Remember when He was only 12. He astounded the teachers of the Law in Jerusalem in His discussions with them. Such was His wisdom even back then. How were his disciples trained? Jesus taught His disciples completely on the job. Scripture doesn't go into much details regarding the private conversations He had with them but we do have many of Jesus' parables that He used to teach the general population. The Bible tells us that Jesus spoke plainly to His disciples when explaining the things of God to them. Jesus actually said to them that the secrets of the Kingdom of God have been shown to them but not to the rest of the people. That was why He used parables in His general teachings. After His resurrection He opened their minds even further to let them understand everything in the Scriptures fully. Only after He'd done that did He ascend back to Heaven. What is the value of formal theological training? Just like in Jesus' time on earth, there has been a tremendous amount of wisdom accumulated regarding the Bible. It makes excellent sense to go to a school where that wisdom is taught. It's much easier than trying to mull everything through on your own! What is the value of learning to hear and obey the voice of the Spirit? While formal learning is certainly valuable, so is learning to hear the voice of God. Sometimes in a situation where I'm uncertain how to procede, a verse of the Bible might come to me . . out of the blue. I get emailed to me every day a one page Bible study called "The Word For Today". Most weeks there'll be something I can apply to my life and present situation on perhaps four or five out of the seven days! When I consider that it was written weeks ahead and sent out to hundreds of people each day, that is all the proof I need that God is mightily using Bob and Debbie to write that daily study. It's exceedingly rare for anyone to actually hear God's voice in their head. But it's very common to have the Bible passages jump out at you as you read it. It's not called the Word of God because he doesn't use it to talk to us!

Q1. (John 7:1-5) Why did Jesus stay in Galilee and avoid Jerusalem? Jesus had a very specific timetable and if He'd gone to Jerusalem at the height of His popularity and made a big show of it, there'd have been no way to stick to His schedule. His enemies would have ordered Him killed on the spot . . if the people hadn't tried to make Him king by force and started a riot, in which case He'd still have been killed! He did end up going, but kind of snuck in, out of the limelight. What is the balance between taking precautions to protect yourself and trusting yourself into God’s care? God does indeed take care of us, but we still have to be sensible about how we live our lives. While the Bible contains accounts of how God miraculously saved people from fire, famine, wild animals, overwhelming odds in battles, etc . . We shouldn't necessarily put Him to the test by placing ourselves in precarious situations and then expect God to jump in and rescue us.

Q5. (John 6:53-59) What is “eating the Bread of Life” a metaphor of? Believing that Jesus is the source of eternal life. Without Jesus' sacrifical death and subsequent resurrection we'd have no eternal life. The metaphor of eating the bread of life means to take into ourself Jesus' teachings. Just as physical bread sustains physical life, so does consuming the bread of life . . taking into our hearts and minds and accepting wholeheartedly Jesus' death on our behalf . . give us eternal spiritual life. What is “eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood” a metaphor of? This is a metaphor for absorbing into our hearts and minds Jesus' teachings and accepting his life, by the indwelling Holy Spirit, as our new source of life via spiritual nourishment. Of course while we're alive physically we still need physical food and drink to live. To live spiritually we need Jesus' spiritual nourishment. I believe also that Jesus was foretelling and preparing his hearers for the custom of Christian communion. To my way of thinking the Eucharist teaching is one of many that serve to diminish Jesus finished work of the Cross. I have no doubt that many Catholics, High Anglicans, and other ritualistic denominations have real hearts for God and have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The problems with those denominations are their insistence on all the extra bits that have come to be added on over the centuries . . the inclusion of patron saints worthy of worship, the worship of Mary, Jesus' mother, as a go-between to intercede for us with God the Father, the Eucharist actually magically becoming Jesus' very flesh and blood and the insistence that in this form it's necessary for eternal life, the sacrements taking on a role in a person's personal salvation . . These are all man-made teachings that are either not in the Bible (even the Catholic Bible), misinterpretations of the Bible's teachings, or simply made up in the same way the Pharisees made up rules for righteousness that cancelled out the Grace of God and His commandments, in favor of human wisdom. They have these doctrines of rites that almost supercede the work of Jesus in procuring our salvation at the cost of His own life, and His resurrection that guarantees our eternal life if we unite with Him and share in His baptism. Even physical baptism, although highly recommended in Scripture, isn't ultimately necessary for Salvatiom, as vividly illustrated at Jesus' crucifixion when He saved the thief on the cross next to Him. The repentant thief's faith in Jesus was sufficient unto salvation . . Praise God! When Jesus said "It is finished!" He didn't mean that we should find other things to do to ensure our salvation. He had done all that God the Father required to be done. All we have to do is believe and accept Jesus' finished work on our behalf and make up our minds and hearts to follow His teaching and example and invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts to help us do that. How are these metaphors similar to each other? They both require us to believe in Jesus as God the Son and as the source of eternal life. Those who do not have the Son do not have life. It's no coincidene that John wrote that too! Why do you think Jesus used such a vivid and repugnant metaphor? Jesus frequently used hyperbole to get His message across. Did He know that many would no longer follow Him after telling them to eat His flesh and drink His blood? I believe definitely that He certainly did. He already knew they'd bolt! Jesus wanted followers during His time on Earth who would stick with Him and not turn away when confronted with hard to accept teachings. Not wanting to pre-empt tomorrow's lesson, but read the next few verses and see Peter's reply to Jesus when asked if he he too would desert Him. THAT'S the kind of disciple Jesus wants!

Q4. (John 6:35-51) What does the metaphor of “eating the Bread of Life” mean in practical terms? Believing fully in Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life is to eat the Bread of Life. To accept fully that Jesus is the Son of God who poured out His very life's blood for our salvation is to eat the bread of life. To extend the same metaphor, what do you think might be the difference between nibbling the Bread of Life rather than actually making a meal of it? Just superficially believing in Jesus isn't the same as accepting Him as Lord of our lives. Jesus shed His blood for the remission of our sins. To drink His blood is to accept and fully believe that His blood has washed us clean. The Communion elements are a reminder that Jesus body was sacrificed and His blood was shed on our behalf. I'll never believe that they magically become Christ's body and blood. Jesus told us to do this in rememberance of Him.

Q3. (John 6:37, 44, 65) What is the significance of Jesus’ teaching that only the ones the Father “draws” to him can come to him? Everything is under God's Sovereign control, even who will believe and be saved and who won't. Jesus is pretty clear on that. Even in our unsaved state, God made it possible for us to respond to the Gospel of Christ. If He'd let our hearts stay hard we wouldn't be Christians now. In what way does this sound like predestination? Well, it could be construed . . and I didn't say "misconstrued" . . that God has chosen those who will be saved well before their actual salvation takes place. Other Scriptures back that up. St. Paul says that we were chosen before the creation of the world to belong to Christ. How does the Holy Spirit prepare people to put their faith in Christ? A person's heart needs to be prepared to receive the Gospel. Our hearts needed to be primed, as it were, to accept the teachings unto salvation. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. We may not recognize or accept that God had intervened in our hearts, but He did nonetheless. Our decision to follow Christ was made under the influence of God's Spirit in our hearts and minds. I often struggle with my Christian walk, even to the extent of doubting that God has actually chosen me. Jesus' words: "Many are called but few are chosen" keeps ringing in my ears. Jesus's rebuking of seemingly righteous people when He told them that even if they drive out demons in His name and do everything in His name, they're still not guaranteed a place in Heaven. He could still say to them: Depart from Me, I never knew you. These are very chilling passages indeed. We could live a seemingly victorious Christian life and still not make it into the Kingdom of God.

Q2. (John 6:28-29) What kind of “works” do people sometimes pursue to please God? The "works" that will show everyone that they're Christians. Attending church, giving money to worthy causes, abstaining from bad behavior and questionable habits, etc. These "works" are what we should be doing, but they should be done as the results of the in-dwelling Holy Spirit in our lives, and not just done in our own capacity. James says faith should produce good works, and it does. But good works won't produce faith. According to Jesus, what is the most important “work” that God requires of us? The most important "work" we can do is to believe in Jesus as the One God sent to save us. That's our starting point. To fully believe in Jesus as God the Son is the pre-requisite to being a Christian. When we have faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, good works will come naturally and easily to us. We'll want to turn our hands to pleasing God when we have the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Q1. (John 6:26-27) Why were some of these “believers” following Jesus? What were their selfish motives? These "temporary" followers had been fed in a miraculous way and were probably wanting to see Jesus perform another miracle. They were baffled at His disappearance as well. They'd wittnessed and partaken in something so extraordinary that their minds just couldn't grasp it fully. They were also perhaps wanting another free meal. For what motives do true disciples seek Jesus? True disciples seek Jesus to hear the words that lead to eternal life, to quote Peter. In another passage many disciples left Jesus because His teachings were "too hard". When Jesus saw Peter hadn't left, He asked him why he'd stuck around. Peter replied: Where else can I go? You have the words of eternal life!

Q5. (John 6:14) How does the people’s desire to make him king relate to the third temptation Jesus met in the wilderness (Luke 4:9)? The devil tempted Jesus with the offer of dominion over the world if He would bow down and worship him (the devil that is). In this scenario, the people would have made Jesus king by force, or tried to, and that would have amounted to the same result. Jesus had come into the world not to become its king on this occasion, but to establish the beginning of the Kingdom of God. When He comes again, THEN he'll come as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. What would have happened to God’s plan of redemption if Jesus hadn’t retreated to the hills on this occasion? It simply wouldn't have happened. Jesus had to die . . after being despised and rejected by men. He definitely hadn't come to set up a worldy kingdom at this time. We note how Jesus was careful to make sure that all the prophetic words written about him in Scripture came to pass. He had to get out of Dodge, so to speak, otherwise the whole plan God had set in motion would have been ruined. Why must we carefully consider people’s plans for our lives? Anyone who's lived a bit knows that most people want to simply use and abuse you. We're fortunate indeed if we have two or three real true friends in our entire lifetime. It's really hurtful when a false friend shows his true colors . . and it happens all too frequently. Myself . . Whenever someone tells me I'm his good right arm, I run like hell these days. If anyone is always telling you what a good freind he/she is, they're really not. If people stop contacting you once they've got what they need from you, they were never your friend. I must have moved furniture for people, some friends and some just because I saw it as Christian service to help someone who couldn't afford a professional removalist, at least 20 times over the years when I was a truck driver. I used to laugh at the time and say: I bet that when I have to move I'll have to do it all myself or call in a removalist. Sure enough . .

Q3. (John 6:11) How did Jesus distribute the multiplied loaves and fishes to the multitudes? How do the disciples fit in? How are the baskets used? Jesus broke the bread and the fish into pieces which then miraculously multiplied to fill the baskets. The disciples then carried the baskets to the seated multitude. What impression do you think this is making on the disciples as they work hard during the ongoing miracle? I think dumbstruck would be an appropriate answer here. Jesus was creating food from thin air right in front of them! When you're in the presence of a miracle as it's happening you just go with the flow. You don't question it; you just accept it and watch things unfold. If asked to participate, you just do it. It's pretty hard NOT to.

Q2. (John 6:10) Why does Jesus have the crowds sit down before feeding them? What is the disciples’ role in this? Jesus had the people sit down in orderly groups so that they could be fed more easily. There would have been utter chaos if they all rushed to Jesus at once. I imagine the people became expectant for something to happen. Jesus had just taught them and now there would have been an aura of expectation in the air as the disciples were organizing them into groups. The disciples' role in this was to prepare the people for Jesus' miracle. Why would you prepare for a miracle if you don’t think it would happen? How ready is your congregation to see miracles take place? I think the disciples did think Jesus was going to do something extraordinary. They'd been there when He turned ordinary water into fine wine. I reckon they were not totally lacking in belief that He was about to do another miracle. Just as Jesus had gotten the servants at the wedding to fill the jars in preparation, so this time He got his disciples to firstly source what little food was there and then to organize the people. I reckon the disciples knew Jesus was about to astound them yet again.

Q1. (John 6:5-9) Why does Jesus try to get the disciples to own the task of feeding the crowds? When God commissions us to a ministry or a specific task, He wants us to embrace it . . to own it, so to speak. Here Jesus taught His disciples that through faith in Him they could accomplish the impossible. He wanted them to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He could do anything! But first He needed to show them that this miracle was supremely supernatural. What is the significance to the story of the boy’s five loaves and two little fish? The loaves and fishes in the story serve to emphasize that with God nothing is impossible. With such a tiny resource Jesus multiplied the food to not only feed everyone but to have some left over!