200 Denarii And Beyond

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. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little."

John 6:5-7

Jesus was having some fun with His disciples in this story. He had been performing miracles of healing and therefore drew a large crowd. He looked up and saw a huge number of people following and He asks the question, "Where shall we buy bread?"

Philip shows by his response that though he has just seen Jesus heal the multitudes miraculously, he does not understand that the Lord also can feed them in the same fashion. “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient” He says.

It is believed that a denarii in the time of Jesus was equivalent to a day’s wages for a laborer. So for Philip, who perhaps had never seen this much money, 200 denarii was as far as his imagination could take him. Jesus wants Philip and the other disciples to have their faith stretched beyond their capacity to believe.

"There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" (John 6:9) What a question posed to the master of the universe, the One by Whom all things were made. Did Jesus need 10 loaves and 4 fish to feed everyone? Or how about 40 loaves and 16 fish, “You think you can work with that Lord?” The number of loaves and fish did not matter to Jesus, nor should it matter to us His disciples. In one sense, the loaves and fish on hand represent our unbelief and our lack of spiritual vision. Jesus has no such restriction. The disciples then hand the fish and bread to Him and watch Him work. It is truly amazing. Everyone had more than they needed and as much as they wanted. When all was said and done there were twelve baskets of fragments, which to me represents how God can multiply our faith when we give Him the little that we have.

“So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

200 denarii was Philips "Faith Horizon." Can you believe beyond the problems that confront you today though they seem insurmountable? What is your "Faith Horizon?" Is there something that you are not willing or able to trust God for, or is nothing impossible for you? Give what faith you have to Jesus now and watch Him work a miracle in your life beyond your horizon of faith.