Seeing it from heaven's point-of-view: John 6

As I make my way slowly through the text of John's gospel I wonder how Jesus had some of his conversations with his disciples. In John 6 the narrative focuses on the "Bread of heaven" and it begins with Jesus sitting down with his disciples on a mountainside watching the crowd coming towards them.

John tells us that Jesus already knew what he was going to do, so the conversation with Philip is not in search of a solution but more in search of faith, finding out where Philip had got to on his spiritual journey. I imagine that Jesus sits down, leans across to Philip and casually asks him, "Philip, where shall we buy food for all these folk?"

The deeper question that might be hidden in that simple question is: Philip, what do you see, a problem or an opportunity? Can you see things from the perspective of heaven or can you only see them from an earthly perspective?

As I sorted out the photographs from the Wixams, I thought about the perspective I have as I look across the barren expanse that will eventually become village one. Do I see all the obstacles, all the reasons why we can't hope to reach all those new homes, new people, new families. Or do I take a heavenly perspective, offering the little I have in order to see the wonderful multiplication of the kingdom, the perspective from which Jesus sees things.