THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
John 6:1-71
INTRODUCTION
Starting in chapter 5 and running through chapter 10 John is showing that the major institutions, especially the Jewish festivals, find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. In chapter 5 John showed that the work that the Father performs on the Sabbath is the same work that Jesus Himself performs not only on the Sabbath but on every other day of the week as well. Starting in chapter 6 John will show that the major Jewish feasts have ultimate significance only in their relationship to Jesus. Whereas the first Passover was the most dramatic moment in the history of Israel for 1400 years, it nevertheless pointed beyond itself to Jesus, the ultimate fulfillment and goal of the Passover.
(A key element in each of the episodes in chapters 5-10 is Jesus’ repeated claim to deity. During each major feast Jesus declares His deity.)
Before we look at chapter 6, we need to remember the events which were associated with that first Passover. It is probably better not to restrict this to just the Passover. Rather the Passover itself was one part of a greater event, the first Exodus, that is, the event in which God delivered His people in a dramatic way from the oppression of the Egyptians and their Pharaoh. Several key elements make up that first Exodus:
(1) God began the Exodus first by appearing to Moses in the burning bush and revealing Himself to Moses as “I Am” (Exodus 3:14). In order to convince the Israelites that God was with him, Moses felt like he needed to be able to tell them God’s name. God informed Moses that whenever he had to identify the God who had sent him, he was to tell the people that the name of the Lord was “Yahweh,” that is, “I Am.”
(2) On the night before the great exodus from Egypt, God instructed the people to serve a meal which featured primarily a lamb without spot or blemish. The lamb was a sacrificial lamb, not just the protein portion of the meal. The Israelites were to slay the lamb, spread its blood over the portals and lintels of the house so that whenever the angel of death saw the blood, he knew that a life had already been taken in that household. He could then move onto the next household. The Israelites had to eat the lamb in order to show that they were applying the sacrifice to themselves. By eating the lamb they were claiming that the death of the lamb substituted for the death of their firstborn child.
(3) After the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh had a change of heart and decided to slaughter the leadership in the wilderness and bring the rest back to Egypt as slaves. When the Israelites saw that the Egyptians had them penned in between the chariots and the Red Sea, God moved upon the surface of the Red Sea and rescued the Israelites from Pharaoh.
(4) The deliverance did not stop at the Red Sea because the Israelites had one more enemy to face, the Sinai wilderness. For the next 40 years the Israelites would face a most unwelcome environment which was unable to support them physically. God though provided for them daily by miraculously producing for them manna, a wafer-like substance, in the wilderness.
All these elements will play a major role in the following story. (Just a side note. With the exception of the resurrection of Jesus, the feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle recorded in all four Gospels. It is such a unique miracle and one which made such an imprint upon the mind of the early Christians that all four Gospel writers made sure it made its way into their accounts of the life of Jesus.)
THE MIRACLES (John 6:1-21)
Feeding of the 5000 (6:1-15)
It is Passover time (early Spring), approximately one year before Jesus is to die. Jesus has received news that Herod Antipas has just beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus knows that the Baptist’s death previews what is about to happen to Him next year at this time. Most likely in order to process the Baptist’s death and in order to mentor His 12 disciples so that they will be ready to take up His work after His ascension, Jesus withdraws from Galilee where He has been ministering for the past 2+ years and heads for the region N/NE of the Sea of Galilee. At first He stops at Bethsaida which is on the NE shore of the Sea of Galilee.
The Galilean crowds though won’t let Jesus get away. Because of Jesus’ healing ministry the crowds persist in following Him. When Jesus sees the crowds, He turns to Philip and asks him where they can get enough food for the crowd. Now the crowd numbers 5,000 men; when the children and women are added, there was a minimum of 10,000 but more likely 15 to 20,000. Jesus asks Philip first in order to test Him and second because Philip is from that region. Now Jesus knows what He is going to do. He just wants Philip and the rest of the disciples to realize that they are facing a God-kind of situation which only God can handle so that when something does happen, they will know that God did it.
God does this quite often in our lives. He places us in situations which we can’t control or change: a hostile work environment, a wayward spouse, sickness, loss of job, etc. God allows these to come into our lives so that we will know that we can’t solve the problems. When this does happen, we need to step back and allow God to work His miracle.
Philip sizes up the situation and realizes that it is hopeless. They have in the apostolic treasury only 200 denarii, about 2/3 of a year’s worth of wages (~$30k). Andrew runs up and announces that he has found a boy with 5 barley loaves (most likely 5 wafers made of barley, the grain eaten by the poor) and 2 fish (most likely the small sardine-like fish which the people dried or pickled). Even Andrew admits though that from a human standpoint the situation is hopeless.
Jesus instructs the disciples to seat the people. After giving thanks for the small provision, Jesus takes the fish and loaves, and multiplies them. (Notice that Jesus does not ask the Father to multiply the bread and fish; He gives thanks. In the Gospel of John Jesus’ prayers take on mainly the form of thanksgiving. He doesn’t ask the Father to do something; He finds out what God wants from Him and then thanks God for what He is about to do through Him! When we ask for things we better ask for God’s blessing because that request most likely came from us and not from God!) In fact He multiplies them to such an extent that after the people have been completely satisfied, the disciples pick up enough of the remaining pieces of bread and fish to fill 12 baskets. We see here once more that in the days of the Messiah, blessings will abound.
The people immediately get excited over what they have just witnessed. On the basis of Deut. 18:18, they believed that the Messiah would in many respects resemble Moses. In fact one of the miracles the Messiah was going to perform was the giving of manna in the wilderness. They believe that they have seen this miracle performed right in front of their eyes. They decide that Jesus is that Messiah, the prophet Moses predicted would come. When they realize that Jesus is resistant to such a motion, they determine He’s going to be their Messiah whether He likes it or not. Jesus realizing the seriousness of the situation (the 12 disciples are probably getting caught up in this messianic fever) sends the 12 disciples to embark on a boat and head for Capernaum. Jesus in the meanwhile heads further up into the mountain to conceal Himself from the crowds.
Jesus Walks on the Sea (6:16-21)
While the disciples are headed for Capernaum, a squall hits the Sea of Galilee. This sea is noted for such events. It is surrounded on nearly every side by small mountains. At the southwest corner though there is an opening through which rough winds can enter into this mountainous bowl. Once the rough winds enter, they swirl round and round creating a whirlpool effect on the Sea of Galilee. The squalls can hit suddenly without any notification and end just as abruptly. Many capable sailors have died on this sea because of this phenomenon. The 12 disciples find themselves in such a situation.
It is become dark and the situation is treacherous for the disciples. Suddenly they see Jesus walking on the water approaching the boat. At first they are frightened because they fear that they are seeing a ghost. Jesus though cries out, “I Am He” (remember that the word “He” is italicized because it is not in the original Greek). At that moment the disciples welcome Jesus into the boat. To their amazement they discover that they have miraculously arrived at the shore.
The Meaning of the Miracles
The miracles point out that just as God effected a great deliverance for His people approximately 1400 years earlier, He was now delivering them again but in an even greater way. God had fed the people in the wilderness for 40 years; He was now going to feed them once more with bread that completely satisfies. God had moved upon the surface of the waters at the Red Sea; God is now once more moving across the waters which engulf His people to save them. Once more it is not just a mere man though who is bringing them salvation; the great “I Am” is coming to rescue His people.
THE SERMON ON THE BREAD OF LIFE (6:22-71)
The next day the crowd which witnessed the feeding of the 5000 look for Jesus at the site where the miracle occurred. When they do not find Jesus, they smell that something is fishy. They suspect that Jesus has gone to Capernaum in pursuit of the 12; however, they have no idea how Jesus has gotten there since the 12 embarked on the little boat without Jesus. When small boats come from Tiberias to service the crowd, the crowd employs the boats to take them to Capernaum.
When they arrive at Capernaum, the crowd asks Jesus a question which really implies 2 questions: “How did You get here?” and “How long have You been here?” They suspect something is up and are determined to discover exactly what it is. Jesus rebukes the crowd because He claims that they have not sought Him in order to discover the meaning of the miracle (sign) He had performed; instead they pursued Him simply because He filled their bellies.
Jesus’ last statement is not only an indictment against the Jews standing before Him; it is also an indictment of many who claim they follow Jesus. They commit themselves to Jesus on the following conditions: (1) that He provide them with happiness; (2) that He give them the job they want; (3) that they have the perfect family; (4) that they have perfect health; (5) that they have enough money for the things they want; (6) etc. Once these things stop coming their way or once things get rough, they get disappointed with Jesus and turn to something or someone else to meet these wants.
Jesus said the feeding of the 5000 though was a sign, that is, it is not an end in and of itself. When you go outside and see the sign that says “Collin Ave.,” you don’t think that sign is Collin Ave.; that sign points beyond itself to the road right in front of it. In the same way the miracle points beyond itself to Jesus who performed this sign. This sign says something about Jesus, that He is the Bread of Life, the Source of Life. Jesus exhorts them not to work for perishable bread but for this Bread.
Unfortunately many of us are working for perishable bread. I don’t have a problem with fall football nor with fall baseball. I think though there is a problem whenever a person leaves football practice, then heads to baseball practice, and then is gone all day Saturday playing in baseball tournaments. I don’t have a problem with girls’ soccer nor with girls’ gymnastics. I think there is a problem though whenever a young girl leaves soccer practice and then heads off for gymnastics knowing full well that she is going to be gone a big chunk of Saturday playing in soccer games. I think education is great. I’ve got the highest educational degree institutions can confer upon a person; however, I think there is a problem when schools feel like they should dominate a young person’s entire life. I’ll never forget whenever a teacher told Nancy and me that Nathan needed to do something in order to get him ready for college—this was an elementary teacher! Let me assure you one thing. At the end of that year, after we had cooperated and done everything the teacher told us to do, HE STILL WAS NOT READY FOR COLLEGE! It is time for us to get a life, Jesus’ life!
Jesus catches their attention the moment He mentions the word “work.” This they can relate to. They are used to working in order to please God. When I was in Jerusalem Spring 1999 a Jewish scholar firmly informed me that the Jews did not believe that they had to work for their salvation. Oh, really? Then why do they have such a thing as a Sabbath elevator in one of their poshest hotels, the LaRomme Jerusalem? A Sabbath elevator is programmed on the Sabbath to stop at every floor on its way up and on its way down that so the observing Jew won’t have to push any buttons and thereby violate the Sabbath. I got on another one of the elevators (not a Sabbath elevator) behind a sweet little Jewish couple. They weren’t about to touch the button for the first floor. I almost didn’t do it either in order to force them to push it. I then thought twice about it and pushed it. They thought I was going to hell any way; so I pushed it and made everybody happy.
The Jews perked up at the word “work.“ Give them some great deed to perform and they’ll do it in order to find favor with God (notice that Jesus faced the same issue of grace versus works that Paul faced in his dealings with the Jews). Jesus though corrects their misunderstanding about work. The Jews are not to be the ones working; the Father is the One who works for our salvation. All we have to do is to respond to God’s great work, that is, believing in Jesus. In other words God works in us for the purpose of us believing in Jesus.
Instead of being grateful that they don’t have to work for their salvation, the Jews become a little peeved at Jesus. They know that this belief in Him entails submitting to His lordship (John 3:36). Anybody who makes such a claim had better be able to back it up with some kind of divine credentials. They determine what those credentials should be. (Look at the dynamics here. When God set the conditions for His accepting them, they turn around and decide that they will set the conditions for their accepting Him! It is blatant arrogance on their part!) Their condition for accepting Him? He must duplicate the miracle of giving manna in the wilderness. If He is truly the Messiah like Moses, then He will perform the same miracle that Moses performed.
Look at their hypocrisy. Just the day before they claimed that Jesus was the Messiah because they interpreted the feeding of the 5000 as the duplication of that very miracle. Now they reject that and want to see this miracle performed. Why are they acting this way? As long as Jesus is not demanding to be Lord of their lives, then the feeding of the 5000 is the giving of manna from heaven; however, once Jesus makes an ultimate claim on their lives, they reject this interpretation of the feeding of the 5000 and demand something else. The sad fact is that even if Jesus had duplicated this miracle exactly the way Moses had performed it, they would still have rejected it. Most people simply refuse to give up control of lives and will do anything to retain that control.
First, Jesus corrects their misunderstanding of exactly what happened in the wilderness under Moses. He informs them that Moses was not the one who gave them manna in the wilderness; rather His Father is the One who actually gives them manna in the wilderness. Second, Jesus says that the Father right now is in the process of giving that bread from heaven. The present tense of the verb “gives” indicates that this event was not restricted to 1400 years ago in the days of Moses; the Father right now is giving people that manna. Third, unlike the manna in the days of Moses, this manna actually came down from heaven. The first manna was a purely earthly substance made out of earthly elements; this second manna has its source in heaven. The person who eats it will not die.
Just like Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman the people misunderstand Jesus; they think that He is speaking of bread made of heavenly flour and yeast. They demand that Jesus give them this bread. Jesus replies, “I Am the Bread of Life” (the first of the great I Am . . . statements in John: “I Am the Light of the World . . . The Resurrection and the Life . . . The Good Shepherd”). In other words the only way to have this life of God is to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. The person who comes to Jesus for this relationship will never, no never hunger; the person who believes in Jesus will never, no never thirst. Jesus will meet the deepest needs of the soul. As verse 57 points out, the Father is the ultimate source of all life; however, the Father gives this life only to those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ. [A side question: how can Jesus be the Bread of Life, the Source of Life? He is the Bread of Life because He is “I Am” (John 6:20), that is, He is God, God the Son.]
Jesus promises us that the person who believes in Him will never, never hunger and that the person who comes to Him will never, never thirst. The truth then is that if I am a-hungering or a-thirsting it is because I have not come to Jesus as the Bread of Life. After 49 years of living I can honestly say that not once in those 49 years has Jesus ever let me down. I to my great disappointment have let Him down at times; however, He has never let me down. When I am living in a right relationship with Him, I experience life to the fullest.
Jesus informs them though that they already correctly perceive that this is true about Jesus (v. 36). The problem is not one of knowledge but of will. Even though they understand that the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 proves that Jesus is the Messiah, they refuse to accept this because if they accept Him as the Messiah, they will have to let Him be Lord of their lives, something they refuse to do.
Jesus then goes on to explain the dynamics in the process of people receiving this life. First, Jesus says that everyone whom the Father has given Him will come to Him. Some misunderstand this to mean that God chooses some and rejects others (we’ll deal with this at a later time). Rather Jesus is pointing to the fact that it is impossible for you to come to Jesus unless the Father works in your life. The fact that you believe in Jesus proves that the Father has been working in your life; otherwise, you would have never come to Jesus in the first place. Second, Jesus promises that He will never cast out the person who comes to Him. When we approach Jesus, we don’t have to wonder whether or not He is going to accept us. Jesus will accept us. Why? Two reasons. He will accept us first because His Father has sent us to Jesus. He would never reject anybody or anything the Father had sent to Him. He will accept us second because that it His Father’s will. Since Jesus always delights to do His Father’s will, He will gladly receive any and everybody the Father sends Him.
What is His Father’s will? That Jesus lose nobody the Father give Him. Instead of losing people, the Father’s will is that Jesus raise them up on the last day. When Jesus returns, in accordance with His Father’s will Jesus will raise His followers from the dead to live with Him eternally. Now this life does not begin just when Jesus returns. Rather because Jesus uses the Spirit to raise us from the dead and because Jesus gives us that Spirit the moment we trust in Him, we right now through the Spirit experience the life of God (6:39-40).
The Jews respond by grumbling just like their fathers grumbled in the wilderness (the Passover theme continues). The sermon produces such a hostile response from the Jews that many of them reject Jesus. Jesus is left with the 12. He turns to them and asks them with a hint of real pathos, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” To this Peter replies, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have words of eternal life!” Sometimes we feel disappointed in our relationship with Christ. Maybe things didn’t turn out the way you thought they would. Your children don’t quite turn out right. Your marriage falls apart. The boss you supported for all those years dumps on you. What do you do then? Do you reject Jesus? What utter folly. When it is all said and done, it is only when we respond positively to Jesus that we experience God’s life. There’s no place else to go for this life.