A period of time passed between chapters five and six, but we don’t know how much time, but during this time, Jesus’ ministry continues in the Galilean area. Here, He heals many people and teaches much regarding life and love, and of course, He runs into trouble with the Jews. John the Baptiser is also beheaded in this time period. Much of this missing time can be read about in the Gospels.
However, it must be understood that these accounts don’t record all the events that occurred. Why? Firstly, because these were perhaps not necessary to John’s purpose, John 20:30-31, and secondly, because John assumes his readers are already familiar with the other Gospel writings.
Jesus has returned from Jerusalem to Galilee, and note that each chapter so far has alternated between Jerusalem and Galilee. From the other Gospel accounts, we can deduce that this actually occurred after the time when the apostles had been sent out to preach; this visit to the mountain was probably for rest and fellowship, Mark 6:30.
The Sea of Galilee, John 6:1, was also known by other names, Lake Gennesaret, 1 Kings 19:19-21, Sea of Tiberius, John 21:1, was probably the better-known name outside of Palestine.
It’s also called Lake Chinneroth, Joshua 12:3, Lake Chinnereth, Numbers 34:11. It’s a small area by today’s standards, but in those days, it supported a relatively large population.
On the north-east coast of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus withdrew after hearing of the death of John the Baptiser, Matthew 14:12-14, and to give the apostles rest after their extensive preaching, Mark 6:30-36.
There was no avoiding the crowd that followed Jesus; they wanted to see more miracles, and they probably carried the sick with them. But some must have recognised Jesus as the Messiah and were genuinely wanting to hear more of His lessons. He welcomed them and healed their sick, John 6:2 / Matthew 14:14 / Luke 9:11.
The fact that the people have come because of miracles is especially relevant when you see how quickly they deserted Jesus when He would not be their king, John 6:15, and when it’s time to eat flesh and drink blood, John 6:52-66.
It seems that the disciples were tired after the mission they had been on. Jesus went up the hill to get a little rest, but the crowd persisted in following Him. Jesus sits in a reclining position, John 6:3, as was traditional at the time, Luke 4:20 / Matthew 13:2 / Matthew 23:2 / Matthew 24:3.
These events seem to stand out very clearly in John’s mind. He remembers which disciples replied to Jesus’ questions, John 6:7-8, he recalls the boy with the food, John 6:9, and remembers how far they rowed from shore afterwards when they saw Jesus, John 6:19.
The feeding of the five thousand is the fourth sign recorded by John, and it is recorded in all four Gospels: John 6:1-15 / Luke 9:10-17 / Matthew 14:13-15 / Mark 6:32-44.
There are only two miracles of Jesus recorded in all four Gospels, the feeding of the five-thousand and His resurrection, John 20:1-20 / Luke 24:1-12 / Matthew 28:1-10 / Mark 16:1-15.
We don’t know the time that transpired between the sending of the twelve in Luke 9:1 / Mark 6:12, and their reporting back to Jesus, Luke 9:10 / Mark 6:29. It seems the disciples came to tell Jesus all that had happened to John, Matthew 14:1-12 / Mark 6:14-30.
When the disciples returned from their preaching trip, Jesus sought to leave the multitude in order to spend time with them privately, Matthew 14:13 / Mark 6:30. They had been so busy they hadn’t even had time for meals, Mark 6:31.
Mark lists at least eleven instances when Jesus went to a place of rest. This is a good example for any evangelist who has given himself to periods of intensive evangelistic efforts. Because these worthy evangelists worked hard, they needed the rest.
They needed time to talk among themselves and with God about the great things God had done through them. This was a retreat for prayer, thanksgiving and discussion.
Everyone needs some time out from their busy life schedule, and Jesus knew that the disciples needed some time out, for many of them had first believed because of John’s preaching. They withdrew across the sea of Galilee to a quiet place for meditation and prayer, Matthew 14:13 / Mark 6:31.
The people saw that Jesus entered a boat to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 14:13. When Jesus arrived at the other side, the multitudes had already arrived there on foot, Matthew 14:13.
A large crowd had followed Jesus because of the signs He performed by healing the sick, John 6:1-2 / Luke 9:11 / Matthew 14:14 / Mark 6:33-34. As the Passover was near, John 6:4, it must have been spring.
This was one of the three major feasts that the Jews were obliged to attend. It seems that Jesus is now at the height of His popularity. Soon, after this bread of life discourse, many of His followers were to turn back, John 6:66.
Now they were coming to Jesus, and they were looking for spiritual leadership. They were like sheep without a shepherd, Mark 6:34. This was the leadership that the religious leaders of the day weren’t giving. It was in the context of their searching for someone to lead them that Jesus worked this miracle of creation.
We see Jesus’ love and understanding of people. He wasn’t only a leader but a leader with compassion for the multitudes. On this occasion, His healing of the sick and the feeding the multitudes was motivated by His compassion, Matthew 15:32 / Matthew 20:34.
Therefore, when He saw their zeal to follow Him, He was moved with compassion, Matthew 14:14 / Mark 6:34. They were a nation of people who hadn’t been spiritually led for years, and thus, they sought someone to give them guidance.
The disciples want to send the people away, Luke 9:12 / Matthew 14:15 / Mark 6:36, but Jesus had other plans. Notice how Jesus allowed the apostles time to search for food to feed the people, Matthew 14:16. The disciples suggested that someone go into the city and buy food, Mark 6:36.
Jesus asked Philip where they were going to get food in order to feed so many people, but the question was really a test of Philip’s faith, John 6:5-6. Jesus tests Philip, John 6:5-6. This is particularly relevant if the apostles have been performing miracles, healing, preaching, etc.
He already knew what was to happen, but it was appropriate for His plans to test, ‘peirazo’, Philip at this time to see if he understood that his Lord can supply every need and handle every situation.
Philip fails the test miserably as he looks only to himself and the common purse for a solution, John 6:7 / Mark 6:37. He ignores the role Jesus could play by employing His power and fails to understand, John 14:8.
Two-hundred denarii equal around four quarts of barley, sixteen-hundred quarts of wheat which was the purchasing power of the day, an awful lot of money, Mark 6:37 / John 6:7. One denarius was a working man’s wage for the day and so this equalled eight months’ wages.
In John 6:8-9, we see Andrew attempting to get something organised, and he finds a ‘paidarion,’ a little boy with some food and presents this to Jesus. He passes the test that Philip failed, and he gives Jesus the chance to perform a miracle.
He uses a little initiative and gets the job done. Jesus asked the question in order to stimulate a faith response from Philip and the others. Among the disciples, or among the multitude, they came up with only five loaves of bread and two fish, Luke 9:13 / Mark 6:38 / Matthew 14:17.
The loaves, John 6:9 / Luke 9:13 / Matthew 14:17 / Mark 6:38, would have been small, almost like rolls, ‘artos’, round flat cakes made with wheat flour, or black barley bread, it was the common daily bread of the people. The fish were probably dried or pickled, as was the norm at the time.
Mark reports that the people sat down on the green grass, and the number given is five-thousand men, Mark 6:44, as does Luke 9:14, and John, John 6:10. Matthew 14:21 says ‘five thousand plus women and children’.
This could have been the total number present, or another five thousand women, and it’s possible children could have been there. The total present was immaterial; if Jesus could feed five-thousand, He could just as easily feed ten-thousand, Psalm 23:1-2.
Luke’s accounts tell us that Jesus split the people into groups of fifty, Luke 9:14. Mark tells us they were split into groups of one hundred and groups of fifty, Mark 6:40.
Jesus always gave thanks before eating. Some Bibles say, ‘blessing’, but this wasn’t blessing the crowd, but thanks to God for the bread, John 6:11 / Luke 9:16 / Matthew 14:19 / Mark 6:41.
In other words, Jesus thanked the Father for the food. This is what He did for the bread and the wine when He instituted the Lord’s Supper: He didn’t bless the bread and the wine; He thanked God for providing it, Luke 22:19-20 / Matthew 26:26-27 / Mark 14:22-23. Jesus left a good example for the disciples in the years to come to do likewise concerning the blessing of food, 1 Timothy 4:4-5.
Imagine you’re sitting around the dinner table preparing to enjoy a sumptuous meal, and someone is asked to ‘bless the food’ before you eat. The person praying says something like this, ‘Heavenly Father, bless this food, to the nourishment of our bodies, may it strengthen us to do your work, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.’
I’m sure we’ve all heard this prayer at some point in our lives, maybe you’ve even prayed something similar before you ate your food. I was speaking with a brother just recently and asked him why he blessed ‘the food’ before eating. Jokingly, he said, the food might be poisoned, and we need God to make it safe to eat!
Now he may have been joking, but there’s some truth in what he said. Some Christians sadly believe, although they won’t openly say it, that they can’t or won’t eat any food unless God has somehow miraculously made it safe to eat first.
It’s as though there’s something wrong with the food in the first place, and so by blessing the food before eating, it somehow becomes ‘kosher’ enough to eat. I can understand this kind of thinking, especially when you’re about to eat some food from certain fast food outlets: ‘Dear God, this food doesn’t look or smell great, so please bless it and make it edible for me to eat!’
When we ask the question, where does our food come from? You may be forgiven for saying the local supermarket or the local farmers. As Christians, we know this isn’t true; they are simply the suppliers of the food, but it’s God Himself who is the real provider of food, Genesis 1:29-30 / Genesis 9:3 / Psalm 104:14.
Since it’s God who is the ultimate provider, He’s the one who provides the sun and the rain for our food to grow, it’s Him we should be thanking for our food. James tells us that ‘every good and perfect gift is from above’, James 1:17, and this would include our food. And when we pray, ‘Give us our daily bread’, Matthew 6:11, we’re acknowledging that our food is an answer to our prayers for that food.
The problem with ‘blessing the food’ is that it doesn’t acknowledge where the real source of the food comes from. When we pray before eating, should we bless the food or give thanks to God for providing that food?
Paul taught that believers should receive their food with thanksgiving when he spoke of ‘Certain foods, which GOD CREATED to be received with THANKSGIVING by those who believe and who know the truth,’ 1 Timothy 4:3.
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the five-thousand, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice, He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it, John 6:11 / Luke 9:16 / Matthew 14:19 / Mark 6:41.
Before miraculously multiplying the loaves and fishes and providing a meal for the four-thousand, Jesus asked the Father’s blessing upon the food. Notice again, He didn’t bless the food, but blessed God or thanked God for providing it, Matthew 15:36 / Mark 8:7.
Later in the Book of Acts, we read about the Apostle Paul, publicly and in the presence of many people, some of whom were probably not Christians, who thanked God for the food before eating. Notice again, Paul didn’t bless the actual food; he thanked God for it, Acts 27:35.
Let me share with you another interesting thought concerning giving thanks to God for our food. In the Old Testament, we see that God’s people not only gave thanks BEFORE they ate the food God provided for them, but they also gave thanks to God for the food AFTER they had eaten it, Deuteronomy 8:7-10.
Remember, we’re to thank God or bless God for the food, and that’s because we acknowledge that the food itself is already a blessing. Now notice Deuteronomy 8:10, which tells us that God’s people were to praise or bless God AFTER they had eaten. I think it’s right that we give thanks to God BEFORE we eat, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad practice to give thanks to God AFTER we’ve eaten.
So here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day as a church to remember the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection at ‘The Lord’s Supper’. The presiding brother says a few words and shares a few thoughts to help us focus on Christ’s death, burial and resurrection and then the prayers come.
The prayer for the bread usually goes something like this, ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this bread, which represents your Son’s body, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’
Then follows the prayer for the wine, which usually goes something like this: ‘Dear God, as we’re about to partake of this wine, which represents your Son’s blood, please bless it to us as we partake of it.’
If you’ve been attending worship for a few years and participating in the Lord’s Supper, the chances are you’ve probably heard these prayers or something similar many times in your Christian life. Maybe you’ve prayed something similar yourself if you were presiding over the Supper.
I’m sure you’ve noticed the link between asking God to ‘bless the food’ before eating the food and asking God to bless ‘the bread and the wine’ before partaking of it. The Catholic church believes the Eucharist, the bread and the wine, actually becomes the body and blood of Christ; this is called ‘Transubstantiation’.
Now, I know most Christians don’t believe in that teaching, but again, we ask the question, why would anyone want God to bless the bread and the wine? Is there something wrong with the bread and the wine? Do they really believe that something miraculous is going to happen when they ask God to bless them both?
Notice what Jesus actually did when He instituted His Supper, and notice especially that He never once blessed the actual bread and wine, Luke 22:19-20 / Matthew 26:26-27 / Mark 14:22 / Luke 24:30 / 1 Corinthians 11:23-25. As I mentioned earlier, you will notice what Jesus actually did: He ‘Gave Thanks’ for the bread and wine, He never blessed the actual bread and wine.
Who did He give thanks to? Obviously, it was the Father for providing the bread and the wine. He gave thanks to the Father, or blessed the Father; the word ‘bless’ is another way of expressing thanks to God.
The Jews, even to this day, still declare with the entrance of the Sabbath on Friday evenings as members sip wine from a cup, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, Our God, King of the Universe who creates the fruit of the vine.’
Another blessing as members break bread is, ‘Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.’ Notice again that in these ‘blessings’, God the Creator is being thanked for giving food, not the bread and wine.
These would probably have been similar to the prayers that Jesus would have uttered during His ‘Last Passover Supper.’ Luke 22:17-18. What About Matthew 26:26?
When we read the King James Version, at first glance, it reads as Jesus ‘blessed it’, i.e. ‘blessed the bread’; however, when you read a Greek lexicon, you’ll discover that the word ‘IT’ isn’t in the original text.
It reads as follows, ‘(as) they were eating moreover of them, having taken Jesus bread and having blessed, broke and having given to the disciples, he said eat: this is the body of me,’ Matthew 26:26.
The word ‘IT’ is kind of misleading in the KJV and so we always have to remember that the Bible doesn’t contradict itself, if any text appears to say the opposite of all the other related texts, it’s usually because the translators haven’t done a good job of translating it.
When Christians pray, I believe it’s good practice to think about what we’re actually saying in our prayers, especially when it comes to giving thanks to God for our food or giving thanks to God for providing the bread and the wine at the Supper.
Our children and any visitors often learn how to pray by listening to others, and all too often, they will simply repeat what they have heard time and time again until they are mature enough to share their own thoughts.
Here we are, getting ready to enjoy a sumptuous meal, and someone asks you to ‘bless the food’, why not simply say, ‘The food is already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing it.’
Here we are gathered together on the Lord’s Day to participate in the Lord’s Supper. Someone asked you to bless the bread and the wine. Why not simply say, ‘The bread and the wine are already a blessing from God, and so, if you don’t mind, I’ll give thanks to Him for providing them.’
There are so many ideas out there about the significance of the twelve baskets, John 6:13 / Luke 9:17 / Matthew 14:20 / Mark 6:43. The number twelve is such a common recurring number throughout the Scriptures.
The number twelve is mentioned forty-eight times, and the word twelve is mentioned one-hundred and thirty-three times. Jacob had twelve sons, who became the twelve tribes of Israel; Abraham’s son Ishmael had twelve sons, and Jesus had twelve Apostles.
There’s always a danger of reading a text and making it mean something it wasn’t meant to mean. I personally believe that the twelve baskets of food were left so that each one of those disciples who participated could take one.
This miracle was unique. Jesus asked them to take up the leftovers in order to impress on the minds of the disciples that this was a miracle of creation. They knew how much bread and fish they started with and how much was left over, and the only conclusion they could come to was that bread and fish had been created by God, who was in their midst.
Later in His ministry, when He wanted to confirm who He was in the minds of the disciples, Jesus asked them to recall this miracle and the second feeding of four thousand in Matthew 15:32-38, where Jesus discussed the ‘bread of life,’ which discussion resulted from this miracle, John 6:27-59 / Matthew 16:8-19.
In John 6:14-15, we see that this was a visible sign because all present saw it and benefited from it. There were two results: first, they wanted to make Jesus king by force and second, they deduced that Jesus must be the prophet that was foretold, the prophet mentioned is a reference to the one predicted in Deuteronomy 18:18 / John 1:21.
The people have obviously wanted a political Messiah, and now here is one who can feed them without any effort on their part. He could provide a physical utopia for them. The Jews wanted a political and military leader like David, who would re-establish David’s throne and the physical kingdom of Israel.
Jesus wasn’t the kind of king they wanted Him to be. This was the high time in His popularity, and from this time on, they began to leave in disappointment, as He wasn’t what they expected, and also, they were disturbed by his teaching, John 6:60-66.
Jesus withdrew alone for a time of reflection, John 6:15 / Matthew 14:25. He wanted the people to receive Him after a sincere, well-thought-out decision, but He didn’t want them to take Him in the emotional state they were now in.
Christ is the king of individual hearts by faith and obedience, true and sincere, not by force, which is no example of kingship. Jesus is looking for unconditional surrender of the heart, Luke 9:23 / Proverbs 3:5-6 / Romans 12:1-2.
This multitude of seekers came looking for one who would lead them. They found the Chief Shepherd and the Son of God who would lead them to victory through the cross. The proof of the miracle was magnified in the baskets of leftovers they took up.
The power of the One who was in their midst was measured by the leftovers. He was truly the Son of God who had the power of creation, John 1:1-2. Jesus set the stage for the miracle to prove His power over the physical laws of nature. He sent the disciples on by themselves by boat on the sea, knowing that a storm would develop that would engulf them, Matthew 14:22-23.
The account of Jesus walking on the water is recorded in John 6:16-21 / Matthew 14:22-36 / Mark 6:45-56. Jesus sent His disciples ahead of him on a boat and then proceeded to spend some time alone in prayer, Matthew 4:22-23 / Mark 6:45-46.
In the early morning from 3:00 am to 6:00 am, the fourth watch, Jesus, walked by them on the Sea of Galilee, Matthew 14:25. The disciples left about 6 pm, but were still rowing when Jesus came to them in the fourth watch of the night, 3-4 am, and they had rowed only three or four miles, John 6:19.
The disciples were rowing against the wind in the late evening, Matthew 14:24-33. They didn’t think that their lives were in danger; they were simply struggling against the wind. The sea became so rough that some of the disciples were becoming seasick!
The Sea of Galilee was infamous for its storms, as they were sudden and violent in this area, causing common disruption of the fishing, John 6:18. The wind is disrupted by the mountains of the region and funnelled through the Jordan River valley, causing strong winds on the Sea of Galilee. This is common even today.
Jesus was passing by them, Mark 6:48, not in the sense of leaving them in their predicament, but in order to present the situation that would truly manifest His deity, but Jesus may have been exercising a sense of humour.
They were struggling against the wind, and He, with ease, was simply walking by on the water. There would come a time, however, when they would have the faith to move mountains, Matthew 17:14-20.
They looked out at the sea and guess who they saw? They are frightened when they see Jesus; they think it is a ghost, John 6:19 / Matthew 14:26 / Mark 6:49-50. They would think this again after His resurrection, Luke 24:37. They saw Jesus walking toward them on the water! This was a Divine display of His power over the natural laws.
Now let’s just pause and think about this for a moment. Jesus is walking on water. I don’t know about you, but this is nothing less than a miracle, isn’t it? You might be thinking I don’t really believe that Jesus actually did walk on the water, but if you believe Genesis 1:1, where the Bible says, God created the heavens and the earth and everything in them’, then you shouldn’t have any problem believing this miracle.
If God can create the whole world and everything out of nothing, then why can’t the One who created the water in the first place be able to walk on what He created?
Why can’t the One who created the sun stop the sun from going down, as we read about in Joshua 10? Why can’t the One who created life bring Lazarus back to life after he had been dead for four days, like we read about in John 11?
My point is, Jesus walked on water, so that means that Jesus is definitely afloat. Now, seeing anyone walking on water would be enough to frighten me, and it frightened the disciples too, John 6:19 / Matthew 14:26 / Mark 6:49-50. And so knowing their fear, Jesus reassures them and says, ‘Don’t be afraid, it is I’.
When Jesus says, ‘it is I’, John 6:20 / Matthew 14:27, this could be translated, ‘EGO EIMI,’ ‘I am’, Exodus 3:14 / John 8:24 / John 8:28 / John 8:58. Their superstitious nature led them to think that they were seeing a ghost, but Jesus reassured them that it was He.
Note that only Matthew records Peter walking on the water, Matthew 14:22-33. It teaches us that the unexpected should be expected when we spend time with Jesus.
And so Jesus is walking on the water, and the storm is still raging, and according to Matthew, when Peter saw Jesus, he asked, ‘Lord, if it is you’, which could be translated, ‘Since it is You.’ Matthew 14:28.
Peter became excited, and he said to him, ‘Lord, if that’s really you, let me walk to you on the water’, Matthew 14:28. Then Jesus answered Peter and said, ‘Come’, Matthew 14:29. Peter climbed over the side of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus, Matthew 14:29.
This is a big lesson we all need to learn from time to time. When was the last time we stepped out in faith as Peter did? You see, it’s easy to stay in the boat where everything is nice and safe. But when was the last time we got out of the boat and started to trust God as Peter did?
This is amazing, isn’t it? Peter didn’t create the water, so how did he manage to walk on the water? He had a little of what we all need as Christians; he had one of those things we can’t see: he had faith.
And his faith was great until, according to Matthew, he began to look around, he felt the strong winds and saw the waves, and he became afraid and started to sink, Matthew 14:30. He had great faith until he took his eyes off of Jesus, and it was then that he cried out to Jesus for help. I want to raise an important point right here.
Sometimes in life, we find ourselves drowning in all sorts of things. Adults drown in the waters of bereavement, sorrow and worries.
Adults drown in the waters of debt, family pressures and broken relationships.
Children drown in the waters of peer-pressure, unloving parents, and having no good role models in their lives. Children drown in the waters of neglect, abuse and lack of support.
Now all these things can drown anyone, and sometimes they do, although Peter started off with great faith, and even though his faith achieved a great thing like walking on water, he took his eye off the creator of the water and began to drown. The point is this, Jesus didn’t just leave him to drown, He reached out and saved him, Matthew 14:31.
There are times when life is great, and we feel like we are walking on water. But there are other times when life isn’t so great, and we begin to drown in the waters of life. But there is hope; you don’t have to drown. Why? Simply because Jesus has His arm outstretched and He is trying to save you, but you need to take hold of His hand.
As long as Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, he was walking on the water, but when he took his eyes off of Jesus, he began to sink. We face many storms in our daily life, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, we can weather the storm, Hebrews 12:2.
When Jesus says to Peter, ‘you of little faith’, ‘why did you doubt?’ Matthew 14:31. I don’t think we’re to believe that Jesus was rebuking Peter; He probably had a smile on His face.
The point is we should do what Peter did, we need to reach out to God in times of need, Matthew 6:30 / Matthew 8:26 / Matthew 16:9. Notice also that Peter must have walked on the water a second time, to get back into the boat and it was then that the wind died down, Matthew 14:32.
The disciple’s reaction indicates a growing faith, Matthew 14:33, and the result, again they worshipped Him saying ‘Truly you are the Son of God’, Matthew 14:33 / Mark 6:51-52.
They worshipped Him, Matthew 14:33, which tells us they recognised that Jesus was indeed God, John 1:1 / John 1:14. They proclaimed that Jesus truly is the Son of God, Matthew 16:16 / Matthew 26:63 / Mark 1:1 / Luke 4:41 / John 1:49 / John 6:69 / John 11:27 / Acts 8:37 / Romans 1:4.
Mark adds the statement in Mark 6:52 to associate these two miraculous wonders of Jesus. The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on the water proved that Jesus was Deity, John 1:1-3. He had the power to create, Colossians 1:16. He also had the power to control that which He had created, Hebrews 1:3.
It was at this time in the ministry of Jesus that the disciples were beginning to realise who He was. At the time of the feeding of the five thousand, they were slow to understand who He was, Mark 3:5 / Mark 16:14. They hadn’t understood from the miracle that He was God.
They were astounded, for like Philip, their hearts were hardened, for they didn’t fully understand the implications of the signs of the loaves and fishes, Mark 6:52. Therefore, the statement that their hearts were hardened, Mark 6:52, must be understood in the context of what Jesus wanted them to understand concerning who He really was.
They had accepted Him as a good teacher who could work miracles as Elijah or one of the prophets, but Jesus was more than a prophet; He was the Son of God who had the power of creation, Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus wanted them to realise that He was the Son of God.
He could feed the hungry. He who could heal the sick could calm and control the tempest; therefore, He can and will take care of you. Anyone who follows Jesus for physical gain has missed the point and will not gain the spiritual benefits of salvation.
Many arguments have been built up around this miracle; some people think that Jesus walked on a sandbank, others say that the Greek indicates that He was still on the shore.
However, as the boat was three miles into the sea and Jesus got into the boat, it seems that the Biblical version holds more water! The boat then enjoyed some miraculous transportation to the shore. This miracle built up the faith of the disciples, also proving Jesus’ power over natural laws.
The miracle of the feeding of the five thousand and the walking on the water proved that Jesus was Deity, John 1:1-3, He had the power to create, Colossians 1:16, He also had the power to control that which He had created, Hebrews 1:3.
It was at this time in the ministry of Jesus that the disciples were beginning to realise who He was. At the time of the feeding of the five thousand, they were slow to understand who He was, Mark 3:5 / Mark 16:14.
They hadn’t understood from the miracle that He was God. Therefore, the statement that their hearts were hardened must be understood in the context of what Jesus wanted them to understand concerning who He really was.
They had accepted Him as a good teacher who could work miracles as Elijah or one of the prophets, but Jesus was more than a prophet; He was the Son of God who had the power of creation, Matthew 16:18-19. Jesus wanted them to realise that He was the Son of God.
The disciples of Jesus were left on the far shore, the five-thousand, not those who became apostles. The next morning, they could probably see as far as the other shore from where they were standing, and they could see that only one boat was moored there, the one travelled in by the disciples, John 6:22.
They knew that Jesus had not gone over with the disciples, so they started searching in the immediate area, but to no avail. These people then seem to realise that Jesus had arrived at the other shore by some supernatural force, so when some boats arrive from Tiberius, they get into them and come looking for Him, John 6:23-24.
It seems as if this conversation is split between the lakeshore and the synagogue; the split is probably between John 6:40 and John 6:41. The crowd found Him on the other side of the lake, while John 6:59 clearly places Him in the synagogue, which was on that side of the lake.
When they find Jesus, He is going to explain to them the meaning of the sign of the loaves and fishes and amplify it with teaching on the True Bread of Life.
1. That the bread of life primarily applies to the Lord’s Supper.
2. That it deals with only spiritual realities using the figures of Jesus’ body and blood.
3. That while it does deal with spiritual realities, it sets forth principles that also apply to the Lord’s Supper.
4. That it teaches that at the Lord’s Supper we physically eat and drink the Lord’s body and blood.
After asking the question, John 6:25, we find Jesus’ response in John 6:26-27. Jesus replies in the form of a statement regarding their motives for seeking Him. Jesus knows that they haven’t understood the signs of the loaves and fishes. Remember, these signs are to point to who Jesus is, John 20:30-31; they aren’t meant to be miracles just for the sake of feeding hungry bellies.
Jesus tells them their motives were wrong; they can’t work for eternal food, John 6:27-29. They wanted to benefit from the miracle worker and wanted to make Him their king by force, John 14:15, so that they could snap their fingers and Jesus would feed them while they lounged about doing nothing.
Jesus offers them two kinds of food, He had filled them with physical food, John 6:5-13, now He offers them spiritual food, and He encourages them to eat this food which leads to eternal life, John 6:27.
They were concerned about the food that perishes, He wanted them to be concerned about the food that endures to eternal life, John 6:27. Jesus alone was that food, on Him the Father has set His seal, set his approval, John 1:32-33 / Acts 2:22, take up your cross and follow me.
In John 6:28, they ask, ‘How can we do what God requires?’ This is in the continuous sense, ‘what are we to do as a habit that we may go on working the works of God’.
They were probably thinking of Law works. ‘The work of God is to believe in the one He has sent’, John 6:29, means you need to keep on believing in me as the Messiah.
In John 6:30-31, they ask ‘for a sign’. All the miracles they have already seen are forgotten, and they seek to base their faith on sight, 2 Corinthians 5:7. It was a common Jewish belief that the Messiah would repeat the miracle of the Manna.
Perhaps they are thinking Moses supplied a nation with Manna but Jesus only fed a multitude. Moses fed Israel for forty years, but Jesus has only fed a multitude twice. Perhaps they are saying this is what Moses did.
What credentials do you have? They never seek the fulfilment of physical needs as opposed to spiritual needs. Jesus never performed any superfluous miracles; each had a purpose.
Jesus now indicates the nature of the miracle in John 6:32-33, and corrects their mistaken impression. It wasn’t Moses but God who fed them bread in the desert, Exodus 16. Now He sends the true living bread, His Son. He then describes in detail what He means by this true bread.
1. True, ‘alethenos’, genuine, real, John 6:32.
2. The bread of God, provided by God, John 6:33.
3. The bread of life, spiritual life, John 6:35.
This is all conditional, trust, belief, accept, obey, follow, that you may have eternal life. In every instance, He is speaking of Himself. Then he tells them of its origin.
1. From heaven, John 6:32.
2. Comes down from heaven, John 6:33. Again, He insists He is talking about Himself, ‘I have come down’, John 6:38.
John never uses the word ‘miracle’ in his gospel, but he does use the word sign regularly. There are sixteen signs recorded in John’s gospel; eight are things which Jesus did, and eight are things which Jesus said.
John is basically saying that the ‘I AM’ claims of Jesus are signs, selected from many other signs. And he says these signs are selected with a purpose in mind, and that purpose is that you believe that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be, John 20:30-31.
Here we find the first of seven of Jesus’ I AM’ claims, John 6:35 / John 8:12 / John 8:58 / John 10:9 / John 10:11 / John 11:25 / John 14:6 / John 15:1. Each of His ‘I AM’ claims are claims that He is God, EGO EIMI, is the Greek equivalent of YHWH, Exodus 3:13-14 / John 5:18.
He is Eternal, Psalm 135:13, and self-existent, Psalm 88:6-7. When we come to the ‘I AM’ claims of Jesus, we need to remember that Jesus was not giving Himself a Name or a title, but was asserting His Deity. In other words, every ‘I AM’ reveals some aspect of His nature and purpose. Here He is, ‘The Bread of life,’ John 6:35.
In John 6:34, they ask for this bread, but in John 6:35-40, Jesus declares Himself to be the bread of life again. Jesus is the sustainer of life; all who come to eat of Him will never go hungry. Eternal life is a present reality and possession of the believer, John 3:15-16 / John 5:11-13 / John 10:27-30.
Who can receive this bread? He who comes to me, John 6:35. He who believes in me, John 6:35. He who sees the Son and recognises and appreciates His purpose and identity. He who believes in Him, John 6:40.
And what are the benefits of this bread? This bread gives life, John 6:33. We will not hunger, John 6:35. We will not thirst, John 6:35. We will have eternal life, John 6:40.
We will be resurrected to salvation in the last day; the believer in the Lord will be raised at the last day, John 6:39-40 / John 6:44-54. If the Lord repeats Himself, that means that what He says is important; there is no room for a second resurrection one-thousand years later, Hebrews 9:27-28 / 2 Peter 2:4, Christians are being described here.
This is the first of many grumbles, John 6:41 / John 6:52, and the Jews start to grumble disapprovingly among themselves. They know His parents and His family, but how can He be the Christ? John 6:41-42. Jesus hears grumbling and interjects, answering the questions they were asking among themselves, John 6:42-51.
It’s no longer just the crowd who is grumbling, but that group of people called the ‘Jews’, including the rulers of the synagogue. The text implies that they were following Him around in order to trap Him, Matthew 15:1-7 / Mark 2:23-24 / Mark 3:1-2. Initially, the people were called the ‘crowd’, John 6:24.
The term ‘Jews’ is used, John 6:41. Jesus has confronted the multitude; now He is to confront the Jews and later confront His disciples, John 6:67-70. This is the watershed time when the rubber hits the road. Jesus tells them to stop grumbling among themselves, John 6:43, and tells them that no man can come to Him unless drawn by the Father, John 6:44.
There are two factors involved in coming to Jesus, firstly, man’s own will, no man can come to Jesus unless he wants to come, Matthew 5:40 / Matthew 23:37. Secondly, God’s drawing power, John 6:45 / Romans 1:16 / 2 Thessalonians 2:14-15.
John 6:45 makes it clear that people are drawn to God through teaching, Romans 10:17 / 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15. We are born again into God’s family after being taught the reality of sin and our need for a Saviour and accepting the Good News that Jesus is and brings, Jeremiah 31:31-36.
God will not materialise in front of people to teach them Himself; no one has seen God except the one whom He has sent, John 6:46. The one who believes has eternal life, John 6:47. Jesus is ‘the living bread’, John 6:48. Jesus again declares Himself to be Deity.
Jesus reminds them that their ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died, John 6:49 / Exodus 16:4 / Exodus 16:35. Then He says, in contrast that here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die, John 6:50.
‘All’, He says, are taught, those who listen can come and have life and if any eat of the bread of life, He will live forever, John 6:51. This is being re-emphasised because of the Jews. Jesus will give Himself, His flesh for the world, and so, He is food for the soul, John 6:51.
Here we find the second grumble, ‘how can this man give his flesh to eat?’ John 6:52 / John 6:41. The Jews don’t understand, and a fierce argument breaks out; they disputed. They have ears but don’t wish to hear, Isaiah 6:9-10 / Mark 4:12. No great hidden truth is being revealed, yet the Jews practice a dose of spiritual blindness.
He introduces the idea of blood and the role it will have to play, John 6:53-56, but He isn’t referring to cannibalism, as that would be against God. He is referring to the commitment and trust of those who become His followers, and what they will understand will change their lives and create a new birth because of His sacrifice.
In other words, this is not literal but a figurative description of belief in, relying on, trusting in and obeying Jesus. This passage acts as a summary of Jesus’ teaching on the bread of life and Him as that Bread. The words, ‘remain in me’, John 6:56, give the same thought which is found in John 15:5-7.
Was He a literal vine, were His followers literal branches? Also, 2 Corinthians 6:16 says that God dwells in the lives of His people; we are His temple. Is this a literal temple? No. Acts 17:24 says He doesn’t dwell in temples made with hands. Are His words, ‘if anyone keeps My word, he will never die, John 8:51-52, are they literal?
We who look at the picture as a whole have a distinct advantage over those of His day. We can see how the blood and the bread tie in to be representative of Christ’s body and blood on the cross, Matthew 26:26-29, the sacrifice of Jesus, Hebrews 10:19-20. So, this passage is primarily a reference to the death and sacrifice of Jesus, which the Lord’s Supper became a memorial, 1 Corinthians 11:24.
So, when Jesus is here speaking about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, He is referring not to a literal act but rather a call to His audience to place their faith in what He will achieve for them through His death on the cross. His sacrificial death is the only way salvation and eternal life are possible for the sinner, John 14:6.
There were many other times when Jesus capitalised upon a situation that was presented to Him in order to teach a lesson, which is what He is doing in this chapter with the feeding of the five thousand.
John 6:57 gives an idea of the closeness of the relationship between Jesus and the one who feeds Him. The manna in the desert brought physical life for a short time, forty years, Exodus 16:35, but Christ brings eternal spiritual life, John 6:58.
Those who ate the manna died; those who eat of the bread of life live on. He will give of Himself, His flesh for the world, and He is food for the soul. Jesus again refers to Himself as the food giving life, and He goes over the previous message again, but this time makes it more literal.
He rubs it in so to speak, to make sure they get the point, unless you eat My flesh and blood, you haven’t lived. John 6:59 confirms that the discussion took place in Capernaum, at the synagogue, but this doesn’t mean that it would have had to be on the Sabbath, as there were meetings at the synagogue on other days of the week. It is claimed by archaeologists that the remains of this synagogue have been discovered in a dig at Capernaum.
Notice how Jesus loses much of His popularity here and is never to recover it until after the establishment of the church, Acts 2. In these verses, we see the followers who sought Jesus after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand are being discussed.
These people seem confused by what Jesus has said, and they now count the cost of following Jesus and find they aren’t willing to pay the price, John 6:60 / John 6:66.
The Jews with the preconceived ideas of what the Messiah would be like and what His plan would be weren’t pleased with this revelation of the Messiah, which asked for commitment.
Jesus doesn’t fit their bill, and so, once again, they grumble. Jesus asked His disciples, ‘Does this offend you?’ John 6:61. In other words, what if you see Me ascend into heaven, would that make any difference? John 6:62.
Those who had put a crudely literal interpretation on His words were disgusted. The law forbids the drinking of blood; meat had to be specially prepared to meet the law’s requirements. Yet if they had bothered to think back to the reason for this rule, they might have understood.
Leviticus 17:11 says ‘It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life’. Jesus is saying, ‘I am atoning for your sins’. The centrality of the crucifixion of Jesus as the only refuge for sinners and the only way for salvation, John 14:6, was to prove an offence not only for these people here but also for many more in the future.
Paul writes later in 1 Corinthians 1:18, and says that, ‘the world thinks it is foolishness. To the Jews, a real stumbling block, and that is what we read of happening here.
John 6:62-64 brings out the thought or question regarding faith. Does man’s faith come from within himself? Or are we led to faith by the Spirit of God? John 6:65 may be read to suggest that God gives faith, which leads to eternal life, but this leads to the question of predestination.
John 6:45 tells us that all who listen and learn come to Jesus. Jesus can’t be telling us to literally eat His flesh and blood, for He now says in order to clarify the point that the flesh profits nothing, we cannot, by eating the flesh of Jesus, gain anything, but the sacrifice spiritually accepted by God can give us eternal life.
This tells us that the Spirit gives life, John 6:63, the Spirit is active in the heart before, Acts 16:14, and after a person commits themselves to God, Acts 2:38 / Ephesians 2:1-3.
The true understanding is that the Spirit is waiting to help the willing heart examine the evidence, but if a person is dead set against the Gospel, then even the Spirit of God can only stand by helplessly.
The Spirit has been involved in ensuring we have the message of the Gospel to read and understand and listen to, 2 Timothy 3:16. He will help us if we strive to understand the message and will help us if we are willing to apply the message, 1 Corinthians 2:14. The teacher teaches all who accept will be saved, and all who reject will be lost, Mark 16:16 / 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10.
John 6:66 says, ‘after this’, which means literally as a consequence of this teaching, many of His disciples left. The Messiah they wanted was a Messiah who would make things easy for them, who would be a powerful earthly ruler, who would miraculously feed and clothe them, a nice, easy road to follow.
The road Jesus offers will not be an easy road to some earthly utopia, but a road that may demand suffering and self-denial, or self-sacrifice, just as Jesus gave Himself. His teaching tested their faith; with Him, there was no compromise. Notice this in John 6:41. The crowd turn away because they don’t want this kind of Messiah.
Jesus has just witnessed many of His regular followers giving up and turning around, and He now gives His innermost circle the opportunity to examine themselves and ensure they are willing to continue on the road in John 6:67-71.
It’s also an opportunity for them to be tested, John 6:67. They had an opportunity to make a conscious decision at this point. Peter answers on behalf of them all, John 6:68, and shows an understanding of His Master’s teaching, although not, perhaps, on behalf of Judas. He states the common belief of the twelve, that He is the Holy One of God, John 6:69.
They all, by not objecting to Peter’s answer, commit themselves to follow Christ. This phrase ‘Holy One of God’ is only used one other time when Jesus healed the demoniac by casting the demons into the swine, Mark 12:34 / Luke 4:34.
John 6:70-71 reveals a deep, dark secret. Jesus knows which one of the disciples is a betrayer. The full impact can only be seen and understood as we see Judas, staying in apparent full agreement with Peter, while the rest of the crowd of followers left.
John explains what is meant in John 6:70. The betrayer was a chosen apostle, like the rest, he was given miraculous powers, Luke 6:13, yet Jesus calls him ‘devil’, John 6:70, ‘diabolos’, accuser, slanderer. This was one of the names of Satan himself.
Jesus doesn’t say that Judas was a devil when he first became an apostle, but rather we see that he was a covetous man, ‘pleonexia’, John 12:4-6 / John 13:20-27. Remember, John, is writing in retrospect. He and the others didn’t know this at the time, John 6:71.
Jesus says, ‘All that the Father gives me will come to me,’ John 6:37, are said in connection with the fact that God does not want anyone to perish. The plan of salvation consists of the following.
1. The initial objective aspect.
An action coming forth from God who gives to everyone without distinction or discrimination whatsoever the chance to be saved.
2. There is the subjective aspect.
An action coming forth from a man who individually has to decide whether or not he will grasp God’s lovingly extended hand. The subjective aspect being possible thanks to the objective aspect, we might say that, although the sinner decides out of his or her own free will and not by coercion.
God gives the repentant sinner into the arms of Jesus, their Saviour. Without the initial objective aspect, which is an act of merciful grace given by God, salvation would be an impossibility.
What an assurance of security we find in Jesus words in John 6:40! If we do what is expected from us, if we believe, go to Christ, keep on believing in trusting obedience, He will not cast us out! Psalms 91. And He will raise us on the last day to the resurrection of life, not of judgment, as for those who did not do what is good, John 5:29.