THE FEEDING OF THE 5000, DISCOURSE ON THE BREAD OF LIFE AND ON HIS COMING DEATH AND OFFERING OF HIMSELF TO US. John's descriptions of the first and second Signs at Cana had included within them the section John 2:12 to John 4:45 which was an exposition of the initial sign at Cana, the significance b... [ Continue Reading ]
‘After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.' ‘After these things' is a vague introductory phrase. The sea of Galilee was on the River Jordan well to the north of the Dead Sea. In the Old Testament it was called the Sea of Chinnereth (e.g... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (JOHN 6:1). Up to the end of chapter 4 information given in John's Gospel apparently precedes the Galilean ministry of Jesus. However, from that point on the connections are more vague. Chapter 5 begins with ‘some time later' and chapter 6 with ‘some time after this... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And a huge crowd were following him because they were seeing the signs which he was performing on those who were sick.' This very description demonstrates that He had already performed many miracles of healing in Galilee which are not mentioned by John elsewhere, and that there must have been some... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Jesus went up into the hill, and there he sat with his disciples.' In order to have time away from the sign-seekers Jesus took His disciples up into a hill. It is clear that He had been engaged in an extensive preaching ministry and now felt that they all needed a rest. So they retired and had... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Now the Passover, the Feast of the Jews, was at hand.' This mention of the Passover connects with the line Jesus would take later (John 6:52), and was probably deliberately inserted here by John in order to connect Jesus' present actions and teaching with the sacrifice of the Passover. He sees Jesu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus therefore, lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a huge crowd is coming to him, says to Philip, “How are we to buy bread that these may eat?” ' The ‘coming' must be seen as over a period of time. He had been with the crowds earlier (John 6:2), and now many of them were still following Him. Bu... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And this he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.' Jesus' question to Philip was a test. He had been listening to what the disciples had been saying and thus sought to test Philip to see what he would say. This is a quite reasonable assumption. Jesus clearly had a purpose in what... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii of bread is not sufficient for them that every one may take a little”.' Philip's reply is to point out that it will cost a considerable sum to feed them (200 denarii - a denarius was a day's pay. NIV translates ‘eight month's wages' for an individual). Thi... [ Continue Reading ]
‘One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fishes, but what are they among so many.” This verse brings out that there were a number of the Apostles involved in the conversation, all no doubt bringing up the same problem... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down in number about five thousand.' Jesus now commanded that the people be made to sit down, and as the disciples obeyed they must all have been asking, ‘what on earth is He going to do?' ‘There was muc... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus therefore took the loaves, and having given thanks, he distributed to those who were set down, likewise also of the fishes as much as they would.' As Jesus handed the bread and fishes to the disciples for distribution there was always more in His hands, until finally everyone was satisfied.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they were filled he says to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves which remained over to them that had eaten.' The people, well over five thous... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and they boarded a boat and were going across the sea to Capernaum. And it was now dark and Jesus had not yet come to them.' The other Gospels tell us that the boarding of the boat was at Jesus' command (Matthew 14:22), which it quite clea... [ Continue Reading ]
JESUS WALKS ON THE SEA OF GALILEE (JOHN 6:16). It is quite clear from the fact that this event follows immediately on the other that Jesus was now trying to bring home to His disciple His own uniqueness. He wanted it to come home to them as to Who He really was. First the creation of bread and fish... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the sea was rising by reason of a great wind that blew'. None of the fishermen among them would have been surprised at a sudden storm brewing. The Sea of Galilee was noted for its sudden storms because of its geographical position, as winds blew through the hills and aroused the lake to reveal... [ Continue Reading ]
‘When therefore they had rowed about twenty five or thirty stades they behold Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat.' There was clearly a heavy sea, and rowing three or four miles must have been pretty arduous, taking a number of hours. However, they were a tough lot and some were e... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But he says to them, “It is I. Don't be afraid”. They were therefore willing to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.' To their relief and surprise the figure turned out to be Jesus, and, when He made Himself known to them they were highly relie... [ Continue Reading ]
‘On the next day the great crowd who stood on the other side of the sea, saw that there was no other boat except the one, and that Jesus did not enter the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples went away alone. However boats came from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread afte... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they found him at the other side of the sea, they said to him ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?' The people were puzzled, but not aware of what had happened. They knew that no boat had been available and yet here Jesus was. They could think of no explanation. John, however, wishes it to be... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered them and said, “In very truth I tell you, you do not seek me because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled”.' Previously we have had emphasised the difference between those who truly believed and those who merely ‘believed' because they saw signs (John 2:2... [ Continue Reading ]
WORDS TO THE CROWDS (JOHN 6:26). Jesus' initial words were spoken to the crowds who had followed Him. These were the more simple folk whose thoughts were on more food, and miraculous provision. They wanted another Moses who could supply them with food. They were to learn that what Jesus had brought... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BREAD OF LIFE, EATING HIS FLESH AND DRINKING HIS BLOOD (JOHN 6:26). The narrative that follows must be carefully divided up if it is to be properly understood. There are in fact three clearly differentiated phases: · The first is to do with the crowd who have come seeking Him (John 6:26). In t... [ Continue Reading ]
“Do not work for food that perishes, but for food which continues unto eternal life which the Son of Man will give you, for him the Father, even God, has sealed.” So He emphasises that they are not to put their efforts into obtaining food that can only go bad, but into obtaining the spiritual food w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They said therefore to him, “What must we do that we might work the works of God?” ' The minds of His listeners were momentarily diverted. “What shall we do to in order to carry out God's works?”, they asked. They wanted this continuous supply of miraculous food, so they wanted to know what they h... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered and said to them, “This is God's work, that you put your full trust in the One Whom He has sent”. Jesus now came to the main issue. Let their minds concentrate on Him. Let them recognise that He was God's ‘sent One'. Let them respond to His words and teaching. Let them open their he... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They said therefore to him, “What then will you do for a sign that we may see and believe you? What work are you going to do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written ‘He gave them bread from Heaven to eat'.” They at last caught on, or so they thought. Like Moses what Jesus wa... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus therefore said to them, “In very truth I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from Heaven. But my Father is giving you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world”.' Jesus' reply appears to contain two element... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They said therefore to him, “Lord, evermore give us this bread continually”.' They then simply asked Him to provide them with what He was talking about ‘for evermore'. This reply can be taken in two ways. Firstly as indicating their response in line with what they have thought all along, a desire... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus said to them, ‘I am the life-giving bread (bread of life), the one who comes to me will never hunger and the one who commits himself to me in faith will never thirst.” Now the full meaning of what Jesus was saying is made clear. He was the One Who had come down from Heaven and was offering l... [ Continue Reading ]
‘ But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe'. However, He recognised that they were not willing genuinely to respond to this message. He realised that their belief was in the earthly leader whom they had envisioned for themselves, a military champion who would introduce the goo... [ Continue Reading ]
“All whom the Father gives to me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will in no way cast out.” Happily, however, there would be those who _would_ respond and would recognise Him for what He was. ‘All whom the Father gives to me will come to me.' It is impossible to avoid here the suggestio... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For I am come down from Heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me'. He stresses once again that He has come down from Heaven, and that in order to do the Father's will. It is important not to glide over this amazing fact. We can so take it for granted that we lose the wonder of... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And this is the will of him who sent me, that of all that he has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day'. And this was the will of the Father Who sent Him, that He should lose none of those who have been given to Him. Those on whom God lays His hand are eternally se... [ Continue Reading ]
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him, should have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jesus now repeats John 6:39 from a different point of view to emphasise its ideas. In John 6:39 these promises are made to ‘all whom He has giv... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The Judaisers therefore murmured concerning him because he said, “I am the bread which came down from Heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say ‘I am come down from heaven'.” ' These men had probably not been in the crowds w... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LIFE-GIVING BREAD IS FOR THOSE DRAWN BY THE FATHER AND HE WILL GIVE HIS FLESH FOR THE LIFE OF THE WORLD (JOHN 6:41). At this point there would appear to be an important change in the narrative. Up to this point it had been ‘the people' who have been questioning Him. Now the scene moves on. “ The... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. No man can come to me except my Father who has sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” Jesus now tried vainly to give them a chance. He reiterated what He had said to the people. He gently rebuked them for their... [ Continue Reading ]
“It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God'. Every one who has heard from the Father and has learned, comes to me.” He now called on Scripture to back up what He had said. He reminded them that the Scripture specifically promises, ‘and they shall all be taught by God' (Isa... [ Continue Reading ]
“Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the one who is from God, he has seen the Father.” But even though such people have heard the Father they have not seen the Father, because no man has seen God at any time (John 1:18). Indeed no one can see God and live (Exodus 33:20). But there is One, an... [ Continue Reading ]
“In very truth I tell you, he who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from Heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die.” The Pharisees believed that by reading and assiduously obeying the... [ Continue Reading ]
“I am the living bread which came down from Heaven. If any man eats of this bread he will live for ever. Yes, and the bread which I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In contrast to the ‘manna from Heaven', Jesus points out that He is ‘the living bread which came d... [ Continue Reading ]
EXCEPT YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD (JOHN 6:51). We are now gliding into the third phase of His teaching where He is teaching in the Synagogue, although the point at which the break comes is not fully apparent. Now He knows that He is talking to those who are seeking His... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The Judaisers thus strove the one with the other, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” ' The Judaisers professed to be puzzled at His statement that the bread that they were being told to eat was His flesh which He would give for the life of the world, and they discussed it among t... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus therefore said to them, “In very truth I tell you, unless you do eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood you do not have life in yourselves. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day”.' Jesus now made plain that what was in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For my flesh is food indeed and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him'. Here He was again emphasising the importance of His death, for without it there was nothing on offer. Only the giving of His flesh could provide food for men's souls. Only... [ Continue Reading ]
“As the living Father has sent me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me.” Here He was not only thinking of the fact that His human life had been given to Him, and was sustained, by ‘the living Father', the very Fountain of Life Himself, but that His resurrectio... [ Continue Reading ]
“This is the bread which came down from Heaven. Not as the fathers did eat and died. He who eats this bread will live for ever.” Now that He has revealed His coming death and resurrection He can say with greater force, ‘This is the bread which came down from Heaven.' He came down to be bread. It is... [ Continue Reading ]
‘These things he said in the synagogue as he taught at Capernaum'. We now learn that the latter part of His teaching has been given officially in the synagogue, with the Judaisers who were seeking His death playing a prominent part and being seated in the chief places, in contrast with the earlier... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Many therefore of his disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?” ' Some of the wider group of disciples, those who were following Him around to learn and to consider His teaching, now began to question (not the twelve as John 6:67 make clear). ‘This is a hard s... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DISCIPLES MUST NOW FACE UP TO WHO HE IS (JOHN 6:60). The discourse began with the challenge to the crowds. It then moved on to the challenge to the Judaisers. Now it becomes a challenge to the disciples themselves. They too must face up to what the future holds. Many did not like this talk of H... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you should see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?” ' Aware of their murmuring and the danger of their falling into disbelief Jesus answered them by pointing to H... [ Continue Reading ]
“It is the Spirit who makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life”.' This now brought Him to the essence of the matter. “It is the Spirit who makes alive. The flesh is of no benefit'. Jesus in the flesh alone can do nothing for them, and when... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But there are some of you who do not believe' (for Jesus knew from the beginning which of them did not believe, and who it was who would betray him). And he said, “That is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is given to him by the Father”.' But Jesus knew that among His wider group... [ Continue Reading ]
‘On this many of his disciples went back and walked no more with him.' Disillusioned by His words many of the disciples who were following Him about ‘drew back and no longer went about with him'. This is one theme of John's Gospel, belief that is based on signs and wrong misconceptions, but is not... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus said therefore to the twelve, “Would you also go away?”.' Jesus then challenged ‘the twelve'. This is the first mention of the twelve and assumes knowledge of the traditions with respect to them. The challenge was specific. Would they also leave Him? This was one moment when they must commit... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed and come to know that you are the Holy One of God”.' Peter's reply was forthright, typical of the man. ‘To whom shall we go?' As a consequence of the teaching of Jesus they had recognised... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” Now he spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for he it was who would betray him, being one of the twelve.' Yet even now Jesus knew that, although He had especially chosen them as his henchmen, there was one wh... [ Continue Reading ]