John 6

Feeding the Five Thousand

Parallel accounts: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17

1-4 Just before Passover of the next year, Jesus and his disciples cross the Sea of Galilee and go up into a mountain, followed by crowds who have seen his healing.

5-9 Testing Philip, Jesus asks Philip how they’re going to provide food for the crowd, to which Philip answers, “Even six months’ wages would not be enough.” Andrew brings a boy who has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, while predicting it would not be enough.

10-13 Jesus has the five thousand people sit down, then distributes the loaves and fishes until all are satisfied, with twelve baskets of leftovers.

14-15 The people recognize Jesus as “the prophet who is to come.” Realizing they want to force him to be a king, he withdraws into the mountain by himself. Moses prophesied of this prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15. Since a king has great authority, it’s interesting they would “force” him to be a king, which would seem to strip his authority before he even began. From an earthly standpoint, it’s easy to see why they would want to do so. Here’s a man who could make sure his people would never go hungry.

Jesus Walks on the Water

Parallel Accounts: Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52

16-21 In the evening, the disciples have sailed 3 or 4 miles toward Capernaum on a rough sea, when they see Jesus approaching the boat on water. It terrifies them, but he assures them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Immediately after they take him onto the boat, they reach land. Is this immediate landing also a miracle? The commentators I consulted seem to think so, though according to Coffman, others say that “immediately” doesn’t mean “instantaneous.”

The Bread from Heaven

22-24 The next day, when the crowds discover that the disciples have left in their boat and Jesus is also not there, they get into boats and go to Capernaum to look for him.

25-34 After they find him, asking him when he got there [and probably wondering how], he tells them they’re only looking for more bread to eat. They continue to ask for physical bread, citing Moses’s gift of manna in the wilderness, while Jesus tries to teach them that they need to be looking for the true bread of life that comes from God, just as the manna came not from Moses, but from God.

35-40 Jesus tells them He is the bread of life, and that if they are to be [spiritually] satisfied, they must believe in Him, for He has come from heaven to do His Father’s will. He will not fail those whom God has given him, but will raise them all up. God’s will is that everyone will have eternal life through faith in the Son.

41-43 When the Jews complain that Jesus claims to be bread from heaven, because to them he is nothing more than Joseph’s son, he tells them to stop murmuring.

44-46 Only those drawn by the Father will come to Jesus, having been taught of God through Jesus, and He will raise them up. Only Jesus has seen the Father. Those who believe in Him will live eternally.

47-51 He repeats, “I am the bread of life.” Their ancestors who ate manna eventually died, but whoever eats of the living bread, Jesus, will live forever.

52-56 The Jews dispute that saying, so Jesus tells them only those who eat His flesh and drink his blood will live eternally, abide in Him and Him in them.

57-59 Just as Jesus lives because of the Father, so he who “eats me” will live – not like those who ate manna, who all died. He taught this in the synagogue in Capernaum. If we think only in carnal terms, this language seems ghastly, but of course Jesus is not speaking in physical terms. This is “living bread,” not physical bread. And it has nothing to do with the Lord’s Supper, or the communion we take part in each Sunday. To “eat” of Jesus is to ingest His being into our being so that He is part of us. We know him so well and follow him so well, it’s like he’s inside us, controlling our every thought and action.

The Words of Eternal Life

60-65 His disciples complained about the difficulty of this concept. He replied that if this offends them, what if they were to see Him ascend to where He was before? Life is in the spirit, not in the flesh. But as he knew from the beginning, some would not believe, and one would betray him. He repeats that no one will come to him unless granted by the Father. He said the same thing In 6:44, explaining in 6:45 that what draws them is being taught of God. According to John 1:12, they receive power to become children of God when they believe in Jesus. God forces no one to accept Him against their will.

66-69 At hearing this, many disciples turned away from him. “So Jesus asked the twelve, ‘Do you also wish to go away?’ Simon Peter assures him that they are going nowhere, for Jesus – the Holy One of God -- has the words of eternal life. I think this is one of the saddest moments recorded in the gospels. Here we see into the lonely existence of our Lord. Even his apostles don’t truly understand His mission, and He can see them walking away as well.. No wonder He spent so much time in prayer – who else could understand His mission and His nature? It’s also a moment when we’re thankful for Peter and his outspoken faith.

70-71 Jesus tell them that even one of the Twelve is a “devil,” speaking of Judas Iscariot, who will betray him. To me, this has always revealed a sense of despondency in the man Jesus, as if this indicates a failure on his part. None of the commentaries I consulted seem to sense that; they see it as Jesus’ warning to the apostles that this would happen.

Matthew Henry: Will you also go away?(1.) "It is at your choice whether you will or no; if you will forsake me, now is the time, when so many do: it is an hour of temptation; if you will go back, go now.’’

Burton Coffman: Perhaps the purpose of Jesus' introduction of this shocking revelation was to prepare the other apostles for the impact of so dastardly a deed as the betrayal; and there could have been no better time for such a warning than the very moment when Peter was affirming so strongly their faith and knowledge of the Son of God.

John Gill: …this our Lord said, partly that they might not too much presume upon their faith and love, and steady attachment, and be over confident of their standing; and partly, to prepare them for the apostasy of one from among them.