John
© copyright 2008 Darroll Evans, all
rights reserved
Chapter 6
John 6:1-14
1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which
is the sea of Tiberias.
2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles
which he did on them that were diseased.
3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with
his disciples.
4 And the passover,
a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great
company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that
these may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he
himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two
small fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit
down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in
number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks,
he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down;
and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained
over and above unto them that had eaten.
14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus
did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should
come into the world.
After
the confrontation of the previous chapter, Jesus “went over” or sailed across the
sea of Galilee.
A
large group followed Him, because they had seen His miracles.
Many
today follow miracles!
Many
are not interested in a change of life, just a change in their ability to live
in sin!
Christ
offers life to all who would follow Him, but few actually do!
Jesus
went up into a mountain with his disciples.
At
that time, Passover was near.
Much
of Jesus ministry is reflected in Passover!
He
is our Passover (1 Cor 5:7)!
When
saw the great company that was coming to him, he asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for all these to eat?”
Philip
retorted, “Two hundred days of normal wages bread would not be sufficient to
feed them even if they all had just a nibble.
Then,
Andrew said, “Here is a lad with five barley loaves, and two small fish, but it
is not enough among so many!
Jesus
answered, “Make the men sit down.”
So
the men, about five thousand men (not counting women and children) sat down.
Jesus
took the bread, and when He had given thanks, He gave them to the disciples to
distribute.
He
did the same with the fish!
When
the crowd had eaten all they wanted, Jesus told His disciples, “Gather up the leftovers so that nothing is lost.”
Many
Christians today to do understand what happened that day!
All
were fed, and nothing was wasted!
How
many times have you heard that taught?
The
disciples gathered and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five
barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
It
was after seeing the miracle that they said, “This is of a truth that prophet
that should come into the world.”
Do
you believe because you have seen, or because you have faith?
Seeing
is not believing with the imputed faith of salvation!
As
Christians, we operate in the faith OF
Christ Jesus!
Rom 3:22 Even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all
them that believe: for there is no difference:
Gal
2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified
by the works of the law, but by the faith of
Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified
by the faith of Christ, and
not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified.
Gal
2:20 I am crucified with Christ:
nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith
of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Eph
3:12
In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by
the faith of him.
Phil
3:9
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law,
but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith:
The imputed faith OF Christ Jesus is
what stands between us and spiritual ruin!
Prior to coming to Christ, we were dead in
trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1)!
Being dead, we were incapable of trusting in Christ
with salvation faith!
The faith that brings salvation is the imputed faith
Of Christ Jesus!
John 6:15-71
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take
him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone.
16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down
unto the sea,
17 And entered into a ship, and went
over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to
them.
18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.
19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty
furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship:
and they were afraid.
20 But he saith unto them, It is
I; be not afraid.
21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and
immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
22 The day following, when the people which stood on the
other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went
not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone
away alone;
23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias
nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given
thanks:)
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there,
neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking
for Jesus.
25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea,
they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but
because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth,
but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting
life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father
sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might
work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written,
He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my
Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
33 For the bread of God is he which
cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the
world.
34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this
bread.
35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the
bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth
on me shall never thirst.
36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I
will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not
to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father's will
which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing,
but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that
sent me, that every one which seeth
the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him
up at the last day.
41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.
42 And they said, Is not this Jesus,
the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how
is it then that he saith, I
came down from heaven?
43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.
44 No man can come to me, except the
Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore
that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
46 Not that any man hath seen the
Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
48 I am that bread of life.
49 Your fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, and are dead.
50 This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
51 I am the living bread which came
down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which
I will give for the life of the world.
52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily,
verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the
Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.
54 Whoso eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life;
and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and
my blood is drink indeed.
56 He that eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth
in me, and I in him.
57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.
58 This is that bread which came down
from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in
Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this,
said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at
it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was
before?
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth
nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they
are life.
64 But there are some of you that
believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that
believed not, and who should betray him.
65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it
were given unto him of my Father.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and
walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will
ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the
Son of the living God.
70 Jesus answered them, Have not I
chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spake
of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray
him, being one of the twelve.
At this point the people of that
day were following miracles, as many do today!
Many Church attendees chase after
miracles!
The Jewish people wanted their
positions among the nations restored!
For that to happen they thought they
needed a great King!
Their actual need was for the
Father’s Messiah!
Jesus first came as the suffering
servant Messiah of Isaiah 53, Messiach ben Yoseph!
Later He shall return as the
conquering King Messiah, Messiach ben David!
Jesus
perceived that they would attempt to force Him to be King out of due
season!
So,
He left them and went to a mountain to be alone!
At
dusk, his disciples went down to the sea, and boarded a ship to go to
Capernaum.
As
they rowed the boat toward Capernaum, a storm hit.
They
had rowed about 3-4 miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea.
As
He drew near they became fearful.
But,
He said, “It’s Me! Don’t be
afraid!”
This
story is John’s short version of Matthew 14:42-33 in which Peter walked on the
water as Jesus summoned Him to do.
As
the story is told elsewhere, Peter began to sink with fear when he looked at
the circumstances!
Many
times in the Bible we find the admonishment “Fear not!”
Many
live in constant fear!
We
too sink in fear when we focus on negative circumstances!
Fear
is a synonym for doubt!
As
Jesus came aboard the ship, it was immediately at the shore.
The
day following, when the people from the other side of the sea saw that there
was no other boat there, except the one carrying the disciples, they too went
Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When
they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked why he came there?
Jesus
answered, “Ye are looking for Me
only because you ate physical food!”
All
too often we place more importance on Physical food rather than spiritual food!
He
said, “Don’t work for the ‘meat’ that perish! Instead, work for that ‘meat’/food that endures
bringing everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you! Because, God the Father has sealed Him.”
Many
do not understand that as God seals each of His adopted children with the Holy
Spirit, He also sealed His Only Begotten Son, Christ Jesus with the same Holy
Spirit!
Then,
they asked, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
Jesus
response was not long and convoluted as many sermons! He said simply, “This is the work of God that you believe on him whom He sent.”
We
may not think of belief as “work,” but God does!
He
has set before us the work of believing in, trusting in, being faithful to His
only Begotten Son!
Again,
belief is not the acknowledgement that Christ Jesus exists! Belief is a complete trusting in Him to do
what is necessary to achieve what is best for us!
Many,
if not most, are weak in the faith in that they do not have that type of belief
or faith!
They
asked, “What sign will you work and show us so that we may see, and believe You?
“Our
fathers ate manna in the desert, and as it is written, He gave them bread from
heaven to eat.”
Then
Jesus bluntly told them, “Truthfully I tell you, Moses
did not give you bread from heaven! However, My Father gives you the true Bread
from heaven.
“For the Bread of God is He who
comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Then
they said, “Lord, give us this bread.”
Jesus
replied, “I am that bread of life! He that comes to Me shall never hunger! And, he that believes on Me shall never thirst!
“But, you have seen Me, and still do
not believe!
“All that the Father gives Me shall
come to me! And, he that comes to Me I will not under
any circumstance cast them out.
Now
I must ask, “How many has the Father given His only begotten Son Christ Jesus?”
“Because, I did not come down from heaven to do My will, but the will of Him that sent Me.
“And, this is the Father's will that of all which He has given
me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
“This is the will of Him that sent Me
that every one which sees the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting
life, and I will raise him up at the last day!”
At
that the Jews complained because he said, “I am the
bread which came down from heaven.”
They
said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?
How then is it that he says, “I came down from heaven?”
Jesus
warned them, “Do not complain among yourselves!
“None of you has come to me unless the Father who has sent me
draws him! And, I will raise him up at the last day!
“It is written in the prophets that they shall be all taught
of God! Every man that has heard, and has learned from the Father comes to Me.
Not that any man has seen the Father except He which is from God! He
hath seen the Father!
“Truthfully, he that believes on Me
has everlasting life!
“I am that bread of life!
“Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they are dead!
“This is the bread which comes down from heaven so that a man
may eat thereof, and not die!
“I am the Living Bread which came down from heaven! If anybody
eats this bread, he shall live forever! And, the Bread that I will give is My flesh which I will give for the life of the world!”
At
that the Jews cried out, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
Even
some today do not understand what Jesus was saying!
He
was speaking of spiritual digestion!
Some
believe that Christ was referring to communion!
Communion
is symbolic!
It
is there to remind us to take in Christ as He has taken us in and we are now
part His body, as physical food becomes part of our bodies!
Then
Jesus, “Truthfully, except you eat the flesh of the Son
of man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you!
“Whoever eats (digests) My flesh, and drinks My blood, has eternal life! And, I will
raise him up at the last day.
“Because, My flesh is indeed food,
and My blood is indeed drink!
“He that eats My flesh, and drinks my
blood, lives in me, and I in him!
“As the living Father has sent Me,
and I live by the Father, so he that eats of Me shall live by me!
“This is the bread which came down from heaven! Not as your
fathers ate manna and died! He that eats this bread shall live forever!”
Christ
taught those things at the Synagogue in Capernaum.
However,
many of his disciples upon hearing what he taught said, “This is extremely
difficult! Who can accept it?”
Jesus
knew within himself that his disciples were complaining, so He said, “Does that offend you?
“What if you see the Son of man ascend up to where He
was before?
“It is the spirit that brings life! The flesh profits nothing!
The words I speak to you are Spirit, and Life!
“But, there some of you do not believe!
Jesus
knew from the beginning who would not believe, and who should betray Him.
And
so, He said, “Therefore I tell you that none may come
to Me except it be given to him from My Father!”
From
that time, many of His
disciples turned back, and no longer followed Him.
Today,
others who seem to be Christians cannot accept what Christ Jesus said! They do not believe that He is the only Way
to salvation!
Then,
Jesus turned to the twelve and asked, “Will you also go
away?”
Simon
Peter spoke for the group when he said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life!
“We
believe and are assured that You are the Christ, the
Son of the Living God!”
At
that Jesus surprisingly told them, “Haven’t I chosen
you twelve and yet one of you is a devil?”
He
was referring to Judas Iscariot the
son of Simon! It was he who should betray Him, being one of the twelve.