CHAPTER 6
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. John 6:1-2
John once again uses an imprecise time designation and we do not know exactly how many days or weeks had passed since the last event. It is clear in this gospel that Jesus traveled to the far side of the lake, meaning the east side, and that would be the scene of the coming miracle. This place is identified in Luke 9:10 as in the vicinity of Bethsaida.” Bethsaida was the name of the small port city at the mouth of the Jordan River. Apparently in Bible times there were large pasture lands adjoining the town and extending from both sides of the Jordan’s mouth.1 The same thing is true today, in that there is a good deal of open country around the ancient port.
We note here that the body of water was known as the Sea of Tiberias. Herod Antipas had built the city of Tiberias and named it after the Emperor. It was located on the west side of the lake. The city was built in the AD 20s and was a Gentile city. It was built over a graveyard and thus it was an unclean place for the Jews.2 We have no record of Jesus or his disciples ever going there. No doubt, in Jesus’ time the lake did not have this name. However, by the time of John’s writing, in the late First Century, the new name had caught on.3 Today the lake is referred to as the Kinneret. It is named after the harp (Heb. kinor), and the little body of water actually resembles the shape of an ancient harp.
It is important to understand that John is quite selective in his coverage of events in Jesus’ ministry (Jn. 20:30-31). For instance, in his gospel John gives no coverage of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) or of the many parables of the kingdom (Matt. 13).4 John tells of events and miracles that would inspire folks to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Clarke says of him, “John seems more intent on supplying the deficiencies of the other evangelists than in writing a connected history himself.” 5
Here we are told that a great crowd followed Jesus. He had apparently become quite famous because of his signs and miracles. It is likely that the crowd included many people who were on their way to Jerusalem to celebrate the upcoming Feast of Passover. We will soon see that many of these people were not true believers but rather sign-seekers.
“Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near” (6:3-4). The symbolism of Jesus being pictured as a new Moses cannot be missed here (cf. Exo. 24:9-11).6 Moses had also gone up into a mountain and miraculous things had happened at the time. It is possible that Jesus ascended one of the small foothills that now make up part of the Golan Heights.7 If so, the miracle may have happened in the territory of Herod Philip the Tetrarch.
As we have mentioned from our study of the synoptics, it is extremely difficult if not impossible to determine the exact location of this miracle. Mark, for instance, apparently places it around the area of Tabgha, on the northwestern side of the lake. Early Christian tradition seems to agree. From what we know at this time, we simply cannot come up with an accurate and satisfying location for the miracle that was about to happen. In one way or another Bethsaida appears to be involved in the miracle. This first feeding was for the sake of the Jewish people while the second feeding recorded in Matthew 15:32-39; Mark. 8:1-10 was for Gentiles and took place along the Gentile portion of the lake.
FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. John 6:5-6
There are several things that John did not record in this episode. He did not tell of the disciples needing rest and how Jesus had led them to a deserted place so they could be alone. He did not tell us that Jesus had spent the day teaching and healing and that it was now evening.8 No doubt, the people were tired and hungry.
Upon looking at the vast crowd, Jesus began to test his disciples. Keener says, “Teachers quizzed their disciples with questions, and they occasionally tested their resolve or understanding of a matter by posing a difficult situation.” 9 Jesus quizzed Philip about how such a crowd could be fed. Perhaps he did so because they were in the vicinity of Bethsaida and that was the hometown of Philip (cf. Jn. 1:44). No doubt he was quite knowledgeable of all the small markets in the area. However, this crowd was quite large, with five-thousand men, plus all the women and children. Barker and Kohlenberger estimate the crowd at 10,000 souls.10 Such demand would have surely overwhelmed the resources of an out-of-the-way place like Bethsaida.
“Philip answered him, ‘It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!’” (6:7). The Roman coin mentioned here in the Greek is dēnariōn and it was equivalent of a day’s wage for a working man (Matt. 20:2, 9; 13). Two hundred of these coins would be much more than a half year’s wage. No doubt, such an amount was much more than the contents of the money bag which Jesus and his disciples carried. Clearly, Philip was overwhelmed with his own calculations.
“Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?’” (6:8-9). Wiersbe mentions that wherever we see Andrew he is always bringing someone to Jesus.11 Here he brings a small boy who had brought a little lunch along with him that day. Morris notes that the double diminutive used here in the Greek likely means that he was a very small boy.12 In his lunch the little boy had five barley loaves and two small fish. The barley loaves were the bread of the poor in that day.13 The small fish (Gk. opsaria) most probably referred to the small fresh water sardines found in great abundance on the eastern shoals of the Sea of Galilee. Mendel Nun, who was the resident expert on Galilee fishing in New Testament times, feels that these sardines were salted at the city of Magdala, across the lake. The name of this city in Greek was Tarachaea, which meant a place where fish were salted.14 In a day when fresh fish were an unheard of luxury in most parts, the salted fish from the Sea of Galilee were known throughout the Roman world.15 These little fish and bread made up the staple diet for many.16
JESUS TAKES CHARGE
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). John 6:10
Jesus immediately took control of what could have become an unruly situation. He had the people sit down on the green grass. This statement speaks of an eyewitness account. We are told that it was near Passover and therefore it was early spring. In the early spring, beginning at the end of January in the Galilee, the grasses and wildflowers abound. However, as the late spring heat increases and the rains totally cease for the next six months, the grass and wildflowers all turn brown. In the middle of the summer the Galilee often becomes a tinderbox, with afternoon winds from the Mediterranean blowing upon the dry grass. Wildfires are an almost weekly occurrence in that area.
Barker and Kohlenberger state, “His order to have the people sit down was necessary to stabilize the crowd so that there would not be a rush for the food. It also served to organize them into groups to facilitate serving.” 17 His setting them in groups made counting a possibility, since this crowd may have numbered 10,000 souls.
“Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish” (6:11). We note that Jesus initially blessed the Father for the meal. He probably spoke the age-old blessing that is still used among the Jews today.18 The Hebrew goes: “Ba-ruk a-tah A-do-nai El-o-hay-nu Mel-ek ha-o-lam, ha-mo-tze le-hem min ha ar-etz.” (Blessed art Thou O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth). He then distributed the meal to the disciples and they distributed it to the crowd. Wiersbe notes the important fact that “the miracle took place in the hands of the Savior, not in the hands of the disciples.” 19
We note that this was a thoroughly satisfying meal. People ate to their heart’s content and a great amount was left over after everyone was finished. Jesus had spoken of Moses (5:45-47) and now he was performing a sign that might have been expected by one like unto Moses (Deut. 18:15) as he provided the manna.20 This whole picture brings back memories of the barley loaves and the miraculous feeding of the crowd in the days of the prophet Elisha (2 Ki. 4:42-44).21 How true it is that in so many biblical miracles God begins with what we have in hand, be it ever so small, and works his miracle from that.
In commenting on this great event C. S. Lewis once remarked that “…Jesus simply short-circuited something that happens regularly in nature over a long period of time so that it happened in an instant. Wheat multiplies in the fields, and it makes possible a continuing supply of bread as it is ground and baked. Fish multiply in the sea, and that process of nature keeps a plentiful supply of fish available all the time for the fish markets of the world.” 22
“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, ‘Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.’ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten” (6:12-13). Nothing goes to waste in the heavenly kingdom. In those days it was customary for the Jewish people to carry a basket with them wherever they went. The basket, (kophinos in Greek) was a bottle-shaped container in which supplies were gathered along with the kosher food needed to maintain the Jewish special diet.23 The twelve baskets full were certainly symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel and God’s marvelous supply to his people.
It seems important that this feeding of the five thousand was the only miracle of Jesus recorded by all four gospel writers. It therefore must have been regarded as having special significance.24
“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world’” (6:14). Of course, Moses had spoken of one like himself who was to come and how the people must listen to him (Deut. 18:15). Unfortunately, despite Israel’s preponderance of Bible teachers they had totally missed the nature and purpose of the Messiah who was coming. Israel was thus cursed with the concept of a political superman who would deliver the nation from the Romans. They had not heeded Isaiah’s picture of a suffering Servant who would deliver them from their sins (Isa. 52:13 – 53:1-12). Because it was Passover season, the hope of such a natural deliverance was very high.25
Until the inner person was dealt with all natural deliverance would have been in vain anyway. Some of this same crowd now elevating Jesus would likely help make up the crowd that eventually soon cried, “Crucify him!” 26
JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES WITHDRAW FROM THE CROWD
Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. John 6:15
Clearly, this was a dangerous time for Jesus and for his disciples. The crowd had decided to force Jesus into his role of king. Wiersbe says that he could have “…become famous and powerful! Judas would have become treasurer of the kingdom, and perhaps Peter would have been named prime minister!” 27 We can only imagine how quickly the Romans would have swooped down to destroy such a rebellion. Wiersbe continues saying, “…our Lord was never impressed by the great crowds. He knew that their motives were not pure and that most of them followed him in order to watch his miracles of healing.” 28 This was the very thing that Satan had tempted Jesus with in the wilderness, that he should be given the kingdoms of this world (Matt. 4:8-9).29 Morris sighs, “…thus they fail to get the king they want, and also lose the kingdom he offers.” 30 From this point the popularity of Jesus began to decline.
“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them” (6:16-17). We see from Mark 6:45, that Jesus immediately ordered the disciples to get into the boat. He sent them ahead of him to the other side of the lake, to Bethsaida. From this verse, and the mention of Bethsaida as their destination, we can understand why it is impossible, with information we have, to state for certain where this miracle happened. Nevertheless, it was urgent for Jesus to get himself and his disciples far away from this crowd. In Mark 6:52, as Jesus entered the boat he mentioned that the hearts of the disciples were already hardened. No doubt, they had been affected by the idea of a political Messiah.
It is clear that Jesus had made arrangements to join the disciples but he had not done so and now it was dark. To make matters worse, there was a very strong wind that hindered their progress. It is possible that this storm was the dreaded Sharkia. This was a colder weather storm that came sweeping down on the lake from the east.31
JESUS WALKS ON THE WATER
A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. John 6:18-19
While the most severe storms on the Sea of Galilee come in the winter, a squall can come up on the Sea almost at any season. I once remember a storm that caught us in Tiberias. We had to go inside one of the stores for safety. While we were huddled there we watched the chairs blow by the store window. When it was over a tree had blown down upon the car next to where we were parked. Fortunately we were not damaged. The winter Sharkia has been known to drive damaging waves into some of the lakeside stores in Tiberias.
We know from the discovery of the Jesus Boat at Kibbutz Ginosar that ancient fishing boats were equipped with both sails and oars. The sails would have been quite counterproductive with this storm.32 This picture reminds us of Psalm 107: “They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. They reeled and staggered like drunkards; they were at their wits’ end” (Psa. 107:24-27).
As the disciples struggled to row the boat they were suddenly terrified to see Jesus walking towards them on the water. We learn from Matthew 14:26 and Mark 6:49 that the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost. Their hair probably stood on end. He was not a ghost but was the all-powerful Son of God. Job says of the Almighty, “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8).
This event was one of John’s signs, of which he was fond. Liberal commentators have tried to belittle this miracle by saying that Jesus was walking on the beach, or on submerged stones or sandbars. Coffman chides them saying, “…how could they possibly have seen the Lord walking on the shore at night and during a storm?” 33 Besides that, Mark tells us that their boat was out in the middle of the lake (Mk. 6:47).
“But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” (6:20-21). It is interesting that Jesus said to them, “It is I.” This is the Greek “Ego Eimi.” Literally it states, “I am.” Of course, this expression has the nuance of deity.34 It seems that as soon as Jesus entered the boat the craft reached the shore. Pfeiffer and Harrison state: “His miraculous power manifested itself also in removing the barrier of distance. Gravity and space alike are under his control.” 35 Morris says, “…John may wish us to think of a second miracle…” 36
How often today we find ourselves at wits end with troubles and pressures all around us. The storms of life seem to hopelessly batter our small ship. When we repent of our self-effort and allow Jesus on board, how quickly things change. The storm is suddenly over and we find ourselves safely ashore.
THE CROWD DESIRES TO FIND JESUS
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone. John 6:22
In this verse we see that the crowd was mystified about Jesus’ whereabouts. They knew that only one boat was present there and that the disciples had taken it. Yet, Jesus was nowhere to be found. They would have been more mystified if they later learned that he had walked on the water and arrived miraculously at Capernaum.
“Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks” (6:23). The boats arriving from Tiberias that morning may be an argument against the storm being that of a Sharkia. These storms usually swept down from Mt. Hermon and the Golan and thus blew in from the northeast. Had such a storm been blowing that night ships could hardly come from Tiberias facing such a ferocious wind.
“Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus” (6:24). We do not know how much of the crowd remained in the area. Probably many had crossed the fords of the Jordan River, just above Bethsaida, and made their way over to Capernaum on foot. Many were obviously left in the area and these may have boarded the Tiberias boats and made their way to Capernaum. As Clarke says, “…it is not at all likely that five or six thousand persons could get boats enough to carry them.” 37
JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.” John 6:25-26
The people acted as if they were seeking Jesus himself, however, Jesus knew their real motive for seeking him. Lange says: “Faith that rests on the miracles is not the highest kind of faith, but it is better than no faith at all. But these people were crass materialists. They had not reflected on the spiritual significance of the sign they had seen. Instead of seeing in the bread the sign, they had seen in the sign only the bread.” 38
We have to admit today that many folks, and probably some Christians, are seeking only bread and fish from the Master. As Isaac Watts had it:
There are a number of us creep
Into this world to eat and sleep,
And know no reason why they’re born
But merely to consume the corn,
Devour the cattle, fowl and fish,
And leave behind an empty dish… 39
Jesus said to them: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (6:27). Long before, the prophet Isaiah had asked, “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare” (Isa. 55:2). It seems that few today find that soul food in Jesus – that can keep them alive in famine, enabling them to endure to the end of the age. When we nourish the soul it results in eternal life (cf. Matt. 6:19-21; Col. 3:1-3).40
It is noted here that the Father has placed his seal of approval upon Jesus. In ancient times the seal represented authenticity, ownership, authority and security.41 Perhaps John has reference here to Jesus’ baptism, when the Holy Spirit came upon him (1:32-34).
“Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’“(6:28). Morris says, “‘What must we do?’ shows that the questioners had not grasped Jesus’ point that life was his gift.” 42 We cannot work for it or earn eternal life. God grants it to us through faith, and even faith itself is his gift (Eph. 2:8).
“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent’” (6:29). It could not be said more simply than this, or the words of Paul to the Philippian jailer. “… ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved— you and your household’” (Acts 16:31). Unfortunately, today we do not live in an age of faith. Philip Yancey asks, “Does faith matter? One need only consider the last century to see grim proof that, at the least, no-faith matters. Stalin and Mao, ardent enemies of religion, together caused the deaths of one hundred million of their own citizens.” 43
We should note here that Jesus replaces the word “works” with the word “work.” 44 The work of God is singular and it is that we believe in the one he has sent, Jesus Christ, his Son.
“So they asked him, ‘What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” (6:30). Morris says: “This section of the discourse is to be understood against the background of a Jewish expectation that, when the Messiah came, he would renew the miracle of the manna. Comfortably filled with the loaves Jesus had provided, the multitude challenge him to give them a permanent supply of bread…Their thoughts are hopelessly earthbound…” 45
“Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (6:31). The people are probably referring here to Exodus 16:4, 14-15; Nehemiah 9:15 or Psalm78:24-25. The manna was like thin flakes of frost on the ground and the people gathered it up. It tasted like wafers made with honey (Exo. 16:31). How true it was and still is today that Jews require a sign (1 Cor. 1:22). Somehow they had already forgotten the sign that Jesus gave when he miraculously brought forth bread and fish.
A GREATER THAN MOSES
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:32-33
Wiersbe comments, “It was God not Moses, who gave the manna, so they must take their eyes off Moses and focus them on God.” 46 Barker and Kohlenberger say: “Moses had not given them the genuine spiritual bread. He did not mean that the manna had no food value; rather, it was not the means of sustaining spiritual life…As physical food is necessary for physical life, so spiritual food is necessary for spiritual life.” 47 It is Jesus and Jesus only who has come down to earth from heaven and who has given us the genuine spiritual bread to nourish our souls.
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘always give us this bread’” (6:34). This reminds us so much of what the Samaritan woman asked in the fourth chapter. She asked for living water, but Jesus told her to go call her husband. He asked her simply to open up her depraved lifestyle to him and thus be able to receive the gospel. These people would need to do the same, and as we will see later, they were unable to trust their lives to him.
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty’” (6:35). Here we are introduced to the first of the seven “I am” statements of Jesus in John’s gospel. He will go on to say:
“I am the light of the world” 8:12
“I am the gate (for the sheep)” 10:7
“I am the good shepherd” 10:11, 14
“I am the resurrection and the life” 11:25
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” 14:6
“I am the true vine” 15:1, 5
Bruce says, “In each of these declarations Jesus takes a motif from Judaism (often in the context of a miracle or major festival discourse) and applies it to himself.” 48
Kostenberger adds, “Isaiah’s longing has been fulfilled in Jesus, God has come down from heaven and not merely to feed his people as he did in the wilderness, but to atone for their sins (cf. Is. 52:13-53:12).” 49 He goes on to say, “It is not so much that Jesus gives certain gifts – he himself is the gift (cf. 2 Cor. 9:15)!” 50 Just as the Samaritan woman would no longer suffer spiritual thirst, these, if they would but believe, would no longer suffer spiritual hunger.
“But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (6:36-37). They saw him and feasted upon his miracle but they still did not believe. Jesus would later say, “…blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (20:29). Blessed are those today who have not seen Jesus or his miracles but have simply believed the gospel.
Pett comments: “John …quite clearly depicts the difference between those whose faith is temporary and based on the emotion of a moment, and those whose faith is permanent and lasting, and he sees Jesus as demonstrating that this second kind of faith results from the work of the Father.” 51
Jesus is certain that all those the Father has given to him will come to him. Somehow, someway, and at some time their hearts would be touched and they would come. This speaks of what the theologians call predestination. It is a difficult doctrine but Utley says of it: “Predestination is a doctrine for the redeemed, not a barrier to the unsaved….” 52
Those who come to him will never be cast out. Robertson says that this is a strong double negative. 53 Jesus is saying that he will never, never cast out the one who comes to him. What beautiful assurance this is today for the seeking soul.
“For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day” (6:38-39). In this immediate context Jesus will say six times that he has come down from heaven (vs. 33, 38, 41, 50, 51, 58).” 54 Still, somehow the people missed this important information. Jesus will not lose a single one that has trusted in him for salvation. What a great assurance of the future is this whole passage!
He will in fact raise each one of us up from the dead on that last day. What an example of his keeping power and his resurrection power.
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (6:40). How can such things be, considering that we are but flesh and blood and made from dust? N.T. Wright in commenting on the resurrection says: “Dust we are and to dust we shall return. But God can do new things with dust.”55 While the resurrection was center-stage for Christians in the First Century, it has lost much of its appeal for postmodern folks. Wright continues saying, “Frankly, what we have at the moment isn’t, as the old liturgies used to say, ‘the sure and certain hope of the resurrection of the dead’ but the vague and fuzzy optimism that somehow things may work out in the end.” 56
We need to be clear in our minds about the matter of resurrection. It separates Christianity form all other religions. It is absolutely necessary, and religion without it is vain. Faith, preaching, and teaching are also vain if there is no resurrection from the dead (1 Cor. 15:15).
GRUMBLING JEWS
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John. 6:41
We remember how Moses continually put up with Jewish grumbling during the Exodus out of Egypt (Ex. 15:24; 17:3; Num. 14:2). Utley points out how the Greek for grumble (egogguzon) is in the imperfect tense and that it implies that they continued to grumble.57 It is clear in scripture that their murmuring and complaining caused the Lord to destroy many of them in ancient times (1 Cor. 10:10).
“They said, ‘Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, I came down from heaven?’” (6:42). These folks were becoming seriously confused. Stedman tells of a man who wore a button on his shirt inscribed “BAIK.” When asked what the letters stood for he answered, “Boy, am I confused.” The questioner then reminded the man that “confused” was spelled with a “c” rather than a “k.” To this he replied, “You don’t know how confused I am!” 58
The people were confusing the Messiah with being from Nazareth when they knew he had to be born in Bethlehem. At this point his Bethlehem birth was apparently not generally known. Had they but meditated a bit on scripture, even his being a Nazarene would have turned on the light for them. In Matthew 2:23 it is written: “and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” For centuries, until present archaeological excavations, the spelling of Nazareth was not clear. There seemed to be no Old Testament verse to this effect. Now we know that the name of the city was spelled not with a “z” but a “tz.” Today in Hebrew it is properly pronounced Natzeret. In Hebrew netzer means “branch.” In Isaiah 11:1, Jesus was prophesied to be “the Branch (Heb. netzer),” meaning that he was of the root of David.
At this point Jesus’ humanity blinded them to his divinity. How strange, that by the Second Century of Christian history his divinity blinded people to his humanity. They assumed that Joseph was his natural father when, in fact, he was born of the Holy Spirit and Joseph was only his legal father. In those days when a couple was betrothed it took a legal divorce to separate them. Thus Joseph had given Jesus a legal claim to inherit from the house and lineage of David. 59
It is thought by some that Jesus was now in the synagogue at Capernaum and that his discussion involved the leaders of that congregation.60 Of course, the leaders at Capernaum had surely become acquainted with Jesus’ family because they had visited there on more than one occasion (2:12; Mk. 3:31-35).
“‘Stop grumbling among yourselves,’ Jesus answered. ‘No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day” (6:43-44). The Jews were still grumbling among themselves and once more the Lord rebukes them for it. We note here that no one can come to God unless they are drawn. Salvation is wholly a divine initiative. This involves the deep mystery of election. God knows those who are his (2 Tim. 2:19) and they will be drawn to him.
Stedman tells us another story that happened to an acquaintance of his who was raised in a nonreligious family and had never attended church. This young woman was invited to a Billy Graham meeting in Sacramento. She decided to attend but was determined that she would not be influenced by him. As she listened to the choir, the testimonies, and the sermon she felt she was being manipulated and she psychologically prepared herself to resist with all her might. But when Billy Graham gave the invitation she said, “I was the first one to respond! I jumped out of my seat and went down immediately. I was embarrassed because, as I walked down, I saw that I was the very first person to respond.” 61 The young lady was born again at that meeting because the Lord’s sheep hear his voice and they follow him (Jn. 10:4).
“It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me” (6:45). John is referring here to Isaiah 54:13, which says, “All your children will be taught by the LORD, and great will be their peace” (cf. Jer. 31:33-34). I still remember, in my young married life, the point at which the Lord began to teach me personally. At that time I was off by myself in the mountains and he began to teach me about his word. Today, over a half-century later that message still sets me afire and I am always able to teach on the subject of God’s eternal word.
“No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life” (6:46-48). We remember what John said in his first chapter: “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (1:18). Only Jesus has been in the presence of the Father. It is only Jesus who has seen him and known him. It is only Jesus who can grant us eternal life. This eternal life is not something we get when we die but we can begin enjoying it now as we have said before. The simple truth is that Jesus is the bread of life.
“Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (6:49-50). The people were so insistent on having manna rain down from heaven as in the days of Moses. Jesus politely pointed out that all those people who ate the manna died. The manna from heaven could sustain physical life for a season but it could not give spiritual life. Only Jesus, the bread from heaven, could do that. “One long-time Cuban believer made these observations: ‘The search for meaning is just as crucial as the search for bread.’” 62
JESUS AS THE BREAD OF LIFE
I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. John 6:51
At this point Jesus is definitely teaching in the synagogue. Listening to him, would not only be the people but their leaders as well. Quite often leaders from far-away places, especially from Jerusalem shadowed Jesus in order to snare him with his words.
This section of scripture is one of the most difficult ones to fully understand. Barclay says of this passage:
It speaks in language and moves in a world of ideas which are quite strange to us and which may seem even fantastic and grotesque …These ideas would be quite normal to anyone brought up in ancient sacrifice. The animal was very seldom burned entirely. Usually only a token part was burned on the altar, although the whole animal was offered to the god. Part of the flesh was given to the priests as their perquisite; and part to the worshipper to make a feast for himself and his friends within the temple precincts. At that feast the god himself was held to be a guest. More, once the flesh had been offered to the god, it was held that he had entered into it; and therefore when the worshipper ate it he was literally eating the god.63
We must understand that this whole passage of scripture is clothed with the symbolism of sacrifice. Jesus is now making plain that he would give his body and his blood for the life of his people. Because the Jewish people so far had seen things only in the natural, they would unfortunately see only the natural in Jesus’s words. Because of this, his words would cause them grave offense. They well knew from scripture that eating someone’s flesh referred to hostility toward them (Psa. 27:2; Zech. 11:9) and that drinking someone’s blood was totally forbidden and a terrible thing (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; Deut. 12:23).64
Bruce comments: “To give one’s flesh can scarcely mean anything other than death, and the wording here points to a death which is both voluntary (‘I will give’) and vicarious (‘for the life of the world’)…The Servant’s death was to bring blessing to ‘the many’ (Isa. 53:11 f.).” 65 In words that were now almost foreign to them, their Messiah, who was supposed to be their great leader, would die on behalf of his people.
As we have mentioned, Israel in the First Century was certain that their Messiah would be a conquering king who would rid them of their Roman enemies. H. L. Mencken once said, “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong.” 66
“Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (6:52-53). As we have seen, the eating of human flesh was an abominable thing to the Jews. Actually the whole Roman world abhorred cannibalism.67
Yet, Jesus says very plainly that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood to have eternal life in them. Once again, Jesus was speaking in deep symbolic language. It would have been disastrous to take his language literally. Over the centuries the church has tried to do just that and has ended up with the Roman Catholic idea of Transubstantiation. In this doctrine it is taught that the elements of the Lord’s Supper actually become the body and blood of Jesus at consecration. This false doctrine has resulted in the deaths of thousands of Jewish people over the centuries. They have been accused of host desecration and have been rounded up and executed by the church.
Because John’s gospel does not deal with the institution of the Last Supper, some still think that these verses have to do with the Eucharist. Morris says, “This is the section of the discourse that is claimed most confidently to refer to the Holy Communion…the very strength of the language is against it.” 68
At this point we may ask, “What in the world is Jesus saying here?” He is saying that we must spiritually feast on his crucified body and drink his shed blood. The crucifixion is central in Jesus’ thought. The Jews saw Jesus as a triumphant deliverer but we must see him as a crucified Savior. Barclay understands his words as saying: “You must drink my blood— you must take my life into the very center of your being…” 69 This is a clear picture of completely digesting the life and death of Christ so that they can be a vital part of our being. This is similar to Paul’s expression of our being in Christ and Christ being in us (Rom. 8:1; Col. 1:27). In Philippians 3:10-11 Paul says, “I want to know Christ— yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.”
Tenney comments about this: “The metaphor of eating and drinking is the best possible figure that can be employed to express the assimilation of one body by another, the method whereby life is transferred from the eaten to the eater.” 70 Once again, Jesus uses the words “Very truly” (Gk. amen, amen) to emphasize the importance of his words.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink” (6:54-55). As Paul has just said in Philippians, to share in Christ’s suffering is to then share in his resurrection. This is a sure promise of the Lord which he has now repeated four times.
The word for eat used here is the Greek trōgōn. It is in the present active tense and signifies a continual, habitual eating.71 This reminds us of Psalm 1:2, where the righteous person meditates in the word of God day and night.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me” (6:56-57). The one continually feasting on the crucified Jesus abides or remains in him (cf. 15:4-7; 1 Jn. 2:6, 27, 28; 3:6, 24). Meyer says, “In John 6:57, our Lord gives the secret of his inner life” 72 Bruce adds: “At every point the unity of Father and Son is reproduced in the unity of Christ and believers.” 73
“‘This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.’ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum” (6:58-59). Once again Jesus reminds them that their ancestors who ate manna are all dead. It did not give eternal life, but the bread Jesus offers will give eternal life. That heavenly bread must now be taken and devoured by all who wish to live in him. As Morris says, “…he is not simply another rabbi…it is no longer possible to follow him unreflectively and without committing oneself.” 74
As we know from the rest of this chapter many, even of his disciples, walked away and followed him no more. Where else would they find life? Today vast crowds have turned away from him seeking to find life and fulfillment in many different places. The prophet Amos says of them: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. People will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it” (Amos 8:11-12).
MANY DESERT JESUS
On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” John 6:60
Kostenberger says of this event: “Structurally, this event marks a crucial watershed in Jesus ministry…The first half of Jesus’ public ministry narrated in John’s Gospel thus closes on a note of failure…just as the second and final half concludes with the remark that ‘even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him’ (12:37).” 75 How accurately Jesus was fulfilling the role of the Suffering Servant. Isaiah said of him: “He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem” (Isa. 53:3).
“Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, ‘Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!” (6:61-62). Most of the disciples who were there that day would not see this event. However, the faithful twelve would see it, as Jesus ascended into the cloud and left their physical presence that day on the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9). He had gone to where he was before the incarnation, into the very presence of the Father.
“‘The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you— they are full of the Spirit and life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him” (6:63-64). Most of his listeners that day were bound hand and foot with fleshly thinking. They were simply not able to visualize in the Spirit what Jesus was teaching. Morris says here: “There is unquestionably a reference to the Holy Spirit, the Life-giver…All his teaching presupposes the need for a work of the divine Spirit within us.” 76 His true disciples would faithfully wait the giving of his Holy Spirit at the Pentecost season.
“He went on to say, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them’” (6:65). Barker and Kohlenberger state, “Jesus strongly implied that faith is the result of God’s enabling…‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief’ (Mk. 9:24).” 77
“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. ‘You do not want to leave too, do you?’ Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.’” (6:66-69). Meyer says here:
The teaching of this chapter involves a deliberate act of Christ to arrest the revolutionary movement that was gathering around his person and making him its figure-head, John 6:15… [He] was not intended to raise a standard of revolt against Rome, but to lead to a spiritual revolution…[This] must have shattered any ambitions that had begun to stir in the hearts of his disciples…he was left alone with the little company of twelve, who had sorrowfully watched the overthrow of their hopes. Christ’s pathetic question-Will ye also go away? elicited from Peter a reply which proved that the inner meaning of his words had already broken upon their souls.” 78
It appears at long last that Peter had gotten a firm hold on Christ. Tenney terms his reply to the Lord as “magnificent in its sturdy faith.” 79
“Then Jesus replied, ‘Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!’ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)” (6:70-71). He knew from the beginning that Judas would betray him. At this time Judas should have walked out with the departing throng, but somehow he stayed on.80 We have no evidence at this point that the other disciples suspected Judas. Even at the Last Supper they were still in the dark about who the betrayer was.
With this, the Great Galilean Ministry of Jesus, that is so detailed in the other three gospels, is drawn to a close.81 Jesus would now concentrate his efforts on training his disciples and preparing them for the last days in Jerusalem.