Session 11: August 20, 2022
Scripture Reading: John 6:1-58
After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). 2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples. 4 (Now the Jewish Feast of the Passover was near.) 5 Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” 6 (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) 7 Philip replied, “200 silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” 8 One of Jesus’ disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about 5,000 in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled 12 baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves left over by the people who had eaten.
14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.
16 Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) 18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough. 19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.
22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted. 27 Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life—the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him.”
28 So then they said to him, “What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?” 29 Jesus replied, “This is the deed God requires—to believe in the one whom he sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the solemn truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 So they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread all the time!”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe. 37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me—that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father—for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven,” 42 and they said, “Isn’t this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus replied, “Do not complain about me to one another. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God—he has seen the Father.) 47 I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with one another, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him. 57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever.”
Main Themes
The Setting
The other side of the lake. The other side of the lake contrasts with Jesus’ usual location on the west side of the lake.
Passover. The mention of Passover suggests that a little over a year has passed since the story began. Remember that Jesus cleanses the temple (2:13) during Passover.
A large crowd. A large crowd was following Jesus because of his miracles. There is nothing inherently wrong with this. However, one must notice that these are not followers in the same sense as disciples or believers are followers of Jesus.
The price of food. Philip’s response to Jesus implies that all they have is 200 silver coins, or denarii. A silver coin would have been roughly equivalent to one day’s wages for one worker. A day’s wages would provide little more than enough food for the worker and his family. So, even if Jesus and his disciples had exhausted their treasury, they may have been able to feed two or three hundred men with heir wives and children—not near enough.
5,000 men. Notice that 5,000 men are mentioned. In this case, men probably does not mean “people” but strictly men. There is no telling what the true size of the crowd was if women and children had been counted.
Given thanks. In a traditional Jewish gathering, the leader or father would have blessed the meal. If historically later evidence is anything to go by, the blessing may have said something like, “Blessed are you who bring forth bread from the earth.”
The Miracle
We will discuss the meaning of the miracle in a minute. For now, let’s just highlight the key facts.
Evidently a miracle. The number of people fed is in the many thousands: 5,000 men and an uncounted number of women and children. This would clearly have been understood as a miracle by all who shared in the meal. Indeed, this may be Jesus’ most clear “sign” (other than his resurrection, of course). Unsurprisingly, the crowds recognize Jesus as “the Prophet.”
Bread and meat. Jesus multiplied loaves of bread and fish. This bread and meat combination will be significant later.
All were satisfied. People ate to satisfaction. Just like the bread and meat comment, this may seem like a detail now but it relates to Old Testament precedent.
Twelve baskets of leftovers. Not only did everyone eat their fill, but twelve baskets of leftovers were collected. The number twelve could hold some deeper meaning but, for purposes of our discussion, I think we can agree that it at least signifies abundance. The bread and fish were not even close to running out.
Jesus Walks on Water
Shockingly, Jesus walking on water is not the main event of this section. It does, however, function as a theophany that reinforces the message of the feeding of the 5,000 (more on this in just a bit). The same miracle appears in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. I will focus exclusively on the narrative theme emphasized by John, but I will use the information recorded in Matthew and Mark to bolster that theme.
As I mentioned above, this miracle functions as a theophany—it reveals that Jesus is God. In the Jewish framework, the immediate connection between Jesus walking on water and their scripture would have been Job 9:8. I quote from the beginning of the chapter.
Then Job answered:
2 “Truly, I know that this is so.
But how can a human be just before God?
3 If someone wishes to contend with him,
he cannot answer him one time in a thousand.
4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength—
who has resisted him and remained safe?
5 He who removes mountains suddenly,
who overturns them in his anger,
6 he who shakes the earth out of its place
so that its pillars tremble,
7 he who commands the sun, and it does not shine
and seals up the stars,
8 he alone spreads out the heavens
and treads on the waves of the sea.
Also, consider Mark 6:51-52: “Then he went up with them into the boat, and the wind ceased. They were completely astonished, because they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.”
The disciples should have understood who Jesus was from the feeding of the 5,000. But they didn’t.
Matthew 14:33 adds: “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
They finally understood, or at least understood a little bit better.
So, to summarize. The feeding of the 5,000 is a clear sign of Jesus’ Christology. The disciples miss the point. Then Jesus walks on water to emphasize his divinity. The disciples seem to finally understand.
The Manna Discourse
Before we can discuss what the miracles mean, we need to review the account of manna in the Old Testament. I quote from Exodus 16:4-23 with a few verses omitted for brevity:
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. Will they walk in my law or not? 5 On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”
6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we, that you should murmur against us?”
11 [A]nd the Lord spoke to Moses, 12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 In the evening the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the wilderness was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you for food.
16 “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Each person is to gather from it what he can eat, an omer per person according to the number of your people; each one will pick it up for whoever lives in his tent.’” 17 The Israelites did so, and they gathered—some more, some less. 18 When they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat.
19 Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses; some kept part of it until morning, and it was full of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them. 21 So they gathered it each morning, each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt. 22 And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers per person; and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Whatever you want to bake, bake today; whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”
The Miracle or the Sign. The crowd goes looking for Jesus. Why? Jesus immediately confronts them with their true motivation. They ate as much as they wanted. They are hungry again, so they want Jesus again. That misses the whole point. Remember John 5:36: “But I have a testimony greater than that from John. For the deeds that the Father has assigned me to complete—the deeds I am now doing—testify about me that the Father has sent me.” Jesus miracles are proof of who he is. The crowd should be looking for him because he is the Messiah who brings true life.
The Food that Abides. Jesus tells the crowds to look for the food that “remains” to eternal life. Think about 1 John 3:15: “Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.” The word for “residing” is the same as “remains.” Consider also 2 John 1:2-3: “[B]ecause of the truth that resides in us and will be with us forever. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Son of the Father, in truth and love.”
Also, notice the finality of this food. It is a “once for all time” type of food. Remember the words to the Samaritan woman. “Jesus replied, ‘Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.’” This is unlike wisdom or Torah. Wisdom is great food and water, but it will leave one wanting more. Jesus offers something lasting and satisfying.
The Dialogue. I will paraphrase the dialogue found in verses 27-58, taking great creative liberties. Please, be a bit gracious with me. I am not trying to rewrite the Bible, just bring out some clarity for a modern audience.
Jesus: Your main concern should be doing what God requires to have eternal life. (v. 27 work for the food that remains to eternal life).
Crowd: What does God require? (v. 28 what must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires).
Jesus: Believe in me. (v. 29 believe in the one whom he sent)
Crowd: Prove it. (v. 30 then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you?)
Crowd: Moses gave us bread. You did that yesterday and is the very reason we are here, but we are going to conveniently forget that now. You should really give us more bread. (v. 31 our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness)
Jesus: You want to talk about Moses and the manna from heaven. Lets. What you call food from heaven is not really food from heaven. If you ate something truly heavenly, it would sustain you forever. (v. it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but my Father is giving you the true bread from heaven)
Crowd: This bread sounds delicious. How do we get some? (v. 34 give us this bread all the time!)
Jesus: It’s me you dummies! (v. I am the bread of life)
Jesus: Whoever comes to me has nothing to fear. I am true to my word. He will live eternally with me. (vv. 37-40 I should not lose one person of every one he has given me)
Crowd: That sounds lame. We want real bread! And you didn’t come from heaven! We know your folks! (vv. 41-42 began complaining . . . whose father and mother we know)
Jesus: Quit complaining. You have rejected the Torah and so you reject me too. (vv. 43-44 no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him) (see also John 5:39-44)
Jesus: Remember Isaiah 54:13? “All your children will be followers of the Lord.” It’s in your prophets and it is happening now! (vv. 45-51)
Subtext: Remember all of Isaiah 54 and 55?
Isaiah 55:1-6. “Hey, all who are thirsty, come to the water!
You who have no money, come!
Buy and eat!
Come! Buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.
2 Why pay money for something that will not nourish you?
Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing!
Enjoy fine food.
3 Pay attention and come to me.
Listen, so you can live.
Then I will make an unconditional covenantal promise to you,
just like the reliable covenantal promises I made to David.
4 Look, I made him a witness to nations,
a ruler and commander of nations.”
5 Look, you will summon nations you did not previously know;
nations that did not previously know you will run to you,
because of the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
for he bestows honor on you.
Crowd: Flesh to eat? Gross. (v. 52 How can this man give us his flesh to eat?)
Jesus: You know, like when you eat the Paschal lamb that takes away your sin? During Passover? Which is right now! Connect the dots people. Trust me to be your sacrifice instead of that lamb and I will not disappoint. You will never need another sacrifice. I promise you, you will live forever. (vv. 52-58).