☰ John 6
Jesus is back in Galilee*
6
1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, or Tiberias.† 2 And a huge crowd was following Him because they had seen His signs that He kept performing on the sick.‡ 3 So Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down there with His disciples.§ 4 (Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.)*
Food for 15,000†
5 Then, raising His eyes and observing that a huge crowd was coming toward Him, Jesus says to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread so that these folks may eat?”‡ 6 Now He said this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was about to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread§ would not be enough for them, so that each of them could receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, says to Him, 9 “There is a little boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish, but what are they for so many?”*
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people recline.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place; so the men reclined, about five thousand in number. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples† to those who were reclining; so too with the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were full He says to His disciples, “Collect the leftover fragments so that nothing be wasted.”‡ 13 So they collected and filled twelve baskets§ with fragments from the five barley loaves that were left over from those who had eaten.
14 Now then, having seen the miraculous sign that Jesus performed the men said, “This One really is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king,* withdrew up the mountain again by Himself, alone.
Jesus walks on water
16 Now as evening came on His disciples had gone down to the sea, 17 and getting into the boat they started to go across the sea toward Capernaum.† Well it had been dark for a while and Jesus had not come to them.‡ 18 Further, the sea was being agitated by a strong wind blowing. 19 Then, after they had rowed some three or four miles,§ they see Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were afraid. 20 But He said to them, “It is I; don't be afraid!”* 21 Then they wanted to receive Him into the boat,† and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.‡
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea,§ having seen that there was no other boat there except the one into which His disciples had entered,* and that Jesus had not gotten into the boat with His disciples but only His disciples had gone away— 23 although other boats had come from Tiberias,† near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks— 24 so when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats‡ and went to Capernaum, looking for Jesus.§ 25 When they found Him on another side* of the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi, when† did you get here?”
The Bread of Life
26 Jesus answered them and said: “Most assuredly I say to you, you are not seeking me because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the bread and were filled.‡ 27 Do not work for the food that wastes away but for the food that endures into life eternal, which the Son of the Man will give you;§ because on Him God the Father has set His seal.” 28 So they said to Him, “What should we do so that we may work the works of God?”* 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe into the One whom He sent.”† 30 So they said to Him: “Well then, what sign are you going to do so we may see and believe you?‡ What are you going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert, just as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.’ ”§
32 Then Jesus said to them: “Most assuredly I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from Heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One coming down out of Heaven and giving Life to the world.”* 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”† 35 So Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of the Life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes into me will never thirst.‡ 36 But, as I told you, you have actually seen me, yet you do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will not throw out;§ 38 because it is not to do my own will that I have come down out of Heaven,* but the will of the One who sent me. 39 Now this is the will of the Father who sent me, that I should lose nothing out of all that He has given me, but should raise it† up at the last day. 40 Again this is the will of Him who sent me, that everyone who ‘sees’ the Son and believes into Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”‡
41 Then the Jews§ started complaining about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of Heaven.” 42 And they were saying: “Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?* So how can he say, ‘I have come down out of Heaven’?”†
43 So Jesus answered and said to them: “Stop complaining among yourselves. 44 No one is able to 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.’§ Therefore everyone who listens 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 Most assuredly I say to you: the one believing into me† has eternal life.
48 “I am the bread of the Life.‡ 49 Your fathers ate manna in the desert, and they died.§ 50 This is the bread that comes down out of Heaven, so that anyone may eat of it and not die.* 51  I am the living bread which came down out of Heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. Actually, the bread that I will give is my flesh,† which I will give on behalf of the life of the world.”‡
Chew flesh, drink blood
52 At that the Jews started quarrelling among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?!”§ 53 So Jesus said to them: “Most assuredly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of the Man and drink His blood, you do not have Life within yourselves. 54 Whoever chews* my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life,† and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 Really, my flesh is genuine food and my blood is genuine drink. 56 Whoever chews my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me and I in him.‡ 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so also the one who feeds§ on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down out of Heaven. Whoever feeds on this bread of mine will live forever (in contrast to your fathers who ate the manna and died).”* 59 He said these things while teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum.
Jesus loses many followers
60 Therefore, upon hearing this many from among His disciples said: “This word is hard! Who is able to hear it?” 61 So Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were complaining about this, said to them: “Does this offend you? 62 What if you should see the Son of the Man going up to where He was at first?† 63 The Spirit is the One who makes alive; the flesh does not benefit anything. The words that I speak to you are spirit, are Life. 64 But there are some among you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the start who they were who did not believe, and who was betraying Him.) 65 And He said, “That is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to him by my Father.”‡
66 From that time many of His disciples turned back and stopped going around with Him.§ 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You don't want to go away too, do you?” 68 So Simon Peter answered Him: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 Further, we have come to believe and to know that you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”* 70 He said to them: “Did I myself not choose you twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.”† 71 He was referring to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve.
* 6: Almost a whole year has elapsed between chapters 5 and 6 here. For the events that transpired during that period see Luke 6:1-9:10, Mark 2:23-6:31 and the corresponding accounts in Matthew. † 6:1 From the parallel accounts it appears that He embarked at Capernaum. (Matthew informs us that He had just heard of the Baptizer's ignominious death and wanted to get away—perhaps to grieve and assimilate the news.) From John 6:23 we learn that the destination was near Tiberias. Capernaum and Tiberias are both on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, but there is a large bay between them; so they went over 6-8 miles of water. ‡ 6:2 The crowd was not about to let Jesus get away. Mark makes clear that they ran along the shore—the faster runners stayed even with the boat and were waiting on the shore when the boat put in. The others were spread out behind for several miles (like in a marathon) and kept arriving. Any late starters would see the stragglers and could easily follow the action. Apparently He immediately started to heal the sick and went on to teach (Matthew 14:14, Mark 6:34). But just where was it? John says it was near Tiberias, but Luke 9:10 says it was “a deserted place belonging to a town called Bethsaida”. [Less than 1% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, have “into a town called Bethsaida” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.), which makes Luke contradict himself (verse 12 says it was a deserted place) as well as the parallel accounts.] I assume that the place was indeed near Tiberias but did indeed belong to Bethsaida—either it had been deeded to the town somehow or the family that owned it was based in Bethsaida. Any near neighbors could not use it, so it was basically untouched—a great place for a picnic. § 6:3 Comparing the other accounts, I take it that they had already spent quite a bit of time on the beach, and the afternoon was wearing away. Since verse 6 says He knew what He was going to do, I assume it was a deliberate move to get the crowd up where there was grass so they could sit down in relative comfort. * 6:4 I frankly do not see what connection this information has with the story, but it does give us a time frame. † 6:4 Why 15,000? Well, Matthew 14:21 says plainly that there were about 5,000 men besides women and children. In any crowd what is there usually most of? Since the context was not one of war (where there would be mostly men) I imagine there were at least 15,000 people there (like mothers with sick children). ‡ 6:5 According to the other three accounts, the disciples had already suggested to Jesus that He send the people away to the surrounding towns to buy food. But let's stop and think. How many bread stores would a village have, and how much bread would a store still have on hand at 5 p.m.? If they could have gone to every store within a radius of 30 miles, I doubt that they would have found even 10,000 loaves available. The Lord's question shows that their suggestion was really a cop-out. § 6:7 How much bread can you buy with the wages for 200 days of manual labor? Probably an awful lot of it. But the crowd was so huge that Philip figured that even that much would not do it. [If a day's wage would buy 50 small loaves, for instance, that would make 10,000 loaves—more people than bread.] * 6:9 I think it must be understood that the boy handed them over willingly, so he participated in the miracle. We also must give to God willingly, and when we do we participate in the results. † 6:11 Perhaps 3% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit the reference to the disciples here and have Jesus distributing directly to the crowd (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.), making John contradict the other three Gospels. ‡ 6:12 Notice the care that nothing be wasted. A common human reaction would be, ‘easy come, easy go’—since Jesus can make more any time He wants, why worry. But no, the Lord does not look at it that way. § 6:13 They were large baskets, probably borrowed from the fishing boats (see verse 23 below). The disciples probably had help with the collecting; and in any case, they did not keep that food. * 6:15 Only John records this information, plus what is given from verse 22 on. I take it that at least up to verse 40 Jesus is basically dealing with the ‘king-makers’. † 6:17 When they started out, the boat would be pointing toward Capernaum/Genesaret/Bethsaida; only as they went on would it become clear that their first destination was Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). ‡ 6:17 This statement puzzles me. The author of this Gospel was in that boat. Did they really expect Jesus to come to them over the water? How? Evidently they did not expect Him to come walking. § 6:19 The Text actually says ‘twenty-five or thirty stadia’. In Matthew 14:24 over 99% of the Greek manuscripts have them “in the middle of the sea”. If you draw a line from Tiberias to Bethsaida (see Mark 6:45) and put an X at four miles you will be in the middle of the widest part of the sea. Matthew further informs us that the wind was contrary and that Jesus came between 3 and 6 a.m. (the 4th watch). They had been on the water at least nine hours and most probably rowing most of that time (they were in a fishing boat, not a little rowboat). They were tired! From the parallel accounts it is clear that Jesus sent them on their way. He deliberately sent them into a difficult and trying situation. We need to understand that He may do the same with us. * 6:20 Only Matthew records that Peter also took a little walk. † 6:21 They were ready for some help. ‡ 6:21 They were still some four miles from Bethsaida, so here we have another remarkable miracle—Jesus transported the boat those four miles instantaneously. There have been repeated references to crossing the sea, so the reading of the so-called ‘critical text’ in Luke 9:10 that places the feeding of the 5,000 in the town of Bethsaida is patently ridiculous. What would motivate the editors to print such a ridiculous reading in their text? § 6:22 These were men who stayed on the scene; I assume that they bedded down on the grass right there, waiting for Jesus to come down from the mountain—these were decision makers, and they still wanted to make Jesus king. * 6:22 Around 4% of the Greek manuscripts, of inferior quality, omit “except the one into which His disciples had entered” (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.). † 6:23 The point seems to be that only one boat came with Jesus, so when it left there was no other at His disposal. The boats from Tiberias doubtless returned home for the night (the town was not far and the owners would prefer to sleep in their beds). ‡ 6:24 How many people could those boats carry? Probably less than a hundred, all told, but these were special people who had stayed on the scene for a reason. § 6:24 From Matthew and Mark I gather that from Bethsaida Jesus went directly to Genesaret; verse 59 below makes clear that the men found Him in Capernaum, which was close by. So why did Jesus send the disciples to Bethsaida? Perhaps it was to give an accounting to the owner of the place where the multitude was fed—15,000 people can make quite a mess. (I suspect that Jesus had permission to use the place when He wanted to get away, but no one had foreseen such a crowd as that.) * 6:25 There is no definite article with ‘other side’, since it was just across the bay, not the other side of the lake. † 6:25 “When”, not “how”. Surely, they knew that Jesus could have taken a back trail through the hills and made it on foot without difficulty. ‡ 6:26 He does not answer their question but goes to the heart of their problem—they want to make Him king for purely materialistic reasons. Certain kinds of people like free food; or maybe most people do; or maybe almost everybody does. § 6:27 Jesus will give the Life, but they have to work for the food that endures into that Life. So how do we “work for the food”? Most people have to work so as to have food to maintain their physical health and strength, and there are clear biblical strictures against laziness, so our Lord's statement presumably has to do with priorities. ‘Making a living’ should not be our top priority; like Jesus, our top priority should be to do the Father's will (Hebrews 10:7, John 4:34). What we build in ‘gold, silver, precious stones’ (1 Corinthians 3:12) will indeed “endure into” life eternal. * 6:28 I do not think they listened very well; they answered according to their own ideas. † 6:29 If we want to serve or please God, the first step is to believe into Jesus. After we belong to Jesus we have the privilege of participating in God's works. ‡ 6:30 These guys are hard to believe—they had seen Jesus multiply the bread and fish; how much more of a sign did they want? They had been so impressed that they wanted to make Him king. But instead of offering free food Jesus is now demanding commitment; so they start to backpedal. § 6:31 See Exodus 16:4, Nehemiah 9:15 and Psalm 78:24. * 6:33 Jesus said that ‘bread’ ‘gives life’. Bread was their staff of life; their physical life depended on it. Similarly, our spiritual life depends on Jesus. † 6:34 This seems to be a bit of a change in attitude. They are vacillating. ‡ 6:35 I have underlined ‘never’ because Jesus was very emphatic. § 6:37 “All that” is in the neuter gender and presumably includes more than people; but does it exclude people? “The one who” refers only to people. Jesus will not throw you out, but you can back out, decide to turn back. * 6:38 Here we have a plain statement: “I have come down out of Heaven”. We can either accept it or reject it; those who say that Jesus was merely a good man are rejecting it. † 6:39 The manuscript evidence is badly divided here, but I take it that the best line of transmission has “it” rather than “him” (neuter rather than masculine)—in the preceding clause, “nothing out of all” is definitely neuter. The ‘problem’ is the verb “raise”—if it is taken as raising the dead then the direct object should be masculine. But “raise” is much more general in use, being used for erecting a building, lifting something up, etc. There is a contrast between verse 39 (things) and verse 40 (people). Verse 39 joins other passages that indicate that during the Millennium the earth will be restored to conditions reminiscent of Eden (compare Romans 8:19-22). ‡ 6:40 Since only His contemporaries could see Jesus physically, everyone else has to ‘see’ Him spiritually. But in verse 36 the Lord says that even though they were seeing Him physically, they were not believing—so even for the contemporaries the ‘seeing’ had to be spiritual. Jesus Himself will raise up His followers. § 6:41 I take it that up to verse 40 Jesus has been interacting with the ‘king-makers’. The “Jews” here probably represent the ruling hierarchy—since Jesus was in the synagogue there were others present besides the ‘king-makers’. * 6:42 I wonder why they refer to Joseph's parents. Of course they were assuming that Jesus was in fact Joseph's son. † 6:42 Notice that they understood clearly that Jesus was claiming that He had come down out of Heaven. ‡ 6:44 As Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus (see note at John 3:6), without God's direct participation, no one is saved. But see the next verse. § 6:45 See Isaiah 54:13. * 6:45 In verse 44 Jesus emphasizes God's sovereignty; here He emphasizes human responsibility. We can ‘listen and learn’, and then ‘come’. But in what sense is everyone “taught by God”? Everyone has the light of creation and is born with a conscience, at least. Perhaps there are other ways that God ‘teaches’. † 6:47 About 0.5% of the Greek manuscripts, of objectively inferior quality, omit “into me” (as in NIV, NASB, TEV, etc.). But the object of one's belief is of the essence; it is impossible to live without believing in something, so everyone believes. The reading of the so-called ‘critical text’ opens the door to universalism—the more so since the Lord is making a formal statement about how to be saved. ‡ 6:48 Since the Lord is obviously not claiming to be a loaf of literal bread, this is a figure of speech, a metaphor. Bread was their staff of life; they could not live without it. Jesus is our spiritual ‘staff of life’; we cannot live spiritually without Him. § 6:49 I take it that this statement is in response to theirs in verse 31 above. * 6:50 Verse 49 presumably refers to physical death, while verse 50 refers to spiritual death. Notice the “anyone may eat”; this is an open invitation. † 6:51 I take it that He is referring to His physical body, which represents the incarnation, with all that involved. ‡ 6:51 “The life of the world”—wow! Well, according to Romans 8:19-23 the whole creation is groaning, waiting for redemption. § 6:52 They were being strictly literal, which could not be right—if they had started cutting Him up right there, they would have killed Him, and only those physically present could have eaten and drunk. * 6:54 The verb here is different from the “eat” in verse 53. The verb here would typically be used of a cow munching fodder, but fodder is usually crunchy, so the munching is noisy. Because “munch” suggests noise, I have rendered “chew”. In verse 56 chewing is linked to abiding, something we need to do every day. † 6:54 The Roman Church takes this literally when they claim that during their Mass the priest actually converts the elements into flesh and blood (transubstantiation). But since John repeatedly records that it is by believing into Jesus, or His name, that one receives eternal life, then we should understand the eating and drinking here as metaphoric. ‡ 6:56 This reciprocal abiding takes place in the spiritual realm. § 6:57 This is the same verb rendered “chew” above. * 6:58 Many of those who died in the wilderness died in rebellion against God, so the “died” here may refer to spiritual death as well. † 6:62 I find this question to be curious. How does it apply to what He has been saying? ‡ 6:65 Verse 54 emphasizes human responsibility; verse 65 emphasizes divine sovereignty. § 6:66 It is possible that Jesus used the language that He did deliberately, precisely to reduce the number of ‘hangers-on’. Too many people hanging around would get in the way, reduce efficiency. * 6:69 Instead of “the Christ, the Son of the Living god”, perhaps 0.5% of the Greek MSS, of objectively inferior quality, read ‘the Holy One of God’ (as in NIV, NASB, LB, TEV, etc.)—obviously an inferior reading. † 6:70 The root meaning of ‘devil’ is ‘slanderer’; presumably Judas was a human being, so Jesus was not calling him a literal demon.
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