The Gospel of John. Bread and Water John 6:1-21

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1 The Gospel of John Bread and Water John 6:1-21 D ID YOU EVER WANT TO GET AWAY FROM IT ALL? Jesus and the disciples certainly did. And John MacArthur reminds us why. The Synoptic Gospels suggest two reasons that Jesus and the disciples withdrew to the eastern side of the lake. First, the Twelve had just returned from a preaching mission (Mark 6:7 13, 30), and Jesus, too, had been heavily involved in exhausting ministry while they were gone (Matt. 11:1). The Lord knew the disciples needed a time of rest and instruction, a sort of debriefing after the completion of their mission (Mark 6:31 32). Matthew 14:13 reveals that news of John the Baptist s death provided an additional reason for their withdrawal: Now when Jesus heard about John [that he had been executed by Herod; 14:1 12], He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself. 1 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff no bread, no bag, no money in their belts but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them. So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught (Mark 6:7 13, 30 ESV). VII The Christ Revealed to Israel Chapter 2:1-12:50 I. Demonstrations of Power 1. Feeding Five Thousand Verses 1-15 Introduction: We have seen the transitionary event of Jesus ministry. The proclamation of His deity and Messiahship to the religious leaders led to an irreconcilable break between Himself and this group. They now reached a level of hostility that could only be quenched with Jesus death, by fair means or foul. And as for Jesus, He just felt the need to get away 1. Feeding Five Thousand: Wouldn t you, if the powers that be were out to get you? What is important to understand is that John s account of the events of Jesus life are very condensed, as we noted early on. With this next Passover, John has already covered the first two years of Jesus life, and we re only up to Chapter 6. The rest of the book focuses on the last year and especially the last week of His life. McGee, speaking of the timing of all this notes: 1 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, John, Moody Press, Chicago, IL McGee, J. Vernon, John I: The Gospels, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, 1991

2 Now He crosses over the Sea of Galilee and, apparently, comes to the north section. This took place about six months to a year after the events of chapter 5. It was about one year before His crucifixion, by the way. The way the events are dated is by the feasts that John mentions. As we have said, John ties his Gospel down to a calendar and to a map. The One who came out of heaven s glory, the Word who was made flesh, the One who pitched His tent here among us, that One walked by the Sea of Galilee, went to Cana and to Nazareth, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Jerusalem, Decapolis, etc. So we read that after these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee. John says, And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh (v. 4). So apparently He had been back in the land of Galilee, because in chapter 5 He had been in Jerusalem and had gone in the sheep gate. This indicates a time lapse between chapters 5 and 6 when He went over the Sea of Galilee. 2 So Jesus relocated to the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee, an area known as the Sea of Tiberias. Which was actually a lake and, not surprisingly, was next to the city Tiberias. Tiberias. A city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Tiberias was founded around 20 A.D. by Herod Antipas and named for the emperor Tiberius. Boats from Tiberias were used to cross the lake in search of Jesus (John 6:23), and the gospel of John sometimes refers to the lake as the Sea of Tiberias (John 6:1; 21:1). 3 Verses 2-5a: With the information in the parallel passages, it is easy to see why Jesus had so many tag-alongs. And that is what John says about the crowds. They were following Jesus, not so much because of His teachings, but because of the miracles He was doing. The thought in the Greek is, the people were interested in His ongoing miracles. They wanted to see something more. And they were specifically interested in healing miracles. These are the same people who never miss going to a Benny Hinn event. It doesn t matter to them that he s teaching heresy, as long as they get healed. And it didn t matter if Jesus was teaching truth, as long as He healed. Matthew tells us So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them (Matthew 4:24 ESV). But regardless of the motives of the crowds, Jesus did heal. Consequently, this must have become exhausting. So Jesus and the disciples try to head out and get away from the crowds going up into the hills. Then John gives us one of his parenthetical remarks. He provides us with a calendar event. It was coming up to the second Passover during Jesus three years of ministry. So it is now only about a year away from the crucifixion. And the fact that the Passover was coming up, a remembrance of the Jews being freed from Egypt oppression, may have led to the people to think of Messiah s coming as the way they were to be freed from Rome oppression. The efforts to get away from the crowd has failed. The people followed the group up into the mountains, actually more like hills. They were following just to see another miracle. And while some would come to believe in Him, this time Jesus had a different purpose. Even when He did signs it wasn t for the purpose of pandering to the public. It was incidental 2 McGee, J. Vernon, John I: The Gospels, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN, Lang, David, The Accordance Dictionary of Place Names, OakTree Software, Inc., Altamonte Springs, FL, 2000 ) 142 (

3 when His purposes overlapped their wants. He healed because He is a compassionate God and loves His creations. He gives them the opportunity to accept His love, even knowing most wouldn t. But as evening approaches, Jesus uses this circumstances as a teaching opportunity for the disciples. (We ll see this next time as we examine the latter part of the chapter.) Verses 5b-9: We know from a parallel passage that the disciples initial reaction to the crowd of people was simple: get rid of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves. But Jesus said, They need not go away; you give them something to eat (Matthew 14:14 16 ESV). Luke gives a bit more background. the crowds followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place. (Luke 9:11 12 ESV). After a long day, the disciples were tired. They didn t know what to do. Well, actually they did. Let the people take care of themselves. And this is why I believe the feeding was primarily for their benefit. Looking at the crowd, Jesus, as we have already read, tells the twelve to take care of them. In looking at the disciples response to this apparently outrageous instruction, John focuses specifically on Phillip. He asks Jesus how they are going to feed this huge crowd. By the way, they were in Phillip s neighborhood, so that may be why he is specifically identified. Now keep in mind they are up in the mountains. There aren t any pizza places near by. And Phillip points out that this would take about eight months s wages to have enough to feed a crowd this size. And even that wouldn t really be enough for more than a snack. Remember, the disciples had seen plenty of miracles themselves at this point. Yet it never occurs to Phillip, or the other 11, to ask Jesus if He could do something. So Phillip may have been speaking only for himself. But he most likely was reflecting the attitude of the group. The reason I say group though is because Andrew tells Jesus that he found a boy who has a basket with five loaves and two fishes. So apparently the others were looking around to see if they could find a solution to the problem. The boy is described as a little boy or tyke. The loaves would actually have been five little pancakes, just enough, with a couple of fish to have made up a small child s lunch. Come on Andrew, what do you think we do with this tiny amount? ) 143 (

4 I can t help but wonder why Andrew presented the boy. Maybe it had actually occurred to him that Jesus might do something. But the real lesson here is, Jesus calls us to do the impossible impossible only if we are not turning to Him to provide the resources to accomplish His call. The lesson the disciples should have learned was to be totally dependent on Him. Verses 10-15: Now as for the miracle itself. It is important to understand that while this is called the feeding of the five thousand, this reflects a huge understatement. The Greek word for men isn t the one used for mankind, that is, for both men and women. It is a word which specifically means a male person of full age and stature, as opposed to a child or female 4 That being the case, the five thousand men translates into conservatively fifteen to twenty thousand people, including women and children. No wonder the disciples were feeling overwhelmed. Feeding five thousand is one thing, but fifteen thousand? Since it was a nice spring day (after all, Passover occurs during the Spring), Jesus had the disciples seat this huge crowd. This itself would have been a major undertaking. In fact, Mark points out this was done with some thought to order. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties (Mark 6:40 ESV). I don t know what either the disciples or the crowd was thinking but they sat as directed. This is a miracle I d love to have seen, because I can t figure out the exact mechanics of what occurred. What we do know is Jesus gave thanks to God and began serving up the bread and fish until He fed as many as twenty thousand people. This must have been pretty overwhelming. And I suspect the disciples probably received help, at least I hope so. Either that or the food was miraculously distributed as well as created. And everyone had eaten their fill When Jesus provides a miracle, He provides in abundance. To show the disciples, as if they didn t already realize it, just how gracious and powerful He was, He had them pickup the leftovers. They got one full basket each. These weren t filled with crumbs. They were filled with full servings of bread and fish. I wonder if the miracle reminded the people of the feeding of Israel in the wilderness. you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD (Deuteronomy 8:2 3 ESV). And if they made the connection, it would have increased their national fervor even further. This might also explain why they saw Jesus as the prophet promised by Moses. The events 4 Mounce, William D. Mounce, Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, ) 144 (

5 all tie together. Prophet, Messiah, hope for freedom, these thoughts may have gone through the minds of disciples and crowd alike. The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers it is to him you shall listen just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die. And the LORD said to me, They are right in what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him (Deuteronomy 18:15 19 ESV). Mounce goes on even further when he speculates in the light of v. 15, where the people try to make Jesus king by force, it is easy to think that, at least in John, the specification of five thousand men is a way of drawing attention to a potential guerrilla force of eager recruits willing and able to serve the right leader. 5 And while this may be reaching a bit, it does appear that a factor in the people s turning against Jesus after the triumphal entry was His unwillingness to become king and free them. It is certainly often speculated that this may have been a factor in Judas thinking that led him to betray Christ. Whatever the case, Jesus will have none of it. He came to die. He will come again to rule. And so He flees the crowd. It is the will of the Father, not the demands of the people that motivates His life. Jesus is heading away from everyone and the disciples they go back to the boat without Him. What gives? So let s leave the scene for now. Conclusion: The crowds were initially looking for a show and miracles, a TV show called Judea s Got Talent. But they found more. They found someone they believed was the promised Prophet. They found someone who might free them from Roman oppression. They found someone they wanted to make king. What s interesting is they were right on all counts except one timing. Jesus did come at His first coming to provide freedom from oppression the slavery of sin and death. The people wanted to make Him king. He offered them the eternal kingdom of God. Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:14 15 ESV) the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28 ESV). 5 Mounce, Robert H., The Expositor s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, John, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 2007 ) 145 (

6 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23 ESV). thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:17 18 ESV). It is only at the second coming that He will restore Israel as promised. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God (Revelation 21:2 ESV). The other message here is the one the disciples would constantly have to learn, and that is they were helpless in their own strength. Christ commanded them, but they were only able to obey as they depended on Him. He told them to feed the people. They couldn t on their own, but He could and they could then carry out His instructions. We are called to do the impossible. That s impossible. But With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matt 19:26 ESV). I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 ESV). I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5 ESV). And so God provides for our needs, just as Christ did beside the sea. God gives us the Bread of Life His Living Word for salvation and His Written Word for growth. With God, all things are possible. Break Thou The Bread of Life Break thou the bread of life, Dear Lord, to me, As thou didst break the loaves Beside the sea; Throughout the sacred page I seek thee, Lord, My spirit pants for thee, O living Word. Break thou the Bread of Life, O Lord, to me, That hid within my heart Thy word may be; ) 146 (

7 Mold Thou each inward thought From self set free, And let my steps all be Controlled by Thee. Open Thy Word of Truth That I may see Thy message written clear And plain for me; Then in sweet fellowship, Walking with Thee, Thine image on my life Engraved will be. Bless thou the truth, dear Lord, To me, to me, As thou didst bless the bread By Galilee; Then shall all bondage cease, All fetters fall; And I shall find my peace, My All in all. O send thy Spirit, Lord, Now unto me, That he may touch mine eyes, And make me see: Show me the truth concealed Within thy Word, And in thy Book revealed I see the Lord. 6 6 The Celebration Hymnal, Break Thou the Bread of Life, Word Music/Integrity Music, USA, 1997, # 413. ) 147 (

8 The Gospel of John Bread and Water John 6:1-21 VII The Christ Revealed to Israel Chapter 2:1-12:50 I. Demonstrations of Power 1. Feeding Five Thousand Verses 1-15 Introduction: (Mark 6:7 13, 30) 1. Feeding Five Thousand: Verses 2-5a: (Matthew 4:24) Verses 5b-9: (Matthew 14:14 16; Luke 9:11 12)

9 Verses 10-15: (Mark 6:40; Deuteronomy 8:2 3, 18:15 19) Conclusion: (Mark 1:14 15; Matthew 20:28; Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:2; Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13; John 15:5) Personal Application: What does it mean to you to know you can do all things, what ever things the Lord calls to do? How can these truths strengthen your walk? Prayer for the Week: Lord help us to remember our total dependence on You and never fall into the trap of believing we are self-sufficient. In Christ s name, amen.