🦅 John Chapters 6 – 7✨

Prayer: My Dear Lord and Heavenly Father – we return to Your Word today with open minds and open hearts. We ask that You draw near to us and reveal more of who You are to us. Let us marvel at the great chasm that Jesus crossed, twice.  Once to come and reveal Yourself and then, the return trip that opened The Way back to You.  Help us to see this great invitation as You have revealed to us in Your Word. We ask You for this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

6 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), ² and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. ⁴ The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

⁵ 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?” ⁶ He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

⁷ Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

⁸ Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ⁹ “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

¹⁰ 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). ¹¹ 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.

¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” ¹⁵ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

Points to ponder:  Crowds of people are drawn to Jesus because of the signs He had been doing – mainly the healings. Jesus takes it up a notch here with the feeding of the five thousand. Nobody asked or expected to be fed – this is initiated solely by Jesus.  His disciples – Philip and Andrew offer the conventional wisdom. The cost and the quantity necessary to meet the needs of the crowd.

Jesus takes what they do have – plenty of grass, 5 small loaves and 2 fish and gives thanks – then does the impossible – feeding those seated with as much as they want AND there’s leftovers to be gathered so nothing is wasted.

Notice the timing is given. The Jewish Passover Festival is near.  This is a time when the Jewish nation should remember the 10 miraculous signs God worked through Moses to free the nation of Israel from Egyptian rule. God will sometimes do the impossible to open the eyes of the blind – how they respond reveals what is in their hearts.  These people want to make Jesus their earthly king; Jesus wants no part of that.

Jesus Walks on the Water

¹⁶ When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. ¹⁹ When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. ²⁰ But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” ²¹ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

²² 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. ²³ Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. ²⁴ 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.

Points to ponder:  There is exclusive revelation of God’s character that only the disciples are given.  They can be frightened by the unfamiliar nature of God.  Certainly, walking on water is not a natural phenomenon that any of us would ever get used to seeing. But God gives comfort and peace to replace their fear – and immediately a new destination is reached.

While the disciples are growing closer to Jesus, the crowds are still searching for the Jesus that they want…. The one that does signs… the one that should be their earthly king.

In our Christian journey, we should periodically examine our hearts and ask ourselves – are we looking for a Jesus that meets our own definition of who He should be… or are we humbly asking Him – the One who can walk on chaotic waters, to give us His comfort and peace for the fears we have now.

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ 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. ²⁷ 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.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

Points to ponder:  There can be no misunderstanding here: eternal life is the result of our belief in Jesus. Period. And for many, because of our backgrounds, our cultures, our own personalities and experiences… this can be difficult work.  [Philippians 2:12-13]

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” [Exodus 16:4, Nehemiah 9:15, Psalm 78:24,25]

³² 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. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

³⁵ 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. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ 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. ⁴⁰ 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.”

Points to ponder:  The hardness of their hearts is revealed here.  They saw the signs of healing so they followed Jesus… then they were all fed… now they ask for a sign, similar to the manna that was provided during the wilderness wanderings in Exodus. 

Jesus reminds them that it was not Moses that provided the manna, but God. And the bread of God is the bread that gives life to the world… and like the woman at the well… they respond, Sir – always give us this bread.

Then He makes an astounding claim – Jesus is the Bread of Life.  There is a mystery of who will be saved… there doesn’t seem to be any support for ‘all’ but only those the Father gives to the Son. But also, whoever comes to Jesus will never be driven away.   That’s astounding… if you think you can avoid the Jesus question for long, the Father may put you in a position where you have no other place to turn… or you can initiate that relationship first.  (I recommend the latter. 😊)

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² 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’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ [Isaiah 54:13] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ 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.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ 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. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ 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. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Points to ponder:  Obviously we are not talking cannibalism.  These strange words we hear from Jesus do not make sense until after He is both crucified and resurrected.  These words point to the sacrifice of Jesus’ body at the cross for our sins.  His resurrection and ascension show the new eternal life to which He leads.

When we celebrate communion with our fellow believers, we are proclaiming our belief that Jesus’ sacrificial death has secured our freedom from sin and His blood shed has washed us clean to begin a new, eternal life with our savior.

The Jews who had for their entire history the teachings about sacrificial offerings and atonement for sins through the shedding of blood, could not put these things together.  Many who are ignorant of the Bible still do not understand that the entire Scripture – all of the Old Testament at this point – was preparing mankind for this moment in history when God would come down from heaven to redeem mankind.

Consuming Jesus – His flesh is that broken body that bore our sin and punishment; His blood is the life sacrificed to atone for our sins and restore us to Our Father – THIS enables us to stand, presentable, in His righteousness in the presence of God.

Jesus speaks of eating and drinking… the actions we take to satisfy hunger and thirst… but when our hunger and thirst are not physical, but Spiritual, our usual words of expression fail.  Blaise Pascal hinted at this unsatiated desire as the God-shaped hole in our hearts.

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.” – Pascal

Many Disciples Desert Jesus

⁶⁰ On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”

⁶¹ Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! ⁶³ The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. ⁶⁴ 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. ⁶⁵ He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”

⁶⁶ From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

⁶⁷ “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

⁶⁸ Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

⁷⁰ Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” ⁷¹ (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

Points to ponder:  This chapter started with 5000+ followers who saw the signs that Jesus performed. They wanted a piece of whatever He was doing.  He feeds them all physically and they follow Him. But when He tries to feed them Spiritually – many begin to leave.  From 5,000 to 12.

Jesus tells us that it is the Father that enables people to believe.  When we are drawn to Jesus by some unexplainable attraction – that is the Father at work.  When we are ‘stuck’ in a desert where Jesus seems to be so far away, we should remember His Words here and pray…

🙏“Lord, I believe You came to save… even me.  I come to You for You will never send me away.  I ask that You reveal Yourself to me in a new way. I have chosen this new eternal life that only You can offer and I ask that You give me the peace and comfort that is needed during this time of transformation. I lay down this earthly life, accepting the gift of eternal life – help me to work out this new salvation.  It is in Your mighty name, Jesus, that I pray this. Amen.

Jesus Goes to the Festival of Tabernacles

7 After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill him. ² But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near, ³ Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. ⁴ No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” ⁵ For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

⁶ Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do. ⁷ The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil. ⁸ You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” ⁹ After he had said this, he stayed in Galilee.

Points to ponder:  Like Joseph and his brothers… Jesus had brothers where sibling rivalry seems to thrive.  Notice his brothers expect Jesus to desire public recognition. They do not know at this point that Jesus is acting according to His Father’s will alone.  They have their doubts now but after the resurrection Jesus appears to His brother James who takes on a leadership role for the Church in Jerusalem.  [It is His brother James and Jude who author the two New Testament books with the same names.]

¹⁰ However, after his brothers had left for the festival, he went also, not publicly, but in secret. ¹¹ Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, “Where is he?”

¹² Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about him. Some said, “He is a good man.”

Others replied, “No, he deceives the people.” ¹³ But no one would say anything publicly about him for fear of the leaders.

Points to ponder:  The Festival of Tabernacles is one of the three annual pilgrimages where the Jewish people were to go to Jerusalem and worship at the temple – remembering God’s provision for Israel in the wilderness and looking forward to the Messianic age when all nations would come to Jerusalem to worship God. It lasted 7 days.

Of course, Jesus would go.  But not publicly to be worshiped – that time has not yet come… but it will!

The tabernacle was to be celebrated for ‘God’s presence among us’ – it is ironic that Jesus is there and only some people whisper… He is good. Many will not say anything for they are afraid of those who have leadership power over them. 

Jesus Teaches at the Festival

¹⁴ Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. ¹⁵ The Jews there were amazed and asked, “How did this man get such learning without having been taught?”

¹⁶ Jesus answered, “My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. ¹⁷ Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. ¹⁸ Whoever speaks on their own does so to gain personal glory, but he who seeks the glory of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. ¹⁹ Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?”

²⁰ “You are demon-possessed,” the crowd answered. “Who is trying to kill you?”

²¹ Jesus said to them, “I did one miracle, and you are all amazed. ²² Yet, because Moses gave you circumcision (though actually it did not come from Moses, but from the patriarchs), you circumcise a boy on the Sabbath. ²³ Now if a boy can be circumcised on the Sabbath so that the law of Moses may not be broken, why are you angry with me for healing a man’s whole body on the Sabbath? ²⁴ Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly.”

Points to ponder:  Halfway through the 7-day festival, Jesus teaches publicly. (Gotta love the timing… He waited 3 days 🤗 )  His teaching amazes the Jews. But their amazement turns quickly when He gives God the glory for His teaching and doesn’t take credit for Himself. He uses that motivation as proof of His truthfulness – nothing false in Him.

Then He tells them that none of them keep the law and they’re trying to kill Him.  Their only response is to accuse Jesus of being demon-possessed.

Jesus reminds them that His healing of the man on the Sabbath should be judged no differently than any rabbi performing circumcision on the Sabbath.  He is prompting them to  think differently about the law.  There is power and meaning underlying the Old Testament law that is meant for building stronger relationships between God and man as well as between man and his brother.  It was never meant to be a how-to manual or a checklist.

Division Over Who Jesus Is

²⁵ At that point some of the people of Jerusalem began to ask, “Isn’t this the man they are trying to kill? ²⁶ Here he is, speaking publicly, and they are not saying a word to him. Have the authorities really concluded that he is the Messiah? ²⁷ But we know where this man is from; when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.”

²⁸ Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, “Yes, you know me, and you know where I am from. I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, ²⁹ but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.”

³⁰ At this they tried to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Still, many in the crowd believed in him. They said, “When the Messiah comes, will he perform more signs than this man?”

³² The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering such things about him. Then the chief priests and the Pharisees sent temple guards to arrest him.

³³ Jesus said, “I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me. ³⁴ You will look for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.”

³⁵ The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we cannot find him? Will he go where our people live scattered among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks? ³⁶ What did he mean when he said, ‘You will look for me, but you will not find me,’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?”

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” [Isaiah 55:1] ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

⁴⁰ On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.”

⁴¹ Others said, “He is the Messiah.”

Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? ⁴² Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” ⁴³ Thus the people were divided because of Jesus. ⁴⁴ Some wanted to seize him, but no one laid a hand on him.

Points to ponder:  This section illustrates how we are prone to define Jesus.  The Jews at least, are trying to understand Scripture in order to formulate their definitions and expectations.  Many of us have a box that He’s supposed to fit into.  Jesus tries to set them straight. We too have the scriptures, including these events to study as they testify to who Jesus is… 2000 years later and we still have people trying to defend who they believe Jesus to be… even though the Scriptures don’t support their image. 

They are not worshipping Jesus – the One the Father sent.  They worship an idol created in their own imaginations.

Unbelief of the Jewish Leaders

⁴⁵ Finally the temple guards went back to the chief priests and the Pharisees, who asked them, “Why didn’t you bring him in?”

⁴⁶ “No one ever spoke the way this man does,” the guards replied.

⁴⁷ “You mean he has deceived you also?” the Pharisees retorted. ⁴⁸ “Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him? ⁴⁹ No! But this mob that knows nothing of the law—there is a curse on them.”

⁵⁰ Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ⁵¹ “Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”

⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”

Points to ponder:  We close this section seeing the difficulty Nicodemus has in secretly defending Jesus.  Here he tries the ‘straddle’ approach… one foot with Jesus defending Him and one foot with the Pharisees trying to appease them and not offend them… this never works.  When the Pharisees see that their comfortable way of life is being threatened, they respond by accusing others of not seeing the truth.  (Because only their perspective is true.)

We must take comfort in this illustration if we are prone to be people-pleasers, struggle with our own self-esteem, or simply want to live in such a way that avoids all conflict. It cannot be done – therefore we need strengthening before the confrontations occur. 

When others attack us for our faith, we understand that it is not personal – they are attacking Jesus who threatens their perspective of truth.  When we want to cry out ‘Jesus take the wheel’ we should not have to pull the car over and get Him out of the trunk! Instead, we submit ourselves under the authority of Scripture now – this way, Jesus is already driving and we’re sitting in the passenger seat. When the attacks come – point to the driver.

People with some sort of authority are the most likely to defend their truth – such is the testing that accompanies power.  This is a strange paradox for we all have influence and power in different situations.  It is not just leadership positions in politics, workplaces, churches… but in our homes and communities… in our study groups… in our schools and soccer clubs… in our restaurants when we are being served… or we are the servers… this dynamic to protect our truth will be tested in ALL of our relationships.

(Lord, just the thought of it all is sometimes overwhelming and makes me weary. It would be easy to retreat to fantasy land where I am the queen, but that is not truth. So I gladly bring you my burdens and put your yoke on in exchange for the rest that You promise.)

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Summary:  These two chapters press into us the identity of Jesus and may be humbly acknowledge that on this side of heaven we are only capable of catching glimpses of Him! 

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🙏 Lord, thank You for Your Word and for the time You’ve given us to meet with You. There is nothing stronger that leads our souls astray than the desires of hunger and thirst.  And when these Spiritual desires are left unfulfilled, there is nothing here in this world, apart from You, that can satisfy. Let us consume You daily as our bread and water that leads to eternal life. It is in Your mighty name, Jesus, that we pray. Amen.