It’s the epic chapter six, the feeding of the five
thousand. And something else. Jesus’ relationship with the crowd and the
disciples nose dives. At the start of the chapter Jesus is a picture of royal
authority coming down from the mountain for the waiting crowds. At the end, the
crowd has left, and there was a lot of tension between Jesus and his disciples.
So much so that Jesus asked if they too wanted to leave. Peter says they don’t,
and then Jesus says that one of them is a traitor.
It’s not the sort of happy ending we expected at the
start of the chapter. What’s happened? Like chapter five, this chapter also has
two sections. There are the miracles of the feeding of the five thousand,
followed by the walking on the water. However it would be a mistake to assume
that the camera is fixated on the miraculous in these accounts. The focus is actually
on Jesus’ relationship with the disciples. This is followed by a long discourse,
a very unsuccessful sermon which sees most people leaving Jesus.
The miracles and Jesus’ relationship with his
disciples.1 – 24
Jesus is in Galilee, and in the Synoptics, he hears
about the execution of John the Baptist and wants to get away. The crowds see
him, and while he crosses the lake by boat, they walk, or perhaps even run
around the lake and are there when the boat arrived. So, this is the same story
as in the Synoptics. But, as said in my introduction, the camera tells it very
differently. Here we see how Jesus is like a new Moses sitting with his twelve disciples,
the new leaders of a new Israel, on a mountain; here we find out that this is
all happening under the shadow of the Passover; here we find out the actual
names of the disciples Jesus engages with, Philip and Andrew. In the Synoptics
we are not given any names. And here we are told there was a lot of grass. That
detail is also not in the Gospels. And there is a very different angle at the
end of the miracle. In the Synoptics Jesus sends the disciples away on a boat, presumably
the one they arrived in. Here Jesus escapes from the crowd who want to make him
a king and heads for the mountains to pray. There is no dismissal of the
disciples.
This is a story for would be disciples to read
carefully. In v. 5 it is bluntly stated. Jesus tests Philip. And Philip fails,
miserably. Rather than stop and think, it’s an impossible situation, but Jesus
is here – Jesus who has turned water into wine. Philip doesn’t think like that.
He just says – thousands of people, we don’t have enough money. Period.
Andrew does a lot better than Philip. He introduces
the boy who has the five loaves and two fish. Here there is some faith. The
loaves are of barley, which means it’s the bread eaten by the poor. At least Andrew
realises that it’s worth mentioning because Jesus was there. But this isn’t
strident faith. He immediately says his suggestion is silly. His faith is very
small, but it is enough for Jesus.
Jesus acts. The disciples have to go and ask everyone
to sit down. If you have ever tried to get people to sit down, you will know
that this was tiring work. It’s a good place for them to sit down because, as
mentioned, there is a lot of grass there. It’s green, meaning it’s spring, and
that’s when the Passover was.
Jesus wants the people to sit not just because they
are going to eat, but because he wants them to see what is going to happen. He
will raise the bread and give thanks to God. This emphasis on being seated is
there in v. 11. The only people who were fed were the people who were seated.
Then Jesus gives thanks. The word for thanksgiving here
in Greek is Eucharistesas. Which is why in many churches Holy Communion
is called the Eucharist. The miracle happens. Neither the bread nor the fish
run out. The disciples finish giving out the food, and maybe they are hungry.
But Jesus has another order for them – go and collect the rubbish. And they
return with twelve baskets full of broken bits of bread. It’s fairly obvious
what they are meant to eat.
This was problematic for them. Then things get really
bad when in v. 14 the people declare that Jesus is the Prophet. He is the one
Moses said would come in Deuteronomy So, they want to make him king.
But what does Jesus do when the people want to make
him king. He disappears up the mountain. He knows that they are only interested
in victory over the Romans. His victory is much bigger.
So we have a very sad v.16. When evening came – that
means the approach of darkness. In fact the Greek uses the word ‘descended’, making
it more ominous.
The writer is signalling that something difficult is
going to happen. And it does. All the disciples get into the boat and go. It feels as if the disciples have been hanging about all afternoon waiting for Jesus and so eventually got fed up and left. This is very different from the account in the Synoptics where Jesus dismisses the disciples after the miraculous feeding. For more about that see here - https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2013/05/after-feeding-of-five-thousand-did.html
It is bad enough that
is the disicples left Jesus; but what is worse is that they just had one boat. They are not
just leaving Jesus. They are leaving Jesus to walk back to Capernaum. It almost
feels like they want to teach Jesus a lesson.
Why? Perhaps when they came down from the mountain they
felt they were the courtiers of a new king. So when they saw all the people
they were expecting to be served. But they ended up serving the people. Perhaps
they expected to get the best food. They got the worst food. And almost
certainly they wanted Jesus to become king. We know that from the Synoptics and
Acts. They were furious when he disappeared and left them waiting. And
eventually one of them said, ‘It’s time there was a bit more democracy in this
group. Jesus just does whatever He likes. Now He has gone, just leaving us. We
have no idea where He is. Let’s go by ourselves back to Capernaum. He will be
fine, and when we meet again let’s explain that things need to change.’
We can’t be sure this happened, but when we get to the
end of the chapter you will see it is very possible.
As soon as they abandon Jesus, the skies darken, the sea
rises, the wind blows. And the disciples are making zero progress. It is a dismal
situation. Moreover, there is a danger they could be swallowed up by the sea.
And for the Jew, the sea is not just salty water. It is man’s enemy, enraged
chaos, hell. This is a story like that of Korah in Numbers 16, when an
earthquake happens, and Korah, and his family are swallowed up by the earth.
This happened because he rebelled against Moses. Now another rebellion against
another Moses is underway, and the sea wants to eat up the rebels.
Then they see a figure walking on the sea. The Jews
believed that just before death the angel Azrael would come. So now perhaps the
disciples thought Azrael had come for them. They are wrong. This is not the
angel of death. This is Jesus – the very life of the universe.
The disciples had left Jesus; but He comes and saves
them. No wonder they were very glad to take him into the boat. I don’t think
there was any talk of changing the way things were in the group after this. Jesus
will never be run by a committee meeting. And as soon as Jesus gets into the
boat they arrive at where they want to go.
The story could move onto the discussion Jesus is
going to have in the synagogue in Capernaum. But look at v. 22: the writer
stays with the horrible fact that the disciples took the only boat available,
and abandoned Jesus. So, thinking that Jesus was on the other side of the lake
a crowd of people go looking for him. They go right back to the place where
Jesus gave thanks for the bread, where the miracle happened. He’s not there. Jesus
is on the move, He is not fixed in one experience. So back they come – seeking
Jesus. As well as underlining the horrible thing the disciples did, the author
is also emphasizing how people are seeking Jesus. Andrew and his friend – they
were seeking Jesus; Nicodemus came looking for Jesus. The royal official was
seeking Jesus. Now here we have crowds seeking Jesus. All of this underlines
the pain more that at the end of the chapter that Jesus is left alone. They stop
seeking Him. Why? It is about something He said.
Jesus’ teaching in the Capernaum synagogue. 25 - 65
In a normal conversation the questions and answers are
connected. The conversation that starts this section is not normal. The people
say to Jesus, ‘When did you come here?’ They want to solve this problem of how
Jesus got to Capernaum when they saw the disciples leave in the boat without
him.
Jesus ignores this question and accuses them of only
being interested in filling up their stomachs. He then tells them not to worry about
physical bread, they need to put their focus on the food that brings eternal
life. The crowd are fine with that, and ask what they are meant to do.
Jesus replies – believe in me. That means believe in
all that I say about myself, and we know what this is from Chapter Five –He is
the Saviour, He will be the judge, He is God in the flesh.
To this we have a ridiculous response. Just yesterday
many of this crowd were on the other side of the lake, and they ate the food
that Jesus miraculously gave them. Feeding fiver thousand with five loaves and
two pieces of fish – that is a very big sign.
But look at their question in v. 30? What sign do you
do that we should believe in you? Let’s see the bread from heaven that Moses
gave, because if you are the new Moses you should be able to give that and
more. Jesus could have got very upset with them – I gave you supernatural bread
yesterday. But He doesn’t. Just as with the talk about the temple with the Jews
in Jerusalem, the talk with Nicodemus about birth, the talk with the woman of
Samaria about water, and now the talk about bread, Jesus takes what is a
physical reality and insists there is a spiritual reality that we need to focus
on. There is a bread that gives life to the world. This is much more important
than manna – which got old and rotten. Just like the woman of Samaria,
this group say – ‘Give us the bread’.
It seems that things are going well. Perhaps now all
of these Jews in Capernaum are going to become fantastic witnesses just like
the woman of Samaria. Sadly no. We have the wonderful verses 35 – well worth
learning off by heart – Jesus is the bread of life that has come down from
heaven (33). He sustains us. He satisfies us. He takes away that inner
emptiness.
Also please note this is the first ‘I am’
statement in John’s Gospel. I am of course being the name God gave to Moses in
the burning bush (story.
This is a great statement. But it’s obvious that Jesus
audience does not believe Him. Jesus says that in v. 36. This rebuke annoyed the
Jews, but it gets worse. As Jews they thought they were the chosen ones. In
their thinking, as long as they didn’t’ commit a terrible crime like murder or
adultery, they had a place in heaven. Jesus rejects this. He says – you don’t
believe in me, because you are not the chosen ones. The ones who come to Jesus
are chosen by the Father – and the Father gives them to Jesus. That’s what is
being taught in v. 37 – 40.
So, it is no wonder the Jews are grumbling in v. 41.
They don’t like Jesus saying that he has come from heaven, they don’t like
being told that they don’t believe in Him because they are not chosen. By using
the word ‘grumble’ the writer takes us back to the Old Testament Israelites when
they were in the wilderness. They grumbled, and God did not allow them to see
the Promised Land. The same is happening here with this new Moses.
The relationship is getting bad. It gets even worse in
v.42, ‘Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his mum and dad. This is
the carpenter boy. Who does he think He is, saying that He has come from
heaven. Come on….’. They are suggesting
that Jesus is a charlatan. He is a local boy who is trying to be a lot more
than He really is. Rather than argue with them, Jesus repeats the fact that
nobody can believe in Him unless the Father draws them to Christ for
salvation. So, He is not surprised that
they are rejecting him. They have not been drawn by God the Father.
Everyone reading this immediately has this question.
So there is nothing we can do for our salvation. The Father must choose us. As
immediately as the question comes, Jesus immediately answers it in v.45. This
is a very important verse. Here Jesus says that everyone is taught by God, this
is from Isaiah 54:13. That is true. Everyone has the witness of creation,
everyone has conscience – everyone is taught by God. So everyone can hear and
learn from the Father, and if they do – they will come to Jesus. This is an
important truth. Our spiritual journey does not begin with Jesus, it begins
with our response to the obvious fact that God exists and speaks through
creation and conscience. God is taking note of who responds and who doesn’t.
Jesus’ relationship with this group is becoming problematic.
In verses 47 – 51 Jesus again makes it clear that He is more important than the
Moses story about the manna. He again offers them eternal life, and - here is a nose-dive - this involves eating
Him as the bread of life, and that bread is the flesh he will sacrifice.
With some of the questions that people have asked
Jesus, like Nicodemus, we don’t have much sympathy, but I think we do have some
sympathy for the discussion that starts in v. 52, ‘How are we supposed to eat
this man’s flesh?’
Jesus is of course talking metaphorically but he
doesn’t give any explanation. In fact He makes it all worse by now adding his
blood. You have to eat my flesh – and drink my blood. He says this in v. 53, v.
54, v. 55 and v. 56. No Jew would ever eat blood. It was forbidden. So, this
talk is utterly shocking, offensive.
The people don’t understand what this means. Later it
is clear that for most Christians Jesus here is talking about Holy Communion. There
is no reason why that should not be the case. However, when Jesus spoke these
words there was no Holy Communion, so what did this mean for his immediate
hearers? Given that the writer has told us that we are near the time of the
Passover, it is very likely that they would have thought that of this referring
to the Passover lamb that they were soon to eat. Jesus was going to replace
this.
And there is something else. In the culture of the day
when somebody wanted to say that they had really taken in an idea, they did not
just say believe, they said they had ‘eaten’ that idea. It becomes a part of
their being. This is what Jesus is saying here. And it is very important. He is
saying that to have eternal life, we must completely take in the truth that
life is found in his body and in his blood. We must take in the cross, not just
as an abstract idea, but as a living truth that permeates our being. This is at
the centre of what the Gospel of John is about.
From v 35 onwards Jesus’ relationship with his
listeners sinks to lower and lower depths. We get their summing up in v. 60.
‘It’s a hard saying’. And again, rather than making it easier, Jesus says,
‘What if you were to see me return to heaven?’ In other words, there are much
harder things for you to understand. And then He again explains why they are
finding it hard. It’s because it has not been granted for them to come to faith
by the Father. They are not the chosen ones. His audience have had enough and
they leave Him. By the way, please note that these people are also called
disciples. It is a mistake to think that when the Bible talks about disciples
it’s always talking about the twelve. Jesus had thousands of disciples.
Before turning to the twelve disciples let’s go back
to the question of why Jesus starts the chapter with thousands, and ends with
everyone leaving him. The thousands like the physical bread, they like the
miracles, they like the Jesus who can make their life better. But there are two
things they do not like. One is Jesus claiming to be the bread of life from
heaven. They reject his identity. The other is Jesus’ insistence on the
centrality of the cross, of his broken body and shed blood. The idea that they
have to ‘eat’ his suffering. They reject this. Same then, same now.
Uneasy atmosphere with the twelve: 66 - 70
The crowd leave, and Jesus turns to his own disciples.
The atmosphere was uneasy. Verse 67 tells us how bad it was. Jesus has to look
at them and ask, ‘Do you also want to go?’ In this question we understand that
He had not forgotten what had happened after the feeding of the five thousand. And
in this question, we understand that they too have their doubts about who Jesus
is and what He wants to achieve with His suffering. Before going to Peter’s
answer, note that Jesus is not willing to change what He is saying for the
twelve. He will stay with what is true whatever the cost, however many people
leave him.
Thankfully Peter steps in. Yes, Peter had gone along
with getting into the boat without Jesus, but, with the walking on the water, all
his doubts had gone. Perhaps he did not understand all that Jesus was saying,
but he understood this. Jesus is from God, and what Jesus is saying will give
us eternal life. Peter confirms what Jesus has just said in v.63 – it is the
Spirit that gives life, and that life is in the words that you Jesus are
teaching.
Peter is saying that there is no one like you, you are
the one– not the Pharisees, not the Sadducees, not the Zealots, and certainly
not the disciple who suggested they leave Jesus on the mountain.
Now in v. 70 we find out who that disciple was. Jesus
looks at the twelve, the twelve that he has chosen, and understands which
disciple had made the suggestion to leave Jesus on the mountain. One of them
was not loyal to Him. One of them was a devil. And he tells them this. It must
have been a very awkward moment. They would have all looked at each other.
Later of course it became obvious who it was – Judas.
And so this epic chapter ends.
What is the spiritual bread for us today?
That Jesus is the bread of life. We need never be
hungry, we need never by thirsty. All that we need is with Jesus – his identity
and his cross.
What are the lessons?
For would be disciples it must be that even if you
enjoy a time on the mountain top with Jesus, we must remember that our ministry
is serving others, and eating the left-overs.
For those involved in church work, never
compromise on the identity of Jesus or the cross of Jesus, even if people
leave.
And – never go somewhere without Jesus in the boat.
In the next chapter Jesus comes to Jerusalem, and things get ugly. See here - https://sternfieldthoughts.blogspot.com/2025/03/division-in-jerusalem-71-52.html
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