I Am: The Bread of Life John 6
I. John 6:1-4 “After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee. Which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.”
II. Who is there
A. Jesus
B. Apostles
C. Disciples
D. 5000 men heading for Jerusalem
1. Matthew 14:21 “And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, besidewomen and children.”
III. Where is there?
A. On a mountainside
B. Outside Bethsaida (Thought to be at the North end of the sea, a short distance east of Capernaum)
1. Luke 9:10 “And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida”
C. Sea of Galilee
1. About 70 miles North of Jerusalem
2. About 8 miles wide and 15 miles long
D. Sea of Tiberias
1. On the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus came from there and crossed the sea to go to Bethsaida.
2. Parts of the sea were named after the area that bordered the sea.
IV. John 6:5-9 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
V. The Test
1. Why Philip?
a) Philip was raised in this area and might have ____________________.
b) Leader of the ____________________. Philip’s responsibility.
c) Jesus asked Philip ____________________ (John 6:6).
d) ____________________.
2. Philip’s response suggests he ____________________. Rather than realizing he was in the presence of the Son of God who turned water to wine, Philip became over whelmed. Jesus was looking for ____________________ and got ____________________.
3. Andrew is always ____________________.
4. 200 denari – denarius was a Roman coin worth a day’s wages for a common laborer.
5. Andrew, a ____________________ with a ____________________.
6. Fish – they were probably a couple of ____________________ that were caught in abundance there.
7. Barley
a) Generally considered ____________________ by the people of the day.
b) It is low in ____________________ as compared to wheat.
c) It was called the food ____________________.
d) Barley bread would have ____________________.
8. We need to bring to Jesus what we have and let ____________________.
a) Jesus will use the ____________________.
9. Reasons for the feeding of the 5,000.
a) They were ____________________ and had traveled a long way.
b) He wanted to show ____________________.
c) An opportunity ____________________.
d) He wanted to ____________________ his ministry with the emptiness of the Jews in Jerusalem.
VI. John 6:10-13 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would. When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
1. Principles of spiritual operation.
a) The order – God is the God of order and not confusion. 1 Cor. 14:33, 40. “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the saints. But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
(1) Luke 9:14-15 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down.
b) Jesus gave thanks.
(1) Luke 9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
(2) Eucharistesas – The source of the word eucharist means thanks referring to the Jewish custom of saying grace before meals. “Blessed are thou Jehovah our God, King of the World, who causes to come forth bread from the earth.”
c) The law of ____________________ is emphasized – God does not do for us what we can do for ourselves and reserves for Himself that task that only he can do.
(1) It was customary for the guest at a feast to leave some ____________________.
(2) Kophinoi – bottle shaped basket used by traveling Jews.
d) God is always willing to use what we ____________________.
e) No one ever goes away ____________________ from the Lord, God always meets your needs.
2. God is concerned with preservation in both ____________________ and ____________________.
3. Where did the miracle take place?
a) Some say in ____________________ the more He broke the more there was. Would Jesus have broken this 5,000 times?
b) Some say in the ____________________.
c) Some say in the ____________________. The bread multiplied in his hands.
d) Scriptures do ____________________. As Jesus spoke bread filled each basket, the miracle took place in the baskets. Jesus filled them and they stayed filled.
4. Left over
a) Bottle basket used in travel.
b) One basket left over for ____________________.
5. Principle – give to others first and there will be plenty ____________________.
VII. John 6:14-15 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
1. Some say the crowd identified Jesus as the prophet ____________________. Deut. 18:15. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.”
2. Note: It does not say the crowd believed on Him, but that His miracles fulfilled the prophecy. They have a very shallow interpretation of the miracle.
3. Some say the crowd identified Jesus as ____________________ who would find the Ark of the Covenant and give the people manna from the pot in the Ark.
4. They however were quick to identify Jesus as the messiah and tried to start a political revolt.
5. The leaders of the group were already starting the movement. We can fight and Jesus can feed us and we can defeat the Romans.
VIII. John 6:16-21 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
A. Sea of Galilee – only a six or seven mile trip to Capernaum but it can be dangerous.
B. The disciples were about three and one-half miles in their journey. The crowd is heading to Jerusalem the disciples are heading the opposite way toward ____________________.
C. The sea was quiet and all of a sudden the sea ____________________ up.
D. Miraculous arrival at the shore