John 6, Part 2

After feeding the 5,000, Jesus went into the mountain by himself. It is not recorded why Jesus did this, but throughout the Bible, we see references of Jesus going alone to be with God. One article I read states Jesus went to be alone 9 different times in scripture. We start this weeks lesson after Jesus has been alone for a period of time.

John 6:16–21 ESV

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

The disciples set sail to cross the sea (normally a 2 hour sail). The crowd was about to take Jesus by force and make Him a king. There was danger in that the disciples might be swept up in the excitement of the temptation, so Jesus instructed them to set sail. They obeyed Jesus, did exactly what He said: they fled and escaped the temptation.

Note the words: “Jesus was not come to them.” Apparently, Jesus had told them to row out some distance and then to turn and pick Him up at some other point on the shore. However, they were not to wait for Him beyond a certain time. He was going to send the crowd away and withdraw to pray. The “great,” violent storm caught the disciples by surprise and, apparently, pulled them out to sea.

This experience of the disciples clearly illustrates the causes of fear. Being in the dark will cause fear. It was now dark, so the disciples could not see. The threat and danger and the emotional strain of the storm was to be much more intense because of the dark.

A person in spiritual darkness cannot see. His blindness is a great threat and emotional strain upon him.

(1) It is a great threat in that he does not know what lies ahead (trouble, sorrow, difficulty, loss, death).

(2) It is a great danger in that he will definitely face some difficult times ahead. Being in darkness, he will be caught unprepared. He will be in the dark about God, about how to call upon Him and to receive strength and help from Him.

(3) It is a great emotional strain in that fear will swarm over his being, covering him with a sense of helplessness and hopelessness.

Being without Jesus will cause fear. Jesus had not yet come to the disciples; therefore, they did not have His presence and help. They were left alone to fend for themselves, having only the help of each other. The strength of each other’s mind and arm had to save them or else they were lost; they were going to die. They had every reason to fear, for they were honest men, and each one knew down deep within his heart that their strength was limited and would eventually fail.

Being caught in one of the great, violent storms of life will cause fear. “Great winds” and a violent storm arose. Note: when they had launched out, it was calm and peaceful; they thought their journey would be successful, confronting no trouble whatsoever. They never expected a violent storm, but the winds and clouds did come. The terrible storm did strike and threaten their lives.

So it is with the “great,” violent storms of life. Trouble, trial, sickness, death, financial difficulties, and a host of other storms strike everyone. They strike unexpectedly, too often when we are least prepared. The result is great fear and the emotional upheaval of our lives.

Being tired and gripped with a sense of horror, of impending death, will cause fear. The disciples had been struggling against the storm for six to nine hours (again about a 2 hour sail, normally. S of G was about 12 mi tall, 7 miles wide) and they had progressed only three or four miles.

Note what happened (see Mk. 6:47–49 for full explanation).

Mark 6:47–49 ESV

47 And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was alone on the land. 48 And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them, 49 but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it was a ghost, and cried out,

The disciples saw Jesus “walking on the sea.” It scared them to death! Remember, they were physically exhausted and mentally drained from using all the seaman skills at their disposal. Their lives were at stake; they were struggling for survival. All of a sudden out of nowhere they saw a figure, an apparition (ghost) walking on the water. And it was not just one of them who saw it; all of them saw the figure. They were frightened, perhaps bordering on going into shock—perhaps thinking that the death angel or a premonition of their death was at hand.

The point is forceful: the storms of life can cause a sense of horror, of impending death, and can strike an awful fear in our hearts.

The Word of Christ delivers from fear. He proclaimed, “It is I; be not afraid”.

Receiving the presence of Christ delivers from fear. This is critical to note, for having Christ present and hearing His Word to “fear not” are not enough. A person must “willingly receive” Christ into his life. Deliverance came to the disciples only after they had received Jesus into the ship.

The results of receiving Christ were twofold: deliverance from fear and the calming of the storm. Jesus Christ gives the strength to row through all the storms of life. He has the power to erase fear and calm any storm.

Man’s Greatest Hunger

John 6:22–29 ESV

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Man has a gnawing hunger within for both the physical and the spiritual. He hungers for both food and material things and for God and spiritual things, things such as love and joy and peace. Therefore, most of man’s time and energy are spent in seeking to satisfy his hunger. This passage deals with the answer to man’s great hunger.

The first answer to man’s great hunger is to recognize the hunger. The people had been miraculously fed. It was a common belief that the Messiah would give manna from heaven even as Moses had done; in fact, it was thought that the Messiah would give more than Moses had given. The people were convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, so they wanted to lay hold of Him and make Him king.

The people acknowledged their need for the Messiah. They had need and they knew it. Confessing their need was not a problem for them.

The people noted Jesus’ absence. There had been only one boat docked at shore, and the disciples had taken it to cross the lake. However, Jesus had not accompanied them; He had stayed behind. The people thought He was over in another section of the crowd or else off somewhere by Himself. The fact that He was not close by did not dawn upon them until the next day. The point is filled with lessons: the people, knowing they had need, wanted their need met. Jesus had proclaimed that He could meet their need, but He was gone; therefore, their need was going to go unmet unless they could find Him.

The people sought Jesus. Believing that Jesus was the answer to their need, they did what they should have done: they sought Him. Other boats had drawn up to shore during the night, probably seeking refuge from the storm. Therefore, the people immediately took passage on these boats to cross over to Capernaum, hoping to find Jesus. Note how diligent they were in seeking Him.

The people questioned Jesus’ absence. In their minds the Messiah was to give manna from heaven to meet the needs of the people just as Moses had done, only more so. They could not understand why Jesus would leave them, especially if He were the true Messiah.

This point is crucial, for men of every generation do wonder and question the fact: If Jesus is really the Messiah, why does He so often seem absent and far away, especially in times of trouble? Another way to word the same thought is: If there is a God and if Christ really is the Son of God, why is the world in so much trouble and why are so many people suffering? Why would Christ not place Himself right in the midst of the world and its problems? Why would He not go ahead and solve the problems, meeting man’s needs immediately? The answer, of course, is what this passage is all about.

The answer to man’s great hunger is acknowledging that man’s motive is corrupt. This point is critical to see. Jesus stressed it with a solemn attention getter, “verily, verily” (listen, listen). Man’s motive in seeking the Messiah—in seeking the answer to his problems—is often corrupt. In the case of these people it was, and tragically, it is with so many in every generation.

Man seeks a Messiah (Savior), but not to worship and serve Him. He seeks a Messiah for what he can get out of Him.

Man is interested in getting his needs met, whether by someone human or divine. Man is interested in himself, not in acknowledging and honoring Jesus to be Lord and not in serving Him and making Him known to a lost world. The thoughts of the crowd were focused on how wonderful it was to be saved from hunger and to have their needs met. Here was a Savior (Messiah) who could meet all their needs, who could satisfy and give them a complete and full life. He could provide all things for them and deliver them from all their enslavements and enemies. He could bring utopia (the Kingdom of God) to earth. Every need could be filled and satisfied.

Man should be interested in the Messiah for who He is and not for what he can get out of Him. Very simply, as with any person, the Lord wants to be sought and loved for who He is and not for what He can do for a person. The Lord (Messiah) is not a tool to be used; He is a Person to be sought and loved. The crowd should have seen that such a miracle could have been done only by the Son of God Himself. Therefore, seeing and standing before the Son of God, they should have fallen down before Him in all humility.

Man seeks food that perishes. He simply misplaces his labor. He centers and focuses his thoughts, energies, and efforts upon the moment, that is, upon his years on earth.

Such self-seeking is foolish, for all things pass away, even man himself. A day is not guaranteed, much less a year. Even if a man has years left to live, they pass ever so rapidly, as any middle age or older adult knows. Man desperately needs to heed two eternal truths.

The things of the earth with all their pleasures and feelings do not satisfy (Is. 55:2). They still leave a man empty, incomplete, unfulfilled, hungry, dissatisfied, seeking more and more.

The earth and its things with all their pleasures and feelings pass away. They age, deteriorate, die, and decay.

The third answer to man’s great hunger is to labor for food that endures, that gives or lasts “unto eternal life”. The basic hunger within man is for …

• an abundant life, a life that is complete and fulfilled, full of love, joy, peace and all the good things of life (see DEEPER STUDY # 1—Jn. 10:10).

• an eternal life, a life that survives, that is not snatched away, but goes on forever and ever.

a. Jesus said that the Son of Man is the One who can give food that lasts forever, the One who can give life that is both abundant and eternal. (See note, Son of Man—Jn. 1:51.)

b. Jesus said that the Son of Man is sealed, that is, guaranteed by God

The fourth answer to man’s great hunger is to do the work of God—believe.

The people thought in terms of works (plural). They thought that by doing good works they could win the approval and acceptance of God. If they did enough good and lived a life that was moral and just, God would save them and give them the food that satisfied, the food and life that was both abundant and eternal.

Jesus corrected the people’s thoughts, their concept of salvation by works. They did not secure the favor of God and were not acceptable to God because of works (plural). They received God’s favor and acceptance because of a work, one work (singular). The work of God is only one: believe—“believe on Him whom God hath sent”

Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2004. The Gospel according to John. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.