Sermon Tone Analysis

Today we are studying John 6:1-15.

Please open your Bibles to John 6, or follow along on your phone with the Faithlife Bible app.

The passage today is commonly referred to as the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

This is the only miracle other than the resurrection of Jesus from the dead that is in all four of the gospels.

The four gospels were accounts of Jesus life and ministry written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Let’s read John’s account together.

Prayer

Background

What was happening?

John, and the other gospel writers give a lot of background information about Jesus’ sign of feeding the multitude of people who came out to see Him.

Prior to this event, Jesus had sent his disciples out in pairs to spread the news that the Kingdom of God was near.

He gave them power to do miracles and to preach the good news in Israel.

A disciple is one who follows a teacher, a learner or pupil.

When the teacher sends out some of his disciples/pupils, they are called apostles, or ‘sent-ones’.

So, Jesus sent out his apostles, and he also continued to minister.

It was also at this time that John the Baptist was beheaded by Herod.

Then, when the disciples returned, and as Mark tells us,

Where was this?

Luke tells us the name of the location.

Where was this?

Let’s look at a map.

Cities: Bethsaida, Capernaum, Gennesaret

What is interesting is that while we get the sense from all of the gospel writers that they crossed the lake to the other side before the feeding of the 5000, Luke specifically says they crossed over to Bethsaida, Mark says that after the feeding of the 5000+ (5000 men besides women and children), the disciples set out for Bethsaida.

The other gospel writers record that they ended up in Gennesaret.

What is going on?

Let’s look at the map again.

Cities: Bethsaida, Capernaum, Gennesaret

There were likely two villages called Bethsaida.

Literally, Bethsaida is “House of fishing.”

Or, what we might say in our everyday English, Fishing Hole.

It was common for little villages to build up where the fisherman would find good places to fish.

Luke, writing to a Greek audience, would have likely referred to the town of Bethsaida with which the Greek/Roman audience would have been more familiar on the northeast shore of Galilee.

This town was rebuilt by the tetrarch (governing official of the area) Philip a little further north on a hill, and named Julias, to honor Julia the daughter of Caesar Augustus, but the village remained.

Mark, writing with Peter, would have likely referred to Bethsaida as the small village near Capernaum, in the region of Gennesaret, where Peter, Andrew and Philip were from.

This would also explain why John in his gospel, on another occasion, in John 12:21 refers more specifically to Bethsaida in Galilee.

This confusion due to the name Bethsaida is why some of your bibles may indicate a traditionally held site of the feeding of the 5000 on the northwest shore of Galilee.

Why go into this.

Because I want you to know we can trust the Bible.

Some people use things like this to say the Bible is not true.

It has contradictions, like when Luke says they went to Bethsaida where the 5000 were fed, and Mark says they left that area where the 5000 were fed and went to Bethsaida.

Is it a contradiction?

Did to they go to Bethsaida for the feeding or after the feeding?

Yes.

Two Bethsaidas.

Does that really happen?

Well, yes.

Exeter, PA.

Years ago, I bought a car in Exeter, PA, and it was in Berks county.

When I moved up here I heard people talk about Exeter, and I pictured the Exeter I knew.

However, they were referring to Exeter just below Pittston.

Two Exeters.

It still happens today that there are multiple places with the same name, even in the same state!

The point: We can trust the Bible.

It is accurate!

It is without error when the authors wrote it under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Anyway, let’s get back to the story.

Jesus went across the sea to Bethsaida to get away with His disciples.

However, the people followed.

When did this happen?

This is now the second of three Passovers that John mentions.

The first was in John 2, when Jesus chased the money changers out of the temple.

This is just before the second.

The third is when Jesus goes to Jerusalem, is betrayed and crucified.

So this was happening about a year before Jesus would be crucified.

This time of year is significant for what Jesus was about to do.

Why is this significant?

What were the people thinking about every Spring as Passover approached?

Remember the Passover.

What was the Passover?

The Passover was how God brought them out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and spared them because of the blood of the lamb.

What happened after the Passover?

They immediately left Egypt and travelled through the wilderness, where food and water were scarce.

What happened shortly after the Passover when they had no food?

God gave them bread from heaven--Manna--to eat every day until they went into the promised land over forty years later.

So, the people are already remembering what God had done for them so long ago, bringing them out of Egypt and caring for them for forty years, providing food and water.

Now, just like their ancestors before them, they are in the middle of nowhere with a huge crowd of people and no food.

John writes,

I love that verse.

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

Jesus was not surprised by this turn of events.

He knew it was going to happen.

He is God!

Jesus was not in a panic asking the disciples what they thought to get an idea of what to do.

Jesus knew what He was going to do.

Knowing what He was going to do, He asked Philip where to get the food, as a test.

Why would he do that?

Why would he test Philip?

Why does God Test us?

Do you know what this reminds me of?

It reminds me of being in school and getting a pre-test.

Did you ever get a pre-test?

A pre-test is when the teacher gives you a test on material they have not even taught yet.

Why in the world would you give a pre-test?

To see the students fail?

Is that the point?

Why give a pre-test?

Teachers do not give pre-tests to see students fail.

They give pre-tests to help the students think about what they need to learn, and to see what exactly needs to be taught to get them to the point they will know the material.

I wonder if it was to get Philip to really think about it?

I wonder if it was to get Philip to think about what he needed to learn?