Prison-John 6:1-15 (1/7/2019)

Q: Prayer requests?

Pray

Introduction

So today we will be taking a look at the Gospel of John. This Gospel is interesting because it is different than the other three in a few ways.

Purpose.

The evangelist main purpose is to record the life of Jesus so that people will believe.

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Content

31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

In John’s Gospel there are many stories we do not find in the synoptic Gospels. This is not to dissuade us from trusting our Bibles. Rather it should encourage us in the fact that this God-man named Jesus Christ is too big for three books of similar content.

Style

The flow of the book from beginning to end is unique to John and is set in a way that applies to both Jews and Gentiles.

Even more but we do not have time for such.

Now we are picking up in which is commonly referred to as “Jesus feeding the five-thousand”. This story is one of the few that occur in all 4 Gospels. I encourage you later on to compare each account on your own.

Now let us read.

(ESV)

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

Q: What do we see here?

We have the setting.

The Sea of Tiberius which is also known as the Sea of Galilee. That is 73 miles north of Jerusalem.

Jesus is on a mountain.

We have a audience.

“a large crowd was following him”. Now in verse v.10 we get a rounded number of 5,000 men. It is disputed whether the crowd was only made up of 5,000 men or John is only counting the men and there are uncounted women and children. Regardless, it is not important to the story. Whether its only 5,000 men or 10,000 men women and children it does not change the story.

We have a motive.

“a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.” Now we do not know yet if this is a bad motivation or a good one. All we can assume safely is intrigue. Why? Because God had not spoken through a prophet for 400 years since the close of the OT.

a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

Let us now continue reading.

5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

Now we have tension building in the story. Jesus recognizes the people are hungry yet they are far from the fields. So Jesus asks Philip a loaded question, knowing what Philip will reply. He asks where is there a place to buy food in order to feed the people. Philip responds by saying that 200 days work was not enough to feed all of the people there.

Now this text provokes us to ask a question...

Q: If Jesus already knew Philips response, why would Jesus ask him the question?

To test him.

Q: To test Philip for what?

His thinking or mentality. We will talk more about this later.

Lets pick up in v. 8.

8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

Now a possible, but unlikely solution arises. Andrew spots a boy with five loafs of bread and two fish. Now keep in mind this was not wonder-bread loafs you buy at Walmart or whatever. These were small flat loafs. And the fish were not those large catfish fillets. They were probably small sun dried fish. Basically it was a meal for a young boy, not 5,000 men.

So lets see what happens.

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.

Jesus blesses the food and has it distributed. And it miraculously is increased and spread about for all to eat to their content. But not only that, the leftovers fills twelve baskets. We know this is not a baptist feeding because there would not be leftovers.

But let us finish the story and see how it concludes.

14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Verse 14 makes it seem as this crowd had recognized who this was, the Messiah who had come. Yet we soon realize their intend was not as good as we first thought since in the very next verse they want to make Jesus king.

The problem is...

The crowd wanted Jesus for temporal gain.

They were amazed at the miracles and filled by the food, but not humbled by the person of Jesus.

They wanted to make Jesus king.

Jesus is already King of everything. He needs not anyone to make Him king. His kingship is by right, not by vote.

Israel always encountered much trouble when they elect their own king rather allowing God to be their king. This act of electing Jesus to kingship is the same sin of their fathers.

There is already a king over Israel, and that is the Roman Emperor who was placed there by God. All rulers are rulers because God has placed them their and we ought not usurp them lest we resist the will of God.

(ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Application

13 Let every person (A)be subject to the governing authorities. For (B)there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

So what does this have to do with us men in 2019? Well there are a few things.

Follow the God of the blessing and not the blessings of God.

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Many people want what God has to offer, not the person of God. Check yourself. What or who do you really desire? Is Jesus your joy or only the stuff He brings to the table?

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 temperal is temporary.

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.

Philip made the same mistake the crowd did. He was only thinking in the temporal. Specifically in the monetary.

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.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

It is easy to only think in terms of the material or in money. Those things are not bad. But we have a God who is over the material world. We ought to look to Him when in need.

35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

This miracle demonstrates that Jesus is not simply a prophet. He is God incarnate.

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

The prophets of old had to ask God to do miracles why Jesus does it with His own power.

52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, “Do you take offense at this?62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) 65 And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”

66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him