Gospel of John - John 6:1-21
Notes
Transcript
1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.
1. “After this” – we’re not told exactly what “this” is.
1. “After this” – we’re not told exactly what “this” is.
a. The last we were told Jesus was at the Temple in Jerusalem (5:14).
b. There is a long discourse about Jesus’ relationship to His Heavenly Father, but it could have taken place there, or at another place.
2. Boat trip to the other side the Sea of Galilee / Sea of Tiberias.
And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.
1. A large crowd is following Jesus because of the signs He has been doing, especially healing the sick.
1. A large crowd is following Jesus because of the signs He has been doing, especially healing the sick.
John 6:1
a. Healings in Galilee (4:54)
b. Healing in Jerusalem (5:1-9)
c. Healing the sick 4:46 and 5:7.
2. Why were these people following Jesus?
a. Is it a circus?
b. Are these people desperate for healing?
c. Are these people “Messiah nerds”?
3. What would this have looked like, thousands of people crossing the Sea of Galilee?
a. Lots of boats.
b. Lots of people.
Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.
1. Jesus went up on the mountain with His disciples.
1. Jesus went up on the mountain with His disciples.
a. The mountain is not names.
b. Mountains are places where God reveals Himself (like Moses on Mount Sinai).
c. The disciples haven’t been mentioned since Jesus spoke to the woman at the well in Sychar (4:31-38).
d. This story resembles Jesus giving the Sermon on the Mount ().
2. The last words of chapter 5 were “How will you believe my spoken words?”
a. They wouldn’t believe the written words of Moses, which were about Jesus.
b. They wouldn’t believe Jesus’ spoken words.
Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
1. The Passover Feast was at hand.
1. The Passover Feast was at hand.
a. Every other place in the Gospel of John, when it is time for the Passover Jesus is in Jerusalem, or He is going to Jerusalem.
i. There is tremendous symbolic significance to the time of Passover.
ii. This is the one and only time in the Gospel of John when Jesus isn’t in Jerusalem at the time of Passover.
b. What does this mean?
i. It evokes the image of Moses on Mount Sinai, and Moses has just been mentioned at the very end of the previous chapter.
ii. Moses and manna sort of go along with the miracle which is going to happen next. (, , )
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?”
1. Jesus speaks to Philip, asking him where to buy food to feed the crowd.
1. Jesus speaks to Philip, asking him where to buy food to feed the crowd.
a. The last time the disciples were mentioned Jesus had talked about how the fields were white unto harvest (), and now a crowd is coming to Him.
b. The food metaphor has already been explained to refer to hearing and doing God’s will ().
2. The loaves
a. By themselves they would not have been adequate for a Passover Feast.
Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
1. Jesus next speaks to Philip, to test him.
1. Jesus next speaks to Philip, to test him.
a. This testing may not be for Nathaniel, but to weed out the unbelievers (, , ).
b. When the wedding was out of wine, Jesus miraculously provided wine (), and now the people have no food to eat.
c. Philip takes Jesus very literally, and says that even 200 denarii would not be enough to buy sufficient food for such a large crowd.
2. We are told that Jesus already knows what He is going to do.
3. But what is Jesus going to do?
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,
1. Andrew, Peter’s brother, finds a boy with five loaves and two fish.
1. Andrew, Peter’s brother, finds a boy with five loaves and two fish.
a. This was probably food for one family to eat.
b. He asks: “What are they for so many?”
2. Is the writer of this Gospel assuming that we have already read the other Gospels that tell this story, and we know what will happen next?
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”
1. The child is not named.
1. The child is not named.
a. He could be quite young up to a teenager.
b. He was part of the crowd, we can assume.
i. Which later when the crowd is numbered as men, could mean that there are women and children that have not been counted.
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.
1. Jesus says the people should sit down.
1. Jesus says the people should sit down.
a. There’s grass so sitting should be pretty comfortable.
b. They sat down.
c. There were 5,000 men, but there were likely women and children, since we already know about one child who was probably not among the 5,000 men who were counted.
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.
1. This is Jesus’ first “Hands on” miracle.
1. This is Jesus’ first “Hands on” miracle.
a. He takes the loaves in his hands.
i. Other miracles he did without touching anything, pretty much.
ii. This time he takes the loaves in His hands.
2. He gives thanks.
a. This is the decisive act that shows Jesus’ dependence on the Father.
b. This is the beginning of the miracle – giving thanks.
3. Jesus distributes the barley loaves, and then the fist.
a. He gives it out himself.
4. The people eat as much as they can eat – an all you can eat meal.
And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”
1. The people eat their fill.
1. The people eat their fill.
2. Jesus tells the people to gather the leftover pieces.
3. He wants to assure that nothing will be lost.
a. This is his reason for asking the disciples to gather up the pieces.
b. The focus is on nothing being wasted.
c. This was a Jewish custom that there be no wasted food.
d. It is also the Gospel message – to save the lost.
So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
1. They filled 12 baskets
1. They filled 12 baskets
a. A basket for each disciple, perhaps.
b. Filled with the fragments left of the barley loaves.
When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
1. When the people see this, they have something to say.
1. When the people see this, they have something to say.
2. “This is the prophet”
a. Likely referring to – a prophet like Moses (Moses’ words).
b. John the Baptist had denied that he was “the prophet”, not the one like Moses.
c. Previously, Philip had recognized Jesus as the one Moses wrote about ().
d. The Samaritan woman recognized that Jesus acted like “the Prophet” ().
3. Other names for Jesus found in John’s Gospel:
a. One who comes
i. ; ; ; .
b. One who is sent
i. ; ; ; ; ;
c. One who goes into the world
i. Here
ii. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
4. Yet, Jesus is more than Moses.
a. If you do not believe the written words of Moses, how will you believe my spoken words (end of last chapter).
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.
1. Jesus “perceived” the people in the crowd were going to try to force him to be king.
1. Jesus “perceived” the people in the crowd were going to try to force him to be king.
2. They jump from Jesus being like Moses to Jesus being King.
a. Jesus is not a puppet to fit their agenda.
b. Jesus knows this, but we don’t know how he knows it.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
1. It is evening
1. It is evening
2. The disciples go down to the sea.
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
1. The disciples get in their boat.
1. The disciples get in their boat.
2. They start across the sea to Capernaum.
a. This is the first mention of Capernaum in this chapter.
b. It is late.
c. It is dark.
3. Jesus has “not yet” come.
a. The “not yet” indicates that Jesus is expected, and will come.
b. Why were they expecting Jesus to come to them?
i. Good question.
ii. We don’t really know.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
1. The sea became rough.
1. The sea became rough.
2. There were strong winds.
3. There is a sense of danger. (It was a dark and stormy night at sea ….)
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.
1. They rowed 3-4 miles into the sea.
1. They rowed 3-4 miles into the sea.
a. Josephus tells us the sea is 4 ½ miles wide by 16 miles long.
b. This would mean they were about halfway to Capernaum.
2. Jesus, walking on the water, comes near the boat.
a. They are frightened.
b. If he had been on the shore they never would have been able to hear him speak, and neither would he have been able to hear them speaking.
But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”
1. He said, “It is I.”
1. He said, “It is I.”
a. Mostly this is just to let them know not to be afraid, this is their teacher and friend, Jesus.
b. But, we know, “It is I” is a loaded phrase.
c. The bottom line here, “Don’t be afraid.”
2. Don’t be afraid because of who I am.
a. Loaded with meaning.
b. Jesus is our comfort.
c. God is our comfort.
d. Jesus is God.
Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
1. They are glad to take Jesus into the boat.
1. They are glad to take Jesus into the boat.
a. They recognize their leader.
b. They wanted Jesus in the boat … maybe they were more comfortable that way.
2. Immediately they were at the place they had set out to land.
a. Perhaps it just had taken that long to get Jesus into the boat.
b. The main miracle here was Jesus walking on the water.
3. The miracle is the person of Jesus.
a. Just being who He is … is a miracle.
i. Just simply being there.
ii. Just simply existing.
4. “This is the prophet”
a. Likely referring to – a prophet like Moses (Moses’ words).
b. John the Baptist had denied that he was “the prophet”, not the one like Moses.
c. Previously, Philip had recognized Jesus as the one Moses wrote about ().
d. The Samaritan woman recognized that Jesus acted like “the Prophet” ().
5. Other names for Jesus found in John’s Gospel:
a. One who comes
i. ; ; ; .
b. One who is sent
i. ; ; ; ; ;
c. One who goes into the world
i. Here
ii. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
John 6:17
The disciples get into their boat.
They start across the sea to get to Capernaum.
6. Yet, Jesus is more than Moses.
If you do not believe the written words of Moses, how will you believe my spoken words (end of last chapter).
Do you believe in Jesus?