Gospel of John - 6

Gospel of John – 6

6:1-71

Introduction

This chapter is a major turning point in chapters 2-12.

- Reveals the identity of Jesus as sent from the Father (v. 38,44,46,50,51,57)

- Graphically distinguishes belief and unbelief by illustration of eating flesh and drinking blood of Jesus

- Chronicles the growing rejection of Jesus

- Shows how Jesus fulfills the typology of Passover, Exodus, provision of food in wilderness

4th Sign – Feeding of 5,000

5th Sign – walk on water

4th Discourse – Bread of Life

Structure of chapter 6 is same as chapter 5

- Occurs at/around a Jewish Feast

- Miracle leads to discourse on Jesus’ deity

- Chapter 5 is in South (Jerusalem); chapter 6 is in North (Galilee) – both reject Jesus

Feeding of 5,000 is only miracle of Jesus to be recorded in all four Gospels.

Matthew 14:13-21

Mark 6:30-44

Luke 9:10-17

John 6:1-15

- V. 1 - After this…indicates that a period of time has passed.

§ If 5:1 refers to Feast of Booths, then 6 months have passed

§ If 5:1 refers to Passover, then one year has passed

- V. 2 – saw signs…not true faith (as we will see at end of chapter)

- V. 3 – mountain…Golan Heights in hill country east of Lake

- V. 7 – 200 denarii…about 8 months of wages

- V. 10-11 – 5,000 men…possible 20,000 total

- V. 14-15 – prophet (Dt. 18:15) (Acts 3:22-23; 7:37)

o King – would be failed coup against Rome

o John 18:36-38

§ Jesus’ kingdom is a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one

o Want to make him king right on heels of meeting their physical need. They want someone to meet their physical needs, not spiritual needs. Much in this text about motivation for following Jesus.

- This miracle recalls the great OT miracle of God providing bread from Heaven (Exodus 16). The Jewish Rabbis of Jesus’ day expected that in the Messianic Age, God would once again ‘rain down food from Heaven.’ He most certainly did…as we will see in the discourse of chapter 6.

John 6:16-21

- Told also in Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:47-51 (thought Jesus was a ghost)

- V. 19 – walking on water…not to impress disciples or because of expedience.

o Visible demonstration of Creator’s sovereignty over his creation (John 1:3)

§ Hebrews 1:3,10

§ Psalm 29:10-11; 89:9; 107:23-32

- V. 20 – It is I…ego eimi (I Am) Exodus 3; Isaiah 41

- V. 21 – immediately boat was at shore (secondary miracle)

o God alone stills the storm and brings safely to shore

John 6:22-71

1. Continued Misunderstanding (v. 22-34)

- v. 26 – not because you saw signs…unbelief

- v. 27 – set seal…authentication…purpose of miracle

- v. 29 – ready to earn it…what do we have to do to get what we want? Only ‘work’ you can offer is to believe/trust in Jesus

- v. 31 – Psalm 78:21-25

o crowd’s logic seems to be that Jesus has to outdo Moses…feed entire nation

- v. 32 – ‘true’ bread…eternal, spiritual, not physical and temporary

- v. 33 – gives life to the world…not universalism…universal potential and relevance

- v. 34 – give us this bread…misinterpret…same as Nicodemus (3:4) and Samaritan woman (4:15)

2. Clear Declaration (v. 35-51)

- v. 35 – contrast w/ v. 20…first Predicate ‘I Am’ statement

o bread of life…nourishes people spiritually, satisfies

- v. 37 – all those who God foreknew would meet his conditions for salvation

- v. 39 – raise up…ultimate goal is eternal life

- v. 40 – compare with v. 37…human responsibility

- v. 41 – came down from Heaven…must choose to believe that or reject that

- v. 44 – no one can…lit. no one is able (dunamis)

o wooing/drawing work of Holy Spirit (John 16…convict world of sin/righteousness/judgement)

- v. 45 – quote of Isaiah 54:13…context is final redemption…Jesus is one who provides it

- v. 46 – seen Father – John 1:18

- v. 51 – flesh and blood…reference to his sacrifice to come (like Passover Lamb)

3. Challenging Teaching (v. 52-65)

- They continue to misunderstand and misinterpret his words. Like Nicodemus and Samaritan woman, they interpret what he says as being literally physical. Jesus is using physical realities to point to spiritual truths.

o Obvious it is a spiritual interpretation, otherwise leads to cannibalism. Use of blood prohibited by OT law (Gen. 9; Leviticus 7,17; Deut. 12)

o Illustrates intimacy of union with Christ

§ Not a reference to communion – incomprehensible to listeners. Lord’s Supper had not been instituted yet.

§ Points to ultimate reality of union with Christ. “eat” means to believe or trust

- If take literally, then anyone who takes communion would be saved. And that is how they could stay saved.

o Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

o Issue of power…have to come back to us to be saved.

- Eat flesh/drink blood…flesh and blood was Jewish idiom for entire person…you must accept the whole of Jesus’ identity to be saved.

o V. 53 – unless do this…no salvation apart from him

- V. 60 – ‘hard’ teaching because they had misunderstood him

- V. 61 (v. 65,70) – three instances of divine omniscience (John 2:24-25)

- V. 62 – if take offense at this, what will you do with the scandal of the crucifixion?

- V. 63 – physical understanding will not help

4. Confession and Rejection (v. 66-71)

- Contrast in these verses on the rejection of Jesus by some with a deepening trust of Jesus in others (Peter’s confession)

- V. 69 – Holy One of God…only other times used are by demons (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34)

o In Isaiah, God is the Holy One of Israel

- V. 70-71 – Judas is not a well-intentioned but misguided disciple…he is a tool of Satan himself.

Application

- Philip counts physical cost of bread. Do not limit what is possible. Trust God and go.

- Giving – disciples have more but give zero. Boy has little but gives…changes everything.

- God gives in abundance…2 Corinthians 8-9

- Faith is the mindset that expects God to act.

- Why do you follow Jesus? Physical/earthly benefits? Will not last.

- V. 45 – taught by God…are you teachable?

- Has familiarity with Jesus kept you blind to the truth?