John 6 Commentary

Updated: Sat, 07/13/2024 - 17:19 By admin

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THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED
BY GOSPEL OF JOHN (shaded area)

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John 6:1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias)

BGT John 6:1 Μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπῆλθεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης τῆς Γαλιλαίας τῆς Τιβεριάδος.

KJV John 6:1 After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

NET John 6:1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias).

CSB John 6:1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).

ESV John 6:1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

NIV John 6:1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),

NLT John 6:1 After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.

NRS John 6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.

NJB John 6:1 After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee -- or of Tiberias-

John 6:15 Mt 14:23 15:29 Lu 6:12,13 9:28
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries
What is the significance of the Sea of Galilee in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Related Passages:

Matthew 14:13+ Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

Mark 6:32+ They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Luke 9:10+ When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida.

Bethsaida
(Article)

Brian Bell - In this chapter, we’re going to see Jesus perform 2 more impressive miracles, impossible feats. We’ve already watched him make clear water blush(turn to wine!); heal a boy from 20 miles away; & make a lame man walk. Today, He’ll feed 5000 & walk on water. If Jesus can do these imagine what He can do for your life, your impossibilities? 2. Are you a pessimist? What’s on your list of impossibilities? (Your marriage, your job, your finances?) 3. Really, impossibilities depend on our “perspective”. a) Example: to a child, many things seem impossible, like long division, or the game of chess. But from an adults perspective, these are handled w/relative ease. 4. Let’s try to understand the impossible from 2 different viewpoints...the human & the divine. a) Divine - Jeremiah makes this claim, Ah, Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. Jer.32:17 (1) Then God confirms it 10 verses later, Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? b) Lk.18:27 The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. (This is a Test)

Warren Wiersbe - The first three signs illustrate how one is saved through the Word, by faith, and by grace. The fourth sign (feeding the 5,000) shows us that salvation satisfies the inner needs of the heart. (Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament)

Craig Keener makes an interesting observation writing that "After speaking of Moses (John 5:45-47), Jesus goes on to perform a sign that might be expected of a new prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15): providing manna. (See The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament - scroll up and down for more text)

Other than the miracle of the resurrection, this is the only miracle recorded in all 4 Gospels. Undoubtedly part of the reason John records it is to set the table (pun intended) for Jesus' great discourse on His "full course meal," Himself, the Bread of life (John 6:22–71)!

The chart below shows the aborted attempt by Jesus to have a time of rest with His disciples (Mt 14:13-14; Mk 6:30-34; Lk 9:10-11; Jn 6:1-3)

JESUS SEEKS A TIME OF REST WITH HIS DISCIPLES
	MATTHEW	MARK	LUKE	JOHN
WITHDRAWAL TO REST	Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself - Mt 14:13a+	He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.- Mk 6:31,32+	Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida Lk 9:10b+	Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). Jn 6:1b+

Here is a reading compiling Mk 6:32-34 with Lk 9:10-11, Jn 6:1-3 32 -- So they went away by themselves in a boat (to the far shore JN} to a solitary place {to a town called Bethsaida. LK} 33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them {because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick JN} 34 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, {he welcomed them and LK} he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he {went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples[, and] JN} began teaching them many things {about the kingdom of God, and healed those who need healing LK}. (Source: The Chronological Life of Christ)

After these things - This is an important time phrase especially in John's revelation of Jesus. After this (whether meta touto or meta tauta) is a frequent connective between narratives in John (Jn 2:12; 3:22; 5:1, 14; 6:1; 7:1; 11:19–28, 38 Jn. 19:38; Jn. 21:1. While the phrase gives sequence, it does not imply that the present events occurred immediately after the events in the preceding chapter. The miracle of the feeding of the 5000+ may be from 6-12 months after the events in John 5.

After these things - 30x in 29v in the Bible - Gen. 15:1; Gen. 22:1; Gen. 22:20; Gen. 40:1; Gen. 48:1; Lev. 26:18; Jos. 24:29; 1 Ki. 17:17; 1 Ki. 21:1; Ezr. 7:1; Est. 2:1; Jn. 3:22; Jn. 5:1; Jn. 6:1; Jn. 7:1; Jn. 19:38; Jn. 21:1; Acts 13:20; Acts 15:16; Acts 18:1; Acts 19:21; Rev. 1:19; Rev. 4:1; Rev. 7:9; Rev. 9:12; Rev. 15:5; Rev. 18:1; Rev. 19:1; Rev. 20:3

Carson adds "The expression is vague: it establishes sequence, but not tight chronology." (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary)

John MacArthur explains after these things - "does not necessarily mean that the events recorded in chapter 6 immediately followed the events recorded in chapter 5. It simply indicates that what happened in chapter 6 occurred subsequent to the events in the previous chapter. Evidently, there was a significant time gap between chapters 5 and 6 (ED: SEE DIAGRAM ABOVE LABELED "THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED BY GOSPEL OF JOHN - SHADED AREA). According to Jn 6:4, the events of chapter 6 took place shortly before Passover. If the unnamed feast of Jn 5:1+ was the Feast of Tabernacles, about six months would have elapsed between the two chapters; if it was Passover, the gap would have been a year. During that interval, Jesus continued ministering in Galilee—as the events recorded in Matthew 5:1–8:1; Mt 8:5–13, 18, 23–34; Mt 9:18–11:30; 12:15–14:12; Mark 3:7–6:30; and Luke 6:12–9:10 make clear. (ED: SEE BARTON'S LIST BELOW OF EVENTS THAT OCCURRED IN THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS BUT NOT FOUND IN JOHN'S GOSPEL. PRESUMABLY THESE EVENTS OCCURRED BEFORE JOHN SAYS "AFTER THESE THINGS") The spread of His fame over that six-to twelve month time period helps explain the enormous size of the crowd that had gathered on this occasion." (See John Commentary) (Bolding added)

J C Ryle on After these things - The expression denotes an interval of time having elapsed between the end of the fifth chapter and the beginning of the sixth. John passes over all the events which happened at the conclusion of our Lord’s defence of Himself at Jerusalem. In fact, if the feast spoken of at the beginning of the fifth chapter was really the Passover, almost an entire year of our Lord’s ministry is unnoticed by John. The events in this chapter, we should remark, are the only events in our Lord’s ministry in Galilee described by St. John, excepting the miracle of turning the water into wine at Cana, and the healing of the ruler’s son. (Chapter 2 and 4) (John 6 Commentary) (Bolding added)

POSB - “After These Things” suggests that "this is a reference to the closing days of the Galilean ministry, the events covered between Mt. 4:12–14:12. These events are not covered by John. His concentration is the Judaean ministry of Jesus; therefore, He simply moves over the Galilean events by using the words “after these things.” (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible)

Bruce Barton on After These Things writes - John left unspecified how long this some time was (see also Jn 5:1 and Jn 7:1). According to the chronology that emerges when the Gospels are harmonized, the events during that time include (ED: NOTICE THAT NONE OF THESE EVENTS ARE COVERED BY THE GOSPEL OF JOHN - SEE THE TIMELINE ABOVE WHICH WOULD PLACE THESE EVENTS IN THE "MIDDLE GALILEAN MINISTRY"):

Jesus gives the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7)
Jesus heals the Roman centurion’s servant (Matthew 8:5–13; Luke 7:1–10)
Jesus raises a widow’s son to life (Luke 7:11–17)
Jesus calms the storm (Matthew 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25)
Jesus sends demons into a herd of pigs (Matthew 8:28–34; Mark 5:1–20; Luke 8:26–39)
Jesus heals a bleeding woman and restores a girl to life (Matthew 9:18–26; Mark 5:21–43; Luke 8:40–56)
Jesus sends out the twelve disciples (Matthew 10:1–16; Mark 6:7–13; Luke 9:1–6)
King Herod kills John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29; Luke 9:7–9) (Life application, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Jesus went away to the other side of - From the region of Capernaum, Jesus and the disciples went by boat to the eastern side of the Lake, Luke stating that they went to Bethsaida but probably not into the actual city but the region around because Matthew 14:13+ and Mark 6:32+ both say it was a secluded place.

The Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias [Jn 21:1]) - Only John calls it "Sea of Tiberias." A lake 13 by 7 miles. It was called Sea of Galilee from the province, Lake of Gennesaret from the plain, and Sea of Tiberias from the city. The Jews called it ''Chinnereth'' because it means ''harp-shaped'' (Nu 34:11). It lies more than 600 feet below sea level, and is often agitated by sudden and violent storms (See Euraquilo - see Lk 8:23+, Acts 27:14+).

J C Ryle on Tiberias - Tiberias was a town on the west side of the lake (ED: SEE MAP ABOVE), built by Herod about the time of our Lord’s birth, and comparatively a modern place in our Lord’s time. In the days of Josephus, forty years after our Lord’s crucifixion, Tiberias had become an important city. It was spared by the Romans, when Vespasian’s army destroyed almost every other city in Galilee, for its adherence to the Roman cause, and was made capital of the province. (John 6 Commentary)

Robertson - Herod Antipas A.D. 22 built the town of Tiberias to the west of the Sea of Galilee and made it his capital. (Word Pictures)

MacArthur - The Synoptic Gospels suggest two reasons that Jesus and the disciples withdrew to the eastern side of the lake. First, the Twelve had just returned from a preaching mission (Mark 6:7–13, 30+), and Jesus, too, had been heavily involved in exhausting ministry while they were gone (Matt. 11:1). The Lord knew the disciples needed a time of rest and instruction, a sort of debriefing after the completion of their mission (Mark 6:31–32+). Matthew 14:13+ reveals that news of John the Baptist’s death provided an additional reason for their withdrawal: “Now when Jesus heard about John [that he had been executed by Herod; Mt 14:1–12+], He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself.” Jesus and His disciples were not to find the peaceful seclusion they sought, however. (See John Commentary)

Steven Cole introduces this section writing "This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels, which shows its significance. C. H. Spurgeon says that it’s in all four gospels so that we won’t forget how much the Lord can do with little things that are yielded to Him. The feeding of the 5.000 precedes Jesus’ discourse on being the living Bread that comes down out of heaven to give His life for the world (Jn 6:32-58). So it’s also a miracle that points to salvation. John wrote this sign “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31). (See his full message below How Christ Meets Needs)

Training of the Twelve - A B Bruce - THE MIRACLE

JOHN 6:1–15; MATT. 14:13–21; MARK 6:33–34; LUKE 9:11–17

THE sixth chapter of John’s Gospel is full of marvels. It tells of a great miracle, a great enthusiasm, a great storm, a great sermon, a great apostasy, and a great trial of faith and fidelity endured by the twelve. It contains, indeed, the compendious history of an important crisis in the ministry of Jesus and the religious experience of His disciples,—a crisis in many respects foreshadowing the great final one, which happened little more than a year afterwards, when a more famous miracle still was followed by a greater popularity, to be succeeded in turn by a more complete desertion, and to end in the crucifixion, by which the riddle of the Capernaum discourse was solved, and its prophecy fufilled.2

The facts recorded by John in this chapter of his Gospel may all be comprehended under these four heads: the miracle in the wilderness, the storm on the lake, the sermon in the synagogue, and the subsequent sifting of Christ’s disciples. These, in their order, we propose to consider in four distinct sections.

The scene of the miracle was on the eastern shore of the Galilean Sea. Luke fixes the precise locality in the neighborhood of a city called Bethsaida. This, of course, could not be the Bethsaida on the western shore, the city of Andrew and Peter. But there was, it appears, another city of the same name at the north-eastern extremity of the lake, called by way of distinction, Bethsaida Julias.2 The site of this city, we are informed by an eye-witness, “is discernible on the lower slope of the hill which overhangs the rich plain at the mouth of the Jordan” (that is, at the place where the waters of the Upper Jordan join the Sea of Galilee). “The ‘desert place,’ ” the same author goes on to say, by way of proving the suitableness of the locality to be the scene of this miracle, “was either the green tableland which lies halfway up the hill immediately above Bethsaida, or else in the parts of the plain not cultivated by the hand of man would be found the ‘much green grass,’ still fresh in the spring of the year when this event occurred, before it had faded away in the summer sun: the tall grass which, broken down by the feet of the thousands then gathered together, would make ‘as it were, ‘couches’ for them to recline upon.”

To this place Jesus and the twelve had retired after the return of the latter from their mission, seeking rest and privacy. But what they sought they did not find. Their movements were observed, and the people flocked along the shore toward the place whither they had sailed, running all the way, as if fearful that they might escape, and so arriving at the landing place before them. The multitude which thus gathered around Jesus was very great. All the evangelists agree in stating it at five thousand; and as the arrangement of the people at the miraculous repast in groups of hundreds and fifties made it easy to ascertain their number, we may accept this statement not as a rough estimate, but as a tolerably exact calculation.

Such an immense assemblage testifies to the presence of a great excitement among the populations living by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. A fervid enthusiasm, a hero-worship, whereof Jesus was the object, was at work in their minds. Jesus was the idol of the hour: they could not endure his absence; they could not see enough of His work, nor hear enough of His teaching. This enthusiasm of the Galileans we may regard as the cumulative result of Christ’s own past labors, and in part also of the evangelistic mission which we considered in the last chapter. The infection seems to have spread as far south as Tiberias, for John relates that boats came from that city “to the place where they did eat bread.”3 Those who were in these boats came too late to witness the miracle and share in the feast, but this does not prove that their errand was not the same as that of the rest; for, owing to their greater distance from the scene, the news would be longer in reaching them, and it would take them longer to go thither.

The great miracle wrought in the neighborhood of Bethsaida Julias consisted in the feeding of this vast assemblage of human beings with the utterly inadequate means of “five barley loaves and two small fishes.” It was truly a stupendous transaction, of which we can form no conception; but no event in the Gospel history is more satisfactorily attested. All the evangelists relate the miracle with much minuteness, with little even apparent discrepancy, and with such graphic detail as none but eye-witnesses could have supplied. Even John, who records so few of Christ’s miracles, describes this one with as careful a hand as any of his brother evangelists, albeit introducing it into his narative merely as a preface to the sermon on the Bread of Life found in his Gospel only.

This wonderful work, so unexceptionably attested, seems open to exception on another ground. It appears to be a miracle without a sufficient reason. It cannot be said to have been urgently called for by the necessities of the multitude. Doubtless they were hungry, and had brought no victuals with them to supply their bodily wants. But the miracle was wrought on the afternoon of the day on which they left their homes, and most of them might have returned within a few hours. It would, indeed, have been somewhat hard to have undertaken such a journey at the end of the day without food; but the hardship, even if necessary, was far within the limits of human endurance. But it was not necessary; for food could have been got on the way without going far, in the neighboring towns and villages, so that to disperse them as they were would have involved no considerable inconvenience. This is evident from the terms in which the disciples made the suggestion that the multitude should be sent away. We read: “When the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto Him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages and country round about, and lodge and get victuals.” In these respects there is an obvious difference between the first miraculous feeding and the second, which occurred at a somewhat later period at the south-eastern extremity of the Lake. On that occasion the people who had assembled around Jesus had been three days in the wilderness without aught to eat, and there were no facilities for procuring food, so that the miracle was demanded by considerations of humanity. Accordingly we find that compassion is assigned as the motive for that miracle: “Jesus called His disciples unto Him, and saith unto them, I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat; and if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way; for some of them are come from far.”3

If our object were merely to get rid of the difficulty of assigning a sufficient motive for the first great miracle of feeding, we might content ourselves with saying that Jesus did not need any very urgent occasion to induce Him to use His power for the benefit of others. For His own benefit He would not use it in case even of extreme need, not even after a fast of forty days. But when the well-being (not to say the being) of others was concerned, He dispensed miraculous blessings with a liberal hand. He did not ask Himself: Is this a grave enough occasion for the use of divine power? Is this man ill enough to justify a miraculous interference with the laws of nature by healing him? Are these people here assembled hungry enough to be fed, like their fathers in the wilderness, with bread from heaven? But we do not insist on this, because we believe that something else and higher was aimed at in this miracle than to satisfy physical appetite. It was a symbolic, didactic, critical miracle. It was meant to teach, and also to test; to supply a text for the subsequent sermon, and a touchstone to try the character of those who had followed Jesus with such enthusiasm. The miraculous feast in the wilderness was meant to say to the multitude just what our sacramental feast says to us: “I, Jesus the Son of God Incarnate, am the bread of life. What this bread is to your bodies, I myself am to your souls.” And the communicants in that feast were to be tested by the way in which they regarded the transaction. The spiritual would see in it a sign of Christ’s divine dignity, and a seal of His saving grace; the carnal would rest simply in the outward fact that they had eaten of the loaves and were filled, and would take occasion from what had happened to indulge in high hopes of temporal felicity under the benign reign of the Prophet and King who had made His appearance among them.

The miracle in the desert was in this view not merely an act of mercy, but an act of judgment. Jesus mercifully fed the hungry multitude in order that He might sift it, and separate the true from the spurious disciples. There was a much more urgent demand for such a sifting than for food to satisfy merely physical cravings. If those thousands were all genuine disciples, it was well; but if not—if the greater number were following Christ under misapprehension—the sooner that became apparent the better. To allow so large a mixed multitude to follow Himself any longer without sifting would have been on Christ’s part to encourage false hopes, and to give rise to serious misapprehensions as to the nature of His kingdom and His earthly mission. And no better method of separating the chaff from the wheat in that large company of professed disciples could have been devised, than first to work a miracle which would bring to the surface the latent carnality of the greater number, and then to preach a sermon which could not fail to be offensive to the carnal mind.

That Jesus freely chose, for a reason of His own, the miraculous method of meeting the difficulty that had arisen, appears to be not obscurely hinted at in the Gospel narratives. Consider, for example, in this connection, John’s note of time, “The passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” Is this a merely chronological statement? We think not. What further purpose, then, is it intended to serve? To explain how so great a crowd came to be gathered around Jesus?—Such an explanation was not required, for the true cause of the great gathering was the enthusiasm which had been awakened among the people by the preaching and healing work of Jesus and the twelve. The evangelist refers to the approaching passover, it would seem, not to explain the movement of the people, but rather to explain the acts and words of His Lord about to be related. “The passover was nigh, and”—so may we bring out John’s meaning—“Jesus was thinking of it, though He went not up to the feast that season. He thought of the paschal lamb, and how He, the true Paschal Lamb, would ere long be slain for the life of the world; and He gave expression to the deep thoughts of His heart in the symbolic miracle I am about to relate, and in the mystic discourse which followed.”

The view we advocate respecting the motive of the miracle in the wilderness seems borne out also by the tone adopted by Jesus in the conversation which took place between Himself and the twelve as to how the wants of the multitude might be supplied. In the course of that conversation, of which fragments have been preserved by the different evangelists, two suggestions were made by the disciples. One was to dismiss the multitude that they might procure supplies for themselves; the other, that they (the disciples) should go to the nearest town (say Bethsaida Julias, probably not far off) and purchase as much bread as they could get for two hundred denarii, which would suffice to alleviate hunger at least, if not to satisfy appetite. Both these proposals were feasible, otherwise they would not have been made; for the twelve had not spoken thoughtlessly, but after consideration, as appears from the fact that one of their number, Andrew, had already ascertained how much provision could be got on the spot. The question how the multitude could be provided for had evidently been exercising the minds of the disciples, and the two proposals were the result of their deliberations. Now, what we wish to point out is, that Jesus does not appear to have given any serious heed to these proposals. He listened to them, not displeased to see the generous concern of His disciples for the hungry people, yet with the air of one who meant from the first to pursue a different line of action from any they might suggest. He behaved like a general in a council of war whose own mind is made up, but who is not unwilling to hear what his subordinates will say. This is no mere inference of ours, for John actually explains that such was the manner in which our Lord acted on the occasion. After relating that Jesus addressed to Philip the question, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? he adds the parenthetical remark, “This He said to prove him, for He Himself knew what He would do.”2

Such, then, was the design of the miracle; what now was its result? It raised the swelling tide of enthusiasm to its full height, and induced the multitude to form a foolish and dangerous purpose—even to crown the wonder-working Jesus, and make Him their king instead of the licentious despot Herod. They said, “This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world;” and they were on the point of coming and taking Jesus by force to make Him a king, insomuch that it was necessary that He should make His escape from them, and depart into a mountain Himself alone. Such are the express statements of the fourth Gospel, and what is there stated is obscurely implied in the narratives of Matthew and Mark. They tell how, after the miracle in the desert, Jesus straightway constrained His disciples to get into a ship and to go to the other side. Why such haste, and why such urgency? Doubtless it was late, and there was no time to lose if they wished to get home to Capernaum that night. But why go home at all, when the people, or at least a part of them, were to pass the night in the wilderness? Should the disciples not rather have remained with them, to keep them in heart and take a charge of them? Nay, was it dutiful in disciples to leave their Master alone in such a situation? Doubtless the reluctance of the twelve to depart sprang from their asking themselves these very questions; and, as a feeling having such an origin was most becoming, the constraint put on them presupposes the existence of unusual circumstances, such as those recorded by John. In other words, the most natural explanation of the fact recorded by the synoptical evangelists is, that Jesus wished to extricate both Himself and His disciples from the foolish enthusiasm of the multitude, an enthusiasm with which, beyond question, the disciples were only too much in sympathy, and for that purpose arranged that they should sail away in the dusk across the lake, while He retired into the solitude of the mountains.2

What a melancholy result of a hopeful movement have we here! The kingdom has been proclaimed, and the good news has been extensively welcomed. Jesus, the Messianic King, is become the object of most ardent devotion to an enthusiastic population. But, alas! their ideas of the kingdom are radically mistaken. Acted out, they would mean rebellion and ultimate ruin. Therefore it is necessary that Jesus should save Himself from His own friends, and hide Himself from His own followers. How certainly do Satan’s tares get sown among God’s wheat! How easily does enthusiasm run into folly and mischief!

The result of the miracle did not take Jesus by surprise. It was what He expected; nay, in a sense, it was what He aimed at. It was time that the thoughts of many hearts should be revealed; and the certainty that the miracle would help to reveal them was one reason at least for its being worked. Jesus furnished for the people a table in the wilderness, and gave them of the corn of heaven, and sent them meat to the full, that He might prove them, and know what was in their heart,2—whether they loved Him for His own sake, or only for the sake of expected worldly advantage. That many followed Him from by-ends He knew beforehand, but He desired to bring the fact home to their own consciences. The miracle put that in His power, and enabled Him to say, without fear of contradiction, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.” It was a searching word, which might well put all His professed followers, not only then, but now, on self-examining thoughts, and lead each man to ask himself, Why do I profess Christianity? is it from sincere faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world, or from thoughtless compliance with custom, from a regard to reputation, or from considerations of worldly advantage?

Only the resurrection and the feeding of the 5000 are found in all 4 Gospels. Clearly feeding of the 5000 is very significant and one of the main points is that this miracle (largest number of people affected by one miracle) was clear demonstration that Jesus was God and not only God but Creator! In addition, in the Gospel of John, this miracle set the stage for segue into the profound teaching that Jesus Himself was the Bread of life (John 6:25-70). John MacArthur has an interesting statement that "In each gospel account this miracle is placed at the climax of the Lord’s ministry." (See MacArthur Commentary)

THE FEEDING OF FIVE THOUSAND PLUS
NOTE: Words in Bold Red font are unique to that Gospel's account.
GOSPEL	Matthew 14:12–24	Mark 6:30–46	Luke 9:10–17	John 6:1–14
THE SETTING TWO REPORTS	His disciples came and took away the body and buried it; and they went and reported to Jesus. - Mt 14:12+	The apostles gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught.- Mk 6:30+	When the apostles returned, they gave an account to Him of all that they had done. Lk 9:10a+	After these things Jn 6:1a+
WITHDRAWAL TO REST	Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself - Mt 14:13a+	He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.- Mk 6:31,32+	Taking them with Him, He withdrew by Himself to a city called Bethsaida Lk 9:10b+	Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). Jn 6:1b+
REST "ARRESTED"	When the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities - Mt 14:13b+	The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. Mk 6:33+	But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; Lk 9:11a+	A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. Jn 6:2a+
LARGE CROWD	When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd- Mt 14:14a+	When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd Mk 6:34a+		Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him Jn 6:3-5+
COMPASSION	He felt compassion for them and healed their sick - Mt 14:14b+	He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. Mk 6:34b+	Welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing. Lk 9:11b+
THE TIME WAS LATE	When it was evening...the hour is already late, Mt 14:15a+	When it was already quite late...already quite late Mk 6:35a+	Now the day was ending Lk 9:12a+
SEND THEM AWAY	The disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate...so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”.- Mt 14:15b+	His disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate...send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”" Mk 6:35b-36+	The twelve came and said to Him, “Send the crowd away, that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging and get something to eat; for here we are in a desolate place.” Lk 9:12b+
THE TEST (FAITH NOT SIGHT)	Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!” Mt 14:16+	He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” Mk 6:37+	He said to them, “You give them something to eat!” - Lk 9:13a+	Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Jn 6:5b-6+
THEIR SOLUTION (SIGHT NOT FAITH)		They said to Him, “Shall we go and spend 200 denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” Mk 6:37b+	Unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people.” Lk 9:13c+	Philip answered Him, “200 denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” Jn 6:7+ (cf Jn 6:9b+)
WHEN LITTLE IS ENOUGH	They said to Him, “We have here only 5 loaves and 2 fish.”Mt 14:17+ He said, “Bring them here to Me.” Mt 14:18+	He said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “5 and 2 fish.” Mk 6:38+	They said, “We have no more than 5 loaves and 2 fish Lk 9:13b+	One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what are these for so many people?” Jn 6:8-9+
JESUS SEATS THE GUESTS	Ordering the people to sit down on the grass Mt 14:19a+	He commanded them all to sit down by groups on the green grass. They sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. Mk 6:39-40+	He said to His disciples, “Have them sit down to eat in groups of about fifty each. - Lk 9:14b+ They did so, and had them all sit down. - Lk 9:15+	Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. Jn 6:10a+
JESUS GIVES THANKS	He took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food Mt 14:19b+	He took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food Mk 6:41a+	He took the 5 loaves and the 2 fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them Lk 9:16a+	Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, Jn 6:11a+
NOURISHMENT	Breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds, - Mt 14:19c+	He broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. Mk 6:41b+	He broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to set before the people. Lk 9:16b+	He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. Jn 6:11b+
SATISFACTION	They all ate and were satisfied - Mt 14:20a+	They all ate and were satisfied, Mk 6:42+	And they all ate and were satisfied; Lk 9:17a+	When they were filled Jn 6:12+
FAR MORE ABUNDANT	They picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, 12 full baskets. - Mt 14:20+	They picked up 12 full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. Mk 6:43+	The broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, 12 baskets full. Lk 9:17b+	He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled 12 baskets with fragments from the 5 barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Jn 6:12-13+
MIRACULOUS NUMBERS FED	There were about 5000 men who ate, besides women and children. Mt 14:21+	There were 5000 men who ate the loaves. Mk 6:44+	There were about 5000 men - Lk 9:14a+	So the men sat down, in number about 5000. Jn 6:10b+
PROPHET BUT NOT MESSIAH				When the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Jn 6:14+
JESUS SENDS DISCIPLES AWAY	Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. - Mt 14:22+	Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. Mk 6:45+
JESUS PRAYS	After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. Mt 14:23+	After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. Mk 6:46+		So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. Jn 6:15+

THE LORD IS FAITHFUL - FEEDING FIVE THOUSAND MEN - Charles Ryrie - Borrow The Miracles of Our Lord

Apart from the resurrection, this miracle of feeding five thousand men is the only one recorded by all four gospel writers. And it is the only “sign” miracle recorded by all. The place was the area of Bethsaida near the northeast corner of the lake of Galilee. The Lord and his disciples had retreated there hoping to find some peace and quiet, for they were weary and needed some rest from the pressures of ministry. The area was deserted, though not a desert, for it was covered with grass. The time was before Passover in the early spring, a year before the crucifixion. The occasion met the need of the crowd and provided a test for the disciples. And, as his miracles do, this one also revealed something about the Lord—in this case, his faithfulness.

1. HIS FAITHFULNESS IN TEACHING

A. He Was Weary -- The retreat never came to pass, though the Lord needed it. Emotionally, he was drained because of the news of the murder of John the baptist. Both Matthew and Mark suggest this event was the reason why he sought solitude in a deserted place.
Physically, he was weary because of the schedule of ministry he kept. The imperfect tenses in John 6:2 indicate that the multitudes kept following him because he kept performing signs. The disciples, too, had been involved in a strenuous tour of ministry and needed a time of rest (Mark 6:31).

Spiritually, as the opposition to Christ’s ministry mounted, he felt the oppression against him increasing. It would climax a year later at Golgotha.

B. He Was Willing -- It was only four or five miles directly across the lake from the area of Tiberias where the group had been ministering to Bethsaida. And it was not farther than ten miles by land around the north end of the lake. So when some people saw the Lord and the disciples getting into a boat to cross the lake, they spread the news and gathered this large group of thousands of people who ran overland to meet the Lord when he landed on shore. Perhaps the wind was against the disciples as they rowed, or perhaps they deliberately slowed their trip, hoping that the ever-increasing crowd would weary of running and disperse before they landed.

But such was not to be. When the Lord saw the multitude, he welcomed them, not thinking of himself or of his own needs, but willing and anxious to minister to them in spite of his weariness. He saw their hunger for truth, which their spiritual leaders had not met. They had no shepherd, though they had scribes and rabbis galore. His compassion overcame his weariness, and he taught them and healed the sick.

It is not sinful to grow weary in the ministry, but it is unchristlike to grow weary of the ministry. Compassion should motivate us to serve.

C. He Was Working -- Teaching was the most prominent characteristic of the earthly ministry of Christ. He saturated the multitudes with his teaching, as on this occasion. He also trained the twelve disciples, as he did here too. Teaching is one of the thrusts of the great commission, and the spiritual gift of teaching is among the three most important gifts (1 Corinthians 12:28).

But the true shepherd not only teaches, he also tends the sheep. The Lord healed the sick in the crowd, and he fed them. His was not a detached pulpit ministry. It was also a person-to-person ministry. He was the epitome of a pastor-teacher (Ephesians 4:11).

2. HIS FAITHFULNESS IN TRAINING

A. The Inquiry of the Lord -- Probably the question, “Where shall we buy bread?” (John 6:5) was asked earlier in the day of teaching. It was logical to ask Philip where they might buy bread, for he was a native of nearby Bethsaida and would be expected to know. John, however, added that Jesus did not need to know anything from Philip since the Lord knew everything (John 6:6). But he wanted to test Philip.

How? Remember that when Philip first met the Lord he reported to Nathanael that he had found the one of whom Moses wrote (John 1:45). Would Philip remember what Moses had done when he gave the Israelites bread from heaven in the wilderness? Would he recall how Elisha had on a much smaller scale fed a hundred men with twenty barley loaves (2 Kings 4:42–44)? Would Philip acknowledge that one far greater than Moses was there, fully capable of meeting this overwhelming need?

B. The Impotence of the Leaders -- If all the other disciples had not personally heard the Lord’s question to Philip, they soon heard it from Philip himself. Some time elapsed between the question to Philip and the response from the committee of disciples. Perhaps most of the day of teaching came between John 6:6 and 6:7. And during that time you can easily believe that the disciples were discussing what they would say to the Lord.

When evening came, their considered committee conclusion was to send the crowd away. After all, if they were able to come the ten miles or so to hear the Lord earlier in the day, they could surely return ten miles to their homes to eat.

Why did they come to this conclusion? Because they looked at circumstances instead of Christ. Two hundred denarii worth of bread, they had calculated, would not be enough. Perhaps they had taken a rough count of the crowd, or perhaps this was just a guess. In either case, two hundred denarii was far more than their treasury could finance; and that would not feed the crowd anyway.

A denarius was the average daily wage for a rural worker (Matthew 20:2). Normally it would purchase about ten quarts of wheat or thirty of barley. (In the coming tribulation, one denarius—or its equivalent—will buy only one quart of wheat or three of barley. One quart of wheat was the daily ration per man in Xerxes’ army. Thus in that future time all of a man’s wage will feed only himself, with nothing left for his family.) Two hundred denarii would buy around two thousand quarts of wheat or six thousand quarts of barley. One-third of that (for one meal) would feed five thousand men but not also the women and children in the crowd. So the disciples’ computation or guess was correct.

But circumstances always need to be examined with the eyes of faith.

Why did the disciples want to send the crowd away? Because they lacked faith. They had knowledge. They had experience. They had seen what Christ did at Cana when the wine ran out. During that very day, they had seen people healed. But they still lacked faith.

Notice how contagious this attitude was. Andrew, though sometimes pictured as the hero of the story, was affected. When he reported to Christ that they found only a boy’s meager lunch, he probably did it with some sarcasm. His comment, “What are they among so many?” (John 6:9), is hardly one of faith.

3. HIS FAITHFULNESS IN TENDING

A good shepherd tends to the needs of his sheep. As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10). Feeding people is ministry too, and our Lord saw to it that the crowd did not go away hungry.

A. The Supply -- Barley bread (flat cakes) was the food of the poor (Judges 7:13; Ezekiel 13:19). The two fish the lad had were little tidbits to make the coarse barley bread more palatable. Though this poor small lunch was all that was to be found in the large crowd, it was enough in the master’s hand.

B. The Seating -- Taking charge, the Lord commanded the disciples to have the people recline on the grass in groups of about fifty each. And the disciples, though they lacked faith, did not lack obedience. The five thousand men alone would have necessitated one hundred groups of fifty each. Mark 6:40 used a word to describe these groups that literally means “garden plots.” What a scene it must have been! The setting sun, causing the water of the lake to shimmer and coloring the mountains with purple hues, and the “plots” of fifties painted on the background of the lush green grass set the stage onto which the Lord of heaven stepped to perform this spectacular miracle.

C. The Serving -- After giving thanks, the Lord gave the food to the disciples, who in turn gave it to the people. The Lord often used people to minister his blessings to others (Ephesians 4:11–12), and the more the disciples gave, the more they received.

D. The Satisfying -- More than five thousand stomachs testified to the authenticity of this miracle. It was no snack or sacramental meal in which just a tiny fragment of bread was given to each one. Nor was it a case of discovering others in the crowd who had lunches they shared. Such suggestions are without foundation. When all were completely satisfied, the disciples gathered up what was left over in twelve baskets. Abundance is no justification for waste.

An astounding miracle! But greater works than these we can do today. How can that be? Something infinitely greater than giving food to people is giving them the news of the gift of eternal life. Everyone in that huge crowd got hungry again and soon. But those who eat the bread of life shall never hunger again. To offer people that bread is a great work.

John 6:2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.

BGT John 6:2 ἠκολούθει δὲ αὐτῷ ὄχλος πολύς, ὅτι ἐθεώρουν τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐποίει ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσθενούντων.

KJV John 6:2 And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

NET John 6:2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick.

CSB John 6:2 And a huge crowd was following Him because they saw the signs that He was performing by healing the sick.

ESV John 6:2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

NIV John 6:2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.

NLT John 6:2 A huge crowd kept following him wherever he went, because they saw his miraculous signs as he healed the sick.

Mt 4:24,25 8:1 12:15 13:2 14:14 15:30,31 Mk 6:33
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

REST
"ARRESTED"

When the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities - Mt 14:13b+

The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them. Mk 6:33+

But the crowds were aware of this and followed Him; Lk 9:11a+

A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. . Jn 6:2a+

SADLY FOLLOWING
THE SIGNS NOT THE SAVIOR!

MacArthur gives us the context - This section (beginning in John 5) evidences the shift from reservation and hesitation about Jesus as Messiah (John 3:26; 4:1-3) to outright rejection (John 7:52 - See Chart Above). The opposition started with controversy regarding Jesus' healing on the Sabbath (John 5:1-18+), intensified in John 6 with many of His disciples abandoning Him (John 6:66+), and finally hardened in John 7+ into official opposition against Him with the religious authorities unsuccessful attempt to arrest Him (John 7:20-52+). Accordingly, the theme of this section is the rejection of Jesus as Messiah. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) (Bolding added)

A large crowd followed (akoloutheo) Him ("and felt compassion" - Mt 14:14b+ Mk 6:33–34+) - It was an enormous crowd as we will see. So far so good, especially by modern standards. A big crowd is viewed by many as a successful ministry, but as this story teaches, a large crowd is not a good predictor of those who are pursuing a personal relationship with Jesus. It becomes clear that enormous crowds and surging enthusiasm are not always evidence of spiritual vitality! One of the main reasons people were following Jesus is that He was performing many miracles (obviously many more than recorded by John or even the synoptic gospels). Sadly that dynamic is still true today -- what can I get if I follow Jesus mentality is prevalent in the so-called false prosperity gospel championed by prosperity preachers.

It is notable that followed (akoloutheo) is same word Jesus commanded to those who he called to be His true disciples giving the command "Follow (akoloutheo) Me" in the present imperative meaning they were to following Jesus their lifestyle, their habitual practice. So one might describe many in this large crowd "disciples." However, as the story unfolds we see soon that the crowd who followed Him did not obey His command to count the cost and follow Him. In fact after declaring to them several "hard sayings" their response "many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore." (John 6:66+).

As Jesus made clear in Mark 8:34-35+ "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny (aorist imperative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey all 3 commands) himself, and take up (aorist imperative) his cross and follow (present imperative) Me. For (term of explanation) whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it."

Robertson says followed is "Descriptive imperfect tense active, picturing the crowd, but without the details of the boat for Christ and the rapid race of the crowd on foot (Mark 6:32f+.=Matt. 14:13f+.)." (Word Pictures)

J C Ryle - There seems no reason to suppose that this multitude followed our Lord for any but low motives. They “saw His miracles:” that was all. Some few, perhaps, were in doubt and suspense, wondering whether He who wrought such miracles could possibly be the Messiah. The great majority probably “followed” from that vague, idle curiosity and love of excitement, which are the principles that gather nearly every crowd in the world. (Bolding added)

William MacDonald adds "A faith founded on miracles is never as pleasing to God as that which is founded on His Word alone. God’s Word should not require miracles to verify it. Anything that God says is true. It cannot possibly be false. That should be enough for anyone." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Because - Term of explanation. This one is very easy to decipher but is also very sad!

They saw (theoreo) the signs (semeion) which He was performing (poieo in imperfect tense - over and over) on those who were sick (astheneo) - Saw (theoreo) is in the imperfect tense signifying that over and over they had been beholding Jesus' signs. There is an old saying "seeing is believing," but that is not necessarily true in the spiritual realm! John called Jesus' miracles signs (semeion) because they were meant to function as "fingers" pointing people to the divine power behind the miracles, ultimately the power of God and the God-Man Who was manifesting such incredible power! Indeed, this was in fact John's purpose for writing this Gospel John 20:30-31 stating "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these (SIGNS) have been written so that (TERM OF PURPOSE) you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (MESSIAH), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His Name."

These crowds not only saw God in the Flesh, they also saw manifold miracles manifesting His supernatural status! Even Nicodemus "got it" declaring to Jesus "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2+) Nicodemus later placed his faith not in the signs but in the Savior (Jn 19:39+).

The Greek word for "saw" (theoreo) gives us our English "theater" which is apropos for these crowds were merely "spectators" of His Perfect Life, but for the most part not participants in that Life by grace through faith! It is tragic that they were were so close to the Truth, and still failed to receive the Truth (Jn 1:11+), a choice that they will rue for all eternity.

THOUGHT - If you are reading about Jesus and have still not received Him as your personal Savior, today could be the day of your salvation, the first day of your new life, the result of your new birth (Jn 3:3-7+). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved," (Acts 16:31+), for " as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His Name," (Jn 1:12+)

It is as if the large crowd considered Jesus a "Miracle Man," and in so doing totally missed the fact that the signs He was performing were the very one's the Old Testament had described would identify the Messiah, Whose true mission was "to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45+)

Followed (190)(akoloutheo from a = expresses union with, likeness + keleuthos = a road, way) means to walk the same road (Ponder that simple definition dear believer - Am I willing to walk the same road as Jesus?) Literally to follow (like the crowds followed Jesus) and in a figurative sense to follow Jesus as a disciple. Akoloutheo in John's Gospel = Jn. 1:37; Jn. 1:38; Jn. 1:40; Jn. 1:43; Jn. 6:2; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 10:4; Jn. 10:5; Jn. 10:27; Jn. 11:31; Jn. 12:26; Jn. 13:36; Jn. 13:37; Jn. 18:15; Jn. 20:6; Jn. 21:19; Jn. 21:20; Jn. 21:22;

Saw (beheld, observed) (2334)(theoreo from theaomai = to look at closely or attentively or contemplatively - even with a sense of wonder; cp theoros = a spectator) usually refers to physical sight but can also refer to perception and understanding. The idea is to gaze or look with interest and purpose, carefully examining with emphasis on attention to details and thus to behold intensely or attentively.

Signs (4592)(semeion see also another discussion of semeion (akin to semaino = to give a sign; sema = a sign) is a distinguishing mark or symbol that carries a special meaning or like a simple sign points to something else. In Scripture when semeion used of God's miraculous works (that which is contrary to the usual course of nature) it points to spiritual truth. Semeion can be a sign, a mark, a token, or a miracle with a spiritual end purpose. In other words a sign can be either natural or supernatural. A sign is an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. In a number of NT contexts semeion takes on the sense of a miracle because of its unusual nature, especially as that which is contrary to the usual course of nature (e.g., Jn 2:23, Acts 4:16, 22 - And the KJV translates semeion as miracle 23x in John). Semeion in John - Jn. 2:11; Jn. 2:18; Jn. 2:23; Jn. 3:2; Jn. 4:48; Jn. 4:54; Jn. 6:2; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 6:26; Jn. 6:30; Jn. 7:31; Jn. 9:16; Jn. 10:41; Jn. 11:47; Jn. 12:18; Jn. 12:37; Jn. 20:30;

D L Moody - Seven classes of people in John 6:—
1. Curious. John 6:2.
2. Admiring. John 6:14.
3. Greedy. John 6:26.
4. Skeptical. John 6:36.
5. Murmurers. John 6:41.
6. Scoffers. John 6:52.
7. Backsliders. John 6:66.

James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose- CHRIST AND THE HUNGRY MULTITUDE JOHN 6:1–14

“Wouldst thou go forth to bless? Be sure of thine own ground!
Fix well thy centre first, then draw thy circles round.”—Trench.

A life centered in God as the basis of operation must be a success, for no enemy will ever be able to break through and cut off this connection. Christ’s attitude toward the multitude, as before us here, furnishes us with the principles of all true missionary enterprise. Thousands had followed Him to the other side of the lake, because “they saw the miracles which He did.” But Christ’s anxiety was to satisfy their need, not to entertain them with wonder-working. He knew that they were hungry, just as He still knows that there are multitudes whose chief necessity is for the Bread of Life. Observe how this is done: He

I. Desires that they should be Fed. “Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (Jn 6:5). His will is that they should be satisfied, and He so wills because He has compassion on the multitude (Matt. 14:14). The infinite tenderness of His heart towards the needy constrains Him to seek their good. He willeth not the death of any. The deepest yearning of His soul is that the hungry crowd should have the Bread of Life offered them, and that “these may eat.”

II. Knows where the supply is to come from. “He Himself knew what He would do” (Jn 6:6). No one is needed to advise Him who is the “Wisdom of God.” He knew what fie would do, not what He would try to do. He never makes a demand without being prepared to supply all that is requisite for the carrying out of His will. The Lord’s purposes are not mere experiments, they are accomplished facts in His mind. He knew what He would do when He set His face like a flint to go up to Jerusalem. He also knew what He would do when He said, “All power is given unto Me, … go ye therefore.” His servants may be often tried and proven, but, looking to Him, there can be no defeat.

III. Seeks the Thoughtful Interest of His Followers. “Whence shall we buy bread” (Jn 6:5). He knew Himself what He would do, but He desires that the minds and hearts of His disciples should be exercised about this great and needful business of feeding the hungry multitude. In using this form of the pronoun, we, He was declaring a community of interests between Him and His followers. The true missionary spirit has its source and the secret of its abiding freshness in the constant realisation of this great fact. Is Christ not saying to His Church to-day, “Whence shall we find bread, money, men, that the hungry millions in heathendom may eat and live?” What is the answer? “Lord, Thou knowest.” Pray ye the Lord of the harvest.

IV. Makes use of Little Gifts. “There is a lad here with five barley loaves and two small fishes; but what are they among so many?” (v. 9). “Jesus took the loaves” (Jn 6:11). They were not too small for Him. He who created the Heavens and the earth knows the true worth of a little thing, when put into His hand. God hath chosen weak things … and things which are despised … that no flesh should glory in His presence (1 Cor. 1:27–29). “Follow Me,” He says, “and I will make you fishers of men.” These little things have their value increased immensely by being at His disposal; so is it with every life committed to Him.

V. Himself is all-sufficient for this Emergency. “He gave thanks and distributed … to them … as much as they would” (Jn 6:11). The source of supply was in Himself, not in what was merely given to Him. It is because of His infinite power and fullness that He is able to use weak things in the manifestation of His riches and glory. He puts the treasure in an earthen vessel that the excellency of the power may be seen to be of God. “Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass” (Ps 37:5).

VI. Feeds the Hungry through His own Disciples. “He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down” (Jn 6:11). Of themselves they could do nothing to meet the necessity of the eager crowd, but, through Him, they could do all that was needed. Our sufficiency is of the Lord. We, like the disciples of old, are greatly privileged in having this heavenly bread committed to us, but, like them, we would be verily guilty if we stored it up, instead of delivering it to the starving multitude for whom it is intended. Freely ye have received, freely give: and give it to those in the back row of heathenism as freely as ye give to those in the front row of the homeland. The manna that was “laid up” instead of used, bred worms and stank. Those given to self-seeking will surely be visited with the worms of pride, discontent, and envy; their Christian character will have an unsavoury breath about it. Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.

VII. Provides Enough for All. “As much as they would” (Jn 6:11). “They gathered and filled twelve baskets (or wallets) with the fragments” (Jn 6:13). There was abundance in the provision of Christ for every one of them. If any lacked or went away without being perfectly satisfied, the blame was their own. Christ Himself, who is “the Bread of Life,” is all-sufficient to satisfy the hunger of all who come to Him (Jn 6:35). In Himself there is bread enough and to spare for the unfed millions who are still spending their money for that which is not bread (see 1 John 2:2). This standing order of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Give ye them to eat,” is being but very partially and timidly obeyed. There is no danger of His resources failing, therefore, as His disciples, let us show our faith in Him by the diligent use of those “goods” which He hath committed unto us for the furtherance of His kingdom and the glory of His Name (Matt. 25:14).

SEED THOUGHTS = James Smith - SOME ATTITUDES TOWARDS CHRIST, AS SEEN IN JOHN 6

1. The curious, verses Jn 6:2.
2. The false enthusiast, Jn 6:14, 15.
3. The receptive,  Jn 6:21.
4. The sensual seekers, Jn 6:24–26.
5. The sceptical inquirers, Jn 6:28, 29, 36
6. The murmurers,   Jn 6:41–43.
7. The mocking questioners,   Jn 6:52.
8. The offended hearers, Jn 6:60–61, 64.
9. The backsliding disciples,   Jn 6:66.
10. The open confessor, Jn 6:68, 69.
11. The secret deceiver, Jn 6:70, 71

NOTE: I don't like designation #9 because "backsliding" implies they were once true disciples and is a term frequently used to describe genuine believers who are trapped in sin (See Backsliding). John 6:66 says they were absolutely not walking with Jesus from this time on. They could hardly be characterized as those who persevere to the end (Heb 3:6, 14), so are almost certainly non-believers.

C I Scofield - THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES (John 6:1–14)

I. The Analysis

1. Jesus leaving Galilee, verse 1.
2. The gathering multitudes, verses 2–5.
3. The incomparable Teacher, verse 3 (see parallel accounts in Matt., Mark, Luke).
4. The hungering multitudes, verse 5.
5. The impotent disciples, verses 5–9. See “Heart.”
6. Feeding the multitude, verses 10, 11.
7. Gathering the fragments, verses 12–14.

II. The Heart of the Lesson

Christ commands the impossible; with Christ the impossible becomes possible—that is manifestly the core truth here. It is a parable in action, this feeding of the five thousand; a parable of interpretation, for it explains the whole mystery of the co-working of God and man; a parable of this dispensation, for it illustrates the method of the dispensation.

Christ commands the impossible. Five barley loaves and two small fishes were too few for so many. When our Lord said: “Give ye them to eat” (Matt. 14:16), He told them to do what they were wholly unable to do. The enterprises of Christ are all humanly impossible. When he ordered twelve unlettered, untravelled fishermen and Galilean villagers to assault Judaism in its central stronghold, Jerusalem, and then to attack the heathen world system, a system organized by the immense skill and experience of Satan, and intrenched in the high places of the earth, He flung a handful of spring water against Niagara. And His ethic is just as impossible. When He tells us that we are perfectly identified with Himself, and that therefore we are to “Walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing,” He commands what men cannot do. The yoke of the law, which neither the Apostles nor their fathers were able to bear, was child’s play compared to it.

When His Word requires that our hearts shall hold an unceasing song of gratitude, and be filled with humility (Eph. 5:19–21), He requires the impossible.

But with Him, all this becomes so possible as to seem axiomatic. Five barley loaves and two small fishes plus the creative power of Almighty God, are enough, not for five thousand daily, but the whole world. Twelve unlearned men plus the Holy Ghost, are enough to deliver souls out of the power of the very Sanhedrin itself, and, in three centuries, to drive heathenism from the throne of the world. A saved sinner, weak as water in himself, and the sport of the demons, may, in the power of the same Spirit, beat back Satan, and (an even greater victory) dethrone self and enthrone Christ over the kingdom within.

And note: Doubtless Christ could have set aside the human instrumentality entirely. His own hands were sufficient for the task that day, and all the days, and all the tasks ever since. Not only so, He could have used the angels. It was not imperative that He should have us, but it was His plan. He made it part of the eternal counsels that as the salvation of mankind was entrusted to a Man, so the tidings of that salvation should be carried to man by man. But from the first messengers to the last, it is part of the plan that the power shall be of God. The sense of this is almost the lost sense of the churches of Christ. Organization, money, high training—these, which are but the loaves and fishes of the great enterprise, have been made the ground of confidence. Like the prophet’s servant on Dothan, we need to have our eyes opened to see that the mountain round about us is full of the horses and chariots of the fire of the Lord.

John 6:3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples.

BGT John 6:3 ἀνῆλθεν δὲ εἰς τὸ ὄρος Ἰησοῦς καὶ ἐκεῖ ἐκάθητο μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ.

KJV John 6:3 And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

NET John 6:3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside and sat down there with his disciples.

CSB John 6:3 So Jesus went up a mountain and sat down there with His disciples.

ESV John 6:3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples.

NIV John 6:3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples.

NLT John 6:3 Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat down with his disciples around him.

John 6:15 Mt 14:23 15:29 Lu 6:12,13 Lk 9:28
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Golan Heights North & East of Galilee

Then - (NAS, NLT, NIV, "so" in CSB, NET) Then word normally marks sequence. In this context it suggests that at this time Jesus separated Himself from the main crowd.

Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples (mathetes) - There are not actually mountains in this area although there are hills.

Believer's Study Bible "The reference to "mountain" is to the high ground that rises abruptly, east of the Lake of Galilee. The area is known as the Golan Heights (see map above) today."

John MacArthur on the mountain- Mountains provided the setting for many of the important scenes in Christ’s life and ministry, including part of His temptation by the Devil (Matt. 4:8); the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1; 8:1); the choosing of the Twelve (Mark 3:13); the exercise of His healing ministry (Matt. 15:29–30); the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1); the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:3); His meeting with the disciples after the resurrection (Matt. 28:16); and His ascension (Acts 1:12). This particular mountain was probably located in the region known today as the Golan Heights, the site of a major battle between Israeli and Syrian forces during the Six-Day War of 1967. (See The MacArthur New Testament )

J C Ryle on His disciples - This expression includes not only the twelve who had been chosen and set apart by our Lord by this time, but many others who professed themselves His disciples. Many of them, it would appear from this very chapter (verse 66), were not really believers, and in course of time fell away. If Christ Himself had many such disciples and followers, ministers now-a-days (even the very best) must not be surprised to find the same state of things among their people! (ED: cf Mt 7:13-14, Mt 7:21-23, Mt 13:25-30, Mt 13:36-43) (John 6 Commentary)

Disciples (3101) mathetes from manthano = to learn which Vine says is "from a root math, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor". Gives us our English = "mathematics" - see matheteuo) describes a person who learns from another by instruction, whether formal or informal. Another sources says mathetes is from from math- which speaks of "mental effort that thinks something through" and thus describes is a learner; a follower who learns the doctrines and the lifestyle of the one they follow. Discipleship includes the idea of one who intentionally learns by inquiry and observation (cf inductive Bible study) and thus mathetes is more than a mere pupil. A mathetes describes an adherent of a teacher. Mathetes itself has no spiritual connotation, and it is used of superficial followers of Jesus as well as of genuine believers (cf John 6:66).

John 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.

BGT John 6:4 ἦν δὲ ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα, ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων.

KJV John 6:4 And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

NET John 6:4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover was near.)

CSB John 6:4 Now the Passover, a Jewish festival, was near.

ESV John 6:4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.

NIV John 6:4 The Jewish Passover Feast was near.

NLT John 6:4 (It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)

John 2:13 Jn 5:1 Jn 11:55 Jn 12:1 Jn 13:1 Ex 12:6-14 Lev 23:5,7 De 16:1
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

THE PASSOVER
WAS NEAR

Now the Passover (pascha), the feast (heorte) of the Jews (Ioudaios), was near - This would signify that this miracle occurred in the Springtime (SEE PRECEDING DISCUSSION OF RELATION TO THE EVENTS IN JOHN 5). Passover (pascha) commemorates the nation’s deliverance from Egypt, that the Jews’ nationalistic feelings reached their peak. That may help explain the crowd’s zealous attempt to make Jesus king (Jn 6:15)." (MacArthur - John Commentary) While the phrase the Jews (Ioudaios) often refers to the Jewish leaders who were opposed to Jesus (cf Jn 1:19 with Jn 1:24+), the context indicates this usage is clearly more "generic."

Guzik - John is the only one of the four gospel writers (all four describe this miracle) who tells us this took place near the time of the Passover. Perhaps this great multitude was made up of Galilean pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. Passover is associated with the Exodus and God’s sustenance of Israel in the wilderness. Jesus will sustain this multitude in their small “wilderness” with bread from heaven—both literally and spiritually."

J C Ryle makes a great point - The approach of the passover feast is no doubt specially mentioned in order to show the suitableness of our Lord’s discourse in this chapter to the season of the year. The minds of His hearers would doubtless be thinking of the passover lamb, and its flesh about to be eaten and blood about to be sprinkled. Our Lord takes occasion to speak of that “flesh and blood” which must be eaten and drunk by all who would not perish in sin. It is an instance of that divine wisdom with which our Master spoke “words in season,” and turned everything to account. (John 6 Commentary)

D A Carson has a lengthy note on this Passover - Although this is the second of three Passovers mentioned by John (cf. Jn 2:13, 23; 11:55ff.), his reason for including this aside is not so much chronological as theological. The Jewish Passover celebrated the exodus from Egypt. Intrinsic to the celebration was the slaughter of a lamb in each household, which then ate it. In this Gospel Jesus is the Lamb of God (Jn 1:29, 36). The first Passover to be mentioned (Jn 2:13, 23) is in the context of Jesus’ self-designation as the temple that would have to be destroyed—a way of pointing to his death; the third Passover (Jn 11:55ff.) is at the time of his death. This intermediate one occurs about (John says it was near) the time of the feeding of the five thousand, which precipitates the bread of life discourse, in which Jesus identifies His flesh as the true bread that must be given for the life of the world (Jn 6:33, 51), the bread that must be eaten if people are to have eternal life. The connections become complex: the sacrifice of the lamb anticipates Jesus’ death, the Old Testament manna is superseded by the real bread of life, the exodus typologically sets forth the eternal life that delivers us from sin and destruction, the Passover feast is taken over by the eucharist (both of which point to Jesus and His redemptive cross-work). ‘The movement from the miracle to the discourse, from Moses to Jesus (Jn 6:32–35, cf. Jn 1:17), and, above all, from bread to flesh, is almost unintelligible unless the reference in Jn 6:4 to the Passover picks up Jn 1:29, 36, anticipates Jn 19:36 (Ex 12:46; Nu 9:12), and governs the whole narrative’ (Hoskyns, p. 281). At the same time, the Passover Feast was to Palestinian Jews what the fourth of July is to Americans, or, better, what the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne is to loyalist Protestants in Northern Ireland. It was a rallying point for intense, nationalistic zeal. This goes some way to explaining the fervour that tried to force Jesus to become king (cf. notes on v. 15). (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary or see The Gospel According to John - Page 268 and scroll up and down for more text)

Bob Utley adds "The only way of determining the length of the public ministry of Jesus is the Passovers mentioned in the Gospel of John (first, Jn 2:13; second, Jn 6:4; and third, Jn 11:55 and Jn 13:1). If John 5:1 is also speaking of a Passover then we have at least three and one-half or four years public ministry."

Edwin Blum - The notice that the Jewish Passover feast was near is theological and only secondarily chronological. The people were thinking in terms of blood, flesh, lambs, and unleavened bread. They longed for a new Moses who would deliver them from Roman bondage. (See Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Passover (3957) pascha is the transliteration of the Hebrew word pesach/pesah (06453) which is a masculine noun thought by some writers (Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon) to have its origin from pacach/pasah which apparently means to pass over; to spare (Ex 12:13, 23, 27 - "Jehovah will pass"). Depending on the context, pascha refers to the Passover lamb (Lk 22:7), the Passover meal (Lk 22:8), or the festival of Passover (Lk 22:1). The Passover as used in Lk 22:1 is combined with the Feast of Unleavened Bread by Luke in a metonymy (one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it's closely associated) writing "the Feast of Unleavened Bread…called the Passover, was approaching." (Lk 22:1) Rooker adds that "These two ceremonies were apparently combined at the beginning, for the Passover lamb was to be eaten with unleavened bread (Ex 12:8)." (New American Commentary). The whole feast, including the paschal eve, is called the festival of Unleavened Bread (Ex 23:15; Lv 23:6; Ezra 6:22; Lu 22:1, 7; Acts 12:3; 20:6); but the simple name “Passover” (when they celebrate the "Passover Seder") is the one commonly used by the Jews to the present day for the festival of Unleavened Bread (2Chr 30:15; 35:1, 11; Mk 14:1)

Pascha - 27v - Matt. 26:2; Matt. 26:17; Matt. 26:18; Matt. 26:19; Mk. 14:1; Mk. 14:12; Mk. 14:14; Mk. 14:16; Lk. 2:41; Lk. 22:1; Lk. 22:7; Lk. 22:8; Lk. 22:11; Lk. 22:13; Lk. 22:15; Jn. 2:13; Jn. 2:23; Jn. 6:4; Jn. 11:55; Jn. 12:1; Jn. 13:1; Jn. 18:28; Jn. 18:39; Jn. 19:14; Acts 12:4; 1 Co. 5:7; Heb. 11:28

Related Resource:

What is Passover? | GotQuestions.org

John 6:5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?"

BGT John 6:5 Ἐπάρας οὖν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ θεασάμενος ὅτι πολὺς ὄχλος ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγει πρὸς Φίλιππον· πόθεν ἀγοράσωμεν ἄρτους ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι;

KJV John 6:5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

NET John 6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, "Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?"

CSB John 6:5 Therefore, when Jesus looked up and noticed a huge crowd coming toward Him, He asked Philip, "Where will we buy bread so these people can eat?"

ESV John 6:5 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?"

NIV John 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

NLT John 6:5 Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, "Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?"

NRS John 6:5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?"

seeing that a large crowd : John 4:35 Mt 14:14,15 Mk 6:34,35 Lu 9:12
Where are we to buy bread: Mt 15:33 Mk 8:2-4 Lu 9:13
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

CROWD	When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd- Mt 14:14a+	The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them (around north end of the Sea of Galilee). When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd Mk 6:33-34a+		Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him Jn 6:3-5+
COMPASSION	He felt compassion for them and healed their sick - Mt 14:14b+	He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. Mk 6:34b+	Welcoming them, He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing. Lk 9:11b+

A LARGE CROWD
IN NEED OF BREAD

Constable helps set the context on how John's passage fits with the synoptic Gospel accounts writing that "John telescoped the events of the day. He omitted mention of Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry (Matt. 14:14; Mark 6:34; Luke 9:11) as well as the disciples’ concern for food (Matt. 14:15; Mark 6:35–36; Luke 9:12). Instead he focused on the miracle. His account also shows Jesus’ initiative in solving the food problem. Only John recorded that Jesus approached Philip about the need."

Therefore - Term of conclusion.

Jesus, lifting up His eyes (epairo used in same phrase in Jn 17:1) and seeing (theaomai) that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread (artos), so that these may eat?" (esthio) - Notice that John does not mention several details found in the synoptic accounts -- Jesus felt compassion(Mt 14:14b+, Mk 6:34b+), healed their sick (Mt 14:14b+), spoke to them about the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. (Lk 9:11b+)

The interchange between Jesus and Phillip is recorded only in the Gospel of John. While John did not use the word compassion, clearly Jesus' question to Philip reflected His compassion for the large crowd. Mark explains one reason for Jesus' compassion was because they were like sheep without a shepherd. (Mk 6:34b+, cf. Nu. 27:17+; 1 Ki 22:17; Mt. 9:36+) In Mark's version we can discern Jesus' primary concern was for their spiritual need. In supplying their physical need, Jesus would use the miracle of bread to address their more critical spiritual need for salvation.

Jesus question of Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat? was not for His information (He already knew) but was part of His program of training the twelve.

William MacDonald "When Jesus asked a question, it was never for the purpose of adding to His own knowledge, but to teach others. He knew the answer, but Philip didn’t.(Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John MacArthur - The Lord knew the crowd’s superficial motive for following Him (Jn 6:26), but His abundant mercy was such that He met their needs anyway. Late in the day (Mark 6:35) or as the day was ending (Luke 9:12) and it “was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves’ ” (Matt. 14:15). (ED: AND THIS LED HIM TO ADDRESS PHILIP BUT WHY HE WAS SINGLED OUT IS NOT CLEAR - see Carson's thought below)(See John Commentary)

J C Ryle - When this teaching was over, He seems to have taken a survey of the crowd before Him, and seeing how large it was, proceeded to show His tender concern for the wants of men’s bodies as well as of their souls. (John 6 Commentary)

D A Carson suggests " In this instance Philip was the obvious person to ask: he came from the nearby town of Bethsaida (Jn 1:44+)." (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary or see The Gospel According to John and scroll up and down for more text))

Guzik agrees - "Why did Jesus ask Philip this question? Maybe because he was from Bethsaida (John 1:44) and this is near where this miracle took place (Luke 9:10).

Kenneth Gangel comments that "starvation is a stark and unpleasant reality in our modern world. Ten percent of the world's babies die before their first birthday, and one of every four children suffers from malnutrition. Yet the problem of spiritual hunger is even more severe. Like the people gathering on the mountainside in Galilee, millions today need the living bread that only Jesus can provide. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

Warren Wiersbe (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary) sums up this first section - The problem, of course, was how to meet the needs of such a vast crowd of people. Four solutions were proposed.

First, the disciples suggested that Jesus send the people away (Mark 6:35–36). Get rid of the problem (see Matt. 15:23). But Jesus knew that the hungry people would faint on the way if somebody did not feed them. It was evening (Matt. 14:15), and that was no time for travel.

The second solution came from Philip in response to our Lord’s “test question” (John 6:5): raise enough money to buy food for the people. Philip “counted the cost” and decided they would need the equivalent of 200 days’ wages! And even that would not provide bread enough to satisfy the hunger of all the men, women, and children (Matt. 14:21). Too often, we think that money is the answer to every need. Of course, Jesus was simply testing the strength of Philip’s faith.

The third solution came from Andrew, but he was not quite sure how the problem would be solved. He found a little boy who had a small lunch: two little fish and five barley cakes. Once again, Andrew is busy bringing somebody to Jesus (see John 1:40–42; 12:20–22). We do not know how Andrew met this lad, but we are glad he did! Though Andrew does not have a prominent place in the Gospels, he was apparently a “people person” who helped solve problems.

The fourth solution came from our Lord, and it was the true solution. He took the little boy’s lunch, blessed it, broke it, handed it out to His disciples, and they fed the whole crowd! The miracle took place in the hands of the Saviour, not in the hands of the disciples. He multiplied the food; they only had the joyful privilege of passing it out. Not only were the people fed and satisfied, but the disciples salvaged twelve baskets of fragments for future use. The Lord wasted nothing. (Bible Exposition Commentary)

Bread (740)(artos) according to Vine "signifies (a) "a small loaf or cake," composed of flour and water, and baked, in shape either oblong or round, and about as thick as the thumb; these were not cut, but broken and were consecrated to the Lord every Sabbath and called the "shewbread" (loaves of presentation), Mt. 12:4; when the "shewbread" was reinstituted by Nehemiah (Neh. 10:32) a poll-tax of 1/3 shekel was laid on the Jews, Matt. 17:24; (b) "the loaf at the Lord's Supper," e.g., Matt. 26:26 ("Jesus took a loaf," RV, marg.); the breaking of "bread" became the name for this institution, Acts 2:42; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 10:16; 1 Cor. 11:23; (c) "bread of any kind," Matt. 16:11; (d) metaphorically, "of Christ as the Bread of God, and of Life," John 6:33, 35; (e) "food in general," the necessities for the sustenance of life, Matt. 6:11; 2 Cor. 9:10, etc."

Gilbrant - Classical Greek - Liddell-Scott notes that the word artos is a term for a “cake or loaf of wheat-bread.” It further suggests that it differed from maza, “porridge,” the common food of the poor. Bread was the staple of the diet of most peoples in antiquity.

Septuagint Usage The Septuagint uses artos as the principal equivalent to lechem, “bread,” or “food” (cf. the verb lācham, “use as food, to eat”). Artos naturally absorbed some of the wide range of meaning of lechem; it rarely substituted for other terms, like path (2 Samuel 12:3 [LXX 2 Kings 12:3]). In conjunction with azumos (105), “unleavened,” it translates matstsâh (Judges 6:20). But the general term lechem and its various compounds (kikhkhar lechem, “loaf,” path-lechem, “piece,” challath lechem, “ring”) most influenced artos.

“Bread” is a figure of speech for every kind of food, but artos does not translate ’ōkhel, “food.” Theologically, “man doth not live by bread only” (Deuteronomy 8:3). In other words, true existence is not experienced simply in eating (and drinking, cf. Romans 14:17). In addition to its normal sense and its theological contribution, bread was vital to the sacrificial system. Normally “unleavened bread” (matstsâh, Hebrew) was used in the offerings (as in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, matstsôth), but at times leavened cakes were equally acceptable (e.g., the Pentecost wave-offering, Leviticus 23:17). Unleavened cakes— the Bread of Presence (artous enōpious)—were offered in the presence of Yahweh.

Traditions developed—probably stemming from Deuteronomy 8:3, a reference to manna—about the manna of the wilderness. Later the Psalmist wrote of the manna as the “bread of heaven” or the “heavenly bread” (artou ouranou, Psalm 78:24f.). Judaism saw this “bread from heaven” as Torah—the Word of God (Isaiah 55:2 [LXX 77:24f.]). Theories also developed that in the Age to Come manna would be the food (cf. 2 Baruch 29:8; Sybilline Oracles 3.46-49 [cited by Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel, p.335]). Jesus identified himself as this bread and probably played upon that tradition.

New Testament Usage - The New Testament reveals a diverse understanding of artos. In the simplest terms its basic functions can be reduced to three. Naturally these overlap, but such a reduction will aid in understanding the role of artos in the New Testament. They are: literal, figurative, and theological.

Literal Uses. Naturally artos designates literal “bread” or “food.” Satan tempted Jesus to “turn these stones into bread.” Since Jesus was hungry from fasting (Matthew 4:2), the point of attack was “food” (Luke 4:4). The “daily bread” of the Lord’s Prayer, despite debates over the precise meaning of that phrase, first of all refers to “food” (Matthew 6:11, parallel Luke 11:3). References to bread in the Last Supper accounts are certainly literal (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19), but the bread itself conveys something more (“This is my body”; cf. 1 Corinthians 11:24). The same could be said of Acts texts in which the “breaking of bread” denotes actual eating, but stands for a great deal more (e.g., Acts 2:42,46; 20:7,11). “Not to eat bread” signified a “fast” of all food (e.g., Luke 7:33). The “Bread of Presence” of the Old Testament was recognized by the New Testament writers to be literal bread (Luke 6:4; Hebrews 9:2).

Figurative Uses. In a general sense bread stands for such ideas as fellowship (1 Corinthians 10:16,17; cf. the “breaking of bread” in Acts) and eternal fellowship (Luke 14:15). “Bread” symbolizes more than food—it is existence itself. To deprive people of bread is to rob them of their existence (2 Thessalonians 3:8). Such an attitude toward the centrality of food—bread— in existence evolved directly out of the Old Testament, where bread was the “staff” of life (cf. Leviticus 26:26; Psalm 105:16 [LXX 104:16]; Ezekiel 4:16; 5:16; 14:13). These ideas became theologically honed in Jesus, the “Bread of Life” who descended from heaven, and in the event of the Last Supper.

Theological Uses. The very nature of the word as an image for existence allows it to be easily adopted into a theological vocabulary. This, coupled with antecedent images associated with bread, allows artos to be a major metaphor for Jesus’ relationship to humanity. Obviously many areas may coalesce or overlap (e.g., Mark 8:14ff.), and the line between literal and figurative and theological may disappear altogether. The two most obvious theological functions of artos are: (1) Jesus as the Bread of Life and (2) the role of bread in the Last Supper.

(1) The Bread of Life. As noted, Judaism associated manna—the bread from heaven (Psalm 78:24)—with the Age to Come. They expected the gift of manna to be reinstituted. John used the expression “bread of heaven” or “bread of God” seven times. Jesus referred to himself as the “Bread of Life” on two occasions, each time in the construction egō eimi ho artos tēs zōēs (John 6:35,48); and on another occasion He called himself the “Living Bread,” egō eimi ho artos ho zōn (6:51).

Jesus offers men and women a bread, which if they “eat,” they will never hunger. It will satisfy them for they will live forever (John 6:34, cf. 6:51,58) and Jesus will abide (menō) in (en) them forever (6:56).

(2) The Bread of the Last Supper. Jesus’ own understanding of His role as the Bread of Life may have led to His association of the bread of the Last Supper with His person. The bread which came down from heaven (6:33,41,50,58) is the “flesh” of Jesus (6:51, cf. Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 11:24; “This is my body [sōma (4835)]”). Paul said that one bread—still equated with the body (sōma) of Christ—symbolized the unity of the Body, i.e., the Church.

Eschatologically the bread (and cup) anticipate the messianic banquet (Luke 14:15; 22:16 with parallels) because at the Lord’s table one of the primary symbols it represents is the return of the Lord: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26; cf. Luke 22:18). Thus the eschatological significance of the “Bread of Heaven” (cf. the Jewish expectation to eat manna in the Age to Come) is expressed in the expectation of the return of Christ associated with the Last Supper. A new existence is lived out in the one Body—the fellowship of believers. Thus the Last Supper brings together the ideas of fellowship, participation, and expectation which were associated with “bread.”

Bread in the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (online) - Bread, made of either wheat or barley, was a staple of the biblical diet. Its importance-Sirach 29:21 calls it “essential”-appears from the phrase “staff of bread” (Lev 26:26; Ezek 5:16; 14:13 RSV), implying that bread enables one to walk. This is so much the case that bread often just means *“food” and is so translated in English versions. The phrase “by bread alone” (Deut 8:3), means “by food alone” (cf. Gen 3:19; Num 21:5; Lk 15:17).

In addition to being food for human beings, bread belongs to religious ritual. It is one of the things to be sacrificed to the Lord (Ex 29:2; Lev 2:4–16). Legislation also directs that twelve fresh loaves (the so-called “showbread” or “bread of the presence”) be always arranged on a table before the Holy of Holies (Ex 25:30; 1 Chron 9:32; Heb 9:1–5); and OT law commands that unleavened bread be part of the Passover ritual (Ex 12:1–28).

Bread as Gift. Bread is often a gift of hospitality (Gen 14:18). This is so much so that Jesus, when he sends his missionaries out, can tell them to take no bread for the journey (Mk 6:8). The presumption is that bread will be happily supplied to them by those who accept their message.

But bread is even more a divine gift. For it is God who fills the hungry with good things (Lk 1:53). This is why one gives thanks for bread (Lk 9:16). Although bread is a human product-dough is made with human hands (Mt 13:33) and baked (Is 44:19)—there is no dough without grain, and there is no grain without the rain, which God sends (Mt 5:45). Biblical thought is appropriately captured by the traditional Jewish prayer, “Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, king of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.”

That God is quite literally the giver of bread appears in several remarkable miracle stories. When the Israelites wander in the desert and become hungry, they find on the ground manna, which is “the bread which the LORD has given you to eat” (Ex 16:15; cf. Ps 78:25). When Elisha is faced with a hundred hungry men and not enough bread to feed them, the Lord nonetheless says, “They shall eat and have some left.” In the event all are fed and some food is left (2 Kings 4:42–44). Twice when Jesus is with exceedingly large crowds, he takes only a few loaves of bread and some fish and miraculously distributes them to everyone (Mk 6:30–44; 8:1–10)—acts of divine provision and hospitality on a grand scale.

The bread of the Eucharist is also conceived as a divine gift. At the Last Supper, Jesus takes bread, says a blessing, breaks the bread and shares it with his disciples (Mk 14:22). Here the act of giving bread means that Jesus gives himself up on behalf of others; that is, under the figure of the bread, the Son of God is revealed as a sacrificial offering.

Eschatological Bread. If bread is a divine gift in the present, it will also be a divine gift when God’s kingdom comes in its fullness. The occasion for Jesus recounting the parable of the banquet (Lk 14:16–24) is a man’s declaration “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of heaven” (Lk 14:15). This is a reference to the eschatological banquet (Is 25:6–8; Rev 19:9), as are Jesus’ words at the end of the Last Supper: “I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God” (Mk 14:25 RSV).

Related to this is the intriguing promise in Revelation 2:17: “To the one who conquers I [Jesus] will give some of the hidden manna.” Whether the image is of manna again descending from on high (as in 2 Apoc. Bar. 29:8) or of the recovery of the golden urn of manna that was kept in the temple (Heb 9:4)—in Jewish legend the vessels of the temple were not carried off but miraculously hidden (2 Apoc. Bar. 6:1–10)—we cannot be sure. In either case, the eschatological promise is that the saints will be given “bread from heaven” (Neh 9:15). God will meet the needs of his people.

The Lord’s Prayer. Jesus teaches his followers to pray for their “daily (epiousios) bread.” The expression is pregnant with meaning. The (presumably) Aramaic original no doubt alluded to Exodus 16:4, where it is said regarding the manna that “each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day.” If so, then the prayer asks God to feed his people now (epiousios means “for the coming day” in the sense of “today”) just as in the past. But given that (a) “the coming day” can be given eschatological sense (cf. “the day of the Lord”), (b) manna was thought of as bread, and (c) there was an expectation that God would send manna in the end as at the beginning, many have taken Jesus’ words to refer to the bread of the eschaton (so already the Gospel of the Hebrews, according to Jerome).

There is no need to set the two interpretations against one another. Jesus and his first followers undoubtedly thought of the bread of his table fellowship as being both the present gift of God and a token of God’s eschatological provision for the saints. The same may be said of the bread of the Last Supper, and it is wholly appropriate that exegetical history has regularly connected the fourth line of the Lord’s Prayer with the Eucharist. So “give us this days our daily bread” can call to mind four things at once-the manna in the wilderness, God’s beneficent sovereignty in the present, the Eucharist, and the eschatological future.

Bread as Metaphor. Bread is sometimes used metaphorically. In Numbers 14:9 Joshua exhorts Israel not to “fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” In other words, it will be as easy to defeat the Canaanites as it is to eat bread. In Isaiah 55:2 listening to the word of the Lord is likened to eating bread. The same image lies behind Proverbs 9:5, where Wisdom invites the wise to “come, eat of my bread.” It is understandable that in later Jewish tradition bread and manna become symbols of Torah (Mek. on Ex 13:17).

The Bible’s most striking metaphorical use of bread appears in John 6. Here Jesus declares that he is “the bread of life” (Jn 6:35; cf. Jn 6:33, 41, 48, 51). The image is appropriate because John 6 brings together all the major biblical themes associated with bread. The bread from heaven is said to be a gift from above-“my Father gives you the true bread from heaven” (Jn 6:32). Jesus’ multiplication of loaves and fish recalls Elisha’s similar miracle (2Ki 4:42–44) and is explicitly compared with the provision of manna in the wilderness (Jn 6:31–34, 49–51). The bread that is Jesus gives life in the present (Jn 6:35, 47) but also means eternal life (Jn 6:27, 40). Finally, Jesus associates himself as the true bread with the Eucharist: “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6:53).

Mention should be made, finally, of the name Bethlehem, which literally means “house of bread, city of bread.” There is obvious symbolism here: God, who provided bread in the wilderness and sent his Son as the salvific bread from heaven, ordained that Christ would be born in the city of bread.

Summary. Bread is one of many biblical images that, if traced through the canon, yields a picture of salvation history and biblical doctrine in microcosm. Salient points on the chart include bread as a staple of life that comes to all people from God’s providence, miraculous sustenance of life for God’s chosen people in their wilderness wanderings at the time of the Exodus, the spiritual reality of faith in Christ and his atoning death, and the participation in the coming eschatological messianic banquet.

See also ABUNDANCE; EATING; FOOD; GRAIN; HOSPITALITY; MANNA; SUPPER; TABLE; WHEAT.

Artos - 89v - Matt. 4:3; Matt. 4:4; Matt. 6:11; Matt. 7:9; Matt. 12:4; Matt. 14:17; Matt. 14:19; Matt. 15:2; Matt. 15:26; Matt. 15:33; Matt. 15:34; Matt. 15:36; Matt. 16:5; Matt. 16:7; Matt. 16:8; Matt. 16:9; Matt. 16:10; Matt. 16:11; Matt. 16:12; Matt. 26:26; Mk. 2:26; Mk. 3:20; Mk. 6:8; Mk. 6:37; Mk. 6:38; Mk. 6:41; Mk. 6:44; Mk. 6:52; Mk. 7:2; Mk. 7:5; Mk. 7:27; Mk. 8:4; Mk. 8:5; Mk. 8:6; Mk. 8:14; Mk. 8:16; Mk. 8:17; Mk. 8:19; Mk. 14:22; Lk. 4:3; Lk. 4:4; Lk. 6:4; Lk. 7:33; Lk. 9:3; Lk. 9:13; Lk. 9:16; Lk. 11:3; Lk. 11:5; Lk. 14:1; Lk. 14:15; Lk. 15:17; Lk. 22:19; Lk. 24:30; Lk. 24:35; Jn. 6:5; Jn. 6:7; Jn. 6:9; Jn. 6:11; Jn. 6:13; Jn. 6:23; Jn. 6:26; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 6:32; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:34; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:41; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:50; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:58; Jn. 13:18; Jn. 21:9; Jn. 21:13; Acts 2:42; Acts 2:46; Acts 20:7; Acts 20:11; Acts 27:35; 1 Co. 10:16; 1 Co. 10:17; 1 Co. 11:23; 1 Co. 11:26; 1 Co. 11:27; 1 Co. 11:28; 2 Co. 9:10; 2 Thess. 3:8; 2 Thess. 3:12; Heb. 9:2

Artos in the Septuagint - Gen. 3:19; Gen. 14:18; Gen. 18:5; Gen. 21:14; Gen. 24:33; Gen. 25:34; Gen. 27:17; Gen. 28:20; Gen. 37:25; Gen. 39:6; Gen. 41:54; Gen. 41:55; Gen. 43:16; Gen. 43:31; Gen. 43:32; Gen. 45:23; Gen. 47:15; Gen. 47:16; Gen. 47:17; Gen. 47:19; Gen. 49:20; Exod. 2:20; Exod. 16:3; Exod. 16:4; Exod. 16:8; Exod. 16:12; Exod. 16:15; Exod. 16:29; Exod. 16:32; Exod. 18:12; Exod. 23:25; Exod. 25:30; Exod. 29:2; Exod. 29:23; Exod. 29:32; Exod. 29:34; Exod. 34:28; Exod. 39:36; Exod. 40:23; Lev. 2:4; Lev. 7:12; Lev. 7:13; Lev. 8:26; Lev. 8:31; Lev. 8:32; Lev. 22:7; Lev. 22:11; Lev. 22:13; Lev. 23:14; Lev. 23:17; Lev. 23:18; Lev. 23:19; Lev. 23:20; Lev. 24:5; Lev. 24:6; Lev. 24:7; Lev. 26:5; Lev. 26:26; Num. 4:7; Num. 4:27; Num. 6:15; Num. 6:19; Num. 15:19; Num. 15:20; Num. 21:5; Deut. 8:3; Deut. 8:9; Deut. 9:9; Deut. 9:18; Deut. 10:18; Deut. 16:3; Deut. 23:4; Deut. 29:6; Jos. 9:5; Jos. 9:12; Jdg. 7:13; Jdg. 8:5; Jdg. 8:6; Jdg. 8:15; Jdg. 13:16; Jdg. 19:5; Jdg. 19:19; Ruth 1:6; Ruth 2:14; 1 Sam. 1:24; 1 Sam. 2:5; 1 Sam. 2:36; 1 Sam. 9:7; 1 Sam. 10:3; 1 Sam. 10:4; 1 Sam. 14:24; 1 Sam. 14:28; 1 Sam. 16:20; 1 Sam. 20:34; 1 Sam. 21:3; 1 Sam. 21:4; 1 Sam. 21:6; 1 Sam. 22:13; 1 Sam. 25:11; 1 Sam. 25:18; 1 Sam. 28:20; 1 Sam. 28:22; 1 Sam. 30:11; 1 Sam. 30:12; 2 Sam. 3:29; 2 Sam. 3:35; 2 Sam. 6:19; 2 Sam. 9:7; 2 Sam. 9:10; 2 Sam. 12:3; 2 Sam. 12:17; 2 Sam. 12:20; 2 Sam. 12:21; 2 Sam. 16:1; 2 Sam. 16:2; 1 Ki. 5:9; 1 Ki. 7:48; 1 Ki. 11:18; 1 Ki. 12:24; 1 Ki. 13:8; 1 Ki. 13:9; 1 Ki. 13:15; 1 Ki. 13:16; 1 Ki. 13:17; 1 Ki. 13:18; 1 Ki. 13:19; 1 Ki. 13:22; 1 Ki. 13:23; 1 Ki. 17:6; 1 Ki. 17:11; 1 Ki. 18:4; 1 Ki. 18:13; 1 Ki. 21:4; 1 Ki. 21:5; 1 Ki. 21:7; 1 Ki. 22:27; 2 Ki. 4:8; 2 Ki. 4:42; 2 Ki. 6:22; 2 Ki. 18:32; 2 Ki. 25:3; 2 Ki. 25:29; 1 Chr. 9:32; 1 Chr. 16:3; 1 Chr. 23:29; 2 Chr. 4:19; 2 Chr. 13:11; 2 Chr. 18:26; Ezr. 10:6; Neh. 5:15; Neh. 5:18; Neh. 9:15; Neh. 10:33; Neh. 13:2; Job 6:6; Job 24:5; Job 28:5; Ps. 14:4; Ps. 37:25; Ps. 41:9; Ps. 42:3; Ps. 53:4; Ps. 78:20; Ps. 78:24; Ps. 78:25; Ps. 80:5; Ps. 102:4; Ps. 102:9; Ps. 104:14; Ps. 104:15; Ps. 105:16; Ps. 105:40; Ps. 127:2; Ps. 132:15; Prov. 6:26; Prov. 9:5; Prov. 9:17; Prov. 12:9; Prov. 12:11; Prov. 20:13; Prov. 22:9; Prov. 28:19; Prov. 28:21; Eccl. 9:7; Eccl. 9:11; Eccl. 10:19; Eccl. 11:1; Cant. 5:1; Isa. 3:1; Isa. 3:7; Isa. 4:1; Isa. 21:14; Isa. 28:28; Isa. 30:20; Isa. 30:23; Isa. 33:16; Isa. 36:17; Isa. 44:15; Isa. 44:16; Isa. 44:19; Isa. 55:10; Isa. 58:7; Isa. 58:10; Isa. 65:25; Jer. 5:17; Jer. 11:19; Jer. 16:7; Jer. 37:21; Jer. 38:9; Jer. 41:1; Jer. 42:14; Jer. 44:17; Jer. 52:6; Jer. 52:33; Lam. 1:11; Lam. 4:4; Lam. 5:9; Ezek. 4:9; Ezek. 4:15; Ezek. 4:16; Ezek. 4:17; Ezek. 5:16; Ezek. 12:18; Ezek. 12:19; Ezek. 13:19; Ezek. 14:13; Ezek. 16:19; Ezek. 16:49; Ezek. 18:7; Ezek. 18:16; Ezek. 24:17; Ezek. 24:22; Ezek. 44:3; Ezek. 44:7; Ezek. 48:18; Dan. 10:3; Hos. 2:5; Hos. 9:4; Amos 4:6; Amos 8:11; Hag. 2:12; Mal. 1:7

John 6:6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.

BGT John 6:6 τοῦτο δὲ ἔλεγεν πειράζων αὐτόν· αὐτὸς γὰρ ᾔδει τί ἔμελλεν ποιεῖν.

KJV John 6:6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

NET John 6:6 (Now Jesus said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.)

CSB John 6:6 He asked this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was going to do.

ESV John 6:6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.

NIV John 6:6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

NLT John 6:6 He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do.

to test him: Ge 22:1 De 8:2,16 13:3 33:8 2Ch 32:31
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JUST A TEST

This He was saying to test (peirazo) him - Test of course is not used here in bad sense of tempting, which is the other meaning (as in Matt. 4:1+). God tests our faith not to make us bitter, but to make us better.

God allows predicaments to test our faith and show His power
- Rod Mattoon

Bruce Barton - God allowed the test to occur, not expecting failure, but placing the person in a situation where his or her faith might grow stronger. Jesus did not want Philip to miss what he was about to do. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

J C Ryle on purpose of God testing - We find the same kind of procedure on other occasions. When our Lord appeared to the two disciples at Emmaus, we read that after His discourse with them, “He made as though He would have gone further.” (Luke 21:28.) This was “to prove” whether they really wished for more of His company.—When on another occasion He came to the disciples walking on the sea, St. Mark says, “He would have passed by them.” (Mark 6:48.) When in this very chapter He would draw forth an expression of faith from His disciples, He says, “Will ye also go away?” (John 6:67) Our Lord knows the sluggishness and coldness of our hearts, and He sees it good to stir our spiritual senses, and draw forth our spiritual desires by such a mode of dealing with us. (John 6 Commentary)

Blum reminds us that "God tests people to refine their faith, never to tempt them to do evil (cf. Gen. 22:1–18; James 1:2, 13–15; 1 Peter 1:7)." (See Bible Knowledge Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

James 1:2+ Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials (TESTS)

James 1:12+ Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial (TEST); for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

James 1:13-15+ Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone (THIS IS THE SAME GREEK WORD FOR TEST BUT WHEN GOD TESTS US IT IS NEVER WITH THE INTENTION TO CAUSE US TO SIN). 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.

For (gar) - Term of explanation. What is John explaining?

He Himself knew what He was intending (about) to do - Jesus knew (eido - knew beyond a shadow of a doubt - Jn 1:47+ "Jesus saw [eido] Nathanael" = in context Jesus "knew" him) He would miraculously create food for the thousands, but wanted to see if Philip would take this as an opportunity to look at the sufficiency of Jesus rather the insufficiency of the supply.

Brian Bell - Jesus knew exactly what He was going to do. Which means, He’s not only in control of the situation at hand, but several steps ahead of the game. a) Like a brilliant chess player who thinks several moves ahead. Maybe even giving up a minor piece as a gambit(sacrifice) in order to later gain an advantage. b) So Jesus is willing to give up a little R & R for His troops, in order to gain a more committed band of men. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

Utley - Jesus was testing Philip, but how? (1) on his faith in Jesus as provider? (2) on his knowledge of the OT (cf. Nu 11:13, on Moses’ question to God about providing food)? or (3) on his care and concern for the crowd?

Barton - THE TEST - As he did with Philip, Jesus sometimes tests us by putting us in difficult situations with no easy answers. At these times we feel frustrated, as Philip did. However, frustration cannot be God’s intended result. The wise disciple always keeps the door open for God to work. When the first or second look at a problem yields no solution, do you trust God to work or assume it’s hopeless? Philip fell short because he allowed his thinking to be limited by his own limited resources instead of seeking God’s limitless resources. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Test (3985) peirazo from the noun peira = test from peíro = perforate, pierce through to test durability of things) is a morally neutral word simply meaning “to test”. Whether the test is for a good (as it proved to be in Heb 11:17) or evil (Mt 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil") depends on the intent of the one giving the test and also on the response of the one tested. When the scriptural context clearly indicates the testing is an enticement to evil, the word is most frequently translated by a form of the English tempt, which carries that negative connotation. Temptations and trials are two sides of the same coin, for a single Greek word peirasmos conveys both ideas (cp Ja1:2 w Ja1:13) in short, all that goes to furnish a test of character. The trials may come from God or under His permissive will from Satan, or may be the result of our own wrong doing. The solicitations to do evil come from the world, the evil nature, or Satan. In a sermon titled "Faith Tested and Crowned," Alexander Maclaren distinguished between being tempted and being tried. He said that "the former word conveys the idea of appealing to the worst part of man, with the wish that he may yield and do the wrong. The latter means an appeal to the better part of man, with the desire that he should stand." "Temptation says, 'Do this pleasant thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is wrong.' Trial or proving says, 'Do this right and noble thing; do not be hindered by the fact that it is painful.'" Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us; God tests us to bring out the best.

Swindoll - Peirazō (the Greek verb for “to test”) and the corresponding noun peirasmos have a wide range of meaning, with both positive and negative connotations. Jesus was tempted throughout His ministry (Heb. 2:18; Heb 4:15), most directly by Satan, whom Matthew called the peirazōn (“tempter”). But the term can be positive. For James, faith reaches full maturity through trials (James 1:2–3, 12), a disposition that agrees with Peter (1 Peter 4:12–13). Therefore, the nature of a “test” depends on the intent of the person conducting it. In this case, Jesus saw an opportunity to let His disciples fail so that He might strengthen them. Jesus chose Philip for the test because he was the statistical pessimist of the group. It’s a common problem. Every group has at least one, and most everyone has a fair amount of Philip in them. Jesus intended His earnest opening question to surface a specific attitude. All the while, of course, Jesus knew what He was going to do, which is a crucial part of the lesson. (Borrow Insights on John )

Multiple meanings of peirazo depending on the context:

1). trials with a beneficial purpose and effect,
2). divinely permitted or sent,
3). with a good or neutral significance,
4). of a varied character,
5). definitely designed to lead to wrong doing, temptation,
6). of men trying or challenging God.

See study of other words that speak of testing - dokimazo and peirasmos

Peirazo - 35v - did(1), put(1), put to the test(2), tempt(2), tempted(13), tempter(2), test(6), tested(2), testing(7), tried(2), trying(2). Matt. 4:1; Matt. 4:3; Matt. 16:1; Matt. 19:3; Matt. 22:18; Matt. 22:35; Mk. 1:13; Mk. 8:11; Mk. 10:2; Mk. 12:15; Lk. 4:2; Lk. 11:16; Jn. 6:6; Jn. 8:6; Acts 5:9; Acts 9:26; Acts 15:10; Acts 16:7; Acts 24:6; 1 Co. 7:5; 1 Co. 10:9; 1 Co. 10:13; 2 Co. 13:5; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 3:5; Heb. 2:18; Heb. 3:9; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 11:17; Heb. 11:37; Jas. 1:13; Jas. 1:14; Rev. 2:2; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 3:10

G Campbell Morgan - He Himself knew what He would do.—John 6.6

What a revealing word this is, and ho w full of comfort for all those who love and follow the Lord. He had suggested a great problem. How were they to procure bread to feed the multitude? The difficulty is revealed in the answers of Philip and Andrew. The first calculated the cost. The second emphasized the inadequacy of their resources. He had asked His question, as John says, to prove them. By a facing of their own poverty they would learn the value of His power. How often He brings us into such places of perplexity. Some-thing is to be done that seems impossible nay, that is impossible if we argue from our own private resources. May we not learn from this incident that in all such cases our wisdom will consist in our confidence that He Himself knows what He will do. Is it not intended that we should better their replies by saying: Lord we do not pretend to know how things are to be done, but we bring whatever resources we have to Thee and are confident that whatever Thou hast in Thy heart to do, Thou art able to do with these poor things of ours! We know not; but Thou knowest; and so we do not ask to know. All we ask is that we may be directed by Thy wisdom, so shall we be enabled by Thy power. If we can only take up that attitude, how strong and quiet life will be. (Borrow Life applications from every chapter of the Bible)

Vance Havner - He Himself Knew "He himself knew what he would do." John 6:6

Jesus asks Philip: "Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" It was a purely human question to test Philip. Has God ever brought you up against an emergency and then, instead of immediately relieving you, seemed only to ask you: "Now, what are you going to do about it?" But he is not perplexed: he himself knows what he is going to do all the time! You may not see how you will get through but he knows from the beginning. Will you place the dilemma in his hands and do as he bids you?

Philip answered the Lord that two hundred pennyworth of bread would not feed such a throng. How we measure God's blessings by the human yardstick and reason among ourselves because we have no bread! We cannot meet our problems even if we had all the natural bread of human resource. We have nothing to set before our friends who come to us in their journey: we must go to the house of the heavenly Friend.
Andrew mentions the lad with loaves and fishes but adds hopelessly: "What are they among so many?" Ah, but "little is much if God is in it" and he himself knows what he can and will do with even the least if it is all and freely given. He can multiply your loaves and fishes until there are hamper-baskets full left over. He never does things niggardly, there is always a surplus!
Don't let the crisis overwhelm you. He himself knows what he will do!

John 6:7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little."

BGT John 6:7 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ [ὁ] Φίλιππος· διακοσίων δηναρίων ἄρτοι οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ἵνα ἕκαστος βραχύ [τι] λάβῃ.

KJV John 6:7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

NET John 6:7 Philip replied, "Two hundred silver coins worth of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little."

CSB John 6:7 Philip answered, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread wouldn't be enough for each of them to have a little."

ESV John 6:7 Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little."

NIV John 6:7 Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"

NLT John 6:7 Philip replied, "Even if we worked for months, we wouldn't have enough money to feed them!"

Two Nu 11:21,22 2Ki 4:43 Mk 6:37
denarii worth: John 12:5 Mt 18:28
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

IT WILL TAKE A
SMALL FORTUNE!

Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii (denarion) worth of bread (artos) is not sufficient (arkeo) for them, for everyone to receive a little." - NIV paraphrases it - "Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Notice that Jesus had asked "where" so Philip really does answer Jesus' question. Philip responded with what he perceived was a far greater problem than the "where?" and that was "with what?" (or "how much") Where is the money going to come from for this large crowd. Philip was correct. His problem was that he was looking at the problem and not the "Problem Solver!" He looked at the physical problem, not the spiritual solution. He was looking by sight, not by faith.

It is interesting to note that Philip agains used sufficient (arkeo) in Jn 14:8 declaring “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough (arkeo) for us.”

THOUGHT - Oh God, give us eyes to see by faith Your spiritual solutions to our physical problems. Amen.

Charles Swindoll - Philip looked at the problem in terms of meeting the minimum requirement. If “a little” for each person was impossible, then abundance was not even worth considering. Statistical pessimists think like that. (Borrow Insights on John)

Bruce Barton (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow) says "A less-than-literal translation in a place like this is sometimes chosen because it does convey more clearly the intent of Philip’s statement. Eight months’ wages communicates the need better than two hundred of any currency that has been depreciated by inflation."

Brian Bell - Philip thought the answer was money. Philip thought the answer was $ so with computer speed Philip analyzes the situation, and gives Jesus a spreadsheet answer! So how did he do on his exam? Not so well. [1] he sees only the situation, not the possible solution [2] he’s more concerned about the odds against them, then about those for them [3 - ED: cf Ro 8:31KJV+] he calculates for only a bare minimum, “that every one of them may have a little”. c) So while Philip burns out the batteries in his pocket calculator...Andrew scurries around looking for how many groceries they had. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

When Jesus is in charge of a situation,
available human resources are irrelevant.
- Kenneth Gangel

Kenneth Gangel - The Living Bible has Philip say, “It would take a fortune to begin to do it!” To Philip—the task was impossible. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

MacArthur - The apostles’ concern once again exhibited their lack of faith (cf. Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8). They had a disconnect from all the miracles they had seen and they themselves had performed on the just-completed preaching tour. They might also have recalled that God had miraculously provided food in Israel’s past: (2 Kings 4:42-44; cf. 1 Kings 17:10-16) Incredibly, even after this amazing display of Christ’s divine power, the apostles’ faith was still weak. (See Luke Commentary)

Constable comments on is not sufficient - Philip, as an accountant, put his mental calculator to work and concluded that the situation was hopeless.

Guzik - Philip thought in terms of money; and how much money it would take to carry out God’s work in a small way (every one of them may have a little). We often limit God the same way, looking for how God’s work can be done in the smallest way.

Blum - Even if the bread had been available, the disciples did not have nearly that much money. The disciples were supported by people who responded to Jesus’ ministry (cf. Mark 6:7–13). (See Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Borchert adds "rather than focusing on Jesus, Philip’s mental computer began to work like a cash register, and all he could think about was the total cash that would be needed to provide just a little bread for each person” (NAC-John)

NET Note - Not only would going and buying food have been expensive and awkward at this late time of day, it would have taken quite a logistical effort to get the food back out to this isolated location.

Hiebert on denarius - the amount suggested would be about eight month’s wages for a common workingman. It would be a sum quite beyond the means of the disciples.

Brian Bell on 200 denarii - Leave Jesus out of your calculations and you’ll come up short every time. Oh, they were keenly aware of the need, but powerless to meet it. Standing before them was the One who created the Heavens and the earth (ED: AND WINE AT A WEDDING IN CANA). One who had all power. So, the first step is not to measure our resources, but to determine God’s will and trust Him to meet the need. (This is a Test)

Denarius (1220) denarion from Latin origin) denoted a Roman silver coin equivalent to a laborer's average daily wage. Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. (Dictionary article). See ROMAN COINAGE It was the practice of all new emperors to issue new coins with their own likeness stamped on the face. There is a sense in which the coin was considered to be the personal property of the king. It bore testimony to the rule of the king whose likeness it carried. The first thing that a conqueror would do would be to issue new coins with a new face.Hughes - The silver denarius, weighing 3.8 grams, had been in use in the Roman world since 268 B.C. and continued to be used into the reign of L. Septimius Severus (A.D. 193–211). Denarii bore the head of Tabors and the inscription TI. CAESAR DIVI AVG. F. AVGVSTVS (Tabors Caesar, son of the divine Augustus, Augustus). (Ibid)

NET Note on denarius - The silver coin referred to here is the denarius. A denarius, inscribed with a picture of Tiberius Caesar, was worth approximately one day's wage for a laborer. Two hundred denarii was thus approximately equal to eight months' wages. The disciples did not have the resources in their possession to feed the large crowd, so Jesus' request is his way of causing them to trust him as part of their growth in discipleship.

Sufficient (714) arkeo means to be enough, to be sufficient or to be adequate with the implication of leading to satisfaction. In the passive sense arkeo means to be satisfied or contented with something.

Arkeo - 8v - content(3), enough(2), satisfied(1), sufficient(2) - Matt. 25:9; Lk. 3:14; Jn. 6:7; Jn. 14:8; 2 Co. 12:9; 1 Tim. 6:8; Heb. 13:5; 3 Jn. 1:10

POSB (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible) has an interesting comment on Philip's reply calling it a "pessimistic faith".... A pessimistic faith sees money and human resources, and that is all. A pessimistic faith … sees only the available resources. It stresses the hopelessness, stresses the impossibility of the situation, despairs of such meager resources, is swamped by the hopelessness of an answer. (Note the tone of Philip’s answer, v.7)

A pessimistic faith does not see God nor the power of God. A pessimistic faith professes God and professes Christ to be the Son of God. It professes the belief that Christ has the power to meet the needs of man. It even witnesses the miraculous working of Christ in other instances. But when a problem arises, the immediate response of a pessimistic faith is to see the problem, not the power of God. It does not see the opportunity for the power of God to be demonstrated in conquering the problem and bearing a strong testimony to His name. In the crises of the problem, the power of God seems forgotten. (1) A pessimistic faith forgets God’s glorious power in the past. (2) A pessimistic faith fails to think of God’s power. It’s mind is on earthly things, not on spiritual things. It is carnal, not spiritual. (3) A pessimistic faith feels that the problem is too big for God’s power or either too little for God to be interested in. (4) A pessimistic faith fears that God’s power will fail and the person’s faith will be weakened. Therefore, the person is safer to pray weakly, “Lord, if thou will, handle this problem.” (5) A pessimistic faith fails to see God’s care and love, interest and concern, over every little thing that happens to a person. (6) A pessimistic faith gives thanks and praise to God for what one has (health, money, things) but fails to trust God for the miraculous (healing and multiplication of resources so that one can better serve and help others). (7) A pessimistic faith looks to others for help instead of looking to God and depending upon Him alone. (8) A pessimistic faith fails to see that God is glorified when He provides and meets the need.

IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT IN GOD’S VOCABULARY - When Jesus asked Philip where they could buy a great quantity of bread, Philip started assessing the probable cost. Jesus wanted to teach him that financial resources are not the most important ones. We can limit what God does in us by assuming what is and is not possible. Is there a seemingly impossible task that you believe God wants you to do? Don’t let your estimate of what can and can’t be done keep you from taking on the task. God can do the miraculous; trust him to provide the resources. (Barton Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Henry Blackaby - Giving All You Have John 6:7–9

The world does a good job of making us feel inadequate, doesn’t it? Movies are built around glamorous characters, with beautiful faces and perfect bodies. The sports world has its own standard of perfection: whoever is the fastest or the strongest is most admired. The global media keeps us up-to-date on who are the richest, smartest, and most talented people in the entire world. Then we look in the mirror, and we see ordinary written all over us. We know there are needs all around us; in fact, there are needs all around the world, but we feel hopelessly insignificant to make any worthwhile contribution. As today’s passage shows, the important thing is not what we have or what we can do, it’s who we know.

Try to imagine the scene from Philip’s perspective: Jesus had been teaching the crowds for hour after hour. Jesus’ teaching was so spellbinding that no one thought to stop and make lunch. Now it was late. The teaching was finished, and the multitude was famished. Jesus turned to Philip and asked if he had any ideas on how to feed them. Poor Philip! Picture his face—his eyes like saucers, his jaw somewhere around his knees. “You’ve got to be kidding! Let them get their own dinner! We don’t even have anything to feed ourselves!” We’re told that Jesus already knew what he was going to do; he only asked Philip to test him. Apparently, Philip didn’t pass the test.

How would you have responded? The Bible says the crowds were following Jesus because of the miracles he’d performed on the sick. But this was different. These people were hungry, that’s all. Would you have drawn the same conclusion as Philip: “That’s impossible!”? Perhaps you would have responded like Andrew, with tentative faith, but at least not flat doubt: “Here’s a bit of food, but it’s not much.” Both Philip and Andrew learned an important lesson that day. So did a little boy who shared his lunch. It’s not how much or how little you’ve got; it’s who’s in charge of it. Jesus not only fed the multitudes; he had leftovers! Don’t focus on how much or how little you have to offer. Just give it to Jesus and watch to see what he does with it. (Borrow The experience : a devotional and journal : day by day with God)

John 6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,

BGT John 6:8 λέγει αὐτῷ εἷς ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ, Ἀνδρέας ὁ ἀδελφὸς Σίμωνος Πέτρου·

KJV John 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,

NET John 6:8 One of Jesus' disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,

CSB John 6:8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him,

ESV John 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,

NIV John 6:8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,

NLT John 6:8 Then Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up.

Andrew: John 1:40-44 Mt 4:18
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

ANDREW COMES ON
THE SCENE

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him - Did he go out in the crowd and look for food or did the young lad bring it to him? The text does not tell us. It is likely though that when Jesus said "Go, look" (both commands in Mk 6:38+), Andrew responded and discovered the young lad's supply.

POSB on Andrew: little is said about Andrew in the New Testament, but what is said shows a faithful and humble follower of the Lord.

1. Andrew was a follower of John the Baptist (Jn. 1:35–40).

2. Andrew willingly took the second place. He was one of the very first to follow Christ, and he was also one of the very first to bring another person to Christ (his own brother, Peter). However, Andrew was called to take a back seat. He was to live under the shadow of Peter. Throughout the New Testament Peter is always mentioned first, but from all indications Andrew never resented his place. To be with Jesus and to do what Jesus wanted was enough for Andrew.

3. Andrew was the man who was always bringing others to Jesus. He was the focus of attention only three times in the New Testament, and in all three cases he was seen bringing someone to Jesus: Peter (Jn. 1:41), the small boy with the loaves and fish (Jn. 6:8–9), and the Greeks (Jn. 12:22).

4. Andrew was an approachable person. He was able to approach his brother Peter without difficulty, and the small boy with the loaves and fish felt comfortable enough with him to follow him to Jesus. The Greeks also felt comfortable enough to approach Andrew first in seeking an interview with Jesus. (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible

Mk. 3:18. DEEPER STUDY # 6 Andrew: Andrew was apparently the first disciple of our Lord. He had been a disciple of John the Baptist, longing for the Messianic hope. However, when John pointed out that Jesus was the Messiah, Andrew requested an interview with Jesus. From that point on, he was convinced that Jesus was the true Messiah, and Jesus granted him a very special friendship (Mk. 13:3; Jn. 1:35–37). Jesus met his craving for the Messianic hope and enlarged his gifts of love and caring (see Jn. 1:41; 6:8–9; 12:21–22). Andrew was always helping people (Jn. 6:8–9; 12:21–22). Tradition says Andrew preached in Jerusalem and was crucified for preaching against idolatry. He was hung on a cross in the shape of an X. (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible

QUESTION - Who was Andrew in the Bible?

ANSWER - Andrew in the Bible was a disciple of Jesus. Andrew was Simon Peter’s brother, and they were called to follow Jesus at the same time (Matthew 4:18). The Bible names Andrew as one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:2). Like Peter, Andrew was a fisherman by trade; they made their living on the Sea of Galilee. Peter and Andrew were from the city of Bethsaida (John 1:44) on the northwest coast of Galilee (John 12:21).

The call of Andrew in the Bible is a memorable story. Andrew and John were originally disciples of John the Baptist. They were present when John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God (John 1:35–36), and they followed after Jesus (verse 37). Jesus noticed Andrew and John following and invited them to come spend the day with Him (verses 38–39). After spending the time with Jesus, Andrew became convinced that Jesus was the Messiah, and he took action: “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus” (verses 40–42). Thus Andrew was one of Jesus’ first two followers and the first to bring another person to Him.

Later, Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee when He came across Andrew and Peter, busy casting nets into the lake in search of fish. Jesus called to them: “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19). The Bible says that Andrew and Peter “immediately” followed Jesus, leaving their nets behind (verse 20). Andrew and Peter already knew who Jesus was, based on their contact with Him in John 1, and now when He officially calls them to be disciples, they respond.

In leaving behind the family business, Andrew sets a good example for all who would follow Christ; we are all called to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33), and we should not let anything get in the way of following Jesus’ call. When Jesus told Andrew and Peter they would be “fishers of men,” He promised that He would use them to save men’s souls. And that’s exactly what the apostles did.

There is at least one instance in Andrew’s life, recorded in the Bible, where he was a “fisher of men.” Some Greeks approached Philip, one of Andrew’s fellow disciples, wanting to see Jesus (John 12:20–21). Philip told Andrew what the Greeks wanted, and together Andrew and Philip brought the matter to Jesus (verse 22). In bringing Greeks to Jesus, Andrew had faith that Jesus’ intention was to save all men, and he was right: Jesus responded by referencing His crucifixion, saying, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23). His death and resurrection would be the way by which all men, from all races and creeds and families, would be saved. These are the “fish of every kind” from Jesus’ parable of the dragnet (Matthew 13:47–50), and Andrew was one of the first to be involved in an evangelical effort that extended beyond the Jewish people. The incident with the curious Greeks anticipated the day when God would reveal to Peter, Andrew’s brother, that all people are welcome to come to Jesus (Acts 10:1–48). GotQuestions.org

John 6:9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?"

BGT John 6:9 ἔστιν παιδάριον ὧδε ὃς ἔχει πέντε ἄρτους κριθίνους καὶ δύο ὀψάρια· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα τί ἐστιν εἰς τοσούτους;

KJV John 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

NET John 6:9 "Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?"

CSB John 6:9 "There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish-- but what are they for so many?"

ESV John 6:9 "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?"

NIV John 6:9 "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"

NLT John 6:9 "There's a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?"

There is a lad here who has: Mt 14:17 16:9 Mk 6:38 8:19 Lu 9:13
five barley loaves and two fish De 8:8 32:14 1Ki 4:28 2Ki 7:1 Ps 81:16 147:14 Eze 27:17 2Co 8:9 Rev 6:6
but what are these for so many people John 6:7 11:21,32 2Ki 4:42-44 Ps 78:19,41
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

A Little is a Lot with the Lord

THE AVAILABLE PROVISIONS
ARE VERY SMALL

Mark says Jesus commanded the disciples "“How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” (Mk 6:38+).

As Wiersbe says "The first step is not to measure our resources, but to determine God’s will and trust Him to meet the need." (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

There is a lad here who has five barley loaves (artos) and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" - NIV paraphrases it adding "small" (Greek for fish is opsarion diminutive of opson which meant whatever was eaten and then came to refer especially to fish) as "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Barley (this detail is only in John's account) is the most inexpensive and least desirable bread. Philip looked at the money box and said "no way" revealing his limited perspective and ignorance of Jesus' power! The twelve looked at the supplies they had and said "no way." The basic problem with both responses is that they look at what THEY possessed, and fail to look at JESUS. And remember that at least some of the twelve disciples had been with Him at Cana and witnessed His creative power to make wine out of water (Jn 2:1-10, 11+). They either did not recall this creation miracle or thought that the size of the crowd precluded any similar miracle. Either way they fail to trust Jesus for the provision. In short, they had a faith failure. Their eyes looked at what they had, not at what Jesus could create. Does this ever happen in my life? (That's a rhetorical question!)

Man’s inability set the stage for a manifestation of Jesus’ compassion and power.
-- Edwin Blum (See Bible Knowledge Commentary)

THOUGHT- In performing his miracles, Jesus usually preferred to work through people. Here he took what a young child offered and used it to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the Gospels. Age is no barrier to Christ. Never think you are too young or old to be of service to him. (Borrow Life Application Study Bible)

Constable - When the disciples had confessed their own inadequacy Jesus proceeded to demonstrate His adequacy.

Swindoll has a fascinating comment - Everything about Andrew’s statement emphasizes inadequacy. The Greek term for “lad” is a double diminutive; he was “a little boy.” In terms of provision, little children were of no use at all. His “barley loaves” were common to the Mediterranean diet, though considered inferior to wheat bread. They would have been leavened at least a little, formed into little disks about four or five inches (10 to 13 cm) in diameter, and then baked. And the Greek term for “fish” is the diminutive form of a word, meaning “little fish.” They were small, seasoned, sardinelike fish, included for the sake of flavor. This was, after all, a small boy’s lunch, so there was not much to work with. While the circumstances hearkened back to a similar experience with Elisha (2 Kings 4:42–44), the proportions in this case were extreme. (Borrow Insights on John)

Regarding John's detail that the bread was barley Carson says "Some have seen in this detail an allusion to the miraculous feeding reported in 2 Kings 4:42–44: Jesus is a prophet greater than Elijah or Elisha. The Greek word paidarion, rendered ‘a boy’, can refer to a young man or a young slave (cf. BAGD and MM, s.v.; NewDocs 1. § 45). Elisha’s servant is twice called a paidarion in the same chapter where he assists his master with the miraculous feeding (2 Ki. 4:38, 41 LXX; cf. Barrett, p. 275)." (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary)

Kenneth Gangel - Two things surface in this portion of our text. First, we see that Jesus Christ was all-sufficient for any need even when his disciples were in confusion. Second, the purpose of the miracle seems clear: to instruct the disciples, to lay a foundation for the sermon on the bread of life, and to feed hungry people. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

Guzik -Barley was always regarded as simple fare, more often fit for animals than for men. In the Talmud, there is a passage where one man says, “There is a fine crop of barley” and another man answers, “Tell it to the horses and donkeys.”

Brian Bell - Andrew thought little was insignificant] b) Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great chorus. About halfway through the session, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, “What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway.” So he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, the conductor cried, “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo?” It was missed by the ear of the most important person of all. So Philip looked 1st at the budget & Andrew checked the pantry. a) They needed to look to the Lord. Remember they’ve seen him change water/wine. b) We do the same. We’ve seen Him change the old water of our lives into new wine. We’ve seen him give us new legs of faith to our lame spiritual bodies. 1 c) When we’re faced with an impossible situation we need to look to the Lord. Always at the time of human hopelessness...Jesus takes over! . (This is a Test)

MacArthur - Andrew’s faith, too, collapsed as he considered the enormity of the logistical problem. After recounting what he found, he added skeptically, “But what are these for so many people?” Andrew’s response showed that he, like Philip and the rest of the Twelve, failed the test of faith. No one responded by affirming the power of Jesus to provide. (See John Commentary)

John Heading - Andrew was no better than Philip before him; memory and sight, but not faith, dominated his thinking. He had seen water turned into wine—one substance into another, but there had been no previous miracle in which the Lord had created something from hardly anything; faith in the creation must accept this, since “the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb 11:3). In other words his expectations were based only on what the Lord had done before; faith could not appreciate that the Lord was able to do things as yet unexperienced. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Ryle on what are these for so many - This expression of Andrew’s is purposely reported, no doubt, in order to show how strong was the conviction of our Lord’s disciples that they had not sufficient provision to feed the multitude, and then to bring out into clearer light the greatness of the miracle which our Lord wrought. It also helps to prove that the wonderful feeling of the multitude was not a preconcerted and prepared thing, arranged by our Lord and His disciples. Even His own immediate followers were taken by surprise. (John 6 Commentary)

Gotquestions - At this point, the disciples should have recalled the many miracles they had seen Jesus do. Perhaps some of them did, but Andrew asked, “What are [five loaves and two fish] for so many?” (John 6:9). And Philip exclaimed, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!” (Jn 6:7). (What can we learn from Jesus' feeding of the 5000?)

Utley - They did not even have enough for themselves. Jesus was using this opportunity to show the disciples that what they have was enough and more if it was given to Him and if they trust Him!

As Wiersbe says "The first step is not to measure our resources, but to determine God’s will and trust Him to meet the need....The practical lesson is clear: whenever there is a need, give all that you have to Jesus and let Him do the rest. Begin with what you have, but be sure you give it all to Him." (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Guzik comments that "it never entered their minds that Jesus might provide for the multitude with a miracle. God has resources that we know nothing about, so we can trust Him and be at peace even when we can’t figure out how He will provide. There wasn’t much to work with here, but God doesn’t need much. “Small things are not always contemptible. It all depends on the hands in which they are.” (Taylor). In fact, God doesn’t need any help—but He often deliberately restrains His work until He has our participation.

Wiersbe - The disciples had two suggestions for solving the problem: either send the people away to find their own food, or raise enough money to buy a bit of bread for everybody. As far as the disciples were concerned, they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and nothing could be done! With that kind of approach, they would have made ideal committee members! Someone has defined a committee as a group of people who individually can do nothing and collectively decide that nothing can be done. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

A T Robertson - The disciples, like us today, are quick with reasons for their inability to perform the task imposed by Jesus. (Word Pictures)

Brian Bell - Christ can take our little and make it much. [Moses’ stick. David’s rock. Elijah’s mantle/cloak. Widows jar/oil. Samson’s donkey jawbone. A lil lad’s lunch... Your monthly missionary support check. Your prayer. Your individual tithe. Your prep time for your SS class] Our means, His power. . (This is a Test)

Charles Spurgeon aptly declared: He it was who thought of the way of feeding them, it was a design invented and originated by himself. His followers had looked at their little store of bread and fish and given up the task as hopeless; but Jesus, altogether unembarrassed, and in no perplexity, had already considered how he would banquet the thousands and make the fainting sing for joy. The Lord of Hosts needed no entreaty to become the host of hosts of hungry men.

THOUGHT - God’s way of provision always begins with what we already have. He wants us to use what we already have wisely. Don’t foolishly pray for more from God if you don’t use what He already has given you in a godly way. (Guzik)

Brian Bell - A Lad with a Lunch! - If only like this lad we would also give Him our all. a) He will take it, break it, & use it to bless others! (1) Book: “If it Ain’t Broke, Break it!” by Robert Kriegel. Secular book on business. I love some of his chapter titles: Always Mess w/Success; Playing it Safe is Dangerous; Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers; Take Risks not Chances. b) He’ll Take it (offer yourself & your resources to Him); He’ll Break it (allow yourself to be thoroughly broken); He’ll Use it (then & only then can He use it for His glory). (This is a Test)

Steven Cole - We must yield what we have, not what we don’t have. That sounds obvious, doesn’t it? But so often we make up excuses about what we don’t have and we fail to offer to Jesus what we do have. “If I just had more money, I’d give regularly to the church!” “If I just had the gift of evangelism, I’d witness more!” “If I just had the ability that others have, I’d serve the Lord.” “If I just ...”! But Jesus didn’t use all the bread in Bethsaida, which the disciples didn’t have. He used the five loaves and two fish that they did have. Jesus doesn’t ask you to give Him what you don’t have. He asks you to give Him what you do have. (ILLUSTRATION) A country preacher went to a farmer in his church and asked, “If you had two farms, would you be willing to give one farm to God?” “Yes,” replied the farmer. “I only wish I were in a position to do it.” The preacher persisted, “If you had $20,000, would you give $10,000 to the Lord’s work?” The farmer replied, “Yes, I’d love to have that kind of money! I’d gladly give $10,000 to the Lord’s work.” Then the preacher sprung his trap: “If you had two pigs, would you give one to the Lord’s work?” The farmer blurted out, “That’s not fair! You know I’ve got two pigs!” The Lord doesn’t use what you don’t have. He uses the inadequate things you have when you yield them to Him. (Our Inadequacy, Christ's Adequacy)

The use of little things. Judges 3:31, Ex 4:2; 1Ki 17:12-16; Jn 6:9; 1Co 1:25 -31

Adrian Rogers gives 3 propositions from this story about feeding of the 5000 -

I. There Is No Problem Too Big for Jesus to Solve

II. There Is No Person Too Small for God to Use

III. There Is No Hunger Too Deep for Jesus to Satisfy

A. Jesus Is Spiritual Bread

B. Jesus Is Supernatural Bread

C. Jesus Is Satisfying Bread

(Rogers concludes) Let me tell you again, folks. Look beyond the miracle. Look beyond the physical bread, and on to Jesus! What your heart yearns for, what you need, what you want, the only way you'll ever find satisfaction, is to find satisfaction in the Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is God's answer to your deepest hunger. Jesus alone can take the pain out of life, the sting out of sin, the gloom out of the grave, and give a hope that is steadfast and sure (Click here for full exposition of this wonderful message - go to page 396 in the pdf)

Vance Havner - When Little Is Much

"There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?" John 6:9

That boy set out from home with enough to feed five thousand and didn't know it! What a stare he would have given you if you had told him he carried such a dinner! There is no telling what can be done with what you have until Jesus has taken and sanctified it. There was neither quantity nor quality in this lad's meager meal: a scanty fare for even a growing boy! And only bread and fishes at that!

There were men a generation ago who carried most imposing assortments of gifts and graces but God passed by them all and took the coarse lunch of Dwight L. Moody and fed the world. Much becomes little when we consume it ourselves but little becomes much when Christ gets it all.

Do not berate yourself because you have so little to offer him. He can do nothing with the most until he has blessed it and it is the multiplied little with which he feeds the multitude, lest flesh should glory in his presence. This boy was obscure and his lunch contemptible but Jesus made him never to be forgotten. There is no telling which boy or girl in your home or church is the one whose paltry provision for self, once surrendered to the Lord, shall become ample provision for multitudes with baskets left over.

Adrian Rogers in another message (page 413) said: Now, what was the recipe for this banquet? All right. Remember, there’s no problem too big for God to solve. Remember, there’s no person too small for God to use. Here’s a little boy’s lunch, and he gives it to Jesus. Let me give you some words that start with the letter “T” so you can remember them. Here’s the recipe for a miracle.

1. It Was Transferred to Christ First of all, it was transferred to Christ. He gave everything to Christ. Joyce and I have done this. Early in our ministry, we gave everything to Jesus. Now, we hold title to it, but we’ve said, “Lord, anything you want is yours. We just give it to you. It belongs to you. It’s not ours. We’re stewards.” Number one: It was transferred to Christ.

2. It Was Taken by Christ Number two: It was taken by Christ. You give it; Jesus receives it. This little lad gave up his lunch. Now, you’ve got to be a pretty good little boy to give your lunch to Jesus. But, he just turned it over. It was transferred to Christ. It was taken by Christ.

3. It Was Touched by Christ It was touched by Christ. Jesus took it, touched it, and blessed it with His magnificent hands.

4. It Was Transformed by Christ And, therefore, it was transformed by Christ—transferred, taken, touched, and transformed by the Lord Jesus Christ. And, that’s the recipe for a miracle. You take your little; transfer it to Jesus. Jesus will receive it. He will touch it. He will multiply it and feed multitudes with it. Now, let me tell you some good news: I have seen, in my ministry, people who are too big for God to use, but I’ve never seen anybody too small for God to use. Think about it now. God enjoys taking insignificant things and persons and using them for His glory: the widow’s mite, David and his sling, Dorcas’s needle. Here’s a little lad and his lunch. You know how He does that? He takes ordinary people, does extraordinary things with ordinary people, and then God gets the glory. You see, this could not be explained apart from God. Now, don’t you insult God by saying God cannot use you. There’s no person too small for God to use.

ILLUSTRATION - I read a story a long time ago about a violinist who was in New Jersey. He was going to play a concert, and people were talking about the violin as much as they were the violinist, though he was a great, magnificent concert violinist. He stood up and began to play that violin. And, you could hear the birds singing in the trees. You could hear laughter of little children. You could hear babbling brooks. You could hear the wind going through the forest. You could hear it all as he played the violin. And, the people gave round after round of applause. And then, he took the violin and broke it over his knee—smashed it. They gave a gasp. He said, “Don’t worry. It was only a little fiddle. It was just cheap.” He said, “I just wanted to show you it’s not so much the instrument as it is the man who holds the instrument.” And, so it is with you; so it is with Adrian. God can take our lives, and we just transfer it to our Lord. It’ll be touched by our Lord; it’ll be transformed by our Lord.

The Touch of the Master's Hand

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer
thought it scarcely worth his while to waste much time on the old violin,
but held it up with a smile; "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?" "A dollar, a dollar"; then two!" "Only
two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three? Three dollars, once; three
dollars twice; going for three.." But no, from the room, far back, a
gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow; Then, wiping the dust
from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings, he played a melody
pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make
it three? Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and
gone," said he. The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not
quite understand what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The touch
of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin, A
"mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on. "He is
going" once, and "going twice, He's going and almost gone." But the Master
comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand the worth of a soul
and the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.

Myra 'Brooks' Welch

(Play the song version by Wayne Watson)

THOUGHT - Dear reader, you may feel like an old violin today, but when you are touched by the Master's hand, your life becomes a sweet song to the glory of the Master Who touched your life.

Will You Give Jesus Your Lunch? By Paul Borthwick Scripture: John 6:1–13, especially verse 9: “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

Introduction: People are overwhelmed in the face of vast opportunity and need. All it takes is to pick up a Sunday newspaper, or tune in to CNN to find out the latest tragedies. It is easy to feel helpless in the face of such need and opportunity, not knowing how to respond. Remember this question, “Will you give Jesus your lunch?”

1. The Story. Where does this question come from? Jesus was in the midst of five thousand hungry men, not counting women and children. It could have been twenty thousand hungry people! The custom in the Middle East was, if people came to you, you fed them. Phillip was practical; he knew they couldn’t do it financially. Andrew said in effect, “Here is a small man with five small loaves and two small fish.”. If this displayed Andrew’s faith, it was small; he added, “What are they among so many?” After the miracle, however, the disciples collected twelve full baskets, one basket for each disciple. When we give everything to Jesus, He will meet our needs. Will you give Jesus your lunch?

2. Our Response. This passage is a foundation for five things we can give to Jesus to make a global difference this week.

A. Availability. Our first loaf to offer is availability. Isaiah 6:1–8 is a wonderful model for how we should respond to God’s holiness. In the context of worship, Isaiah experienced the forgiveness of God, and responded appropriately, “Here am I! Send me.” In the midst of our worship, we should respond in the same way. In many cultures, the people worship with their hands in the air, with their palms up towards heaven conveying availability to the Lord. Are we available?

B. Experiences. Our second loaf to offer is our experiences. God wants to redeem our past. Jesus called four of His disciples saying, “I will make you fishers of men.” In effect, “Your patience as a fisherman, the ability to strategize the seas and the weather for fishing, and all the skills you’ve learned, I will use for the kingdom’s sake.” If you’ve spent your lifetime in financial management, domestic chores, or whatever it may be, give it to the Lord and He will use it.

C. Prayers. The third loaf in our lunch basket is our prayers. If we watch the news too long we wonder who is in charge, but I can tell you God is. Prayer is God’s gift to remind us He is in charge. That’s why Jesus says, to pray to the Lord of the harvest (Luke 10:2). Let me encourage you to have a global prayer list. Choose one foreign country and leader to pray for. Get a prayer list from your church. God works globally through your prayers.

D. Pain. This is the most difficult of our loaves to give. We all have some kind of emotional or physical pains. Sometimes God does not take them away. We should respond, “Lord, here it is. I give my pain to you.” Paul wrote to the Corinthians that God’s comfort in his affliction helped to convey God’s comfort to others (2 Cor. 1:4). Christopher Reeve is a source of hope to many handicapped and paralyzed people, not because he was healed, but because of his pain. God used Jesus’ pain for our redemption; we should allow God to use ours.

E. Faith. The last loaf is our faith. God uses us when we allow Him to take us where we don’t necessarily have confidence. Many of us want peace and security far more than we want to be used by God. If you want God to use your life, it will require a step of faith. It is ok to be afraid, but fear should not dictate your life; faith should dictate your life. Mary Slessor (borrow bio), a famous missionary to Nigeria, said, “Courage is the conquering of fear by faith.”

Conclusion: This week, will you give Jesus your lunch? Respond to Him, “Lord in the light of all these vast needs, I will go. I give myself to You. Use my past, use my prayers, even my pain. Give me courage to take a step of faith.”

John 6:9

What Good Am I? - Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great chorus. About halfway through the session, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, “What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway.” So he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, the conductor cried, “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo?” It was missed by the ear of the most important person of all.

It’s much the same way with the Christian and his use of his talents for the Lord. If in the great “Orchestra of life” the cry ever goes out, “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo?” let’s make sure the Divine Conductor isn’t missing you or me! Whether our talent is great or small, the performance isn’t complete until we do our best with what we have.

A Boy’s Lunch

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. — John 6:35

Today's Scripture: John 6:5-14

Once I made the mistake of thinking I could single-handedly finish a 28-ounce steak at a restaurant. I had the remainder boxed up to take home. I thought, At least it will give me another feast to look forward to.

As I left the restaurant, a homeless man approached me, asking for money. At first I refused. But struck by sudden guilt, I called him back, gave him $5, and blessed him in Jesus’ name. Having done my Christian duty, I was happy to go on my way, boxed-up steak in hand, until he asked, “What about the box?” I have to admit, I had a hard time parting with my steak.

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament is about the little boy who brown-bagged it to a revival service (John 6:1-14). If he was like most boys, his lunch was a very important commodity. Yet he was willing to give his lunch of five barley loaves and two small fish to the Lord. I think he may have known that by putting his lunch in the hands of Jesus, He could do something extraordinary with it. And He did. He fed thousands of hungry people.

Jesus is still looking for a few common folk like you and me who are willing to commit out-of-the-ordinary, intentional acts of selfless sacrifice so that He can turn our offering into His glory. Commit such an act today! By: Joe Stowell (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Let me give of myself, dear Lord,
Always ready to sacrifice,
Willing to share what I hold dear,
Never deterred by the price.
—Hess

Let Jesus share with others what you want to keep for yourself.

'Where's The Piccolo?'

There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? —John 6:9

Today's Scripture: John 6:1-14

At certain times in life we may feel insignificant and useless. Surrounded by people with greater talent than ours, we are tempted in our weak moments just to settle back and let somebody else do the work. We reason that what we have to offer won’t make much difference anyway.

We forget the truth suggested by our Lord’s use of five loaves and two small fish to feed a multitude (John 6:1-14). Each of us has something important to offer in His service.

Sir Michael Costa was conducting a rehearsal in which the orchestra was joined by a great chorus. About halfway through the session, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling, and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, “What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway.” So he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, the conductor cried, “Stop! Stop! Where’s the piccolo?” It was missed by the ear of the most important person of all.

It’s much the same way with the use of our abilities for the Lord. Whether our talent is great or small, the performance isn’t complete until we do our best with what we have. By: Richard DeHaan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The Master needs what you have to offer,
No matter if you think it's small;
His work on earth is done through His children,
So give Him your best, give your all.
—Hess

In God's eyes it is a great thing to do a little thing well.

John 6:10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

BGT John 6:10 εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ποιήσατε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἀναπεσεῖν. ἦν δὲ χόρτος πολὺς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ. ἀνέπεσαν οὖν οἱ ἄνδρες τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὡς πεντακισχίλιοι.

KJV John 6:10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

NET John 6:10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.

CSB John 6:10 Then Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, so they sat down. The men numbered about 5,000.

ESV John 6:10 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.

NIV John 6:10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.

NLT John 6:10 "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered 5,000.)

Have the people sit down: Mt 14:18,19 15:35,36 Mk 6:39-41 8:6,7 Lu 9:14-16
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Jesus said, "Have the people sit down" - Literally, “fall back,” lie down, recline. The miracle begins by having the people sit down. Notice Jesus does not tell everyone to sit down, but He involves His disciples in the beginning of this great miracle (See MacDonald's note below). From the other gospels we learn the disciples organized the people into groups of fifty (Mk 6:39–40; Lk 9:14). Now keep in mind the disciples are telling the groups of 50 to recline but they had not seen a bread truck pull up to the side of the hill! Are they not acting on faith in obedience to the Lord Jesus? I think they were! And yet imagine the thoughts in the disciples' minds as Jesus gave thanks to His Father for the small quantities of food before Him! Can you see the disciples sneaking a glance at one another!

Blum - As the Good Shepherd, Jesus made the “sheep” (Mark 6:34+) sit down in green pastures (cf. Ps. 23:2+). According to Mark 6:40+, the people were seated in groups of 50 and 100. This made the crowd easy to count and the food easy to distribute. (See Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Ryle on sit down - This arrangement prevented confusion and preserved order, points of vast importance when any large assembly of people is gathered together. Moreover, it made it less easy to practise any imposition or deceit in the feeding of the multitude. When every man was sitting steadily in his appointed place, no one could be passed over in the distribution of food, without it being observed. (John 6 Commentary)

Now there was much grass in the place. - Recall Passover is near so this is springtime which accounts for the grass. And while it is a desolate place, it is not a desert place. Do not miss Jesus' compassion for the people seeking to comfort them (recline, grassy location)

MacArthur - Their faith may have failed, but their obedience did not, and despite their doubts they followed the Lord’s instructions. (See John Commentary)

So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. - There were more than 5000 (probably 10-15,000) because Matthew 14:21+ says "There were about five thousand men who ate, besides women and children."

LITTLE WAS ENOUGH - The disciples’ skeptical reluctance contrasts with the youngster’s willingness to share what he had. Others may have been withholding what they had. They certainly had more resources than the boy. But they knew they didn’t have enough, so they didn’t give anything at all. The boy gave what little he had, and it made all the difference. If we offer nothing to God, he will have nothing to use. But he can take what little we have and turn it into something great. (Barton Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

John 6:11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted.

BGT John 6:11 ἔλαβεν οὖν τοὺς ἄρτους ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εὐχαριστήσας διέδωκεν τοῖς ἀνακειμένοις ὁμοίως καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀψαρίων ὅσον ἤθελον.

KJV John 6:11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

NET John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, as much as they wanted.

CSB John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were seated-- so also with the fish, as much as they wanted.

ESV John 6:11 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.

NIV John 6:11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

NLT John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.

YLT John 6:11 and Jesus took the loaves, and having given thanks he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those reclining, in like manner, also of the little fishes as much as they wished.

and having given thanks: John 6:23 1Sa 9:13 Lu 24:30 Ac 27:35 Ro 14:6 1Co 10:31 1Th 5:18 1Ti 4:4,5
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Matthew 14:19 Ordering the people to sit down on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food, and breaking the loaves He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds,

LITTLE CAN BECOME A
LOT WITH JESUS

Jesus then took the loaves (artos), and having given thanks (eucharisteo - gives us eucharist) Giving of thanks was normal in Jewish families both before and after the meal. "The miracle of multiplication must have occurred in Jesus’ hands. In context of the Jews’ Messianic hope this event would be the expected sign that Jesus was providing food as Moses provided manna." (Utley) As the story unfolds clearly the Jews failed to recognize the Messianic significance of this sign.

Christ uses inadequate people who surrender what they have to Him
to meet the overwhelming needs of others.
-- Steven Cole

W H Griffith Thomas reminds us that we have a beautiful picture of "(a) the perishing world; (b) the powerless disciples; (c) the perfect Savior. This miracle involved a true act of creation. No mere man could take five loaves and two small fish and expand them in such a way as to feed so many people as this. It has been well said,“ ‘Twas springtime when He blessed the bread, ’twas harvest when He brake.” And it is also true, “Loaves unblessed are loaves unmultiplied.” (Borrow The Apostle John)

MacDonald on given thanks - If He did this before partaking of food or serving it, how much more should we pause to thank God before eating our meals. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Wiersbe - It is significant that twice John mentioned the fact that Jesus gave thanks (John 6:11, 23). Matthew, Mark, and Luke all state that Jesus looked up to heaven when He gave thanks. By that act, He reminded the hungry people that God is the source of all good and needful gifts. This is a good lesson for us: instead of complaining about what we do not have, we should give thanks to God for what we do have, and He will make it go farther. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Utley on having given thanks - The Greek term for “giving thanks” (eucharisteo) later became the name for the Last Supper (cf. 1 Cor. 11:23–24). Did John use it here with this future, technical definition in mind? The other gospels which do not have the allusions to the Eucharist use a different term (eulogeō, cf. Matt. 14:19; Mark 6:41). They do use the term eucharisteo (cf. Matt. 15:36; Mark 8:6; Luke 17:16; 18:11) but not consistently in a Last Supper setting. They do use the same term to describe Jesus’ thanksgiving prayer in the upper room (cf. Matt. 26:27; Mark 14:23; and Luke 22:17–19). Therefore, since the usage is not uniform, John would have needed to make his allusion more specific if later readers were meant to interpret this in an Eucharistic setting!

He distributed to those who were seated - Mark 6:41+ explains that the distribution was through His disciples writing "And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all." Note John 6:11KJV says "And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down." MacDonald - There is a real lesson for us in this. The Lord Jesus did not do it all Himself. He enlisted the service of others. It has been well said, “You do what you can do; I’ll do what I can do; and the Lord will do what we cannot do.” (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Warren Wiersbe - This miracle also reminds us that, while salvation is of the Lord and bestowed only by grace, God still uses human instruments to take the Gospel message to men. Jesus gave the bread and fish to His disciples, and they shared it with the people. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” asks Paul in Rom. 10:14. If, like the little lad in John 6:9, we will give Him our all, He will take it, break it, and use it to bless others.

Gotquestions - It is noteworthy that Jesus fed the people through the agency of His disciples. He could have simply snapped His fingers and caused everyone present to have a meal, but He didn’t. Instead, He “gave . . . to his disciples to distribute to the people” (Mark 6:41). In this way, the disciples had to trust the Lord for everything they distributed. They could only give as they received. Philip, Andrew, and the rest were put in a position of total dependence upon the Lord for the supply. God still uses people the same way today. (See What can we learn from Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000? | GotQuestions.org)

As MacArthur says "Jesus, of course, did not need to use them; He could just as easily have distributed the food to the crowd by supernatural means. God, however, often works through weak, fallible humans." (Sermon Why Did Jesus Give Thanks?)

Warren Wiersbe - The miracle took place in His hands, not in theirs; for whatever we give to Him, He can bless and multiply. We are not manufacturers; we are only distributors. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Heading sees a parallel with discipleship - The distribution process, “he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them”, is similar to the propagation of truth today. What Timothy had heard from Paul, he had to commit to faithful men who in turn would be able to teach others also (2Ti 2:2). (What the Bible Teaches - John)

As Guzik says "The miracle resided in the hands of Jesus, not in the distribution. Little is much in His hands. Bread comes from grain, which has the power of multiplication and reproduction within itself. But when it is made into bread, the grain is crushed, making it “dead”—no one ever multiplied wheat by planting flour. But Jesus can bring life from death.

MacDonald - The disciples picture helpless Christians, with seemingly limited resources, but unwilling to share what they have. The Lord's command, "You give them something to eat" is simply a restatement of the great commission. The lesson is that if we give Jesus what we have, He can multiply it to feed the spiritually hungry multitude. That diamond ring, that insurance policy, that bank account, that sports equipment! These can be converted into gospel literature, for instance, which in turn can result in the salvation of souls, who in turn will be worshipers of the Lamb of God throughout eternity. The world could be evangelized in this generation if Christians would surrender to Christ all that they are and have. That is the enduring lesson of the feeding of the five thousand. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Brian Bell - Jesus didn’t only feed the 5000, but he taught the 12. He sent them home w/a doggie-bag reminder. [maybe Jesus has em carry the big basket all the way home so they don’t forget this lesson] 1. Twelve baskets full - 1 per disciple. In the OT, God fed His people with manna, but there were no edible leftovers. Christ can overcome every difficulty and feed the multitudes. The disciples had many excuses - not enough $, the wrong place, the wrong time - but Christ took what they had and met the need. He will do this today. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

Spurgeon on THE EATING. The disciples distributed the bread and the fish as quickly as they could and the people began to eat. They all ate of the provision and they were all filled. Now, what should every soul, here, conclude, but this—if Jesus has provided spiritual meat, He has not provided it to be looked at. He has not set it before us that we may merely hear about it. He has provided it that it might all of it be eaten. What is there for me? Lord, I am hungry, grant me a meal. O, souls, if you would hear sermons with the view of knowing what there is in them for yourselves—that you might feed upon them—what blessed work it would be to preach to you! (The Miracle of the Loaves)

Spurgeon "THE WAITERS at this feast were the disciples. Not the apostles, I think, merely, but the disciples—all of them. They each came and received a portion and handed it round to the hundreds and the fifties. What a blessed thing it is that Jesus Christ has not taken upon Himself to call all His people, by His grace, apart from instrumentality. He might have done so if He had chosen. The blessed Spirit does not stand in any need of us—it is His condescension which leads Him to employ us. He might have sent the Bible into the world, and the only part we might have been permitted to take in it might have been the printing of it, the giving of it away or the selling of it—and there it might have been left. But instead, He uses the living voice, the living example, and the pious persuasions of His own quickened disciples. And what an honor this is! What a privilege this is! I am sure I should have been very delighted that day to help to pass round the bread and the fish—and would not you? It is one of the greatest pleasures you can have in life to feed a hungry man. If you have ever done it, you all know that there is a look about his eyes and a joy in the manner of his eating which makes you whisper to others, “I wish you would come and see him eat.” It gives you pleasure to see his pleasure! If he is very hungry, every mouthful is sweet to him, and you feel a sympathy with his gladness as his needs are supplied. What delightful work it must have been to serve out that bread and fish! But O, to preach the gospel! To preach the gospel when God is blessing it to sinners!"....Oh, the joy it gives you to see men saved! Have I not seen them, sometimes, in the vestry when I have talked with them and prayed with them, and they have risen from their knees, and said, “I see it, sir, I understand it now. I never saw it before. I am a saved man. I believe in Jesus, I know He is my Savior.” If a man finds joy in having made £10,000 in business, he may keep his joy. I would sooner have the bliss of winning one soul for Christ! There is an intense satisfaction in soul-winning! (The Miracle of the Loaves)

likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted - “as much as they wished.” When Jesus provides, He is not stingy! One is reminded of Eph 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us."

Barton - MEALS AND MIRACLES Thankfulness helps us appreciate both meals and miracles more fully. Jesus regularly gave thanks for food. The way in which he always paused to thank the Father made an indelible mark on the disciples. It was so characteristic of Jesus that even the two disciples with whom Jesus walked to Emmaus after the Resurrection recognized him when he gave thanks (Luke 24:30+). How well are we recognized by our spiritual habits? When we give thanks for our meals we follow the example of Jesus Christ himself. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Utley - Some commentators (William Barclay - ED: BEWARE OF BARCLAY - SEE THIS ARTICLE) deny the miraculous element and assert that the boy shared his lunch (cf. John 6:9) and that others in the crowd saw it and shared their lunches. (ED: WRONG!!!) If so, where did the twelve baskets left over come from? Our biases affect interpretation in the same way the biases of the people of Jesus’ day affected them!

John MacArthur on Jesus' miracles - Throughout His ministry, Jesus could have thrilled the watching crowds with spectacular displays of His divine power, such as lifting up the temple and suspending it in midair, or flying through the sky at supersonic speeds. But instead, He chose to display divine compassion by doing miracles that delivered people in need. He healed the sick (Matt. 4:23–24; 8:2–3, 5–13, 14–16; 9:2–7, 20–22, 27–30, 35; 12:9–13, 15; 14:14; 15:30; 19:2; 20:30–34; 21:14; Mark 6:5; 7:31–35; Luke 5:15; 6:17–19; 9:11; 14:1–4; 17:11–14; 22:51; John 4:46–53; 5:1–9; 6:2; 9:1–7), raised the dead (Matt. 9:23–25; Luke 7:11–15; John 11:43), and cast out demons (Matt. 4:24; 8:16, 28–33; 9:32–33; 12:22; 15:21–28; 17:14–18; Mark 1:39; Luke 11:14; 13:32). Even the Lord’s creative miracles were not sensational magic tricks. As noted in chapter 6 of this volume, by creating wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11) Jesus met a necessity for the guests and saved the bride and groom from a socially embarrassing situation. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand was a large act of compassion on behalf of people who would have gone hungry. (See John Commentary)

C H Spurgeon - THE LAD’S LOAVES IN THE LORD’S HANDS - LOOK, there are the people! Five thousand of them, as hungry as hunters, and they all need to have food given to them, for they cannot any of them travel to buy it! And here is the provision! Five thin wafers—and those of barley, more fit for horses than for men—and two little anchovies, by way of a relish! Five thousand people and five little biscuits wherewith to feed them! The disproportion is enormous: if each one should have only the tiniest crumb, there would not be sufficient. In like manner, there are millions of people in London, and only a handful of whole-hearted Christians earnestly desiring to see the city converted to Christ; there are more than a thousand millions of men in this round world, and oh, so few missionaries breaking to them the bread of life; almost as few for the millions, as were these five barley cakes for those five thousand! The problem is a very difficult one. The contrast between the supply and the demand would have struck us much more vividly if we had been there, in that crowd at Bethsaida, than it does sitting here, nearly nineteen hundred years afterwards, and merely hearing about it. But the Lord Jesus was equal to the emergency: none of the people went away without sharing in his bounty; they were all filled. Our blessed Master, now that he has ascended into the heavens, has more rather than less power; he is not baffled because of our lack, but can even now use paltry means to accomplish his own glorious purposes; therefore let no man’s heart fail him. Do not despair of the evangelization of London, nor think it hopeless that the gospel should be preached in all nations for a testimony unto them. Have faith in God, who is in Christ Jesus; have faith in the compassion of the Great Mediator: he will not desert the people in their spiritual need, any more than he failed that hungry throng, in their temporal need, long ago

CHOICE EXCERPTS FROM SERMON THE LAD’S LOAVES IN THE LORD’S HANDS

.....When things get into Christ’s hands, they are in the very focus of miracles.....Notice, first, then, the providence of God in bringing the lad there

....Christ never is in need but he has somebody at hand to supply that need. Have faith in the providence of God

......Next, this lad with his loaves was brought into notice

......So, rest assured, that if you have the Bread of Life about you, and you are willing to serve God, you need not be afraid that obscurity will ever prevent your doing it

.....in due time, when God wants you, he knows where to find you. You need not put an advertisement in the paper; he knows the street you live in, and the number on the door. You need not go and push yourself to the front; the Lord will bring you to the front when he wants you; and I hope that you do not want to get there if he does not want you

.....When brought into notice, the loaves and fishes did not fare very well; they were judged insufficient for the purpose; for Andrew said, “What are they among so many?”

......Though seemingly inadequate to feed the multitude, these loaves and fishes would have been quite enough for the boy’s supper, yet he appears to have been quite willing to part with them

.....Yes, but the boy whom God uses will not be selfish. Am I speaking to some young Christian to whom Satan says, “Make money first, and serve God by-and-by; stick to business, and get on; then, after that, you can act like a Christian, and give some money away

......I want to get hold of you who think that you have very little ability, and say to you, “Come, and bring it to Jesus.”

.....Though nobody seems to need you, yet make bold to come out; and who knows but that, like Queen Esther, you may have come to the kingdom for such a time as this? God may have brought you where you are to make use of you for the converting of thousands

..... come and yield up to him all the little talent that you may have, and pray him to

.....The time that you have not used for self, but given to Christ; the knowledge that you have not stored, as in a reservoir, but given to Christ; the ability that you have not wielded for the world, but yielded to Christ; your influence and position, your money and home, all put into Christ’s hands, and reckoned to be not your own, but to be his

......When the feast was finished, there were fragments to be gathered. This is a part of the history of the loaves—they were not lost; they were eaten, but they were there; people were filled with them, but yet there was more of them left than when the feast began. Each disciple had a basketful to carry back to his Master’s feet. Give yourself to Christ, and when you have used yourself for his glory, you will be more able to serve him than you are now; you shall find your little stock grow as you spend it. Remember Bunyan’s picture of the man who had a roll of cloth. He unrolled it, and he cut off so much for the poor. Then he unrolled it, and cut off some more, and the more he cut it, the longer it grew. Upon which Bunyan remarks—

“There was a man, and some did count him mad;
The more he gave away, the more he had.”

Given thanks (2168)(eucharisteo from eucháristos = thankful, grateful, well-pleasing - Indicates the obligation of being thankful to someone for a favor done <> in turn from eú = well + charízomai = to grant, give.; English - Eucharist) means to show that one is under obligation by being thankful. To show oneself as grateful (most often to God in the NT). Eucharisteo is a word that at its very core (eu = good + charis = grace) means to acknowledge how good God's grace is! Thanksgiving expresses what ought never to be absent from any of our devotions. We should always be ready to express our grateful acknowledgement of past mercies as distinguished form the earnest seeking of future mercies.

Eucharisteo - 37v - Matt. 15:36; Matt. 26:27; Mk. 8:6; Mk. 14:23; Lk. 17:16; Lk. 18:11; Lk. 22:17; Lk. 22:19; Jn. 6:11; Jn. 6:23; Jn. 11:41; Acts 27:35; Acts 28:15; Rom. 1:8; Rom. 1:21; Rom. 14:6; Rom. 16:4; 1 Co. 1:4; 1 Co. 1:14; 1 Co. 10:30; 1 Co. 11:24; 1 Co. 14:17; 1 Co. 14:18; 2 Co. 1:11; Eph. 1:16; Eph. 5:20; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; Col. 1:12; Col. 3:17; 1 Thess. 1:2; 1 Thess. 2:13; 1 Thess. 5:18; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 2:13; Phlm. 1:4; Rev. 11:17

John 6:11

"A small circle of usefulness is not to be despised," observed Hudson Taylor, the pioneer missionary to China.

When Jesus depicted usefulness, He often startled His listeners. He used a boy's picnic pak to make more than five thousand fish sandwiches for a supper on the grass. We know nothing about the boy except that he shared what he had.

In contrast, the disciples worried about how much it would cost for this unplanned shindig—eight months of salary. The crowd was not exactly a grateful group; Jesus was nothing more to them than a fish-in-every-pot politician. The disciples and crowd both missed the point; perhaps the boy understood. A barley loaf in Jesus' hand became life-giving bread because it pointed to the Bread of Life; only He could take the insignificant and make it important.

In the Old Testament, God did not give Israel water from the rock to promote the use of mineral water; He took common water and gave it uncommon symbolism. Every drop should have re-minded Israel of the everlasting Water of Life.

To paraphrase Paul's words, we are nothing but old jelly jars; yet He takes what we have and who we are and reveals Himself through us (2 Cor. 4:7-12). When we are faithful in giving Him what we have, He increases our circle of usefulness. He takes all things great and small and makes them wise and wonderful.

JOHN 6:1-14

About halfway through a rehearsal conducted by Sir Michael Costa, with trumpets blaring, drums rolling, and violins singing their rich melody, the piccolo player muttered to himself, "What good am I doing? I might just as well not be playing. Nobody can hear me anyway." So he kept the instrument to his mouth, but he made no sound. Within moments, the conductor cried, "Stop! Stop! Where's the piccolo?" The most important person of all missed the piccolo's seemingly unimportant contribution.

At certain times in life we all feel insignificant and useless. Sur-rounded by people with greater talent than ours, we are tempted in our weak moments just to settle back and "let George do it." We reason that what we have to offer won't make much difference anyway. We forget that Jesus used five loaves and two small fish to feed a multitude. Like that young boy on the mountainside, each of us has something important to offer, and we are foolish to hold back because we discount the value of our contribution.

Whether our talent is great or small, the performance isn't complete until we do our best with what we have. —R W DeHaan

In God's eyes it is a great thing to do a little thing well.

John 6:12 When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost."

BGT John 6:12 ὡς δὲ ἐνεπλήσθησαν, λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· συναγάγετε τὰ περισσεύσαντα κλάσματα, ἵνα μή τι ἀπόληται.

KJV John 6:12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

NET John 6:12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus said to his disciples, "Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted."

CSB John 6:12 When they were full, He told His disciples, "Collect the leftovers so that nothing is wasted."

ESV John 6:12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost."

NIV John 6:12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted."

NLT John 6:12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted."

When they were filled: Ne 9:25 Mt 14:20,21 15:37,38 Mk 6:42-44 8:8,9 Lu 1:53 9:17
so that nothing will be lost: Ne 8:10 Pr 18:9 Lu 15:13 16:1
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Philippians 4:19+ And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

JESUS SATISFIES
OUR HUNGER

Yes, the crowd was physically filled, but tragically their souls were still empty! They lacked the heart attitude which Jesus had promised to bless in the Sermon on the Mount when He declared "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (chortazo)." (Mt 5:6+). Sadly, the crowd hungered for physical sustenance, not spiritual sustenance!

When they were filled (empiplemi) When Jesus feeds you, you will be satisfied! He gives more than enough! This reminds us of Ephesians 3:20+

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.

Brian Bell - Jesus takes a hopeless situation & turns it into a scene of hope! a) Jesus loves taking question marks & turning them into exclamation marks! (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

John Heading - The Lord provided all that was necessary to fill the people; additional kinds of food were quite irrelevant, a lesson today for some who are not solely satisfied with the sincere milk of the Word. He provided the right food (Luke 11:11), and it was with “good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over” (Luke 6:38). (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Ryle comments on they were filled - "That expression deserves notice. It is one of the strongest proofs of the reality of the miracle we are reading. It would be impossible to convince five thousand hungry men in a wilderness that they were really filled, if they were not. " (John 6 Commentary)

There was to be no wastefulness
in Christ’s munificence
-- A T Robertson (Word Pictures)

THOUGHT - There is so little filling of our vessels these days because there is so very little of emptying. The Lord had to empty Philip in order that He might fill him, for Philip was full of his own ideas. The Lord cannot fill with His own presence that which is already full of something else and refuses to be emptied. -- A W Tozer (FROM his sermons -- The “Spiritual-or-Secular” Tightrope Everything in Our Lives Is Made Spiritual by Christ - Tozer, Speaks, Volume One)

He said to His disciples (mathetes), "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost (apoluo) - Fragments were not crumbs or scraps on the ground, but pieces broken by Jesus (Mark 6:41) and not consumed. And such a miraculous provision did not justify wastefulness.

Charles Swindoll - For most of them, this was their first complete meal in a long while. Leftovers were not a common sight in ancient times. (Borrow Insights on John)

THOUGHT - "There is a lesson in the leftovers. God gives in abundance. He takes whatever we can offer Him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations. If you take the first step in making yourself available to God, He will show you how greatly you can be used to advance the work of His Kingdom." (Borrow Life Application Study Bible) Does this thought not cause your heart to rejoice with thankfulness!

John MacArthur - God’s abundant provision was no excuse for wasting resources (cf. Prov. 25:16). (See John Commentary)

William MacDonald - Many people try to explain away this miracle. The crowd, they say, saw the little boy give his five loaves and two fish to Jesus. This made them realize how selfish they were, so they decided to take out their lunches and share them with each other. In this way, there was food for everyone. But no such explanation will fit the facts, as we shall see in the next verse. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Kenneth Gangel - Two things surface in this portion of our text. First, we see that Jesus Christ was all-sufficient for any need even when his disciples were in confusion. Second, the purpose of the miracle seems clear: to instruct the disciples, to lay a foundation for the sermon on the bread of life, and to feed hungry people....Like Moses’ ancient rod, Samson’s donkey jawbone, and David’s sling, this simple lunch shows again that seemingly useless things can become important in Jesus’ hands. He alone is all-sufficient. Everyone was satisfied, and each disciple had his own personal basket of leftovers as a reminder of the Master’s power. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

F. WHITFIELD JOHN 6:12. Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. -- Why? Because they all come from Jesus, and nothing that comes from Him must be lost. Your misspent moments, your tardy services, your sluggish energies, your cold affections, your omitted duties—“gather them up.” They are lying on the ground, but must not remain there. Gather them up and use them for His glory. Ask the Lord to revive His work in your soul. Ask for a quickened spirit; for more zeal, more devotion, more love to His cause. Awake from slumber! Shake off all earthly, carnal sleep. Thousands are perishing around you! Thousands are dying in sin! The angel of death is on the wing, and the coming of the Lord draweth nigh! Up and warn the world! Be active, diligent, persevering for Christ! “Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.”

Filled (well-fed, satisfying, enjoyed)(1705)(empiplemi from en = in + pimplemi = to fill) means to make full and in NT used only of food. When a person is filled they are satisfied or satiated. Friberg's summary - (1) active satisfy, fill with something (Lk 1.53); (2) passive be satisfied, have enough of something (Jn 6.12); figuratively enjoy something, have one's fill of (Ro 15.24) In classical Greek empimplēmi (an alternate form of empiplaō) means “to fill quite full.” It is based on the root plē which means “full.” This term is used from Homer on and means “to fill a vessel” so that it can be seen as full (for example, of water). It can also mean “to fill a hungry man full of food” (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament)

Empiplemi - 5v - Lk. 1:53; Lk. 6:25; Jn. 6:12; Acts 14:17; Rom. 15:24

Broken Loaves Broken Lives

Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost. — John 6:12

Today's Scripture: John 6:1-14

While I was leading a seminar, I passed around a loaf of unsliced bread and asked each person to respond to it. One squeezed it and said, “It’s fresh.” Another commented, “It smells delicious.” Still another noted, “It looks nourishing.”

Finally someone said, “That’s true, but I’m hungry!” With that, she broke off a piece and ate it. Her response said it all: Unbroken bread is useless.

One day Jesus faced 5,000 hungry people. Only by breaking the five loaves and two fish into pieces could He miraculously feed the multitude (Jn. 6:11), and He refused to waste any leftover fragments (v.12).

Not only did this miracle foreshadow Christ’s brokenness on the cross—a breaking that would make the Bread of Life available to all—but it also speaks to me of the brokenness that believers must experience if they are to be used by God.

Do you fear a loss of usefulness due to broken health, broken hopes, broken promises? Fear not! Although some things lose their usefulness once they’re broken, there are two things that become more useful: broken loaves and broken lives.

If you’ll yield the fragments of your life to God, He’ll not waste a crumb of what you’re going through. By: Joanie Yoder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

A broken heart can give to life
Great depth and beauty never known;
And when that heart yields all to Christ,
His love through it is clearly shown.
—DJD

Broken things become useful in God's hands.

He Makes Us New

Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted. John 6:12

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:5–13

As a traveling executive, Shawn Seipler wrestled with an odd question. What happens to leftover soap in hotel rooms? Thrown out as trash for landfills, millions of soap bars could instead find new life, Seipler believed. So he launched Clean the World, a recycling venture that has helped more than eight thousand hotels, cruise lines, and resorts turn millions of pounds of discarded soap into sterilized, newly molded soap bars. Sent to people in need in more than one hundred countries, the recycled soap helps prevent countless hygiene-related illnesses and deaths.

As Seipler said, “I know it sounds funny, but that little bar of soap on the counter in your hotel room can literally save a life.”

The gathering up of something used or dirty to give it new life is also one of the most loving traits of our Savior, Jesus. In that manner, after He fed a crowd of five thousand with five small barley loaves and two small fish, He still said to His disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted” (John 6:12).

In our lives, when we feel “washed up,” God sees us not as wasted lives but as His miracles. Never throwaways in His sight, we have divine potential for new kingdom work. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). What makes us new? Christ within us. By: Patricia Raybon (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

When have you felt you possessed little value? How has Jesus given you new life?

When I feel worthless, dear Father, help me see my new life in You.

A W Tozer (FROM his sermons -- The “Spiritual-or-Secular” Tightrope Everything in Our Lives Is Made Spiritual by Christ - Tozer, Speaks, Volume One) OUTLINE on John 6:5–11

Introduction: The setting of the miracle—Jesus alone with His disciples in the mountain, waiting on God, before the activity on behalf of the people. There is a precious kind of spiritual ‘inactivity’ that Christians must know in preparation for witnessing to and helping others. Mary and Martha form an illustration of this principle.

I. Christ sees and understands human need.
1. Concerned for the people’s hunger.
2. Did not play down physical need.
3. Christ, our Bread, the Lord of every part of our lives.
4. He met their need, and gave added blessing.

II. Christ uses imperfect men to help meet the need.
1. He looks beyond limitations of disciples.
2. Philip calculates; Andrew has a ray of hope.
3. A boy’s surrendered lunch—“Take it, Jesus.”
4. Loaves and fishes, the act of faith, all tokens of God’s grace.

III. The miracle—Christ’s power added to man’s faith.
1. The human need is met—all are fed.
2. Man’s small ‘tokens’ result in much blessing when touched by God’s power and wisdom.
3. It is the Lord—He accepts our ‘tokens.’

More Than Enough

[God] is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think. — Ephesians 3:20

Today's Scripture: 2 Kings 4:38-44

It was an unexpected provision in a time of need. The prophet Elisha, like others in Israel, was hard-pressed by the famine. But the prophet determined that he must share with other needy Israelites the 20 loaves of barley bread he had just received (2 Kings 4:42-44). Elisha’s servant questioned the wisdom of setting the food before 100 hungry men, for there was not enough to go around.

Nevertheless, Elisha issued a command to feed his fellow prophets, adding a promise that this scanty provision would be enough: “Thus says the Lord: ‘They shall eat and have some left over'” (v.43).

True to God’s word, when Elisha’s servant set the loaves before the people, “they ate and had some left over” (v.44). There was enough—and more than enough. A similar thing happened when Jesus fed 5,000 with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fish (John 6:1-14). These examples suggest the principle: When God gives, He is able to give more than enough.

When we sense that God is asking us to serve Him in a new or unfamiliar way, we should never say no simply because we feel inadequate. “We have only a few loaves,” we may say. But the Lord replies, “Trust Me. They are more than enough.” By: David H. Roper (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

What matter though our loaves be few?
Alike the little and the much
When He shall add to what we have
His multiplying touch.
—Flint

We always have enough when God is our supply.

John 6:13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

and filled: 1Ki 7:15,16 2Ki 4:2-7 2Ch 25:9 Pr 11:24,25 2Co 9:8,9 Php 4:19
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

TWELVE BASKETS
OF LEFTOVER LOAVES

So - For this reason? What reason?

They gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves (artos) which were left over by those who had eaten - The 12 baskets full ensures that Jesus would feed His own men. Nothing was wasted. Note that this miracle does not describe the crowd's reaction and therefore is meant primarily for the edification and encouragement of the 12 disciples.

Jesus is generous, but not wasteful.
- Guzik

MacArthur - In an amazing display of God’s abundant grace, the leftovers far exceeded the original five barley loaves. Some think that the twelve baskets symbolize God’s provision for the twelve tribes of Israel. A simpler explanation is that there were twelve baskets because there were twelve apostles gathering the leftovers. Christ not only provided enough food to satisfy the hungry crowd, but also to provide the next day’s meal for the disciples. (See John Commentary)

You take care of the addition, I’ll be in charge of the multiplication,
and the mission I’ve invited you to join will be accomplished.
- Charles Swindoll

Ryle - This simple fact is enough to prove that a mighty miracle had been wrought. Our common sense can tell us that five loaves and two fishes alone could not have filled a single basket. Now if the fragments left after the meal were enough to fill “twelve baskets,” there must evidently have been a miraculous multiplication of the food at some stage of the proceedings. The fragments alone were probably fifty times more bulky than the original supply of food with which the meal began. The identity between the number of the baskets filled, and the number of the apostles, will of course strike any reader. One might think that each apostle had a basket. (John 6 Commentary)

Guzik - Jesus "knew that wastefulness didn’t glorify the God of all provision."

Spurgeon said, “Come, then, weary hungry sinner. You have nothing to do but to take Christ…Open your mouth and receive the food! Faith to receive what Christ provides is all that is needed.” (Spurgeon, “The Miracle of the Loaves,” #1218).

Where we see a lack He sees an abundance.
Where we see human problems
He sees and accomplishes divine possibilities.
A little can become a lot with Jesus!
-- Daniel Akin

Spurgeon on CLEANING UP. There must be a cleaning up after every banquet. They went round and gathered up the fragments that remained and found 12 baskets full. This, as has often been remarked, teaches us economy in everything that we do for God—not economy as to giving to Him—but as to the use of the Lord’s money. Break your alabaster boxes and pour out the sacred nard with blessed wastefulness, for that very wastefulness is the sweetness of the gift. But when God entrusts you with any means to use for Him, use those means with discretion. When we have money given to us for use in God’s cause, we should be more careful with it than if it were our own. And the same rule applies to other matters. Ministers, when God gives them a good time in their studies and they read the Word and it opens up before them, should keep notes of what comes to them. The wind does not always blow alike, and it is well to grind your wheat when the mill will work. You should put up your sails and let your boat fly along when you have a good, favoring breeze—and this may make up for dead calms. Economically put by the fragments that remain after you have fed next Sunday’s congregation, that there may be something for hard times, when your head aches and you are dull and heavy in pulpit preparations. (The Miracle of the Loaves)

THOUGHT - God will shatter the pint-sized expectations of what His followers can do if they would learn to bring Him what they have already been given. “Little is much when God is in it.” When Christians are willing to offer their lives sacrificially, relinquishing their hold on whatever God has given them in terms of time, money, talents, etc., God will use these ordinary things to create extraordinary things. Christians must never believe their resources are too little to serve God. God delights in taking a humble, seemingly insignificant person and using him or her for His glory (see 1 Corinthians 1:27). (Gotquestions)

Wiersbe points out that "John tells us that Jesus used this miracle as the basis for a sermon on “the bread of life” (John 6:22-66). After all, He did not perform miracles just to meet human needs, though that was important. He wanted each miracle to be a revelation of Himself, a sermon in action. For the most part, the people were amazed at the miracles, appreciated the help He gave them, but failed to get the spiritual message (John 12:37). They wanted the gift but not the Giver, the enjoyment of physical blessings but not the enrichment of spiritual blessings. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Brian Bell - Does Jesus always resolve our every impossibility w/a happy ending in the here & now? - He does want to nourish us, but He never wants to be reduced to a genie who will magically supply our every want. a) He gave the people bread & fish for just that one day. But he refused to let the people make Him their Bread-King so their stomachs could always be full. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

Swindoll - At the end of the day, the disciples should have learned a clear lesson. Never gauge the size of a challenge in terms of our capability. What we have to offer is never enough. God never calls us to provide; that’s His responsibility. Instead, He calls us to commit whatever we have—even if it’s no more than a sack lunch. His call comes with a promise: You take care of the addition, I’ll be in charge of the multiplication, and the mission I’ve invited you to join will be accomplished. (Borrow Insights on John)

D A Carson - That there were twelve baskets is almost certainly significant: The Lord has enough to supply the needs of the twelve tribes of Israel. All four Gospels draw attention to the number. From the time of Hilary of Poitiers (fourth century A.D.), it has been common to argue that the feeding of the five-thousand represents the Lord's provision for the Jews, and the feeding of the four-thousand, with seven baskets left over, represents the Lord's provision for the Gentiles. Certainly the word for "basket" (kophinos) used in all four accounts of the feeding of the five-thousand has peculiarly Jewish associations, whereas the "basket" (spy-ris) used in the feeding of the four-thousand (Matt. 15:37; Mark 8:8) does not. It strains credulity, however, to suppose that John saw in the leftovers a symbol of the "food that endures" (Jn 6:27) (See The Gospel According to John)

Baskets (2894)(kophinos) a wicker basket typically used by Jews for carrying along clean food and apparently smaller than the (spuris which is used in Mt 15:37; 16:10; Mk 8:8, 20, Acts 9:24) All uses describe the 12 baskets of broken pieces of bread after the feeding of the 5000. This basket is typically used to carry one person’s provisions for a journey of two or three days. In both Matthew and Mark when Jesus describes these events He uses these two words with the same distinction (Mark 8:19-20+.; Matt. 16:9-10+). Kophinos = 8x in NT - Jdg. 6:19; Ps. 81:6; Matt. 14:20; Matt. 16:9; Mk. 6:43; Mk. 8:19; Lk. 9:17; Jn. 6:13 and 2 uses in the Septuagint = Jdg. 6:19; Ps 81:6. As Robertson says "Surely it is easier to conceive that Jesus wrought two such miracles than to hold that Mark and Matthew have made such a jumble of the whole business." (Word Pictures)

LEFTOVER LESSONS We can learn from the leftovers. God gives in abundance. He takes whatever we offer him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations. If we take the first step in making ourselves available to God, he will show us how greatly we can be used to advance the work of his kingdom. Most of us want to see a great work of God, but can we take the first step of sacrifice? (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

TAKING THE MIRACLE OUT OF A MIRACLE Our “scientific age” tries to explain everything in materialistic terms. In one way the very possibility of miracles threatens a simplistic view of science. After all, if the laws of nature are not absolute, we might have to admit that something or someone out there controls the universe. Those who believe that miracles can’t happen won’t be objective in studying Scripture.

Scientific materialism removes the miraculous from the miracles. It would explain this miracle meal by suggesting that the boy’s generosity set in motion a wave of giving so that all the people brought out the food they had and shared it with each other. Such a view makes the “miracle” easier to swallow, but it downplays Jesus’ miraculous power. The miracles, however, demonstrated the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Those who find it difficult to accept these miracles usually find it difficult to believe in the Resurrection. When we accept the Resurrection, miracles like the multiplying of fish and loaves become part of a day’s activity in the life of Jesus, the Son of God. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Gathered fragments remind us that:

Another Day of Need Will Surely Come
The Blessings of God Should Not Be Wasted
Grateful Hearts Make Full Use of God’s Blessings (John Mayshack)

Utley - SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NUMBER TWELVE
Twelve has always been a symbolic number of organization
1. outside the Bible
a. twelve signs of the Zodiac
b. twelve months of the year
2. in the OT
a. the sons of Jacob
b. reflected in
(1) twelve pillars of the altar in Exod. 24:4
(2) twelve jewels on the high priest’s breastplate in Exod. 28:21
(3) twelve loaves of bread in the holy place of the tabernacle in Lev. 24:5
(4) twelve spies sent into Canaan in Num. 13
(5) twelve rods (tribal standards) at Korah’s rebellion in Num. 17:2
(6) twelve stones of Joshua in Josh. 4:3, 9, 20
(7) twelve administrative districts in Solomon’s administration in 1 Kgs. 4:7
(8) twelve stones of Elijah’s altar to YHWH in 1 Kgs. 18:31
3. in the NT
a. twelve apostles chosen
b. twelve baskets of bread (one for each Apostle) in Matt. 14:20
c. twelve thrones on which NT disciples sit (referring to the 12 tribes of Israel) in Matt. 19:28
d. twelve legions of angels to rescue Jesus in Matt. 26:53
e. the symbolism of Revelation
(1) 144,000 (12x12) in 7:4; 14:1, 3
(2) twelve stars on the woman’s crown in 12:1
(3) twelve gates, twelve angels reflecting the twelve tribes in 21:12
(4) twelve foundation stones of the new Jerusalem and on them the names of the twelve Apostles in 21:14
(5) twelve thousand stadia in 21:16 (size of new city, New Jerusalem)
(6) twelve gates of pearl in 21:21
(7) trees in new Jerusalem with twelve kinds of fruit (one each month) in 22:

J C Ryle - Lessons from the Loaves

THESE verses describe one of our Lord’s most remarkable miracles. Of all the great works that He did, none was done so publicly as this, and before so many witnesses. Of all the miracles related in the Gospels, this is the only one which all the four Gospel-writers alike record. This fact alone (like the four times repeated account of the crucifixion and resurrection) is enough to show that it is a miracle demanding special attention.

We have, for one thing, in this miracle, a lesson about Christ’s almighty power. We see our Lord feeding five thousand men with “five barley loaves and two small fishes.” We see clear proof that a miraculous event took place in the “twelve baskets of fragments” that remained after all had eaten. Creative power was manifestly exercised. Food was called into existence that did not exist before. In healing the sick, and raising the dead, something was amended or restored that had already existed. In feeding five thousand men with five loaves, something must have been created which before had no existence.

Such a history as this ought to be specially instructive and encouraging to all who endeavour to do good to souls. It shows us the Lord Jesus “able to save to the uttermost.” He is One who has all power over dead hearts. Not only can He mend that which is broken,—build up that which is ruined,—heal that which is sick,—strengthen that which is weak. He can do even greater things than these. He can call into being that which was not before, and call it out of nothing. We must never despair of any one being saved. So long as there is life there is hope. Reason and sense may say that some poor sinner is too hardened, or too old to be converted. Faith will reply,—“Our Master can create as well as renew. With a Saviour who, by His Spirit, can create a new heart, nothing is impossible.”

We have, for another thing, in this miracle, a lesson about the office of ministers. We see the apostles receiving the bread from our Lord’s hands, after He had blessed it, and distributing it to the multitude. It was not their hands that made it increase and multiply, but their Master’s. It was His almighty power that provided an unfailing supply. It was their work to receive humbly, and distribute faithfully.

Now here is a lively emblem of the work which a true minister of the New Testament is meant to do. He is not a mediator between God and man. He has no power to put away sin, or impart grace. His whole business is to receive the bread of life which his Master provides, and to distribute it among the souls among whom he labours. He cannot make men value the bread, or receive it. He cannot make it soul-saving, or life-giving, to any one. This is not his work. For this he is not responsible. His whole business is to be a faithful distributor of the food which his Divine Master has provided; and that done, his office is discharged.

We have, lastly, in this miracle, a lesson about the sufficiency of the Gospel for the wants of all mankind. We see the Lord Jesus supplying the hunger of a huge multitude of five thousand men. The provision seemed, at first sight, utterly inadequate for the occasion. To satisfy so many craving mouths with such scanty fare, in such a wilderness, seemed impossible. But the event showed that there was enough and to spare. There was not one who could complain that he was not filled.

There can be no doubt that this was meant to teach the adequacy of Christ’s Gospel to supply the necessities of the whole world. Weak, and feeble, and foolish as it may seem to man, the simple story of the Cross is enough for all the children of Adam in every part of the globe. The tidings of Christ’s death for sinners, and the atonement made by that death, is able to meet the hearts and satisfy the consciences of all nations, and peoples, and kindreds, and tongues. Carried by faithful messengers, it feeds and supplies all ranks and classes. “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to us who are saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18.) Five barley loaves and two small fishes seemed scanty provision for a hungry crowd. But blessed by Christ, and distributed by His disciples, they were more than sufficient.

Let us never doubt for a moment, that the preaching of Christ crucified,—the old story of His blood, and righteousness, and substitution,—is enough for all the spiritual necessities of all mankind. It is not worn out. It is not obsolete. It has not lost its power. We want nothing new,—nothing more broad and kind,—nothing more intellectual,—nothing more efficacious. We want nothing but the true bread of life which Christ bestows, distributed faithfully among starving souls. Let men sneer or ridicule as they will. Nothing else can do good in this sinful world. No other teaching can fill hungry consciences, and give them peace. We are all in a wilderness. We must feed on Christ crucified, and the atonement made by His death, or we shall die in our sins. (John 6 Commentary)

Comparing and Contrasting
Feeding of the Multitudes

Feeding 5000 was recorded in all 4 Gospels, but the feeding of 4000 was recorded only in Mark and Matthew.

Similarities:

• Both miracles involved huge crowds who were hungry
• Jesus used a small amount of bread and fish to feed a lot of people
• The disciples doubted the Lord’s ability to provide but were also involved in distributing the food
• In both miracles, Jesus took the little they had, gave thanks, and multiplied it
• The crowds ate and were completely satisfied and a large amount of food was left over

Differences:

• The first miracle involved feeding 5,000 compared to 4,000 here
• The amount of bread is different – 5 loaves versus 7 loaves
• The leftovers from the first miracle go in 12 small baskets and in the second, 7 large baskets are used
• There are two different Greek words - smaller baskets = kophinos and larger baskets = spuris
• The first meal came after a day of teaching and this one follows three days of teaching
• One prayer in the feeding of 5000, two prayers in feeding of 4000
• The first miracle took place among Jewish people and this one happens in the Decapolis, a Gentile community

Below is a chart adapted from Warren Wiersbe showing the differences;

Feeding 5,000	Feeding 4,000
Primarily Jews	Primarily Gentiles
Galilee, near Bethsaida	The Decapolis
5 loaves, 2 fish	7 loaves, “a few fish”
12 baskets left over	7 baskets left over
Crowd with Him 1 day	Crowd with Him 3 days
Spring of year (green grass)	Summer
Tried to make Him King	No popular response

NET Note - Many commentators, on the basis of similarities between this account of the feeding of the multitude (Mk 8:1–10) and that in Mk 6:30–44, have argued that there is only one event referred to in both passages. While there are similarities in language and in the response of the disciples, there are also noticeable differences, including the different number present on each occasion (i.e., 5,000 in chap. 6 and 4,000 here). In the final analysis, the fact that Jesus refers to two distinct feedings in Mk 8:18–20 settles the issue; this passage represents another very similar incident to that recorded in 6:30–44.

John 6:14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

BGT John 6:14 Οἱ οὖν ἄνθρωποι ἰδόντες ὃ ἐποίησεν σημεῖον ἔλεγον ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ προφήτης ὁ ἐρχόμενος εἰς τὸν κόσμον.

KJV John 6:14 Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

NET John 6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, "This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world."

CSB John 6:14 When the people saw the sign He had done, they said, "This really is the Prophet who was to come into the world!"

ESV John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, "This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!"

NIV John 6:14 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."

NLT John 6:14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, "Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!"

NRS John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world."

NJB John 6:14 Seeing the sign that he had done, the people said, 'This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.'

NAB John 6:14 When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, "This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world."

YLT John 6:14 The men, then, having seen the sign that Jesus did, said -- 'This is truly the Prophet, who is coming to the world;'

This: John 1:21 Jn 4:19,25,42 Jn 7:40 Ge 49:10 De 18:15-18 Mt 11:3 Mt 21:11 Lu 7:16 Lk 24:19 Ac 3:22-24 Acts 7:37
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 1:21+ They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

John 1:45+ Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the Law and also the Prophets wrote–Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”

John 4:19+ The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

John 7:40+ Some of the people therefore, when they heard these words, were saying, “This certainly is the Prophet.”

Matthew 21:11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Luke 7:16+ Fear gripped them all, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” and, “God has visited His people!”

Luke 24:19+ And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

THE RIGHT PROPHET
THE WRONG INTERPRETATION

Therefore - Term of conclusion. What is John concluding?

When the people saw the sign (semeion) which He had performed - Saw the sign is a good start. They all saw what had transpired and realized they had witnessed a miracle. But what is a sign? A SIGN is an object, quality, or event whose presence or occurrence indicates the probable presence or occurrence of something else. This definition begs the question, what else or better yet, to whom does the sign point? If you are going to a destination and do not follow the signs you will become lost in life, but if you fail to follow the signs of Jesus, you are lost in death and tragically you are lost forever! Thousands witnessed Jesus' miracle of creating abundant bread and fish. Their stomachs were filled by this Man. They begin to reason that He must the the One Moses had spoken about. The bread multiplied by Jesus reminded them of the manna called down from Heaven by the prophet Moses. However as the writer of Hebrews says

Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; but (term of comparison - this change of direction potentially changes one's eternal destiny) Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. (Perseverance of the Saints) (Heb 3:5-6+)

Recall that the Jews were well acquainted with the OT prophecy for earlier they had queried John the Baptist...

They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” (ALLUDING TO THE MESSIANIC PROPHECY in Dt 18:15, 18-19) And he answered, “No.”(John 1:21+)

They said, "This is truly (alethos) the Prophet (prophetes) Who is to come into the world - The Jews at least knew their OT prophecy and so in one sense their interpretation was "spot on," for Jesus was indeed the One about whom Moses had prophesied. They had the right Man, but the wrong role. They were looking for a political leader, not a Suffering Servant. They were looking for a physical Savior (a conquerer) not a suffering Savior. And so their interpretation was wrong. So here the people saw the bread sign and said truly (alethos) Jesus was the Prophet (definite article "the" is before "prophet" which indicates the specific prophet, the one prophesied of by Moses), whereas after walking on water and stilling the storm the twelve disciples "worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly (alethos) God’s Son!” The crowd saw the Prophet but missed the Son!

This is truly the Prophet is a reference to Moses' prophecy (which indicates they were not ignorant of the Scriptures).

"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him." 16 “This is according to all that you asked of the LORD your God in Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God, let me not see this great fire anymore, or I will die.’ 17 “The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. 18 ‘I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, (MESSIANIC PROPHECY) and I will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. 19 ‘It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which He shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. (Read this version to help understand - Dt 18:19NET) (Deuteronomy 18:15-19+ cf. Acts 3:20–22+, John 1:21; 7:40, 52).

Comment - Recall that Jesus had declared to the Jews in John 5:46 "For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me," and Dt 18 is a specific Messianic prophecy which Jesus fulfilled. Note the aspect of this prophecy which they missed (read it again - what did they miss?) They missed the critical warning that they would be held accountable and responsible if they did not pay attention to this Prophet's words! The NLT says it this way "I (YAHWEH) will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the Prophet proclaims on My behalf." (Dt 18:19NLT)

Barton - Elisha foreshadowed this Prophet (who was one and the same as the Messiah) to come. According to 2Ki 4:42–44, Elisha fed one hundred men with twenty loaves (a 5:1 ratio). But Jesus fed five thousand with five loaves (a 1000:1 ratio)! In Isaiah 25:6–9, the prophet said that the Messiah would prepare a great feast for all people, Jews and Gentiles. This miracle shows Jesus to be the Messiah (ED: TO THOSE WHO HAVE EYES TO SEE!). (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

William MacDonald - They were waiting for an earthly monarch. But their faith was not genuine. They were not willing to admit that Jesus was the Son of God or to confess their sins and accept Him as Savior. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Henry Morris - This is the third of seven great miracles of creation described by John (John 20:31) to demonstrate the deity of Christ. Jesus superseded the law of conservation of matter by creating a great amount of bread and meat for the multitude. This law, considered one of the most basic and universal laws of physics, states that matter (or "mass") can neither be created nor destroyed. The miraculous feeding of the multitude is one of the few events described in all four Gospels (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:32-44; Luke 9:10-17). (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible)

Edwin Blum writes "Seeing this miraculous sign (semeion), the people recalled Moses prediction that a Prophet like him would arise (Deut. 18:15). Moses had fed the people. Moses had led them out of bondage. Jesus had fed the people. Jesus could lead the people out of the hated Roman bondage. The people saw His sign, but they did not perceive its meaning. They wanted to seize Him and make Him King. This marks the highpoint of Jesus' popularity and a great temptation for Him. Could He have the kingdom without the Cross? No. Jesus' kingdom would be given to Him by the Father (cf. Ps. 2:7-12; Dan. 7:13-14). It will not come from this world (John 18:36). The path of the Father's will lies in another direction. Before He can be the reigning Lion of Judah, He must be the Lamb who bears the sin of the world (Jn 1:29). (See Bible Knowledge Commentary - Page 294)

POSB characterizes the people's faith as "a materialistic faith, a faith that makes a profession of Jesus. The people’s profession: Jesus is the Messiah (cf Christos; Messiah - Anointed One; Messiah - messias). The people’s concept: Jesus is an earthly, materialistic, worldly-minded king." (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible)

What the Bible Teaches - The multitudes had experienced a threefold blessing: 1. their sick had been healed (Mt 14:14); 2. they had been taught (Mark 6:34); 3. they had been satisfied with food. As a result, they claimed that the Lord was "that prophet that should come into the world" (John 6:14). Above all, they attempted to make Him a king by force (v. 15), an impossibility, since His enthronement would be by His Father God (Ps 2:6).

Truly (230)(alethos) is an adverb meaning adv. truly, really, actually With adjectival function = real Jn 1:47; 8:31. BDAG says "corresponding to what is really so."

Alethos - Matt. 14:33; Matt. 26:73; Matt. 27:54; Mk. 14:70; Mk. 15:39; Lk. 9:27; Lk. 12:44; Lk. 21:3; Jn. 1:47; Jn. 4:42; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 7:26; Jn. 7:40; Jn. 8:31; Jn. 17:8; Acts 12:11; 1Th 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:5

Prophet (4396) prophetes from próphemi = literally to tell beforehand in turn from pró = before, in front of, forth, on behalf of + phemí = speak, tell) is primarily a forth-teller or one who speaks out God’s message, primarily to their own generation, usually always calling the people to God's truth for them at that moment, often using the phrase "Thus saith the Lord." The prophet is one who speaks before in the sense of proclaim, or the one who speaks for, i.e., in the Name of (God). "As distinct from the sacral figures of pagan antiquity the biblical prophet is not a magician. He does not force God. On the contrary, he is under divine constraint. It is God Who invites, summons, and impels him--e.g., Jer 20:7" (Lamorte and Hawthorne) Although we commonly think of the prophet as predicting future events (foretelling) generally this was secondary to his work of forth-telling. When they functioned as predictors or prognosticators, the Biblical prophets foretold the future with 100 percent accuracy. And so if they were correct on the first coming of Messiah, they will be correct on His second coming and on the coming of the antichrist. In sum, forth-telling dealt with current events and fore-telling with future events, but in both the goal is the same -- to call us to trust the Lord and submit to His will for our lives, living in conformity with His Word. Lexham Bible - Prophetes is someone who is specially endowed or enabled to receive and deliver direct revelation of God's will. See also Dictionary of Biblical Imagery discussion of imagery associated with PROPHET.

Prophetes in John - Jn. 1:21; Jn. 1:23; Jn. 1:25; Jn. 1:45; Jn. 4:19; Jn. 4:44; Jn. 6:14; Jn. 6:45; Jn. 7:40; Jn. 7:52; Jn. 8:52; Jn. 8:53; Jn. 9:17; Jn. 12:38;

QUESTION - Who is the Prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15–19?

ANSWER - Deuteronomy is the account of Moses’ teaching of the law to the generation of Israel after their 40-year wilderness wandering. As part of his instruction to Israel, he speaks of a coming prophet: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, ‘Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die’” (Deuteronomy 18:15–16).

In Deuteronomy 18 Moses warns the people against imitating other nations and falling into idolatry (Deuteronomy 18:9). Moses reminds the people of specific practices they should avoid and how God would judge the people who engage in them (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). Israel was to be distinct—holy and blameless—gaining their approval from God and not from other nations (Deuteronomy 18:13). Those nations listened to falsehood and engaged in detestable practices (Deuteronomy 18:14). Israel was not to do that.

In order to ensure that Israel would know God’s direction, He would raise up for Israel a prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15a). The context provides some hints as to who this prophet is. This prophet would be one of their countrymen, and they should listen to him (Deuteronomy 18:15b). Moses explains that this was a concession on God’s part. The people were terrified when God appeared at Mount Sinai (in Horeb) and asked that God speak to them through an intermediary (Exodus 20:18–19). God was gracious to the people and commended them for fearing Him (Deuteronomy 18:16–17). Moses recounts how God told him that God would raise up a prophet and put His words in that prophet’s mouth (Deuteronomy 18:18). Anyone who would not listen to the prophet would be accountable to God (Deuteronomy 18:19).

As Israel waited for this prophet, God warned that there would be false prophets who would speak in the name of other gods. Those false prophets would be worthy of death (Deuteronomy 18:20). The people of Israel could recognize false prophets by whether or not their prophecies came to pass (Deuteronomy 18:21).

The reference to “a prophet” in Deuteronomy 18:15–19 could be fulfilled by any of the prophets that God would send to the nation. However, the expectation of the people was clearly that God would send one particular prophet. They looked forward to that. When John the Baptist came, the people asked him if he was the prophet (John 1:21). John explained that he was not the prophet. The One that John was announcing was the Messiah, the prophet for whom the people were waiting (John 1:26–30). Peter connected the role of Messiah with that prophet and affirmed that Jesus was the Expected One (Acts 3:20–26).

While God spoke to Israel through many prophets over the years (Acts 3:24), in the latter days God spoke through His Son (Hebrews 1:1). Jesus is the ultimate Prophet and best epitomizes the prophet in Deuteronomy 18:15–19. He spoke of things to come, announcing His coming kingdom. He revealed and explained His Father (John 1:18; 14:10–11). He provided an incredible panorama of the future and offered a blessing to all who hear and heed His word (Revelation 1:3). All who believe in Him will have eternal life (John 6:47), and no one who believes in Him will be disappointed or disturbed (Isaiah 28:16). This Prophet is trustworthy because He is much more than simply a prophet. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). The people understood that this meant He was God (John 5:18).GotQuestions.org

Steven Cole writes "Jesus does not want followers who have misconceptions about who He is, who use Him for their own purposes (Jn 6:14-15)." (See below for his full sermon Growing to Know the Lord for Who He Is)

Charles Ryrie - THE ALL-SUFFICIENT SAVIOR - CHRIST WALKING ON THE WATER

All three accounts of this miracle place it immediately after the feeding of the more than five thousand people by the lake of Galilee. Certainly more than ten thousand people (perhaps as many as fifteen thousand) had been fully satisfied by that miracle, for there were baskets of leftovers that were carefully gathered. By this spectacular miracle the Lord had proved himself to be all-sufficient for the multitude’s physical needs on that occasion. But before the next day dawned, he would show himself sufficient for other needs that his disciples had.

1. THE SAVIOR PROTECTING

Matthew’s and Mark’s accounts begin with a note of urgency; John explains why. Immediately, the Lord sent the disciples across the lake to Bethsaida, which was near Capernaum. One Bethsaida was the site of the feeding of the five thousand on the east bank of the upper Jordan just above where it flows into the lake of Galilee, but the disciples were sent to another town by the same name, northwest of the lake, near Capernaum. The distance between the two towns was only four or five miles.

Meanwhile the Lord had retreated to a mountain to pray. After seeing the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand, the multitude had wanted to make Christ king. Doubtless they saw in him a leader who might successfully overthrow the Roman hold on Palestine, and their nationalistic spirit caused them to seize on what they saw as their moment of opportunity. But the disciples’ departure and the Lord’s withdrawal quickly put an end to the little effort to make him king.

As God, Jesus is king, and his kingdom relates to earth, but not at that time in history. Many commentators miss the point, declaring that Jesus did not want to be an earthly king. Not only did he want to be when he came the first time offering the promised messianic kingdom, but he will, when he comes the second time, rule over this present earth. When the people rejected his offer to be king, he began to teach them of the mysteries of the kingdom that characterize this present time between his first and second comings (see Matthew 13). It was not their desire to make him an earthly king that was wrong; it was the timing of it. They had spurned his condition of personal repentance for entering the kingdom; they wanted only a political leader against Rome.

The disciples might have been caught in the middle of this tug of war had the Lord not sent them away. The crowd would naturally have expected them to rally with them; Christ would have expected them to reject the crowd’s actions. To protect them from possible harm, the Savior sent them away. In this action the Lord was protecting them.

But soon they faced another problem: a bad storm on the lake. How often during that night they must have wished for the calm of the shore! But the Lord sent them to contend with the waves to protect them from having to contend with the crowd.

Adversity is not always chastisement. Often our Lord offers a way of escape, which though difficult in itself protects us from a more serious danger that we know nothing about. When afflictions come, we naturally ask why, and that is not wrong. It might be wrong, however, if we attempted to answer the question, for we only see a part of the plan and we cannot know what might have been. But our Lord can and does know, so we obey him and trust him in the problem, remembering that it may be his way of protecting us from something worse. Sometimes the storm is the best will of God. (Compare this with the delay in John 11:5–6.)

2. THE SAVIOR PREPARING - click here for the rest of this paragraph

3. THE SAVIOR PRAYING - click here for the rest of this paragraph

4. THE SAVIOR PROVIDING - click here for the rest of this paragraph

A. Providing His Presence - click here for the rest of this paragraph

B. Providing His Power

John 6:15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

NET John 6:15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone.

NLT John 6:15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.

ESV John 6:15 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.

NIV John 6:15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.

GNT John 6:15 Ἰησοῦς οὖν γνοὺς ὅτι μέλλουσιν ἔρχεσθαι καὶ ἁρπάζειν αὐτὸν ἵνα ποιήσωσιν βασιλέα, ἀνεχώρησεν πάλιν εἰς τὸ ὄρος αὐτὸς μόνος.

KJV John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

YLT John 6:15 Jesus, therefore, having known that they are about to come, and to take him by force that they may make him king, retired again to the mountain himself alone.

perceiving: John 2:24-25 Heb 4:13
take: John 7:3,4 12:12,13 Mk 11:9 Lu 19:38
withdrew again: John 5:41 18:36 Mt 14:22 Mk 6:46-52
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 2:23-25+ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed (pisteuo) in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting (pisteuo) Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man. (Comment - These Jews believed in Jesus, but He did not believe in them! They were oxymoronic for they were “unsaved believers”! It was one thing to respond to a miracle but quite another to fully commit oneself to Jesus Christ and continue in His Word -- John 8:30, 31+)

Hebrews 4:13+ And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

John 18:36+ Jesus answered (PILATE), “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

ATTEMPT TO CROWN
JESUS KING!

So (for this reason - term of conclusion) Jesus, perceiving (ginosko) - This implies His divine knowledge of the intentions of the crowd. Robertson adds "It was not hard for Christ to read the mind of this excited mob." (Word Pictures) Of course it was not hard, because He was God and He knew what they were preparing to do!

This event marks the pinnacle of Jesus' popularity with the people. In John 5 He had already become personna non grata with the Jewish religious leaders and after dispensing miracle bread His popularity would decline with the people (cf Jn 6:66+).

R Kent Hughes - John 6 records Jesus’ miraculous feeding of 5,000 men plus women and children. However that multiplication took place—whether as Jesus spoke those words a great mound of bread and fish formed before the thousands, or whether as the bread and fishes were passed, they were multiplied—it was a stupendous act (ED: CLEARLY IT WAS NOT BY JESUS SPEAKING A GREAT MOUND OF FISH - Mk 6:41+ SAYS "broke the loaves and He kept giving [imperfect tense = again and again] them to the disciples to set before them."). And the people loved it! A man who could do that could do anything! In their mind’s eye the masses probably saw the foot of Jesus upon the imperial eagles of the Roman legions. They could see the image of Caesar on their coins replaced with that of Jesus. Of course the people wanted Jesus to be their king. Who would not want to be subject to a man like that? (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

That they were intending (were about) to come and take Him by force (harpazo - seize Him, caught up or rapture = 1Th 4:11) to make Him king (basileus) - The words were intending to (mello = at the very point of acting) indicate the process was already being formulated in the minds of the crowd. Jesus knowing what would soon happen wanted the disciples gone because they might have been taken up by the frenzy of the crowd to make Him their king and so in Mt 14:22+ and Mark 6:45+ we read that Jesus took action immediately!

Immediately (eutheos) He made (anagkazo = compelled - suggesting they wanted to stay) the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away. 23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. (Matthew 14:22-23+)

THOUGHT- Note sequence - sent disciples away, sent crowds away and went to mountain. The tragedy is the crowd saw Jesus as their potential political king, but failed to see with eyes of faith that He had come to be the spiritual King in their hearts. Is Jesus reigning in your heart or is Sin reigning (see Ro 6:12+ and remember Jesus' words in Mt 6:24+)?

Immediately (euthus) Jesus made (anagkazo = compelled - suggesting they wanted to stay) His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. (Mark 6:45-46+)

THOUGHT - What is the lesson Jesus teaches in His withdrawal from the crowd? He would rather be in communion with His Father, then have the adulation of the crowd. Oh, how we need to learn daily to imitate Jesus!

Warren Wiersbe says "Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat (Mt. 14:22+; Mk 6:45+) because He knew they were in danger.The crowd was now aroused and there was a movement to make Him King. Of course, some of the disciples would have rejoiced at the opportunity to become famous and powerful! Judas would have become treasurer of the kingdom, and perhaps Peter would have been named prime minister! But this was not in the plan of God, and Jesus broke up the meeting immediately. Certainly the Roman government would have stepped in had a movement begun. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Steven Cole - A. W. Pink (Christ Walking in the Sea John 6:14-27) points out that these people proclaimed Jesus as their prophet and were willing to make Him their king (SEE JESUS - PROPHET, PRIEST, KING). But they were omitting the other office that must come before He is crowned as king: He is the priest, who offered Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins. The disciples did not learn that lesson until after the cross and resurrection. But this miracle was one of the many times that Jesus had to repeat this lesson before it finally sank in.

Kenneth Gangel observes that the crowd was "ready to offer him worship, but it was false worship. This was one of the things Satan had promised during the temptation in the wilderness—Jesus' own people wanting to make him king." (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

J C Ryle - Matthew and Mark both say that our Lord “constrained” (FORCED) them to embark in the ship and depart. He “obliged” or “compelled” them. He probably saw that in their ignorance of the spiritual nature of His kingdom they were ready to fall in with the wishes of the multitude, and to proclaim Him a king....Popularity and the good opinion of excited crowds are both worthless and temporary things. (John 6 Commentary)

A T Robertson - There was a movement to start a revolution against Roman rule in Palestine by proclaiming Jesus King and driving away Pilate....He sent them hurriedly by boat to the western side (Mark 6:45f.= Matt. 14:22f.) because clearly the apostles were sympathetic with the revolutionary impulse of the crowd. (Word Pictures)

Constable - Moses had also provided military leadership for the Israelites and had liberated them from the oppression of the Egyptians. These Jews concluded that Jesus could do the same for them and sought to secure His political leadership forcefully. This decision marks the apogee of Jesus’ popularity.

Kenneth Gangel - Jesus could not accept the popular movement to make Him king. The people were ready to offer Him worship, but it was false worship. This was one of the things Satan had promised during the temptation in the wilderness (Lk 4:7-8+)—Jesus’ own people wanting to make Him king. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

D A Carson - Jesus himself knew that the way His kingdom would triumph would not be by beating the enemy in siege warfare, but by dying and rising from the dead; ‘He would go to Jerusalem not to wield the spear and bring the judgment, but to receive the spear thrust and bear the judgment’. (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary)

NET Note - Jesus, knowing that his "hour" had not yet come (and would not, in this fashion = ED: THAT IS BY THEIR ATTEMPT TO CROWN HIM KING) withdrew again up the mountainside alone. The ministry of miracles in Galilee, ending with this, the multiplication of the bread (the last public miracle in Galilee recorded by John) aroused such a popular response that there was danger of an uprising. This would have given the authorities a legal excuse to arrest Jesus. The nature of Jesus' kingship will become an issue again in the passion narrative of the Fourth Gospel ( John 18:33ff.). Furthermore, the volatile reaction of the Galileans to the signs prepares for and foreshadows the misunderstanding of the miracle itself, and even the misunderstanding of Jesus' explanation of it (John 6:22–71).

Wiersbe makes a great point - As you read the Gospel records, note that our Lord was never impressed by the great crowds. He knew that their motives were not pure and that most of them followed Him in order to watch His miracles of healing. “Bread and circuses” was Rome’s formula for keeping the people happy, and people today are satisfied with that kind of diet. Give them food and entertainment and they are happy. Rome set aside ninety-three days each year for public games at government expense. It was cheaper to entertain the crowds than to fight them or jail them. We must never be deceived by the “popularity” of Jesus Christ among certain kinds of people today. Very few want Him as Saviour and Lord. (Mt 7:13-14) Many want Him only as Healer or Provider, or the One who rescues them from problems they have made for themselves. “And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life” (John 5:40). (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Withdrew (anachoreo) again to the mountain by Himself alone - The synoptic accounts explain that Jesus went to the mountain alone to pray. Mt 14:23+ (cf Mk 6:46+) says "After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone."

Robertson Word Pictures - "Then Jesus sent the multitudes away also and went up into the mountain alone. He was alone in every sense, for no one but the Father understood him at this stage, not even his own disciples. He went up to pray."

THOUGHT - If someone sought to make you king, what would be your response? Most of us would be willing to accept this honor and the power that went with it. But not Jesus. Is this not further evidence He was not a mere man but was the God-Man Who had come not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many.

MacDonald adds "if Jesus were only a man, He doubtless would have submitted readily to their request. Men are only too anxious to be exalted and to be given a place of prominence. But Jesus was not moved by such appeals to vanity and pride. He realized that He had come into the world to die as a Substitute for sinners on the cross. He would do nothing to interfere with that objective. He would not ascend the throne until first He had ascended the altar of sacrifice. He must suffer, bleed, and die before He would be exalted." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Guzik - Jesus was more interested in being with His Father in heaven than in hearing the applause of the crowd.

Utley - The crowd was excited by Jesus’ Messianic miracle of providing food. This verse may relate to the evil one’s temptation of Matt. 4:3+.

F. B. Meyer writes "As St. Bernard said, He always fled when they wanted to make Him King, and presented Himself when they wanted to crucify Him. With this clearly in mind let us not hesitate to adopt the noble works of Ittai the Gittite: “As the Lord liveth, and as my lord the king liveth, surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will thy servant be” (2 Samuel 15:21). And He will surely answer, as that same David did to another fugitive who came to identify himself with his cause: “Abide with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life, but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.” (Tried By Fire, p. 152)

Take by force (726)(harpazo from haireô = take, in NT only in middle voice = haireomai = to take for oneself, to choose; akin to airo = to raise up) means to snatch up or way, to seize or seize upon, to steal (see comparison to klepto below), to catch away or up, to pluck, to pull. Harpazo means to take suddenly and vehemently, often with violence and speed or quickly and without warning. The idea is to take by force with a sudden swoop and usually indicates a force which cannot be resisted. In eschatological terms (future events, prophetically related) in 1 Th 4:17+, harpazo refers to what is often known as the "rapture" (Latin = raptura = seizing or Latin = rapio = seize, snatch). Harpazo -14x in NT - Matt. 11:12; Matt. 12:29; Matt. 13:19; Jn. 6:15; Jn. 10:12; Jn. 10:28; Jn. 10:29; Acts 8:39; Acts 23:10; 2 Co. 12:2; 2 Co. 12:4; 1 Thess. 4:17; Jude 1:23; Rev. 12:5

John 6:15-21 Confident Hindu

You may remember Rao, the Hindu holy man who flirted with fame in 1966. The old mystic believed he could walk on water. He was so confident in his own spiritual power that he announced he would perform the feat before a live audience. He sold tickets at $100 apiece. Bombay’s elite turned out en masse to behold the spectacle. The event was held in a large garden with a deep pool. A crowd of more than 600 had assembled. The white-bearded yogi appeared in flowing robes and stepped confidently to the edge of the pool. He paused to pray silently. A reverent hush fell on the crowd. Rao opened his eyes, looked heavenward, and boldly stepped forward. With an awkward splash he disappeared beneath the water. Sputtering and red-faced, the holy man struggled to pull himself out of the water. Trembling with rage, he shook his finger at the silent, embarrassed crowd. “One of you,” Rao bellowed indignantly, “is an unbeliever!” (John MacArthur, in Tabletalk, April, 1990)

John 6:16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

NET John 6:16 Now when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,

NLT John 6:16 That evening Jesus' disciples went down to the shore to wait for him.

ESV John 6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,

NIV John 6:16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,

GNT John 6:16 Ὡς δὲ ὀψία ἐγένετο κατέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν

KJV John 6:16 And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,

YLT John 6:16 And when evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,

ASV John 6:16 And when evening came, his disciples went down unto the sea;

CSB John 6:16 When evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

NKJ John 6:16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages: Barton - Of the three Gospel accounts of this miracle, John’s includes the fewest details. He understates the action, and apart from a brief mention of the disciples’ fright, he makes little emphasis on this event. Matthew described Peter’s walk on the water. Mark mentioned the difficulties being created by the wind and waves as well as the fact that when the disciples saw Jesus, he was passing by them. The focus of Matthew and Mark highlighted the miracle and its effects on those who participated in it; John included the miracle as yet another indication of the true identity of Jesus. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Matthew 14:23+ After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. 24 But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” 28 Peter said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and *said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mark 6:45-51+ Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished,

R C H Lenski - John writes for readers who have Matt. 14:22–34 and Mark 6:45–51 before them, who thus know to what he refers (v. 17) and are able to combine the new features he offers with the accounts they already know so well (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel)

Now when evening came, His disciples (mathetes) went down to the sea - This is the second evening from 6 PM until dark for Jn 6:17 says "It had already become dark." The words went down indicate they had been on elevated land (where the 5000 were fed) and where Jesus had made (compelled) them get into the boat (Mt 14:22).

Robertson - It is late evening (real evening), not the early evening in mid-afternoon (Mt. 14:15). The disciples were in no hurry to start back to Bethsaida in Galilee (Mark 6:45), Capernaum in John (Jn 6:17). (Word Pictures)

Constable - The disciples went from the thrill of great success to the agony of great danger. The feeding of the 5,000 was a lesson, and Jesus’ walking on the water was the test following the lesson.

The Training of the Twelve - THE STORM MATT. 14:24–33; MARK 6:45–52; JOHN 6:16–21 - See message on "The Storm" below - A B Bruce

John 6:17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

NET John 6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake to Capernaum. (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.)

NLT John 6:17 But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn't come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum.

ESV John 6:17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

NIV John 6:17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.

GNT John 6:17 καὶ ἐμβάντες εἰς πλοῖον ἤρχοντο πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἰς Καφαρναούμ. καὶ σκοτία ἤδη ἐγεγόνει καὶ οὔπω ἐληλύθει πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς,

KJV John 6:17 And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

YLT John 6:17 and having entered into the boat, they were going over the sea to Capernaum, and darkness had already come, and Jesus had not come unto them,

started to cross the sea: John 6:24,25 2:12 4:46 Mk 6:45
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

"The Jesus Boat"

DISCIPLES COMPELLED
TO LEAVE

And after getting into a boat (ploion), they started to cross the sea to Capernaum - Literally "they were going over the sea to Capernaum," in the Picturesque imperfect. (ATR). Recall that Capernaum was the city Jesus utilized as home base during His time in Galilee, for when He left His boyhood home in "Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum," (Mt 4:13), which Matthew later called "His own city." (Mt 9:1) and where He paid taxes (Mt 17:24-27).

As Ryle says "This would be more literally “the ship.” It seems to mean that particular vessel or fishing-boat which our Lord and His disciples always used on the lake of Galilee."

The disciples obeyed Jesus' orders to leave for Mark 6:45+ teaches that "Immediately Jesus made (anagkazo - compelled) His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away." He was aware that the crowd was planning to make Him their king and the disciples might be lured into a similar mindset. As Wiersbe observes "This incident occurred at the high point of our Lord’s popularity. The disciples (especially Judas) would have welcomed a kingdom, so Jesus sent them away into a storm." (Borrow With the Word)

Warren Wiersbe - Did Jesus know that a storm was coming? Of course. Then why did He deliberately send His friends into danger? Quite the opposite is true: He was rescuing them from greater danger, the danger of being swept along by a fanatical crowd. But there was another reason for that storm: the Lord has to balance our lives; otherwise we will become proud and then fall. The disciples had experienced great joy in being part of a thrilling miracle. Now they had to face a storm and learn to trust the Lord more. The feeding of the 5,000 was the lesson, but the storm was the examination after the lesson. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

Constable - The disciples’ ultimate destination was Capernaum. They evidently reached Bethsaida Julius and waited there for Jesus to join them. When He did not appear by nightfall, they decided to travel on to Capernaum without Him.

This happens at the high point (see chart) of our Lord’s popularity. a) The disciples (esp Judas) would have welcomed a kingdom. b) So, Jesus sends them into a storm! 2. The disciples are threatened by a sudden squall. 3. From popularity to peril! - Do you find yourself toiling against Satan’s storms? Jesus is praying for you on the mount & one day will come to bring peace.

It had already become dark (skotia), and Jesus had not yet come to them - NET Note says "This is a parenthetical note by the author." As an aside it is always "dark" when Jesus has not come to someone because He alone is the Light of the world (Jn 8:12)! Guzik adds " Several of the disciples were fishermen, all accustomed to fishing on this very lake. It didn’t bother them at all that they would be rowing across the lake at night."

MacDonald - Where was He? He was up on the mountain praying. What a picture of Christ’s followers today. They are on the stormy sea of life. It is dark. The Lord Jesus is nowhere to be seen. But that does not mean that He is unaware of what is going on. He is in heaven praying for those He loves (Heb 7:25, Ro 8:34). (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Wiersbe adds a similar applicational thought - How like the church today: we are toiling against Satan’s storms, but our Lord is praying for us on the mount and one day will come to bring peace. (Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament )

Robertson on It had already become dark - Past perfect active of γινομαι [ginomai]. While they were going, “darkness had already come.” And Jesus had not yet come to them (και οὐκ ἐληλυθει προς αὐτους ὁ Ἰησους [kai ouk elēluthei pros autous ho Iēsous]). Another past perfect active of ἐρχομαι [erchomai] with negative οὐπω [oupō]. Darkness had come, but Jesus had not come, while they were going over the sea. The tenses in these verses are very graphic. (Word Pictures)

MacArthur on Jesus had not yet come - According to Mark 6:45, their initial destination was Bethsaida, not far from where the thousands were fed. Apparently, they were planning to meet Jesus there before crossing the lake to the western shore (Matt. 14:34; Mark 6:53)....They waited at Bethsaida until it had already become dark. Then, since Jesus had not yet come to them, the disciples reluctantly returned to their boat and took their voyage to Capernaum, on the northwest shore. (See John Commentary)

Bruce Barton - For those reading the Gospels with a Harmony of the Gospels, there may be some confusion about where the disciples were going. According to Matthew 14:22, Jesus told the disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead to “the other side.” According to Mark 6:45, Jesus made the disciples board a boat while he dismissed the crowds and told them to “go on ahead to the other side, to Bethsaida” (NRSV). According to Luke 9:10, Jesus and the disciples were in Bethsaida for the feeding of the five thousand. According to John 6:17, the disciples “set off across the lake for Capernaum” (NIV). One solution is that two communities were named Bethsaida. Luke 9:10 identifies Bethsaida near Julias on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. In Mark 6:45–46, the name identifies a village near Capernaum on the western shore. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

Dark (4653)(skotia from skotos = darkness) means literal darkness in some NT uses (Jn 6:17, 20:1), but more often (14/16x) is used figuratively to refer to spiritual darkness. In every NT figurative use, darkness is contrasted with light in all but one passage (1Jn 2:11). "Darkness has no existence by itself, being definable simply as an absence of light." Throughout the Bible, darkness is an implied contrast to light, regardless of whether the darkness is physical or symbolic. All uses of skotia - Matt. 4:16; Matt. 10:27; Lk. 12:3; Jn. 1:5; Jn. 6:17; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 12:35; Jn. 12:46; Jn. 20:1; 1 Jn. 1:5; 1 Jn. 2:8; 1 Jn. 2:9; 1 Jn. 2:11

Boat (4143) ploion from pleo = to sail) can refer to a rather large seagoing craft (Acts 20:13, 38; Acts 21:2f, 6; 27 Jas 3:4; Rev 8:9; Rev 18:19) or a small fishing craft boat as used on the Sea of Galilee (Mt 4:21f; Mt 9:1; Mk 1:19f; Mk 6:51, 54; Jn 6:19, 21f; Jn 21:3). See Wikipedia description of the "Jesus Boat" discovered in 1986. Ploion in John = Jn. 6:17; Jn. 6:19; Jn. 6:21; Jn. 6:22; Jn. 21:3; Jn. 21:6

John 6:18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing.

NET John 6:18 By now a strong wind was blowing and the sea was getting rough.

NLT John 6:18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.

ESV John 6:18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.

NIV John 6:18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.

GNT John 6:18 ἥ τε θάλασσα ἀνέμου μεγάλου πνέοντος διεγείρετο.

KJV John 6:18 And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

Ps 107:25 Ps 135:7 Mt 14:24
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Psalm 107:25+ For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea.

Psalm 135:7+ He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightnings for the rain, Who brings forth the wind from His treasuries.

Matthew 14:24+ But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary.

Mark 4:35-41+ (ANOTHER STORM BUT JESUS WAS IN THE BOAT ON THIS OCCASION) On that day, when evening came, He *said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd, they *took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. 37 And there *arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. 38 Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they *woke Him and *said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” 39 And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. 40 And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Storm Tossed Ship

A STORM IS
BREWING

The sea began to be stirred up (diegeiro) because a strong wind was blowing - God Who controls the seas, stirred up the sea. Note (1) the disciples were in the will of God and (2) God sent a storm. Storms do not mean you are not in God's will. Storms are not meant to destroy us but to test our faith and strengthen our faith. They also often show us our inadequacy (THOUGHT - They rowed for hours and made little progress! I've been there, done that! My inadequacy, His sufficiency!) Notice that while the sea began to be stirred up but Jesus saw "them straining at the oars." Here in John 6:18 stirred (diegeiro) is in the imperfect tense picturing the waves rising up again and again. You can envision them beginning to lap against the side of the boat. This reflects the hand of God stirring the waters, because it is "test time" for the disciples!

Life Application Study Note - The Sea of Galilee is 650 feet below sea level, 150 feet deep, and surrounded by hills. These physical features make it subject to sudden windstorms that would cause extremely high waves. Such storms were expected on this lake, but they were nevertheless frightening. (Borrow Life Application Study Bible) (Ed: While this naturalistic explanation is very reasonable, there is absolutely no question that the sovereign, omnipotent God orchestrated the meteorological conditions that caused this storm!)

Wiersbe - This experience of the disciples in the storm can be an encouragement to us when we go through the storms of life. When we find ourselves in the storm, we can rest on several assurances. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

Adrian Rogers - No doubt He knew a storm was brewing. They would learn a great lesson that day. Jesus is an unusual teacher. He gives the test first and the lesson afterward.

THOUGHT- Are you in a storm? Has God brought about a "pop test" that has caught you off guard? Are the waves beginning to crash against you? Do you feel like you are about to drown? Beloved may the Spirit of God grant you grace to sing with confidence "His Eye Is On The Sparrow and I know He watches over me!" We also do well to memorize and recall the truth of 1 Corinthians 10:13+ that "No temptation ("POP TEST") has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful (TRUSTWORTHY!), Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that (PURPOSE) you will be able to endure it (NOT NECESSARILY "ESCAPE" IT)."

The point is that the disciples are as far from land as they can possibly be. They were in the area of maximum danger. God was setting the stage for another "command performance" by Christ and another test of the faith of the disciples. In short, the Master Teacher was preparing His "learners" (disciples) for a "divine pop test." They have been in Jesus' "classroom" all day, first His teaching didactically and then teaching by demonstration (loaves and fishes). What had they learned on this incredible day of instruction?

THOUGHT - Adrian Rogers applies this picture to our lives writing "They were in the middle of the sea, the middle of the "problem" and the wind was contrary. Does it seem not only are you in the middle of a problem, but that the winds of life are in your face? And then not only the distance from the shore, and the direction of the wind, but the darkness of night. Maybe they could hardly see their hands before their faces. Have you ever been there? Not only are you in the middle of a problem, not only are the winds against you, but you're in darkness. You don't know what is what. You don't know where is where or who is Who. It doesn't seem to make sense. If so, you are in a good position for the performance of the Savior, the One Who still says "Be of good cheer... I Am." (Mt 14:27+) ("Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”)

D A Carson - The Sea of Galilee lies about six hundred feet below sea level. Cool air from the south-eastern tablelands can rush in to displace the warm moist air over the lake, churning up the water in a violent squall. (Borrow The Gospel according to John - Pillar Commentary)

Spurgeon - It did not matter however. For if his disciples be in a storm, so long as Christ is praying for them all the storms in the world are unable to sink them. They had a good protector. From the outlook of that hill his eyes, which could see through the distance, observed and regulated every breath of wind, and every wave upon the lake. (See Spurgeon's exposition of the Gospel of Matthew)

Do you find yourself in a storm today?
Ask God for the strength and courage to weather it
and for the wisdom to understand it, not waste it.
-- Warren Wiersbe

Brian Bell - Did Jesus know the storm was coming? Yes. Did He deliberately direct them into the storm? Yes. Isn’t this like, telling a child to cross the street when you know a car is coming? No! It’s like, creating waves w/ your left hand in a bathtub & holding a toy boat perfectly afloat w/ your right hand. 2 Kinds of Storms: 1. Storms of Correction - When God disciplines us (eg. Jonah). (Heb 12:5-11, Ps 119:67, 71) 2 Storms of Perfection - When God helps us grow (eg. here). In the 1st storm, Jesus rode it with them (Mt 8). This one, He tests them being out of the boat. Do you think that obedience to God always brings smooth sailing? No! Sometimes obedience places you right in a storm. [i.e. every storm is not of the devil] a) Example: Acts 4. Peter & John, obediently preaching & teaching. Result? Jailed. Be assured, If He has brought you into the middle of a storm...He cares for you and He prays for you. (Mt 14:23+, Heb 7:25+, Ro 8:34+) We now are on the sea of humanity as He sits upon the shores of heaven interceding for us. What if I told you Jesus was right in this next room praying for you. Wouldn’t it not give you new courage to endure the storms/trials of life? He saw the disciples & knew their plight. (Mk. 6:48+) (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

J C Ryle - Burkitt remarks that the position of the disciples, immediately tempest-tossed after witnessing and partaking in a mighty miracle, is an instructive type of the common experience of believers. After seasons of peculiar privileges there often come sharp trials of faith and patience. This sudden trial of faith by danger was no doubt intended to be a lesson to the disciples as to what they must expect in the exercise of their ministry. Affliction and crosses are the grindstones on which God is constantly sharpening those instruments which He uses most. (John 6 Commentary)

Wiersbe - The storm came because they were in the will of God and not (like Jonah) out of the will of God. Did Jesus know that the storm was coming? Certainly! Did He deliberately direct them into the storm? Yes! They were safer in the storm in God’s will than on land with the crowds out of God’s will. We must never judge our security on the basis of circumstances alone. As we read our Bibles, we discover that there are two kinds of storms: storms of correction, when God disciplines us; and storms of perfection, when God helps us to grow. Jonah was in a storm because he disobeyed God and had to be corrected. The disciples were in a storm because they obeyed Christ and had to be perfected. Jesus had tested them in a storm before, when He was in the boat with them (Matt. 8:23–27). But now He tested them by being out of the boat. Many Christians have the mistaken idea that obedience to God’s will produces “smooth sailing.” But this is not true. “In the world you shall have tribulation,” Jesus promised (John 16:33, cf 2Ti 3:12). When we find ourselves in the storm because we have obeyed the Lord, we must remember that He brought us here and He can care for us. (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Stirred (1326)(diegeiro means to arouse completely, to wake up, awaken, arouse (from repose, from sleep). (1) literally in active voice to cause to wake up, awaken (Lk 8.24); figuratively, of mental activity rouse up, stir up, arouse the mind, stir up, render active (2Pe 1.13); (2) passive become awake, wake up (Mk 4.39); metaphorically, of a calm sea become stormy or turbulent, a resting, quiet sea begins to be agitated, to rise up (Jn 6.18). Uses 5x in NT - got(2), stir(1), stirred(1), stirring(1), woke(1). Mk. 4:39; Lk. 8:24; Jn. 6:18; 2 Pet. 1:13; 2 Pet. 3:1.

Barton - LIGHT THINKING Sadly, most of us quickly forget in the darkness what seemed so clear in the light. As the disciples continually learned, we depend on tangible evidence more than we ought. Our senses, though valuable gifts, have limitations. As soon as Jesus left his disciples, they forgot the amazing powers he had shown them so recently. But before we chide their lack of faith, we need to examine our own. How much of our spiritual life is a series of peak experiences of God’s nearness followed by declines? When we can’t feel God’s presence, do we assume that he is not there and that he cannot help us? God’s presence and help should come as a welcomed expectation, not a frightening surprise! (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

John 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened.

BGT John 6:19 ἐληλακότες οὖν ὡς σταδίους εἴκοσι πέντε ἢ τριάκοντα θεωροῦσιν τὸν Ἰησοῦν περιπατοῦντα ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ ἐγγὺς τοῦ πλοίου γινόμενον, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν.

KJV John 6:19 So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

NET John 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

CSB John 6:19 After they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea. He was coming near the boat, and they were afraid.

ESV John 6:19 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.

NIV John 6:19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.

NLT John 6:19 They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified,

NRS John 6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.

NJB John 6:19 They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid,

NAB John 6:19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid.

YLT John 6:19 having pushed onwards, therefore, about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and coming nigh to the boat, and they were afraid;

when they had rowed Eze 27:26 Jon 1:13 Mk 6:47-48
three or four miles: John 11:18 Lu 24:13 Rev 14:20 21:16
walking: John 14:18 Job 9:8 Ps 29:10 93:4 Mt 14:25-26 Mk 6:49 Lu 24:36-39
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Mark 6:47-48+ When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them (DON'T MISS THIS! JESUS WATCHFUL EYE WAS ON THEM THE ENTIRE TIME! HIS EYE IS ON YOU BELOVED!) straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night (BY ROMAN TIME = 3-6 A.M.) He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.

Matthew 14:25-26+ And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.

Isaiah 43:2 “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you.

JESUS WALKING ON SEA
DRAWS NEAR

Then (marks progression in the narrative), when they had rowed (elauno) about three or four miles - The disciples would have been more than halfway from their destination at this time. They were not able to sail as the wind was too strong "for the wind was against them" (Mk 6:47+). Mark 6:47+ adds that "the boat was in the middle of the sea." Mark 6:48 + adds "Seeing them straining (related to word "torture!") at the oars, for (Term of explanation - explains why straining) the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night." Note the time is somewhere around 3 AM. The NET Note says "The Sea of Galilee was at its widest point 7 mi (11.6 km) by 12 mi (20 km). So at this point the disciples were in about the middle of the lake."

THOUGHT - Think about this for a moment. They left when it was becoming dark, so this must be at least 6 hours later. Can you imagine their exhaustion! God has them right where He wanted them! Jesus could have come earlier but He did not. When you are in the midst of the storm, you may wonder why He has not come yet. Take comfort in (1) He sees (Mk 6:48) (2) He is compassionate (3) He is praying for you. Guzik adds "We so often feel that when we are doing the work of Jesus, it should be easy. After all, isn’t God helping us? But sometimes, God tells us to do something and allows it to be hard as we do it."

Steven Cole - God’s providence means that nothing happens to us apart from His sovereign, loving will. Jesus isn’t asleep in heaven; He is there praying for us, even as He was praying for the disciples while they were fighting against this storm. In His perfect time, He will come to us. But we’ve got to trust Him when we can’t see Him or figure out any reason for why we’re in the storm.

Johann Bengel on the approximation of about three or four miles - “The Holy Spirit knew, and could have told John precisely how many furlongs there were. But in Scripture he imitates popular modes of expression.” Ryle adds that "John was there himself, and knew that excessive accuracy is sometimes suspicious, and looks like a made-up story. John 2:6 is a similar expression." (John 6 Commentary)

John MacArthur - Jesus’ walking on the water (cf. the accounts of this miracle in Matt. 14:24–33; Mark 6:47–52) is the fifth (cf. John 2:11; 4:54; 5:1–17; 6:1–15) miraculous sign John recorded in his gospel (Jn 20:30–31). In keeping with John’s purpose, it demonstrates Christ’s deity by revealing His power over the laws of nature. And, in contrast to the false disciples of Jn 6:22–29, it exposes the reverent response of Jesus’ true followers. (See John Commentary)

Guzik has an interesting comment - If anything, the disciples were not ready for any kind of supernatural help. They knew what Jesus commanded them to do, they set out to do it, but without any help from the Lord. So they are surprised, even afraid, to see supernatural help on the way.. This is a perfect picture of us when we try to do God’s will, but do it our way without seeking and relying on God’s help.. Jesus provided reminders for them of His supernatural help. Undoubtedly, they took with them at least some of the twelve baskets of leftover bread (John 6:13), yet they were still shocked when the supernatural help came. (ED: THOUGHT - Do you have any memories of "leftover bread," that is of some situation in which Jesus clearly provided His aid in your time of need? If so, then take the approach of the downcast prophet Jeremiah who chose to say "Surely my soul remembers And is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope." Lam 3:20-21. And what did he remember? Lam 3:22-23! That's good medicine for all of us beloved.) Jesus wouldn’t turn a stone into bread to satisfy His own hunger, but he would multiply loaves and fishes to feed a hungry multitude. Jesus wouldn’t cast Himself off the pinnacle of the temple to glorify Himself, but he would walk on the water to bring comfort to His disciples. God’s presence is all that we need, and we should expect it, though not in a way that we would necessarily expect.

John MacArthur - The only means of movement was rowing, and they were desperately “straining at the oars” (Mark 6:48+) for their very lives....The worst part was that Jesus was not with them. During a similar storm, they had awakened Him and He “rebuked the winds and the sea; and it became perfectly calm” (Matt. 8:26+). But now He was miles away....Jesus was alone on the mountain praying (6:15; Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:46). Ever the faithful Shepherd (John 10:11–14), however, He had not forgotten the disciples. In His infinite wisdom, He planned to help them according to His perfect timing. Divine sovereignty, omnipotence, and omniscience are never in a hurry. Of course, the disciples could never have imagined what form that help would take. (See The MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Wiersbe - “Sometimes we are caught in a storm because we have disobeyed the Lord. Jonah is a good example. But sometimes the storm comes because we have obeyed the Lord. When that happens, we can be sure that our Saviour [sic] will pray for us, come to us, and deliver us. In writing the account of this event years later, perhaps John saw in it a picture of Christ and His church. Christ is in heaven interceding for us, but we are in the midst of the storms of life, trying to reach the shore. One day, He will come for us and we shall reach the port safely, the storms all past. Actually, there were several miracles involved in this event. Jesus walked on the water, and so did Peter (Matt. 14:28–32). Jesus stilled the storm, and instantly the boat was on the other shore. Of course, all of this happened at night so that only Jesus and His disciples knew what had occurred. Jesus had led His people into the green pastures (John 6:10), and now He brought them into the still waters (Ps. 23:2). What a wonderful Shepherd He is! (Borrow The Bible exposition commentary)

Spurgeon - “The apostolic crew rowed, and rowed, and rowed, and it was no fault of theirs that they made no progress, ‘for the wind was contrary unto them.’ The Christian man may make little or no headway, and yet it may be no fault of his, for the wind is contrary. Our good Lord will take the will for the deed, and reckon our progress, not by our apparent advance, but by the hearty intent with which we tug at the oars.”

“Moses,as a servant, by the power of God divided the sea.
But Christ, the Lord of all, by His own power walked on the sea.”
-- Theophylact

They saw (theoreo) Jesus walking (peripateo - present active) on the sea and drawing near to the boat - They saw Jesus but Mark 6:48+ says Jesus saw them first "straining at the oars." Recall that in Jn 5:6+ Jesus saw the lame man lying there, even though the man did not see or know Him. Beloved, He is ever omniscient and thus still sees us when we are in the storm and "straining at the oars!" And He is always just "in the nick of time!" (Heb 4:16b, Heb 2:18) Mark 6:48 adds "He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them."

Our trials cannot prevent Him from coming to us,
even if we can’t imagine how He will do it.
-- Steven Cole

Robertson on saw (better "beheld") - Graphic dramatic present active voice indicative of [theoreo], vividly preserving the emotions of the disciples (Word Pictures)

Utley - These disciples were still estimating Jesus by earthly standards. The collective weight of these “signs” forced them to reassess who He was (Mt 14:33+ They "worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”).

Mark 6:49+ explains why these seasoned fishermen were terrified -

But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost (phantasma), and cried out (krazo = a loud cry!);

THOUGHT - They saw Him in the middle of the storm and they called Him a ghost. They saw the glow but did not recognize God. They saw the light but missed the Lord. When we see small lights on the horizon of our storms, we often have the same reaction. Because we look for the bonfire, we miss the candle. Because we expect the shout, we miss the whisper. But God often comes in the still, small voice. And the next time you are in the midst of your storm, stop and listen. He's closer than you think. (Stevenson)

Now tie that in with the popular belief that spirits of the night brought disaster, which may explain why they cried out. The sense is that they raised a cry from the depth of the throat, letting out a shriek of terror! (in Mt 14:26 And they cried out in fear) They looked with "natural" eyes, not eyes of faith, and instead of seeing the God-Man, they "saw" a Ghost-Mirage!

Jesus’ walking upon the water recalls the description of Jehovah in Job 9 would serve to demonstrate that Jesus’ was God.

"Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down (treads on; Lxx = peripateo same verb as in Mt 14:26) the waves of the sea." (Job 9:8)

C H Spurgeon - Jesus is sure to come. The night wears on and the darkness thickens; the fourth watch of the night draws near, but where is he? Faith says, “He must come.” Though he should stay away till almost break of day, he must come. Unbelief asks, “How can he come?” Ah, he will answer for himself: he can make his own way. “Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” He comes in the teeth of the wind, and on the face of the wave. Never fear that he will fail to reach the storm-tossed barque: his love will find out the way. Whither it be to a single disciple, or to the church as a whole, Jesus will appear in his own chosen hour, and his time is sure to be the most timely. (From his sermon Good Cheer From Christ's Real Presence)

And they were frightened (phobeo) - "they became afraid.” Sudden change to the regular historical sequence." (Robertson Word Pictures) Twelve brave men are reduced to fear by a storm and a Savior. They recognized the storm but not the Savior. They should have been excited but were terrified. It would have been better perhaps if they had known the passage in Isaiah which says "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you." (Isaiah 43:2)

THOUGHT - Are you passing through deep waters? Recall to your mind His promise "I will be with you!"

Man's Extremity is God’s Opportunity.

J C Ryle - For a solid body to walk on the face of the water as on dry land, is an entire suspension of what are called the laws of nature. It was, of course, as easy for Him by whom the waters were first created to walk upon them as to create them. But the whole proceeding was so entirely supernatural, that we can thoroughly understand the disciples being “afraid.” Nothing is found to alarm human nature so much as being suddenly brought into contact with anything apparently supernatural and belonging to another world, and especially in the night. The feelings called forth on such occasions, even in ungodly and irreligious men, are one of the strongest indirect proofs, that all men’s consciences recognize an unseen world. (John 6 Commentary)

Gotquestions - why did they not recognize Jesus? The answer is they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. The point is this: fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.

THOUGHT - Someone has written that fear is unwarranted where Jesus is present. Ponder that thought beloved. From the beginning to the end of our lives He is present. His Name at His birth (Mt 1:23+) was Immanuel "God with us." His promise before He left to ascend to His Father was "Lo, I am (present tense) with you always, even to the end of the age." (Mt 28:20). Do you believe Jesus' words? If I am honest, there are many times in my life when the winds and waves of adversity seemed like they would overwhelm me and sadly, I for the moment forgot the promises of His presence and His power. Lord, help us all to seize the words of truth "with you always even to the end" of our lives, so that we might fight by faith fearlessly through the many storms that assail each of us. In Your Name and for Your glory. Amen

Henry Morris has an interesting comment - This fourth miracle of creation described in John's Gospel was also a fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 43:2: "When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee." In this instance, Christ evidently created an anti-gravitational force of some kind enabling Him to set aside the most basic of all scientific laws. The law of conservation of energy stipulates that energy (the capacity to accomplish work, moving forces through distances) be neither created nor annihilated. Jesus, as the Creator, alone can supersede or extend this law. (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible?)

The Believer's Study Bible - At this point the boat was a little more than halfway across the lake. In spite of their close relationship to the Son of God, the disciples still reveal spiritual immaturity and insensitivity to the presence of God in their midst. Christ would remind them and us that in the storms of life, such as this one and those that lie ahead, we should "not be afraid" (v. 20), but rather "believe" (v. 30) in Him who feeds the multitudes, walks on the water, and calms the sea.

Brian Bell - Man's Extremity is God’s Opportunity. He comes in the teeth of the wind, & on the face of the wave. [Jesus walked approx. 4 miles on the lake] He would have walked by (Mk.6:48) So, What made Jesus stop? Well, when they cried out. Yes but actually when they cried out for fear. Not, that they cried out "Jesus!" But when they cried out, AHHHH!!! Not when they cried out in faith...It was when they cried out in fear. Jesus simply heard their voice. Does that encourage you? I love this Jesus! It is a ghost! And they cried out for fear. Sometimes God shows up in a scary way not a comfortable way - Moses/burning bush. We need to recognize the presence of God in...our pain...our hurts...our sorrow...our uncertainty. Recognize His voice when you can’t see His face. (This is a Test and Wonder Bread)

Phillips - William Cowper was familiar with terror. A poor, often demented poet, he was in and out of insane asylums in an era when few greater horrors could beset a man than to be committed to a madhouse. It was that struggling saint of God who wrote:

God Moves in a Mysterious Way
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Rowed (oars)(1643)(elauno) means to urge, drive or propel along, to drive (of ships - Jas 3:4, of "mists driven by a storm" = 2 Pe 2:17+). BDAG has a more figurative meaning = "Of a spirit who drives a possessed person." (Lk 8:29+ of the man who would "be driven by the demon into the desert.") In John 6:19 elauno means "rowed" (the boat) (cf similar sense in Mk 6:48 = "straining at the oars," where oars is the verb elauno - so they were propeling the boat by rowing with oars; cf similar use in Isa 33:21). Gilbrant - Outside the New Testament it is used in the sense of driving chariots, driving off stolen horses, and persecution (driving to extremes). Sometimes elaunō describes the act of striking with a weapon and forging metal.(Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary)

Saw (beheld, observed) (2334)(theoreo from theaomai = to look at closely or attentively or contemplatively - even with a sense of wonder; cp theoros = a spectator; English = theater) usually refers to physical sight but can also refer to perception and understanding. The idea is to gaze or look with interest and purpose, carefully examining with emphasis on attention to details and thus to behold intensely or attentively.

Walking (4043)(peripateo from peri = about, around + pateo = walk, tread) means literally to walk around (walk around in a complete circuit or full circle), to go here and there walking, to tread all around. The 39 uses in the Gospels always refer to literal, physical walking. Seven of the 8 uses in Acts are also in the literal sense. Note that the Septuagint rendering of Job 9:8 uses peripateo.

Frightened (5399)(phobeo from phobos = fear source of our English "phobia") means to be in an apprehensive state that can range from mild uneasiness to stark terror as when one is frightened, terrified or alarmed. (Mt 10:31).

QUESTION -What was the meaning of Jesus walking on water?

ANSWER - The miracle of Jesus walking on the water, recorded in three of the Gospels (Matthew 14:22–36; Mark 6:45–56; John 6:16–21), came on the heels of His miraculous feeding of the 5,000 with only five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:17). But it was the miracle of Jesus walking on the water that, more than any other, convinced Jesus’ disciples that He was indeed the Son of God (Matthew 14:32–33).

The story unfolds at the Sea of Galilee, which lies in the lower portion of the Jordan Valley in a mountain range that rises to 4,000 feet above sea level. The lake itself is 700 feet below the Mediterranean Sea. One of the more noteworthy aspects of this body of water is that it is greatly susceptible to sudden and extremely violent storms. These storms are caused by the cold air rushing down from the mountains surrounding it and colliding with the warm, moist air rising off the surface of the water itself.

“When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them. A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; don’t be afraid.’ Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading” (John 6:16–21).

There are several significant points to recognize about this miracle.

First, Matthew tells us that “the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake” (Matthew 14:24–25). Though they were only to travel a short distance, the storm was so violent that, despite all their efforts to control their boat, the storm had driven them nearly four miles out into the very midst of the sea. Being the fourth watch of the night (3:00 AM to 6:00 AM), they had been rowing and straining at their oars for approaching nine hours! They were totally exhausted. Mark tells us that, when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the lake, they thought He was a ghost. They cried out, because they all saw Him and were terrified (Mark 6:48–50).

And this brings us to the second significant point of this miracle. Jesus always comes to us in the storms of life. This is reminiscent of the words of God to Isaiah: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (Isaiah 43:2). The Lord may not come at the time we think He should come, because He knows when we need Him the most. Jesus had waited until the boat was as far from land as possible, when all their hope was gone. In essence, Jesus was testing the disciples’ faith, and this meant removing every human prop. Why did Jesus walk on the water? To show His disciples that the very thing they feared, the raging, seething sea, was merely a set of steps for Him to come to them. Often we fear the difficult experiences of life such as illness, loss of loved ones, and financial hardships only to discover that these experiences can bring Jesus closer to us.

Fear and faith cannot live in the same heart,
for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.

But we have to ask, why did they not recognize Jesus? The answer is they were not looking for Him. Had they been waiting by faith, they would have known Him instantly. Instead, they jumped to the false conclusion that His appearance was that of a ghost. The point is this: fear and faith cannot live in the same heart, for fear frequently blinds the eyes to the presence of the Lord.

The third significant point is that Jesus proved Himself to be in command of the elements, something only God can do. He revealed this truth to the disciples who recognized His divinity and responded with a confession of faith in Jesus as God: “The wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God’” (Matthew 14:32–33). This was the first time Jesus was called the Son of God by the disciples, a statement that, in fact, built on what they had said earlier about Him in Matthew 8:27: “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him.” Here they answer their own question: “Truly you are the Son of God.”

this was the first time the disciples are said to have worshiped Jesus

Though they had a long way to go in their spiritual understanding, the disciples were growing in their faith in the Lord. Also, this was the first time the disciples are said to have worshiped Jesus. In Matthew 2:11, the magi from the East worshiped Jesus. Later, a leper is said to have worshiped Jesus (Matthew 8:2). A synagogue ruler does the same thing in Matthew 9:18. But this is the first time the disciples worshiped Him. It is also important to note that their worship is joined to their confession (Matthew 14:33).

And this is what worship is, acknowledging who God is and praising Him both for who He is and for what He has done. It was in this story that the disciples took the first step and worshiped Jesus as the Son of God. GotQuestions.org

Related Resources from Gotquestions:

Ryle comments on the veracity and importance of seeing this as a miracle, not a mirage or a misunderstanding by the disciples (that what they really saw was Jesus walking on the shore!)...

If the disciples were “in the midst of the sea,” and two or three miles from shore, how could they possibly have seen our Lord walking on the shore?

If it was “dark” when these things happened, it stands to reason that they could not distinguish anyone on shore, even supposing that they were not two miles off.

If there was a heavy gale blowing, and the waves were rough, it is absurd to suppose that they could hold a conversation with anyone walking on shore.

The plain truth is that it requires far more faith to accept such improbable and preposterous explanations as these, than to take the whole account simply as we find it, and to believe that a real mighty miracle was wrought.—Unless men are prepared to say that Matthew, Mark, and John, wrote accounts of the events of this night, which are incorrect, and not trustworthy, it is impossible for any honest and unprejudiced person to avoid the conclusion, that a miracle took place.—Of course, if Matthew, Mark, and John give incorrect accounts, and are not to be trusted here, they are not to be trusted anywhere, and all their records of our Lord’s doings and sayings become utterly worthless. This unhappily is the very result to which many would be glad to lead us. From denying all miracles to downright infidelity is nothing but a regular succession of steps. If a man begins with throwing overboard the miracles, he cannot stop logically till he has given up the Bible and Christianity. (John 6 Commentary)

Alan Carr - Drawing near - He was already there:

Hebrews 13:5 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,”
Matthew 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

1. In the darkest hour -

Phil. 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

2. The thing they feared most brought him to them - Our need is evidence of His supply in waiting, and the guarantee of His presence!

Phil. 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God is committed to you!

3. When all possibility of human help was removed - John 6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. (Ill. 3 or 4 miles!); Heb. 11:1

God demands that He receive all the glory - Isa. 42:8; Ex. 20:5)

4. He came in His own time - God is seldom early, but He is never late!

John Stevenson - I believe that there was something in the boat that should have comforted the disciples. There were 12 baskets of leftovers which bore mute testimony to the power and the compassion of God. When they looked at those 12 baskets, they should have realized that the God who provided for the needs of the multitudes would not fail to provide for them in the midst of this storm.

We are guilty of the same thing. We have been blessed by the Lord in an abundant way. But when the storm comes, we forget. That is why we are instructed to remind one another. The world says, “Drink and forget your troubles.” Jesus says, “Drink and remember.”

This storm was no accident. It started when the disciples got out into the middle of the Sea. It ended when Jesus got into the boat with the disciples. It had a script. It was there for a purpose and when that purpose was accomplished, the storm stopped.

Storms are not very pleasant. They can be frightening. They are loud and wet and uncomfortable. But your storm is not an accident of nature. God has ordained your storm. It is His storm. He has a reason for it, even if you do not know what that reason is. And when that reason has been fulfilled, then your storm will end.

Now I want to ask you a question. Why did Jesus come walking on the water? It is more than that He merely wanted to get to the other side. It is to teach the disciples something. But what is it?

It is not to teach the disciples how to walk on water. They never learn to walk on water after this and most people running around today claiming to be able to perform miracles have problems with this one. (ED: SEE JOEL OSTEEN WALKING ON WATER...WELL, SORT OF)

Jesus walks on water to prove to the disciples that He can. He can always do the impossible. Why do they need to know this? Because He is going to send them out to do the impossible, too. He is going to commission these very ordinary men to go out and make disciples of all men in every land. Impossible! They are not natural born leaders. They are not even seminary graduates. But they will accomplish the impossible. With God, all things are possible.

Why do you need to know this? Because God has called you to do the impossible. He has called you to leave a clean life in a dirty world. He has called you to be a faithful witness of Him. He has called you to be Christ to the world. And He has shown you that this is possible because He is with you.

John 6:20 But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

BGT John 6:20 ὁ δὲ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ἐγώ εἰμι· μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

KJV John 6:20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

NET John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."

CSB John 6:20 But He said to them, "It is I. Don't be afraid!"

ESV John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

NIV John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."

NLT John 6:20 but he called out to them, "Don't be afraid. I am here! "

NRS John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid."

NJB John 6:20 but he said, 'It's me. Don't be afraid.'

NAB John 6:20 But he said to them, "It is I. Do not be afraid."

YLT John 6:20 and he saith to them, 'I am he, be not afraid;'

It is I: Ps 35:3 Isa 41:10,14 43:1,2 44:8 Mt 14:27-31 Mk 6:50 16:6 Rev 1:17,18
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Matthew 14:27+ But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

Mark 6:50+ for they all saw Him and were terrified (tarasso literally shaken or stirred up). But immediately He spoke with them and said to them, "Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid."

John 16:33+ “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage;(present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) I have overcome the world.”

"I AM" ARRIVES BRINGING
PEACE IN THE STORM!

But He said to them, "It is I" - It is I is the phrase "ego eimi" What is the significance? This is the Name of God in His self disclosure to Moses from the midst of the burning bush in Lxx of Ex 3:14+. In short, it is the same as saying “the I AM is here” or “I, Yahweh, am here.” Surely Jesus utterance of these great words would have had a calming effect!

When the Lord gave the Great Commission, He also gave the reassuring promise (Matt. 28:20), “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That was David Livingstone’s verse as he endured countless hardships in the 19th century, trying to open the interior of Africa to the gospel. He said (A Frank Boreham Treasury, compiled by Peter Gunther p. 106), “On those words I staked everything, and they never failed! … It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor, so there’s an end of it!”

When we experience Jesus’ presence
in the middle of life’s storms, it calms our fears.
-- Steven Cole

Bruce Barton - The literal reading for “It is I” is “I am” (Greek, ego eimi); it is the same as saying “the I AM is here” or “I, Yahweh, am here” (see Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4; 43:10; 52:6). Jesus, the “I AM,” came with unexpected help and encouragement during the disciples’ time of desperate need. Their need was real; their fear was real. But in the presence of Jesus, fear can be dismissed. (Life application study Bible, Gospel of John - Borrow)

John Heading - In John 18:6, the same identifying title ("I Am") caused fear in the officers who fell backwards, but here this title brought peace. In Luke 24:39, the words “it is I myself” removed fear from the troubled hearts of the apostles, as on Patmos when John was revived by the announcement, “I am the first and the last” (Rev 1:17). (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Steven Cole on It is I - “It is I” is literally, in Greek, “I am.” Some commentators say that this is the only way that a person could identify himself in Greek, so Jesus is not claiming to be Yahweh, who identified Himself to Moses as “I am” (Exod. 3:14+). But perhaps John, in light of his overall purpose, wants his readers to at least see a hint of this here. It is obviously Jesus’ point in John 8:58, where He says, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” Because of who He is, Jesus’ presence with us gives us comfort.

Utley - “It is I” This is literally (ego eimi) “I Am” (cf. Jn 4:26; 8:24, 28, 54–59; 13:19; 18:5–6) which reflects the covenant name of God in the OT, YHWH of Exod. 3:12–15. Jesus is the visible “I Am,” the full self-revelation of God, the incarnate Logos (word) of God, the true and only Son.

THOUGHT - EXPECTATIONS Faith is a mind-set that expects God to act. When we act on this expectation, we can overcome our fears. Even after watching Jesus miraculously feed over five thousand people, the disciples still could not take the final step of faith and believe he was God’s Son. If they had, they would not have been amazed that he could walk on water. They did not transfer the truth they already knew about him to their own lives. We read that Jesus walked on the water, and yet we often marvel that he is able to work in our lives. We must not only believe these miracles really occurred; we must also transfer the faith to our own life situations. When Jesus came to the disciples during a storm, walking on the water (three-and-a-half miles from shore), he told them not to be afraid. We often face spiritual and emotional storms and feel tossed about like a small boat on a big lake. In spite of terrifying circumstances, if we trust our lives to Christ for his safekeeping, he will give us peace in any storm. (Borrow John - Life Application Commentary)

Do not be afraid - This command is the present imperative with a negative meaning "Stop fearing" or "Stop being afraid." His presence was followed by His command, the former enabling them (or certainly motivating them) to obey the latter.

William MacDonald - If He were only a man, they might well be afraid. But He is the mighty Creator and the Sustainer of the universe. With such a One close at hand, there was no reason to fear. He who made the Sea of Galilee in the first place could cause its waters to be calm in the second place, and could bring His fearful disciples safely to shore. The words “It is I” are literally “I AM.” So far this is the second time in John’s Gospel where Jesus used this name of Jehovah as applying to Himself. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

THOUGHT - Are you currently in a "big storm," one that is unexpected, one that is very threatening? Most disciples are either in the storm, just coming out of it or just getting ready to enter it (unexpectedly)! God sovereignly sends/allows storms (cf Ps 107:25+) to perfect and strengthen our faith, and because this is true we can praise Him in the storm and enabled by His Spirit can even do the impossible - thank Him for the storm (see James 1:2-5+, 1Pe 1:6-7+)! We can do this even if the "storm" is of our own making (so to speak), that is, a storm that reflects divine discipline for disobedience (see Heb 12:10-11+; Ps 119:67, 71+). Take a moment to worship the Great and Mighty God Who because of His great love for us causes/allows storms in our life to make us more like His Son - I'll Praise You in the Storm. REMEMBER JESUS IS IN THE BOAT AND GOING THROUGH THE STORM WITH YOU! (cf Heb 13:5, 8)

J C Ryle says " Our Lord’s tenderness for His disciples’ feelings appears beautifully here. No sooner does He see fear than He proceeds to calm it. He assures them that the figure they see walking on the deep is no spirit or ghost,—no enemy or object of dread. It is their own beloved Master. His voice, well-known as it must have been, would, of course, help to calm their fears. Yet even that was not enough till Peter had said, “If it be thou, bid me come to thee.” The practical remark has often been made, that many of the things which now frighten Christians and fill them with anxiety, would cease to frighten them if they would endeavour to see the Lord Jesus in all, ordering every providence, and overruling everything, so that not a hair falls to the ground without Him. They are happy who can hear His voice through the thickest clouds and darkness, and above the loudest winds and storms, saying, “It is I; be not afraid.” It may be noted here that there seems to be no feeling or passion to which Christians are so liable as “fear.” There is none, certainly, against which our Lord so often exhorts His disciples. “Fear not:—be not afraid:—let not your heart be troubled:” are very common sayings of His. (John 6 Commentary) (See How to Handle Fear)

We learn to know the value of Christ’s company,
when we have it, by the discomfort we experience when we have it not.
-- J C Ryle

Rogers says - Now He didn't mean "I am of good cheer." He's saying don't be afraid, cheer up, I Am the Great I AM. That's literally what this word says in the Greek, I Am. "I Am" is the sacred name for deity. When Moses said, "Who shall I say sent me?" Yahweh said, "You tell them I AM sent you." "I was in existence when this wasn't even a vapor." The wind and the waves must obey their Master. Not "was" or "will be." He is always the Jesus of the here and now. The contemporary Christ. The Lord has always been "is" and always will be "is." He is the "I Am" in the midst of your storm. Your problems are but the pavement that brings Him to you. Your storm is a super highway. This speaks of His provision. This is an unfinished sentence. You fill in the blank. ("I Am _______.") "In Him we are complete." He is all that you will ever need. Not only is He necessary, He is enough. He is the great I AM. I found this, "To the Artist, He's altogether lovely. To the Architect, He's the Chief Cornerstone. To the Banker, He's the hidden treasure. To the Baker, He's the living bread. To the biologist, He is the life. To the builder, He is the Sure Foundation. To the doctor, He is the Great Physician. To the educator, He's the Great Teacher. To the farmer, He's the Lord of the Harvest. To the florist, He's the Rose of Sharon. To the geologist, He's the Rock of Ages. To the Jurist, He's the righteous judge. To the jeweler, He's the pearl of great price. To the lawyer, He's the advocate. To the publisher, He's the good tidings of great joy. To the philosopher, He's the wisdom of God. To the preacher, He's the Word of God. To the sculptor, He's the Living Stone. To the statesman, He's the Desire of All Nations. To the theologian, He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith. To the traveler, He is the New and Living Way. To the sinner—that's us, folks—He's the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world. To the Christian, He's the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and Lord. He is the Great I AM.

Constable has a slightly different interpretation of ego eimi in this context (Ryle agrees with him) - Jesus identified Himself by saying literally “I am” (Gr. ego eimi). This is sometimes a way Jesus described Himself as God as John recorded Jesus’ words (e.g., Jn 8:24). However the clause does not always mean that since it is the normal way of identifying oneself (cf. 9:9). In those instances the translation, “It is I,” gives the intended meaning. Here Jesus was just identifying Himself to the disciples though obviously someone who could walk on water was more than a mere mortal.

PEACE IT IS I
St. Anatolius. of Constantinople
(Listen to a haunting vocal version of 1st & 3rd stanzas)

Fierce was the wild billow,
Dark was the night;
Oars labored heavily,
Foam glimmered white;
Trembled the mariners,
Peril was nigh:
Then said the God of God,
"Peace! it is I."

Ridge of the mountain-wave,
Lower thy crest!
Wail of Euroclydon,
Be thou at rest!
Sorrow can never be,
Darkness must fly,
Where saith the Light of Light,
"Peace! it is I."

Jesus, Deliverer,
Come thou to me;
Soothe thou my voyaging
Over life's sea:
Thou, when the storm of death
Roars, sweeping by,
Whisper, O Truth of Truth,
"Peace! it is I."

Amen.

Ego eimi - Jesus Himself used ego eimi to express His eternal self-existence (without beginning, without end) in Jn 8:58 = "“Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” He was saying He was Yahweh (I Am the One Who Is). Jesus is clearly claiming that He is God! The Jehovah's Witness New World Translation (2013) translates Jn 8:58 incorrectly as "I have been" which Greek scholars say is absolutely incorrect! Compare other "I Am" statements by Jesus = Jn 4:26, 8:24, 28, 13:19, 18:5, 6 ["they drew back and fell to the ground!" = His Name "I Am" literally knocked an entire band of from 300-600 soldiers backward abruptly and hard onto the ground! His Name is indeed powerful!], Jn 18:8. see similar use in Ex 3:14 above). In Ge 17:1 God addresses Abram declaring "I am (ego eimi) God" (cp similar uses in Ge 26:24, 31:13, 46:3, Ex 3:6, 7:5, 8:18, 14:4, 18, 20:2, 29:46, etc). Note that there are about 174 uses of "ego eimi" in the Septuagint and 48 uses in the NT, but not all uses refer to God (e.g., Mt 14:27). There are 24 uses of ego eimi in John's Gospel and most do refer to the Messiah. E.g., in the first occurrence, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman "I Am" (ego eimi) (Jn 4:26) when she made a reference to the Messiah (Jn 4:25). In fact ego eimi introduces His great "I am" statements in John = "I am"..."the bread of life" (Jn 6:35, 41, 48, 51), "the Light of the world," (Jn 8:12), "the door" (Jn 10:7, 9), "the good shepherd" (Jn 10:11, 14), "the resurrection and the life," (Jn 11:25), "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (Jn 14:6); "the true Vine" (Jn 15:1, 5). At Paul's conversion on the Damascus Road Jesus told him "I am (ego eimi) Jesus Whom you are persecuting." (Acts 9:5). In the final use of ego eimi in Scripture Jesus affirms "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." (Rev 22:16)

Ego eimi (Wikipedia discussion) - I am - All the uses of this phrase in the NT - see concentration in Gospel of John - Matt. 14:27; Matt. 22:32; Matt. 24:5; Matt. 26:22; Matt. 26:25; Mk. 6:50; Mk. 13:6; Mk. 14:62; Lk. 1:19; Lk. 21:8; Lk. 22:70; Lk. 24:39; Jn. 4:26; Jn. 6:20; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:41; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 8:18; Jn. 8:24; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 8:58; Jn. 9:9; Jn. 10:7; Jn. 10:9; Jn. 10:11; Jn. 10:14; Jn. 11:25; Jn. 13:19; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 15:1; Jn. 15:5; Jn. 18:5; Jn. 18:6; Jn. 18:8; Acts 9:5; Acts 10:21; Acts 18:10; Acts 22:3; Acts 22:8; Acts 26:15; Acts 26:29; Rev. 1:8; Rev. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 22:16

ILLUSTRATION - Years ago a seagoing captain had his family on board as his ship crossed from England to America. One night, when everyone was asleep, a sudden squall hit and the ship rocked violently. The passengers woke up, frightened by the storm. The captain’s eight-year-old daughter also woke up. At first she was scared as she asked her mother what was happening. Her mother explained that there was a sudden storm. The girl asked, “Is father on deck?” “Yes,” her mother replied, “father is on deck.” Hearing this, the little girl snuggled back under her covers and in a few minutes was sound asleep. The winds still blew and the waves still hit the ship, but she could rest peacefully because she knew her father was at the helm (in “Our Daily Bread,” 1985).

Whatever our needs and however strong the enemy, we know that our Heavenly Father is even more powerful. Even if we face death itself, we know that our mighty Savior went to the cross and was victorious over sin and death there. In our great need, we can lay hold of God’s mighty power through faith. If this distraught father had not had this problem with his son, he might never have trusted in the Lord Jesus. While the problem was not pleasant, it was the means that God used to deliver the man from that unbelieving and perverted generation. If you let your problems drive you to Christ, you also will be delivered from this unbelieving and perverted generation. We are needy people, but Christ is a mighty Savior! - Steven J. Cole

Robert Morgan - Dreading the Dentist

When I was a child, my dentist had his office at the end of a long dark hallway on the sixth floor of an old downtown building. It was a terrifying trip filled with ominous dread that lingers to this day.

My dread, however, was nothing compared to the panic attacks that seized Elva Minette Martin before her dentist appointments. I would worry and get an upset stomach, lie in bed with my mind racing and awaken in the clutches of terror. I was sure that I wouldn’t be able to swallow or move when I sat in the dentist’s chair.

One week shortly before a routine visit, Elva was preparing to teach her Sunday school class from John 6, about the storm on the Sea of Galilee. Just as the disciples’ panic reached its worst, Jesus came walking on the water and saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

As she studied those words, Elva was suddenly convicted about her own fears.

That night I went to bed, but not to sleep. My mind knew that God was able to help me; yet I was still afraid. Acknowledging his Lordship in my life, I finally gave up my hold on fear. I prayed, “OK, Lord. Even when I go to the dentist, I will remember your promise.”

As Elva headed toward her appointment, she was nervous yet excited, sensing the Lord would give her a breakthrough. He calmed me, even relieved my grasp on the arms of the dentist’s chair. Each time I began to worry, I remembered his promise: “It is I; do not be afraid.”

What a joyous time! God suspended my fear. I had never thought that I could ever say that going to the dentist was a wonderful experience—but it was. Not because of what went on around me or what happened to me, but because of what was in my heart. With his help, I am learning to say, “God is in control; I will not be afraid.” (Borrow From this verse : 365 inspiring stories about the power of God's word)

A Bad Dream

Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes. — Proverbs 3:25

Today's Scripture: John 6:15-21

All of us have had bad dreams. Perhaps we were falling from a high building, fleeing from a hideous creature, or standing before an audience and forgetting our speech.

My wife had a nightmare recently. She dreamed she was in a small room when two men appeared out of the mist. Fear overwhelmed her. Just as the men were about to grab her, she said, “Let me tell you about Jesus.” Immediately she was awakened by the sound of her own voice. The name Jesus had freed her from fear.

We read in John 6 that Jesus’ disciples were afraid when in the dimness of nightfall they saw a strange figure walking on the stormy sea of Galilee. But the mysterious figure was not part of a bad dream—He was real. Matthew reports that they “cried out for fear” (14:26). Then the disciples heard a familiar voice: “It is I; do not be afraid” (John 6:20). It was Jesus. Their fears were calmed, as well as the sea.

The Savior speaks the same assurance to us today amid the many fears along our Christian journey. Solomon said, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10).

Fears will come, but we are assured that Jesus is always a light in the darkness. By: Dennis J. DeHaan

How oft in the conflict, when pressed by the foe,
I have fled to my Refuge and breathed out my woe;
How often, when trials like sea-billows roll,
Have I hidden in Thee, O Thou Rock of my soul
—Cushing

You need not fear the darkness if you are walking with the Light of the World.

What Do You Fear?

[Jesus] said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." —John 6:20

Today's Scripture: John 6:16-21

One of Grimm’s fairy tales is about a rather dimwitted young man who didn’t understand what it meant to shudder in fear. People attempted to shock him by putting him in all sorts of terrifying situations—but to no avail. He finally did shudder, though not out of fear. He was asleep when someone poured a bucket of cold water and wiggling fish on top of him.

Something is wrong with us if we’re never afraid. Fear is the natural human reaction to any difficult or dangerous undertaking, and God doesn’t condemn it. Neither does He want us to be crippled by fear. Jesus’ words to His disciples on more than one occasion were, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 5:10; 12:4; John 6:20). In each case He used a verb tense that suggests continuance. In other words, He told them, “Don’t keep on fearing.”

We need not be overcome by our fear, nor should we ever say no to doing what we know God wants us to do merely because we are fearful. God can turn our fear into fortitude. We can trust God and “not be afraid” (Psalm 56:11).

Courage is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it. So let’s resist our fear and meet it with faith in our Lord, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). By: David H. Roper (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Do not fear the darkness that is gathering all around,
For the Lord is with you, and in Him true peace is found;
When you're facing trouble, or when tragedy seems near,
Jesus is the only one to drive away your fear.
—Hess

We can face any fear when we know the Lord is near.

John 6:21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

BGT John 6:21 ἤθελον οὖν λαβεῖν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο τὸ πλοῖον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς ἣν ὑπῆγον.

KJV John 6:21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

NET John 6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat came to the land where they had been heading.

CSB John 6:21 Then they were willing to take Him on board, and at once the boat was at the shore where they were heading.

ESV John 6:21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

NIV John 6:21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

NLT John 6:21 Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!

NRS John 6:21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.

NJB John 6:21 They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for.

NAB John 6:21 They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading.

YLT John 6:21 they were willing then to receive him into the boat, and immediately the boat came unto the land to which they were going.

they were willing: Ps 24:7-10 Song 3:4 Mt 14:32-33 Mk 6:51 Rev 3:20
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Matthew 14:32-33+ When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son!”

Mark 6:51+ Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished,

MIRACLE
NUMBER FOUR

So they were willing to receive Him into the boat - Willing (thelo) is first word in the sentence for emphasis, emphasizing their desire was to have Jesus near, a good practice for all saints whatever stormy waters we encounter! Robertson adds it is "Inchoative imperfect, “they began to be willing.” (Word Pictures)

THOUGHT - It is not enough to hear Jesus say "I Am" and command us to "Fear not." We must be willing (make a choice) to receive Him into the boat, into our life. The result is that His peace (cf Jn 14:27) replaces our fear and causes us to worship Him (see Mt 14:32-33+ ). We receive peace with God (Ro 5:1+) and can daily enjoy the peace of God (Php 4:6+)

MacArthur describes the disciples' reaction to the wind stopping and their worshipping - The only appropriate response to Jesus Christ is to fall before Him in worship, as did the wise men at His birth (Matt. 2:11), a Canaanite woman (15:25), a blind man whom Jesus healed (John 9:38), the women who came to the tomb after the resurrection (Matt. 28:9), Thomas (John 20:28), and the rest of the eleven disciples (Matt. 28:17; Luke 24:52). Although they were amazed by Jesus’ miracle, the Twelve responded as all true followers of Jesus Christ do—with adoration and worship. (See John Commentary)

And immediately (eutheos) the boat (ploion) was at the land to which they were going - Miracle number 4! (Jesus walking on water, Peter walking on water, storm ceasing Mark 6:51+). Some (Constable) think this was not a miracle but the word immediately took them from "in the middle of the sea," (Mk 6:47+) to the land! Sounds like a miracle to me!

THOUGHT - The disciple's fleshly efforts were superseded by Jesus' supernatural sufficiency. They were learning the lesson that without Jesus they could do nothing but with Jesus they could do anything (in God's will)! Oh, how we all need to learn this lesson -- to abide in Him and Him in us, for He alone is the Vine and apart from Him we can do nothing of real value. All of our "rowing" (so to speak) will be futile, wasted effort, unless Jesus is in the boat!

Kenneth Gangel - Let us not move too quickly over the word immediately in verse 21. With little fuss and no intent to make a point, John probably indicated another miracle which few count in numbering the miracles in John. Some interpreters opt for the natural explanation (they were already near shore). Or perhaps the remainder of the voyage seemed as nothing compared to what they had already been through. I stand with Godet’s interpretation: “One can scarcely imagine, indeed, that, after an act of power so magnificent and so kingly as Jesus walking on the waters, he should have seated himself in the boat, and the voyage should have been laboriously continued by the stroke of the oar. At the moment when Jesus set his foot in the boat, he communicated to it, as he has just done for Peter, the force victorious over gravity and space, which had just been so strikingly displayed on his own person” (cited in Morris, p. 351). (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

With Jesus on board we will arrive at our destination!

MacArthur - The story of Christ’s walking on the water actually includes not one miracle, but four. Not only did Jesus walk on the water, but so also did Peter (at least for a few moments). Matthew and Mark record a third miracle. When Jesus (along with a soaking wet and thoroughly chastened Peter) got into the boat, the wind immediately stopped (Matt. 14:32; Mark 6:51). Finally, John records a fourth miracle: after Jesus got on board and calmed the storm, immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. Miraculously, the boat instantly traversed the remaining distance to the western shore. (See John Commentary)

THOUGHT- The old practical lesson still remains to be remembered. Christ’s Church is now a tossed ship, in the midst of a stormy sea. The great Master has gone up into heaven to intercede for His people, left alone for awhile, and to return. When Jesus returns again to His tossed and afflicted Church, at the second advent, their troubles will soon be over. They will soon be in harbour. His voice, which will fill the wicked with terror, will fill His people with joy. (Ryle)

Guzik - Jesus rescues the disciples from futility. Jesus wants us to work hard; but He never wants us to work in futility. On this occasion He came to rescue the disciples from futility, not from fear. The disciples were in this uncomfortable place because Jesus told them to cross the lake. We will face trials when we set out to do what Jesus tells us to do. Jesus knows this. He understands it. We should never be deceived into thinking that if we were really right with God, everything in life would be easy. ii. All the time the disciples struggled, Jesus watched over them. He watches over us at all times, and prays for us even when He seems distant. Jesus knew exactly what was going on, and He was monitoring their progress across the lake. He saw them straining at rowing, yet let them work at it for a good long time. In this miracle, Jesus reassured us at the precise point where they needed to be reassured.

J C Ryle on John 6:15-21 - WE should notice, in these verses, our Lord Jesus Christ’s humility. We are told that, after feeding the multitude, He “perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king.” At once He departed, and left them. He wanted no such honours as these. He had come, “not to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Matt. 20:28.)

We see the same spirit and frame of mind all through our Lord’s earthly ministry. From His cradle to His grave He was “clothed with humility.” (1 Pet. 5:5.) He was born of a poor woman, and spent the first thirty years of His life in a carpenter’s house at Nazareth. He was followed by poor companions,—many of them no better than fishermen. He was poor in his manner of living: “The foxes had holes, and the birds of the air their nests: but the Son of man had not where to lay his head.” (Matt. 8:20.) When He went on the Sea of Galilee, it was in a borrowed boat. When He rode into Jerusalem, it was on a borrowed ass. When He was buried, it was in a borrowed tomb. “Though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor.” (2 Cor. 8:9.)

The example is one which ought to be far more remembered than it is. How common are pride, and ambition, and high-mindedness! How rare are humility and lowly-mindedness! How few ever refuse greatness when offered to them! How many are continually seeking great things for themselves, and forgetting the injunction,—“Seek them not!” (Jer. 45:5.) Surely it was not for nothing that our Lord, after washing the disciples’ feet, said,—“I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done.” (John 13:15.) There is little, it may be feared, of that feet-washing spirit among Christians. But whether men will hear or forbear, humility is the queen of the graces. “Tell me,” it has been said, “how much humility a man has, and I will tell you how much religion he has.” Humility is the first step toward heaven, and the true way to honour. “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:14.)

We should notice, secondly, in these verses, the trials through which Christ’s disciples had to pass. We are told that they were sent over the lake by themselves, while their Master tarried behind. And then we see them alone in a dark night, tossed about by a great wind on stormy waters, and, worst of all, Christ not with them. It was a strange transition. From witnessing a mighty miracle, and helping it instrumentally, amidst an admiring crowd, to solitude, darkness, winds, waves, storm, anxiety, and danger, the change was very great! But Christ knew it, and Christ appointed it, and it was working for their good.

Trial, we must distinctly understand, is part of the diet which all true Christians must expect. It is one of the means by which their grace is proved, and by which they find out what there is in themselves. Winter as well as summer,—cold as well as heat,—clouds as well as sunshine,—are all necessary to bring the fruit of the Spirit to ripeness and maturity. We do not naturally like this. We would rather cross the lake with calm weather and favourable winds, with Christ always by our side, and the sun shining down on our faces. But it may not be. It is not in this way that God’s children are made “partakers of His holiness.” (Heb. 12:10.) Abraham, and Jacob, and Moses, and David, and Job were all men of many trials. Let us be content to walk in their footsteps, and to drink of their cup. In our darkest hours we may seem to be left,—but we are never really alone.

Let us notice, in the last place, our Lord Jesus Christ’s power over the waves of the sea. He came to His disciples as they were rowing on the stormy lake, “walking on” the waters. He walked on them as easily as we walk on dry land. They bore Him as firmly as the pavement of the Temple, or the hills around Nazareth. That which is contrary to all natural reason was perfectly possible to Christ.

The Lord Jesus, we must remember, is not only the Lord, but the Maker of all creation. “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:3.) It was just as easy for Him to walk on the sea as to form the sea at the beginning,—just as easy to suspend the common laws of nature, as they are called, as to impose those laws at the first. Learned men talk solemn nonsense sometimes about the eternal fixity of the “laws of nature,” as if they were above God Himself, and could never be suspended. It is well to be reminded sometimes by such miracles as that before us, that these so-called “laws of nature” are neither immutable nor eternal. They had a beginning, and will one day have an end.

Let all true Christians take comfort in the thought that their Saviour is Lord of waves and winds, of storms and tempests, and can come to them in the darkest hour, “walking upon the sea.” There are waves of trouble far heavier than any on the Lake of Galilee. There are days of darkness which try the faith of the holiest Christian. But let us never despair if Christ is our Friend. He can come to our aid in an hour when we think not, and in ways that we did not expect. And when He comes, all will be calm.

In leaving this passage, I call the reader’s attention to the very marked and peculiar position which the two miracles recorded by St. John in this chapter occupy. They immediately precede that wonderful discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum, in which our Lord proclaims Himself to be “the living bread which came down from heaven and giveth life to the world,” and declares that “except we eat His flesh and drink His blood we have no life in us.—I believe that the two miracles were intended to prepare the minds of the disciples to receive the mighty truths which the discourse contained. Did they stumble at the announcement that He was the “bread of God,” and “gave life to the world”? It would surely help their weak faith to remember that the very day before they had seen Him suddenly supply the wants of a mighty multitude with five loaves and two fishes.—Did they stumble at the doctrine, that “His flesh was meat indeed and his blood drink indeed”? It would surely assist their feeble spiritual apprehension to remember that the very night before they had seen that body walking on the face of the sea. They had had ocular proof that there was a deep mystery about our Lord’s human nature, and that although He was real and true man, there was at the same time something about Him far above man. These things I believe are worth noticing. The connection between our Lord’s miracles and His teaching is often far closer than at first sight appears. (John 6 Commentary)

Warren Wiersbe summarizes John 6 as follows - The disciples faced three tests because of the great crowds that followed Jesus.

Feeding the multitude (Jn 6:1–14). Philip thought the answer was money, but Andrew saw the answer in a lad with a lunch. When you face a seemingly unsolvable problem, claim the promise of verse 6, give what you have to Jesus, and let Him tell you what to do.

Leaving the multitude (Jn 6:15–21). This incident occurred at the high point of our Lord’s popularity. The disciples (especially Judas) would have welcomed a kingdom, so Jesus sent them away into a storm. They went from popularity to peril, but they were safer in the storm than with the multitude; and Jesus came to them and met their needs (Isa. 43:2). Can you obey His will even when you disagree with Him?

Losing the multitude (Jn 6:22–71). People want the Lord to meet their physical needs but not their spiritual needs. The manna (Exod. 16) came only to the Jews and sustained physical life, but Jesus came for the whole world and gives eternal life. Just as you take food into your body, so you take Christ into your life; and He becomes one with you. The disciples had opportunity to follow the crowd, but they remained with Jesus. (Borrow With the Word)

James Smith - RECEIVING HIM John 6:21 - Analyzed with the 5W/H Questions of Inductive Bible Study!

1. Who? “They.”
2. When? “Then.”
3. What? “Received.”
4. Whom? “Him.”
5. How? “Willingly.”
6. Where? “Into the ship.” (ED: Why? They were in dire straits!)
7. Result. “Immediately at the land”

John 6:22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone.

BGT John 6:22 Τῇ ἐπαύριον ὁ ὄχλος ὁ ἑστηκὼς πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἶδον ὅτι πλοιάριον ἄλλο οὐκ ἦν ἐκεῖ εἰ μὴ ἓν καὶ ὅτι οὐ συνεισῆλθεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὸ πλοῖον ἀλλὰ μόνοι οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον·

KJV John 6:22 The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

NET John 6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake realized that only one small boat had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

CSB John 6:22 The next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea knew there had been only one boat. They also knew that Jesus had not boarded the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone off alone.

ESV John 6:22 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.

NIV John 6:22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.

NLT John 6:22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them.

YLT John 6:22 On the morrow, the multitude that was standing on the other side of the sea, having seen that there was no other little boat there except one -- that into which his disciples entered -- and that Jesus went not in with his disciples into the little boat, but his disciples went away alone,

but that His disciples: John 6:16-17 Mt 14:22 Mk 6:45
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:16-17 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.

Matthew 14:22+ Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.

Mark 6:45+ Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away.

HOW DID HE
CROSS THE SEA?

The next day - This time phrase links the bread story and the sea story. Now Jesus will apply the miracle of the bread to Himself. Next day in John - Jn. 1:29; Jn. 1:35; Jn. 1:43; Jn. 6:22; Jn. 12:12

The crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one - Young's Literal has a phrase added after "except one" = "there except one -- that into which his disciples entered -- and that Jesus went not in with his disciples into the little boat" Most translations do not include this phrase.

TECHNICAL NOTE from NET NOTE - Most witnesses have after “one” the phrase “which his disciples had entered” (ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὂ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ekeino eis ho enebēsan hoi mathētai autou) although there are several permutations of this clause ([א* D] Θ [f13 33] 𝔐 [sa]). The witnesses that lack this expression are, however, significant and diffused (𝔓75 א2 A B L N W Ψ 1 565 579 1241 al lat). The clarifying nature of the longer reading, the multiple variants from it, and the weighty testimony for the shorter reading all argue against the authenticity of the longer text in any of its variations. (ED: And so the NET version reads "that only one small boat had been there.")

And that Jesus had not entered with His disciples (mathetes) into the boat, but (term of contrast) that His disciples (mathetes) had gone away alone - The crowd was astute enough to know Jesus had come in some way independent from the way His disciples had come across the lake. Since there was no other boat, the crowd knew He must have come some other way. The text does not say, but it is possible some were thinking that His transport had to be supernatural. Jesus always knew what people were thinking, but He does not address their curiosity. His purpose was to address their sin and their need for salvation.

Matthew Henry Concise - Verses 22-27. Instead of answering the inquiry how he came there, Jesus blamed their asking. The utmost earnestness should be employed in seeking salvation, in the use of appointed means; yet it is to be sought only as the gift of the Son of man. Him the Father has sealed, proved to be God. He declared the Son of man to be the Son of God with power.

Warren Wiersbe summarizes Jesus second discourse - This sermon on "the bread of life" is actually a dialogue between Christ and the people, especially the religious leaders ("the Jews"). We see four responses of the crowd to the Lord Jesus in John 6:

seeking (Jn 6:22-40),
murmuring (Jn 6:41-51),
striving (Jn 6:52-59), and
departing (Jn 6:60-71). (Borrow Be alive: Get to Know the Living Savior)

Disciples (3101) mathetes from manthano = to learn which Vine says is "from a root math, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor". Gives us our English = "mathematics" - see matheteuo) describes a person who learns from another by instruction, whether formal or informal. Another sources says mathetes is from from math- which speaks of "mental effort that thinks something through" and thus describes is a learner; a follower who learns the doctrines and the lifestyle of the one they follow. Discipleship includes the idea of one who intentionally learns by inquiry and observation (cf inductive Bible study) and thus mathetes is more than a mere pupil. A mathetes describes an adherent of a teacher. As discussed below mathetes itself has no spiritual connotation, and it is used of superficial followers of Jesus as well as of genuine believers. The Lord calls everyone to grow as a disciple (a learner of Christ; cf. Mt 28:19+, also " learn from Me" Mt 11:29,30+), one who lives in faith, who lives in and by His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mathetes in John - Jn. 1:35; Jn. 1:37; Jn. 2:2; Jn. 2:11; Jn. 2:12; Jn. 2:17; Jn. 2:22; Jn. 3:22; Jn. 3:25; Jn. 4:1; Jn. 4:2; Jn. 4:8; Jn. 4:27; Jn. 4:31; Jn. 4:33; Jn. 6:3; Jn. 6:8; Jn. 6:12; Jn. 6:16; Jn. 6:22; Jn. 6:24; Jn. 6:60; Jn. 6:61; Jn. 6:66; Jn. 7:3; Jn. 8:31; Jn. 9:2; Jn. 9:27; Jn. 9:28; Jn. 11:7; Jn. 11:8; Jn. 11:12; Jn. 11:54; Jn. 12:4; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 13:5; Jn. 13:22; Jn. 13:23; Jn. 13:35; Jn. 15:8; Jn. 16:17; Jn. 16:29; Jn. 18:1; Jn. 18:2; Jn. 18:15; Jn. 18:16; Jn. 18:17; Jn. 18:19; Jn. 18:25; Jn. 19:26; Jn. 19:27; Jn. 19:38; Jn. 20:2; Jn. 20:3; Jn. 20:4; Jn. 20:8; Jn. 20:10; Jn. 20:18; Jn. 20:19; Jn. 20:20; Jn. 20:25; Jn. 20:26; Jn. 20:30; Jn. 21:1; Jn. 21:2; Jn. 21:4; Jn. 21:7; Jn. 21:8; Jn. 21:12; Jn. 21:14; Jn. 21:20; Jn. 21:23; Jn. 21:24

POSB on Jn 6:22-29 - This passage deals with the answer to man’s great hunger.

1. Answer 1: know that people have a great hunger, a great need (vv.22–25).
2. Answer 2: acknowledge that the motives of people are corrupt (vv.26–27).
3. Answer 3: work for food that endures—that gives eternal life (v.27).
4. Answer 4: do the work of God—believe in Christ (vv.28–29). (Borrow The Preacher's outline & sermon Bible)

John 6:23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

BGT John 6:23 ἄλλα ἦλθεν πλοι[άρι]α ἐκ Τιβεριάδος ἐγγὺς τοῦ τόπου ὅπου ἔφαγον τὸν ἄρτον εὐχαριστήσαντος τοῦ κυρίου.

KJV John 6:23 (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)

NET John 6:23 But some boats from Tiberias came to shore near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

CSB John 6:23 Some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord gave thanks.

ESV John 6:23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

NIV John 6:23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.

NLT John 6:23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten.

there: John 6:24
where: John 6:11,12
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover)
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Used by permission, all rights reserved.
This is one of the best resources for Bible maps.
Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage.

There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread (artos) after the Lord had given thanks (eucharisteo) - It is interesting that John repeats the fact that the Lord had given thanks! (cf Jn 6:11+)

THOUGHT - Is John trying to impress on us who are called to imitate Christ, to be a more thankful people? Just a thought to ponder.

Swindoll has an interesting comment on Tiberias - The boats had come from Tiberias, a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, founded by Herod Antipas and named for Emperor Tiberius, the heir of Caesar Augustus’ titles and power. Because it had been built on the site of Jewish burial grounds, religious Jews refused to live there, which left it open to Hellenized Jews and Herod’s political allies. (Borrow Insights on John)

Treasury of Scripture knowledge - Tiberias (See Map and ISBE entry) was a celebrated city of Galilee, on the western shore of the lake to which it gave name, so called because built by Herod Agrippa in honour of the emperor Tiberius; distant 30 furlongs from Hippos, 60 from Gadara, 120 from Scythopolis (Beth shean) and 30 from Tarichea. It is still called Tabaria, or Tabbareeah, by the natives, is situated close to the edge of the lake, has tolerably high but ill-built walls on three of its sides, flanked with circular towers, and is of nearly a quadrangular form, according to Pococke, containing a population estimated at from 2,000 to 4,000 souls.

John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.

BGT John 6:24 ὅτε οὖν εἶδεν ὁ ὄχλος ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκεῖ οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐνέβησαν αὐτοὶ εἰς τὰ πλοιάρια καὶ ἦλθον εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ ζητοῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν.

KJV John 6:24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

NET John 6:24 So when the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

CSB John 6:24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

ESV John 6:24 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.

NIV John 6:24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

NLT John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him.

NRS John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

NJB John 6:24 When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus.

NAB John 6:24 When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

YLT John 6:24 when therefore the multitude saw that Jesus is not there, nor his disciples, they also themselves did enter into the boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus;

they themselves got: John 6:17,23
seeking Jesus: John 7:11 18:4,5 20:15 Mk 1:37 Lu 8:40
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Capernaum a City of Galilee
Source: ESV global study Bible

CROWD SEEKS
JESUS AT CAPERNAUM

Let's get the geographical context straight by using the map above. (1) Recall that Jesus had fed the 5,000 at Bethsaida. (2) He then compelled the disciples to sail away to Capernaum, but they encountered a storm, were saved by the Savior Who immediately brought the boat to land. (3) The boat initially landed at Gennesaret (Mark 6:53) and from there the disciples and Jesus went eastward to Capernaum, the site of His discourse on the Bread of Life, with at least part of this discourse being in the synagogue at Capernaum (Jn 6:59).

The crowd was seeking Him for temporal gratification,
not eternal salvation!

So when the crowd saw that Jesus (Iesous) was not there, nor His disciples (mathetes), they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking (zeteo) Jesus - The crowd envisioned Jesus as their perpetual "meal ticket," but now He had vanished! Seeking Jesus is a good thing, but it is not enough. One must seek Him as a sinner, recognizing we are spiritually bankrupt without His gift of salvation. Sadly the crowd was seeking Him for temporal gratification, not eternal salvation! In Jn 6:26 Jesus saw their motive for seeking Him addressing the seekers with "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."

Spurgeon - I have known people who have been content to remain seekers all their days. They have felt comforted by the thought that they are seekers. Now, such comfort is daubed with untempered mortar. A man out of employment has been walking up and down the London streets to find something to do. His family is in need and he must find a situation. He is quite right to seek, but he will not be satisfied with seeking; he wants to find. Tramping the street will not feed his children. He is not contented with having called at many shops; he will not rest till he finds what he is after—he would be very foolish if he did. So to be a seeker after Christ, walking up and down the streets as it were, will not fill your hungry soul; you must get Christ himself. If any unemployed father of a family were to say, ‘Well, I walk about so many days in the week and so many hours in the day, and I am quite satisfied, though I do not find anything to do,’ you would think him a great simpleton. And so with you. It is a good sign when there is an appetite, but a mere appetite does not satisfy a man; he must eat the food provided. Your seeking Christ will not save you, unless it leads you in very deed to believe in Jesus. It is an ill sign when a man says, ‘Well, I am doing my best. I am always at a place of worship, I am a Bible reader, I practise prayer at home. I do my best.’ My dear friend, if you settle down in that idea, you are self-righteous and are off the road altogether; besides, you are lying to your own heart, for after all you are at enmity with God and the sign of that enmity is this, that you refuse to believe on his dear Son. If you were reconciled to God, you would love Jesus Christ and trust in him. (Seeking for Jesus)

Robert Hawker - THIS, my soul, should be thy constant employment. Wherever thou art, however engaged; in going in, or out; at rising up, or lying down: whether in public, or private, in the church, or market-place; the closet, the family, the garden, the field, the house; the question ever arising in the heart should be, Where is Jesus? Blessed Spirit! thou glorifier of my Lord! wilt thou constantly excite this seeking for Jesus in my heart? Wilt thou, Lord, give me every moment a sense of need, then a view of his fulness, suitableness, readiness to impart, then bring Him, whom my soul loveth, and me together; and then open a communication, in leading me forth in desire, and giving me faith to receive, from the infinite fulness of my Lord, and grace for grace? Lord Jesus! I would desire grace to seek thee, as for hidden treasure. I would seek thee, and thee only, oh! my God. I would separate myself from all other things. It is Jesus my soul chooseth, my soul needs. I would trust in nothing beside No duties, no works; neither prayers nor repentance; no nor faith itself, considered as an act of my soul, shall be my comfort, but Jesus alone I would make my centre; and every thought, and every affection, and every desire, like so many streams meeting in one, should all pour themselves, as rivers, into the ocean of thy bosom! And the nearer, as a stream that draws near the sea is propelled to fall into it, so the more forcible and vehement let my soul be in desires after thee, as my soul draweth nearer the hour of seeing thee. Oh! Lamb of God! give me to be seeking after thee through life, pressing after thee from one ordinance to another; and when ordinances cease, and all outward comforts fail, then, Lord, may I gather up (as the dying patriarch did his feet in the bed) all my strength, and pour my whole soul into thine arms, crying out, I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

John 6:25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"

BGT John 6:25 καὶ εὑρόντες αὐτὸν πέραν τῆς θαλάσσης εἶπον αὐτῷ· ῥαββί, πότε ὧδε γέγονας;

KJV John 6:25 And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

NET John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

CSB John 6:25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, " Rabbi, when did You get here?"

ESV John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

NIV John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

NLT John 6:25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

NRS John 6:25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"

NJB John 6:25 When they found him on the other side, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you come here?'

NAB John 6:25 And when they found him across the sea they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

YLT John 6:25 and having found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, 'Rabbi, when hast thou come hither?'

Rabbi: John 1:38-39
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 1:38-39+ And Jesus turned and saw them following, and said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?” 39 He *said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they came and saw where He was staying; and they stayed with Him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

Matthew 6:33+ “But seek (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

CROWD QUESTIONS
THE RABBI

When they found (heurisko) Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi (rhabbi), when did You get here?" - This is a fair question. Even better would have been "How did You get here?" This is the first of 6 questions the Jews ask Jesus in His teaching on the Bread of Life and they increase in antagonism with each question - notice how they move from works, to unbelief, to clear cut rejection (Jn 6:25, 28, 30, 42, 52, 60). The spiritual eyes of these Jews were blinded and they miss the sign of His supernatural transit across the lake. Jesus does not directly answer their question.

Rabbi (4461) rhabbi from Hebrew rab 07227 = >400x in OT - great one, master, chief) means my master (most common rendering in KJV) or my teacher. It was an respectful title of honor by which one would address a teacher who was recognized for their expertise in the Mosaic Law or Scriptures. Jesus' disciples repeatedly address Him as Rabbi (Jn. 4:31; Jn. 6:25; Jn. 9:2; Jn. 11:8) The suffix -bi signified "my master" "and was a title of respect by which teachers were addressed. The suffix soon lost its specific force, and in the NT the word is used as courteous title of address." (Vine) It is interesting that In Mt. 23:7-8 Jesus forbade His disciples to desire to use it ("do not be called Rabbi"). " (Was Jesus a rabbi?)

Rabbi - 15x in 15v - Matt. 23:7; Matt. 23:8; Matt. 26:25; Matt. 26:49; Mk. 9:5; Mk. 11:21; Mk. 14:45; Jn. 1:38; Jn. 1:49; Jn. 3:2; Jn. 3:26; Jn. 4:31; Jn. 6:25; Jn. 9:2; Jn. 11:8. Not found in the Septuagint.

See Wikipedia on Rabbi.

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

BGT John 6:26 Ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ζητεῖτέ με οὐχ ὅτι εἴδετε σημεῖα, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι ἐφάγετε ἐκ τῶν ἄρτων καὶ ἐχορτάσθητε.

KJV John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

NET John 6:26 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, you are looking for me not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate all the loaves of bread you wanted.

CSB John 6:26 Jesus answered, " I assure you: You are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

ESV John 6:26 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.

NIV John 6:26 Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

NLT John 6:26 Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.

NRS John 6:26 Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

NJB John 6:26 Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat.

NAB John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

YLT John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw signs, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were satisfied;

Truly, truly John 6:47,53 3:3,5
you seek Me: John 6:15,64 Ps 78:37 Ps 106:12-14 Eze 33:31 Ac 8:18-21 Ro 16:18 Php 2:21 3:19 1Ti 6:5 Jas 4:3,4
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Psalm 106:12-14 Then they believed His words; They sang His praise. They quickly forgot His works; They did not wait for His counsel, But craved intensely in the wilderness, And tempted God in the desert.

Isaiah 55:6-7 Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

CONFRONTATIVE DISCOURSE
AT CAPERNAUM

Steven Cole prefaces his sermon on this section asking "What are you seeking for in life? We all seek happiness, but where are you looking for that happiness?" Cole then addresses what and who we should be seeking in his full sermon Seeking Jesus Rightly (see full message below)

Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly (amen, amen), I say to you - Another "Amen, Amen" (1 of 25 times, only in John) saying calling attention to the importance and truth of what follows, so the hearers had better give ear and even better give heart (and heed what they hear - cf Ro 10:9-10). His declaration about their motives is a clear indication that Jesus supernaturally read what was in their hearts even as John had written earlier stating "He knew all men and...He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man." (Jn 2:24-25+) In John 5:42+ speaking to a group of antagonistic Jews in Jerusalem after healing the lame man on the Sabbath declared to them "I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves." Mark it down beloved! Jesus knows our heart! Are you as convicted as I am?

W E Vine divides his second discourse "into two parts: (1) Jn 6:26-40, (2) Jn 6:43-59. The first answers the application of the multitude to Him because of the miracle that He had wrought; the second is a reply to the murmuring of the Jews. (ED: THIS IS ACTUALLY Jn 41-51) Each part contains the same two leading truths, (1) that Christ is the Bread of Life, (2) that as such He came from Heaven to earth to give life to men. These subjects are conveyed in four distinct statements in each section."

Jesus says you are looking for temporal satisfaction, not eternal salvation.
They sought gratification of their flesh, but salvation of their souls!

You seek (zeteo - present tense) Me, not (absolute negation) because you saw signs (semeion), but because you ate of the loaves (artos) and were filled (chortazo) - Now Jesus confronts the fickle crowd! They had missed the supernatural and could only focus on the natural. Their motive for seeking Him was selfish and distorted, so He seeks to get their full attention by using Truly, truly. Jesus says you are looking for temporal satisfaction, not eternal salvation. They sought gratification of their flesh, but salvation of their souls! In Jn 6:2 they followed Him because of His supernatural signs and now their motive for following Him was natural food! In short, they had filled stomachs but empty souls!

John Heading - The Lord knew why the people were seeking Him; He knew their hearts (cf. John 1:47; 2:25; 3:20; 4:18; 5:6; 6:61). To them, the sign meant nothing; as they had sat around on the grass, most must have been at a distance from the Lord, so had not seen what had taken place. Neither did they care; they were merely interested in receiving and partaking of free food without having to work for it. This is an entirely carnal attitude towards the Lord and His work, a very low appreciation of a miracle. Moreover, when the Lord said, “Ye seek me”, He was referring to their carnal attitude in seeking for more free food; others sought for Him with similar base motives, as in Jn 7:34; 8:21; 18:4, 8. Yet others sought Him spiritually, as in Jn 1:38; Jn 13:33. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Comment - They must have missed His Sermon on the Mount where He commanded the hearers "But seek (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Mt 6:33+)

R Kent Hughes - Wise missionaries know that Jesus is not essentially a materialistic Savior and are careful not to make the people dependent on their material support. But when someone else comes along with more money, many people switch their allegiance. This is a twentieth-century example of verse 26.(Borrow John: That You May Believe)

Why do you seek Him?

Brian Bell - Amen, Amen. A teaching technique that indicated a crucial idea from Jesus (also: Jn 6:32,47,53) Often people want the Lord to meet their physical needs but not their spiritual needs. They were like stray dogs, that if you feed them they’ll stick around, not because they love you, but because you have food! – Stop feeding them & they’re gone! They only seek God for their carnal needs to be met! Don’t seek Him for what He can do for you, but for Who He is! What about today? Why do you seek Him? (Pure motives?) For a healing? To pay the bills? In hopes to find a nice spouse? “Lord, purify my heart that I may sincerely seek you today!”

Amen (281) amen is a transliteration from the Hebrew word amen which in turn is from the Hebrew verb aman = to be firm, to believe, this word conveying the idea of certainty) Amen is transliterated into Latin and English and many other languages, so that it is practically a universal word. In fact amen has been called the best-known word in human speech. To say “Amen” confirms a statement by someone else. Renn notes that Amen "indicates the solemn affirmation of the divine will and purpose in about one-third of the nearly 150 occurrences of the term. The remaining uses of the term yield the adverbial meaning "truly." (borrow Expository dictionary of Bible words) Surely acknowledges that which is valid and binding. The OT often used "amen" at the end of a sentence (truly, surely, certainly) to confirm the preceding words and invokes their fulfillment. Only the Lord Jesus uses amen (truly) at beginning of a sentence. His "Amen" guarantees the truth of His saying and affirms His authority.

Note amen occurs after the doxologies which end each of first four books of the Psalms - Ps 41:13; Ps 72:19; Ps 89:52; Ps 106:48 end with an "amen". Adam Clarke writes that "in prayer (amen) signifies let it be so, make it steady, let it be ratified." Zodhiates says "In the OT used often at the end of a sentence as an adverb meaning truly, surely, certainly. It thus confirms the preceding words and invokes their fulfillment: “so be it,” Amen is often at the end of a sentence as an adverb and conveys the sense of truly, surely, certainly, essentially serving as a confirmation to the veracity of the preceding words and also calling for their fulfillment (the idea is "so be it") .

All 25 uses of Truly, Truly (only in John's Gospel) - Jn. 1:51; Jn. 3:3; Jn. 3:5; Jn. 3:11; Jn. 5:19; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:25; Jn. 6:26; Jn. 6:32; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 8:34; Jn. 8:51; Jn. 8:58; Jn. 10:1; Jn. 10:7; Jn. 12:24; Jn. 13:16; Jn. 13:20; Jn. 13:21; Jn. 13:38; Jn. 14:12; Jn. 16:20; Jn. 16:23; Jn. 21:18

James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose - THE IMPERISHABLE MEAT John 6:26–29

“Knowledge is a barren tree, and bare bereft of God.”—Morris.
“Though I have all knowledge, and have not love, I am nothing.”
—Paul.

Many had been following the Lord, but He who looketh upon the heart rebuked them for their mean and selfish motives in doing so. “Ye seek Me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.” To look upon Christ as merely a loaf-providing Saviour was to dishonour Him, and deceive their own souls. Christ did not come to feed men, but to save men. It is not always necessary that a man should live, but it is necessary that he should be saved. He gave them loaves, but He is the Bread of Life. The words of our Lord here are very searching. They reveal a—

I. Disappointing Work. “Labour not for the meat which perisheth.” This does not mean that a man should not work for his daily bread, for “he that will not work should not eat.” The meat that is worth working for should fulfil the true characteristics and purposes of food, it should meet and satisfy the cravings of hunger. Therefore, do not spend the whole energy of your being labouring for a perishable meat that will never satisfy an imperishable soul. “Wherefore spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not?” (Isa. 55:2). Give up the disappointing business of attempting to satisfy your soul with earthly goods (Luke 12:19).

II. A Satisfying Work. “Labour … for that meat which abideth unto eternal life” (R.V.). You cannot too earnestly seek this meat, for it is—

1. SUITABLE. Suitable to your eternal spirit, because the elements of eternity are in it. Christ Himself is that meat: seek Him. “I am the Living Bread: if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever” (Jn 6:51). The teaching and the work of Jesus Christ are sufficient to meet the whole need of man for time and eternity. Bread is not more suitable to the hungry, or water to the thirsty, than Christ is to the real deep needs of men.

2. SEASONABLE. This imperishable meat never grows stale. Time can work no change on this. It is the incorruptible provision of the incorruptible God for the incorruptible soul of man. It is as fresh to-day as when it was baken on Calvary, and taken out of the oven of the grave on the resurrection morning. It is seasonable in the early morning of life, at midday, and in the twilight of old age. It is in season every day of the week and every month of the year. In church or in market, in palace or in cot, in prosperity or adversity this heaven-sent food is always fit for use.

3. SATISFYING. It is “that meat which endureth.” “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger” (Jn 6:35). Those who eat of this Bread will not seek satisfaction from any other source. Those who are walking in the sunshine have little regard for candles. The pilgrim, who has a fountain of water springing up within his own soul, will not be strongly tempted to stoop at the muddy pools by the dusty highway. This bread is guaranteed to satisfy every eater, for “Him hath God the Father sealed” (Jn 6:27). God will never put His “hallmark” upon a counterfeit. That life must be absolutely pure before it can receive His stamp. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” There is none like Christ to satisfy.

III. How this Work is to be Done. The question is asked, “What shall we do that we might work the works of God?” The answer is plain and striking: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (Jn 6:29). Then, to labour for this meat is the labour of faith, for this meat is the gift of God (Jn 6:27). Faith must work its way to the Person of Christ. Men’s faces are usually turned to the world in their search for the bread of satisfaction, but with what fruitless labour? The work of God is not merely that ye believe, but that ye believe “on Him whom He hath sent.” The object of your faith must be Him, as the Sent One of God: sent to seek and save the lost. “This is His commandment, that ye should believe on the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 3:23). The work and will of God has not yet been done in you, unless you have “believed on Him.”

W E Vine -Outstanding Facts and Contrasts - The whole discourse may be viewed under the following headings:

I. The contrast between natural bread and Christ the spiritual bread (vv. 26–35).
II. Christ the spiritual bread in relation to the Father (vv. 32, 40).
III. The contrast between the manna and Christ the spiritual bread, with an extended definition of the latter (vv. 43–51).
IV. The flesh and blood of Christ (with reference to His death), the means of spiritual nourishment: a final contrast between the manna and Christ the spiritual bread (vv. 53–58).

John 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal."

BGT John 6:27 ἐργάζεσθε μὴ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην ἀλλὰ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, ἣν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὑμῖν δώσει· τοῦτον γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐσφράγισεν ὁ θεός.

KJV John 6:27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

NET John 6:27 Do not work for the food that disappears, but for the food that remains to eternal life– the food which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has put his seal of approval on him."

CSB John 6:27 Don't work for the food that perishes but for the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal of approval on Him."

ESV John 6:27 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."

NIV John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

NLT John 6:27 But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval."

NRS John 6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal."

NJB John 6:27 Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal.

NAB John 6:27 Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal."

YLT John 6:27 work not for the food that is perishing, but for the food that is remaining to life age-during, which the Son of Man will give to you, for him did the Father seal -- even God.'

Do not work: John 6:28,29 Ga 5:6 Php 2:13 Col 1:29 1Th 1:3
the food: John 4:13,14 Ec 5:11-16 6:7 Isa 55:2 Hab 2:13 Mt 6:19,31-33 Lu 10:40-42 1Co 6:13 7:29-31 9:24-27 2Co 4:18 Col 2:22 3:2 Heb 4:11 12:16 Jas 1:11 1Pe 1:24 2Pe 3:11-14
which endures to eternal life John 6:40,51,54,58,68 4:14 Jer 15:16
which the Son of Man will give: John 10:28 11:25,26 14:6 17:2 Pr 2:2-6 Ro 6:23
for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal: John 1:33,34 5:36,37 8:18 10:37,38 11:42 15:24 Ps 2:7 40:7 Isa 11:1-3 42:1 61:1-3 Mt 3:17 17:5 Mk 1:11 9:7 Lu 3:22 Lu 4:18-21 9:35 Ac 2:22 10:38 2Pe 1:17
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Isaiah 55:2 “Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And delight yourself in abundance.

Luke 12:19-21+ ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 “So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

2 Timothy 2:19+ Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

Matthew 4:4+ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

JESUS CLEARLY OFFERS THE
GIFT OF SALVATION

Jesus follows His direct confrontation regarding their fickle following for food with a step-by-step revelation of the spiritual realities He wanted the crowd to understand. He would do this by presenting the truth that there are two kinds of bread, material bread that perishes and spiritual bread that lasts for eternity.

Do not work (ergazomai - present imperative with a negative see need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) for the food (brosis) which perishes (apollumi), but (strong contrast) for the food (brosis) which endures (meno - present tense - continually) to eternal (aionios) life (zoe), which the Son of Man will give to you - NLT = "But don't be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval." Don't misinterpret Jesus saying we do not need to work to buy food (see Paul 2Th 3:10+)! The first mention of food refers to literal food, which men had to work to have money to buy and symbolizes anything that satisfies legitimate bodily desires. The second food refers to spiritual food. Jesus uses food as a metaphor for the gift of salvation that brings eternal life, and is the gift He will give to those who ask Him for this "food."

He is trying to open their eyes to eternal truths and get their focus off filling their bellies. Jesus is telling them to stop working for the literal food that perishes but work for (believe in Jesus) the only food that truly satisfies one's soul, the living Word of God.

Don't miss the juxtaposition of work "for the food that endures to eternal life" and the fact that it is a gift (which the Son of Man will give). Do we normally work for gifts? Of course not! So it is a paradoxical statement which we cannot completely explain much like the invitation in Isaiah 55:1 "“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost."

Those who work only for the food that perishes will themselves perish!

Wiersbe - Jesus pointed out that there are two kinds of food: food for the body, which is necessary but not the most important; and food for the inner man, the spirit, which is essential. What the people needed was not food but life, and life is a gift. Food only sustains life, but Jesus gives eternal life. (Borrow Be alive: Get to Know the Living Savior)

Friends all around me are trying to find
What the heart yearns for, by sin undermined;
I have the secret, I know where ’tis is found:
Only true pleasures in Jesus abound.
—HARRY D. LOES

R Kent Hughes - Our Lord was reminding the crowd that we earn physical food by the sweat of our brow, but spiritual food is eternal life. That food does not come by work. It comes from Christ. In these verses our Lord began to elevate the people’s defective view of what life is all about. (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

James Butler - This does not say we are not to work any more for our daily bread. Rather it is a comparative statement which says to put the greatest emphasis in life on your soul’s needs. The word “labor” simply means to put forth a great effort. This comparative statement says we need to put more interest and effort into our spiritual welfare than our physical welfare. Yet is is the physical that people are mostly interested in. We do not wish sickness for anyone, but it is far better to be sickly physical than to be sickly spiritually. We must put our spiritual needs ahead of our physical needs. Churches are not helping here with all their coffee and donut emphasis and church suppers. As we noted in the introduction, people will come out of the woodwork to come to a church supper. But the same people will not evidence the same effort and enthusiasm for spiritual food. Bible conferences and sermons do not interest them. Their stomach is more important than their soul and they will patronize a church’s kitchen not its pulpit. (Sermon Starters)

THOUGHT - On food that endures... "It is the incorruptible provision of the incorruptible God for the incorruptible soul of man. It is as fresh to-day as when it was baken on Calvary, and taken out of the oven of the grave on the resurrection morning. It is seasonable in the early morning of life, at midday, and in the twilight of old age. It is in season every day of the week and every month of the year. In church or in market, in palace or in cot, in prosperity or adversity this heaven-sent food is always fit for use." (James Smith)

Phrase eternal life - Matt. 19:16; Matt. 19:29; Matt. 25:46; Mk. 10:17; Mk. 10:30; Lk. 10:25; Lk. 18:18; Lk. 18:30; Jn. 3:15; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 4:14; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:39; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:68; Jn. 10:28; Jn. 12:50; Jn. 17:2; Jn. 17:3; Acts 13:46; Acts 13:48; Rom. 2:7; Rom. 5:21; Rom. 6:22; Rom. 6:23; Gal. 6:8; 1 Tim. 1:16; 1 Tim. 6:12; Tit. 1:2; Tit. 3:7; 1 Jn. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 5:11; 1 Jn. 5:13; 1 Jn. 5:20; Jude 1:21

Which the Son of Man will give you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal (sphragizo - see discussion below of this great word) - Son of Man was Jesus' most common self-designation and once again He identifies Himself with God as His Father. Note that this is a gift, not something one merits by works. The seal was the Father's guarantee of the authenticity and truth of Jesus and His words. Jesus had the Father's seal of approval.

Brian Bell on set His seal - “It was not the signature, but the seal that authenticated. In commercial & political documents it was the seal, imprinted w/the signet ring, which made the document valid; it was the seal which authenticated a will; it was the seal on the mouth of a sack or a crate that guaranteed the contents.” (William Barclay; vol.1, pg.213) With each miracle performed, God’s authenticating seal on Christ’s life was evident to all.

ILLUSTRATION - There are about five billion people on the face of Planet Earth—about five billion. What does a Big Mac cost these days? How much? Two dollars and twenty cents. All right, let’s say we get a bargain and get a Big Mac for two bucks. All right, if there were five thousand people, and you bought every one of them a Big Mac—about five billion people and you bought everyone a Big Mac—it would cost you ten billion dollars. You could spend it just like that. Three hours, they’d be hungry again. I mean, what difference does it make if people die with a full stomach, and go to hell? See, this is what Jesus is saying. He says there’s meat that perishes; and then He says there’s bread that lasts for everlasting life. (John 6:27) (Adrian Rogers - page 440)

D L Moody - A double paradox:
(1.) Jesus tells them to work not for the perishable food, which they could only get by work:
(2.) But for the heavenly food, which they could only get by faith.

Put...seal (4972 ) sphragizo from sphragis = seal, engraved object used to make a mark - denoting ownership, approval, or closure of something normally done by pressing into heated wax usually attached to a document or letter) means to set a seal upon or to mark with a seal. To mark so as to certify that something is so ("the real deal" so to speak). Seals were used to make something secure, to serve as a guarantee of the correctness of the contents, to indicate authenticity, to indicate ownership. Sacrificial animals were examined and sealed if perfect. Jars, sacks of fruit or grain were sealed. To mark with a seal as a means of identification in Greek secular writings was used to mark all kinds of animals, so that the mark denoting ownership also carries with it the protection of the owner.

Wayne Detzler writes that sphragizo was "largely a commercial or business term, referring to sealing a building shut. In order to guarantee property against theft, a seal was placed on it. Or sometimes it took the form of a mark or a brand, as on livestock. When a merchant bought a sack of grain, a seal would be placed on the sack until the full payment was made. This was a guarantee of coming payment. Later the seal became a mark of royalty. Any communiqué from the crown was sealed by the king. After dabbing hot wax on the document, the king would seal it by pressing his ring into the wax. Before long, the engraved ring was called "a seal." In the religious sphere, a sacrificial lamb which was found to be suitable was also sealed, marked as suitable. In the Septuagint Greek Old Testament, a seal was a signet ring. This ring was used to indicate a sale (Jer. 32:10). Royalty also used the seal to authenticate its orders (Esther 3:10; 8:8). Though the precise word for "sealing" is not used, Isaiah 44:5 speaks of people who had "for Jehovah" tattooed on their hands as a mark of religious sacrifice (Borrow New Testament Words in Today's Language)

Food (eating, rust) (1035) bro sis from bibrosko = to eat) literally means something that eats ("an eating") or gnaws. The main NT use refers to the act of partaking of food (eating) (Ro 14:17, 1Co 8:4, 2Co 9:10, Col 2:16). Brosis can refer to that which one eats (In Lxx - Ge 25:28, Jer 41:20, 2Sa 19:43), and thus can mean a "meal" as in (He 12:16). Jesus uses brosis to mean food but with a figurative meaning in Jn 4:32; 6:27, 55.

Friberg - (1) as an action eating (1Co 8.4); often with po,sij (drinking) (Ro 14.17); (2) as a corrosive action on metals rust, corrosion, eating into (usually taken to be the meaning in Mt 6.19, 20, though possibly a burrowing insect like woodworm is intended); as what is eaten meal (Heb 12.16) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament)

Brosis - 10v - eating(2), food(6), meal(1), rust(2). Matt. 6:19; Matt. 6:20; Jn. 4:32; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:55; Rom. 14:17; 1 Co. 8:4; 2 Co. 9:10; Col. 2:16; Heb. 12:16

F B Meyer - For Him the Father, even God, hath sealed.

The seal is the mark of authentication. The Book of Esther often refers to the importance of the royal seal as giving validity and authenticity to documents to which it was appended. So at the waters of Jordan God authenticated our Lord; first by the voice that spake from heaven, and secondly by the holy anointing that came upon his head, setting Him apart for holy service. What the Father did for his Son, He does for his sons. “He that establishes us with you into Christ, and anointed us is God, who also sealed us.” (1Co 1:21) In other words, God waits to authenticate us to ourselves and to the world, as his beloved children, in whom He is well pleased.

The conditions of sealing. — In the case of our Lord there was entire subjection to the Father’s will, although it involved his leaving the blessed home of Nazareth and identifying Himself with the sins and sorrows of men, by baptism in waters where they had confessed their sins. We, too, must be prepared to obey utterly, even to death.

The agent of sealing. — The Spirit descended and abode upon Him; He was filled with the Spirit, and returned in his power to Galilee. We, too, are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise; who stamps us with the die of our Savior’s image and superscription. Simultaneously with his gracious work upon us, we may detect his loving voice within us, witnessing with our spirits that we are children of God.

The effect of sealing. — Secrecy, safety, and assurance. Secrecy, Song of Solomon 4:12. Safety, Matthew 27:65–66. Assurance, Romans 8:15–17. There is also a daily assimilation, though we know it not, to the glorious likeness of our Lord (2Co 3:18); so that those who see us bear witness that his name is on us.

For Profit

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. —John 6:27

Today's Scripture: Proverbs 23:1-5

We live in a materialistic age. Gadgets and luxuries with their glitter and glamour entice even Christians to spend too much energy and money to obtain them. That’s why it’s important to keep spiritual values foremost in our minds.

Have you been putting all of your energies into getting ahead in this world while neglecting heavenly values? Jesus said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (Jn. 6:27). Have you attempted recently to lead anyone to Christ and offered food that satisfies forever?

If you want to see how materialistic you are, take this little test: Suppose someone were to offer you a thousand dollars for every person you earnestly sought to lead to Christ. Would you try to witness to more people than you are doing now? Is it possible that you would do for money, even at the risk of blunders or ridicule, what you would hesitate to do otherwise in obedience to Christ’s urgent commands? Is your love of money stronger than your love of God or the souls of people?

What is the prime goal of our lives? For what are we working? Jesus asks us today, as He did Peter, “Do you love Me more than these?” (Jn. 21:15). By: Henry G. Bosch (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Baking with Jess

Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life. John 6:27

Today's Scripture: John 6:22-34

One morning as Lilia prepared for work, her 4-year-old daughter Jess set to work too. The family had purchased a conveyor toaster, and the concept of cycling bread through the small countertop oven fascinated Jess. Minutes later, Lilia discovered a loaf and a half of toast piled on the counter. “I’m a very good baker!” Jess declared.

It’s no miracle that an inquisitive girl could turn bread into toast. But when Jesus transformed a boy’s five loaves and two fish into a meal for thousands, the crowd on the hillside recognized the miraculous nature of the event and wanted to make Him king (see John 6:1-15).

Jesus’ kingdom, of course, is “not of this world” (John 18:36), and so He slipped away. When the crowd found Him the next day, Christ identified a flaw in their motives: “You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (6:26). They mistakenly thought “King” Jesus would give them full stomachs and national freedom. But Jesus counseled them, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life” (v. 27).

An earthbound view will cause us to treat Jesus as a means to an end. He is, in fact, our Bread of Life. By: Tim Gustafson (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Lord, our cares and worries can keep us from a genuine relationship with You. May we see You as our very food and not only as our divine problem-solver.

Seek first the kingdom of God,
and all these things will be added to you.
-- Jesus

John 6:27 Better Riches

In the book, Illustrations and Incidents for Preachers and Teachers, the story is told about an Arab who lost his way while traveling across a desert. Toiling for two days without food, he became nearly exhausted. At last he stumbled upon a little oasis where travelers before him had halted. He hoped to find some remnant of food, but only a small bag had been left behind. In eagerness he opened it, but to his disgust and disappointment, he found pearls instead of fruit or dates. He had riches but not bread! If all the wealth of the world had been given to him, it would have meant nothing as far as his most urgent need of the moment was concerned. What he required was food that he might be nourished and strengthened. Money and jewels with-out life were worthless!

So it is with many traveling across the desert of this world. In-tent upon the acquisition of silver and gold, they give no thought to their spiritual needs. Even though someday they might find their hands full of riches, they lack that which alone can satisfy their souls. What a tragedy when they stand before God and discover that wealth is no passport to Heaven. Fame and success will not qualify them to enter the Pearly Gates. In' fact, all such things will be stripped away and left behind.

There is nothing wrong with riches if properly acquired and rightfully used. But the most important thing is partaking of the "Bread of Heaven" and receiving the eternal blessing God imparts (John 6:35). Accept Christ as your Savior, for "he that eateth of this bread shall live forever" (John 6:58). (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The riches of this world are vain;
They vanish in a day.
But sweet the treasures of God's love —
They never pass away!
—G.W.

To be rich in God is better than to be rich in goods!

John 6:28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?"

BGT John 6:28 εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· τί ποιῶμεν ἵνα ἐργαζώμεθα τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ;

KJV John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

NET John 6:28 So then they said to him, "What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?"

CSB John 6:28 "What can we do to perform the works of God?" they asked.

ESV John 6:28 Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"

NIV John 6:28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

NLT John 6:28 They replied, "We want to perform God's works, too. What should we do?"

NRS John 6:28 Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?"

NJB John 6:28 Then they said to him, 'What must we do if we are to carry out God's work?'

NAB John 6:28 So they said to him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

YLT John 6:28 They said therefore unto him, 'What may we do that we may work the works of God?'

What shall we do: De 5:27 Jer 42:3-6,20 Mic 6:7,8 Mt 19:16 Lu 10:25 Ac 2:37 9:6 Ac 16:30
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Matthew 19:16+ And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Luke 10:25+ And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

NOTHING TO DO NOW
IT'S ALL BEEN DONE!

This is the second question from the Jews in this discourse - Jn 6:25, 28, 30, 42, 52, 60.

Therefore - Term of conclusion. What is John concluding?

They said to Him, "What shall we do (poieo in present tense - "do as a habit"), so that (hina - term of purpose) we may work (ergazomai in present tense - "that we may go on working") the works (ergon) of God?" - NET = "What must we do to accomplish the deeds God requires?" Jesus' mention of the word work in the previous passage prompted their question.

Every religion in the world is a religion of "do,"
while only Christianity is a religion of "done"

Notice that they completely missed and/or ignored the word “give” (which the Son of Man will give) and pounced on the word “work!” This was a good Jewish response, for they had been taught by the Pharisees to work for their salvation, to merit their righteousness by "good works," which sadly were not God works, but men's works, dead works that bore no eternal fruit. Every religion in the world is a religion of "do," while only Christianity is a religion of "done" (cf the finished work of Christ - see tetelestai) In other words, all religions are self-effort based, works based, whereas only Christianity is faith based, resting one's faith solely and wholly on the fully atoning work of the Messiah and His Gospel. Not do works but believe in the One Who has finished the work of salvation once and for all time (John 19:30+)

The attitude of the Jews was the same as that of the rich young ruler who ask Jesus “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (Mt 19:16+).

How can I relate to a perfectly righteous, holy, just God? This has always been the cry of the lost sinner's heart.

You remember Bildad, the friend of Job (Job 9:2), echoed Job's cry? How can a man be in the right before God? How can he be clean?

And you remember Paul on the Damascus road, "What will you have me to DO?" (Acts 22:9+) (NOTE AGAIN THAT WORD "DO"!)

And you remember those who heard Peter cry, "What shall we DO?" (Acts 2:37+).

And you remember the Philippian jailor who said, "What must I DO to be saved?" (Acts 16:30) And the answer then and forever is the same - "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." (Acts 16:31+).

QUESTION - Why is salvation by works the predominantly held viewpoint? WATCH THE VIDEO

ANSWER - The simple answer is that salvation by works seems right in the eyes of man. One of man’s basic desires is to be in control of his own destiny, and that includes his eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to man’s pride and his desire to be in control. Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone. Also, man has an inherent sense of justice. Even the most ardent atheist believes in some type of justice and has a sense of right and wrong, even if he has no moral basis for making such judgments. Our inherent sense of right and wrong demands that if we are to be saved, our “good works” must outweigh our “bad works.” Therefore, it is natural that when man creates a religion it would involve some type of salvation by works.

Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity. Proverbs 14:12 tells us that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Salvation by works seems right to men, which is why it is the predominantly held viewpoint. That is exactly why biblical Christianity is so different from all other religions—it is the only religion that teaches salvation is a gift of God and not of works. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Another reason why salvation by works is the predominantly held viewpoint is that natural or unregenerate man does not fully understand the extent of his own sinfulness or of God’s holiness. Man’s heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), and God is infinitely holy (Isaiah 6:3). The deceit of our hearts is the very thing that colors our perception of the extent of that deceit and is what prevents us from seeing our true state before a God whose holiness we are also unable to fully comprehend. But the truth remains that our sinfulness and God’s holiness combine to make our best efforts as “filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6; cf. 6:1–5).

The thought that man’s good works could ever balance out his bad works is a totally unbiblical concept. Not only that, but the Bible also teaches that God’s standard is nothing less than 100 percent perfection. If we stumble in keeping just one part of God’s righteous law, we are as guilty as if we had broken all of it (James 2:10). Therefore, there is no way we could ever be saved if salvation truly were dependent on works.

Another reason that salvation by works can creep into denominations that claim to be Christian or say they believe in the Bible is that they misunderstand passages like James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” Taken in the context of the entire passage (James 2:14–26), it becomes evident that James is not saying our works make us righteous before God; instead, he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ has a false or “dead” faith and is not saved. James is making a contrast between two different types of faith—truth faith that saves and false faith that is dead.

There are simply too many verses that teach that one is not saved by works for any Christian to believe otherwise. Titus 3:4–5 is one of many such passages: “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Good works do not contribute to salvation, but they will always be characteristic of one who has been born again. Good works are not the cause of salvation; they are the evidence of it.

While salvation by works might be the predominantly held viewpoint, it is not an accurate one biblically. The Bible contains abundant evidence of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). GotQuestions.org

Related Resources:

Doing The Work Of God

Our sufficiency is from God. — 2 Corinthians 3:5

Today's Scripture: John 6:25-33

When I was a pastor I used to have a recurring nightmare. I would rise to preach on Sunday morning, look out at my congregation—and see no one in the pews!

It doesn’t take a Daniel (Dan. 2:1,19) or a dream therapist to interpret the vision. It grew out of my belief that everything depended on me. I mistakenly believed that if I did not preach with power and persuasion, the congregation would fade away and the church would fold. I thought I was responsible for the results of God’s work.

In the Gospels, we read that some people asked Jesus, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (John 6:28). What audacity! Only God can do the works of God!

Jesus’ answer instructs us all: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent” (v.29). Whatever we have to do, then, whether teaching a Sunday school class, leading a small group, telling the gospel story to our neighbor, or preaching to thousands, it must be done by faith. There is no other way to “work the works of God.”

Our responsibility is to serve God faithfully, wherever He has placed us. Then we’re to leave the results to Him. As Jesus reminded His disciples in John 15:5, “Without Me you can do nothing.” By: David H. Roper (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)Sign in to track your progress!

The work of the Lord for us has been done—
Jesus has paid the supreme sacrifice;
Our service for God has only begun—
And nothing we do can help pay the price.
—Hess

Christ’s work on the cross equips us to do good works for Him.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."

BGT John 6:29 ἀπεκρίθη [ὁ] Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ, ἵνα πιστεύητε εἰς ὃν ἀπέστειλεν ἐκεῖνος.

KJV John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

NET John 6:29 Jesus replied, "This is the deed God requires– to believe in the one whom he sent."

CSB John 6:29 Jesus replied, "This is the work of God-- that you believe in the One He has sent."

ESV John 6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

NIV John 6:29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

NLT John 6:29 Jesus told them, "This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent."

NRS John 6:29 Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."

NJB John 6:29 Jesus gave them this answer, 'This is carrying out God's work: you must believe in the one he has sent.'

NAB John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent."

YLT John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that ye may believe in him whom He did send.'

This is the work of God: John 3:16-18,36 5:39 De 18:18,19 Ps 2:12 Mt 17:5 Mk 16:16 Ac 16:31 Ac 22:14-16 Ro 4:4,5 Ro 9:30-31 Ro 10:3-4 Heb 5:9 1Jn 3:23,5:1
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Romans 4:4-5+ Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Romans 9:30-31 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

Romans 10:3-4 For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

1 John 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and whoever loves the Father loves the child born of Him.

WORK OF GOD
TO BELIEVE

Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work (ergon - deed) of God, that you believe (pisteuo - present tense - continually) in Him Whom He has sent (apostello)." - NET = "This is the deed God requires– to believe in the one whom he sent." Note the people had said "works (plural) of God" in Jn 6:28 but Jesus answers they only need to carry out one "work (singular) of God"!

This would have shocked them - just one work! And He clearly tells them that ONE WORK is simply to BELIEVE! Thus Jesus is not referring to a "meritorious" work by a sinful man. Man cannot do ANY works which please God (Isa 64:6, Ro 3:20+). So this work is not referring to "work" in the sense of something man conjures up and wills himself to do to earn salvation from God. That's the point of Ro 4:1-8+, where Paul teaches that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (see Ro 4:5 where "does not work" is contrasted with "believes" so clearly belief is not a work of self-effort). Note that once again Jesus alludes to His divine origin (Him Whom He [the Father] has sent).

Belief is the only work God counts!

A T Robertson - So here Jesus terms belief in Him as the work of God. These Jews were thinking of various deeds of the Pharisaic type and rules. Jesus turns their minds to the central fact. “This simple formula contains the complete solution of the relation of faith and works” (Westcott). Note the present active subjunctive πιστευητε [pisteuēte], “that ye may keep on believing.” (John 6 Commentary)

R Kent Hughes - In other words, the bread that endures unto eternal life is the bread that is freely given and that we freely receive. It comes through belief. We do not pay for it ourselves. Unfortunately, the crowd did not catch on (ED: THEY MISSED THE FACT THAT JESUS HAD GIVEN THEM PHYSICAL BREAD THAT DID NOT COST THEM ANYTHING. ALL THEY HAD TO DO WAS RECEIVE IT AND EAT IT. IN A SENSE THEIR EATING WAS AN ACT OF FAITH, OF TRUSTING THAT THE BREAD AND FISH WERE NUTRITIOUS, WERE FREE OF CONTAMINANTS, ETC), and the evidence of their dullness is found in Jn 6:30,31. Instead of carrying this conversation on to its consummation and understanding the deep truths, the people tried to divert and test our Lord. (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

One other point that needs to be understood regarding using the word "work" is that Jesus is not referring to the good works that follow faith and demonstrate one's faith is genuine. Faith alone saves, but the faith that truly saves is not alone. See What is the relationship of faith, works, and security in salvation? | GotQuestions.org

This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ,
and love one another, just as He commanded us.
-- 1Jn 3:23+

The only "work" that a man can do that is acceptable to God is to believe in Christ (cf. 1Jn 3:23+). This is the picture of a drowning man going under but raising his hand out for help (or a destitute pauper putting his hand out for a piece of bread). The point is we can do nothing to save ourselves but cry out for Jesus to save us (Like Peter did in Mt 14:30+)! That is not a work on our part that merits or earns favor with God. The "works of God" (Jn 6:28) are impossible to attain in fallen man's fleshly energy, for they require perfect obedience to God's law (Dt 27:26+; Jas 2:10+) to be acceptable to Him. Only Jesus, in His perfect humanity, was able to accomplish this, but His righteousness is imputed, reckoned or placed on the "spiritual bank account" of any and all who believe on Him apart from works (Ro 4:5+). This is possible only because He, perfectly righteous Himself, could then voluntarily and in love bear "our sins in his own body on the tree" (1Pe 2:24+). Jesus had just cautioned them to work "not for the food which perishes, but for that food which endures" (Jn 6:27). Only Christ's finished work endures. By extension, the only works of believers that will endure eternally are those wrought by continually abiding in the Vine Christ Jesus (Jn 15:5+, cf Eph 2:10+).

John MacArthur - True salvation, of course, is not by works (Titus 3:5+). Thus, Jesus answered their question by noting that the only work acceptable to God is to believe in Him whom He has sent. Salvation is by grace alone (Eph. 2:8-9+) through faith alone (Rom 3:28+) in Christ alone (Acts 4:12+), "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight" (Rom. 3:20+; Gal. 2:16+). Salvation is the gift of God (John 4:10+; Ro 5:15+; Ro 6:23+; Eph. 2:8+). (See The MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Merrill Tenney comments that "To Jewish questioners, attaining eternal life consisted in finding the right formula for performing works to please God. Jesus directed them to the gift of God that could be obtained by faith in him. Again there is a similarity to his conversation with the Samaritan woman: 'If you knew the gift of God' (John 4:10). Jesus contradicted directly the presuppositions of his interrogators" (BORROW Expositor's Bible Commentary)

Gerald Borchert has an interesting note on work and belief - The interplay between working and believing is crucial to the concept of salvation in John. On the one hand, a person cannot earn acceptability with God by working for it. On the other hand, acceptability with God cannot be on the basis of “belief” in a mere theological formulation about God. Thus the noun “faith” (pistis) does not occur in John’s Gospel. (Note, however, the untypical use of pistis at 1Jn 5:4+) He chose instead to use only the verb “believe” (pisteuein), and he almost equated it with “obey” (cf. Jn 3:36+). Acceptability with God is a relationship God gives (Jn 6:27), therefore, and both believing and obeying are parallel ways one acknowledges dependence on God (ED: DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND - HE IS NOT SAYING OBEDIENCE SAVES US, BUT THAT THE FAITH THAT IS GENUINE WILL SHOW ITSELF TO BE REAL BY OBEDIENCE - WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT LIVING IN THE BELIEVER). As the Son always responded appropriately to the Father, people are to respond to the Son, Who was sent by the Father (Jn 6:29). That is precisely the way John understood the call of Jesus to the Jews here. (See John 1-11 - New American Commentary)

‘The moment a sinner believes,
And trusts in his crucified God,
His pardon at once he receives,
Redemption in full through His blood.’
-- Joseph Hart

Sent (649) apostello rom apo = from, away from + stello = to withdraw from, avoid) means to send off, to send forth, to send out. To send out; to commission as a representative, an ambassador, an envoy. The idea is to send forth from one place to another. But the meaning of apostello is more than just to send because it means "to send off on a commission to do something as one’s personal representative, with credentials furnished" (Wuest) To send upon some business (Mt. 2:16; 10:5; 20:2). To send away in the sense of to dismiss (Mk 12:3, 4). To send or thrust forth as a sickle among corn (Mk 4:29).

Apostello is a keyword in John's Gospel - Jn. 1:6; Jn. 1:19; Jn. 1:24; Jn. 3:17; Jn. 3:28; Jn. 3:34; Jn. 4:38; Jn. 5:33; Jn. 5:36; Jn. 5:38; Jn. 6:29; Jn. 6:57; Jn. 7:29; Jn. 7:32; Jn. 8:42; Jn. 9:7; Jn. 10:36; Jn. 11:3; Jn. 11:42; Jn. 17:3; Jn. 17:8; Jn. 17:18; Jn. 17:21; Jn. 17:23; Jn. 17:25; Jn. 18:24; Jn. 20:21

QUESTION - How can salvation be not of works when faith is required? Isn’t believing a work?

ANSWER - Our salvation depends solely upon Jesus Christ. He is our substitute, taking sin’s penalty (2 Corinthians 5:21); He is our Savior from sin (John 1:29); He is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). The work necessary to provide salvation was fully accomplished by Jesus Himself, who lived a perfect life, took God’s judgment for sin, and rose again from the dead (Hebrews 10:12).

The Bible is quite clear that our own works do not help merit salvation. We are saved “not because of righteous things we had done” (Titus 3:5). “Not by works” (Ephesians 2:9). “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). This means that offering sacrifices, keeping the commandments, going to church, being baptized, and other good deeds are incapable of saving anyone. No matter how “good” we are, we can never measure up to God’s standard of holiness (Romans 3:23; Matthew 19:17; Isaiah 64:6).

The Bible is just as clear that salvation is conditional; God does not save everyone. The one condition for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ. Over one hundred times in the New Testament, faith (or belief) is declared to be the sole condition for salvation (e.g., John 1:12; Acts 16:31).

One day, some people asked Jesus what they could do to please God: “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus immediately points them to faith: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (John 6:28-29). So, the question is about God’s requirements (plural), and Jesus’ answer is that God’s requirement (singular) is that you believe in Him.

Grace is God giving us something we cannot earn or deserve. According to Romans 11:6, “works” of any kind destroys grace—the idea is that a worker earns payment, while the recipient of grace simply receives it, unearned. Since salvation is all of grace, it cannot be earned. Faith, therefore, is a non-work. Faith cannot truly be considered a “work,” or else it would destroy grace. (See also Romans 4—Abraham’s salvation was dependent on faith in God, as opposed to any work he performed.)

Suppose someone anonymously sent you a check for $1,000,000. The money is yours if you want it, but you still must endorse the check. In no way can signing your name be considered earning the million dollars—the endorsement is a non-work. You can never boast about becoming a millionaire through sheer effort or your own business savvy. No, the million dollars was simply a gift, and signing your name was the only way to receive it. Similarly, exercising faith is the only way to receive the generous gift of God, and faith cannot be considered a work worthy of the gift.

True faith cannot be considered a work because true faith involves a cessation of our works in the flesh. True faith has as its object Jesus and His work on our behalf (Matthew 11:28-29; Hebrews 4:10).

To take this a step further, true faith cannot be considered a work because even faith is a gift from God, not something we produce on our own. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them” (John 6:44). Praise the Lord for His power to save and for His grace to make salvation a reality!GotQuestions.org

C H Spurgeon - Faith is the creature acknowledging its God. While a man says, ‘I do not care about my soul,’ he lives in atheism, disowning God, living as if there were no God. When a man says, ‘I need no saving,’ that is contradicting God’s testimony, wherein he declares that we ‘are all gone out of the way’ and have altogether become abominable. When a man says, ‘I may be wrong, but I can get right of myself. My own good deeds will save me,’ he is setting himself up in independence of his God, in fact, making himself his own God, and so, practically, setting up another God. But when the man cries, ‘I have sinned,’ there is an acknowledgment that the law is ‘holy, and just, and good.’ When he then adds, ‘I have so sinned that I deserve punishment, and I submit myself to it,’ there is a recognition of the court of heaven, and an admission of the righteousness of its sentences. The rebellious heart submits itself to the authority of God. When he further says, ‘But I have heard, great God, that thou hast given thy Son to bleed and die for sinners, and that he is able to save to the uttermost them that trust him, and I do trust him,’ the submission of the man to God is complete. Before, he said, ‘I do not believe it. It does not stand to reason’; that is proud reason still a rebel. Or he said, ‘It may or may not be so, but I do not see the peculiar beauty of an atoning sacrifice.’ There again is the proud heart kicking against God. But the man comes into his right place when he believes. When he believes in Jesus Christ and accepts mercy through the great sacrifice, God is well pleased because his poor erring creature has come into its right place, and God sees in the act of faith the restitution of rectitude. (Sermon - A Plain Answer to an Important Enquiry)

John 6:30 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?

BGT John 6:30 Εἶπον οὖν αὐτῷ· τί οὖν ποιεῖς σὺ σημεῖον, ἵνα ἴδωμεν καὶ πιστεύσωμέν σοι; τί ἐργάζῃ;

KJV John 6:30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

NET John 6:30 So they said to him, "Then what miraculous sign will you perform, so that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?

CSB John 6:30 "What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?" they asked. "What are You going to perform?

ESV John 6:30 So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?

NIV John 6:30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?

NLT John 6:30 They answered, "Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? (NOTE: I DO NOT THINK THIS IS AN ACCURATE PARAPHRASE. THE JEWS DID NOT SAY "BELIEVE IN YOU" AS JESUS INSTRUCTED BUT "BELIEVE YOU." I THINK THERE IS A DIFFERENCE.)

NRS John 6:30 So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?

YLT John 6:30 They said therefore to him, 'What sign, then, dost thou, that we may see and may believe thee? what dost thou work?

What then do You do for a sign: John 2:18 4:8 Ex 4:8 1Ki 13:3,5 Isa 7:11-14 Mt 12:38,39 16:1-4 Mk 8:11 Lu 11:29,30 Ac 4:30 1Co 1:22 Heb 2:4
so that we may see, and believe You: John 6:36 10:38 12:37 20:25-29 Isa 5:19 Mk 15:32
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

1 Corinthians 1:22+ For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom;

JEWS CHALLENGE JESUS
FOR A SIGN BEFORE THEY BELIEVE

So - For this reason. What reason? He had just stated that they needed to believe in Him whom He has sent. So they now seek to challenge His credentials (as if they have not already seen an abundance of evidence of Who He was!) Remember also that these are the same Jews about which John had said "when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” (Jn 6:14). "As if the sign of the day before was without value." (ATR) But they demand more evidence that He was sent from God.

THOUGHT - Are we not at times just like the spiritually obtuse crowd, so quickly forgetting what God has so miraculously done in our lives in the recent past. Lord, keep us from spiritual amnesia. Amen

They said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign (semeion), so that (hina - purpose clause) we may see, and believe (pisteuo) You? - While it may not be significant, I think it is - the Jews responded "believe You," NOT "believe in (eis) You," which He had instructed in Jn 6:29. The Jews demand proof! He has already done many signs, including the bread sign 24 hours earlier, and yet they still have not believed! "It is hard to have patience with this superficial and almost sneering mob." (ATR) Signs authenticated His message of salvation (cf Jn 6:27 = Father's "seal" of approval/authentication), but it was only by believing His message that one could be saved, not by believing the signs! It is interesting that they equate the sign they call for with a work He would do. These Jews have been misled by the false teaching of the Pharisees who were "blind guides of the blind." (Mt 15:14+).

THOUGHT - How often you hear people say "Well, if I saw those miracles I would believe in Jesus." That is a smokescreen. First, they know Jesus is not going to appear and perform miracles and second, they would not believe in Him even if He did appear and perform miracles. Faith must be placed in Jesus based on His Word, not on His miracles which simply and powerfully authenticate His Word. Does He still perform miracles for the lost to see? Absolutely! If you are reading this and it makes sense to you, you are an illustration of the supernatural work of the Spirit of Christ giving you a new heart (2Co 5:17+)! I would submit your salvation and new life in Christ lived out before those who knew the old you, is more miraculous that any of Jesus' miracles 2000 years ago! And your miracle is not one and done, but daily gives evidence of the "sign" of salvation! (cf 2Co 2:14-16+)! Don't hide your miracle under a bushel basket beloved! (Mt 5:14-16+)! Sing it out - This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine (try not to tap your feet)!!!

They wanted to see first, then to believe.
This is inverting God’s order.
-- D L Moody

What work do You perform (ergazomai)? - The NLT says "What can you do?" What work do You work? Think about the audacity and ignorance of that question! Jesus has just accomplished an incredible work! 5000+ people were just filled to the brim with bread in a deserted place and they do not have eyes to see this as a clear sign! Unbelief and hardness of heart invariably make one spiritually blind (see 1Co 2:14+)! I think of the before and after with Paul because of the supernatural work of the Spirit on his heart Luke recording that "immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales." (Acts 9:18+).

These Jews were like people from Missouri, the "show me" state! They held to the old saying "Seeing is believing." Jesus tells them, they have the saying inverted!

Warren Wiersbe - The crowd began by seeking Christ, but then started to seek a sign from Him. "For the Jews require a sign" (1 Cor. 1:22+). The rabbis taught that, when Messiah came, He would duplicate the miracle of the manna (see Ex. 16). If Jesus was truly sent by God (see John 6:29, 38, 57), then let Him prove it by causing manna to fall from heaven. They wanted to "see and believe." But faith that is based on signs alone, and not on the truth of the Word, can lead a person astray; for even Satan is able to perform "lying wonders" (2Th 2:8-10+). Note also John 2:18-25+; Jn 4:48+. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

If you believe, then you will see

MacDonald - Like most unbelievers, they wanted to see first, and then they would believe. “That we may see it, and believe You.” But this is not God’s order. God says to sinners, “If you believe, then you will see.” Faith must always come first! (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

As they often did, the Jews required some miraculous sign before they would believe (John 2:18; Jn 4:48). On one occasion, Jesus said He would give them no sign except that of Jonah (Matthew 12:39+). Nevertheless, He did perform many miracles--not to satisfy human doubt or curiosity, but to meet human needs and to authenticate His divinity (and His Messiahship for many of the miracles He performed were those the Jews expected the Messiah to perform) and His message. John selected seven signs or miracles to support His claim that He was the Son of God.

Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these (signs so to speak) have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)

Faith that leads to eternal life
is faith in Jesus the Christ, the Son of God,
not the signs performed by Him.

James Smith - THE TRUE BREAD JOHN 6:30–40

“Unlike philosophy, the Gospel has an ideal life to offer, and not to a few only, but to all.”—Jowett.

The Jews, in the blindness of their hearts, still clamoured for a sign from Christ, that He was that “meat which endureth unto everlasting life,” after He had already fed them with miraculous bread. None are so ill to convince as those who have made up their minds that they will not be convinced. Moses, they said, “gave our fathers bread from Heaven to eat: what dost Thou work?” It is one of the glories of the Gospel that such questionings often lead to fuller revelations of the mysteries of Christ’s character. It was so here. Jesus now shows Himself as that Bread from Heaven, of which the manna was a type. Observe the—

I. Source of this Bread. “My Father giveth you the true Bread from Heaven” (Jn 6:32). It was not Moses who gave you that bread from Heaven, but My Father who now sends Me as His provision for your sinful souls. “I am from above,” He said. Every aspect of Christ’s character, every act and word all prove that He was from Heaven. This world could not possibly produce such a unique Personality. His parents, His surroundings, or, in fact, anything outside of Himself was utterly powerless to manufacture such Bread as this. “I came down from Heaven” (Jn 6:38).

II. Form of this Bread. “I am.” Christ does not give this Bread, but He is the Bread. “I am the Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35). “This is the Bread which the Lord hath given you to eat,” was said of the manna (Exod. 16:15), and is absolutely true of Him who is the gift of God. Surely the form in which this bread is served to a perishing world is very attractive. What could be more inviting to a weary, hungry soul? He is altogether lovely, and to the hungry heart He is always and everywhere precious. “My flesh is meat indeed” (see Heb. 10:19, 20).

III. Nature of this Bread. It is called (1) the true Bread (Jn 6:32). The true Bread is that which fully meets and perfectly satisfies all the needs of man. The vain philosophies of worldly wisdom can never do this. None but Christ can satisfy. None other Name has the virtues in it needed for the healing of the sores and sorrows of a sin-smitten soul. He is the true Bread because He satisfies every part of the deep and complex character of man. (2) The Bread of God (Jn 6:33). Not only does Jesus Christ meet all the hunger of man’s heart after God, but He meets all the hunger of God’s heart after man. “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Let us adore Him who can both satisfy the heart of God and man (Prov. 8:22–30). He is also called (3) The Bread of Life (v. 35). He is the living and the life-giving Bread, so, to come into personal contact with Him by faith is to receive the life eternal.

IV. Purpose of this Bread. To give “life unto the world.” The world of unspiritual humanity has many things attractive and useful without Christ, but it has not life. The world needs the Light and Life of Christ before it can become pleasing unto God. The world is hungry at heart for the true Light and the true Bread of satisfaction, but, in unbelief, it will not look beyond itself for these infinite blessings. Whatever men may think or say, God deals with this world as a blind and dead thing, and so in mercy sent His Son as its Light and Life

V. Way this Bread is to be Taken. Two simple words are here used to express this act of appropriation. “He that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” To come to Christ, or to believe on Him, is that definite exercise of soul toward Him which makes Jesus Christ and all that He is our own (Jn 6:35). Then after the soul has received Him by faith it must go on day by day appropriating Him as its daily food. Living by faith in the Son of God. They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. Eat, O friends and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, ye have no life in you.

Signs Are Not Enough

“This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” . . . They said to Him, “What sign will You perform?” — John 6:29-30

Today's Scripture: John 6:25-35

Film director Woody Allen has been quoted as saying, “If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank.”

The reasons people give for not believing God often boil down to something they want God to do to prove Himself. Sadly, in making “to do” lists for God, we miss seeing the countless things He has already done.

Even people who lived near Jesus and who witnessed His miracles asked for more proof. Comparing Jesus to Moses, they asked, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? . . . Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” (John 6:30-31).

The startling thing about their request is that just one day earlier Jesus had indeed given them bread. He had fed 5,000 of them with the bread from one boy’s lunch!

Had we been in Jesus’ place, we may have replied, “What about the bread I fed you yesterday?” But Jesus used the moment to teach them, “I am the bread of life” (v.35).

Instead of waiting in doubt and disappointment for God to do the one thing we demand of Him, let’s take the time to look at everything God has already done. By: Julie Ackerman Link (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

If you’re waiting for a sign from heaven,
I’m afraid you may be disappointed;
God has given us the perfect witness—
Jesus Christ, the One He has anointed.
—Hess

What we know of God encourages us to trust Him in all we don’t know.

John 6:31 "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'"

BGT John 6:31 οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν τὸ μάννα ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, καθώς ἐστιν γεγραμμένον· ἄρτον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν. (THE JEWS ARE QUOTING FROM THE SEPTUAGINT, TAKING THE LAST PART OF Ps 78:24)

KJV John 6:31 Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

NET John 6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

CSB John 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat."

ESV John 6:31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

NIV John 6:31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "

NLT John 6:31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "

NRS John 6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

NJB John 6:31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert; as scripture says: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'

NAB John 6:31 Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

YLT John 6:31 our fathers the manna did eat in the wilderness, according as it is having been written, Bread out of the heaven He gave them to eat.'

fathers: John 6:49 Ex 16:4-15,35 Nu 11:6-9 De 8:3 Jos 5:12 Ne 9:20 Ps 105:40
He gave: Ne 9:15 Ps 78:24,25 1Co 10:3 Rev 2:17
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Exodus 16:15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

Numbers 11:8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.

Nehemiah 9:15 “You provided bread from heaven for them for their hunger, You brought forth water from a rock for them for their thirst, And You told them to enter in order to possess The land which You swore to give them.

Psalm 78:24; 25 (THIS IS THE PSALM THE JEWS QUOTE TO JESUS BUT THE IRONY IS THAT THIS PSALM RECORDS THE UNBELIEF AND REBELLION OF ISRAEL!) He rained down manna upon them to eat And gave them food from heaven. Man did eat the bread of angels; He sent them food in abundance.

COMPARING JESUS'
BREAD MIRACLE TO MOSES

Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'HE GAVE THEM BREAD (artos) OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.'" - The NLT paraphrase gives an accurate sense of what the Jews were saying to Jesus - "The Scriptures say, 'Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.' And so here the Jews remind Jesus of the history of the OT manna as if it was Moses who had actually performed this miracle.

MacDonald suggests that "They implied that Moses called down food from heaven; the Lord was not as great as Moses, because He had only multiplied existing food!" (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

D A Carson writes they wanted a miracle greater than manna, commenting "If Jesus is superior to Moses, as his tone and claims suggest, then should not his followers be privileged to witness mightier works than those seen by the disciples of Moses?" (Borrow The Gospel according to John)

R Kent Hughes - “Jesus, we’re not really interested in all that. You did a great sign yesterday when you fed the 5,000, and now we want you to do a miracle on a par with Moses’ miracle. He fed all of Israel six days a week for forty years with bread from heaven.” To understand what they were saying and why, we need to consider Exodus 16:1-15 You can imagine, as the sun came up, the buzz of conversation as people all around the camp asked, “What is it?” “What is it?” “What is it?” A father might have said to his daughter, “Tabitha, gather some of this white stuff—you know, the whatchamacallit?” And she would say, “Sure, but what is it, Father?” We know that is what happened because verse 31 says, “The people of Israel called the bread manna,” which means “What is it?” So for the next forty years, six days a week, every morning the Jews ate “What is it?” This was the idea running through the back of the minds of the people who were confronting Jesus. Jews even had a fable that Jeremiah, at the destruction of the temple, had taken some of the manna and hidden it, and when the Messiah came, he would provide manna. So these people were saying to our Lord, “You did a great miracle yesterday. Now what we want is really a big one—bread from heaven every day!” (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

A T Robertson adds that "The rabbis quoted Ps. 72:16 to prove that the Messiah, when he comes, will outdo Moses with manna from heaven. Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah and able to give bread for eternal life (Jn 6:27). Lightfoot (Biblical Essays, p. 152) says: “The key to the understanding of the whole situation is an acquaintance with the national expectation of the greater Moses.” They quote to Jesus Ex. 16:15 (cf. Nu 11:7; 21:5; Dt. 8:3). Their plea is that Moses gave us bread “out of heaven” (ek tou ouranou). Can Jesus equal that deed of Moses?" (John 6 Commentary)

John Heading - The giving of the manna in the book of Exodus was something known to have taken place from heaven—it was something that the Lord had given men to eat (Exod 16:15). To their minds, this was really a sign, unlike the feeding of the 5,000....the children of Israel in the wilderness reacted in the same manner as did the people after the feeding of the 5,000, for in Ps 78:32+, we read, “In spite of all this they still sinned and did not believe in His wonderful works”. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Guzik - Jesus’ questioners are trying to manipulate Him into providing daily bread for them, just as Israel had from God during the Exodus. They even know how to quote Scripture (“He gave them bread from heaven to eat”, Psalm 105:40).

Marvin Vincent adds an an interesting thought "Properly, the manna, referring to the familiar historic fact. A passage is cited from a Hebrew commentary on Ecclesiastes, as follows: “As the first Redeemer made the manna to descend, as it is written, ‘Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you’; so the later Redeemer also shall make the manna to descend, as it is written, ‘May there be abundance of corn in the earth.’ ”

MacArthur comments that "The crowd's logic appeared to be that Jesus' miraculous feeding was a small miracle compared to what Moses did. In order for them to believe in Him, they would need to see Him feed the nation of Israel on the same scale that God did when He sent manna and fed the entire nation of Israel during their wilderness wanderings for 40 years (Ex 16:11-36). They were demanding that Jesus outdo Moses if they were to believe in Him. They quoted from Ps 78:24. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible)

John 6:32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.

Moses: Ex 16:4,8 Ps 78:23
the true: John 6:33,35,41,50,55,58 Jn 1:9 Jn 15:1 Ga 4:4 1Jn 5:20
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

GIVER OF BREAD FROM HEAVEN
IS JESUS' FATHER, NOT MOSES

Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly (amen, amen), I say to you - Amen, Amen signifies great importance and total truth of what follows and is a key repeated phrase in John 6 (Jn 6:26, 32, 47, 53).

John likes the phrase "I say to you" Jn. 1:51; Jn. 3:3; Jn. 3:5; Jn. 3:11; Jn. 4:35; Jn. 5:19; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:25; Jn. 6:26; Jn. 6:32; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 8:34; Jn. 8:51; Jn. 8:58; Jn. 10:1; Jn. 10:7; Jn. 12:24; Jn. 13:16; Jn. 13:20; Jn. 13:21; Jn. 13:38; Jn. 14:10; Jn. 14:12; Jn. 16:20; Jn. 16:23; Jn. 21:18

It is not Moses who has given you the bread (artos) out of heaven (ouranos) - Jesus immediately counters the Jew's implication in the previous passage that Moses was the one who had provided the miraculous manna in the wilderness! Their memories (or their knowledge of the book of Exodus) and their theology were both faulty!

But - Term of contrast. What is Jesus contrasting? This is relatively straightforward. The contrast is with the Source who they had misinterpreted as a man, Moses. Both were provisions of the Father, but the gift of manna was but a faint shadow of the gift of the Messiah.

Vincent adds that "The antithesis is between Moses and my Father."

It is My Father (pater) Who gives (present tense) you the true (alethinos) bread (artos) out of heaven (ouranos) - Recall this same claim ("My Father") had stirred in the Jews a desire to kill Jesus in chapter 5 (Jn 5:17,18+). The literal Greek order here is "the bread out of heaven, the real bread.” Note that this true bread is a gift, not something that can be earned or worked for. Note also that once again Jesus is calling God His Father, the clear implication being that He Himself is also God, which would have made his hearers cringe!

The Father sent the literal manna which foreshadowed the spiritual manna, the Messiah, Who is the true bread out of heaven (which He explains in Jn 6:35), the spiritual bread that Alone can give eternal life to those who "eat His flesh and drink His blood," that is, those who believe in Him and receive Him as their life and their righteousness. Jesus is the "True Light" (Jn 1:9), the "True Vine" (Jn 15:1), and the "True Bread."

To reiterate Jesus has still not defined what He meant by “the true bread” but was leading the crowd step-by-step to this truth.

ILLUSTRATION - George Washington’s impact on the birth of the United States is reflected across the country. A state is named after him, as well as the nation’s capital. Two hundred forty-one townships and twenty-six cities are named Washington. Four forts, five mountains, and three ports bear his name. Bridges and parks and at least a dozen colleges are named after him. Imagine if you combined George Washington with the Pope or with Billy Graham, so that Washington was not only the founder of the nation, but he was also the leader of your religion. Even if you did that, you still wouldn’t come close to matching how the Jews felt about Moses. Moses was their great hero. Not only was he responsible for bringing them out of Egypt and governing them as a nation for the first time, but he was also the greatest religious leader in their history. He’s the one who went up the mountain to meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments. - Exalting Jesus in John.

The Training of the Twelve - A B Bruce THE SERMON JOHN 6:32–58 - See this sermon below.

John 6:33 "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."

BGT John 6:33 ὁ γὰρ ἄρτος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ καταβαίνων ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ.

KJV John 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

NET John 6:33 For the bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

CSB John 6:33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

ESV John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

NIV John 6:33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

NLT John 6:33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

NRS John 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

NJB John 6:33 for the bread of God is the bread which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

NAB John 6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

YLT John 6:33 for the bread of God is that which is coming down out of the heaven, and giving life to the world.'

comes: Jn 6:38,48 John 3:13 Jn 8:42 Jn 13:3 Jn 16:28 Jn 17:8 1Ti 1:15 1Jn 1:1,2
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 3:13+ “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.

John 13:3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God,

John 16:28 “I came forth from the Father and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again and going to the Father.”

John 17:8 for the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me.

BREAD OF GOD GIVING
LIFE TO THE WORLD

For (term of explanation) - What is Jesus explaining? He has just described the "true bread out of Heaven," and here explains this is not like the manna in Moses' day.

The bread (artos) of God is that which comes down (katabaino) out of heaven, and gives (present tense - continually gives) life (zoe) to the world (kosmos) - Although Jesus does not explain the phrase the bread of God until Jn 6:35, it is clear that this is a reference to Himself. However at this point the people would still be thinking of of bread that is physical rather than bread that is a Person. He had repeatedly made it clear that He had come down out of Heaven, that He had come from the Father, that He was sent by the Father to the world (Jn 3:13, 8:42, et al), but they fail to apprehend and receive this truth.

Wiersbe adds that "Seven times in this sermon, our Lord referred to His "coming down from heaven" (John 6:33, 38, 41-42, 50-51, 58), a statement that declared Him to be God. The Old Testament manna was but a type of the "true bread," the Lord Jesus Christ (ED: See Typology).

And what is the purpose of this bread of God? Jesus says that it gives "life to the world," but these spiritually blinded Jews interpreted this statement literally, as referring to literal bread and physical life. The Jewish crowd was like the Samaritan woman who also interpreted Jesus' description of spiritual water as literal water, requesting of Jesus “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.” (Jn 4:14,15+)

A T Robertson - Chrysostom observes that the manna gave nourishment (trophē), but not life (zōē). This is a most astounding statement to the crowd. (John 6 Commentary)

As an aside, Jesus mention of life to the world, expands the purpose of the bread of God to the Gentiles and not just to the Jews. But clearly this nuance "flies over their head" for they are still thinking physical bread and thus they do not appear to be offended by His mention of world.

Brian Bell - The manna came only to the Jews & sustained physical life; but Jesus came for the whole world & gives eternal life. The bread of God was a gift from the Father, whether it was shaped into Manna or the Messiah. Manna comparison: a) Manna came at night - Jesus came when men were in darkness; b) Manna met physical needs - Jesus meets spiritual needs; c) Manna a gift from God - Jesus God’s gift to the world; d) Manna had to be picked up & eaten - Jesus must be received & appropriated.

Saint Augustine famously said, “You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.” I want to keep the spirit of his statement but tweak the words just a bit. If he was reading this passage, he might say, “You made us to hunger for you, and our starving souls find no nourishment until they feast on you.” Only Jesus can fill the emptiness inside. Only Jesus can quiet the growling of your soul. Only Jesus can give you life. Exalting Jesus in John.

James Smith - THE BREAD OF GOD “For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (John 6:33).

The Bread of God is not only the bread of life, but the life-giving and life-sustaining bread from Heaven. God has in mercy reckoned up the real need of this poverty-stricken, starving-to-death world; and so gave His Son, as His gift of bread, for famished souls. The bread of fashion, of riches, or worldly preferment, soon becomes stale. There is no real soul-nutriment in the bread baked in the world’s oven. The life-giving bread must come from the life-giving God. Jesus Christ, the Bread of God—the Bread that delights the heart of God—and, oh, what grace that this Bread has come from Heaven to give life unto the world. Have you received it? Are you feeding on it? He that eateth this Bread shall live for ever.

John 6:34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread."

BGT John 6:34 εἶπον οὖν πρὸς αὐτόν· κύριε, πάντοτε δὸς ἡμῖν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦτον.

KJV John 6:34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

NET John 6:34 So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread all the time!"

CSB John 6:34 Then they said, "Sir, give us this bread always!"

ESV John 6:34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

NIV John 6:34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

NLT John 6:34 "Sir," they said, "give us that bread every day."

NRS John 6:34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

NJB John 6:34 'Sir,' they said, 'give us that bread always.'

NAB John 6:34 So they said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

YLT John 6:34 They said, therefore, unto him, 'Sir, always give us this bread.'

GWN John 6:34 They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread all the time."

BBE John 6:34 Ah, Lord, they said, give us that bread for ever!

RSV John 6:34 They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

NKJ John 6:34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

ASV John 6:34 They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

DBY John 6:34 They said therefore to him, Lord, ever give to us this bread.

NIRV John 6:34 "Sir," they said, "give us this bread from now on."

RWB John 6:34 Then said they to him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

WEB John 6:34 Then said they to him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

Lord, always give us this bread: John 6:26 Jn 4:15 Ps 4:6
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

John 4:15+ The woman said to Him, “Sir, give (aorist imperative - Do it now!) me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

A GOOD REQUEST IF...
THEY HAD UNDERSTOOD

Then - (The Greek is "oun" which is often translated therefore, consequently). Based on their literal interpretation of the bread of God that brought life, they quickly responded with a request, much like the Samaritan woman who cried "Sir, give me this water." (Jn 4:15+). Did Jesus give her water? No, but instead He exposed her sinful past, which caused her to see Him as the Messiah (Jn 4:25, 26+) from Whom she received "spiritual water" (Jn 4:28, 29+) Unlike the Samaritan woman, the Jewish crowd failed to understand spiritual bread and instead saw their pantries forever filled with heavenly bread.

They said to Him, "Lord (kurios), always give (aorist imperative - Do it now!) us this bread (artos) - GWN = "Sir, give us this bread all the time." NLT says "give us that bread every day," which even sounds like the prayer Jesus taught the disciples - "Give (aorist imperative) us this day our daily bread." (Mt 6:11). What does always "every day" or "all the time" imply? Clearly the Jewish crowd reasoned that since this was physical bread, it would need to be given to them daily and continually (like the manna from heaven had been for 40 years).

Perhaps they thought that instead of 6/7 days of manna, Jesus would top Moses by giving bread 7/7 days!

This is a paradoxical request because the Jews did not understand that what they were asking for was Jesus Himself! Of course, they still had no clue that Jesus Himself was the true Bread they were asking for and desperately needed! Clearly they were not asking to receive and believe in Him as their Savior, as He Himself makes clear in Jn 6:36!

Once again we see their spiritual blindness. The Jews missed Jesus' deeper spiritual truth in Jn 6:33 and were still thinking of their stomachs, at the expense of their souls! They were thinking temporally, not eternally. Had they understood Jesus' offer, they would have asked Him for eternal life, not temporal bread. But as Paul said later "a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (HOLY SPIRIT GIVES ILLUMINATION)." (1Co 2:14+) These Jews were natural men, who missed the supernatural significance of the Savior's statement and would soon declare Jesus' explanation was foolishness!

A T Robertson on Lord (kurios) - Used now instead of Rabbi (Jn 5:25) though how much the people meant by it is not clear. (John 6 Commentary) COMMENT - Compare the Samaritan woman's request where kurios is translated "Sir" - "Sir (kurios), give me this water...." (Jn 4:15+). Note that several translations render kurios as "Sir" - NET, CSB, ESV, NLT, NRSV, NJB, NIV, NAB, YLT.

Note that they call Jesus Lord (kurios), (which admittedly might convey the nuance of "Sir" rather than "Lord") and are like those individuals Jesus describes in Matthew 7:21+ declaring "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord , Lord (kurios, kurios)' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does (present tense = direction, NOT perfection, and direction, energized by the Holy Spirit [giving us the desire and power - Php 2:13NLT+], not fleshly efforts) the will of My Father Who is in heaven will enter."

THOUGHT - How many today miss the eternal because they focus on the temporal? They ask what can Jesus do for me rather than focusing on what He has done for them! Even some modern choruses have more "I's" and "me's" in them them then pronouns referring to Jesus! Contrast these with the old hymns! If I name it and claim it, I will be healthy, wealthy and wise! That's a lie from the pit of hell. Jesus offers the supernatural Bread of God for eternal life which is far superior to the miraculous manna in the desert, which even rotted if you tried to hoard it!

Wiersbe - This dialogue began with the crowd seeking Christ and then seeking a sign, but listeners soon began to seek the "true bread" that Jesus talked about. However, like the woman of Samaria, they were not ready for salvation (see John 4:15). She wanted the living water so she would not have to keep going to the well. The crowd wanted the bread so they would not have to toil to maintain life. People today still want Jesus Christ only for the benefits He is able to give. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

Kenneth Gangel comments on the many contrasts noting that John 6 "is about faith, but these people wanted food. Jesus talked about spiritual relationship, but the crowds were interested in physical showmanship. They focused on the lunch, not the love; on their bellies, not their beliefs. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

Adrian Rogers sees the manna as a picture of Jesus - It came down from heaven. Jesus came down from heaven. It was miraculous. Jesus was miraculous. It was round. That spoke of His eternality: He never had an ending, never had a beginning. It was white. That spoke of His purity. It had in it the flavor of oil, which speaks of the Holy Spirit that was upon Him. It was sweet. That spoke of His sweetness. It lay upon the ground, which spoke of His humiliation. It had to be picked up. That spoke of His resurrection. It had to be eaten. That speaks of our trusting the Lord and assimilating the Lord. It gave life, as Jesus gives life. And it was a picture of the Lord Jesus. But they said, “We don’t want it. Our souls loathe this light bread. We had rather have this world’s garlic than to have heaven’s bread.”

Lord (master, owner)(2962) kurios from kuros = might or power, related to kuroo = to give authority) primarily means the possessor, owner, master, the supreme one, one who is sovereign (e.g., Roman emperors - Acts 25:26+) and possesses absolute authority, absolute ownership rights and uncontested power. Kurios is used of the one to whom a person or thing belonged, over which he has the power of deciding, the one who is the master or disposer of a thing (Mk 7:28+)

D L Moody - Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.—John 6:34.

I CANNOT but believe that the reason for the standard of Christian life being so low, is that we are living on stale manna. You know what I mean by that. So many people are living on their past experience—thinking of the grand times they had twenty years ago, perhaps when they were converted. It is a sure sign that we are out of communion with God if we are talking more of the joy and peace and power we had in the past, than of what we have to-day. We are told to “grow in grace”; but a great many are growing the wrong way. The Israelites used to gather the manna fresh every day: they were not allowed to store it up. There is a lesson here for us. If we would be strong and vigorous, we must go to God daily. A man can no more take in a supply of grace for the future than he can eat enough to-day to last him for the next six months, or take sufficient air into his lungs at once to sustain life for a week to come. We must draw upon God’s boundless stores of grace from day to day, as we need it.

John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

BGT John 6:35 εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ ἐρχόμενος πρὸς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ πεινάσῃ, καὶ ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ διψήσει πώποτε.

KJV John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

NET John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never go hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty.

CSB John 6:35 "I am the bread of life," Jesus told them. "No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry, and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.

ESV John 6:35 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.

NIV John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

NLT John 6:35 Jesus replied, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

NRS John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

NJB John 6:35 Jesus answered them: I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst.

NAB John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst.

YLT John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of the life; he who is coming unto me may not hunger, and he who is believing in me may not thirst -- at any time;

GWN John 6:35 Jesus told them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never become hungry, and whoever believes in me will never become thirsty.

BBE John 6:35 And this was the answer of Jesus: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be in need of food, and he who has faith in me will never be in need of drink.

RSV John 6:35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

I am: John 6:41,48-58 1Co 10:16-18 11:23-29
he who comes: John 6:37,44,45,65 5:40 7:37 Isa 55:1-3 Mt 11:28 Rev 22:17
hunger: John 4:13-14 7:38 Isa 49:10 Lu 6:25 Rev 7:16
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Isaiah 41:4; 43:10; 25 “Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He (Lxx - ego eimi) .’”

Isaiah 43:10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He (Lxx - ego eimi) . Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.

Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am (Lxx - ego eimi, ego eimi) the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins.

John 4:13-14+ Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

JESUS' GREAT "I AM..."
THE BREAD OF LIFE

Steven Cole summarizes this next profound teaching writing "Christ offers eternal life to all (Jn 6:35), but not all believe (Jn 6:36). All those whom God has given to Jesus will come to Him (Jn 6:37a). He will save them and keep them for all eternity (Jn 6:37b-40)." (For full discussion dealing with God's sovereignty and man's responsibility see The Certain Success of Jesus’ Mission.

Jesus said to them, "I am (ego eimi) the bread (artos) of life (zoe) - Jesus had the crowd where He wanted them -- wanting the Bread of God, crying "Lord, always give us this bread." And so now He directly and clearly explains that He Himself is the Bread He has been describing in the previous passages (much like He explained to the Samaritan woman that He was the Messiah). Regarding life (zoe) He is referring not to physical life but to spiritual life, eternal life, found only in Christ and attained only by belief in Him.

In using the phrase ego eimi Jesus is making another claim that He is God, this same phrase being found in the Septuagint of Exodus 3:14 - "God said to Moses, “I AM (ego eimi) WHO I AM’” This is the first of seven great "I am" (ego eimi) statement in John's Gospel and is actually recorded 3 times in this chapter (Jn 6:35, Jn 6:48, Jn 6:51). Jesus clearly wants to make sure that these questioning Jews hear His claim that He is God.

John Heading - At this stage of the conversation, the Lord now identified His Person with the bread, although He knew that this revelation would cause the people to cease in their desire to receive the bread and to partake of it. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

D L Moody - Bread—the commonest article of food on our tables—is a type of Christ. It was through eating that Eve died. It is through eating that we may live.

R Kent Hughes - What a statement! “I am the bread of life.” It is no coincidence that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, “the house of bread,” as prophesied hundreds of years earlier by Micah 5:2. The Word became flesh, and we broke it. There is no coincidence about that either. It was all planned by the Lord, for our redemption....Apart from Christ, nothing satisfies. The best of fishing trips must be followed by another fishing trip. The most exquisite meal still leaves you hungry. C. S. Lewis said, “I cannot find a cup of tea which is big enough or a book that is long enough.” You can play the best racquetball game, be at your best, but it has to be followed by another game. You can have a great Sunday dinner, but it has to be followed by a good breakfast in the morning. You can wear the fanciest, most chic clothes, but you will have to have new clothes next year. All of these things are like a Chinese dinner—in just a few hours you are empty and ready to eat again. That is the way it is with the best things of life. Somerset Maugham dressed in his finest tuxedo and night after night played cards with the most famous people in all of the world. Dukes and duchesses sought his favor. He had the most exclusive of parties. But he found no lasting satisfaction. (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

Brian Bell - If we take the 1st commandment from the neg to the poss, from “Thou shall have no other gods before me” to “Thou shall have me!” - That’s what Jesus is saying here!

A T Robertson on "I am (ego eimi) the bread (artos) of life (zoe) - This sublime sentence was startling in the extreme to the crowd....here Jesus offers himself in place of the loaves and fishes which they had come to seek (Jn 6:24, 26). He is the bread of life in two senses: it has life in itself, the living bread (Jn 6:51), and it gives life to others like the water of life, the tree of life. (John 6 Commentary)

What does bread do? Nourishes us and satisfies our hunger. Jesus is the spiritual bread that nourishes our soul and satisfies the deepest needs of our soul. (See below for excellent discussion by gotquestions).

All occurrences of ego eimi in John - Jn. 6:20; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:41; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 8:18; Jn. 8:24; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 8:58; Jn. 9:9; Jn. 10:7; Jn. 10:9; Jn. 10:11; Jn. 10:14; Jn. 11:25; Jn. 13:19; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 15:1; Jn. 15:5; Jn. 18:5; Jn. 18:6; Jn. 18:8;

He who comes (erchomai) to Me will (ou me = strong double negative = absolutely will; cf Jn 4:14 "never thirst" = also double negative) not hunger (peinao - spiritually) -- Obviously the Jewish crowd had come to Him physically for they were near enough to hear Him speak. But they had not come in the spiritual sense. They had not yield themselves to Him. Comes is present tense (continually, as one's lifestyle) and the middle voice indicates the individual chooses to initiate the act of coming and participates in the results thereof. Of course in our fallen flesh of Adam no man seeks after God (Ro 3:11+), so implicit in Jesus' words is that they respond to the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:8), Who will give them the desire and power to come to Jesus. They still have to make the choice to come, but they could not and would not come if God had not given them supernatural power to do so. The parallel thought is taught in John 6:37 (Father gives Me) and John 6:44 (Father...draws him) which gives us the supernatural background for why (how) any sinner would be enabled to come to Jesus.

THOUGHT - Do you come to church physically, even regularly, and yet you have never truly come (in the spiritual sense) to Jesus as Savior and Lord? This is a deceptive, dangerous position to take dear reader, because you do not know the day nor the hour your life may end and it will be too late to come to Jesus (read 2Cor 6:2+). Today is the day for you to COME TO JESUS AND LIVE (play this song).

Wiersbe - At the close of His sermon, Jesus illustrated coming and believing by speaking about eating and drinking. To come to Christ and believe on Him means to receive Him within, just as you receive food and drink. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

James Smith - Those who eat of this Bread will not seek satisfaction from any other source. Those who are walking in the sunshine have little regard for candles. The pilgrim, who has a fountain of water springing up within his own soul, will not be strongly tempted to stoop at the muddy pools by the dusty highway.

And he who believes (pisteuo) in Me will (ou me = strong double negative = absolutely will) never thirst (dipsao - spiritually) - Note the clear parallel (a common technique in the Hebrew languages so these Jews would have been familiar with "parallelisms") of the verb "comes" and the verb "believes." It is not just come and see, but come and believe. To come to Him in this context means to believe in Him. Come to Him because one trusts Him and His promises that speak to temporal, physical needs we all have, the most solemn being the need to have victory over death.

Believes is present tense (continually) and active voice (a decision of our will) indicating it is a continuous relation of trust in Jesus, but again it is based on the gift of God, the Spirit giving us faith. So we see juxtaposed God's gift (sovereignty) and man's receipt (responsibility), in some amazing way this combination giving clear evidence of God's love and grace to undeserving sinners! Charles Spurgeon when asked how he reconciled these two truths replying lied, "I never try to reconcile friends."

THOUGHT - We are hungry and thirsty every day, but when we have Jesus, we have our spiritual hunger and thirst quenched! Only Jesus can satisfy all the deepest needs of our soul! C. S. Lewis observed that the problem is not that our cravings are too big but that our cravings are much too small and too easily satisfied with lesser things. We assume that we must get a control on our cravings and subdue them if not eradicate them. The reality of satisfaction is not in the denial of our cravings, but in redirecting them from small things to the One Great Thing.

Note the two negatives (not...never) are both absolutes. In fact they are even better because Jesus uses the double negative "ou me", this combination signifying absolutely never, ever! And remember the One making these incredible promises is called Faithful and True in His victory song, the Revelation (Rev 3:14+, Rev 19:11+).

NET Note - The one who believes in Me will never be thirsty. Note the parallelism between "coming to Jesus" in the first part of Jn 6:35 and "believing in Jesus" in the second part of v. 35. For the author of the Gospel of John these terms are virtually equivalent, both referring to a positive response to Jesus (see John 3:17–21).

Jesus attaches two promises to the two verbs (note two "will's" ~ prophetic promises) which reminds us of His similar words to the Samaritan woman at the well

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this (WELL) water will thirst again; 14 but whoever drinks of the (SUPERNATURAL) water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14+)

The words of Satisfied by Clara T. Williams beautifully illustrate John 6:35...

All my life long I had panted For a drink from some cool spring
That I hoped would quench the burning Of the thirst I felt within.
Feeding on the husks around me Till my strength was almost gone,
Longed my soul for something better, Only still to hunger on.
Poor I was, and sought for riches, Something that would satisfy;
But the dust I gathered round me Only mocked my soul’s sad cry.
Well of water, ever springing, Bread of life, so rich and free.
Untold wealth that never faileth, My Redeemer is to me.
Hallelujah! I have found Him Whom my soul so long has craved!
Jesus satisfies my longings; Through His blood I now am saved.

Adrian Rogers - “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved” (Acts 16:31)—you will. You say, “Brother Rogers, will Jesus save me today if I trust Him?” Of course He will! The Bible says—Jesus is speaking—“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37) It was a sovereign remedy. It was the sufficient remedy. It was a sure remedy: “Whosoever looketh shall live.”

Believes (4100) pisteuo from pistis; pistos; related studies the faith) means to consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one’s trust. To accept as true, genuine, or real. To have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability of something or someone. To consider to be true. To accept the word or evidence of. It is vitally important that we understand this Greek word in the context of salvation passages like Jn 6:35 does not refer solely to intellectual knowledge or intellectual acceptance of a set of facts about Jesus. Pisteuo obviously includes the intellectual component because you have to mentally grasp the truth. Saving faith does not stop at the mind level, but is manifest at the heart level (the heart being our "control center" so to speak). Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone. Once saved always saved, assuming the person is truly saved and not just intellectually assenting to the truth of Jesus. W E Vine gives a good description of the faith that saves explaining that it consists of (1) a firm conviction which produces full acknowledgment of God's revelation of Truth - (2Th 2:11+ -"in order that they all may be judged who did not believe [pisteuo] the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.") (2) a personal surrender to the Truth (Jn 1:12+ "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe [pisteuo] in His name") and (3) a conduct inspired by and consistent with that surrender. (See the obedience of faith).

Warren Wiersbe writes "It is interesting to compare the manna to Jesus Christ:

(1) It came from heaven at night; Christ came from heaven when men were in darkness.
(2) It fell on the dew; Christ came, born of the Spirit of God.
(3) It was not defiled by the earth; Christ was sinless, separate from sinners.
(4) It was small, round, and white, suggesting His humility, eternality, and purity.
(5) It was sweet to the taste; Christ is sweet to those who trust Him.
(6) It had to be taken and eaten; Christ must be received and appropriated by faith (1:12–13).
(7) It came as a free gift; Christ is the free gift of God to the world.
(8) There was sufficient for all; Christ is sufficient for all.
(9) If you did not pick it up, you walked on it; if you do not receive Christ, you reject Him and walk on Him (see Heb. 10:26–31).
(10) It was wilderness food; Christ is our food in this pilgrim journey to heaven.
(Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament).

Hughes adds a couple of other similarities - Manna was white like fallen snow, just as Christ was without blemish or imperfection. Manna was also accessible. That was one of its main virtues. When a man walked outside the camp to gather it, he had a choice. He could either tread on it or he could pick it up. We can either tread upon Jesus or we can take him as our Savior. To change metaphors, the Scriptures say Jesus can either be a cornerstone or a stumbling block. How we respond to him makes all the difference. (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

Related Resources:

THE SEVEN GREAT "I AM"
DECLARATIONS OF JESUS

I am the Bread of life	Jn 6:35, 48, 51
I am the Light of the world	Jn 8:23, Jn 9:5
I am the Door	Jn 10:7, 9
I am the Good Shepherd	Jn 10:11, 14
I am the Resurrection & the Life	Jn 11:25
I am the Way, the Truth & the Life	Jn 14:6
I am the true Vine	Jn 15:1

QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He said, “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35)? WATCH THE VIDEO

ANSWER - “I am the Bread of Life” (John 6:35) is one of the seven “I Am” statements of Jesus. Jesus used the same phrase “I AM” in seven declarations about Himself. In all seven, He combines I AM with tremendous metaphors which express His saving relationship toward the world. All appear in the book of John.

John 6:35 says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Bread is considered a staple food—i.e., a basic dietary item. A person can survive a long time on only bread and water. Bread is such a basic food item that it becomes synonymous for food in general. We even use the phrase “breaking bread together” to indicate the sharing of a meal with someone. Bread also plays an integral part of the Jewish Passover meal. The Jews were to eat unleavened bread during the Passover feast and then for seven days following as a celebration of the exodus from Egypt. Finally, when the Jews were wandering in the desert for 40 years, God rained down “bread from heaven” to sustain the nation (Exodus 16:4).

All of this plays into the scene being described in John 6 when Jesus used the term “bread of life.” He was trying to get away from the crowds to no avail. He had crossed the Sea of Galilee, and the crowd followed Him. After some time, Jesus inquires of Philip how they’re going to feed the crowd. Philip’s answer displays his “little faith” when he says they don’t have enough money to give each of them the smallest morsel of food. Finally, Andrew brings to Jesus a boy who had five small loaves of bread and two fish. With that amount, Jesus miraculously fed the throng with lots of food to spare.

Afterward, Jesus and His disciples cross back to the other side of Galilee. When the crowd sees that Jesus has left, they follow Him again. Jesus takes this moment to teach them a lesson. He accuses the crowd of ignoring His miraculous signs and only following Him for the “free meal.” Jesus tells them in John 6:27, “Do not labor 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.” In other words, they were so enthralled with the food, they were missing out on the fact that their Messiah had come. So the Jews ask Jesus for a sign that He was sent from God (as if the miraculous feeding and the walking across the water weren’t enough). They tell Jesus that God gave them manna during the desert wandering. Jesus responds by telling them that they need to ask for the true bread from heaven that gives life. When they ask Jesus for this bread, Jesus startles them by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

This is a phenomenal statement!

First, by equating Himself with bread, Jesus is saying he is essential for life.

Second, the life Jesus is referring to is not physical life, but eternal life. Jesus is trying to get the Jews’ thinking off of the physical realm and into the spiritual realm. He is contrasting what He brings as their Messiah with the bread He miraculously created the day before. That was physical bread that perishes. He is spiritual bread that brings eternal life.

Third, and very important, Jesus is making another claim to deity. This statement is the first of the “I AM” statements in John’s Gospel. The phrase “I AM” is the covenant name of God (Yahweh, or YHWH), revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The phrase speaks of self-sufficient existence (or what theologians refer to as “aseity”), which is an attribute only God possesses. It is also a phrase the Jews who were listening would have automatically understood as a claim to deity.

Fourth, notice the words “come” and “believe.” This is an invitation for those listening to place their faith in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. This invitation to come is found throughout John’s Gospel. Coming to Jesus involves making a choice to forsake the world and follow Him. Believing in Jesus means placing our faith in Him that He is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and that He is the only one who can.

Fifth, there are the words “hunger and thirst.” Again, it must be noted that Jesus isn’t talking about alleviating physical hunger and thirst. The key is found in another statement Jesus made, back in His Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:6+, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” When Jesus says those who come to Him will never hunger and those who believe in Him will never thirst, He is saying He will satisfy our hunger and thirst to be made righteous in the sight of God.

If there is anything the history of human religion tells us, it is that people seek to earn their way to heaven. This is such a basic human desire because God created us with eternity in mind. The Bible says God has placed [the desire for] eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The Bible also tells us that there is nothing we can do to earn our way to heaven because we’ve all sinned (Romans 3:23) and the only thing our sin earns us is death (Romans 6:23). There is no one who is righteous in himself (Romans 3:10). Our dilemma is we have a desire we cannot fulfill, no matter what we do. That is where Jesus comes in. He, and He alone, can fulfill that desire in our hearts for righteousness through the Divine Transaction: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When Christ died on the cross, He took the sins of mankind upon Himself and made atonement for them. When we place our faith in Him, our sins are imputed to Jesus, and His righteousness is imputed to us. Jesus satisfies our hunger and thirst for righteousness. He is our Bread of Life. GotQuestions.org

QUESTION - How do God’s sovereignty and humanity’s free will work together in salvation? WATCH THE VIDEO

ANSWER - It is impossible for us to fully understand the relationship between God’s sovereignty and man’s free will and responsibility. Only God truly knows how they work together in His plan of salvation. With this doctrine, probably more so than with any other, it is crucially important to admit our inability to fully grasp the nature of God and our relationship with Him. Going too far to either side results in a distorted understanding of salvation.

Scripture is clear that God determines who will be saved (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2). Ephesians 1:4 tells us that God chose us “before the creation of the world.” The Bible repeatedly describes believers as the “chosen” (Romans 8:33, 11:5; Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:2, 2:9) and the “elect” (Matthew 24:22, 31; Mark 13:20, 27; Romans 11:7; 1 Timothy 5:21; 2 Timothy 2:10; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). The fact that believers are predestined (Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:5, 11) and elected for salvation (Romans 9:11, 11:28; 2 Peter 1:10) is clear.

The Bible also says that we are responsible for receiving Christ as Savior. If we believe in Jesus Christ we will be saved (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). God knows who will be saved and God chooses who will be saved, and we must choose Christ in order to be saved. How these facts work together is impossible for a finite mind to comprehend (Romans 11:33-36). Our responsibility is to take the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). We should leave foreknowledge, election, and predestination up to God and simply be obedient in sharing the gospel. GotQuestions.org

QUESTION - How does God’s sovereignty work together with free will?

ANSWER - It is impossible for us to fully understand the dynamics of a holy God molding and shaping the will of man. Scripture is clear that God knows the future (Matthew 6:8; Psalm 139:1-4) and has total sovereign control over all things (Colossians 1:16-17; Daniel 4:35). The Bible also says that we must choose God or be eternally separated from Him. We are held responsible for our actions (Romans 3:19; 6:23; 9:19-21). How these facts work together is impossible for a finite mind to comprehend (Romans 11:33-36).

People can take one of two extremes in regard to this question. Some emphasize the sovereignty of God to the point that human beings are little more than robots simply doing what they have been sovereignly programmed to do. Others emphasize free will to the point of God not having complete control and/or knowledge of all things. Neither of these positions is biblical. The truth is that God does not violate our wills by choosing us and redeeming us. Rather, He changes our hearts so that our wills choose Him. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19), and “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).

What are we to do then? First, we are to trust in the Lord, knowing that He is in control (Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s sovereignty is supposed to be a comfort to us, not an issue to be concerned about or debate over. Second, we are to live our lives making wise decisions in accordance with God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:5). There will be no excuses before God for why we chose to disobey Him. We will have no one to blame but ourselves for our sin. Last but not least, we are to worship the Lord, praising Him that He is so wonderful, infinite, powerful, full of grace and mercy—and sovereign. GotQuestions.org

Norman Geisler - JOHN 6:35—Why are the “I AM” statements of Jesus only mentioned in John?

PROBLEM: John mentions numerous times that Jesus said “I Am” (e.g., John 6:35; 8:58; 10:9; 14:6). Yet not one of these statements is mentioned in any other Gospel. Did John make these up, or did Jesus actually say them?

SOLUTION: John reported accurately what he heard and saw. First of all, he was an eyewitness of the events (John 21:24; cf. 1 John 1:1). His Gospel is filled with details of geography (3:23), topography (6:10), and private conversations that betray a first-hand, first-century knowledge of the events (cf. John 3; 4; 13–17).
Further, when John records events and/or conversation found in the other Gospels, he does so in substantially the same way they do. This includes the preaching of John the Baptist (1:19–28), the feeding of the 5,000 (6:1–14), Jesus’ walking on the water (6:15–21), eating the Passover with His disciples (13:1–2), Peter’s denial (13:36–38; 18:15–27), Judas’ betrayal (18:1–11), His trials (18–19), His crucifixion (19), and His resurrection (20–21).
In addition, the other Gospels record some of the same types of conversation recorded in John. Matthew 11:25–30 sounds like something right out of the Gospel of John. Even Jesus’ characteristic use of “verily” (KJV), (“truly,” NASB; “assuredly,” NKJV) in John (cf. 1:51; 3:3, 11; 5:19, 24, etc.) is found in other Gospels (cf. Matt. 5:18, 26; Mark 3:28; 9:1; Luke 4:24; 18:17), though John alone doubles it perhaps for emphasis.
Finally, John’s differences from the synoptics can be accounted for in several ways. First of all, John writes primarily about Jesus’ Judean ministry, whereas the other Gospels speak largely about His Galilean ministry. Second, John records many of Jesus’ private conversations (cf. chaps. 3–4; 13–17), whereas the other Gospels speak mostly about His public ministry. Third, clear “I Am” statements come usually after Jesus has been challenged and He declares His point simply and emphatically. Even so, they are not without parallel in the other Gospels, where Jesus says “I am” [the Christ] (Mark 14:62

Spurgeon - Soul-Satisfying Bread - John 6:35

All believers bear witness that Jesus Christ is satisfying bread to them. When do you get most satisfied on a Sunday? I do not know whom you may happen to hear, but what Sabbath days are the best to you? When your minister rides the high horse and gives you a splendid oration, and you say, ‘Dear me, it is wonderful,’ have you ever felt satisfied to think it over on the Monday? Have you ever felt satisfied with sermons composed of politics and morality, or very nice essays which would suit the Saturday Review if they were a little more caustic? Do you enjoy such meat? I will tell you when I enjoy a Sunday most—when I preach Christ most, or when I can sit and hear a humble village preacher exalt the Lord Jesus. It does not matter if the grammar is spoilt as long as Jesus is there. What some call platitudes are dainties to me if they glorify my Lord Jesus Christ. Anything about him is satisfying to a renewed spirit—cannot you bear witness to that? Sometimes when I have preached up Jesus Christ—and I think I generally do so, for the fact is I do not know anything but him, and I am ‘determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified’—I know you go away and say, ‘That is what we want—Christ crucified, Christ the sinner’s substitutionary sacrifice, no sham Christ, no mere talk about Christ as an example, but his flesh and blood, a dying, bleeding, suffering Christ: that is what we want.’ Now I have the witness of every Christian here to that! You are never satisfied with anything but that, are you? No matter how cleverly the doctrine might be analysed, or however orthodox it might be, you cannot be content with it; you must have the person of Christ, the flesh and the blood of Christ, or else you are not content.

James Butler - BREAD John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life, he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst”

Jesus described Himself in many different ways. One of the ways He described Himself was to tell the people He was the bread of life. We use the term “bread” to mean the staff of life, that is, it refers to more than just bread. It is the main thing for survival. This bread which Jesus speaks of will bring you eternal life. As physical bread gives you physical life so does spiritual bread gives life which is in Christ.

FIRST—THE SOURCE OF THE BREAD

“I am the bread of life.” There is no doubt as to Who the bread of life is in our text. It speaks of Jesus Christ. This means that Christ is what man needs the most. Christ will give man life, eternal life. No bread on this earth will do anything close to that. Christ is what man needs the most. Now there are many substitutes on the market. The devil sees to that. These substitutes are often cleverly packaged and put in enticing wrappers but immorality, drugs, loose living and other similar lifestyles are not the bread our text is speaking about. Our text is speaking of Jesus Christ, the true bread of life.

SECOND—THE STIPULATION FOR THE BREAD

“He that cometh to me … believeth on me” The only stipulation to obtain this bread is to come to Jesus Christ. This means that the bread if available to anyone if they will by faith come to Christ for soul salvation. There have been, periodically, free food giveaways. However, there are so many conditions laid down to obtain the food, that it means the free food is not available to all. But the stipulation to the best bread of all makes it available to all people. The Gospel is the Gospel of “Whosoever.” It is only limited in the stipulation of coming after Christ. Income, family size, where you live etc. do not affect whether or not you can have this bread. It is available to all.

THIRD—THE SATISFACTION OF THE BREAD

“Shall never hunger … shall never thirst.” Jesus Christ satisfies. He does not disappoint. Once I was visiting a person who had tried everything in life and admitted that none of it satisfied. Is it any wonder that the person tried to commit suicide. Thankfully the person came to Christ and found that He satisfies like nothing else. The world claims they will satisfy you. That is their big advertisement pitch. But after you have tasted of the bread of the world, you wake up the next morning with a dark brown taste in your mouth and an emptiness that the world cannot fill. But Christ satisfies. I have never net a person who after they came to Christ wanted to leave Christ, for He did not satisfy the longing of their soul. Christ does not bring emptiness to your heart and soul, but He fills it to the brim so you are completely satisfied. After partaking of Christ you will “never” hunger or thirst but will be satisfied with His bread. (Sermon Starters)

C H Spurgeon - Soul Satisfying Bread (excerpt from his sermon) (LISTEN TO AUDIO) - OUR Saviour used expressions concerning himself which might be turned to another meaning than he intended. He did not guard his words by saying, “I am like bread, and faith is like eating and drinking;” but he said, “I am the bread of life;” and “except a man eat my flesh and drink my blood there is no life in him.” He did this not only because from his own sincerity of heart it was not in him to be for ever fencing around all his speeches, but also with a set purpose, because his speech was so plain that if any man misunderstood him it would be the result of his own perversity of mind, and not the effect of any obscurity in the Lord’s language. Thus by fixing a low and sensual meaning upon elevated spiritual language the men of his time would be discovered to be none of the Lord’s chosen, and the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed. While he was preaching, his words were like a refiner’s fire, bringing out the pure metal, but separating it from the dross, and making that dross to appear the worthless thing which it really was. It would clearly appear that men hated the light when they perverted the clearest expressions of the Lord of light into foolishness or mystery. Our Lord’s mission was not so much to save all whom he addressed, as to save out of them as many as his Father gave him; and he used his mode of speaking as a test: those who were his understood him; those who were not his and were not taught of the Father, viciously put a literal meaning upon his spiritual words, and so missed his divine teaching. To this day the memorable expressions of our Lord in this chapter remain a stumblingblock to some, while they are full of glorious instruction to others. We see the world every day parting more and more definitely into two camps, the camp of the chosen of God, to whom is made known the mystery of the kingdom, the babes in grace who read the simple teaching of the gospel and rejoice in it; and on the other side the carnal host who hear the word, but look no deeper than its outward letter, to whom it becomes a “savour of death unto death,” because they pervert the Lord’s spiritual word to a carnal meaning, and straightway heap unto themselves abounding ceremonies, and pierce themselves through with deadly errors. I scarcely think that the prominence of sacramentarianism nowadays is to be altogether regretted; it is only a more clear and manifest severing of the precious from the vile. There is a division as marked as between death and life, and as deep as hell, between the spiritual church which believes in Jesus, and the carnal church which believes in sacraments; between the regenerate who look to Christ upon the cross, and the twice dead who believe in a piece of bread and pay reverence to a wine cup

But now, speaking to those to whom the Lord has given to understand his meaning, let me say, our Saviour uses very simple figures. Think of his calling himself bread! How condescending, that the commonest article upon the table should be the fullest type of Christ! Think of his calling our faith an eating and a drinking of himself! Nothing could be more instructive; at the same time nothing could better set forth his gentleness and humility of spirit, that he does not object to speak thus of our receiving him. God be thanked for the simplicity of the gospel. The longer I live the more I bless God that we have not received a classical gospel, or a mathematical gospel, or a metaphysical gospel; it is not a gospel confined to scholars and men of genius, but a poor man’s gospel, a ploughman’s gospel; for that is the kind of gospel which we can live upon and die upon. It is to us not the luxury of refinement, but the staple food of life. We want no fine words when the heart is heavy, neither do we need deep problems when we are lying upon the verge of eternity, weak in body and tempted in mind. At such times we magnify the blessed simplicity of the gospel. Jesus in the flesh made manifest becomes our soul’s bread, Jesus bleeding on the cross, a substitute for sinners, is our soul’s drink. This is the gospel for babes, and strong men want no more.

Again, it strikes me as being very noteworthy, and especially very worthy of thanks, that our Saviour has taken metaphors of a very common character, so that if our hearts are but right we cannot go anywhere but what we are reminded of him. At our tables we are very apt to forget the best things; the indulgence of the appetite is not very promotive of spirituality, yet we cannot sit down to table but what the piece of bread speaks to us and says, “Poor soul, you want even bread to be given you, you are so needy that your bread must be the gift of heavenly charity. Jesus has come down from heaven to keep you from absolute starvation; he has come down to be bread and water to you.” As you take up that loaf and think of the processes through which it has passed before it has become bread, it preaches a thousand sermons to you concerning the sowing of Jesus as a grain of wheat in the earth, his grinding between the millstones of divine wrath, his passing through the fiery oven. We see the sufferings of Jesus in every crumb we put into our mouths. Why, the Lord has hung the heavens with his name, and made them tell of his love: yon sun proclaims the Sun of Righteousness, and every star speaks of the Star of Bethlehem. You cannot walk your garden, or go into the streets, or open a door, or put on your dress, without being reminded of the Lord Jesus. I remember once visiting a poor Christian in the hospital, who had often attended my ministry, and he said, “Why, sir, you have given us so many illustrations, that as I lie in bed everything I see, or hear, or read of, brings to mind something in your sermons.” How much more true is this of our Great Teacher: we are glad that he has hung up the gospel everywhere, till every dewdrop reflects him, and every wind whispers his name. Day and night talk to each other of him, and the hours commune concerning things to come.

With this as a preface, let us come to our subject. Soul Satisfying Bread

“Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the raging billows roll,
While the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide
Till the storm of life be past.”

“Come, guilty souls, and flee away,
Like doves to Jesus’ wounds;
This is the accepted gospel day
Wherein free grace abounds.”

Kenneth Osbeck - JUST AS I AM Charlotte Elliott, 1789–1871

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away.” (John 6:35, 37)

Often we feel that if only we were in different circumstances or had some special talent, we could be a better witness for God and serve Him more effectively. Today’s hymn was written by a bed-ridden invalid who felt useless to do anything except express her feelings of devotion to God. Yet Charlotte Elliott’s simply worded text has influenced more people for Christ than any hymn ever written or perhaps any sermon ever preached.

As a young person in Brighton, England, Miss Elliott was known as “carefree Charlotte.” She was a popular portrait artist and a writer of humorous verse. At the age of 30, however, a serious ailment made her an invalid for life. She became listless and depressed until a well-known Swiss evangelist, Dr. Caesar Malan, visited her. Sensing her spiritual distress, he exclaimed, “Charlotte, you must come just as you are—a sinner—to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Immediately placing her complete trust in Christ’s redemptive sacrifice for her, Charlotte experienced inner peace and joy in spite of her physical affliction until her death at the age of 82.
Charlotte Elliott wrote approximately 150 hymns throughout her lifetime; today she is considered to be one of the finest of all English hymnwriters. “God sees, God guards, God guides me,” she said. “His grace surrounds me and His voice continually bids me to be happy and holy in His service—just where I am!”
Just as I am, without one plea but that Thy blood was shed for me, and that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, tho tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt, fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind—Sight, riches, healing of the mind, yea, all I need in Thee to find—O Lamb of God, I come! I come!
Just as I am, Thou wilt receive, wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve; because Thy promise I believe, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

For Today: Psalm 51:1, 2; John 1:29; John 3:16; Ephesians 2:13
Give God thanks for His acceptance of us just as we are. As we respond in simple faith to Him, we will find “all that we need,” not only for our personal salvation but also for the particular place of service that He has for us. (Borrow Amazing grace)

This Ain’t the Ritz Scripture: John 6:35–40, especially verse 37b: . . . the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Introduction: If we visited Paris and strolled like gaudy sightseers into the gilded lobby of the Ritz Hotel at the Place Vendôme, the concierge would look on us with disapproval. The hotel is exclusive, and we wouldn’t feel comfortable milling around in our tourist garb. I wonder if some people feel similarly uncomfortable coming to church—or coming to Christ? Does anyone feel unworthy of Christ, thinking their life is too soiled or their past too messed up? The Lord’s response: “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” The Greek phrase is emphatic: “I will absolutely never reject—cast out—the one who is coming to me.” This verse has comforted many people.

1. Personal Examples
A. While dying, Bishop Joseph Butler fell into uncertainty. A sense of his own sinfulness filled him with terrible concern. A friend, trying to comfort him, said, “You know, sir, that Jesus is a great Savior.” “Yes,” replied Butler, “I know He died to save. But how shall I know He died to save me?” “My lord,” said the friend, “it is written that him who cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out!” Butler’s eyes brightened. “I am surprised that, though I have read that scripture a thousand times, I never felt its virtue until this moment. Now I die happy.”
B. A man came to D. L. Moody, thinking his life was so messed up that not even God could help him. Moody quoted this verse: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” The man had further objections, but was finally converted through this verse.
C. W. F. Thompson was converted by seeing this verse in a Gideon Bible while recovering from a gunshot wound. He later entered the ministry.
D. John Bunyan was poorly educated, the son of a tinker—a mender of pots and pans. He was godless and his language was vile. One day he overheard some women talking about the Lord. He was impressed by their words and demeanor, and he craved this kind of life; but, fearing he had committed the unpardonable sin, he sank into depression. One day he found John 6:37. That verse changed his life, and later, in Pilgrim’s Progress, he used it to point poor Pilgrim to Christ.
E. Charlotte Elliott of Brighton, England, was an embittered invalid. Hoping to help her, a Swiss minister, Dr. Cesar Malan, visited her. Over dinner, Charlotte lost her temper and railed against God. Her family left the room, and Dr. Malan, alone with her, stared at her across the table, saying, “You are tired of yourself, aren’t you?” “What is your cure?” asked Charlotte. “The faith you are trying to despise.” As they talked, Charlotte softened. “If I wanted to become a Christian and to share the peace and joy you possess,” she asked, “what would I do?” “You would give yourself to God just as you are now.” Charlotte did come just as she was. Her heart was changed that day. As time passed, she found and claimed John 6:37 as a special verse for her. Charlotte later wrote a poem which was sold across England in a leaflet that was headlined with John 6:37. Underneath was Charlotte’s poem, which became the famous invitational hymn: “Just As I Am.”

2. Biblical Examples. Levi was despised, but Jesus came to him, loved him, received him, and made him a new person. Bartimaus’ friends told him to keep quiet, but Jesus heard his voice. A demon-possessed woman named Mary Magdalene was scorned by her own people, but Jesus made her into a new person.

Conclusion: The operative word is “Come.” Him that cometh to Me . . . What does it mean to come to Jesus?
• “C” stands for “Confess your sins.”
• “O” stands for “Open your heart.”
• “M” stands for “Meet the Master.”
• “E” stands for “Enter into everlasting life.”

Come to Me

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. — John 6:35

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:30-40

When Jesus lived on this earth, He invited people to come to Him, and He still does today (John 6:35). But what do He and His Father in heaven have that we need?

Salvation. Jesus is the only way to have forgiveness of sin and the promise of heaven. “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:15).

Purpose. We are to give all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength to following Jesus. “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mark 8:34).

Comfort. In trial or sorrow, the “God of all comfort . . . comforts us in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 1:3-4).

Wisdom. We need wisdom beyond our own for making decisions. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, . . . and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

Strength. When we’re weary, “the Lord will give strength to His people” (Ps. 29:11).

Abundant life. The fullest life is found in a relationship with Jesus. “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Jesus said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (John 6:37). Come! By: Anne Cetas (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

How can I grow closer to God today?

Jesus invites us to come to Him for life.

Our Basic Need

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. —John 6:35

Today's Scripture: John 6:26-35

Field Marshal William Slim was leading the British forces during the Burma campaign of World War II. Concerned about the men under his command, he learned that one soldier was extremely despondent over bad news from home. So the commander asked his senior chaplain to have a member of his staff talk to the soldier.

Shortly afterward, the field marshal sent for the senior chaplain. Keenly dissatisfied and upset, he said, “One of your chaplains went to see the man. He was very nice and they drank a cup of tea together, but he never showed the soldier what he needed to see.” “And what was that?” the surprised chaplain asked. Field Marshal Slim answered, “The Man on the cross.”

Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (Jn. 6:35). When we interact with needy people, it’s important to remember that Jesus is the answer to their loneliness, depression, and heartache. It’s true that we must be pleasant and sociable, but we must also point them to the Man on the cross, the sin-bearing Savior in whom there is forgiveness, strength, grace, and hope.

Until You Are Full

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. —John 6:35

Today's Scripture: John 6:25-29

A friend who lives in Singapore told me about an old Chinese greeting. Instead of “How are you?” people would ask “Have you eaten until you are full?” The greeting likely originated during a time when food was scarce and many people did not know when they would have their next meal. When food was available, it was advisable to eat until they were full.

After Jesus miraculously fed 5,000 people with five loaves and two small fish (John 6:1-13), the crowd followed Him wanting more (vv.24-26). The Lord told them not to work for physical food that spoils, but “for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you . . . . I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (vv.27,35).

As followers of Jesus, we should help those who lack adequate physical nutrition. And with all, we can share the good news that our hunger for inner peace, forgiveness, and hope can be satisfied by knowing Christ the Lord.

Jesus Christ, the bread of life, invites us to come to Him for His feast for the soul, urging us to eat until we are full. By: David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Thank You, Jesus, that You call out to those who are weary and thirsty and say, “Come to Me and be filled.” We are hungry and are thankful that You satisfy us. Amen.

There is a longing in every heart that only Jesus can satisfy.

Heart Hunger

I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:32–40

Riding along with my husband on some errands, I scrolled through emails on my phone and was surprised at an incoming advertisement for a local donut shop, a shop we had just passed on the right side of the street. Suddenly my stomach growled with hunger. I marveled at how technology allows vendors to woo us into their establishments.

As I clicked off my email, I mused over God’s constant yearning to draw me closer. He always knows where I am and longs to influence my choices. I wondered, Does my heart growl in desire for Him the way my stomach did over the idea of a donut?

In John 6, following the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, the disciples eagerly ask Jesus to always give them “the bread that . . . gives life to the world” (vv. 33–34). Jesus responds in verse 35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” How amazing that a relationship with Jesus can provide constant nourishment in our everyday lives!

The donut shop’s advertisement targeted my body’s craving, but God’s continuous knowledge of my heart’s condition invites me to recognize my ongoing need for Him and to receive the sustenance only He can provide. By: Elisa Morgan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Dear God, remind me of my need for Your daily bread of presence.

Jesus alone offers the only bread that truly satisfies.

Crave Him

Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:25–35

Why is it that when we say, “This is the last potato chip I’m going to eat,” five minutes later we’re looking for more? Michael Moss answers that question in his book Salt Sugar Fat. He describes how America’s largest snack producers know how to “help” people crave junk food. In fact, one popular company spent $30 million a year and hired “crave consultants” to determine the bliss point for consumers so it could exploit our food cravings.

Unlike that company, Jesus helps us to long for real food—spiritual food—that brings satisfaction to our souls. He said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). By making this claim, He communicated two important things: First, the bread of which He spoke is a person, not a commodity (v. 32). Second, when people put their trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin, they enter into a right relationship with Him and find fulfillment for every craving of their soul. This Bread is everlasting, spiritual food that leads to satisfaction and life.

When we place our trust in Jesus, the true Bread from heaven, we’ll crave Him, and He’ll strengthen and transform our lives. By: Marvin Williams (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Why do you think we crave things we know can never satisfy the deepest cravings of our souls? What are some practical practices that will help you crave Jesus more?

Jesus, Bread of Life, may I crave You and find all I need in Your perfect provision.

ILLUSTRATION - John 6:35, 51 - During World War II, the Germans forced many twelve-and thirteen-year-old boys into the Junior Gestapo. These boys were treated very harshly and given inhumane jobs to perform. When the war ended, most had lost track of their families and wandered without food or shelter. As part of an aid program to post-war Germany, many of these youths were placed in tent cities. Here doctors and psychologists worked with the boys in an attempt to restore their mental and physical health. They found that many of the boys would awaken in the middle of the night, screaming in terror. One doctor had an idea for handling that fear. After feeding the boys a large meal, he put them to bed with a piece of bread in their hands, which they were told to save until morning. The boys then slept soundly because, after so many years of hunger, they finally had the assurance of food for the next day.

Do you have Jesus as your Savior? If you do, you hold the Bread of Life in your hands and therefore have the assurance that you will not go out of this life in terror and fear.

The Bread Of Life

I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger. — John 6:35

Today's Scripture: John 6:41-51

On World Communion Sunday, our pastor used a simple object lesson to make a powerful point. Instead of the usual bread for the Lord’s Supper, a large basket on the Communion table held an amazing variety of loaves. When the bread was distributed to the congregation, some of us received part of a tortilla while others took a bit of pumpernickel, pita, chapati, or rye. Bread from around the world reminded us of our unity with believers in Christ everywhere who were remembering the Lord’s death.

Jesus also used bread to teach a powerful truth about Himself. After His miraculous feeding of more than 5,000 people, the Lord stated His true mission by saying: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

Christ did not die for one special group. He gave His life on the cross so that people of every tribe, language, and nation can find life through faith in Him (Revelation 5:9).

Today, as we hear the words “Take, eat; this is My body” (Mark 14:22), we give thanks for the Bread of Life offered for the sins of people around the world. By: David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

When Christians join in blessed fellowship
Commemorating Jesus' sacrifice,
They sense a common bond of unity
Because for every race He paid the price.
—Hess

Only Christ the Living Bread can satisfy the world's spiritual hunger.

John 6:36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.

BGT John 6:36 Ἀλλ᾽ εἶπον ὑμῖν ὅτι καὶ ἑωράκατέ [με] καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε.

KJV John 6:36 But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

NET John 6:36 But I told you that you have seen me and still do not believe.

CSB John 6:36 But as I told you, you've seen Me, and yet you do not believe.

ESV John 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

NIV John 6:36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.

NLT John 6:36 But you haven't believed in me even though you have seen me.

NRS John 6:36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.

NJB John 6:36 But, as I have told you, you can see me and still you do not believe.

NAB John 6:36 But I told you that although you have seen (me), you do not believe.

YLT John 6:36 but I said to you, that ye also have seen me, and ye believe not;

That: John 6:26,30,40,64 Jn 12:37 Jn 15:24 Lu 16:31 1Pe 1:8,9
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 12:37 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him.

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Luke 16:31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”

1 Peter 1:8; 9 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

A TRAGIC CONTRAST
SEEING BUT NOT BELIEVING!

But - Alla is a Strong Term of contrast is like an "about face" (military term) or a 180 degree pivot. Jesus "reverses" direction in His discourse. But is a small word that functions like a "hinge" on a door and just as small hinges open big doors, so too this specific "but" opens a huge door, the door that will ultimately affect Jesus' hearers eternal destiny!

I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not (ou = absolutely do not) believe (pisteuo) - Sight had not yielded to faith. They had called Him Lord (kurios albeit probably more of the sense of "Sir"), but as discussed above, that was a superficial acceptance of Him, and certainly was not genuine belief. They had just seen His ability to feed the multitude and that is the kind of "King" they wanted. Jesus states the fact simply so that no one could miss it (either then or now dear readers) -- they saw Jesus, their promised Messiah, even doing miracles that would be expected of the Messiah, but they refused to believe in Him.

MacDonald has an interesting comment - In verse 30, the unbelieving Jews had asked the Lord for a sign in order that they might see and believe. Here Jesus said that He had already told them that they had seen Him—the greatest sign of all—and yet they did not believe. If the Son of God could stand before them in perfect manhood and not be recognized by them, then it was doubtful that any sign He would perform would convince them. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

THOUGHT - Have you been reading the Gospel of John and seeing the miracles and the amazing words of this Man called Jesus? You've seen Him and you've heard Him speak. This "sight" and "sound" calls for a personal response! Have you come to Him in genuine repentance (metanoeo) and belief (Mk 1:15+)? Or are you like the multitudes He was addressing who refused to come (except for a handout of bread) and truly believe in Him as the Bread of life? Do not procrastinate or prevaricate, for your eternal destiny hangs in the balance and today is the day of your salvation (for you may not have tomorrow). Your time to be saved forever is NOW! (2Co 6:2+)!

John Heading - In Galilee, the cities would not repent, even though most of His mighty works had been done in them (Matt 11:20–24). Elsewhere, He stated that He had come into the world so that “they which see might be made blind” (John 9:39), adding that this meant that “your sin remaineth”. This unbelief now led the people to argue against the Lord’s teaching, and it led to their departure from Him in John 6:66, after which they walked with Him no longer. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

John 6:37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

BGT John 6:37 πᾶν ὃ δίδωσίν μοι ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἥξει, καὶ τὸν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς ἐμὲ οὐ μὴ ἐκβάλω ἔξω,

KJV John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

NET John 6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.

CSB John 6:37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.

ESV John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

NIV John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

NLT John 6:37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them.

NRS John 6:37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away;

NJB John 6:37 Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me; I will certainly not reject anyone who comes to me,

NAB John 6:37 Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,

YLT John 6:37 all that the Father doth give to me will come unto me; and him who is coming unto me, I may in no wise cast without,

that: John 6:39,45 Jn 17:2,6,8,9,11,24
will: John 6:44,65 Jn 10:28-29 Ps 110:3 Eph 2:4-10 Php 1:29 2Th 2:13,14 2Ti 2:19 Titus 3:3-7
I will: John 9:34 Ps 102:17 Isa 1:18,19 41:9 42:3 55:7 Mt 11:28 24:24 Lu 23:40-43 Ro 5:20 1Ti 1:16 Heb 4:15 7:25 1Jn 2:19 Rev 22:17
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 17:2 (FATHER GIVES TO THE SON ALL THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE)  even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.

John 17:6 (FATHER GIVES TO THE SON ALL THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE)  “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

John 17:9 (FATHER GIVES TO THE SON ALL THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE)  “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;

John 17:24 (FATHER GIVES TO THE SON ALL THOSE WHO WOULD BELIEVE)  “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

John 18:9 to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those whom You have given Me I lost not one.”

John 10:28-29 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

JESUS' ASSURANCE OF ONCE
SAVED ALWAYS SAVED!

Warren Wiersbe prefaces his comments on John 6:37-40 noting that it "contains Jesus' explanation of the process of personal salvation. These are among the most profound words He ever spoke, and we cannot hope to plumb their depths completely. He explained that salvation involves both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me - This clause clearly teaches God sovereignty over all who come to Jesus for salvation! Note the all which means all without exception. It does not mean all of mankind of all time, but is qualified by the ones the Father gives to His Son (see the passages in John 17 above that repeatedly emphasize this truth).This implies that there are souls that they are chosen or of the elect. They are effectually called out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Pe 2:9). And when they hear the Spirit calling them (see effectual calling), they will come to Jesus and be justified by grace through faith (Ro 8:30).

J C Ryle - We learn from these words, that Christ’s offers to sinners are wide, broad, free, unlimited, and unconditional. We must take care that we do not spoil and hamper them by narrow statements. God’s election must never be thrust nakedly at unconverted sinners, in preaching the Gospel. It is a point with which at present they have nothing to do. No doubt it is true that none will come to Christ but those who are given to Him by the Father. But who those are that are so given we cannot tell, and must not attempt to define. All we have to do is to invite every one, without exception, to come to Christ, and to tell men that every one who does come to Christ shall be received and saved. To this point we must carefully stick.

And the one who comes (erchomai) to Me - Don't miss the mysterious (to me) juxtaposition of God's sovereignty in our salvation (Father gives) and human responsibility which is clearly indicated by the two verbs will come...comes (See discussion above). Comes (erchomai) is in the present tense (continually comes) and the middle voice (we initiate the action and participate in the results). Note however there is a qualifier regarding this description of middle voice in this context. Yes we "initiate" the action to come. Yes it is a decision of our will to choose to come. But we would not initiate the action to come or decide to come unless the Holy Spirit had enabled us to do so. This is quite mysterious to me for we do not come to Jesus as robots but as men and women who make a choice of our free will to come and yet that choice is somehow energized by the Holy Spirit. Does this make sense? In my finite human mind, I cannot resolve this interaction of God's part and our part, and therefore I choose to believe it and wait for eternity future when this might be explained to us (but then again it might be one of the secret things of the LORD - Dt 29:29+).

Brian Bell - There is a giant “Welcome mat” in front of Jesus’ house. Wipe your sins on the mat & come on in! :)

MacDonald - This verse is very important because it states in a few words two of the most important teachings in the Bible. The first is that God has given certain ones to Christ and that all those whom He has given will be saved. The other is the teaching of man’s responsibility. In order to be saved, a man must come to the Lord Jesus and accept Him by faith. God does choose some people to be saved, but the Bible never teaches that He chooses some to be damned. If anyone is saved, it is because of the free grace of God. But if anyone perishes forever, it is his own fault. All men are condemned by their own sinfulness and wickedness. If all men went to hell, they would be receiving only what they deserve. In grace, God stoops down and saves individual people out of the great mass of humanity. Does He have the right to do this? He certainly does. God can do as He chooses, and no man can deny Him this right. We know that God will never do anything that is wrong or unjust. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

I will certainly not cast out (ekballo) - This is a prophetic promise from Jesus Who is "the Truth" (Jn 14:6) and as God cannot lie (Titus 1:2+). Certainly not is a double negative (ou me) which is the strongest way in Greek to state the impossibility that Jesus would throw us out after we have come to Him and believed in Him! In short, if you think you can lose your salvation, then you need to take up your argument with the Lord Jesus Christ, Who here clearly and dogmatically states that you will never, ever be cast out and thus you absolutely cannot lose your salvation! (cf Jn 10:28-29+) Jesus could not have have been much clearer!

Brian Bell - The original reads, I will not, not cast out, or I will never, never cast out. The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last. (Spurgeon; Evening, July 30)

J C Ryle - The expression “I will in no wise cast out,” implies this. It is a very powerful form of negation. “So far from casting out the man that comes to me, I will receive him with joy when he comes. I will not refuse him on account of past sins. I will not cast him off again because of present weaknesses and infirmities. I will keep him to the end by my grace. I will confess him before my Father in the judgment-day, and glorify him for ever. In short, I will do the very opposite of casting him out.”

ILLUSTRATION - Adrian Rogers - There was a charming young lady: beautiful, talented, the life of the party in London. She was a pianist, a composer, a singer. She had everybody charmed that night because of her beauty, her grace, and her talent. She was playing and singing at the piano. But there was a minister there that night whose name was César Malan. And César Malan approached this young lady whose name was Charlotte Elliot. And he said to her: “My dear, you are graceful and charming and beautiful. But God has impressed me to tell you tonight that without Jesus Christ you are as lost as the worst harlot in London.” She took offense. He said, “Now, don’t take offense.” He said, “I’m not trying to insult you. I’m trying to tell you, Charlotte Elliot, that you need Jesus Christ. You need to be saved.” She left that glittering party, went up to her room, and tried to sleep. Ten, eleven, twelve, one, two in the morning—no sleep. At two in the morning, she arose and wrote for the first time words that many of us have said many times since that time:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
—CHARLOTTE ELLIOT

And Charlotte Elliot was born again.

Cast out (throw, send, drive, take, put) (1544) ekbállō from ek = out + bállō = to cast, throw, drive) means to cast, throw out often with the idea of force (Mt. 8:12; 15:17; 25:30; Acts 16:37, 27:38; Lxx - Lev. 14:40). To throw out of an area or object, throw out, jettison (Mt 21:39 Acts 27:18). Frequently used of casting out demons (Mt 7:22, Mt 8:16, 31,9:34, 10:1, etc). Used of casting or throwing unbelievers into outer darkness (hell). In Luke 6:22 ekballo means to scorn one's name ("cast it out" so to speak). Mark 1:12 "Immediately the Spirit impelled Him (Jesus) to go out into the wilderness." Uses of ekballo in John's Gospel - Jn. 2:15; Jn. 6:37; Jn. 9:34; Jn. 9:35; Jn. 10:4; Jn. 12:31 = Satan will be cast out!

Related Resources:

Spurgeon - The Certainty and Freeness of Divine Grace

‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37

It says, ‘Him that cometh,’ and this shuts out no comer. John Newton was a blasphemer of so gross a kind, that even the sailors in the vessel in the storm said that they should never get to port with such a sinner as John Newton on board; but he came to Christ and was not cast out, but lived to preach the Word. John Bunyan was so foul a blasphemer, that even a woman of the street, who passed him by and heard him swear, said that he was enough to corrupt the whole parish; and he was astonished that a woman of so bad a character should so rebuke him. John Bunyan came to Jesus, and he was not cast out; he lived to have the honour of suffering for his Master, and to be the winner of multitudes of souls. Saul of Tarsus had stained himself with the blood of saints; he was a very wolf after Christ’s sheep. He was not satisfied with worrying them in his own land, so he obtained power to persecute them in Damascus; but when he fell upon his face and cried for mercy, he was not cast out. Manasseh was blood-red with the murder of God’s prophets. It is said that he cut the prophet Isaiah in two with a saw; and yet, when out of the low dungeon he cried for mercy, he was not cast out. So that any kind of ‘him’, though he may have been a persecutor even unto blood, though he may have been exceeding mad against God till he could not speak without blasphemies against the name of Christ, though he hated everything which is good, and despised everything held precious by believing men and women, yet if he comes to Christ, he shall not be cast out.

Spurgeon - HIGH DOCTRINE AND BROAD DOCTRINE

‘All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ John 6:37

I want you to notice in my text the blessed certainty of this salvation: ‘him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.’ Two or three negatives in the Greek language make a negation stronger, though they would have no such effect in the English tongue. It is a very strong negative here: ‘him that cometh to me I will not not cast out’, or, ‘I will never never cast out.’ As much as to say, ‘On no account, or for no reason, or on no pretence, or from no motive whatever, will I ever in time or in eternity cast out the soul that comes to me.’ That is how it stands, a declaration of absolute certainty from which there can be no escaping. What a blessed thing it is to get your foot on certainties! Certain preachers, who are much cried up nowadays, are very uncertain preachers, for they do not themselves know what they will be propounding tomorrow. They make their creed as they go along, and a very poor one it is when they make it. I believe in something sure and certain, namely, in infallible Scripture, and that which the Lord has written therein, never to be altered while the world stands. My text is certain as the truth of Christ Jesus, and if we had ever seen that beautiful face of his we could not distrust him. Can your imagination picture for a minute the ever-blessed face of the Son of God? Could you look into that face, and suspect him of a lie? And when he says, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life’, the saying must be true. If you believe in him, you have everlasting life. When he says, ‘him that cometh to me I will never never cast out’, the declaration must be true. He never, never, can cast you out, whoever you may be, however long you may live, or whatever else may happen, if you come to him.

Spurgeon - Morning and Evening -

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.” —John 6:37

This declaration involves the doctrine of election: there are some whom the Father gave to Christ. It involves the doctrine of effectual calling: these who are given must and shall come; however stoutly they may set themselves against it, yet they shall be brought out of darkness into God’s marvellous light. It teaches us the indispensable necessity of faith; for even those who are given to Christ are not saved except they come to Jesus. Even they must come, for there is no other way to heaven but by the door, Christ Jesus. All that the Father gives to our Redeemer must come to him, therefore none can come to heaven except they come to Christ.

Oh! the power and majesty which rest in the words “shall come.” He does not say they have power to come, nor they may come if they will, but they “shall come.” The Lord Jesus doth by his messengers, his word, and his Spirit, sweetly and graciously compel men to come in that they may eat of his marriage supper; and this he does, not by any violation of the free agency of man, but by the power of his grace. I may exercise power over another man’s will, and yet that other man’s will may be perfectly free, because the constraint is exercised in a manner accordant with the laws of the human mind. Jehovah Jesus knows how, by irresistible arguments addressed to the understanding, by mighty reasons appealing to the affections, and by the mysterious influence of his Holy Spirit operating upon all the powers and passions of the soul, so to subdue the whole man, that whereas he was once rebellious, he yields cheerfully to his government, subdued by sovereign love. But how shall those be known whom God hath chosen? By this result: that they do willingly and joyfully accept Christ, and come to him with simple and unfeigned faith, resting upon him as all their salvation and all their desire. Reader, have you thus come to Jesus?

Spurgeon - Morning and Evening -

“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” —John 6:37

No limit is set to the duration of this promise. It does not merely say, “I will not cast out a sinner at his first coming,” but, “I will in no wise cast out.” The original reads, “I will not, not cast out,” or “I will never, never cast out.” The text means, that Christ will not at first reject a believer; and that as he will not do it at first, so he will not to the last.

But suppose the believer sins after coming? “If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” But suppose that believers backslide? “I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him.” But believers may fall under temptation! “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” But the believer may fall into sin as David did! Yes, but he will “Purge them with hyssop, and they shall be clean; he will wash them and they shall be whiter than snow”; “From all their iniquities will I cleanse them.”

“Once in Christ, in Christ for ever,
Nothing from his love can sever.”

“I give unto my sheep,” saith he, “eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” What sayest thou to this, O trembling feeble mind? Is not this a precious mercy, that coming to Christ, thou dost not come to One who will treat thee well for a little while, and then send thee about thy business, but he will receive thee and make thee his bride, and thou shalt be his for ever? Receive no longer the spirit of bondage again to fear, but the spirit of adoption whereby thou shalt cry, Abba, Father! Oh! the grace of these words: “I will in no wise cast out.”

Spurgeon - Faith's Checkbook -

“Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.”—John 6:37.

IS there any instance of our Lord’s casting out a coming one? If there be so, we would like to know it; but there has been none, and there never will be. Among the lost souls in hell there is not one that can say, “I went to Jesus, and he refused me.” It is not possible that you or I should be the first to whom Jesus shall break his word. Let us not entertain so dark a suspicion.

Suppose we go to Jesus now about the evils of to-day. Of this we may be sure—he will not refuse us audience, or cast us out. Those of us who have often been, and those who have never gone before—let us go together, and we shall see that he will not shut the door of his grace in the face of any one of us.

“This man receiveth sinners,” but he repulses none. We come to him in weakness and sin, with trembling faith, and small knowledge, and slender hope; but he does not cast us out. We come by prayer, and that prayer broken; with confession, and that confession faulty; with praise, and that praise far short of his merits; but yet he receives us. We come diseased, polluted, worn out, and worthless; but he doth in no wise cast us out. Let us come again to-day to him who never casts us out.

James Smith - WHOSOEVER WILL JOHN 6:37

1. A Great Opportunity,   “Come to Me.”
2. A World-Wide Offer,   “Him that.”
3. A Simple Condition,   “Cometh.”
4. A Precious Promise,   “I will in no wise cast out.”

Robert Morgan - From this Verse - “Just as You Are” September 4

She was an embittered woman, Charlotte Elliott of Brighton, England. Her health was broken, and her disability had hardened her. “If God loved me,” she muttered, “He would not have treated me this way.”

Hoping to help her, a Swiss minister named Dr. Cesar Malan visited the Elliotts on May 9, 1822. Over dinner, Charlotte lost her temper and railed against God and family in a violent outburst. Her embarrassed family left the room, and Dr. Malan, left alone with her, stared at her across the table.
“You are tired of yourself, aren’t you?” he said at length. “You are holding to your hate and anger because you have nothing else in the world to cling to. Consequently, you have become sour, bitter, and resentful.”

“What is your cure?” asked Charlotte.

“The faith you are trying to despise.”

As they talked, Charlotte softened. “If I wanted to become a Christian and to share the peace and joy you possess,” she finally asked, “what would I do?”

“You would give yourself to God just as you are now, with your fightings and fears, hates and loves, pride and shame.”
“I would come to God just as I am? Is that right?”

Charlotte did come just as she was. Her heart was changed that day. As time passed, she found and claimed John 6:37 as a special verse for her: “ … the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.

Several years later, her brother, Rev. Henry Elliott, was raising funds for a school for the children of poor clergymen. Charlotte wrote a poem, and it was printed and sold across England. The leaflet said: Sold for the Benefit of St. Margaret’s Hall, Brighton: Him that Cometh to Me I Will in No Wise Cast Out. Underneath was Charlotte’s poem—which has since become the most famous invitational hymn in history:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!

Today’s Suggested Reading John 6:32–40

All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. John 6:37

CHRIST LIVING IN MAN John 6:37–71 - CHRIST LIVING IN MAN

I. THE SALVATION—vv. 37–40
A. Reception—v. 37. Compare with Romans 10:13.
B. Respect—v. 38. Christ respects God’s plan by doing God’s will.
C. Resurrection—v. 39. Not only saving power, but keeping power.
D. Reason—v. 40. Christ’s purpose of coming to earth was that all men might be saved.

II. THE SAVIOR—vv. 41–51
A. Problem—vv. 41–42. People complained because Christ said He was the Son of God.
B. Power—vv. 43–44. Christ’s power draws men to Christ. If we die before Christ returns to the earth, we will be resurrected—1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.
C. Personality—vv. 45–46. Verse 45 is a quote from Isaiah 54:13, Jeremiah 31:34—The Scriptures will draw men to God. Note v. 46—no one has seen God except Christ.
D. Promise—v. 47. Believe in Christ and have eternal life.
E. Picture—vv. 48–51. Christ the Bread of Life. He shows that as manna satisfied the physical, so He satisfies the spiritual.

III. THE SYMBOL—vv. 52–59
A. Explanation—vv. 52–57. Not really eat the body of Christ, but to BE A PART OF CHRIST. This comes by being “in Christ.”
B. Eternal—vv. 58–59. Those who accept Christ will have eternal life. Eternal life begins the moment we accept Christ.

IV. THE SPIRIT—vv. 60–65
A. Confusion—v. 60. The disciples and other people didn’t understand.
B. Christ—vv. 61–62. Christ took time to explain to the disciples and the others present.
C. Conversion—vv. 63–65. No one can be converted until Christ draws him. Note these verses: Isaiah 55:6; Genesis 6:3.

V. THE SHAME—vv. 66–71
A. Carelessness—v. 66. Many of those Christ healed and helped no longer followed Him. Why? Carelessness and persecution.
B. Confession—vv. 67–69. Peter knew that only in Christ is there life. He knew that Christ was the Son of God.
C. Choice—vv. 70–71. Christ chose 12 disciples—Judas would betray him. Judas was not a devil when Christ chose him. Through choice, Judas became evil—Acts 1:25. Judas lost his: (1) salvation, (2) Savior, and (3) soul.

The Invitations of Christ

"He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Him that day for it was about the tenth hour" (John 1:39). This is the first of the gracious invitations of the Lord Jesus to "Come" to Him. On this occasion, right after His baptism by John, He invited two potential disciples to come with Him to His dwelling place. Very likely this was an outdoor mat somewhere, for He soon afterwards acknowledged that "the Son of Man hath no where to lay His head" (Matthew 8:20). Nevertheless, one night of abiding with Jesus changed their lives.

Soon afterwards He issued another invitation to them. "Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17), and they never went home again. First He invites us to come to see and know Him, then to come with Him to win others.

There is also the wonderful invitation to come to Him for relief from our burdens and cares. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). And note His promise to those who do accept His invitation: "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise case out" (John 6:37).

There were personal invitations. To Zacchaeus, the seeking sinner glimpsing Jesus from a sycamore tree, He said: "Come down: for today I must abide at thy house" (Luke 19:5). To his friend Lazarus, dead and bound in a tomb, He cried: "Lazarus, come forth" (John 11:43), and not even the grave could prevent his accepting such a call.

There are other invitations from the Lord, with gracious promises to those who come, but note especially the final invitation of the Bible, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:17).

HMM, Days of Praise, April 10.

John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

BGT John 6:38 ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.

KJV John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

NET John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

CSB John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

ESV John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

NIV John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

NLT John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will.

NRS John 6:38 for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

NJB John 6:38 because I have come from heaven, not to do my own will, but to do the will of him who sent me.

NAB John 6:38 because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.

YLT John 6:38 because I have come down out of the heaven, not that I may do my will, but the will of Him who sent me.

I have come down: John 6:33 3:13,31 Eph 4:9
not: John 4:34 Jn 5:30 Ps 40:7-8 Isa 53:10 Mt 20:28 Mt 26:39-42 Ro 15:3 Php 2:7-8 Heb 5:8 Heb 10:7-9
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 4:34+ Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.

John 17:4 (JESUS COMPLETED THE WILL OF HIS FATHER) "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work (AND HIS FATHER'S WILL) which You have given Me to do.

John 5:30+ (ADDRESSING THE ANTAGONISTIC JEWS IN JERUSALEM) “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Psalm 40:7-8+ (A MESSIANIC PSALM) Then I said, “Behold, I (MESSIAH) come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do Your (HIS FATHER'S) will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”

JESUS COMES TO DO
HIS FATHER'S WILL

For - Term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining in context?

I have come down (katabaino) from (apo - away from) heaven - Note how this passage parallels Jesus' earlier statement "For the bread of God is that which comes down (katabaino) out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Had the Jews been thinking spiritually, they would have recognized that He used the same verb (come down) and the same origin (from or out of heaven) in both declarations, so that had they put "two and two together" so to speak, they would have realized that Jesus was speaking both statements of Himself. The first statement was about the gift of eternal life and the second about accomplishing the will of His Father in Heaven. And as we see in Jn 6:41 they superficially understood what He was saying but they refused to receive the spiritual truth in His words.

Note that come down from heaven is a key phrase in the remainder of Jesus' discourse with the Jews - Jn. 6:38, Jn 6:41; Jn. 6:42; Jn. 6:50; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:58. Clearly Jesus wants the Jews to recognize His divine origin and mission. His life did not originate at Bethlehem.

Phrase - I have come - Lk. 12:49; Lk. 13:7; Jn. 5:43; Jn. 6:38; Jn. 6:42; Jn. 12:46; Jn. 18:37

Ryle - The expression, “I came down from heaven,” is a strong proof of the pre-existence of Christ. It could not possibly be said of any prophet or apostle, that he “came down from heaven.” It is a heavy blow at the Socinian theory that Christ was nothing more than a man.

Not (ou = absolutely not) to do My own will (thelema), but the will (thelema) of Him Who sent Me - The Father's will was that the Son be the perfect Lamb (Jn 1:29+, cf Jn 4:34+), even as He Himself testified "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45+) Jesus will elaborate on the Father's will in the next passage.

Mary had the little Lamb, obedient Son of God;
Everywhere the Father led, His feet were sure to trod.
-- Marv Rosenthal

MacDonald - He voluntarily took the place of a servant in order to carry out the will of His Father. This does not mean that He did not have a will of His own, but rather that His own will was in perfect agreement with the will of God. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Come down (descended)(2597) katabaino from kata = down + baino = go, step) literally means to step down and so to move down or descend. The Spirit descended (Jn 1:33), angels of God descended (Jn 1:51), Come down, go down, climb down. The opposite of katabaino is anabaino to ascend, come up and both are used in Mt 3:16 when "Jesus came up immediately from the water" and "the Spirit of God descending (coming down) as a dove and lighting on Him." Friberg - (1) literally; (a) of persons come down, go down, climb down, descend (Mt 27.40); from a boat get out, disembark ( Mt 14.29); (b) of things come down (Acts 10.11); of a storm come down, descend on (Lk 8.23); of a fire fall down, come down (Lk 9.54); of a road lead down, go down (Acts 8.26); (2) figuratively, of a ruinous downfall fall; passive be brought down ( Mt 11.23) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament)

Katabaino in the Gospel of John - Jn. 1:32; Jn. 1:33; Jn. 1:51; Jn. 2:12; Jn. 3:13; Jn. 4:47; Jn. 4:49; Jn. 4:51; Jn. 5:4; Jn. 5:7; Jn. 6:16; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:38; Jn. 6:41; Jn. 6:42; Jn. 6:50; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:58;

Will (2307) thelema from thelo = to will with the "-ma" suffix indicating the result of the will = "a thing willed") generally speaks of the result of what one has decided. One sees this root word in the feminine name "Thelma." In its most basic form, thelema refers to a wish, a strong desire, and the willing of some event. Thelema signifies an expression or inclination of pleasure towards that which is liked, that which pleases and creates joy. When it denotes God's will, it signifies His gracious disposition toward something. Used to designate what God Himself does of His own good pleasure. The word conveys the idea of desire, even a heart’s desire, for the word primarily expresses emotion instead of volition. Thus God’s will is not so much God’s intention (it is that also of course), as it is His heart’s desire.

God's will for us is:

I. Sanctification is God's will for us

II. Security is God's will for us - John 6:38-40

III. Service is God's will for us - Ephesians 6:5-9; I Peter 5:2

IV. Suffering is God's will for us - I Peter 3:17; I Peter 4:19

A. Avoiding sexual immorality and impurity is God's will for us - I Thessalonians 4:1-8

B. Wise living is God's will for us - Ephesians 5:15-21

C. Non-conformation, transformation, and renewal are God's will for us - Romans 12:1-2

D. Continual rejoicing, ceaseless prayer, and constant thanksgiving are God's will for us - I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Source unknown

Amazing Love

I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. John 6:38

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:32-40

Approaching the first Christmas after her husband died, our friend Davidene wrote a remarkable letter in which she pictured what it might have been like in heaven when Jesus was born on earth. “It was what God always knew would happen,” she wrote. “The three were one, and He had agreed to allow the fracturing of His precious unity for our sake. Heaven was left empty of God the Son.”

As Jesus taught and healed people on earth, He said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. . . . For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:38,40).

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, it was the beginning of His mission on earth to demonstrate God’s love and give His life on the cross to free us from the penalty and power of sin.

“I cannot imagine actually choosing to let go of the one I loved, with whom I was one, for the sake of anyone else,” Davidene concluded. “But God did. He faced a house much emptier than mine, so that I could live in His house with Him forever.”

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (John 3:16). By: David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)Sign in to track your progress!

Father in heaven, we are in awe of Your amazing love for us. Thank You for giving Your only Son to save us from our sins.

The birth of Christ brought God to man; the cross of Christ brings man to God.

Some Things Jesus Would Not Do - BY P H Welshimer Text: John 6:38.

Introduction:
1. We judge men by what they do and say.
2. We also judge men by what they refuse to do or say.
3. Some great refusals in the Bible.
a. Moses “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter” (Hebrews 11:24).
b. Daniel refused to defile himself with the king’s food and wine.
c. Job refused to “curse God, and die” (Job 2:9, 10).
4. Let us look at some refusals in Jesus’ life.

I. Jesus Would Not Miss the Worship Services of His Day.
A. He attended the synagogue regularly. “As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day” (Luke 4:16).
B. He visited the temple in Jerusalem on special feast days.

II. Jesus Would Not Stand Upon His Own Goodness.
A. John at first refused to baptize Him.
B. Jesus’ reply: “It becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.”

III. Jesus Would Not Yield to the Devil.
A. Jesus’ temptation.
B. Later temptations. “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23).

IV. Jesus Would Not Be Moved by Flattery.
A. Nicodemus: “We know that thou art a teacher come from God” (John 3:2).
B. “Good Master” … “Why callest thou me good?” (Matthew 19:16, 17).

V. Jesus Would Not Lose Sight of His Far-off Goal.
A. He refused to allow the crowd to make Him a king (John 6:15).
B. Danger would not stay Him from His ministry (John 11:6–16).

VI. Jesus Would Not Quit.
A. Enemies opposed Him.
B. They lied about Him, misunderstood Him.
C. His followers deserted Him (John 6:66).
D. Even the disciples fled.

VII. Jesus Would Not Worry.
A. He did not worry about the lack of physical comforts. “The foxes have holes …” (Matthew 8:20).
B. He did not worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:25–34).

VIII. Jesus Never Discouraged Others.
A. The woman who was a sinner. “Thy sins are forgiven” (Luke 7:48).
B. The woman taken in adultery. “Go, and sin no more” (John 8:11).

IX. Jesus Did Not Answer Foolish Questions.
A. He always answered honest questions.
B. But He refused to argue about foolish questions (Matthew 21:23–27).

X. Jesus Was Never Too Busy to Help Others.
A. Feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13–21).
B. His attention to children (Mark 10:13–16).

XI. Jesus Wrought No Miracles for Himself.
A. During the temptation.
B. In the garden (Matthew 26:53).
C. On the cross (Matthew 27:40).

XII. Jesus Was Not Blind to the Best Efforts of Others.
A. The widow and her mite.
B. Blessing of little children.
C. The woman who wept and wiped His feet with her hair.

Conclusion:
1. As Christians, we take the life of Jesus as our example.
2. We study His life and teachings to learn what to do.
3. We should also study His life and teachings to learn what not to do.

“I Have Come” - Preacher's Sourcebook 2003

Scripture: John 6:38–40, especially verse 38: For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

Introduction: Even as we’re singing about “joy to the world” and “peace on earth,” our world is filled with wars and rumors of wars. How we need to understand the great peace initiative of heaven! Some of the most helpful information about our Lord’s mission comes from His “I have come” statements. That phrase, occurring 13 times in the Gospels, is significant because it presupposes Christ’s preexistence. The Lord Jesus is distinct from everyone else, in that He possesses a double nature—both God and man. He has always existed and always will. He is eternal in the heavens, thus His coming to earth was pre-planned. He looked down on this planet, saw a need, and said, “I am going to be born to meet that need.” Thus the importance of the “I have come” statements.

1. He Came to Represent a Father (John 5:43): “I have come in My Father’s name.” The ceiling of a cathedral in Europe was beautiful but so lofty it was difficult to study. The rector put a tilted mirror near the floor, allowing visitors to study the grandeur of the ceiling at their level. Christ is the image of the invisible God, at our level. (See Heb. 1:3; John 1:18; and Col. 1:15.)

2. He Came to Kindle a Fire (Luke 12:49): “I came to send fire on the earth.” This passage (vv. 49–53) can be boiled down to three words: fire, baptism, and division. Christ came to kindle a fire, undergo a baptism, and create a division. The baptism was His baptism into suffering, His death on the Cross. The division is between those who would receive Him and those who don’t. But what did He mean by bringing fire on the earth? In Luke 3:16, John the Baptist said the Messiah would set fire to earth and burn the chaff, fire being a biblical symbol for judgment. Christ came to deal with and destroy the force of evil in the world. In Luke 12, He was saying in effect: “I have come to deal with sin and judge evil. I’m going to kindle a fire and cleanse this world of evil. In the process I am going to be plunged into suffering, and the world will be divided over Me. Everyone must accept Me or reject Me.”

3. He Came to Preach a Message (Mark 1:35): “. . .because for this purpose I have come.” The content of that message is given in Mark 1:14—the good news! This is that wonderful old Greek word: euaggelion. The prefix eu means good; the stem word angel means message. This is one of the Bible’s great words, yet it seems an understatement. If you were trapped in a collapsed cave, running out of air, shut in claustrophobic darkness, minutes from death, and you heard workmen breaking through the rubble to rescue you, would you call that “good news”? Here we are, separated from God by sin, trapped on a doomed planet, facing death and hell. And God Himself became a man, dying in our place, rising from the dead to give us life. Is that good news? Yes, but it’s more than good news. We don’t have a word to describe it. The angels put it: “Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior.”

4. He Came to Illumine a World (John 12:46): “I have come as a light.” The world is a drab, miserable place, filled with sin’s darkness. But Jesus came, offering His indescribable gift. His presence dispels the gloom, lighting up our world and our lives.

5. He Came to Enrich Us (John 10:10): “I have come that they might have life . . . more abundantly.” Two cities in New York drew water from nearby mountains. One depended on a lake that tended to dry up during droughts. The other got its supply from a lake in the Catskills that never went dry, fed by underground streams. They could never exhaust that lake. Many of us forget we have endless supplies of grace, joy, peace. We don’t have to worry about our spiritual reserves, but we’ve got to tap into them by faith. If we’re committed to Christ and walking in the Spirit, we have an ocean of God’s blessing to draw from every day.

Conclusion: He came for you! He knew you before you were born, and He loves you. He came to give you good news, to light up your life, to give you abundant life. Let this Christmas be the one you really celebrate!

O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

O come, O come, Immanuel,
and ransom captive Israel
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Refrain:
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
shall come to you, O Israel.

Joy to the world! The Lord is come;
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing.

Thou didst leave Thy throne and Thy kingly crown,
When Thou camest to earth for me;
But in Bethlehem's home was there found no room
For Thy holy nativity.
O come to my heart, Lord Jesus,
There is room in my heart for Thee.

John 6:39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

BGT John 6:39 τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με, ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκέν μοι μὴ ἀπολέσω ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸ [ἐν] τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.

KJV John 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

NET John 6:39 Now this is the will of the one who sent me– that I should not lose one person of every one he has given me, but raise them all up at the last day.

CSB John 6:39 This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day.

ESV John 6:39 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.

NIV John 6:39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

NLT John 6:39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day.

NRS John 6:39 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.

NJB John 6:39 Now the will of him who sent me is that I should lose nothing of all that he has given to me, but that I should raise it up on the last day.

NAB John 6:39 And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it (on) the last day.

YLT John 6:39 'And this is the will of the Father who sent me, that all that He hath given to me I may not lose of it, but may raise it up in the last day;

this: John 6:40 Mt 18:14 Lu 12:32 Ro 8:28-31 2Th 2:13,14 2Ti 2:19
given: John 6:37
I lose: John 10:27-30 17:12 18:9 1Sa 25:29 Col 3:3,4 1Pe 1:5 Jude 1:1
but: John 6:40,44,54 Jn 5:28 Jn 11:24-26 Jn 12:48 Ro 8:11 Php 3:20,21
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JESUS AFFIRMS THE DOCTRINE
OF ETERNAL SECURITY

This is the will (thelema) of Him who sent Me - The Father's will is the guarantee of the truth that follows for He is omnipotent and truthful.

That of all that He has given Me I lose (apollumi) nothing - Jesus had just explained that "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out" (Jn 6:37) which reflects God's sovereignty and His safe keeping. Now Jesus reiterates these truths. All refers not to every person ever born, but to all the souls who have been given to Jesus and therefore who come to Him and believe in Him. Of those who have truly believed, Jesus says they are truly safe! Safe from eternal punishment. Jesus the creator and the One Who is faithful and true promises that He will not lose one single soul who has come to Him. This is ultimately and completely secured by the fact that this is the will of the omnipotent Father. Thus John 6:38-40 teaches that God's will for His children is their eternal security. In short, God "gets" us (gives us to His Son) and "keeps" us (eternally secure!)

J C Ryle - We have in these words the doctrine of the final perseverance of true believers. It seems hard to imagine stronger words than these to express the doctrine. It is the Father’s will that no one whom He has given to Christ should be lost. His will must surely take effect. True believers may err and fall in many things, but they shall never finally be cast away. The will of God the Father, and the power of Christ the Son, are both engaged on their side. We have in these words abundant comfort for all fearful and faint-hearted believers. Let such remember that if they “come” to Christ by faith, they have been “given” to Christ by the Father; and if given by the Father to Christ, it is the Father’s will that they should never be cast away. Let them lean back on this thought, when cast down and disquieted;—“It is the Father’s will that I should not be lost.”

THOUGHT - Do you lack assurance of salvation? If you have truly believed in the Bread of Life, you can be absolutely sure that you will be saved to the uttermost and forever! Who is more powerful than the Creator Christ Jesus? No one. Who is more faithful than Jesus? No one. He has the omnipotent power to keep you eternally safe and secure. Let this truth be like a soft pillow for your head when you lay down at night. When I was about 7 years old, I was very afraid when it got dark and would pray "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my Soul to keep; If I should die before I 'wake, I pray the Lord my Soul to take." I was not a believer at the time. Now I do not need to pray that prayer for I have no fear and no doubt that He will never lose me and He will take my soul to be with Him the moment I die!

Brian Bell - Lose nothing - Jesus believes in the assurance of the believer! Take his word for it! This is Eternal security, sometimes called the “Perseverance of the saints”; more appropriately called, the “Preservation of the saints” (i.e. God preserves us!) Ps.145:20 The LORD preserves all who love Him But all the wicked He’ll destroy

But raise it up (anistemi) on the last (eschatos) day - Raise up clearly refers to the resurrection and in context it refers to a resurrection of life, not judgment. While all who have ever lived and died will be resurrected, "and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment" (referring to the Great White Throne Judgment in Rev 20:11-15+)(Jn 5:29+) (See also Order of the Resurrections)

What/When is the last (eschatos) day? First note that it is a key time phrase in John - with the exception of Jn 7:37 John's six other uses are all eschatological (referring to a future event) and surely all refer to the same event. The event Jesus refers to is His return and the climax of God's plan for mankind. (Note "Last day" should be distinguished from the similar phrase "The Last Days")

John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:54 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 7:37 (THIS IS NOT AN ESCHATOLOGICAL USE) Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.
John 11:24 (THIS INDICATES THE JEWS HAD SOME KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAST DAY) Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
John 12:48 “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.

J C Ryle - We have in these words the Father’s will that all Christ’s members shall have a glorious resurrection. They shall not only not be lost and cast away while they live: they shall be raised again to glory after they die. Christ will not only justify and pardon, keep and sanctify. He will do even more. He will raise them up at the last day to a life of glory. It is the Father’s will that He should do so. (See also First and Second Resurrections)

Future security is the natural extension of present protection.
The God Who watches over us now will continue to do so until “the last day.”
- Cornerstone Biblical Commentary

QUESTION - Perseverance of the Saints - is it biblical?

ANSWER - Perseverance of the saints is the name that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the eternal security of the believer. It answers the question, “Once a person is saved, can he lose his salvation?” Perseverance of the saints is the P in the acronym TULIP, which is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism. Because the term “perseverance of the saints” can cause people to have the wrong idea about what is meant, some people prefer to use terms like “preservation of the saints,” “eternal security,” or “held by God.” Each of these terms reveals some aspect of what the Bible teaches about the security of the believer. However, like any biblical doctrine, what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately it summarizes what the Bible teaches about that subject. No matter which name you use to refer to this important doctrine, a thorough study of the Bible will reveal that, when it is properly understood, it is an accurate description of what the Bible teaches.

The simplest explanation of this doctrine is the saying: “Once saved, always saved.” The Bible teaches that those who are born again will continue trusting in Christ forever. God, by His own power through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, keeps or preserves the believer forever. This wonderful truth is seen in Ephesians 1:13-14, where we see that believers are “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchase possession, to the praise of His glory.” When we are born again, we receive the promised indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that is God’s guarantee that He who began a good work in us will complete it (Philippians 1:6). In order for us to lose our salvation after receiving the promised Holy Spirit, God would have to break His promise or renege on His “guarantee,” which He cannot do. Therefore, the believer is eternally secure because God is eternally faithful.

The understanding of this doctrine really comes from understanding the unique and special love that God has for His children. Romans 8:28-39 tells us that 1) no one can bring a charge against God’s elect; 2) nothing can separate the elect from the love of Christ; 3) God makes everything work together for the good of the elect; and 4) all whom God saves will be glorified. God loves His children (the elect) so much that nothing can separate them from Him. Of course this same truth is seen in many other passages of Scripture as well. In John 10:27-30, Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one." Again, in John 6:37-47, we see Jesus stating that everyone who the Father gives to the Son will come to Him and He will raise all of them up at the last day.

Another evidence from Scripture of the eternal security of a believer is found in John 5:24, where Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” Notice that eternal life is not something we get in the future but is something that we have once we believe. By its very nature, eternal life must last forever, or it could not be eternal. This passage says that, if we believe the gospel, we have eternal life and will not come into judgment; therefore, it can be said we are eternally secure.

There is really very little scriptural basis that can be used to argue against the eternal security of the believer. While there are a few verses that, if not considered in their context, might give the impression that one could “fall from grace” or lose his salvation, when these verses are carefully considered in context it is clear that is not the case. Many people know someone who at one time expressed faith in Christ and who might have appeared to be a genuine Christian who later departed from the faith and now wants to have nothing to do with Christ or His church. These people might even deny the very existence of God. For those who do not want to accept what the Bible says about the security of the believer, these types of people are proof that the doctrine of eternal security cannot be right. However, the Bible indicates otherwise, and it teaches that people such as those who profess Christ as Savior at one time only to later walk away and deny Christ were never truly saved in the first place. For example, 1 John 2:19 says, "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out from us, in order that it might be made manifest that they all are not truly of us." The Bible is also clear that not everyone who professes to be a Christian truly is. Jesus Himself says that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21-22). Rather than proving we can lose our salvation, those people who profess Christ and fall away simply reinforces the importance of testing our salvation to make sure we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5) and making our calling and election sure by continually examining our lives to make sure we are growing in godliness (2 Peter 1:10).

One of the misconceptions about the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints is that it will lead to “carnal Christians” who believe that since they are eternally secure they can live whatever licentious lifestyle they wish and still be saved. But that is a misunderstanding of the doctrine and what the Bible teaches. A person who believes he can live any way he wants because he has professed Christ is not demonstrating true saving faith (1 John 2:3-4). Our eternal security rests on the biblical teaching that those whom God justifies, He will also glorify (Romans 8:29-30). Those who are saved will indeed be conformed to the image of Christ through the process of sanctification (1 Corinthians 6:11). When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit breaks the bondage of sin and gives the believer a new heart and a desire to seek holiness. Therefore a true Christian will desire to be obedient to God and will be convicted by the Holy Spirit when he sins. True Christians will never “live any way they want” because such behavior is impossible for someone who has been given a new nature (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Clearly, the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints does accurately represent what the Bible teaches on this important subject. If someone is truly saved, he has been made alive by the Holy Spirit and has a new heart with new desires. There is no way that one that has been “born again” can later be “unborn.” Because of His unique love for His children, God will keep all of His children safe from harm, and Jesus has promised that He would lose none of His sheep. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints recognizes that true Christians will always persevere and are eternally secure because God keeps them that way. It is based on the fact that Jesus, the “author and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:2), is able to completely save those whom the Father has given Him (Hebrews 7:25) and to keep them saved through all eternity.

Spurgeon - The Father's Will John 6:39–40

Never fear that there is anything in the secret purposes of God which can contradict the open promises of God. Never dream, if you are a believer, that there can be any dark decree that shuts you out from the benefits of grace. Decrees or no decrees, ‘this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life’. Therefore, lay hold on Christ with all your heart, poor sinner; ask not to know whether your name is in the Book of Life; come just as you are, by God’s own invitation. The woman in the crowd could not tell whether it was written in the book of the decrees that she should be healed, but she came behind the Saviour, touched the hem of his garment and was made whole. The dying thief did not stop to enquire, ‘Was I chosen by God before time began?’ but said, ‘Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.’ In like manner act upon your present need and fit your prayer to the present opportunity. The doctrine of decrees never operates upon a man’s ordinary life. What hungry man would hesitate or say, ‘I cannot tell whether it is the purpose of God that I should eat’? When the provision is spread out before him he eats. Would the weary man vex his soul with misgivings and say, ‘I want to know whether it is the purpose of God that I should sleep’? He acts like a sensible creature and goes to his bed at the time of rest, grateful for the interval of deep repose that can renew his strength and freshen up his vital powers. Go and do likewise. Do not rebel at the purposes or deny them, but act upon the precepts and rejoice in them; they are the guide for you. Rely upon the promises.

Our Living Hope

God . . . has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. —1 Peter 1:3

Today's Scripture: John 6:39-54

The morning after my mother died, I was reading the Bible and talking to the Lord about my sadness. The Bible-In-One-Year reading for that day was John 6.

When I came to verse 39, the Lord whispered comfort to my sad heart: “This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.” Mom’s spirit was with the Lord already, but I knew that one day she would be raised and given a new body.

As I continued reading, I noticed three other times in John 6 that Jesus said He will raise His people from the dead at the last day. He was repeating this truth to those who were listening long ago as well as to my heart that day.

Our hope of resurrection will be realized when Jesus returns. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). After the resurrection, believers in Jesus will receive their new bodies and rewards for their faithful service (1 Cor. 3:12-15; 2 Cor. 5:9-11).

The resurrection is the living hope of the Christian. Do you have that hope? By: Anne Cetas (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Jesus arose and conquered death;
He robbed it of its fear and power;
And one day He’ll return to earth,
Though we know not the day nor hour.
—D. De Haan

The risen Christ will come from heaven to take His own to heaven.

John 6:40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."

BGT John 6:40 τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ θεωρῶν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐγὼ [ἐν] τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.

KJV John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

NET John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father– for everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him to have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

CSB John 6:40 For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

ESV John 6:40 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."

NIV John 6:40 For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."

NLT John 6:40 For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day."

NRS John 6:40 This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day."

NJB John 6:40 It is my Father's will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day.

NAB John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him (on) the last day."

YLT John 6:40 and this is the will of Him who sent me, that every one who is beholding the Son, and is believing in him, may have life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day.'

beholds: John 6:36,37 1:14 4:14 8:56 Isa 45:21,22 52:10 53:2 Lu 2:30 2Co 4:6 Heb 11:1,27 1Pe 1:8 1Jn 1:1-3
and believes: John 6:27,35,54 Jn 3:15-18,36 5:24 10:28 12:50 17:2 Mk 16:16 Ro 5:21 Ro 6:23 1Jn 2:25 5:11-13 Jude 1:21
I will: John 11:25
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 3:15-16 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. 17 “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

John 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see (ETERNAL) life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

John 12:45 “He who sees (theoreo) Me sees the One who sent Me.

WHEN SEEING REALLY
IS BELIEVING

For (gar) - A term of explanation. What is Jesus explaining?

This is the will (thelema) of My Father - What follows expresses the desire of the heart of the Father.

That (hina) introduces a purpose or result, the working out of the will of the Father.

Everyone who beholds (theoreo) the Son and believes (pisteuo - present tense - continually) in Him will have (present tense - continually have or keep on having) eternal (aionios) life (zoe) - Everyone who looks with eyes of faith at Christ. Note the emphasis in this statement on human responsibility. Both beholds (with the eye of faith - Jn 12:45) and believes are in the active voice signifying a volitional choice, a choice of our will (which I believe is energized by the Holy Spirit). Will have defines a promise, in this case the promise of a possession which will never end, the promise of eternal life!

J C Ryle on beholds (looks) - It is such a look as that of the Israelites, who looked at the brazen serpent, and, looking, were healed. (See John 3:14, 15, and Num. 21:9.)

This is the fifth time John refers to belief (Jn 6:29, 30, 35, 36, and he will repeat it again in Jn 6:47, 64, 69). Clearly a crucial keyword in John 6 is believe!

MacArthur - This verse emphasizes human responsibility in salvation. Although God is sovereign, He works through faith, so that a person must believe in Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God who alone offers the only way of salvation (cf. Jn 14:6). However, even faith is a gift of God (Ro 12:3; Eph 2:8, 9). Intellectually harmonizing the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man is impossible humanly, but perfectly resolved in the infinite mind of God. (The MacArthur Study Bible - Borrow)

And I Myself will raise him up (anistemi) on the last (eschatos) day - Here is the second promise (which is repeated from Jn 6:39b) which Jesus Himself will personally fulfill for everyone who has believed in Him. In sum, we are promised eternal life and resurrection from the dead.

Death cannot destroy the life that Christ gives
-- NIV Study Bible.

J C Ryle - These words are repeated, I believe, in order to make it sure that a glorious resurrection shall be the portion of every one that only “looks” at Christ and believes, as well as of those who enjoy the “assurance” that they are given to Christ and shall never be cast away. The humblest believer shall be raised again by Christ at the first resurrection, and eternally glorified, just as certainly as the oldest saint in the family of God....Let us mark what abundant comfort there is in this verse for all doubting, trembling sinners, who feel their sins and yet fancy there is no hope for them. Let such observe that it is the will of God the Father, that “every one” who looks at Christ by faith may have everlasting life. It would be impossible to open a wider door. Let men look and live. The will of God is on their side.

John Heading on the last day - It is an all-embracive term, including the time when the redeemed will be raised (used by the Lord four times in this discourse, Jn 6:39, 40, 44, 54, and by Martha, Jn 11:24), and also the time of the judgment of the unsaved at the great white throne (John 12:48). Scripture never confuses the first resurrection with the second raising that leads to “the second death” in Rev 20:6; Rev 21:8. Another expression, “the last days”, used by Paul in 2Ti 3:1, refers to the end period of the present church (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Beholds (observes) (2334) theoreo from theaomai = to look at closely or attentively or contemplatively - even with a sense of wonder; cp theoros = a spectator) (Gives us English = theater, theorize) usually refers to physical sight but can also refer to perception and understanding. It means to gaze, to look with interest and purpose, to carefully examine with emphasis on or attention to details. To behold intensely or attentively. Our English word scrutinize conveys this sense, for it means to examine closely and minutely. To observe something with sustained attention, be a spectator and includes the thought of coming to the understanding of something. Theoreo in some contexts can include the idea of to behold with amazement. For example, in Mark 5:15 theoreo is not translated merely "see" but "observe" for as Vincent explains "(theoreo) was more than simple seeing. The verb means looking steadfastly, as one who has an interest in the object, and with a view to search into and understand it: to look inquiringly and intently. (Ed Note: And even with a sense of amazement.)

Theoreo in John's Gospel - Jn. 2:23; Jn. 4:19; Jn. 6:19; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:62; Jn. 7:3; Jn. 8:51; Jn. 9:8; Jn. 10:12; Jn. 12:19; Jn. 12:45; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:19; Jn. 16:10; Jn. 17:24; Jn. 20:6; Jn. 20:12; Jn. 20:14

Eternal (166) aionios from aion) means existing at all times, perpetual, pertaining to an unlimited duration of time (Ro 1:20 - God's power, Mt 18:8 - God's place of judgment, Ro 16:26+ - God's attribute). Aionios (eternal) is the exact antithesis of proskairos (temporal). See additional discussion of aionios in study of eternal punishment, specifically the importance of an accurate understanding of aionios as a refutation of the false teaching of universalism (everyone will be saved).

Aionios in John's Gospel - Jn. 3:15; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 4:14; Jn. 4:36; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:39; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:68; Jn. 10:28; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 12:50; Jn. 17:2; Jn. 17:3

Life (2222) zoe in Scripture is used (1) to refer to physical life (Ro 8:38+, 1Co 3:22, Php 1:20+, Jas 4:14, etc) but more often to (2) to supernatural life in contrast to a life subject to eternal death (Jn 3:36, see all 43 uses of "eternal life" below). This quality of life speaks of fullness of life which alone belongs to God the Giver of life and is available to His children now (Ro 6:4+, Ep 4:18+) as well as in eternity future (Mk 10:30, see Titus 1:2+ on Eternal Life). Richards writes that "Zoe in classical Greek refers to natural life--the principle that enables living things to move and to grow. In the NT, zoe focuses on the theological meaning rather than on the biological. From the perspective of the NT, in every respect life is the counterpart of death. Each book of the NT speaks of zoe. In each, the principle of life lifts our vision beyond our earthly existence to reveal a unique quality of life that spans time and eternity and that has its roots in God. It is the biblical use and meaning of zoe that most concerns us as we examine what the NT says about life. (Borrow Expository Dictionary of Bible Words) The ethical and spiritual qualities of this life which God is, are communicated to the sinner when the latter places his faith in the Lord Jesus as Saviour, and this becomes the new, animating, energizing, motivating principle which transforms the experience of that individual, and the saint thus lives a Christian life.

Zoe in Gospel of John - Jn. 1:4; Jn. 3:15; Jn. 3:16; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 4:14; Jn. 4:36; Jn. 5:24; Jn. 5:26; Jn. 5:29; Jn. 5:39; Jn. 5:40; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:63; Jn. 6:68; Jn. 8:12; Jn. 10:10; Jn. 10:28; Jn. 11:25; Jn. 12:25; Jn. 12:50; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 17:2; Jn. 17:3; Jn. 20:31. ZOE IN JOHN'S EPISTLE - 1 Jn. 1:1; 1 Jn. 1:2; 1 Jn. 2:25; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 5:11; 1 Jn. 5:12; 1 Jn. 5:13; 1 Jn. 5:16; 1 Jn. 5:20 ZOE IN THE REVELATION WRITTEN BY JOHN - Rev. 2:7; Rev. 2:10; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 7:17; Rev. 11:11; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 16:3; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:1; Rev. 22:2; Rev. 22:14; Rev. 22:17; Rev. 22:19

As W H Griffith Thomas notes in the Gospel of John zoe is a key word, writing that "Another characteristic word of John’s Gospel is life. It expresses the ultimate element of his purpose in writing. As the result of believing, the readers of this Gospel are intended to have life. The word (zoe) always refers in this Gospel to the principle of spiritual life as distinct from the earthly manifestation or principle of natural life (bios). This latter word is not found in the fourth Gospel and only twice in all of John’s writings (1 John 2:16; 1 John 3:16), where the meaning is quite clear. The word zoe occurs thirty-six times in the Gospel of John as compared with seven in Matthew, four in Mark, and six in Luke. This again shows the prominence given to it and the important place it occupies in the teaching of this Gospel. The idea is found as early as John 1:4, and then almost chapter by chapter various aspects of the life are seen and various relationships to it are borne by our Lord. The meaning of this life is perhaps best given in the words of our Lord’s prayer: “This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). It consists, therefore, not in any mere existence whether here or hereafter. Its essence lies in the experience of fellowship with God. Quality, not duration, is the predominant thought of life in this Gospel.

Raise...up (450) anistemi from ana = up, again + histemi = stand, to cause to stand) means literally to get up, to stand up, to stand again, to cause to rise (thus "to raise"), to stand or be erect (Acts 9:41). To rise from a lying or reclined position. To stand straight up from a prostrate position (Acts 14:10). Most uses of anistemi denote the act of getting up from a seated or reclined position. Anistemi is especially common of the preparation of a journey Lk 1:39, Lk 15.18, 20; 17.19. Anistemi can also can be used in the sense of “to appear” or “to come” (Mt 12:41) Figuratively anistemi can refer to a change of position, of “rising” to a position of preeminence or power; e.g., of Christ as a prophet, Acts 3:22; 7:37; as God’s servant in the midst of the nation of Israel, Acts 3:26; as the Son of God in the midst of the nation, Acts 13:33; as a priest, Heb 7:11, 15; as king over the nations, Ro. 15:12;

The most important figurative use of anistemi is to raise up from the dead or to bring back to life. Below are the 30 uses of anistemi that refer to resurrection - Mk 5:42, Mark 8:31, 9:9, 31, 10:34, 12:23, 25, Lk 9:8, 19, 16:31, 18:33, Lk 24:7, 46, John 6:39, 40, 44, 54, Jn 11:23, 11:31, Jn 20:9, Acts 2:24, 32, Acts 9:40, 9:41, 10:41, 13:16, 34, Acts 13:33, Eph 5:14, 1Th 4:14, 1Th 4:16.

Last (2078) eschatos from ek = from, primarily as it relates to place) a noun which means last in time or space/place (most remote) (Acts 1:8+, Acts 13:47+). Eschatos can refer to the lowest status or "last place" (Mt 19:30) Eschatos indicates the meaning “last” in the sense of a final stage in a process. For example, in Rev 15:1 the “last seven” plagues of judgment against the earth are declared to be the completion of God’s wrath against the wickedness of humankind. Eschatos can indicate the final element in a significant series. Note that the noun eschatos is distinguished from the adverb eschatos (2079) which is used once in the NT (Mk 5:23+) and means to be very sick, be at the point of death. to be at the last gasp. Differentiate Jesus phrase the last day from the Last Days.

Eschatos in John's Gospel - Jn. 6:39; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:44; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 7:37; Jn. 11:24; Jn. 12:48

Life for a Look John 6:40 - Archie Edwards
I. The Promise—everlasting life.
II. The Person—the Son.
III. The Condition—“every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him.”
IV. The Encouragement—“this is the will of him.”

James Smith - LIFE FOR A LOOK JOHN 6:40

1. The Promise,     “Everlasting life.”
2. The Person,   “The Son.”
3. The Purpose,     “Him that sent Me.”
4. The Condition,   “Seeth … believeth.”
5. The Offer,   “Every one.”
6. The Encouragement, “This is the will of Him.”

John 6:41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven."

BGT John 6:41 Ἐγόγγυζον οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι εἶπεν· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ καταβὰς ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ,

KJV John 6:41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

NET John 6:41 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began complaining about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven,"

CSB John 6:41 Therefore the Jews started complaining about Him because He said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

ESV John 6:41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

NIV John 6:41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

NLT John 6:41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

NRS John 6:41 Then the Jews began to complain about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."

NJB John 6:41 Meanwhile the Jews were complaining to each other about him, because he had said, 'I am the bread that has come down from heaven.'

NAB John 6:41 The Jews murmured about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven,"

YLT John 6:41 The Jews, therefore, were murmuring at him, because he said, 'I am the bread that came down out of the heaven;'

were grumbling: John 6:43,52,60,66 7:12 Lu 5:30 15:2 19:7 1Co 10:10 Jude 1:16
I am: John 6:33,48,51,58
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:33  “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

John 6:48 “I am the bread of life.

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

John 6:58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

1 Corinthians 10:10 (HOW SERIOUS IS GRUMBLING?)  Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

Luke 5:30 The Pharisees and their scribes began grumbling at His disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”

Exodus 15:24+ So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

Exodus 16:2; 8; 9+  The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.....8 Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”....9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.’”

Numbers 11:1, 4-6+ Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the LORD; and when the LORD heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.....4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat? 5 “We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

Numbers 14:2-5+ All the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron; and the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! 3 “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to one another, “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in the presence of all the assembly of the congregation of the sons of Israel.

GRUMBLING AGAINST I AM

John 6:41-50 describes the Jewish reaction to Jesus' teaching that He was the Bread of life.

Therefore - Term of conclusion. Their sad concluding attitude and action was based on the truth He had given them and which clearly disturbed them for even in their spiritual stupor they were able to comprehend that Jesus was claiming deity and giving them promises that only God could give and follow through on.

1 Corinthians 1:23+ but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

The Jews were grumbling (gogguzo) about Him - In his gospel, John often uses the word Jews to describe those who were hostile to Jesus, especially the religious leaders. In this case it is the lay populace that is beginning to turn against Jesus, those who John calls "disciples." Jesus would respond by rebuking their grumbling and correcting their ignorance.

Grumbling is a keyword in John 6 occurring 3x (Jn 6:41, 43, 61) out of only 7 total uses in the NT. Grumbling in this verse is in the vivid imperfect tense depicting this action in the crowd as one what was recurring ("grumble, grumble, grumble..."). They were not grumbling because of the weather but because of Jesus' claim to be the Bread of life from heaven (explained by the following "because") and claimed to be greater than Moses. They reasoned that since He was a mere man, what He declared was impossible. Their grumbling would have even been over His words promising eternal life! This is amazing! The best gift a human being could ever be offered was promised by Jesus and the reaction is not reception but refusal and grumbling! If this does not depict hardness of the human heart, nothing does! Grumbling at its core is rebellion against God (and His sovereignty).

John Heading - The desire for bread in Jn 6:34 had been annulled upon the realisation that the bread referred to Himself. This answers to Ro 9:32+, “They stumbled over the stumbling stone,” which had been laid in Zion. (What the Bible Teaches - John)

MacArthur - The reaction of the synagogue crowds to Jesus' statements was the same as the Jews in the wilderness who grumbled against God both before and after the manna was given to them (Ex 16:2, 8, 9; Nu 11:4-6). (The MacArthur Study Bible - Borrow)

Because - Term of explanation. What is John explaining? This one is straightforward.

He said, "I am (ego eimi - see comments on Jn 6:20) the bread (artos) that came down out of heaven." - Their grumbling was because they recognized that Jesus was making a claim of deity and reacted with hostility just as the Jews had done in Jerusalem (Jn 5:18+). They saw Him only as a Man and failed to recognize He was also God, and so they grumbled when He expressed words that had the clear ring of God about them!

Pulpit Commentary on Jesus' declaration - This was a reasonable putting together of the three assertions: "I am the Bread of life" (ver. 35); "I have come down from heaven" (ver. 38); and "The bread of God is that which cometh down from heaven" (ver. 33). "The Jews" did not misunderstand his meaning. They understood it perfectly, and rebelled against it. (John 6 Commentary)

J Vernon McGee has an insightful comment - You see, He taught that He was God and that He came down from heaven. May I say to you, in this section here He is teaching His virgin birth. There are those who say the Lord Jesus never taught that He was virgin born. What do you think He is saying here, friend? The Jews understood what He was saying. They asked how this could be when they knew His father and His mother. Well, it's by the virgin birth.

H A Ironside makes an interesting observation (Jn 6:41-56) - IT IS a very notable principle in connection with the ways of our Lord Jesus Christ with men that if a soul came to Him who was honestly, earnestly, seeking to know the truth, He undertook to make that truth just as simple as possible so that the wayfaring man could understand. On the other hand, if the Saviour presented something which was difficult for the natural mind to receive, and men, instead of recognizing their need and coming to Him for explanation, assumed a haughty, unbelieving attitude, He invariably seemed to make the truth more difficult instead of making it simpler. That is to say, if men will not have the truth of God when it is presented to them but deliberately choose to follow the path of error, they will be blinded to the very truth itself. This principle runs throughout Scripture. You remember how Pharaoh set himself against doing the will of God. We read that God hardened Pharaoh's heart. He confirmed the haughty king in his very wickedness. Later on, when the people of Israel chose the path of disobedience, God said, "I will choose their delusions." When we look on into the future to the day when the Antichrist, that last sinister enemy of God and man, shall arise, we are told that in that time if men receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved, God will send them strong delusion.

Grumbling (1111) gogguzo means to murmur, mutter, make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath. In 1 Co 10:10 it is used with idea of complaint (cf Nu 11:1). Gogguzo is an onomatopoeic word derived from the sound made when murmuring or muttering in a low and indistinct voice with the idea of complaint. In short this word gives us a vivid picture to help us imagine this scene of religious hypocrites making audible expressions of their dissatisfaction with Jesus and His acceptance of a despised tax collector even to the point of willingness to fellowship over a meal with him! Philosophers also warned against grumbling, noting that one ought to accept whatever the gods and Fate would send. Webster's English Dictionary has this note on grumble - to complain in a low harsh voice and often in a surly manner <workers grumbling about the low wages. Synonyms include croak, grouch, grouse, grunt, murmur, mutter, scold; compare complain, bellyache, crab, fuss, gripe, holler, squawk, whine; groan, moan; complain, kick.

Gogguzo - 7v in NT - Matt. 20:11; Lk. 5:30; Jn. 6:41; Jn. 6:43; Jn. 6:61; Jn. 7:32; 1 Co. 10:10

Related Resources:

What are some Bible verses about grumbling? | GotQuestions.org
How can we do all things without grumbling or disputing (Philippians 2:14)? | GotQuestions.org
ED COMMENT: Gotquestions gives a good, Biblical answer, but I would emphasize the key point they touched on - What had Paul just commanded the saints to do in Phil 2:12+? Work out your salvation, a command in the present imperative (make this your lifestyle). And what is grumbling but "working out" one's salvation? (Clearly a rhetorical question). Note Paul quickly explains (see "for" - term of explanation at the beginning of Php 2:13NLT+ to tell them how they can accomplish supernaturally what is not naturally possible!) The key to not grumbling (present imperative with a negative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) is learning to rely on the God's Spirit Who is at work continually in us giving us the "desire" and the "power" not to grumble! Beloved, there is no other way to not grumble! Paul gives Php 2:14+ as their "Pop Test" to see if they really understood what he had just explained in Php 2:13NLT+! How are you doing with the sin of grumbling?

Free Pizza!

I am the bread which came down from heaven. — John 6:41

Today's Scripture: John 6:25-41

Money is tight when you’re a college student. So when free food is available, students will show up anytime, anywhere. If a company wants to recruit new employees, it will entice young people on college campuses to come to a presentation by offering free pizza. Some students attend presentation after presentation—just for the pizza. The food in the present seems to be more important than the job for the future.

Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000, and the next day many searched for Him (John 6:10-11,24-25). He challenged them: “You seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v.26). It seems that the food was more important to some of the people than the everlasting life Jesus offered in Himself. He told them He was “the bread of God . . . who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (v.33). Some didn’t believe, wouldn’t accept His teaching, and “walked with Him no more” (v.66). They had wanted the food, but they didn’t want Him and what would be required of them to follow Him.

Jesus calls us today to come to Him—not for the blessings from His hand but to receive the eternal life He offers and to follow Him, “the bread of God.” By: Anne Cetas (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Examining our motives
For following the Lord
Will show if we’re authentically
Believing in His Word.
—Sper

Only Christ the Living Bread can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

John 6:42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?"

BGT John 6:42 καὶ ἔλεγον· οὐχ οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωσήφ, οὗ ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα; πῶς νῦν λέγει ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκα;

KJV John 6:42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

NET John 6:42 and they said, "Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

CSB John 6:42 They were saying, "Isn't this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can He now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

ESV John 6:42 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'?"

NIV John 6:42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

NLT John 6:42 They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

NRS John 6:42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

NJB John 6:42 They were saying, 'Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know. How can he now say, "I have come down from heaven?" '

NAB John 6:42 and they said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph? Do we not know his father and mother? Then how can he say, 'I have come down from heaven'?"

YLT John 6:42 and they said, 'Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we have known? how then saith this one -- Out of the heaven I have come down?'

Is not: John 7:27 Mt 13:55-56 Mk 6:3 Lu 4:22 Ro 1:3,4 9:5 1Co 15:47 Ga 4:4
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 7:27 “However, we know where this man is from; but whenever the Christ may come, no one knows where He is from.”

Matthew 13:55-56 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him.

Luke 4:22 And all were speaking well of Him, and wondering at the gracious words which were falling from His lips; and they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

THEY SEE THE MAN
BUT NOT THE GOD-MAN

They (grumbling Jews) were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? Were saying is the vivid imperfect tense picturing them grumbling over and over. One can imagine there was a low "rumbling noise" in the crowd. The Jews understood what Jesus was implying by saying He came down from heaven and countered His claim with their natural reasoning, completely discounting Jesus' repeated claim that He was from heaven. In other words, they were saying Jesus was a Man just like any man, born of human parents. What they failed to recognize (or accept) is that He was not born like other men, but was conceived by the Spirit and born of a virgin. The irony is that these Jews thought they knew Jesus' father, but the truth is that they did not know His true Father! And in this case their ignorance was not bliss, but would result in their eternal destruction.

Dods - “This was one of the real difficulties of the contemporaries of Jesus. The Messiah was to come ‘in the clouds,’ suddenly to appear; but Jesus had quietly grown up among them.”

Wiersbe - They thought they knew Jesus, who He was and where He came from (see Matt. 13:53-58; John 7:40-43). Jesus, of course, was the legal son of Joseph but not his natural son, for He was born of a virgin (Luke 1:34-38). The leaders identified Jesus with Nazareth in Galilee, not Bethlehem in Judea; and they thought that Joseph was His natural father. Had they investigated the matter, they would have learned who Jesus really is. (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven' - Their minds were closed to spiritual truth so that all they could see and understand was what a natural man could understand. They recognized the miraculous nature of the multiplication of bread, but could not understand the divine power of Jesus to produce the bread. It is as if Jesus was speaking to them on the "FM Radio Band," but their hearts and minds could only receive "AM Radio" signals.

QUESTION -Why is the virgin birth so important? WATCH RELATED VIDEO.

ANSWER - The doctrine of the virgin birth teaches that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. That is, when Mary conceived Jesus, she had never had sexual intercourse. Jesus’ birth, therefore, was truly miraculous. The virgin birth of Jesus is a crucially important doctrine and one that the Bible plainly teaches in Matthew 1:23 and Luke 1:27, 34.

Let’s look at how Scripture describes the virgin birth. The angel Gabriel visits the Virgin Mary to bring her the news that she would be the mother of the Messiah. Mary asks, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Luke 1:34ESV). Gabriel’s reply indicates the miraculous nature of the conception: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). The angel points not to any human act but to the Holy Spirit and the power of God as the agency of Jesus’ birth. Jesus would properly be called the Son of God.

Gabriel later repeats the news to Joseph, betrothed to be married to Mary: “What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). Joseph needed this information because, “before they came together, [Mary] was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Accepting God’s word on the matter, Joseph proceeded to take Mary as his wife, but she remained a virgin until after Jesus was born: “He did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son” (Matthew 1:25).

The gospel writers are judicious in their wording to maintain the doctrine of the virgin birth. In his genealogy of Jesus, Luke mentions that Jesus was “the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Luke 3:23ESV). In his genealogy, Matthew carefully avoids calling Joseph the father of Jesus; rather, he speaks of “Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah” (Matthew 1:16).

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ was predicted in the Old Testament: “The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14, quoted in Matthew 1:22). There is also a possible allusion to the virgin birth in Genesis 3:15, which says that the “seed” of “the woman” would destroy the serpent.

The Bible teaches the preexistence of the eternal Son of God. In Isaiah 9:6, the child who is “born” is also the son who is “given.” In like manner, Galatians 4:4 also teaches the preexistence and virgin birth of Christ: “God sent His Son, born of a woman.” The virgin birth is important because that was the means by which “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). The incarnation is when the eternal Son of God took on human flesh; without losing any of His divine nature, He added a human nature. That miraculous, history-changing event took place in the Virgin Mary’s womb.

In the virgin birth, the immaterial (the Spirit) and the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Just as, at creation, “the earth was formless and empty” and dark (Genesis 1:2), Mary’s womb was an empty, barren place. And just as, at creation, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2), the Spirit of God came upon Mary (Luke 1:35). Only God can make something out of nothing; only God could perform the miracles of creation, the incarnation, and the virgin birth.

The virgin birth is important in that it preserves the truth that Jesus is fully God and fully man at the same time. His physical body He received from Mary. But His eternal, holy nature was His from all eternity past (see John 6:69). Joseph the carpenter did not pass on his sinful nature to Jesus for the simple reason that Joseph was not the father. Jesus had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26).

The virgin birth of Jesus is an example of God’s gracious work on our behalf. God took the initiative—Mary was not looking to become pregnant—it was all God’s idea. Joseph had no role in the conception—his body was not involved—so the power had to come from God. In a similar way, our salvation is based solely on God’s initiative and God’s power—we did not seek God, but He sought us; and we did nothing to earn our salvation, but we rely on God’s power.

Unsurprisingly, Jesus’ enemies among His contemporaries denied His virgin birth. They went so far as to publicly accuse Jesus of being a Samaritan, i.e., a person of mixed race (John 8:48). Those today who would deny the virgin birth contradict the clear teaching of Scripture, call into question other miracles recorded in the Bible, and open the door to a denial of Christ’s full deity or His full humanity. GotQuestions.org

John 6:43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.

BGT John 6:43 ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· μὴ γογγύζετε μετ᾽ ἀλλήλων.

KJV John 6:43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

NET John 6:43 Jesus replied, "Do not complain about me to one another.

CSB John 6:43 Jesus answered them, "Stop complaining among yourselves.

ESV John 6:43 Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.

NIV John 6:43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

NLT John 6:43 But Jesus replied, "Stop complaining about what I said.

NRS John 6:43 Jesus answered them, "Do not complain among yourselves.

NJB John 6:43 Jesus said in reply to them, 'Stop complaining to each other.

NAB John 6:43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Stop murmuring among yourselves.

YLT John 6:43 Jesus answered, therefore, and said to them, 'Murmur not one with another;

Grumble: John 6:64 Mt 16:19 Mt 16:8 Mk 9:33 Heb 4:13
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Numbers 14:27-29+ “How long shall I bear with this evil congregation who are grumbling against Me? I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel, which they are making against Me. 28 “Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the LORD, ‘just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will surely do to you; 29 your corpses will fall in this wilderness, even all your numbered men, according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. (see also Nu 14:36, 37)

Psalm 95:8-9 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, 9 “When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work. .

STOP
GRUMBLING!

Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble (gogguzo) among yourselves - Jesus commands them to cease their grumbling. We sometimes think of grumbling as a "little sin," but it was grumbling that kept the first generation of Israelites out of the Promised Land! So just as this sin of grumbling kept Israel out of the promised land, it would keep the grumblers out of the promised life in Jesus!

As Jamieson says "Be not either startled or stumbled at these sayings; for it needs divine teaching to understand them, divine drawing to submit to them."

Steven Cole on why Jesus commands them to stop grumbling - Grumblers invariably set themselves up as sovereign over God: “If God only saw things my way, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” “If God only took account of my insights, this problem would get cleared up right now!” Grumblers are not in submission to God’s sovereign rule. They want to tell God how to run the world so that things will go the way that they want. Grumblers arrogantly imply that they know more than God knows. These grumblers thought that they were competent to pass judgment on Jesus. So He confronted their grumbling attitude. The point is, grumblers will not believe in Jesus even if they’ve seen Him feed 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish and they’ve watched Him heal the sick, unless they repent of their grumbling attitude. At the root of unbelief is not a lack of evidence, but an attitude that wants to tell God how to run the universe, at least my corner of the universe! In John 7:17, Jesus states, “If anyone is willing to do His [the Father’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” At the root of correct understanding about Jesus that leads to faith in Him is whether we are willing to be obedient to God’s will. (A Lesson in Witnessing to Skeptics)

THOUGHT - As I’ve said before, a good approach when a skeptic raises an objection to the faith (evolution, the problem of suffering, errors in the Bible, etc.) is to reply, “Are you saying that if I can give you reasonable answers to that issue, then you will repent of your sins and follow Jesus?” Invariably, the skeptic will say, “Well, there are other issues, too!” In other words, the issues are not the issue. The issues are smokescreens to hide the fact that the skeptic doesn’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. If he can “control” Jesus to provide him with what he wants out of life, he might profess to “believe.” But then he’s not believing in Jesus as Lord, but rather in Jesus as Aladdin’s Genie. So in witnessing to such grumbling skeptics, confront their underlying attitude of not wanting to submit to Jesus. (Cole - A Lesson in Witnessing to Skeptics)

MacDonald - The more the Jews rejected the testimony of the Lord Jesus, the more difficult His teachings became. “Light rejected is light denied.” The more they spurned the gospel, the harder it became for them to accept the gospel. If the Lord told them simple things and they would not believe, then He would expound to them more difficult things and they would be thoroughly ignorant of what He was saying. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

BGT John 6:44 οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.

KJV John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

NET John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

CSB John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.

ESV John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.

NIV John 6:44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.

NLT John 6:44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up.

NRS John 6:44 No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day.

NJB John 6:44 'No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me, and I will raise that person up on the last day.

NAB John 6:44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day.

YLT John 6:44 no one is able to come unto me, if the Father who sent me may not draw him, and I will raise him up in the last day;

man: John 6:65 5:44 8:43 12:37-40 Isa 44:18-20 Jer 13:23 Mt 12:34 Ro 8:7,8
unless: John 6:45,65 3:3-7 Mt 11:25-27 16:17 Eph 2:4-10 Php 1:29 Col 2:12 Titus 3:3-5
draws: John 12:32 Song 1:4 Jer 31:3 Ho 11:4
and I: John 6:39-40
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 6:65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one (oudeis) can (dunamai HAS THE INHERENT POWER) come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”

John 12:32+ And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

Romans 8:7+ because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,

COMING TO JESUS IS
A GIFT OF THE FATHER

No one (oudeis - absolutely no one) can (dunamai - is inherently able to) come (erchomai) to Me unless the Father (pater) who sent Me draws (helko - aorist) him - Jesus is reproving their grumbling with this declaration. This verse clearly teaches God's sovereignty in salvation (as did Jn 6:37), like it or not, believe it or not! God is in control of salvation, a truth many wrestle with (or grumble at as in this context), but Jesus is not stuttering! Come to Me means to believe in His Name (see Jn 6:35+ "he who comes...he who believes"). Sinners cannot believe in Jesus without the enabling power of the Spirit of God! The converse is true that if any individual believes, it is proof that the Father has drawn him or her. (Sermon by Luther "Of Salvation by Christ Alone")

To say it another way, every soul in Adam (1Co 15:22+, Ro 5:12+) is helpless (Ro 5:6+) and hopeless (Eph 2:12+) without the supernatural help of the God of hope (Ro 15:13+)!

Borchert adds that "Salvation is never achieved apart from the drawing power of God, and it is never consummated apart from the willingness of humans to hear and learn from God. To choose one or the other will ultimately end in unbalanced, unbiblical theology....Rather than resolving the tension, the best resolution is learning to live with the tension and accepting those whose theological commitments differ from ours" (See John 1-11: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition - scroll up and down for more text)

No one in Greek (oudeis) means absolutely no one. If you think someone dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1+) can under their own volition and power come to God, you are gravely mistaken because no one means no one just as it does in the parallel passage in John 6:65! Unbelieving men are hopeless and helpless in themselves! This is a teaching the unbelieving world definitely does not like! In John 12:32 Jesus says He "will draw all men" to Himself, describing the fact that the door to salvation was open not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles. Jesus is not teaching universalism or universal salvation.

Bob Utley on unless the Father who sent Me draws (helko) him - God always takes the initiative (cf. John 6:65 and 15:16). Humans are responders not initiators! All spiritual decisions are the result of the wooing of the Spirit, not mankind's religiosity (cf. Isa. 53:6). God's sovereignty and a mandated human response are inseparably linked together by the will and mercy of God.

Jamieson on draws (helko) him - by an internal and (ED:SUPERNATURAL) efficacious operation; though by all the means of rational conviction, and in a way altogether consonant to their moral nature (Song 1:4; Jer 31:3; Hos 11:3, 4).

A T Robertson adds unless the Father...draws (helko) him - Negative condition of third class with ean mē and first aorist active subjunctive of helkuō, older form helko, to drag like a net (John 21:6), or sword (John 18:10), or men (Acts 16:19), to draw by moral power (John 12:32), as in Jeremiah 31:3. Surō, the other word to drag (Acts 8:3; Acts 14:19) is not used of Christ's drawing power. The same point is repeated in John 6:65. The approach of the soul to God is initiated by God, the other side of John 6:37 (ED: AKA GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY - HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY). See Romans 8:7 for the same doctrine and use of oude dunatai like oudeis dunatai here.

Steven Cole writes "To understand John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,” we have to view it in its context: Jesus is talking with unbelieving skeptics." (See his full sermon A Lesson in Witnessing to Skeptics below)

J C Ryle - Until the Father draws the heart of man by His grace, man will not believe....The nature of man since the fall is so corrupt and depraved, that even when Christ is made known and preached to him, he will not come to Him and believe in Him without the special grace of God inclining his will, and giving him a disposition to come. Moral suasion and advice alone will not bring him. He must be “drawn.” This is no doubt a very humbling truth, and one which in every age has called forth the hatred and opposition of man. The favourite notion of man is that he can do what he likes, repent or not repent, believe or not believe, come to Christ or not come,—entirely at his own discretion. In fact man likes to think that his salvation is in his own power. Such notions are flatly contradictory to the text before us. The words of our Lord here are clear and unmistakeable, and cannot be explained away. This doctrine of human impotence, whether man likes it or not, is the uniform teaching of the Bible. The natural man is dead, and must be born again, and brought to life. (Ephesians 2:1.) He has neither knowledge, nor faith, nor inclination toward Christ, until grace comes into his heart. Man never of himself begins with God. God must first begin with man. And this beginning is just the “drawing” of the text....It is a drawing which a Father effects through the man’s own will, by creating a new principle within him. By the unseen agency of the Holy Ghost, He works on the man’s heart, without the man himself knowing it at the time, inclines him to think, induces him to feel, shows him his sinfulness, and so leads him at length to Christ Every one that comes to Christ is so drawn.

In another note Ryle says "This is, no doubt, a very humbling truth, and one which in every age has called forth the hatred and opposition of man. The favorite notion of man is that he can do what he likes—repent or not repent, believe or not believe, come to Christ or not come—entirely at his own discretion. In fact, man likes to think that his salvation is in his own power. Such notions are flatly contradictory to the text before us. The words of our Lord here are clear and unmistakable and cannot be explained away…. Man never of himself begins with God. God must first begin with man. And this beginning is just the “drawing” of the text."

Colin Kruse - In the Old Testament God ‘draws’ people to himself with ‘unfailing kindness’ (Jer. 31:3; cf. Hos. 11:4). Here, however, the Father draws people to his Son, and unless he does so no-one can come to him. (Borrow The Gospel According to John : An Introduction and Commentary)

R C H Lenski - Jesus explains the Father’s “giving” mentioned in Jn 6:37 and Jn 6:39: he gives men to Jesus by drawing them to him. This drawing (ἑλκύειν) is accomplished by a specific power, one especially designed for the purpose, one that takes hold of the sinner’s soul and moves it away from darkness, sin, and death, to Jesus, light, and life. No man can possibly thus draw himself to Jesus. The Father, God himself, must come with his divine power and must do this drawing; else it will never be effected. (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel )

ESV Study note - No one can come to me means “no one is able to come to me” (Gk. dunamai means “to be able”). This implies that no human being in the world, on his own, has the moral and spiritual ability to come to Christ unless God the Father draws him, that is, gives him the desire and inclination to come and the ability to place trust in Christ (see notes on Jn 6:37; 12:32). (Borrow ESV Study Bible)

John MacArthur - the Bible indicates that fallen man is unable, of his own volition, to come to Jesus Christ. Unregenerate people are dead in sin (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13), slaves to unrighteousness (John 8:34; Rom. 6:6, 17, 20), alienated from God (Col. 1:21), and hostile to Him (Rom. 5:10; 8:7). They are spiritually blind (2 Cor. 4:4) captives (2 Tim. 2:26) trapped in Satan’s kingdom (Col. 1:13), powerless to change their sinful natures (Jer. 13:23; Rom. 5:6), unable to please God (Rom. 8:8), and incapable of understanding spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14; cf. John 14:17). Although the human will is involved in coming to Christ (since no one is saved apart from believing the gospel—Mark 1:15; Acts 15:7; Rom. 1:16; 10:9–15; Eph. 1:13), sinners cannot come to Him of their own free will. (Moreover, a comparison of verse 44 with verse 37 shows that God’s drawing cannot apply to all unregenerate people, as proponents of prevenient grace argue, because verse 37 limits it to the redeemed whom God has given to Christ.) God irresistibly, efficaciously draws to Christ only those whom He chose for salvation in eternity past (Eph. 1:4–5, 11). (See John Commentary)

Brian Bell - ILLUSTRATION - No one can come to the Father through Christ except the Father wills. I picture Gods Rip-Tide: Slowly drawing you out to Him (you often don’t notice your being pulled out). You keep swimming to shore away from Him. You finally give up and turn to Him. Yet under the surface He’s been drawing you all the time We’re chosen then drawn; drawn then saved; saved then 1 day to be resurrected; when resurrected then guaranteed eternal life! 1. We’ve been bought, sought, caught, got, & now are being taught!

MacDonald - Many people have difficulty with this verse. They suppose that it teaches that a man may desire to be saved and yet might find it impossible. This is not so. But the verse does teach in the strongest possible way that God is the One who first acted in our lives and sought to win us to Himself. We have the choice of accepting the Lord Jesus or refusing Him. But we never would have had the desire in the first place if God had not spoken to our hearts. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

THOUGHT - This understanding of God’s initiative in salvation should makes us more confident in evangelism, knowing that God is drawing people, and we can expect to see those whom the Father draws come to Him. (Guzik) And I would add to that we have the Gospel which Paul says is the "power of God for salvation," (Ro 1:16+), so this should also "take the pressure" off of our presentation of the Gospel. We are merely "delivery boys and girls" of God's gift called "good news" but we have absolutely no control over whether the person accepts or rejects the gift of God. So don't feel downcast when the Gospel is rejected thinking things like "I should have done a better job and been more eloquent." Beloved, the pressure is off! Enjoy it!

Life Application Study notes - God, not people, plays the most active role in salvation. When someone chooses to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, he or she does so only in response to the urging of God’s Holy Spirit. God does the urging; then we decide whether or not to believe. Thus, no one can believe in Jesus without God’s help. (Borrow Life Application Study Bible)

Martin Luther - Luther has put these words into classical form: “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the gospel, … and will at the last day raise up me and all the dead, and give unto me and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.”

William Barclay - The word which John uses for to draw is helkuein. The word used in the Greek translation (Septuagint) of the Hebrew when Jeremiah hears God say as the Authorized Version has it: ‘With lovingkindness have I drawn (Lxx - helko) thee’ (Jeremiah 31:3+).”

Henry Alford on drawn - “That this ‘drawing’ is not irresistible grace, is confessed even by Augustine himself, the great upholder of the doctrines of grace. ‘If a man is drawn, says an objector, he comes against his will. (We answer) if he comes unwillingly, he does not believe: if he does not believe, he does not come. For we do not run to Christ on our feet, but by faith; not with the movement of the body, but with the free will of the heart…Think not that thou are drawn against thy will; the mind can be drawn by love.'”....“Chrysostom says, ‘This expression does not remove our part in the coming, but rather shews that we (need) help to come.'”

Adam Clarke - “Drawing, or alluring, not dragging is here to be understood. ‘He,’ say the rabbins, ‘who desires to cleave to the holy and blessed God, God lays hold of him, and will not cast him off.’ Synops. Sohar. p. 87. The best Greek writers use the verb in the same sense of alluring, inciting, &c.”

Believer's Study Bible - Human response (Jn 6:37) is always dependent upon God's initiative. Theologians call it "prevenient grace," the grace which provides revelation and conviction, and directs a man to repentance and faith. It also involves the making alive of the spiritually dead, obstinate will of man (cf. Eph 2:1ff.).

Millard J. Erickson explains prevenient grace -- As generally understood, prevenient grace is grace that is given by God to all men indiscriminately. It is seen in God's sending the sunshine and the rain upon all. It is also the basis of all the goodness found in men everywhere. Beyond that, it is universally given to counteract the effect of sin....Since God has given this grace to all, everyone is capable of accepting the offer of salvation; consequently, there is no need for any special application of God's grace to particular individuals. (BORROW Christian Theology)

And I will raise him up (anistemi) on the last day - Resurrection truth is repeated four times in John 6 - Jn 6:39, 40, 44, 54 making raise/resurrect is a keyword. Jesus says the one the Father draws is the one He will resurrect from the dead, a reference in context of this discourse to eternal life (Jn 6:40). The implication is that the one who is drawn will also be resurrected. This statement parallels and repeats the truth He had just declared....

John 6:39-40 “This is the will of Him who sent Me (FATHER), that of all that He (FATHER) has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

NET NOTE - The Father who sent me draws him. The author never specifically explains what this "drawing" consists of. It is evidently some kind of attraction; whether it is binding and irresistible or not is not mentioned. But there does seem to be a parallel with Jn 6:65, where Jesus says that no one is able to come to him unless the Father has allowed it. This apparently parallels the use of Isaiah by John to reflect the spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders (see the quotations from Isaiah in John 9:41 and Jn 12:39–40).

Can (able) (1410) dunamai conveys the basic meaning of that which has the inherent ability to do something or accomplish some end. Thus dunamai means to be able to, to be capable of, to be strong enough to do or to have power to do something. It is usually translated able (50x), can (61x and cannot 58x) or could.

Draws (1670) helkuo/helko means to drag or draw toward and is used both literally (net - Jn 21:6, 11, "having a sword, drew it" - Jn 18:10; legal term to draw into court Jas 2:6). Helko is used figuratively in John 6:44 referring to a strong pull in the mental or moral life (to draw, attract), this strong pull being enabled by God the Father. Jesus declared " And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw (helko) all men to Myself.” (Jn 12:32) Dods - Draws “has the same latitude of meaning as ‘draw.’ It is used of towing a ship, dragging a cart, or pulling on a rope to set sails. But it is also used, John 12:32, of a gentle but powerful moral attraction.” Once helko is applied to a compulsory drawing of Paul and Silas to the market-place, Acts 16:19. Twice it is used to denote the drawing of a net, John 21:6,11, once to the drawing of a sword (John 18:10) and once in a sense similar to its use in Jn 6:44 (John 12:32). Helko is used in Song 1:4 "“Draw me after you and let us run together!"

Friberg on helko - tug, draw, drag; literally; (1) of a sword draw, unsheath (Jn 18.10); (2) of a person, forcibly led drag (Acts 21.30); (3) of a net haul, drag (Jn 21.6); (4) as a legal technical term lead by force, drag into court (Jas 2.6); figuratively, of a strong pull in the mental or moral life draw, attract (Jn 6.44) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament)

Helko - 8v - drag(1), dragged(2), draw(1), draws(1), drew(2), haul(1). Jn. 6:44; Jn. 12:32; Jn. 18:10; Jn. 21:6; Jn. 21:11; Acts 16:19; Acts 21:30; Jas. 2:6

Henry Blackaby - Drawn by the Father

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:44

If people you know are searching for God, that’s a sign that God is already at work in their lives. People’s natural tendency is to move away from God, not toward him (Romans 3:11). Whenever Jesus met someone who was seeking to know God, he immediately recognized his Father at work in the person’s life. When Jesus spotted Zacchaeus in the tree, he understood who had motivated him to make the effort to know him, so he promptly left the crowd of people in the streets and invited himself to Zacchaeus’s house for dinner (Luke 19:1–10).

We Christians often share our faith using the shotgun approach to witnessing. Whoever crosses our path when we’re on a hunt for converts gets blasted with the Good News! We hope we’ll hit a target somewhere if we shoot enough gospel bullets. The truth is, we don’t snare Christians; God draws them to himself. Witnessing is not something we do for God. It’s something we do in response to what God is doing. When we begin to recognize God’s activity in the lives of people around us, we will become much more intentional about how we share our faith with others. It’s not wrong to share Christ with a complete stranger. Nor is it wrong to share a Christian witness with each person we meet. Our problem, at times, is that we are surrounded with people and we aren’t sure who is ready to respond to the gospel.

If you pay attention, you’ll see God at work in lives all around you. Perhaps a friend will begin asking you questions about the Christian life, or a coworker will observe you during a crisis and want to know where to find such peace. Maybe you’ll notice a family member reading books about spiritual matters. Real witnessing doesn’t involve selling Christ as though he were a product; it involves learning to recognize the Spirit of God working in someone’s life and joining him in his activity. (Borrow The experience : a devotional and journal : day by day with God)

James Smith - Handfuls of Purpose - COMING TO CHRIST

“No man can come to Me, except the Father … draw him” (John 6:44).

If that is so, why urge me to come to Jesus if I do not feel the drawing power of the Father? Why bother me about coming at all if all who are drawn do come? You see, I will come if I am drawn, for I won’t be able to do anything else. And why should I be condemned for not coming if I am not drawn? Where does moral responsibility come in? And where would the justice of God come in if He punishes me for not doing what I could not possibly do?

These are by no means imaginary difficulties, put up simply for the sake of demolishing them: for ages souls have encountered and wrestled with these fears and doubts and difficulties, and many a sore combat have they had with these giants of imagination and reason.

We have often remarked that many spiritual spectres exist solely through lack of Bible knowledge, and through careless reading of the Holy Book. Here we have a striking proof of this failing. To all who are the victims of the doubts and views we have just expressed above, we would say, “READ ON!” The text printed at the head of this paper was not the whole of our Lord’s utterance at that time. Read verse 45: “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God.” In other words, God draws men through teaching! That at once simplifies matters. There is no mystery about that. God is seeking to draw men by the teaching of His Son, and of His gracious Spirit, through the sacred Scriptures, and the ministry of His redeemed ones. Thus it resolves itself into whether men will listen or not.

In our Lord’s discourse He had spoken of bread from Heaven which Jehovah would give, and they then asked for that wondrous Bread of which He spoke. He offered Himself as that Bread. But this offended them. How could He be that Bread from Heaven, seeing they knew (or imagined they did) all there was to know about Him! Our Lord’s reply was not a defence of Himself, but a revelation of the reason of their blindness. In verse 44 He declares man’s utter helplessness; He then produced a prophecy from Isaiah, remarking that God was now teaching men, and seeking through that teaching to draw them. But that teaching of God was not done personally by Him, but through His Son who had seen the Father. The Jews were not to expect the Father would teach them personally, for none had seen the Father but His beloved Son; they must expect to be taught by His Word, and by His Spirit, and by His ministers.

“Draw,” it is a beautiful term, denoting the secret work of Divine love upon hearts and minds of men. God loves to draw. And His method of drawing men by teaching is.

I. In Harmony with His Movements in Nature. The tides are caused by the drawing power of the moon; evaporation, and in consequence the fertilising shower, is the result of the drawing power of the sun; the growth and position of plants and trees and flowers depend upon the alluring and attracting power of the same sun; all nature proclaims that God loves to draw. As in nature, so in grace. Of course His method of drawing in grace differs from His method of drawing in nature. And that leads to our next thought, viz., that God’s method of drawing men by teaching.

II. Honours and Ennobles Man. If He draws by teaching, then it proves that man is not a block of wood or stone. A block of wood or stone cannot take in knowledge. But man is a rational creature, possessing amazing mental and moral powers and reasoning capabilities. This the Lord recognises in this method of drawing, and thus He honours and ennobles man. You have lost the key of a box or drawer—if you think little of the box or drawer you will prise it open; but if you value it you will not damage it by using force, but try the gentle art of persuasion or send for a locksmith. God will not force, but draw; not compel, but persuade; all out of respect to man.
Then again, this method of drawing men

III. Honours and Uplifts His Word. Archbishop Leighton said: “The outward means of drawing is by the Word; it is the sound of that harp that brings the stones of this spiritual building together.” Building by music and melody? Yes; the music and melody of the Word. The Scriptures thus become the instrument and agent of the drawing of the Lord. What an honour is thus conferred upon the Word!
This method of drawing men also

IV. Honours and Exalts the Son. The Ancients declared that their god Jupiter had a chain of gold which he could at any time let down from Heaven, and by it draw the earth and all its inhabitants to himself. Only a fable, yet it is true that our God, the only wise and true God, has a Golden Chain, the Lord Jesus Christ, which, in the fulness of time, He let down from Heaven to earth to draw His erring creatures to Himself, Did He not say of Himself: “And I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto Me.” The lifting and drawing power of the Word of God is the story of the Cross it declares and proclaims. It is that, and only that, that wins men and women.
This method of drawing men also

V. Honours and Glorifies God. We have said that the Lord draws by the Word, but it was He who caused all Holy Scripture to be written; we have also stated that He draws by His Son—but He gave His Son; we say that He appeals to intellect—but He gave man his reasoning faculties. There is only one conclusion possible, that God’s method of drawing men and women through teaching honours and glorifies Himself.
All these facts impose a serious responsibility upon man. Bishop Hooper wrote: “God draweth with His Word, and the Holy Ghost, but man’s duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace offered.” “If a man cannot come without being drawn, and the drawing consists in being taught of God, we come to the root of the difficulty, when we raise the question: Why cannot men be taught of God? Why do they not receive His instruction? Plainly not for want of mental capacity. ‘Ye will not come to Me that ye might have life,’ tells the simple and the whole truth in the case. Learning comes before coming: but you have learned of Him—will you not come? Remember it is written: “Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.”

QUESTION - What does it mean that God draws us to salvation?

ANSWER - The clearest verse on God’s drawing to salvation is John 6:44 where Jesus declares that “no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” The Greek word translated “draw” is helkuo, which means “to drag” (literally or figuratively). Clearly, this drawing is a one-sided affair. God does the drawing to salvation; we who are drawn have a passive role in the process. There is no doubt that we respond to His drawing us, but the drawing itself is all on His part.

Helkuo is used in John 21:6 to refer to a heavy net full of fish being dragged to the shore. In John 18:10 we see Peter drawing his sword, and in Acts 16:19 helkuo is used to describe Paul and Silas being dragged into the marketplace before the rulers. Clearly, the net had no part in its being drawn to the shore, Peter’s sword had no part in being drawn, and Paul and Silas did not drag themselves to the marketplace. The same can be said of God’s drawing of some to salvation. Some come willingly, and some are dragged unwillingly, but all eventually come, although we have no part in the drawing.

Why does God need to draw us to salvation? Simply put, if He didn’t, we would never come. Jesus explains that no man can come unless the Father draws him (John 6:65). The natural man has no ability to come to God, nor does he even have the desire to come. Because his heart is hard and his mind is darkened, the unregenerate person doesn’t desire God and is actually an enemy of God (Romans 5:10). When Jesus says that no man can come without God’s drawing him, He is making a statement about the total depravity of the sinner and the universality of that condition. So darkened is the unsaved person’s heart that he doesn’t even realize it: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Therefore, it is only by the merciful and gracious drawing of God that we are saved. In the conversion of the sinner, God enlightens the mind (Ephesians 1:18), inclines the will toward Himself, and influences the soul, without which influence the soul remains darkened and rebellious against God. All of this is involved in the drawing process.

There is a sense in which God draws all men. This is known as the “general call” and is distinguished from the “effectual call” of God’s elect. Passages such as Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:20 attest to the fact that God’s eternal power and divine nature are “clearly seen” and “understood” from what has been made, “so that people are without excuse.” But men still do deny God, and those who acknowledge His existence still do not come to a saving knowledge of Him outside of His drawing them. Only those who have been drawn through special revelation—by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God—will come to Christ.

There are tangible ways in which those who are being drawn to salvation experience that drawing.

First, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sinful state and our need for a Savior (John 16:8).
Second, He awakens in us a previously unknown interest in spiritual things and creates a desire for them that was never there before. Suddenly our ears are open, our hearts are inclined toward Him, and His Word begins to hold a new and exciting fascination for us. Our spirits begin to discern spiritual truth that never made sense to us before: “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
Finally, we begin to have new desires. He places within us a new heart that inclines toward Him, a heart that desires to know Him, obey Him, and walk in the “newness of life” (Romans 6:4) that He has promised.GotQuestions.org

QUESTION - Irresistible Grace - is it biblical?

ANSWER - “Irresistible grace” is a phrase that is used to summarize what the Bible teaches about the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of sinners. It is represented by the “I” in the acronym TULIP that is commonly used to enumerate what are known as the five points of Calvinism or the doctrines of grace. The doctrine is also known as “effectual calling,” “efficacious grace,” “efficacious call of the Spirit,” and “transformed by the Holy Spirit.” Each of these terms reveals some aspect of what the Bible teaches about the doctrine of irresistible grace. However, what is important is not the name assigned to the doctrine but how accurately the doctrine summarizes what the Bible teaches about the nature and purpose of the work of the Holy Spirit in the salvation of sinful, spiritually dead men. No matter which name you use to refer to the doctrine of irresistible grace, a thorough study of the Bible will reveal that, when properly understood, it is an accurate description of what the Bible teaches on this important subject.

Simply put, the doctrine of irresistible grace refers to the biblical truth that whatever God decrees to happen will inevitably come to pass, even in the salvation of individuals. The Holy Spirit will work in the lives of the elect so that they inevitably will come to faith in Christ. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit never fails to bring to salvation those sinners whom He personally calls to Christ (John 6:37-40). At the heart of this doctrine is the answer to the question: Why does one person believe the gospel and another does not? Is it because one is smarter, has better reasoning capabilities, or possesses some other characteristic that allows him to realize the importance of the gospel message? Or is it because God does something unique in the lives of those whom He saves? If it is because of what the person who believes does or is, then in a sense he is responsible for his salvation and has a reason to boast. However, if the difference is solely that God does something unique in the hearts and lives of those who believe in Him and are saved, then there is no ground for boasting and salvation is truly a gift of grace. Of course, the biblical answer to these questions is that the Holy Spirit does do something unique in the hearts of those who are saved. The Bible tells us that God saves people “according to His mercy…through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). In other words, those who believe the gospel and are saved do so because they have been transformed by the Holy Spirit.

The doctrine of irresistible grace recognizes that the Bible describes natural man as “dead in his trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1; Ephesians 2:5; Colossians 2:13), and, because man is spiritually dead, he must first be made alive or regenerated in order to understand and respond to the gospel message. A good illustration of this is seen in Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. In John 11:43, it is recorded that Jesus told Lazarus to “come forth” and that Lazarus came forth out of the tomb. What had to happen before Lazarus—who had been dead for several days—would be able to respond to Jesus’ command? He had to be made alive because a dead man cannot hear or respond. The same is true spiritually. If we are dead in our sins, as the Bible clearly teaches, then before we can respond to the gospel message and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we must first be made alive. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3, one must be “born again to see the kingdom of God.” John 1:12-13 tells us that being born again is not the result of something we do—“the will of man”—but is a sovereign act of God. Just as Lazarus could not bring himself back to life or respond to Jesus’ command without being brought back to life, neither can sinful man. Ephesians 2:1-10 makes it very clear that while we are still dead in our trespasses and sin God makes us alive. The Bible is also clear that the act of being born again or regenerated is a sovereign act of God. It is something He does which enables us to believe the gospel message, not something that comes as a result of our belief.

The reason this doctrine is called “irresistible” grace is that it always results in the intended outcome, the salvation of the person it is given to. It is important to realize that the act of being regenerated or “born again” cannot be separated from the act of believing the gospel. Ephesians 2:1-10 makes this clear. There is a connection between the act of being made alive by God (Ephesians 2:1, 5) and the result of being saved by grace. (Ephesians 2:5, 8). This is because everything pertaining to salvation, including the faith to believe, is an act of God’s grace. The reason God’s grace is irresistible and efficacious (always bringing forth the desired result) is that God “has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into” His kingdom (Colossians 1:13). Or, as Psalm 3:8 puts it, “Salvation belongs to the Lord.”

To understand the doctrine of “irresistible grace,” it is important to recognize that this is a special grace given only to those God has chosen for salvation (His elect) and is different from what is known as “common grace” which God bestows on both believer and unbeliever. While there are many aspects of common grace, including life and all that is necessary to sustain it, common grace is what is often referred to as the “outward call of God.” This is God’s revelation of Himself given to all men through the light of creation and their consciences. It also includes the general call of the gospel that goes out anytime the gospel message is preached. This call can be resisted and rejected by those that receive it. (Matthew 22:14; Romans 1:18-32). However, God also gives an “inward call” which always results in salvation. This is the call of God that Jesus spoke of in John 6:37-47. The certainty of this inward call is seen in John 6:37: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:44 confirms this: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Other verses where irresistible grace can be seen include 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Acts 13:48; Acts 16:14 and Romans 8:30. In 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, after explaining why some people do not believe the gospel (it is veiled to them and their minds have been blinded toward it), Paul writes, “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). The God who said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3) is the same God who gives the light of salvation to those He chooses, and the result is just as sure. The same truth is seen in a different way in Acts 13:48. Here it is said that “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” God saves those He chooses to save; therefore, His saving grace is always effective or efficacious. In Acts 16:14, we have another example of God’s irresistible grace in action. The Lord opened the heart of Lydia “to respond the things spoken of by Paul.” Finally you have what is called the “golden chain of redemption” in Romans 8:29-30. Here we see that everyone God calls to salvation (the inward call) will be saved (justified).

A common misconception about the doctrine of irresistible grace is that it implies men are forced to accept Christ and men are dragged kicking and screaming into heaven. Of course, neither of these is an accurate description of the doctrine of irresistible grace as revealed in the Bible. In fact, the heart of irresistible grace is the transforming power of the Holy Spirit whereby He takes a man dead in his trespasses and sins and gives him spiritual life so that he can recognize the unsurpassing value of God’s offer of salvation. Then, having been set free from the bondage of sin, that man willingly comes to Christ.

Another misconception concerning this doctrine is that it teaches the Holy Spirit cannot be resisted at all. Yet, again, that is not what the doctrine teaches because that is not what the Bible teaches. God’s grace can be resisted, and the Holy Spirit’s influence can be resisted even by one of the elect. However, what the doctrine does correctly recognize is that the Holy Spirit can overcome all such resistance and that He will draw the elect with an irresistible grace that makes them want to come to God and helps them to understand the gospel so they can and will believe it.

The doctrine of irresistible grace simply recognizes that the Bible teaches God is sovereign and can overcome all resistance when He wills to. What God decrees or determines will come to pass. This truth is seen throughout Scripture. In Daniel 4:35, we see that “He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand!” Psalm 115:3 declares, “Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases.” God’s grace in salvation is irresistible because when God sets out to fulfill His sovereign purpose, no person or thing can successfully resist Him.

The doctrine of irresistible grace accurately summarizes what the Bible teaches about the nature of saving faith as well as what must happen to overcome man’s depraved nature. Since natural man is dead in his trespasses and sins, it stands to reason that he must be regenerated before he can respond to the outward call of the gospel. Until that happens, man will resist the gospel message and the grace of God; however, once he has been “born again” and has a heart that is now inclined toward God, the grace of God will irresistibly draw Him to put his faith in Christ and be saved. These two acts (regeneration and faith) cannot be separated from one another. They are so closely connected that we often cannot distinguish between them. - GOTQUESTIONS.ORG

Spurgeon - Human Inability

“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” John 6:44

When man fell in the garden, manhood fell entirely; there was not one single pillar in the temple of manhood that stood erect. It is true, conscience was not destroyed. The pillar was not shattered; it fell, and it fell in one piece, and there it lies along, the mightiest remnant of God’s once perfect work in man. But that conscience is fallen, I am sure. Look at men. Who among them is the possessor of a “good conscience towards God,” but the regenerated man? Do you imagine that if men’s consciences always spoke loudly and clearly to them, they would live in the daily commission of acts, which are as opposed to the right as darkness is to light? No, beloved; conscience can tell me that I am a sinner, but conscience cannot make me feel that I am one. Conscience may tell me that such and such a thing is wrong, but how wrong it is conscience itself does not know. Did any man’s conscience, unenlightened by the Spirit, ever tell him that his sins deserved damnation? Or if conscience did do that, did it ever lead any man to feel an abhorrence of sin as sin? In fact, did conscience ever bring a man to such a self-renunciation, that he did totally abhor himself and all his works and come to Christ? No, conscience, although it is not dead, is ruined, its power is impaired, it has not that clearness of eye and that strength of hand, and that thunder of voice, which it had before the fall; but has ceased to a great degree, to exert its supremacy in the town of Mansoul. Then, beloved, it becomes necessary for this very reason, because conscience is depraved, that the Holy Spirit should step in, to show us our need of a Saviour, and draw us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

DON’T LET JESUS DOWN - “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” John 6:66–67

We should not let Jesus down because:
1. He Is Counting on Us
2. He Is Our Only Hope
3. He Did Not Let Us Down

A W Tozer - THE CROWD TURNS BACK - (BORROW MORNINGS WITH TOZER)

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. John 6:66

Our Lord Jesus Christ called men to follow Him, but He plainly taught that “no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father” (John 6:65).

It is not surprising that many of His early followers, upon hearing these words, went back and walked no more with Him. Such teaching cannot but be deeply disturbing to the natural mind. It takes from sinful men much of the power of self-determination. It cuts the ground out from under their self-help and throws them back upon the sovereign good pleasure of God—and that is precisely where they do not want to be!

These statements by our Lord run contrary to the current assumptions of popular Christianity. Men are willing to be saved by grace, but to preserve their self-esteem, they must hold that the desire to be saved originated with them.

Most Christians today seem afraid to talk about these plain words of Jesus concerning the sovereign operation of God—so they use the simple trick of ignoring them!

Oswald Chambers - The drawing of the Father - Borrow My Utmost for His Highest

No man can come to Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him. John 6:44.

When God draws me, the issue of my will comes in at once—will I react on the revelation which God gives; will I come to Him? Discussion on spiritual matters is an impertinence. Never discuss with anyone when God speaks. Belief is not an intellectual act; belief is a moral act whereby I deliberately commit myself. Will I dump myself down absolutely on God and transact on what He says? If I will, I shall find I am based on Reality that is as sure as God’s throne.

In preaching the gospel, always push an issue of will. Belief must be the will to believe. There must be a surrender of the will, not a surrender to persuasive power; a deliberate launching forth on God and on what He says until I am no longer confident in what I have done, I am confident only in God. The hindrance is that I will not trust God, but only my mental understanding. As far as feelings go, I must stake all blindly: I must will to believe, and this can never be done without a violent effort on my part to dissociate myself from my old ways of looking at things, and by putting myself right over on to Him.

Every man is made to reach out beyond his grasp. It is God Who draws me, and my relationship with Him in the first place is a personal one, not an intellectual one. I am introduced into the relationship by the miracle of God and my own will to believe, then I begin to get an intelligent appreciation and understanding of the wonder of the transaction.

John MacArthur - DRAWN TO CHRIST

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.JOHN 6:44

Jesus Christ is the One who introduces men and women to God. Those whom He ushers into the Father’s presence all have a loathing of their sin, a desire to be forgiven, and a longing to know God. Those attitudes are the work of God in drawing us to Christ. A response to the gospel message thus begins with a change in attitude toward sin and God.

Beyond that initial change in attitude is the transformation brought about in every believer at the instant of salvation. Christ didn’t die just to pay the penalty for sin: He died to transform us.

Deserted by most of His followers, Christ hung in darkness and agony on the cross, crying out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). Those were moments that Jesus felt incredible rejection and hostility. Yet out of those very circumstances Christ triumphed by atoning for sin and providing a way for men and women to be introduced to God and transformed. It was a triumph He Himself would soon proclaim (1 Pet. 3:19–20). (Borrow Truth for today : a daily touch of God's grace)

John 6:45 "It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.

BGT John 6:45 ἔστιν γεγραμμένον ἐν τοῖς προφήταις· καὶ ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ θεοῦ· πᾶς ὁ ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαθὼν ἔρχεται πρὸς ἐμέ.

KJV John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

NET John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' Everyone who hears and learns from the Father comes to me.

CSB John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: And they will all be taught by God. Everyone who has listened to and learned from the Father comes to Me--

ESV John 6:45 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--

NIV John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

NLT John 6:45 As it is written in the Scriptures, 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.

NRS John 6:45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me.

NJB John 6:45 It is written in the prophets: They will all be taught by God; everyone who has listened to the Father, and learnt from him, comes to me.

NAB John 6:45 It is written in the prophets: 'They shall all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.

YLT John 6:45 it is having been written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God; every one therefore who heard from the Father, and learned, cometh to me;

written: Mk 1:2 Lu 1:70 Lk 18:31
AND THEY SHALL ALL: Isa 2:3 Isa 54:13 Jer 31:33-34 Mic 4:2 Eph 4:21,22 1Th 4:9 Heb 8:10,11 10:16
Everyone: John 6:37,65 Jn 5:38-40 Jn 10:27 Jn 16:14,15 Mt 11:27 Mt 17:5 Eph 1:17 1Jn 4:1-3
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Mark 1:2 As it is written (grapho and "stands written") in Isaiah the prophet: “BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;

Luke 1:68-70 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us (MESSIAH'S BIRTH) and accomplished redemption (SPEAKS OF IT IN THE PAST TENSE EVEN THOUGH CROSS IS 33 YEARS AWAY - SO SURE IT IS TO COME TO PASS!) for His people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation (MESSIAH) for us In the house of David His servant– 70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old– (SEE Messianic Prophecy)

Luke 18:31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written (grapho and "stands written") through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished.

Jeremiah 31:34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

GOD DRAWS MEN TO HIMSELF
BUT MEN MUST BE TAUGHT THE WORD

Kruse writes "Expanding on the idea of the Father drawing people to him, Jesus said, It is written in the Prophets...." (Borrow The Gospel According to John : An Introduction and Commentary) In other words in rabbinical style Jesus calls on the authority of the Scripture (recall that almost every use of "Scripture" in the NT refers to the OT) to support His difficult saying.

It is written (grapho in perfect tense and "stands written") in the prophets (prophetes) - Written is in the "graphic" (pun intended as verb is grapho) perfect tense indicating that the Spirit inspired the prophets to write it down at a point in time in the past and the written word abides or endures (1Pe 1:23). In fact Jesus said "“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away." (Mt 24:35). The point is that you can stake your life (and eternal destiny) on God's written Word!

J Vernon McGee - Every man that listens to the Father and learns of Him will come to Me is what He is saying. You see, if you listen to the Word of God, then you'll come to Christ. That is where the great emphasis is being placed here. (THIS HELPS US UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE LAST EXHORTATIONS GIVEN TO TIMOTHY IN 2Ti 4:1-2+)

Leon Morris - “God will teach His people Himself, i.e. He will teach then within their hearts. Only those who are taught in this fashion will come to Jesus.” (Borrow The Gospel according to John) (YES GOD WILL TEACH, BUT THEY MUST HEAR THE WORD - "How then shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?" Ro 10:14+)

AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT (didaktos) OF GOD - In Jn 6:44 the emphasis was on supernatural drawing by God and here we see the vital role of supernatural teaching. Teaching is not merely external revelation (the Jews prided themselves on this), but internal illumination, by the Spirit, and this supernatural teaching works in tandem with the supernatural drawing by God in John 6:44. (Piper sermon)

Remember that all caps in the NAS signifies a direct OT quote, a feature not found in any other Bible translation. Jesus is quoting from Isaiah 54:13. And since Isaiah was written to the nation of Israel the first application of they is to the Jews, but the principle is applicable to both Jews and Gentiles. Jesus quotes from the first clause of Isaiah 54:13 “All your sons will be taught of the LORD; And the well-being of your sons will be great." Isaiah is speaking of the coming Millennial Kingdom when all the Jews who enter the kingdom are saved. As Jeremiah says "They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying 'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me." (Jer 31:34+) The important point to remember is that the drawing of a sinner comes through teaching rather than through some mystical process. To be sure the role of the Spirit is mysterious, but He operates in the context of Gospel proclamation.

Spurgeon - “This was as much as to say, ‘The Father has never taught you. You have learned nothing from Him, or you would come to me; but in your rejection of Me you prove that you are strangers to the grace of God.’”

"As none can come to Me but as divinely drawn,
so none thus drawn shall fail to come."
-- Jamieson

Everyone who has heard (akouo) and learned (manthano) from the Father, comes (erchomai) to Me - Note first the word everyone (Greek word 'pas" = "all" repeating the all inclusive idea of "SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT...") which refers to the whole quantity or extent of a particular group. Not just "all" Jews but all men (and women).

Note the three verbs in this clause and their order - heard...learned...comes. You have to first hear truth! (cf Ro 10:14-15+) Heard (akouo) as discussed in the definition below in this context conveys the sense of not just to hear (like "in one ear and out the other") but to hear with understanding and attention and ultimately with obedience. Who hears this way? Jesus' sheep hear (Jn 10:27, cf Jn 10:4,8,16)! Note the first and second Person of the Trinity are involved in this coming to Jesus for salvation. Although the Spirit is not mentioned, He is surely a silent "Partner" Who blows "like the wind" (Jn 3:8+) and gives individuals the desire and the power to come to Jesus and be saved. In summary, those who come to Jesus must hear and learn the good news and respond to it, all of this energized by the Spirit of Christ Who brings men and women to Jesus.

Edwin Blum - In support of this doctrine of salvation by God's grace, Jesus cited the Old Testament. The quotation, They will all be taught by God, is from the Prophets, probably Isaiah 54:13, though Jeremiah 31:34 has the same thought. This "teaching" of God refers to His inner work that disposes people to accept the truth about Jesus and respond to Him. Everyone who listens to and learns from God will come to and believe in Jesus. (See The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

Expositor's Bible Commentary - v45 indicates that God would do his drawing through the Scriptures and that those who were obedient to God's will as revealed in the Scriptures would come to Jesus. He had been delegated by the Father to have life, give life, secure life, and restore life.

Constable - Jesus clarified what God's drawing involves. He cited recognized authority for His statement that all whom the Father had chosen would come to Him. Old Testament prophets had revealed that God would teach His people (Isa. 54:13; cf. Jer. 31:34). Those whom God enlightened about Jesus' identity would believe in Him. That enlightenment comes primarily through the Scriptures, God's principle tool.

D A Carson explains this passage this way - Jesus proceeds to explain what kind of ‘drawing’ (v. 44) the Father exercises. When he compels belief, it is not by the savage constraint of a rapist, but by the wonderful wooing of a lover. Otherwise put, it is by an insight, a teaching, an illumination implanted within the individual, in fulfillment of the Old Testament promise, They will all be taught by God. (Borrow The Gospel according to John)

Colin Kruse - People listen to and learn from the Father by listening to the teaching of his Son and learning from him. When Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of the living God, Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven’ (Matt. 16:17). (Borrow The Gospel According to John : An Introduction and Commentary)

W E Vine - Here the Lord uses the prophecy of Isaiah 54:13 (a passage foretelling millennial blessing) to show that God draws men by teaching, not by legal statutes, nor by outward vision, nor by mere action on the emotions, but by gracious instruction, and that His teaching has Christ Himself as its object. His quotation does not imply that the Scripture provides Him with His doctrine; nay, He confirms His doctrine by appealing to the Scripture.

Gilbrant - God draws by teaching as Isaiah predicted. "Drawing" is a prerequisite to "believing."

William MacDonald - God not only simply chooses individuals. He does something about it. He speaks to their hearts through the teaching of His precious Word. Then man’s own will is involved. Those who respond to the teaching of God’s Word and learn from the Father are the ones who come to Christ. Here again we see the two great truths of God’s sovereignty and man’s choice placed side by side in Scripture. They show us that salvation has a divine side and a human side as well. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John MacArthur explains this verse - In verse 45 the Lord paraphrased Isaiah 54:13 to emphasize that His teaching was consistent with the Old Testament. What was written in the prophets, “And they shall all be taught of God,” restates the truth of verse 44 in different terms. Those who come to saving faith do so because they are supernaturally instructed by God. Drawing and teaching are merely different aspects of God’s sovereign call to salvation; it is through the truth of His Word that God draws people to embrace His Son (Rom. 10:14, 17; cf. 1 Peter 1:23–25). As a result, everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Christ. Jesus’ statement was also a subtle rebuke of His Jewish opponents, who prided themselves on their knowledge of Scripture. But had they truly understood the Old Testament, they would have eagerly embraced Him (5:39). (See John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Life Application Study notes - Jesus was alluding to an Old Testament view of the messianic Kingdom in which all people are taught directly by God (Isaiah 54:13; Jeremiah 31:31–34). He was stressing the importance of not merely hearing, but learning. We are taught by God through the Bible, our experiences, the thoughts the Holy Spirit brings, and relationships with other Christians. Are you open to God’s teaching? (Borrow Life Application Study Bible)

Wiersbe - Jesus further explained how the sinner can come to God: it is through the truth of the Word (John 6:44-45). The Father draws the sinner by His Word. Jesus quoted Isaiah 54:13 (or perhaps Jer. 31:33-34) to prove His point: "And they shall all be taught of God." It is through the teaching of the Word that God draws people to the Saviour. (Note John 5:24 and its emphasis on hearing the Word.) The sinner hears, learns, and comes as the Father draws him. A mystery? Yes! A blessed reality? Yes! This was basically the same message He gave after He had healed the paralytic (see John 5:37-40). The crowd wanted to see something, but their real need was to learn something. It is by the Word that we "see" God and receive the faith to come to Christ and trust Him (Rom. 10:17). (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

Steven Cole addresses professors who are not possessors (those who do not truly come to Jesus) writing "If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve known people who professed faith in Christ, who seemed to follow Him for some time, but then they fell away. In some cases, they have even served in the ministry. I’ve known pastors, including the pastor who baptized me, who have left the ministry, turned away from the Lord, and lived as unbelievers! Often, the cause of spiritual defection is moral failure, as it was with my former pastor. In other cases, the defection may be due to unresolved doubts or unanswered hard questions about the Bible, such as: How do you resolve the seeming contradictions in the Bible? How can you reconcile the creation account with modern science? How can a loving and powerful God permit all the evil that goes on in the world? If God loves everyone, why doesn’t He let them all hear the gospel? If God is sovereign, then aren’t we just a bunch of robots with no free will? We could go on and on with the difficult issues that cause some to defect from the faith. (For full message see The Antidote to Spiritual Defection Part 1)

Written (1125) grapho from root graph- = primarily means to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc; English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc. It is written occurs 76 times in the NAS. When we were children and our parents told us to do something and we questioned "Why?", the answer was usually "Because I said so!". Why are we commanded to be holy? Because God said so! A popular saying is "God said it, I believe it, that settles it." This sounds good but isn't accurate because God's Word is true, regardless of whether we believe it or not. A more accurate "saying" would be "God said it, that settles it!" It is written should put a stop to every complaint or excuse.

Grapho in the Gospel of John - Jn. 1:45; Jn. 2:17; Jn. 5:46; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 6:45; Jn. 8:8; Jn. 8:17; Jn. 10:34; Jn. 12:14; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 15:25; Jn. 19:19; Jn. 19:20; Jn. 19:21; Jn. 19:22; Jn. 20:30; Jn. 20:31; Jn. 21:24; Jn. 21:25. In the epistle of John - 1 Jn. 1:4; 1 Jn. 2:1; 1 Jn. 2:7; 1 Jn. 2:8; 1 Jn. 2:12; 1 Jn. 2:13; 1 Jn. 2:14; 1 Jn. 2:21; 1 Jn. 2:26; 1 Jn. 5:13; 2 Jn. 1:5; 2 Jn. 1:12; 3 Jn. 1:9; 3 Jn. 1:13. In the Revelation of John - Rev. 1:3; Rev. 1:11; Rev. 1:19; Rev. 2:1; Rev. 2:8; Rev. 2:12; Rev. 2:17; Rev. 2:18; Rev. 3:1; Rev. 3:7; Rev. 3:12; Rev. 3:14; Rev. 5:1; Rev. 10:4; Rev. 13:8; Rev. 14:1; Rev. 14:13; Rev. 17:5; Rev. 17:8; Rev. 19:9; Rev. 19:12; Rev. 19:16; Rev. 20:12; Rev. 20:15; Rev. 21:5; Rev. 21:27; Rev. 22:18; Rev. 22:19

Prophets (4396) prophetes from próphemi = literally to tell beforehand in turn from pró = before, in front of, forth, on behalf of + phemí = speak, tell) is primarily a forth-teller or one who speaks out God’s message, primarily to their own generation, usually always calling the people to God's truth for them at that moment, often using the phrase "Thus saith the Lord." The prophet is one who speaks before in the sense of proclaim, or the one who speaks for, i.e., in the Name of (God). "As distinct from the sacral figures of pagan antiquity the biblical prophet is not a magician. He does not force God. On the contrary, he is under divine constraint. It is God Who invites, summons, and impels him--e.g., Jer 20:7" (Lamorte and Hawthorne) Although we commonly think of the prophet as predicting future events (foretelling) generally this was secondary to his work of forth-telling. When they functioned as predictors or prognosticators, the Biblical prophets foretold the future with 100 percent accuracy. And so if they were correct on the first coming of Messiah, they will be correct on His second coming and on the coming of the antichrist. In sum, forth-telling dealt with current events and fore-telling with future events, but in both the goal is the same -- to call us to trust the Lord and submit to His will for our lives, living in conformity with His Word. Lexham Bible - Prophetes is someone who is specially endowed or enabled to receive and deliver direct revelation of God's will.

See also Dictionary of Biblical Imagery discussion of imagery associated with PROPHET.

Taught (1318) didaktos from didasko = to teach) has two basic nuances, first as referring to persons instructed (Jn 6:45) and secondly referring to words that are imparted or communicated (1Cor 2:13). One could translate 1Cor 2:13 this way - "in words imparted by human wisdom…in that which is imparted by the Spirit."

Heard (191) akouo primarily means physical hearing of sounds and the apprehension of the sounds with one's mind. Akouo gives us our English acoustics which is the science of designs that helps one hear (We need "spiritual acoustics" to help us hear spiritual truth!). Akouo is a very common verb in the NT and the Septuagint (Over 1400 uses total) and has several important nuances - to hear sound (Mt 9:12; 11:5, Mk 10:41; 14:64; Lk 7:3, 9; Jn 3:8; Lxx = Ge 3:8, 10), to hear so as to obey (see note), to hear with understanding (see note), to hear with attention (to listen attentively so as to perceive what is being said), See full discussion on this page.

Learned (3129) manthano related to the noun mathetes = disciple, literally a learner! The shut mind is the end of discipleship!) has the basic meaning of directing one’s mind to something and producing an external effect. Manthano refers to teaching, learning, instructing, and discipling. Manthano to genuinely understand and accept a teaching, to accept it as true and to apply it in one’s life. It was sometimes used of acquiring a life-long habit. Paul used manthano again in Php 4:11 explaining he had "learned to be content in whatever circumstances" he was. Roy Zuck writes that according to manthano "learning is a matter of a pupil acquiring knowledge of content through a teacher to the extent that such knowledge is experienced in the life." (Bibliotheca Sacra). MacArthur adds that manthano "refers to teaching, learning, instructing, and discipling. Paul is referring here to his personal instruction and discipling of the Philippians." (See Philippians Commentary). In another note MacArthur writes that manthano conveys "the idea of accepting something as true and applying it to one’s life." (See Mark Commentary) The only other use of manthano in John is John 7:15 "“How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”

Comes (2064) erchomai is a very common word in the Greek and generally refers to the movement of a person from one place to another, and means “to go or to come" (depending on the context). Motion toward the speaker (come) or away from the speaker (go). Erchomai may be used with reference to persons, animals, or things which are coming or going. To move towards, to draw nigh, to approach, to advance nearer, in any manner, and from any distance. In the first NT use the wise men had "come to worship Him." (Mt 2:2, contrast Herod in Mt 2:8) Of the Spirit coming upon Jesus (Mt 3:16) A prayer for Thy kingdom to come (Mt 6:10)

Robert Hawker - MARK, my soul, these precious words of thy Jesus. It was one of the Old Testament promises, that all God’s children should be taught of him. And as this condescension of God, in teaching, implied the Father, so the blessed consequence and effect of it should be, that every one thus taught proved his being a child, and inclined his heart to come to God in Christ as a Father. My soul, art thou come? Art thou looking to, leaning upon, trusting in, walking with, and seeking for, Jesus? Is he the Lord thy Righteousness, thine only righteousness: thine only hope, thine only confidence? Dost thou, like the Apostle, count all things else but dung and dross to win Christ, and to be found in him? Courage then, my soul! These are blessed tokens of thine adoption-character. None but God the Father, by his Holy Spirit, could have taught thee these things. None but He that revealed his Son in the heart of the Apostle, could have been thy Teacher. Thou hast both heard and learned of the Father; and, in proof thereof, thou art come to Christ for life and salvation. Fold up, then, this precious scripture in thy bosom for thy daily use, and examine thine interest in Christ continually, by a mark so sure and infallible. And remember what the Lord Jesus hath said, as a collateral testimony to the same blessed truth: all that the Father giveth me (saith Jesus) shall come to me: and him that cometh I will in no wise cast out.

John 6:46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.

BGT John 6:46 οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα ἑώρακέν τις εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗτος ἑώρακεν τὸν πατέρα.

KJV John 6:46 Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

NET John 6:46 (Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God– he has seen the Father.)

CSB John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father except the One who is from God. He has seen the Father.

ESV John 6:46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.

NIV John 6:46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.

NLT John 6:46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

NRS John 6:46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

NJB John 6:46 Not that anybody has seen the Father, except him who has his being from God: he has seen the Father.

NAB John 6:46 Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father.

YLT John 6:46 not that any one hath seen the Father, except he who is from God, he hath seen the Father.

anyone: John 1:18 Jn 5:37 Jn 8:19 Jn 14:9-10 Jn 15:24 Col 1:15 1Ti 6:16 1Jn 4:12
he has: John 7:29 8:55 Mt 11:27 Lu 10:22
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 12:45 “He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.

John 5:37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form.

John 8:19 So they were saying to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.”

John 15:24 “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

1 Timothy 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

1 John 4:12 No one has seen God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.

ONLY THE SON HAS
SEEN THE FATHER

Not (absolutely not) that anyone has seen the Father (pater), except the One Who is from God; He has seen the Father (pater) - Note the emphasis on not...seen and seen, which is a clear contrast. Some translations (NET, NLT) put this passage in parenthesis to suggest that it is a parenthetical statement, which is a statement that explains or qualifies something.

As an aside, don't say Jesus never claimed deity, for here He refers to Himself as the Son of God. Notice that Jesus had just stated no one has seen the Father, referring to mortal men. Thus Jesus stating that He has seen the Father, is further proof that He is claiming to be more than a mere man. He is claiming authoritative knowledge of God the Father because He is His Son.

Why does Jesus make this statement? One reason could be that since He is the only One Who has seen the Father, only He can teach men how they can come to the Father and be saved. He has just stated "THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD". The truth in Jn 6:46 gives Him the authority and the authenticity to speak for the Father, something no other man could claim. The corollary principle is that in light of this truth, as Jesus declared "no one comes to the Father but through Me." He is the only One Who through Whom we can come to the Father (Jn 14:6+). There is no other way - not Judaism, not mysticism, not humanism, etc, but only through Jesus, the only first person Witness of the Father. People need to come to Jesus, for no one else can reveal the Father.

Barnes suggests that "Jesus added this, evidently, to guard against mistake. He had said that all who came to him were taught of God. The teacher was commonly seen and heard by the pupil; but, lest it should be supposed that he meant to say that a man to come to him must see and hear God, visibly and audibly, he adds that he did not intend to affirm this. It was still true that no man had seen God at any time. They were not, therefore, to expect to see God, and his words were not to be perverted as if he meant to teach that.

Jamieson adds that lest the Jews should confuse "hearing and learning of the Father," to which believers are admitted by divine teaching, with His own immediate access to Him, He here throws in a parenthetical explanation; stating, as explicitly as words could do it, how totally different the two cases were, and that only He who is "from God" hath this naked, immediate access to the Father. (See John 1:18).

A T Robertson - With the eyes no one has seen God (Jn 1:18) save the Son who is “from God” in origin (Jn 1:1, 14; 7:29; 16:27; 17:8). The only way for others to see God is to see Christ (Jn 14:9). (John 6 Commentary)

Bob Utley on Not (absolutely not) that anyone has seen the Father - Jesus' affirmation is that only through Him can one really understand and know God (cf. John 1:18; 14:6,9). Even Moses never truly saw YHWH (cf. note at John 5:32).

R C H Lenski - The entire statement has one purpose: if no one ever saw God, and Jesus alone has seen him because he comes from him, it is Jesus who makes us “people taught of God,” for through him we hear and learn from the Father. This explains completely how the Father draws to the Son, and how by his drawing he gives to the Son. (Borrow The Interpretation of St. John's Gospel )

Edwin Blum writes "this secret teaching of God is not a mystical connection of people with God directly. Knowing God comes only through Jesus, the Logos of God (cf. Jn 1:18). As one is confronted by Him and hears His words and sees His deeds, the Father works within him." (See Bible Knowledge Commentary)

D A Carson - Jesus Himself is the Mediator of such knowledge (1Ti 2:5): He is the One who ‘narrates’ God (cf. Jn 1:18; 12:45). Thus, however much people are unable to ‘hear’ Jesus because of their moral delinquency (Jn 8:43), however much they can hear him only if they are ‘taught by God’, it is simultaneously true to say that they are ‘taught by God’ if and only if they truly ‘hear’ Jesus. Only then will they be truly attracted to him. The argument is of course circular, but not vicious. (Borrow The Gospel according to John)

Mormons Answered Verse by Verse John 6:46 Borrow Mormons : answered verse by verse By: Reed, David A

Mormons will explain this verse by turning to their Doctrine and Covenants 67:11 and reading, “For no man has seen God at any time in the flesh, except quickened by the Spirit of God.” Although these words formed part of a “revelation” Joseph Smith claimed to have received at Hiram, Ohio, November 1831, “This is apparently what John had in mind” when writing John 6:46, according to Mormon Apostle LeGrand Richards (A Marvelous Work And A Wonder, 1979 edition, p. 21).

However, persons not already indoctrinated with LDS teachings are unlikely to believe that John had in mind a doctrine to be “revealed” some eighteen centuries later by Joseph Smith. Rather, what John had in mind is evident from the context. In fact, it was not John but Jesus Christ who was speaking, and he was speaking about himself and his having come down from heaven where he had, of course, seen the Father:

The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?… Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life … I am the living bread which came down from heaven.… The living Father hath sent me.… What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? (John 6:41, 42, 45–47, 51, 57, 62).

The context makes it obvious what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” He had in mind that he had come down from heaven, that he had been sent by the Father, and that he was the only man who had ever seen the Father. The only way that Mormons are able to come up with a different understanding is to appeal to writings outside the Bible and contradictory to it.

See also the discussions of John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12.

QUESTION - Will we be able to see all three members of the Trinity in Heaven?

ANSWER - Before considering if we will actually be able to see God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we need to establish that they are three Persons. Without delving too deeply into the doctrine of the Trinity, we need to understand that the Father is not the same Person as the Son, the Son is not the same Person as the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit is not the same Person as the Father. They are not three Gods. They are three distinct Persons, yet they are all the one God. Each has a will, can speak, can love, etc., and these are demonstrations of personhood. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are coeternal, coequal and co-powerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God.

So in heaven, there are three Persons. But will we be able to actually see them? Revelation 4:3-6 gives us a description of heaven and the throne that is occupied by God and by the Lamb: “the one sitting there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian… a rainbow resembling an emerald encircled the throne. Before the throne… a sea of glass, clear as crystal.” Since God dwells in “unapproachable light” and is one “whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16), God is described in terms of the reflected brilliance of precious stones. First Corinthians 2:9 says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” Because of God’s holiness, it may be that we will never be able to look upon His face, but again, this is speculation.

Revelation 5:6 tells us that in heaven, the Lamb stands in the center of the throne and there are descriptions of Him clothed in brilliant white. Since the Lamb represents Christ Jesus, and we know that human eyes have beheld Him after His resurrection and glorification, it seems reasonable to conclude that in heaven, we will be able to look upon our Lord and Savior.

The Holy Spirit, by the very nature of His being, is able to move at will and take various forms. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:13-17). At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was accompanied by a loud rushing noise and was seen as tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). It may not be possible to see the Holy Spirit unless He chooses to manifest Himself in some form, but that is speculation.

Mere mortals do not have the ability to grasp the wonders of heaven—it is entirely beyond our comprehension. Whatever heaven is like, it will far exceed our wildest imaginings! All we know is that we will be worshiping our great God and full of wonder that He died to save sinners. GotQuestions.org

John 6:47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.

BGT John 6:47 ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὁ πιστεύων ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

KJV John 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

NET John 6:47 I tell you the solemn truth, the one who believes has eternal life.

CSB John 6:47 "I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.

ESV John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

NIV John 6:47 I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

NLT John 6:47 "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.

NRS John 6:47 Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life.

NJB John 6:47 In all truth I tell you, everyone who believes has eternal life.

NAB John 6:47 Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life.

YLT John 6:47 'Verily, verily, I say to you, He who is believing in me, hath life age-during;

He who: John 6:40,54 Jn 3:16,18,36 Jn 5:24 Jn 14:19 Ro 5:9,10 Col 3:3,4 1Jn 5:12-13
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

1 John 5:12-13+ He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that (PURPOSE CLAUSE - PURPOSE OF JOHN WRITING "THESE THINGS") you may know that you have eternal life.

A CRITICAL
DOUBLE "AMEN!"

Truly, truly (amen, amen), I say to you, he who believes (pisteuo) has eternal (aionios) life (zoe) - This declaration is similar to that He gave to Nicodemus in Jn 3:15+. Could the way of salvation be more clearly stated (that's a rhetorical question)? No! The only "qualifier" is that this passage does not directly state the object of this belief, but Jesus immediately follows up in the next verse that He is the "bread of life" (cf Jn 6:40, Jn 6:35). It follows that by simple deduction, belief in the "Bread of life" gives one life! And so we see that Jesus "doubles down" ("Amen, Amen") on this most important of all truths any human being will every hear! "This is the way to see God in Christ." (Robertson)

Spurgeon on Truly, Truly (see Verily, Verily) - THE words “Verily, verily,” as they were solemnly used by our divine Lord, indicate an utterance of special importance. If Jesus says, “Verily, verily,” there is something coming to which we should attend with all our hearts. The subject which he thus introduces is our possession of eternal life, and our being delivered from condemnation by faith in himself. Can any theme be more important? Many questions may be asked, but they can all afford to wait till we get the answer to that first enquiry, “What must I do to be saved?” What shall it profit a man if he compass the whole world of knowledge and knows not the way of life? If he wins a world in this life, what will that avail him if he misses the life everlasting? It is very considerate on our Lord’s part to call us with such great solemnity to think about our souls and eternal life. Let us attend to his appeal. Come hither, dear hearer, and bend over the words which Jesus commends to you with a double NOTA BENE, saying, “Verily, verily.” Our Lord used this “Verily, verily” to denote a clear and certain revelation. There must be an end to all doubt when Jesus says, “Verily, verily.” His ordinary word is true; for nothing but truth can come from him who is “the Truth;” but when he uses his strongest asseveration, “Verily, verily,” then we must regard the statement with special reverence if we be indeed his loyal subjects. When Jesus says, “Verily, verily,” we see two armies of verities gathered around his royal standard. His declaration is to be accepted as indisputable, immutable, infallible truth. Do you not agree to this?

Believes is in the present tense which speaks of this believing as one's lifestyle of continuing trust. It does not mean we never have moments of doubt or even a lack of faith, but it does mean that the general direction of our spiritual life (progressive sanctification) is one of walking by faith (faith that generally obeys) and is not about perfection (we call that "Glory" or "Glorification.") The verb has is present tense indicating that eternal life is our present (and forever) possession!

Guzik - We read this staggering statement with two main thoughts in mind. First, what it means to “believe” in the sense Jesus meant; that is, to trust in, rely on, and cling to. It is a trusting love. Second, we think of the astounding nature of this claim. No other prophet or holy man of the Bible ever said such a thing; “Believe in me and find everlasting life.”

William MacDonald - This is one of many verses in the NT that teaches that salvation is not by works, not by law-keeping, not by church membership, not by obeying the Golden Rule, but simply by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Bob Utley on believes - This verse summarizes Jesus' offer of a free salvation to all humans ("the one believing," PRESENT ACTIVE PARTICIPLE; "eternal life," cf. John 6:51,58; 3:15,16,36; 5:24; 11:26; 20:31). Jesus is the only true revelation of God, the only true door to God (the exclusivism of the gospel, cf. John 10:1-6,7-9; 14:6; 1 John 5:10-12), but this is available to all sons and daughters of Adam (the inclusivism of the gospel fulfills John 1:4,7,12; 3:16; Gen. 3:15; 12:3).

Faith is more a process than a state of being to which one has arrived

Kenneth Gangel on believes - And the message persists—everlasting life comes through faith. But for John, faith is more a process than a state of being to which one has arrived. It is informed and intelligent, not faith in faith or hope in hope. The dramatic emphasis of verse 47 shows us how important God considers eternal life to be. For the third time in this passage we see the double amen (Jn 6:26,32) and this is a solemn declaration: faith is the road to life. (See Holman New Testament Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

Spurgeon - FEEDING ON THE BREAD OF LIFE - OBSERVE carefully the order in which our Lord puts the two blessings he mentions;—first, life through believing on him, and then food to sustain that life;—first, “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life;” and next to that, “I am that bread of life.” Life comes first, and food follows afterwards. It is impossible for a dead man to feed, or to be fed; only the living can eat and drink. I once went into the monastery of the Capuchins at Rome, and there I saw certain of the departed brotherhood dressed in their regular habits, although they had been dead, some of them a hundred years, some fifty, and one gentleman, I think, had scarcely been dead more than a year or so; but there they sat, with their breviaries in their hands, just as if they had been alive; yet I did not see any preparations for feeding them. It would have been as ridiculous to attempt to feed them as it was to keep them there at all. Now, when we preach the gospel, unless you have spiritual life, you cannot feed upon it; and if you were to come to the communion table, unless you were truly alive unto God, you might eat the bread, and drink the wine, but with real spiritual food, the body of Christ, and the blood of Christ, you could have nothing to do. We do not give food to people in order to make them live. That would be a useless experiment; but, because they are alive, they take food in order to sustain and nourish the life which is already in them. Always recollect, dear friends, that the best spiritual food in the world is useless to those who are spiritually dead; and one very essential part of the gospel is that truth which our Saviour so plainly taught, “Ye must be born again.” All attempts at feeding the soul are of no use until the new birth has been experienced; even that precious, priceless bread of life cannot be assimilated unless the soul has been quickened by the Spirit of God

Spurgeon - Verily, Verily

‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.’ John 5:24

‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.’ John 6:47

Here is a person standing right in the middle of a railway track, and I say to him, ‘My dear fellow, if you do not come out of that you will be smashed to atoms within the next five minutes, for an express train is thundering along the line.’ He laughs and answers, ‘Do you mean to say that my shifting the position of my body a couple of feet will make all that difference? Do you tell me that if I move I shall be safe, and that if I stand here I shall be cut to pieces?’ ‘Yes, I do say it with tears, begging you to believe me, and come out of the track.’ ‘Then,’ he says, ‘you are very uncharitable.’ ‘Yes,’ I reply, ‘and you are very insane.’ What more can I say? It is never uncharitable to speak the truth for the good of the person concerned. A small matter may suffice to shape the destiny of an immortal soul. In those ill times, when there were slaves across the Atlantic, a lady went down to one of our ships, accompanied by her negro servant. The lady remarked to the captain that if she were to take this black woman with her to England, she would become free as soon as she landed. The captain replied, ‘Madam, she is free already. The moment she came on board a British vessel she was free.’ When the negro woman knew this, do you think she went on shore with her mistress? By no means; she chose to keep her liberty. But what made her rise from a slave to a free woman? Why, only a few inches of separation from the shore. I do not know how far the ship was from land; the distance may have been very little; still it made all the difference; she was free on board, and a slave on land. How slight the change of place; but how great the difference involved; marvel not that faith involves such great things.

John 6 Spiritual Hunger

Even an atheist, Franz Kafka, recognized the importance of satisfying his own spiritual hunger. In one short story, The Hunger Artist, he summed up his thoughts. He wanted his other works burned but insisted that this one story be saved.

In a typically bizarre fashion, Kafka has the hunger artist making his living by professional fasting. He is the practitioner of a once venerated profession. Seated on straw in his small barred cage, he is marveled at by throngs of people. After forty days, his fasts were terminated in triumph. His manager would make a speech, the band would play, and one of the ladies would lead him staggering in his weakened state out of the cage.

However, the day arrived when fasting was no longer understood or appreciated by the people. He lost his manager and had to join a circus. His cage was placed next to the animals. He became depressed by the smell, the restlessness of the animals at night, the raw flesh carried past him, and the roaring at feeding time. The people barely glanced at him in their hurry to see the animals. Even the circus attendants failed to limit his fast by counting the days. Finally, he was discovered lying in the straw, and in his dying breaths he told his secret: “I have to fast,” he whispered. “I can’t help it. I couldn’t find the food I liked. If I had found it, believe me, I should have made no fuss and stuffed myself like you or anyone else.”

Kafka was a writer of parables. The parable of the hunger artist is not about physical hunger but about spiritual hunger. Kafka was the hunger artist, and he realized he was starving to death spiritually, but he couldn’t find any food he liked. (BORROW The Agony of Deceit by Michael Horton, Editor, 1990, Moody Press)

James Smith - CHRIST, THE TRUE MANNA John 6:47–51

There can be no question as to the manna being typical of the character and mission of Christ, for we have the Lord’s own authority for believing it to be so. A beautiful type it is. Like Christ—

I. It was Needed. The children of Israel were ready to perish for lack of bread. There was no help for them in the wilderness. It was so with this world before Christ came. There was a great hunger in the hearts of men for the true bread. The world needed Christ.

II. It was the Gift of God. The manna was not, and could not be, grown or manufactured on earth. The Saviour that man needed could not be man-made. All that the world could give the Christ was a cross. God loved the world and gave His Son. The manna, like Christ, was not deserved, but was the gift of infinite mercy to grumbling, discontented souls.

III. It was Satisfying. The manna was exactly suited to meet all the cravings of hunger. It was prepared by God for this very purpose. So Christ’s character and work, as appointed by God, meets all the needs of a destitute soul. Bread is not more suitable for the hungry than the Saviour is to the sinner. The one is the divinely-appointed remedy for the other.

IV. It was Within the Reach of All. The manna did not fall on the tree-tops, but on the ground, and so was quite within the grasp of every soul in the camp. No price was put upon it. It was free to all. Christ, the Bread of Life, is also within the reach of all who hear the Gospel. We don’t need to climb to Heaven to bring Christ down. The Word of salvation is nigh thee, even in thine heart. Whosoever will may take.

V. It had to be Personally Received. No one could eat the manna to save his brother. It had to be taken into each individual life. So with Jesus Christ, the gift of God. “As many as received Him, to them gives He power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12). As every man must breathe for himself if he is to live, so must he believe for himself if he is to be saved.

VI. It was the only Means of Saving their Lives. Not to appropriate this Heaven-sent gift was to die of starvation. There was no alternative but to eat or die. “If ye believe not that I am He,” says Jesus Christ, “ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). There is no alternative but to accept Christ or perish. “There is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.” “He that eateth this bread shall live for ever” (John 6:58).

What It Means To Believe

He who believes in Me has everlasting life. — John 6:47

Today's Scripture: John 6:30-40

A missionary in Africa experienced great difficulty in trying to translate the Gospel of John into the local dialect. He faced the problem of finding a word for believe. He continued to do his best, but he always had to leave a blank space when he came to that particular word.

Then one day a runner came panting into the camp, having traveled a great distance with a very important message. After blurting out his story, he fell completely exhausted into a nearby hammock. He muttered a brief phrase that seemed to express both his great weariness and his contentment at finding such a delightful place of relaxation. The missionary, never having heard these words before, asked a bystander what the runner had said. “Oh, he is saying, ‘I’m at the end of myself, therefore I am resting all of my weight here!'” The missionary exclaimed, “Praise God! That is the very expression I need for the word believe!” And so he was able to complete his translation.

To believe correctly, you must first admit that you are a sinner and that you cannot do anything to save yourself. Then turn from your sin and cast yourself wholly and unreservedly on Christ for salvation.

Yes, I know Him as my Savior,
For my sins are washed away;
And I'll never cease to praise Him
For this truth through endless day.
—Hallan

Faith is simply taking God at His word.

John 6:48 "I am the bread of life.

BGT John 6:48 Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς.

KJV John 6:48 I am that bread of life.

NET John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

CSB John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

ESV John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

NIV John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

NLT John 6:48 Yes, I am the bread of life!

NRS John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

NJB John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

NAB John 6:48 I am the bread of life.

YLT John 6:48 I am the bread of the life;

John 6:33-35,41,51 1Co 10:16-17 1Co 11:24-25
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread (CHRIST).

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 and when He had given thanks, He broke it (BREAD) and said, “This (BREAD) is (SYMBOLICALLY) My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

John 6:35+ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life (zoe); he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.

JESUS' GREAT "I AM" --
THE BREAD OF LIFE

I am the bread (artos) of life (zoe) - Jesus repeats and amplifies on the incredible phrase "I am the bread of life" (Jn 6:35). In the first section we read about Jesus' miracle of providing bread for 5000+. In Jn 6:31 Jesus begins to shift the focus from literal bread to spiritual bread, for this physical bread the Father gave from Heaven (Jn 6:31-33). In Jn 6:34 the Jews missed Jesus' emphasis and thought He was referring to physical bread, a misunderstanding He immediately corrected in John 6:35 clearly stating "I am the Bread of life," even as He repeated in John 6:41 declaring "I am the bread that came down out of Heaven" which caused the Jews to begin grumbling. In John 6:44-47 He pointed out that eternal life was for the one who believes (in Him is clearly implied). And now He returns to the metaphorical statement that He Himself is the spiritual Bread that gives life (eternal life in previous passages).

Spurgeon - THE BEST BREAD - YOU will observe that our Lord here speaks concerning himself. He speaks not of his words merely, nor of his offices, nor of his work, but of himself. “I am that bread of life.” And herein he teaches us all to fix our eye mainly upon his blessed person, and to think of himself first and foremost. He is the centre and soul of all. There is a tendency about us all to get away from Jesus, and to look rather to the streams than to the Fountain-head. Why are we more taken up with bits of glass that sparkle in the light than with the sun himself? That tree of life, in the midst of the Paradise of God—we forget to eat of that; and we wander to the borders of the garden, to pluck the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I wish that our ministry—that mine especially—might be tied and tethered to the cross. I would have no other subject to set before you but Jesus only. Moses and Elias are well enough in their places; but when they disappear, and Jesus is the better seen, we are gainers by their loss. If I might dig for copper, silver, and gold, I should think it no deprivation to be obliged to find gold only. It is no loss to lose all but Jesus. You may wander from Dan to Beersheba, and you may not sin, for it is all holy ground between the two places; but he is wisest who does not ramble even there, but keeps to Calvary, and is content to speak only of Jesus crucified. “God forbid,” said one who was a great and a wise man—“God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul would have considered it a terrible calamity if he had become fascinated, or even influenced, by the speculations of the cultured men of his period: he felt that the atoning sacrifice deserved all his admiration, and he had none to spare for anything else.

If you go in your pantry and look at the bread on the shelf, your life will not be nourished unless you take and eat the bread. The same is true of this Bread! There is a common saying that you are what you eat. You are a Christ follower if you eat the Bread of life.

Life (zoe) is a keyword in 11 verses - John 6 used Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:33; Jn. 6:35; Jn. 6:40; Jn. 6:47; Jn. 6:48; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:63; Jn. 6:68. This gives us a "clue" to one of the main themes in John 6 - Source of Life, Life in Christ, Eternal Life.

Guzik - Some have taken these words more literally, and applied them to communion. From this, the Eastern Orthodox practices the custom of infant communion. They believe infants will not be saved unless they partake in communion.

Spurgeon - Every man feeds on something or other. You see, one man getting his Sunday newspaper; how he will feed on that! Another goes to frivolous amusements, and he feeds on them. Another man feeds upon his business, and upon the thought of his many cares! But all that is poor food; it is only ashes and husks. If you did but possess true spiritual life, you would know the deep necessity there is of feeding upon Christ.”

Steven Cole introduces his sermon John 6:48-59 asking "“What are you eating?”—not physically, but spiritually. We hear a lot these days about the importance of a healthy diet. You are what you eat and a lot of Americans eat a lot of junk food, resulting in a lot of serious, but avoidable health problems. Most of us could benefit by being careful about what we eat. It’s the same spiritually. If you gorge yourself on the latest movies or on the fare that is offered every night on TV, and you seldom feed on the Bible, don’t be surprised if you’re not spiritually healthy. If your spiritual intake consists of a sugary devotional that you grab on the run, like a donut, and an occasional sermon when you aren’t doing something else on Sunday, don’t be surprised if you’re feeling kind of spiritually sluggish. You are what you eat. (For full sermon see What Are You Eating?)

Spurgeon - The Best Bread

‘I am that bread of life.’ John 6:48

Here is a brother who never eats bread, but, instead of eating, he studies the theory of nutrition and he is ready to discuss with anyone the whole system of digestion and assimilation. He has a theory that bread should always be baked in a certain way and he feels bound to discuss and discuss and discuss, till all is mouldy. My dear friend, you may discuss if you like, but I want to eat, and I think that, if you intend to live and not to drop down dead in your discussion, you had better eat a bit yourself and not put discussion into the place of eating. Some of you have been hearing the gospel for years and you have never fed upon Christ yet, but you have a great liking for religious controversy. Why, perhaps, this very afternoon you have been discussing this ‘ism’ and that ‘ism.’ Why all this chopping of logic? Why do you not eat, friend? Why do you not eat? What is the use of talking about bread when your fainting body pines for a substantial meal? You are at this time ready to fight anybody about the shape that the portions of bread ought to take when they are cut up for a feast. No, no, I am not going to accept your challenge! I am hungry and want food and to me the form of it does not matter much. Bread is nothing to anybody till he eats it and even our Lord Jesus is nothing to any man until he believes in him, until he receives him, until he takes him into himself. That is the one thing that is wanted and the Lord Jesus Christ silently hints as much when he says, ‘I am that bread of life.’ When he calls himself bread, he does in effect say, ‘Partake of me; eat me; feed upon me.

Come and eat! (Horatius Bonar, "The Bread of Immortality")

"I am the bread of life." John 6:48
"I am the living bread." John 6:51

All food is for the sustaining of life.

Jesus announces Himself as the bread which will sustain the life of the soul. Not merely some doctrine--but Himself. He is the bread; not merely bread--but the bread--the one true bread; without whom the soul cannot grow, nor its life be sustained. For only by this life-sustaining bread, can such sickly souls be nourished. As such, Jesus is necessary to the soul as its food--its bread.

Outside of Him, there is no nourishment, no sustenance. He feeds--He alone. He feeds us on Himself! All else is husks, or mere air and vapor. Jesus, in His glorious person, is our food--the true bread and sustenance of the soul; the hidden manna.

Jesus applies various names to it:

"bread from heaven"
"true bread"
"the bread of God"
"bread of life"
"living bread."

All these are names indicative of its excellence, its power, its suitableness. It is the very bread we need; no other would do. Jesus is the soul's eternal food. This storehouse is inexhaustible--and ever accessible!

Come as you are, poor prodigal, starving on husks--come and eat! Eat, O friends! Eat, and live! Eat, and be strong!

Eat, and be in soul health!

Life Without Bread

I am the bread of life. — John 6:48

Today's Scripture: John 6:25-35

In cultures with an abundance of food choices, bread is no longer a necessary part of the diet so some choose to live without it for various reasons. In the first century, however, bread was viewed as an essential staple. A diet without bread was a foreign concept.

One day a crowd of people sought out Jesus because He had performed the miracle of multiplying loaves of bread (John 6:11,26). They asked Him to perform a sign like the manna from heaven that God had provided for His people in the desert (6:30-31; Ex. 16:4). When Jesus said He was “the true bread from heaven” (John 6:32), the people didn’t understand. They wanted literal daily bread. But Jesus was saying that He had been sent to be their spiritual bread; He would supply their daily spiritual needs. If they, by faith, applied and took His words and life into their very souls, they would experience everlasting satisfaction (v.35).

Jesus doesn’t want to be an optional commodity in our diets; He desires to be the essential staple in our lives, our “necessary” food. As first-century Jews could never imagine life without physical bread, may we never attempt to live without Jesus, our spiritual bread! By: Marvin Williams (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

For Further Thought
What are some ways you can let Jesus, the
Bread of Life, and His words satisfy the
hunger pangs of your soul today?

Only spiritual bread satisfies the hunger of the soul.

Bread!

I am the bread of life. John 6:48

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:34–51

I live in a small Mexican city where every morning and evening you can hear a distinctive cry: “Bread!” A man with a huge basket on his bike offers a great variety of fresh sweet and salty breads for sale. I used to live in a bigger city, where I had to go to the bakery to buy bread. So I enjoy having fresh bread brought to my door.

Moving from the thought of feeding physical hunger to spiritual hunger, I think of Jesus’s words: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:51).

Someone has said that evangelism is really one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread. Many of us can say, “Once I was spiritually hungry, spiritually starving because of my sins. Then I heard the good news. Someone told me where to find bread: in Jesus. And my life changed!”

Now we have the privilege and the responsibility of pointing others to this Bread of Life. We can share Jesus in our neighborhood, in our workplace, in our school, in our places of recreation. We can talk about Jesus in the waiting room, on the bus, or on the train. We can take the good news to others through doors of friendship.

Lord Jesus, I want to be Your witness everywhere I go.

Share the Bread of Life wherever you are.

Cotton Candy

I am the bread of life. — John 6:48

Today's Scripture: John 6:47-51

Years ago my wife and I took our children to an amusement park in Texas. By day’s end, Vicki and Torrey were tired and hungry.

As we were leaving, we passed a concession stand and Vicki asked for some cotton candy. I told her we would get some real food in a few minutes, but she wouldn’t hear of it. So I decided to invest $1.50 to teach her a lesson.

Vicki got the cotton candy she begged for. But as she bit into it, she discovered there was nothing to it. Finally she handed it back to me and said, “Daddy, it’s not real!” She knew she was hungry, and she learned that cotton candy promises something it can’t deliver.

There is a deep hunger within all of us. Sigmund Freud believed people are hungry for love. Karl Jung insisted that we crave security. Alfred Adler maintained that significance is what we are after. But Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life” (Jn. 6:48). Jesus was saying that if we want the deepest hunger of our life satisfied, we need to go to Him to be filled. He knew that our hunger and thirst are really for Him.

Don’t settle for spiritual cotton candy when Christ can fill the emptiness in your life. By: Haddon W. Robinson (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Now none but Christ can satisfy,
No other name for me!
There's love and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee!
—Anon.

Only the Bread of Life can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

John 6:49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

BGT John 6:49 οἱ πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τὸ μάννα καὶ ἀπέθανον·

KJV John 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

NET John 6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

CSB John 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

ESV John 6:49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

NIV John 6:49 Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.

NLT John 6:49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died.

NRS John 6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.

NJB John 6:49 Your fathers ate manna in the desert and they are dead;

NAB John 6:49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died;

YLT John 6:49 your fathers did eat the manna in the wilderness, and they died;

fathers: John 6:31
and: Nu 26:65 Zec 1:5 1Co 10:3-5 Heb 3:17-19 Jude 1:5
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Numbers 26:65+ For the LORD had said of them, “They shall surely die in the wilderness.” And not a man was left of them, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.

John 6:30-33+ So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so 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 OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

MANNA IN THE WILDERNESS
DID NOT PREVENT PHYSICAL DEATH

Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died (apothnesko) - Jesus will now unpack "I am the bread of life" (Jn 6:48). First He will speak of manna (initially introduced in Jn 6:30-33+) that all who ate the manna and all died and contrast that in the following verses (Jn 6:50-51) with the fact that all who partake of Him ("the bread which comes down out of heaven" - Jn 6:50, "the living Bread" - Jn 6:51, "My flesh" - Jn 6:51) will not die but will in fact live forever. The contrast could not be more striking. In short, Jesus makes it clear that the manna could not bestow eternal life.

Note He says "Your fathers," which in effect is a way of dissociating Himself from these sinful men. In Jn 6:31 the Jews had stated "our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness." Jesus states a clear, unambiguous, non-figurative truth that every Jew knew was truth. The manna or physical bread from Heaven, as miraculous as it was, was still not sufficient to prevent all (except Joshua and Caleb) the first generation from dying physically in their 40 years of wilderness wanderings. As Paul says "Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness." (1Cor 10:5+) Jesus' point is that while the manna in the wilderness met physical needs, they still died. This prepares His hearers for the bread from heaven that does give eternal life to all who eat it (by grace through faith).

John 6:50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

BGT John 6:50 οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων, ἵνα τις ἐξ αὐτοῦ φάγῃ καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ.

KJV John 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

NET John 6:50 This is the bread that has come down from heaven, so that a person may eat from it and not die.

CSB John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die.

ESV John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

NIV John 6:50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.

NLT John 6:50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die.

NRS John 6:50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.

NJB John 6:50 but this is the bread which comes down from heaven, so that a person may eat it and not die.

NAB John 6:50 this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.

YLT John 6:50 this is the bread that out of the heaven is coming down, that any one may eat of it, and not die.

the bread: John 6:33,42,51 Jn 3:13
that: John 6:58 Jn 8:51 Jn 11:25,26 Ro 8:10
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

John 8:51 “Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he will never see death.”

JESUS CONTRASTS
THE TWO BREADS

This is the bread (artos) which comes down (katabaino) out of heaven (ouranos), so that (term of purpose) one may eat (esthio) of it and not die (apothnesko - like those who ate manna) - While the two breads discussed in this section both originate in Heaven, only one was sufficient to meet man's spiritual needs. The physical bread (manna) brought only temporal life, but the spiritual Bread (JESUS) brings eternal life! In Jn 6:49 those who ate manna died, whereas those who eat "Jesus Bread" do not die.

In this verse Jesus is speaking of spiritual death. He is not saying believers will not experience a physical death for all will (unless we are raptured). Jesus uses "eat of it" as a metaphor for "believe in Him." (cf Jn 6:35, 47). To make "eat of it" mean anything else is to ignore the plain reading of the text and to end up with an erroneous interpretation! And in so doing, one is adding to the Scriptures, making them say something they do not say, and this is a very dangerous practice (cf Pr 30:6, Rev 22:18-19+)! Augustine was correct when he said “Believe and you have eaten.”

A T Robertson on so that - Purpose clause with hina and the second aorist active subjunctive of esthio and apothnesko. The wonder and the glory of it all, but quite beyond the insight of this motley crowd.

Bob Utley on one may eat (esthio) of it and not die (apothnesko) - This verse, like John 6:31-35, is a play on the meaning of bread, physical bread (manna) and heavenly bread (Jesus). One gives and sustains physical life, but must be repeated and eventually cannot stop death. The other gives and sustains eternal life, but must be accepted and nurtured and puts an immediate end to spiritual death (i.e., broken fellowship with God; intimate fellowship with sin and self).

Warren Wiersbe on one may eat of it and not die - He was using bread, a familiar material object, to teach a spiritual truth: You receive bread into your body and it sustains life, but receiving Jesus into your heart by faith gives you eternal life. Later He included “drinking blood” (Jn 6:53–56), which obviously was not to be taken literally any more than “eating his flesh” was to be taken literally. To “eat” something means to assimilate it and make it a part of your physical being. But language uses the metaphor of eating to describe the process of understanding and receiving statements expressed in words. We say things like, “Well, I’ll have to digest what you just said” or “I can’t swallow that” or “That’s food for thought.” A pastor might say, “My congregation is so young in the faith, I have to spoon-feed them.” A businessman says to his staff, “Now, here’s a program you can sink your teeth into.” A student says, “I really devoured that book.” Nobody takes this literally. Scripture uses similar metaphorical language in describing our relationship to God and His truth. “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Ps. 34:8). “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight” (Jer. 15:16). “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good ” (1 Peter 2:2–3; see also Heb. 5:11–14). “People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). The prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John were each commanded to eat a scroll of the Word of God so they could proclaim God’s truth (Ezek. 2:1—3:3; Rev. 10).....How, then, do we “eat” His flesh and “drink” His blood? By believing in Jesus Christ and receiving His Word into our hearts. Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” (John 6:63 NASB). “The Word became flesh” at the incarnation (John 1:14), and believers “feed on” Jesus, the living Word, as they meditate on the written Word. Peter got the message, for when Jesus asked the Twelve if they would also go away with the crowd, He received the answer He expected. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (John 6:68–69). Believe in Jesus and receive the Word! When I trusted Christ as my Lord and Savior, the Spirit gave me an insatiable appetite for the Word of God, and the Bible has been my “spiritual diet” since 1945. I “feed on” the Lord Jesus Christ daily through His Word, and I can say with Job, “I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread” (Job 23:12). That Jesus would compare Himself to such a common article as a loaf of bread shows the depth of His humiliation. It also shows us that we cannot have life without Him. Bread is called “the staff of life” because for centuries it has been the primary food of most people. Jesus Christ is “the bread of life,” and we cannot have spiritual life—eternal life—without Him. (Jesus in the Present Tense)

The Old Testament manna	Jesus, the bread of life
Met a physical need temporarily	Meets a spiritual need eternally
Only sustained physical life	Imparts eternal life
For only one nation, Israel	For the whole world (Jn 6:51)
For only thirty-eight years	From Adam to the end of time
At no cost to the Lord	At great cost: Jesus had to die
Only delayed physical death	Conquered spiritual death
God sent a gift	God sent the Giver of all gifts
A "type" or "shadow"	The Substance (Col 2:16-17+)
Adapted and modified from Jesus in the Present Tense by Warren Wiersbe

John 6:51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."

BGT John 6:51 ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς· ἐάν τις φάγῃ ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ἄρτου ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ ὁ ἄρτος δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω ἡ σάρξ μού ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ζωῆς.

KJV John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

NET John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats from this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

CSB John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."

ESV John 6:51 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."

NIV John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

NLT John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh."

NRS John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."

NJB John 6:51 I am the living bread which has come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my flesh, for the life of the world.'

NAB John 6:51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."

YLT John 6:51 'I am the living bread that came down out of the heaven; if any one may eat of this bread he shall live -- to the age; and the bread also that I will give is my flesh, that I will give for the life of the world.'

GWN John 6:51 I am the living bread that came from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. The bread I will give to bring life to the world is my flesh."

BBE John 6:51 I am the living bread which has come from heaven: if any man takes this bread for food he will have life for ever: and more than this, the bread which I will give is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.

RSV John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."

I am the living bread: John 3:13 4:10,11 7:38 1Pe 2:4
and the bread:
my flesh: John 6:52-57 Mt 20:28 Lu 22:19 Eph 5:2,25 Titus 2:14 Heb 10:5-12,20
the life: John 6:33 1:29 3:16 2Co 5:19,21 1Jn 2:2 4:14
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

THE LIVING BREAD PROVIDES
HIS FLESH FOR ETERNAL LIFE

Jesus is clearly alluding to the cross in this passage, beginning with the metaphor of bread but ending with His literal flesh.

I am (ego eimi = continually) the living (zao - present tense - continually) Bread (artos) that came down (katabaino) out of heaven (ouranos) - Manna, even warm and fresh from the "bakery" of heaven, was still inanimate, non-living bread. In dramatic contrast Jesus states He is the (definite article in context signifies something like the "one and only") living Bread. How is He living Bread? He lives eternally in Himself and He Himself is life-giving. This is the third time (which should have been the charm!) Jesus tells the Jews He is Bread (Jn 6:33, 35, 48) which should have been the charm!), but this time He calls Himself "living Bread" (instead of the related description "Bread of Life").

Bob Utley - "I am the living bread" This is one of the famous "I am" statements of John's Gospel (cf. John 6:35,48,51). It was a literary technique of Jesus to focus attention on His person. Salvation, like revelation, is ultimately a person.

A T Robertson - "The bread the living." Repetition of the claim in John 6:35, 41, 48, but with a slight change from zōēs to zōn (present active participle of zaō). It is alive and can give life. See John 4:10 for living water. In Rev. 1:17 Jesus calls himself the Living One (ho zōn).

if anyone eats (esthio ~ believes in) of this bread (artos), he will live (zao) forever (aion cf Jn 6:47) - While His statement eats of this bread strikes us an enigmatic saying (if read literally), it is clear that it is figurative and conveys the fact that the "anyone" believes in Jesus. Why do I say that? Because the only way a person will live forever is by belief in Jesus Christ. Note also that the pronoun anyone opens up the door for everyone whether Jew or Gentile.

Guzik - Jesus spoke in a figure of speech. The metaphor of eating and drinking was common in Jesus’ day, and pointed to a taking within one’s innermost being. Jesus offers us heavenly bread for eternal life, but we must eat it. Faith in Jesus is not compared with tasting or admiring, but with eating. We must dig in! Jesus says that we must have Him within us, and we must partake of Him. Seeing a loaf of bread on a plate will not satisfy our hunger. Knowing the ingredients in the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Taking pictures of the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Telling other people about the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Selling the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Playing catch with the bread will not satisfy our hunger. Nothing will satisfy our hunger and bring us life except actually eating the bread. He who eats this bread will live forever.

J Vernon McGee - He came down to this earth: "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:14). He is going to the Cross to lay that human life down there as a sacrifice to pay for your sins and my sins. Friend, when you partake of that, that is, when you accept that, you are saved. Someone may say, "Oh, that's so vivid and so strong." That's what they said in that day, too.

Leon Morris on the verb eats - “When a man once takes it (‘eat’ is in the aorist tense, of the once-for-all action of receiving Christ) he will not die.” (Borrow The Gospel according to John)

James Smith - The teaching and the work of Jesus Christ are sufficient to meet the whole need of man for time and eternity. Bread is not more suitable to the hungry, or water to the thirsty, than Christ is to the real deep needs of men.

William Barclay -“He is saying: ‘You must stop thinking of me as a subject for theological debate; you must take me into you, and you must come into me; and then you will have real life.'”

Living Bread = My flesh

And the bread (artos again with definite article) also which I will give for (huper ~substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of) the life (zoe) of the world (kosmos) is My flesh (sarx) - The emphasis in Greek is on "ego" or "I" will give, which is superior to what Moses gave (Jn 6:32+). So here Jesus is the Giver whereas earlier it is the "Father Who gives...the true bread out of heaven." (Jn 6:32+) Jesus equates His physical flesh with the metaphor of bread. When does Jesus give His flesh? On the Cross! What is it that Jesus voluntarily gives that can bring life to the world? It is His perfect, sinless sacrifice as the Lamb of God, Who died on the Cross. Note the bread Jesus gives is not just for the Jews but for the world, Jews and Gentiles who would believe on Him and receive (eternal) life. (cf "the world" in Jn 3:15-17; Jn 4:42).

Notice the word for for is huper which means for the sake of or in behalf of and speaks of His substitutionary sacrifice on behalf of the world (What is the doctrine of substitution?). John uses huper in this sense several times - Jn 6:51, Jn 10:11, 15; Jn 11:50, 51, 52; Jn 15:13; Jn 17:19; Jn 18:14.

Note the phrase the life (zoe) of the world (kosmos) is My flesh (sarx) links back to John 1:1 (In the beginning was the Word) and John 1:14 (And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us).

A T Robertson - For the life of the world (huper tēs tou kosmou zōēs). Over, in behalf of, huper means, and in some connexions instead of as in John 11:50. See John 1:30 for the Baptist's picture of Christ as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. See also John 3:17; John 4:42; 1 John 3:16; Matthew 20:28; Galatians 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:14-15; Romans 5:8. Jesus has here presented to this Galilean multitude the central fact of his atoning death for the spiritual life of the world.

MacDonald on My flesh - Here the Lord Jesus was pointing forward to His death on the cross. He would give His life as a ransom for sinners. His body would be broken, and His blood would be poured out as a sacrifice for sins. He would die as a Substitute. He would pay the penalty that our sins demanded (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Warren Wiersbe - The Jews ate the daily manna and eventually died; but when you receive Jesus Christ within, you live forever. When God gave the manna, He gave only a gift; but when Jesus came, He gave Himself. There was no cost to God in sending the manna each day, but He gave His Son at great cost. The Jews had to eat the manna every day, but the sinner who trusts Christ once is given eternal life. It is not difficult to see in the manna a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. The manna was a mysterious thing to the Jews; in fact, the word manna means "What is it?" (see Ex. 16:15) Jesus was a mystery to those who saw Him. The manna came at night from heaven, and Jesus came to this earth when sinners were in moral and spiritual darkness. The manna was small (His humility), round (His eternality), and white (His purity). It was sweet to the taste (Ps. 34:8) and it met the needs of the people adequately. The manna was given to a rebellious people; it was the gracious gift of God. All they had to do was stoop and pick it up. If they failed to pick it up, they walked on it. The Lord is not far from any sinner. All the sinner has to do is humble himself and take the gift that God offers. Jesus closed this part of His message by referring to His flesh, a word that will be used six more times before the dialogue is concluded. John 6:51 is a declaration that the Son of God will give Himself as a sacrifice "for the life of the world." The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ is a key doctrine in John's Gospel. Jesus would die for the world (Jn 3:16; Jn 6:51), for His sheep (Jn 10:11, 15), for the nation (Jn 11:50-52), and for His friends (Jn 15:12). Paul made it personal, and so should we: "Who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). We must not limit the work of Christ on the cross. He is the sacrifice not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world (1Jn 2:2). (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

MacArthur on My flesh - The concept of Jesus giving Himself sacrificially for sinners is a repeated New Testament theme (e.g., Matt. 20:28; Gal. 1:4; 2:20; Eph. 5:2, 25; 1 Tim. 2:6; Titus 2:14). The Lord referred prophetically here to His death on the cross (2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24), one of many such predictions recorded in the gospels (John 2:19–22; 12:24; Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:22; 20:18; Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34; Luke 9:22, 44; 18:31–33; 24:6–7). It is Jesus’ offering of His flesh that is the price of redemption. (See John 1-11 MacArthur New Testament Commentary)

Leon Morris - “Many commentators speak as though the word ‘flesh’ self-evidently marked a reference to Holy Communion. It, of course, does nothing of the sort. It is not found in the narratives of the institution, nor in 1 Corinthians 10, nor in 1 Corinthians 11 in connexion with the sacrament. Nor is it common in the Fathers in this sense.” (Borrow The Gospel according to John)

John Trapp notes that "The Fathers commonly expounded this part of our Saviour’s sermon as spoken of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper; and so fell into that error, that none but communicants could be saved; wherefore they also gave the sacrament to infants, and put it into the mouths of dead men.”

TSK Note on the bread...for the life of the world - This was one of the things which the Jews expected from the Messiah, as we learn from Midrash Koheleth. "Rabbi Berechiah, in the name of Rabbi Isaac said, As was the first Redeemer, so also shall be the latter. The first Redeemer made manna descend from heaven, as it is said in Ex 16:4, 'And I will rain bread from heaven for you.' So also the latter Redeemer shall make manna descend, as it is said, Ps 72:16, 'There shall be a handful of corn in the earth.' etc."

Brian Bell - What is meant by eating his flesh & blood? This is non-Kosher talk...this cannibalism & blood drinking! It sounds like a bad vampire movie filmed at Donar pass! He wasn’t literally bread, anymore than He was literally a lamb or a lion! It means nothing more nor less than believing in Christ! (Mt. Henry) Two things are Implied: an appetite to Christ & an application of Christ. 1. An Appetite to Christ! – Spiritual eating/drinking starts w/ hungering/thirsting. Mt.5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. 2. An Application of Christ to ourselves! – Meat looked upon will not nourish us, but meat fed upon will! We must accept Christ to appropriate Him to ourselves. 3. Body & blood was used to represent everything needed to sustain & support life

F. WHITFIELD JOHN 6:51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. -- Christ calls Himself “the living bread”—the manna which came down from heaven. Remember how the manna fell. It lay all round the tents of Israel. The Israelite could not stir from his tent without doing one of two things—he must either gather the manna, or trample upon it. Every man living is doing either the one or the other now. Either the one or the other you are doing. Which is it?

JOSEPH PARKER - JOHN 6:51. - He who has the Bread of heaven spends his life in the banqueting house of God.

For (on behalf of, for sake of) (5228) huper ) can mean "on behalf of" and thus pictures the substitutionary aspect of Christ's sacrifice (Ro 5:6 2Co 5:15, 21 Ga 3:13 Philemon 1:13 Gal 1:4, 1Co 15:3; Ga 2:20). He did not become a sinner on the Cross, but our sin bearer (Jn 1:29, 1Cor 5:7, 1Pe 2:24, Isa 53:4-6)

He Died for You: When Lincoln’s body was brought from Washington to Illinois, it passed through Albany and it was carried through the street. They say a black woman stood upon the curb and lifted her little son as far as she could reach above the heads of the crowd and was heard to say to him, “Take a long look, honey. He died for you.” So, if I could, I would lift up your spirit to see Calvary. Take a long look, He died for you.

Huper, a common preposition, appears approximately 160 times in the New Testament, about 135 times with the genitive case meaning “for,” etc.; 20 times with the accusative case meaning “above, beyond,” etc.; and once as a separate adverb meaning “more” (2 Corinthians 11:23). In compounds with verbs, nouns, or adverbs it adds the ideas of: (1) “over” or “beyond,” spatially; (2) “for” someone or something; or (3) “beyond (normal) limits.” (Compare the English hyper- and super- forms which are derived from this Greek word and its cognate Latin form, respectively.)

Huper in the Gospel of John - Jn. 1:30; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 10:11; Jn. 10:15; Jn. 11:4; Jn. 11:50; Jn. 11:51; Jn. 11:52; Jn. 13:37; Jn. 13:38; Jn. 15:13; Jn. 17:19; Jn. 18:14

ILLUSTRATION from Adrian Rogers (page 443) - In my home state of Florida we have a town not very far from where I went to college. It’s called De Leon Springs. And it is said that it was founded and found by Ponce de León, that Spanish explorer who came to the shores of Florida looking for the fountain of youth. He had heard that somewhere in Florida there was a fountain that, if you would drink the water, would erase the wrinkles from your face and would make your hair as black as a raven’s wing; it would put a spring back in your step and lift those sagging muscles. And he searched for that fountain, but he never found it. There’s a great spring there, Ponce de Leon Springs. I’ve been there many times on vacations and holidays. I’ve even drunk of the water. But as you can see, it didn’t work. But I want to say to you, dear friend, there is a fountain where we may drink. There is bread of which we may eat. And it will not only satisfy; it will sustain. And Jesus said that through Him—through this bread—we will live forever. He says, “The bread that I will give is my flesh [and] “I give [it] for the life of the world.” (John 6:51)

Jon Courson - John 6:51 - from A Day's Journey (borrow)

Human beings can survive longer on bread than on any other substance. Although it is baked in different ways and fixed in different forms, bread is truly cross-cultural. It’s also extremely palatable, for most of us eat some sort of bread every day.

But the most intriguing aspect about Jesus’ identification with bread is the process by which bread is made: a seed of grain is planted in the ground. After some weeks, it springs up and grows into maturity. Then it is cut down, ground up, and placed in the fire. After it has thoroughly baked, it is enjoyed by humanity.

That’s exactly what happened to Jesus. A seed was planted in the womb of Mary miraculously. God Incarnate came forth and grew to maturity. He was cut down as He was pinned to the Cross; ground up as He was cursed and spat upon; and placed in the fire of God’s wrath as all of our sin was absorbed by Him personally.

And because He had been planted, cut down, ground up, and burned in the very fire of God’s wrath, you and I have the opportunity to eat of Him daily—never tiring of Him, always receiving strength and sustenance for the challenges of any given day. Truly, Jesus is the Bread of Life. The analogy is perfect.

The Bread of Life John 6:51 - Archie Edwards

What are its characteristics?

I. Divine. It “came down from heaven.”
II. Life-Giving. It is “the living bread.”
III. All-Sufficient. It was given “for the life of the world.”
IV. Eternal. He that eateth it will “live for ever.”
V. Universal. It is to “any man.”

James Smith - THE LIVING BREAD

“I am the Living Bread which came down from Heaven. If any man eat of this bread he shall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51).

They said, “What sign showest Thou then that we may see and believe Thee” (v. 30). Jesus did many mighty works, but He Himself was the greatest sign of all.

I. His Divine Origin. “I came down from Heaven.” These words occur seven times in this chapter. His home was in Heaven, and His coming to earth was a coming down. So far down that it is not possible for us to measure the local or moral distance. Down from glory to poverty and shame and death.

II. His Wondrous Character. “Living Bread.” As the living bread of God He is—

1. LIFE-GIVING. “I am come down that they might have life” (John 10:10). This bread makes the dead to live. Thus life from God was in the bread—His gift to a dying and dead world.

2. LIFE-SATISFYING. “He that eateth this bread shall never hunger.” The world’s husks cannot satisfy a living soul. Why perish with hunger? Here is the bread of God for you. Christian, are you finding satisfaction daily in Him?

III. His Great Mission. “I will give My flesh for the life of the world.” The—

1. WORLD’S NEED—“life.” “The whole world lieth in the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). Blinded by sin, and as indifferent to the things of God as the bones of the dead.

2. SAVIOUR’S GIFT. “I will give My flesh” (John 6:51). The body prepared for Him by the Father He willingly offers as a sacrifice on the Cross for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). An offering well pleasing unto God.

IV. His Assuring Promise. “Shall live for ever.” The—

1. NATURE OF THIS LIFE. It is the life of God, because the life of the Son (Bread). He that hath the Son hath life. It is the life of one justified—delivered from condemnation. It is the life of union with the living Vine.

2. ASSURANCE GIVEN. “He shall live for ever.” We have it on the authority of the Life-giving One. Surely He who gives life can continue it for ever. He ever lives. “Because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

V. His Universal Offer. “If any man eat.” It—

1. IS WITHIN THE REACH OF ALL. “Any man.” Just as the manna fell in the camp, as God’s gift to every soul in the wilderness, so Jesus Christ as the Bread from Heaven is for whosoever will.

2. MUST BE APPROPRIATED. Bread cannot save from death unless it is eaten. The Lord has not come to be talked about, but to be trusted. How true it is, in this sense, that many are sickly, and loathe this life bread. Others seem to have it sticking in their throats. “Hearken diligently unto ME, and eat ye that which is good” (Isa. 55:2).

THE BREAD OF LIFE JOHN 6:51 - James Smith What are its characteristics?

1. It “came down from Heaven.” Divine.
2. It is the “Living Bread.” Life-giving.
3. It was given “for the life of the world.” All-sufficient.
4. He that eateth it will “live for ever.” Eternal
5. It is to “any man.” Universal.

F. WHITFIELD - I am the living bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51

Christ calls Himself “the living bread”—the manna which came down from heaven. Remember how the manna fell. It lay all round the tents of Israel. The Israelite could not stir from his tent without doing one of two things—he must either gather the manna, or trample upon it. Every man living is doing either the one or the other now. Either the one or the other you are doing. Which is it?

JOSEPH PARKER. He who has the Bread of heaven spends his life in the banqueting house of God.

Steven Cole - Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood do not refer to partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

A. W. Pink (Christ in the Capernaum Synagogue John 6:41-59) gives four reasons that John 6 does not refer to communion.

First, communion had not yet been instituted. Jesus instituted it on the night He was betrayed.

Second, Jesus was speaking here to unbelievers and communion is for believers.

Third, the eating here is unto salvation or eternal life, while eating the Lord’s Supper is for those already saved and points to fellowship.

Fourth, the Lord’s Supper does not produce the results that are here attributed to eating and drinking Christ. If Jesus’ words here refer to communion, then you gain eternal life by partaking, which contradicts many other Scriptures that show that salvation is through faith in Christ, not through participating in a ritual.

So, as J. C. Ryle puts it (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels),

“We may eat the Lord’s Supper, and yet not eat and drink Christ’s body and blood. We may eat and drink Christ’s body and blood, and yet not eat the Lord’s Supper.”

The main problem with the Catholic and Orthodox view of transubstantiation (the communion elements actually become Christ’s body and blood) is that it takes literally words that were obviously meant as symbolic. True, Jesus said (Matt. 26:26), “This is My body.” But He also said (John 10:9), “I am the door.” John 15:1, “I am the true vine.” Nobody takes those statements literally. Jesus clearly meant them symbolically.

There are other reasons for rejecting the view that the communion elements actually become the body and blood of Jesus. But it’s obvious that Jesus’ words in John 6 to these unbelieving Jews, spoken at least one year before He instituted the Lord’s Supper, have nothing to do with that ordinance. True, there are parallels that we can draw between the Lord’s Supper as later instituted and Jesus’ words here. As Colin Brown puts it (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology [Zondervan], 2:535), “John 6 is not about the Lord’s Supper; rather, the Lord’s Supper is about what is described in John 6.” By comparing parallel verses in John 6, we can determine what Jesus meant by the metaphor of eating His flesh and drinking His blood:

Flesh (4561) sarx is used 147 times in the NT and a simple definition of sarx is difficult because sarx has many nuances (e.g., some Greek lexicons list up to 11 definitions for sarx!). Flesh of a living creature is the primary meaning in John 6 where it is a keyword - Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:52; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:55; Jn. 6:56; Jn. 6:63 and all uses refer to the flesh (body) of Jesus except Jn 6:63 where it is used for that which is merely external or only apparent, in opposition to what is spiritual and real (cf Jn 8:15; 1Co 1:26; 2Co 5:16; Eph 6:5; Col 3:22; Phile 1:16)

Friberg - flesh; (1) literally, as the muscular part that covers the bones of a human or animal body flesh (1Co 15.39); (2) by synecdoche, the physical body as a whole body, flesh (Acts 2.31); (3) as a human being person, man (of flesh and blood) (Jn 1.14); (4) euphemistically, as the seat of the sexual or procreative drive flesh (Jn 1.13); (5) as relating to the earthly sphere of existence human or mortal nature, earthly descent, blood relation (Ro 4.1); ethnic group, race (Ro 11.14); (6) as distinguishing the corruptible from the incorruptible part of man corporeality, earthly life, physical limitation (1Co 7.28; Col 1.22); (7) in a negative sense, the external side of life as an object of trust flesh (Php 3.3); kata. sarka from a (purely) human point of view, by human standards, as far as outward circumstances are concerned (Jn 8.15; 2Co 11.18); (8) in an ethical sense in Paul's epistles; (a) as a sinful and sensual power tending toward sin and opposing the Spirit's working flesh (Ro 7.25; Gal 5.17 ), opposite pneuma (spirit); (b) as life apart from the Spirit of God and controlled by sin in its expressions flesh (Ro 7.5; 8.9) (Borrow Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament)

Sarx in John's Gospel - Jn. 1:13; Jn. 1:14; Jn. 3:6; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:52; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:54; Jn. 6:55; Jn. 6:56; Jn. 6:63; Jn. 8:15; Jn. 17:2;

A Feast of Love

I am the living bread that came down from heaven. John 6:51

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:47–59

In the Danish film Babette’s Feast, a French refugee appears in a coastal village. Two elderly sisters, leaders of the community’s religious life, take her in, and for fourteen years Babette works as their housekeeper. When Babette comes into a large sum of money, she invites the congregation of twelve to join her for an extravagant French meal of caviar, quail in puff pastry, and more.

As they move from one course to the next, the guests relax; some find forgiveness, some find love rekindled, and some begin recalling miracles they’d witnessed and truths they’d learned in childhood. “Remember what we were taught?” they say. “Little children, love one another.” When the meal ends, Babette reveals to the sisters that she spent all she had on the food. She gave everything—including any chance of returning to her old life as an acclaimed chef in Paris—so that her friends, eating, might feel their hearts open.

Jesus appeared on earth as a stranger and servant, and He gave everything so that our spiritual hunger might be satisfied. In John’s gospel, He reminds His listeners that when their ancestors wandered hungry in the wilderness, God provided quail and bread (Exodus 16). That food satisfied for a time, but Jesus promises that those who accept Him as the “bread of life” will “live forever” (John 6:48, 51). His sacrifice satisfies our spiritual cravings. By: Amy Peterson (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

How has God satisfied your hunger? What might it look like for you to give sacrificially?

Jesus, thank You for giving Your body and blood for us.

Eat This Bread

Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel. —Micah 5:2

Today's Scripture: Matthew 26:20-30

Christmas isn’t the time of year when our thoughts naturally turn to the Last Supper—or what the Jews called Passover. But that particular Passover is critical to Christmas. After breaking bread and giving it to His disciples, Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is My body” (Matt. 26:26). Breaking bread was a traditional part of Passover, but adding “this is my body” was a striking departure from the familiar liturgy. The disciples must have been bewildered.

Later the meaning became clear. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which means “house of Bread.” He was laid in a manger—a feeding trough. He once said, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh” (John 6:51).

The prophet Micah indicated that One born in Bethlehem would rule over Israel (5:2). But not until Jesus came did anyone realize the uniqueness of this Kingdom. Christ’s rule would not be imposed upon anyone; it would be imparted to those who accepted this new citizenship.

As we sing of Bethlehem’s manger, let’s remember that the heaven-sent infant King came so that we might “eat this bread” and partake of His divine nature. By: Julie Ackerman Link (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Thou art the bread of life, O Lord, to me,
Thy holy Word the truth that saveth me;
Give me to eat and live with Thee above,
Teach me to love Thy truth, for Thou art love.
—Lathbury

Only Christ the Living Bread can satisfy our spiritual hunger.

John 6:52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"

BGT John 6:52 Ἐμάχοντο οὖν πρὸς ἀλλήλους οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι λέγοντες· πῶς δύναται οὗτος ἡμῖν δοῦναι τὴν σάρκα [αὐτοῦ] φαγεῖν;

KJV John 6:52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

NET John 6:52 Then the Jews who were hostile to Jesus began to argue with one another, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

CSB John 6:52 At that, the Jews argued among themselves, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?"

ESV John 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

NIV John 6:52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

NLT John 6:52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" they asked.

NRS John 6:52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"

NJB John 6:52 Then the Jews started arguing among themselves, 'How can this man give us his flesh to eat?'

NAB John 6:52 The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us (his) flesh to eat?"

YLT John 6:52 The Jews, therefore, were striving with one another, saying, 'How is this one able to give us his flesh to eat?'

began to argue: John 6:41 7:40-43 9:16 10:19
How: John 3:4,9 4:11 Ac 17:32 1Co 2:14
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

OPEN CONTENTION
AT THOUGHT OF CANNIBALISM!

Then - This is a time sensitive word and in this context marks progression in the narrative. Recall that earlier the Jews were grumbling and now they are arguing. Soon they will be leaving!

The Jews (Ioudaios) began to argue (machomai) with one another - The verb for argue (machomai) depicts a violent argument breaking out. Argue is in the picturesque imperfect tense depicting a back and forth argument, arguing again and again. What a picture of this large crowd gesticulating back and forth! They surely knew Jesus was not calling for them to be cannibals, but they could not grasp His metaphorical meaning so they had word fights! Jesus was speaking spiritual truth, but they did not have eyes or ears to understand and were still thinking He was speaking literally which to them was absurd! This theme of failure of the Jews to understand Jesus' spiritual truths is repeated throughout John (Jn 6:42; Jn 3:4, 9; Jn 4:11-12; Jn 9:16; Jn 12:34).

When one is without spiritual perception,
spiritual truth makes no sense, but seems like nonsense!
-- 1 Corinthians 2:14+

A T Robertson on began to argue - imperfect (inchoative) middle of machomai, to fight in armed combat (Acts 7:26), then to wage a war of words as here and 2 Tim. 2:24. They were already murmuring (John 6:41), now they began bitter strife with one another over the last words of Jesus (John 6:43-51), some probably seeing a spiritual meaning in them. There was division of opinion about Jesus in Jerusalem also later (John 7:12, 40; John 9:16; John 10:19)....The mystical appropriation of Christ by the believer (Gal 2:20; Eph 3:17) they could not comprehend.

D A Carson - The Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. The verb (emachonto) is very strong. Any dullard could see that Jesus was not speaking literally: no-one would suppose Jesus was seriously advocating cannibalism and offering himself as the first meal. But if his language was figurative, what did he mean? Perhaps one argued for this view, another for that, all of them repeating the same literal, unintelligent question to get at the point: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? (Borrow The Gospel according to John or see The Gospel According to John scroll up and down for more text)

William MacDonald on the Jews (Ioudaios) - Their thoughts were unable to rise above the things of this life. They did not realize that the Lord Jesus was using physical things to teach spiritual truths. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Jewish New Testament Commentary (borrow) - Because of what Yeshua said here the grumbling (v. 42) quickly became disputing (v. 52), then a hard word they couldn't bear to listen to (v. 60), and finally an insuperable barrier for many of his talmidim (Hebrew for disciple) (not merely his casual hearers), who turned back and no longer traveled around with him (v. 66).

Dods comments that “They differed in their judgment of Him. Some impatiently denounced Him as insane; others suggesting that there was truth in His words.”

Saying, "How can this man give us His flesh (sarx) to eat (esthio) - We are reminded of Nicodemus' literalistic response in Jn 3:4, 9, but here the Jews are expressing "scornful disbelief" ("this man" is contemptuous - cf how they addressed Him in Jn 6:42) in contrast to the attitude of Nicodemus.

What does their question say about their understanding of Jesus' words? Clearly their understanding is fleshly (natural) regarding Jesus' "flesh"! It is as if they thought Jesus was calling them to be cannibals! While literal interpretation of the Scripture is the preferred approach, in this context it was not! They were interpreting Jesus' figurative language literally resulting in misinterpretation! They had failed to see Jesus line of reasoning in the previous passages. They are still thinking of their bellies, but, on the other hand, none of them wanted to be a cannibal! They could not understand because they had become dull and could not see, hear or understand spiritual truth (see Mt 13:15, Jn 12:40).

William MacDonald - A parachute opens only after you jump out of the plane. Faith precedes sight and prepares your soul to understand, your heart to believe, your will to obey. All your questions of “How?” are answered by yielding to the authority of Christ, as Paul did when he cried, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John MacArthur explains "Once again the perplexity of the Jews indicates that they failed to understand the spiritual truth behind Jesus' illustration. Every time Jesus had given them a veiled saying or physical illustration, the Jews failed to see its spiritual significance (e.g., Jn 3:4; 4:15). The Mosaic law prohibited the drinking of blood or the eating of meat with blood still in it (Lev 17:10-14; Dt 12:16; Acts 15:29). The Jews, unable to go beyond the mere physical perspective, were perplexed and angered. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible)

Bob Utley points out that "In John Jesus speaks in figurative language that is regularly misunderstood in a literal sense: (1) Nicodemus in John 3:4, (2) the Samaritan woman in John 4:11, (3) the Jewish crowd in John 6:52 and (4) the disciples in John 11:11.

Argue (3164) machomai means to war, quarrel, dispute fight or strive. This word describes a serious conflict, either physical (especially military combat as with armed combatants who engage in a hand to hand struggle) or non-physical, but clearly intensive and bitter. It was used of those of those who contend at law for property and privileges. This is a strong Greek term for fighting (cf. Acts 7:26; 2 Tim. 2:23-24; Titus 3:9) and used as imagery in 2 Cor. 7:5 and James 4:1-2. Machomai in secular Greek is used to describe a wind of such high intensity that it leveled everything in its path, much like a hurricane. There are only 4 uses in the NT - Jn. 6:52; Acts 7:26; 2Ti 2:24; Jas. 4:2

Eat (2068) esthio literally means to eat, take something in through the mouth (Mt 15:32; Mk 2:26; 7:28; Lk 22:30; Ac 10:14; Ro 14:2; 1 Cor 10:25, 27; 2 Th 3:12; Rev 19:18); Esthio is often used in parallelism with pino (drink) (Matt 6:25, 31; 11:18, 19; 24:49; 26:26; Mark 2:16; Luke 5:30, 33; 7:33, 34; 10:7; 12:19, 29, 45; 13:26; 17:8, 27, 28; 22:30; John 6:53; Acts 9:9; 23:12, 21; 1 Cor 9:4; 10:7, 31; 11:22, 26, 27, 28, 29; 15:32; Rom 14:21). to have a meal, eat bread or food (Mark 3:20; 7:5; Mt 15:2; Luke 7:33; 14:1, 5; Jn 6:23; 1 Cor 11:26f.; 2 Th 3:8, 12) Meta (with) is used of eating with others (e.g. Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11; i Mark 14:18; Luke 7:36); idiomatically (1) literally eat one's own bread, i.e. earn a living (2 Th 3.12); (2) figuratively; (a) to do away with completely,consume, devour (of fire Il. 23, 182; Isa 10:17; 26:11), destroy, with the implication of doing away with all traces of an object, destroy as if by rust or fire (James 5:3, Heb 10.27) In the OT, to eat is often applied to the action of fire,; (b) metaphorically, as taking spiritual nourishment eat, partake of (Jn 6.53)

Esthio in John - Jn. 4:31; Jn. 4:32; Jn. 4:33; Jn. 6:5; Jn. 6:23; Jn. 6:26; Jn. 6:31; Jn. 6:49; Jn. 6:50; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:52; Jn. 6:53; Jn. 6:58; Jn. 18:28

John 6:53 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 yourselves.

BGT John 6:53 εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐὰν μὴ φάγητε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πίητε αὐτοῦ τὸ αἷμα, οὐκ ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς.

KJV John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

NET John 6:53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.

CSB John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "I assure you: Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves.

ESV John 6:53 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.

NIV John 6:53 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

NLT John 6:53 So Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you.

NRS John 6:53 So Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

NJB John 6:53 Jesus replied to them: In all truth I tell you, if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

NAB John 6:53 Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

YLT John 6:53 Jesus, therefore, said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say to you, If ye may not eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and may not drink his blood, ye have no life in yourselves;

Truly, truly (amen, amen): John 6:26,47 3:3 Mt 5:18
unless: John 3:3,5 13:8 15:4 Mt 18:3 Lu 13:3,5
eat: John 6:55 3:36 Mt 26:26-28 1Jn 5:12 Rev 2:7,17
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

DOUBLE AMEN INTRODUCES
A VERY SOLEMN WARNING!

So - Term of conclusion. Therefore, for this reason. What is the reason for His following declaration? Jesus knew exactly what the crowd was thinking. They are arguing and He is trying to counter their literal interpretation of what He had just said. And so He gives them a solemn, frightening warning.

Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly (amen, amen), I say to you, unless (introduces a condition they MUST meet) you (figuratively, by faith) eat (esthio in aorist = once for all time) the flesh (sarx) of the Son of Man and (figuratively, by faith) drink (aorist = once for all time; Jn 6:55) His blood (Jn 6:53, 54, 55, 56), you have (absolutely) no (spiritual) life (zoe) in yourselves - Once again Jesus gives them a double amen to emphasize the truth, significance and solemnity of what follows. Given their confusion and disturbance with eat My flesh (repeated 4x - Jn 6:51, 54, 55, 56), one can only imagine the consternation that spread through these Jews who knew that Moses had forbidden drinking of blood on penalty of being cut off or ex-communicated (Lev 17:10-14+), and did not even mention the abomination of cannibalism!

Notice that here Jesus refers to Himself as Son of Man (3x -Jn 6:27, 53, 62), which correlates well with His manifestation to them in His actual flesh, for only God in the flesh could meet the requirements of a Kinsman-Redeemer and provide a substitutionary atoning, propitiatory sacrifice for the sin of the world (Jn 1:29+, Jn 3:16+), for He is the only One on Whom God had set His seal of approval (Jn 6:27).

Spurgeon - you eat the flesh of the Son of Man - Eating is the taking into yourself of something which exists externally, which you receive into yourself, and which becomes a part of yourself and helps to build you up, and sustains you. That something supplies a great need of your nature, and when you receive it, it nourishes your life. That is the essence of the metaphor, and it well describes the act and the result of faith.

In John 6:50 Jesus associated eternal life with eating the bread out of heaven, describing Himself as that bread that alone would give eternal life. Now Jesus adds not only must they eat His flesh but drink His blood. While this statement about His blood is enigmatic if taken literally, it does present the crucial truth that drinking His blood is to be done figuratively by belief in Him (thus entering the New Covenant in His blood Lk 22:20+, 1Co 11:25+), which is the only way one can receive eternal life (life in yourselves).

Marvin Vincent on drink His blood - Appropriate the saving merit of His death. The Passover was approaching, and the reference may well have been to the flesh and blood of the paschal lamb (cf 1Co 5:7+).

This could not refer to the bread and the wine used at the Lord’s Supper

William MacDonald - This could not refer to the bread and the wine used at the Lord’s Supper. When the Lord instituted His Supper, on the night in which He was betrayed, his body had not yet been broken and His blood had not yet been shed. The disciples partook of the bread and the wine, but they did not literally eat His flesh and drink His blood. The Lord Jesus was simply stating that unless we appropriate to ourselves by faith the value of His death for us on Calvary, we can never be saved. We must believe on Him, receive Him, trust Him, and make Him our very own. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John Heading on eating flesh, drinking blood - Ritualists love to associate this act with their eucharist (corresponding to the Lord's Supper for believers). But there is no connection between the flesh and blood in this verse with the body and blood (bread and the cup) in the institution of the breaking of bread (Matt 26:26-28). In John 6:53 the thought is that of initial appropriation; it is the principle of turning from unbelief to faith, from death to life, from darkness to life (Acts 26:18). But the breaking of bread (ED: COMMUNION, "LORD'S SUPPER") is an act of remembrance and worship every Lord's Day (OR EVEN EVERY DAY IF YOU SO CHOOSE, WHICH IS WHAT THE FIRST CHURCH SEEMS TO HAVE PRACTICED!), and is the portion of those who are believers already. The former is a commencement, the latter is a continuance. The former is once-and-for-all, the latter is week-by-week, namely "as often as" (1 Cor 11:26+). If the former act of appropriation is not done, the Lord stated that "ye have no life in you", but if the breaking of bread is not engaged in, there is no lack of life, only spiritual weakness is demonstrated (ED: SEE CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF SERIOUS SELF-EXAMINATION - 1Co 11:27-31+). (What the Bible Teaches - John)

Steven Cole on one reason Jesus brings up eating - "He was the Passover Lamb of God (John 1:29+, 1Co 5:7+), offered up so that His blood would protect those who (BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH) applied it to their lives. The Jews were very familiar with eating the Passover lamb. By shocking them with this graphic language and applying it to Himself, those who were true seekers for eternal life would be jarred into realizing that their main need was not for a Messiah to give them literal bread, but for one to give them the bread of eternal life. They needed Jesus as their Passover Lamb." Editorial note - Of course this parallel breaks down somewhat for the Jews were not to drink the blood of the lamb in Exodus 12. (See What Are You Eating?)

R Kent Hughes - Our Savior meant there must be a deep partaking of Him. How do we do that? We must live depending on Him as the Bread of life. As James Boice says: Is he as real to you spiritually as something you can taste or handle? Is he as much a part of you as that which you eat? Do not think me blasphemous when I say that he must be as real and as useful to you as a hamburger and french fries. I say this because, although he is obviously far more real and useful than these, the unfortunate thing is that for many people he is much less. Is he substantially real to you? That is what is involved in treating him as the bread of life. This is one of the continental divides in the life of the soul, and this is where thousands flounder....What else does bread suggest? Christ is absolutely indispensable. Since bread was the staple of life in those days, it was difficult for people to conceive of life without bread. Is it difficult for us to conceive of life without Christ? What if there were no Christ? How would that change our lives? The refrain from an old Peggy Lee song asks, “Is that all there is? Is that all there is?” What is your life like? Is that all there is? I cannot conceive of going on living without Christ. He is our bread. He is our all, our everything. Joy Davidman, in her book Smoke on the Mountain, brilliantly commented on the first commandment (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”) by turning it around to positively read, “Thou shalt have me.”4 Is not that what it is all about? “You shall have me. I am the bread of life. Partake of me. I want you to have me. I want to be bread to you.” What else does bread suggest? A daily partaking. How often do we partake of Christ? Is he more than a hamburger and french fries to us? He wants to give us himself, which demands that we be constantly partaking of him, ingesting him into our lives. (Borrow John: That You May Believe)

Trench - “He gave them a further statement which they, doctors of the Law well versed in the theory of Sacrifices, would not fail to understand. The ‘eating of the flesh and drinking of the blood’ was a plain allusion to the Sacrificial idea.”

Leon Morris - Eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood point to that central saving act described otherwise in, say, John 3:16. Christ’s death opens the way to life. Men enter that way by faith….Eating the flesh and drinking the blood represent a striking way of saying this.” (See John - Page 313 - scroll up and down for more text OR BORRO The Gospel according to John)

H A Ironside wrote: "When we recognize that his precious blood poured out on the cross has atoned for our sins, then we are eating his flesh and drinking his blood."

Adrian Rogers (page 445) - Now, you know, there are so many folks who say, “Well, I just don’t understand why I’m so weak in the spiritual life.” I know why you’re so weak: You’re suffering from malnutrition. Jesus said, “You must feed on me—feed on me.” He says, “Eat my flesh; drink my blood. Feed on me! Feed on me! I am the bread that cometh down from heaven. Feed on me!” And how are you going to feed on Him? You’d better get in this book, friend. You’d better get in the Word of God. I mean, there’s no other way. All I’m doing here when I preach is just to whet your appetite. I can’t feed you Sunday by Sunday. Listen to what Jesus said. Just put these verses in your margin. First of all, John 15:7. Jesus said, “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Now the Word can’t abide in you, dear friend, unless the Word gets into you. You’re going to have to feed on the Word. The reason that we’re weak in prayer is we’re malnourished. Listen to John 14:23: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” You say, “God doesn’t seem to be real to me.” Are you feeding on the Word? Here’s the third verse—Mark 8:38: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Friend, there’s no way that you can say, “I’m proud of Jesus, but I’m ashamed of His Word.” Listen. You are going to have to treat this book with a reverence: the respect that you have for the Lord Jesus. You know, when I say that, there are some people who say, “You’re worshiping the Bible—you’re worshiping the Bible.” That’s not true; that’s malarkey. We worship the Lord of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ. But, friend, He puts being ashamed of Him right alongside of being ashamed of His Word. Listen. He is just simply saying that, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Other books, you read them, friend. This book reads you. This book is alive. It pulsates with power. I mean, it is the Word of God. It is spirit; it is life. And get it into your heart. I’m telling you—I’m telling you—you’re not going to grow strong in the spiritual world, in the spiritual life, until you begin to feed on the Word of God.

David H Stern (Borrow Jewish New Testament Commentary) comments that " The most literal sense of the text implies cannibalism, which, were it what Yeshua meant, would certainly be an insuperable barrier to faith in him. But even a high view of the inspiration of the Bible does not require the elimination of metaphorical and symbolic language. Although Yeshua's particular hearers may have been either shocked at what he said or seeking an excuse for not obeying his call to repentance and loyalty, not every Jewish audience would have reacted that way. For the same kind of metaphor is used in the Midrash Rabbah to Ecclesiastes 2:24 ("There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink"). The Midrash quotes rabbis from the 3rd-4th centuries C.E.:

"Rabbi Tanchuma said in the name of Rabbi Nachman ben-Rabbi Shmuʾel ben-Nachman, and Rabbi Menachma said (according to another version Rabbi Yirmiyahu and Rabbi [Y'hudah HaNasi] said in the name of Rabbi Shmuʾel ben-Rabbi Yitzchak): 'All references to eating and drinking in the book of Qohelet [Ecclesiastes] signify Torah and good works.' Rabbi Yonah said, 'The clearest proof for this is Ecclesiastes 8:15, "A man has no better thing under the sun than to eat, drink and be merry, and that this should accompany him in his labor." The word for "his labor" is "ʿamalo," but it should be read "ʿolamo" ("his world"), that is, in this world. The verse continues, All "the days of his life"; and that alludes to the grave. So are there food and drink in the grave that accompany a person to the grave? Of course not. Therefore "food and drink" must mean Torah and good works.'"

The point is that Jewish understanding allows for symbolic interpretation of "food and drink." To eat the flesh of the Son of Man is to absorb his entire way of being and living. The Greek word "sarx" ("flesh") is also used to refer to human nature in general, to the physical, emotional, mental and volitional aspects of human existence. Yeshua wants us to live, feel, think and act like him; by the power of the Ruach HaKodesh he enables us to do so. Likewise, to drink his blood is to absorb his self-sacrificing life-motivation and indeed his very life, since "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11). Jews and Gentiles open to the truth of who Yeshua is will find this interpretation acceptable.

G Campbell Morgan - “Our Lord went further still, and spoke in mystic language of the necessity for drinking His blood. The figure was suggestive of a way into life through death and sacrifice.” (John 6:22-40 Discussion and Teaching. First "I AM." The Bread of Life)

ESV Study Bible - Although Jesus is not speaking specifically about the Lord’s Supper here, there is a parallel theme, because the receiving of eternal life through being united with “the Son of Man” is represented in the Lord’s Supper (where Jesus’ followers symbolically eat his flesh and drink his blood; cf. 1 Cor. 11:23-32). This is anticipated in OT feasts (see 1 Cor. 5:7) and consummated in the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). (SEE also 10 Key Bible Verses about the Lord's Supper)

Walter Kaiser - Eating the Flesh, Drinking the Blood? - Hard Sayings of the Bible -- go to page 463

This was the original hard saying: as John reports, “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching; who can accept it?’” (Jn 6:60). The implication is that they not only found it difficult to understand, but suspected that, if they did understand it, they would find it unacceptable. The NEB expresses a different nuance with its rendering: “This is more than we can stomach! Why listen to such talk?” That implies that they thought Jesus was talking nonsense, and that it was a waste of time listening to it; but that is probably not what John means.

The feeding of the five thousand is one of the few incidents in the ministry of Jesus recorded by all four Evangelists. The narrative of Mark 6:31–52 (including the sequel in which Jesus came walking to his disciples across the water) is reproduced substantially in Matthew 14:13–33 and (without the walking on the water) in Luke 9:10–17. John tells the story independently (together with the walking on the water) in John 6:1–21.

In the Synoptic Gospels we get the impression that there was more in the feeding of the multitude than met the eye at the time or meets the reader’s eye today. Mark in particular makes it plain that the feeding was intended to teach the disciples a lesson which they failed to learn, and that Jesus was surprised at their failure. When Jesus had joined them in the boat on their way back to the other side of the lake of Galilee, and the strong head wind which had made progress so difficult for them stopped blowing, then, says Mark, “they were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened” (Mk 6:51–52). “Their hearts were hardened” means “their minds were closed,” as the NEB puts it: they were too obtuse to take the lesson in, and the lesson evidently had something to do with the person of their Master.

But the further meaning which lies beneath the surface of the Synoptic record is brought up above the surface by John and spelled out in detail. He does this in the form of an address given by Jesus shortly afterward in the synagogue at Capernaum. The subject of the discourse is the bread of life. It has been suggested that on that sabbath day one of the Scripture lessons in the synagogue was Exodus 16:13–36 or Numbers 11:4–9, which tell of the manna, the bread from heaven with which the Israelites were fed during their wilderness wanderings. At any rate, this is the subject with which the address begins.

The manna that their ancestors ate in the wilderness, Jesus tells his hearers, was not the food of immortality: those who ate it died nevertheless—some sooner, some later. Similarly, the bread with which he had recently fed the multitude was but material bread. They wished to make him their leader because he had given them that bread, but really he had come to give them better bread than that. Just as he had offered the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well better water than that in the well, the eternally satisfying water of life, so now he offers these Galileans better bread than the loaves with which the five thousand had been fed, better bread even than the manna which their forefathers had eaten, “food that endures to eternal life” (Jn 6:27). The manna might be called bread from heaven, even the bread of God; but the true “bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (Jn 6:33). Not only so, but God has one authorized and certified agent to bestow this life-giving bread—the Son of Man, Jesus himself. So far, so good; as the Samaritan woman, hearing of the water of life, said, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty” (Jn 4:15), so now Jesus’ present hearers say, “Sir, from now on give us this bread.”

This sets the stage for the next step of the lesson. Jesus not only gives the bread of life; he is the bread of life. True life, eternal life, is to be had in him alone: “he who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty” (Jn 6:35). Indeed, not only will those who come to him in faith find in him perpetual sustenance and refreshment for their souls’ hunger and thirst; they will never die. “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51).

Now the lesson really begins to be hard. Anyone who has the advantage of reading these words in the context of the whole Gospel of John knows what their purport is. To believe in Christ is not only to give credence to what he says: it is to be united to him by faith, to participate in his life. Up to a point, his words about giving his flesh for the life of the world are paralleled in Mark 10:45, where he speaks of the Son of Man as coming “to give his life as a ransom for many.” In the language Jesus spoke “my flesh” could be another way of saying “myself”: he himself is the bread given for the life of the world. But the saying in Mark 10:45 makes no reference to the Son of Man as food for the souls of the “many”; this is an additional emphasis, and one which leaves the synagogue congregation out of its depth.

On the lips of people who felt out of their depth, the question “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52) was a natural one. But it is John’s practice when recording Jesus’ discourses or conversations to quote words which have a spiritual meaning and then make the hearers show by their response that they have failed to grasp that meaning; Jesus is thus given an opportunity to repeat his words more fully. So here he repeats himself more fully in reply to the congregation’s bewilderment: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:54–56).

What could he mean? Plainly his language was not to be taken literally: he was not advocating cannibalism. But how was it to be taken? It was not only obscure, they thought: it was offensive. For Jews the drinking of any blood, even the eating of flesh from which the blood had not been completely drained, was taboo. But drinking the blood of a human being was an idea which ought not even to be mentioned. This was a hard saying in more senses than one.

Jesus answered their protest by pointing out that his words were to be understood spiritually. “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail” (Jn 6:63 RSV). The physical or literal meaning of the words was plainly ruled out. But what was the spiritual meaning?

Again the reader of this Gospel, viewing these words in the context of the whole work, has an advantage over the first hearers, who had no such explanatory context. What we have in Jesus’ strange language is a powerful metaphor stating that a share in the life of God, eternal life, is granted to those who in faith come to Jesus, appropriate him, enter into union with him. Let us hear two doctors of the church: Augustine of Hippo (at the end of the fourth century) and Bernard of Clairvaux (twelfth century).

The hard saying cannot be taken literally, says Augustine, since it would seem to be enjoining a crime or a vice: “it is therefore a figure, bidding us communicate in the sufferings of our Lord, and secretly and profitably treasure in our hearts the fact that his flesh was crucified and pierced for us.”1 Elsewhere he sums the matter up in an epigram: Crede et manducasti, “Believe, and thou hast eaten.” (Augustine Homilies on John 26.1)

Bernard expounds the words “he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” as meaning “he who reflects on my death, and after my example mortifies his members which are on earth, has eternal life—in other words, ‘If you suffer with me, you will also reign with me.’” (Bernard The Love of God 4.11)

The question is naturally raised: What relation do these words of Jesus bear to the Communion service, in which believers receive bread and wine as tokens of the body and blood of the Lord? Since John, unlike the other Evangelists, does not record the institution of the Lord’s Supper, it could be said that this discourse represents his counterpart to their accounts of what Jesus did and said in the upper room when he gave his disciples the bread and the cup (see comment on Mk 14:22–24). In the discourse of John 6 Jesus is not making a direct reference to Holy Communion, but this discourse conveys the same truth in words as Holy Communion conveys in action. This truth is summed up in the invitation extended to the communicant in the Book of Common Prayer: “Take and eat this in remembrance that Christ died for thee, and feed on him in thy heart by faith with thanksgiving.” To feed on Christ in one’s heart by faith with thanksgiving is to “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” and so have eternal life.

QUESTION - What did Jesus mean when He said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood?

ANSWER - In John 6:53–57, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” Upon hearing these words, many of Jesus’ followers said, “This is a hard teaching” (verse 60), and many of them actually stopped following Him that day (verse 66).

Jesus’ graphic imagery about eating His flesh and drinking His blood is indeed puzzling at first. Context will help us understand what He is saying. As we consider everything that Jesus said and did in John 6, the meaning of His words becomes clearer.

Earlier in the chapter, Jesus fed the 5,000 (John 6:1–13). The next day, the same multitudes continued to follow Him, seeking another meal. Jesus pointed out their short-sightedness: they were only seeking physical bread, but there was something more important: “Food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (verse 27). At this point, Jesus attempts to turn their perspective away from physical sustenance to their true need, which was spiritual.

This contrast between physical food and spiritual food sets the stage for Jesus’ statement that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus explains that it is not physical bread that the world needs, but spiritual bread. Jesus three times identifies Himself as that spiritual bread (John 6:35, 48, 51). And twice He emphasizes faith (a spiritual action) as the key to salvation: “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life” (verse 40); and “Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life” (verse 47).

Jesus then compares and contrasts Himself to the manna that Israel had eaten in the time of Moses: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die” (John 6:49–50). Like manna, Jesus came down from heaven; and, like manna, Jesus gives life. Unlike manna, the life Jesus gives lasts for eternity (verse 58). In this way, Jesus is greater than Moses (see Hebrews 3:3).

Having established His metaphor (and the fact that He is speaking of faith in Him), Jesus presses the symbolism even further: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh. . . . I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. . . . My flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. . . . Anyone who feeds on me will live because of me” (John 6:51–56, NLT).

To prevent being misconstrued, Jesus specifies that He has been speaking metaphorically: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63). Those who misunderstood Jesus and were offended by His talk about eating His flesh and drinking His blood were stuck in a physical mindset, ignoring the things of the Spirit. They were concerned with getting another physical meal, so Jesus uses the realm of the physical to teach a vital spiritual truth. Those who couldn’t make the jump from the physical to the spiritual turned their backs on Jesus and walked away (verse 66).

At the Last Supper, Jesus gives a similar message and one that complements His words in John 6—when the disciples gather to break bread and drink the cup, they “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). In fact, Jesus said that the bread broken at the table is His body, and the cup they drink is the new covenant in His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins (Matthew 26:26–28). Their act of eating and drinking was to be a symbol of their faith in Christ. Just as physical food gives earthly life, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross gives heavenly life.

Some people believe that the bread and wine of communion are somehow transformed into Jesus’ actual flesh and blood, or that Jesus somehow imbues these substances with His real presence. These ideas, called transubstantiation (professed by the Catholic and Orthodox churches) and consubstantiation (held by Lutherans), ignore Jesus’ statement that “the flesh counts for nothing” (John 6:63). The majority of Protestants understand that Jesus was speaking metaphorically about His flesh and blood and hold that the bread and wine are symbolic of the spiritual bond created with Christ through faith.

In the wilderness testing, the devil tempts Jesus with bread, and Jesus answers, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3). The implication is that the bread is God’s Word and that is what sustains us. Jesus is called the Word of God who came to earth and was made flesh (John 1:14). The Word of God is also the Bread of Life (John 6:48).

The book of Hebrews references the way that God uses the physical things of this earth as a way to help us understand and apply spiritual truth. Hebrews 8:5 says that some tangible things are “a copy and shadow of what is in heaven,” and that chapter explains how the Old Covenant, so concerned with physical rites and ceremonies, was replaced by the New Covenant in which God’s laws are written on our hearts (verse 10; cf. Jeremiah 31:33).

Hebrews 9:1–2 says, “The first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand and the table with its consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place.” According to Hebrews 8:5, the consecrated bread, or the “bread of the Presence,” was a physical representation of a spiritual concept, namely, the actual presence of God being continually with us today. The physical tent of meeting has been replaced by a spiritual temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16), and the physical bread of the Presence has become the spiritual bread that abides within us through the Holy Spirit.

When Jesus said we must “eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood” (John 6:53), He spoke, as He often did, in parabolic terms. We must receive Him by faith (John 1:12). “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6). We understand that we need physical food and drink; Jesus wants us to understand that we also need spiritual food and drink—and that is what His sacrifice provides.GotQuestions.org

Spurgeon - Truly Eating the Flesh of Jesus

‘Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life.’ John 6:53–54

What a man eats and drinks he appropriates to himself, and that not by laying it on one side in a treasury or casket, but by receiving it into himself. You appropriate money and put it in your pocket—you may lose it; you secure a piece of land and put your hedge about it, but that hedge may be broken down; but when you receive by eating and drinking, you have placed the good things where you will never be robbed of them; you have received them in the truest and surest sense, for you have real possession and enjoyment in your own person. To say, ‘Christ is mine’ is a blessed thing; but really to take Christ into you by the act of faith, is at once the vitality and the pleasure of faith. In eating and drinking a man is not a producer, but a consumer; he is not a doer or a giver forth; he simply takes in. If a queen should eat, if an empress should eat, she would become as completely a receiver as the pauper in the workhouse. Eating is an act of reception in every case. So it is with faith: you do not have to do, to be, or to feel, but only to receive; the saving point is not a something which comes from you, but the reception of something imparted to you. Faith is an act which the poorest, vilest, weakest, most condemned sinner may perform, because it is not an act requiring power on his part, nor the going forth of anything from him, but simply the receiving into himself. An empty vessel can receive and so much the better because it is empty. Are you willing to receive Jesus Christ as the free gift of divine mercy? Do you this day say, ‘I have received him’? Well then, you have eaten his flesh and drunk his blood.

Norman Geisler - JOHN 6:53–54—What did Jesus mean when He said we should eat His flesh? (Borrow When critics ask : a popular handbook on Bible difficulties) (Or here - page 350)

PROBLEM: Evangelical Christians believe in taking the Bible literally. But Jesus said, “unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). Should this be taken literally too?

SOLUTION: The literal (i.e., actual) meaning of a text is the correct one, but the literal meaning does not mean that everything should be taken literally. For example, the literal meaning of Jesus’ statement, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1) is that He is the real source of our spiritual life. But it does not mean that Jesus is a literal vine with leaves growing out of His arms and ears! Literal meaning can be communicated by means of figures of speech. Christ is the actual foundation of the church (1 Cor. 3:11; Eph. 2:20), but He is not literally a granite cornerstone with engraving on it.

There are many indications in John 6 that Jesus literally meant that the command to “eat His flesh” should be taken in a figurative way.

First, Jesus indicated that His statement should not be taken in a materialistic sense when He said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

Second, it is absurd and cannibalistic to take it in a physical way. (ED: WHICH IS HOW THE JEWS TOOK IT).

Third, He was not speaking of physical life, but “eternal life” (John 6:54).

Fourth, He called Himself the “bread of life” (John 6:48) and contrasted this with the physical bread the Jews ate in the wilderness (John 6:58).

Fifth, He used the figure of “eating” His flesh in parallel with the idea of “abiding” in Him (cf. John 15:4–5), which is another figure of speech. Neither figure is to be taken literally.

Sixth, if eating His flesh and drinking His blood be taken in a literalistic way, this would contradict other commands of Scripture not to eat human flesh and blood (cf. Acts 15:20).

Finally, in view of the figurative meaning here, this verse cannot be used to support the Roman Catholic concept of transubstantiation, that is, eating Jesus’ actual body in the communion (see comments on Luke 22:19)

Spurgeon - from TRULY EATING THE FLESH OF JESUS - OUR Lord Jesus did not in this passage allude to the Lord’s supper, as some desiring to maintain their sacramental superstitions have dared to affirm. I will not dwell upon the argument that there was no Lord’s supper at the time to allude to, though there is certainly some force in it; but I will rather remind you that with such an interpretation this passage would not be true. It must be confessed even by the most ardent advocate of the sacramental meaning that the expressions used by our Lord are not universally and without exception true if used in that sense: for it is not true that those who have never eaten the Lord’s supper have no life in them, since it is confessed on all hands that hundreds and thousands of children dying in childhood, are undoubtedly saved, and yet they have never eaten the flesh of Christ nor drank his blood, if the Lord’s supper be here meant. There have been also many others in bygone times who, by their conduct, proved that the life of God was in their souls, and yet they were not able to eat bread at the sacramental table, from sickness, banishment, imprisonment, and other causes. Surely also there are some others, though I would not excuse them, who have neglected to come to that blessed commemorative ordinance, and yet nevertheless for all that they are truly children of God. Would the highest of high churchmen send every Quaker, however holy and devout, down to the bottomless pit? If this should refer to the Lord’s supper, then it is certain that the dying thief could not have entered heaven, for he never sat down at the communion table, but was converted on the cross, and without either baptism or the Lord’s supper, went straight away with his Master into Paradise. It can never be proved; indeed, it is utterly false that no one has eternal life if he has not received the bread and wine of the communion table; and on the other hand, it is certainly equally untrue that whosoever eats Christ’s flesh has eternal life, if by that is meant every one who partakes of the Eucharist, for there are unworthy receivers, not here and there, but to be found by hundreds. Alas, there are apostates who leave the Lord’s table for the table of devils, who profane the holy name they once professed to love: there are also many who have received the sacramental bread and wine, and yet live in sin, who increase their sin by daring to come to the table, and who, alas, we fear, will die in their sins as many others have done. Unregenerate persons are very apt to make much of the sacrament and nothing of Christ. They think a great deal of the bread and wine of the (so-called) altar, but they have never known what it is to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ: these eat and drink unworthily—carnally eating bread, but not spiritually eating the Redeemer’s flesh: to them the ordinance is a curse rather than a blessing. Our Lord did not refer to the feast of his supper, for the language will not bear such an interpretation.

Vance Havner - Blood and Bread

"Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you." John 6:53

The Christian experience begins with Christ, the slain Passover Lamb and the blood applied by faith. With that truth sound believers are familiar in experience and doctrine. But the Christian experience continues on the strength of Christ, the Passover feast of the Bread of Life, as we feed upon Christ by faith. With that we are not so familiar.

Do not stop at the Passover, go on to the feast of unleavened bread. The blood must be followed by the bread. The lamb was not merely to be looked at and sung about but also to be eaten. Christ is our song but also our sustenance. All the lamb was eaten; Christ is for every need, all of him for all of us. The lamb was eaten with bitter herbs and so must we feed on Christ with broken and contrite hearts. No work was mixed with this feast nor are we to supplement the provision of Christ with works of our own. The bread was unleavened and we must allow no leaven of sin, malice, strife. The Israelites ate the feast girded and ready to travel: so must the believer sit loose to this world, a pilgrim and stranger, seeking here no continuing city.

The blood must come first, but the bread must follow. His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). Are you feeding daily on him?

John 6:53 - Borrow Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse - David Reed

Accordingly Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.” (NWT)

This is an important verse to bring up in a discussion with Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have been taught not only to reject taking communion but also to reject the new life that comes to all who put faith in the shed blood and crucified body of our Lord. They exclude themselves from the New Covenant ratified by the blood of Christ.

For suggestions on how to discuss this with them, see Matthew 26:27 and Revelation 7:9.

Related Resources:

John 6:54 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

BGT John 6:54 ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.

KJV John 6:54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

NET John 6:54 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

CSB John 6:54 Anyone who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day,

ESV John 6:54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.

NIV John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

NLT John 6:54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.

NRS John 6:54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day;

NJB John 6:54 Anyone who does eat my flesh and drink my blood has eternal life, and I shall raise that person up on the last day.

NAB John 6:54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

YLT John 6:54 he who is eating my flesh, and is drinking my blood, hath life age-during, and I will raise him up in the last day;

GWN John 6:54 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will bring them back to life on the last day.

BBE John 6:54 He who takes my flesh for food and my blood for drink has eternal life: and I will take him up from the dead at the last day.

RSV John 6:54 he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

NKJ John 6:54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

ASV John 6:54 He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

MIT John 6:54 One who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will resurrect him on the last day.

DBY John 6:54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day:

NIRV John 6:54 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day.

RWB John 6:54 Whoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

WEB John 6:54 Whoever eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

eats: John 6:27,40,63 4:14 Ps 22:26 Pr 9:4-6 Isa 25:6-8 55:1-3 Ga 2:20 Php 3:7-10
has: John 6:39,40,47
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

John 6:39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.

John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

THE WAY TO ATTAIN
ETERNAL LIFE

He who eats (esthio) My flesh (sarx) and drinks My blood has eternal life (zoe) - My flesh is repeated 4x in this section (Jn 6:51, 54, 55, 56), in the preceding passage as a condition that must be met in order to attain (spiritual) life, and now repeats the same thought in a more positive declaration. Compare this verse with John 6:47 where Jesus says “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." What is the parallel? How does one receive eternal life? Clearly the figures of speech (eats My flesh...drinks My blood) are parallel with "he who believes." And so the way to receive eternal life is by belief where from context Jesus is the object of our belief. Note that in Jn 6:40 the gift of eternal life is for the one who beholds (looks at Jesus) and "believes in Him," and here in Jn 6:54 the gift of eternal life is for the one who eats His flesh and drinks His blood. From this parallel, it is clear that eating and drinking equate with belief in Christ.

And I will raise him up (anistemi) on the last day As noted above the concept of resurrection is a keyword (idea) in John 6 - Jn 6:39, 40, 44, 54. Once again Jesus clearly links this resurrection in this passage with eternal life, speaking only of the resurrection of believers, every believer's great hope (Acts 23:6; 24:15; Titus 2:13; 1Pe 1:3, cf 1Co 15:12-19+). Unbelievers will suffer a separate resurrection (in time and space) from the grave in order that they might stand in person before the very One now offering life, and be judged by Him at the Great White Throne where they will be found "guilty as charged" (unrepentant sinners) and sentenced to "life imprisonment" (not a death sentence resulting in annihilation!) in the eternal lake of fire which will tragically bring conscious eternal punishment. (Rev 20:11-15+)

Merrill C Tenney explains that "The progression in thought in Jn 6:51-54 is significant. First, Christ said he gives his flesh "for the life of the world" (Jn 6:51). Then he says whoever has not partaken of his flesh and blood has "no life" in him (Jn 6:53). But then whoever eats his flesh and drinks his blood "has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jn 6:54). The Lord again gives the promise of resurrection to those who are associated with him (cf. Jn 6:39-40, 44). If there were any Sadducees among the "Jews," they really would have been infuriated. They did not believe in resurrection, and Jesus was offering them something their theology denied. (BORROW Expositor's Bible Commentary)

Blum - Sacramental interpretations appeal to the words eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood as evidence that Jesus was speaking of the eucharist. As stated earlier, the basic objection to this approach is historical: Jesus did not institute the Communion service until a year later. Drinking "His blood" is another bold figure of speech. The Jews knew the command, "You must not eat... any blood" (Lev. 3:17; cf. Lev. 17:10-14). And yet blood was the means of atonement. It is the blood that makes atonement for one's life (Lev. 17:11). Jesus' hearers must have been shocked and puzzled by His enigmatic words. But the puzzle is unlocked by understanding that Jesus was speaking of His making atonement by His death and giving life to those who personally appropriate Him (cf. John 6:63). Faith in Christ's death brings eternal life (cf. vv. 40, 47, 50-51) and (later) bodily resurrection (cf. vv. 39-40, 44).
(See Bible Knowledge Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

F F Bruce points out that "“In Jn 6:54 it is the person who eats the flesh of the Son of Man and drinks his blood that will be raised up by him at the last day; in Jn 6:40 the same promise is held out to ‘every one who sees the Son and believes in him’....Augustine of Hippo...sums up the truth in an immortal epigram: Crede, et manducasti ('Believe, and thou hast eaten").....Appropriating Christ by faith not only assures His people of life in the age to come when He raises them up at the last day; it makes that life of the age to come their heritage to be enjoyed by anticipation her and now. Moreover, this life is secured to them by the death of Christ, for the terms in which He describes their appropriation of Him by faith imply that the one who they so appropriate has yielded up His life in sacrifice. ” (Borrow The Gospel of John or see The Gospel of John - scroll up and down for more text)

Warren Wiersbe - Being orthodox Jews, the listeners knew the divine prohibition against eating human flesh or any kind of blood (Gen. 9:3-4; Lev. 17:10-16; 19:26). Here we have another example in John's Gospel of the people misunderstanding a spiritual truth by treating it literally (see John 2:19-21; 3:4; 4:11). All Jesus said was, "Just as you take food and drink within your body and it becomes a part of you, so you must receive Me within your innermost being so that I can give you life." Some interpreters tell us that Jesus was speaking about the Lord's Supper, and that we eat His flesh and drink His blood when we partake of the elements at the table, the bread and the cup. I do not believe that Jesus had the Communion (or eucharist) in mind when He spoke these words. For one thing, why would He discuss the Lord's Supper with a group of disagreeable unbelievers? He had not even shared that truth with His own disciples! Why would He cast this precious pearl before the swine? Second, He made it clear that He was not speaking in literal terms (John 6:63). He was using a human analogy to convey a spiritual truth, just as He did with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Third, Jesus made it plain that this eating and drinking were absolutely essential for eternal life. He made no exceptions. If, then, He was speaking about a church ordinance (or sacrament), then everybody who has never shared in that experience is spiritually dead and is going to hell. This would include all the Old Testament saints, the thief on the cross, and a host of people who have trusted Christ in emergency situations (hospitals, accidents, foxholes, etc.). I personally cannot believe that our gracious God has excluded from salvation all who cannot participate in a church ceremony. Another factor is the tense of the Greek verbs in John 6:50-51, and John 6:53. It is the aorist tense which signifies a once-for-all action. The Communion service is a repeated thing; in fact, it is likely that the early church observed the Lord's Supper daily (Acts 2:46) It is significant that the word flesh is never used in any of the reports of the Lord's Supper, either in the Gospels or in 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. The word used is "body." If a person holds that our Lord was speaking about the Communion service, then he must believe that somehow the two elements, the bread and the fruit of the vine, turn into the very body and blood of Christ; for He said, "So he that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me" (John 6:57, italics mine). How does this "miracle" take place? What is the secret of accomplishing it? Why is it not apparent? (Borrow The Bible Exposition Commentary)

C H Spurgeon makes an excellent point writing that "In eating and drinking, a man is not a producer, but a consumer; he is not a doer or a giver forth; he simply takes in. If a queen should eat, if an empress should eat, she would become as completely a receiver as the pauper in the workhouse. Eating is an act of reception in every case. So it is with faith: you have not to do, to be, or to feel, but only to receive.”

John 6:55 "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.

BGT John 6:55 ἡ γὰρ σάρξ μου ἀληθής ἐστιν βρῶσις, καὶ τὸ αἷμά μου ἀληθής ἐστιν πόσις.

KJV John 6:55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

NET John 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

CSB John 6:55 because My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink.

ESV John 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

NIV John 6:55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

NLT John 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

NRS John 6:55 for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.

NJB John 6:55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

NAB John 6:55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

YLT John 6:55 for my flesh truly is food, and my blood truly is drink;

My flesh is true food: John 6:32 1:9,47 8:31,36 15:1 Ps 4:7 Heb 8:2 1Jn 5:20
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

TRUE FOOD AND
TRUE DRINK

For My flesh (sarx) is true (alethes - truly) food (brosis), and My blood is true (alethes - truly) drink - Manna was food, but it was not true food in the sense that it failed to meet man's true need, regeneration and spiritual life.

Jesus is explaining what Jn 6:53,54 are true and is still speaking figuratively using His flesh (as "food") and His blood as emblems that must be partaken and the only way one can do that is by faith in Him. Jesus is contrasting His flesh and blood with the food and drink of this world which have only temporary value. Partaking of His flesh and blood by grace through faith yields life eternal while partaking only of physical food and drink leads not only to physical death but, far worse, to punishment forever. In other words, literal food and drink sustain physical life (temporarily), but Jesus' supernatural "nutrients" provide spiritual life (forever).

Barnes on true food - My doctrine is truly that which will give life to the soul.

John MacArthur makes the point that "The New Testament frequently uses the term blood as a graphic metonym speaking of Christ's death on the cross as the final sacrifice for sin (Matt. 26:28; Acts 20:28; Rom. 3:25; 5:9; 1 Cor. 11:25; Eph. 1:7; 2:13; Col. 1:20; Heb. 9:12, 14; 10:19, 29; 13:12; 1 Peter 1:2, 19; 1 John 1:7; Rev. 1:5; 5:9; 7:14; 12:11). His sacrifice was the one to which all of the Old Testament sacrifices pointed. (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

True (227) alethes rom a = negates + letho [from lanthano] = to escape notice, be hid; See related word aletheia) is an adjective which literally describes that which does not escape notice. Alethes means primarily unconcealed or manifest. The opposite of pseudes - false, lying. Thus alethes describes that which is manifest, that which is unconcealed, that which conforms to reality (and thus is genuine), of persons characterized by integrity, of statements that agree with facts, that which is real (authentic, not imaginary). Being truthful and honest.

Alethes is used to describe Jesus several times in the Gospels - Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Jn 7:18. Alethes describes that which is true, sincere, real, correct, faithful, trustworthy, genuine, veracious. Alethes can mean loving or speaking the truth (truthful) (Mt 22:16, Mk 12:14, Jn 7:18, 2Cor 6:8). God Himself is referred to as true (Jn 3:33, 8:26, Ro 3:4). Other things described as true include testimony (Jn 5:31,32, 8:13, 14, Jn 19:35, 21:24, 3Jn 1:12), grace (1Pe 5:12), proverb (2Pe 2:22), true commandment (1Jn 2:8). Alethes describes that which conforms to reality, that which is unconcealed, that which is manifest, that which is in accordance with facts, that which is characterized by reality (and thus is genuine), that which is real (authentic, not imaginary). Alethes is used to describe Jesus several times in the Gospels - Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Jn 7:18.

Renn - The quality of being “true” in the sense of being “endowed with integrity, honesty” describes Christ (Mt 22:16; Mk 12:14; Jn 7:18); God (Jn 8:26; Ro 3:4); and human beings (2Co. 6: 8). In a number of places, alethes denotes the quality “true” in the sense of “that which is in accord with truth” (e.g., Jn 5:31ff.; Jn 8:13ff.; Php. 4:8; Titus 1:13; 1Jn 2: 8, 27).

Alethes - 26x in 25v - real(1), true(21), truly(1), truth(1), truthful(2). Matt. 22:16; Mk. 12:14; Jn. 3:33; Jn. 4:18; Jn. 5:31; Jn. 5:32; Jn. 6:55; Jn. 7:18; Jn. 8:13; Jn. 8:14; Jn. 8:17; Jn. 8:26; Jn. 10:41; Jn. 19:35; Jn. 21:24; Acts 12:9; Rom. 3:4; 2 Co. 6:8; Phil. 4:8; Tit. 1:13; 1 Pet. 5:12; 2 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 2:8; 1 Jn. 2:27; 3 Jn. 1:12

Spurgeon - The Meat and Drink of the New Nature

‘For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.’ John 6:55

Do we know our own strength? I do not mean our natural strength, for that is weakness, but the strength which lies in the new nature when it has fed on Christ. Brethren, we are strong to do, strong to be, strong to suffer. And to take an easy illustration of this, look at how the saints have suffered. Take down Foxe’s Book of Martyrs: read of Marcus Arethusa, stung to death by wasps without a sigh. Think of Blandina, tossed on the horns of bulls, exposed in a red-hot iron chair, and yet never flinching. Give up Christ? They never dreamed of such a thing. Think of Lawrence on the gridiron, and other heroes innumerable, who were made strong because Christ was in them. Turn to humble men and women over yonder there in Smithfield, who could clap their hands while every finger burned like a candle, and who could shout, ‘None but Christ.’ Why, they fed on the flesh and blood of Christ, and that made them mighty. They were tortured on the rack like Anne Askew, and yet they scorned to yield. Brave woman! The priests and the friars could not vanquish her. Neither could all the Bishop Bonners in the world burn Christ out of poor Tomkins. When Bonner held the poor man’s fingers over the candle and said, ‘How will you like that in every single limb of your body?’ Tomkins smiled on the bishop and said that he forgave him the cruelty that he was doing him. Christ in a man makes him a partaker of divine strength. Do you not think that as you are not called to suffer, you ought to lay out your strength in the line of doing, giving, self-denial and serving Christ by holy living? Certainly you should try to do so, and your strength will be found equal to it. You do not know how strong you are, but Paul shall tell you—‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ Well may you do all things if you have fed on him who ‘is all, and in all’.

John 6:56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

BGT John 6:56 ὁ τρώγων μου τὴν σάρκα καὶ πίνων μου τὸ αἷμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μένει κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ.

KJV John 6:56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

NET John 6:56 The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.

CSB John 6:56 The one who eats My flesh and drinks My blood lives in Me, and I in him.

ESV John 6:56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.

NIV John 6:56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

NLT John 6:56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him.

NRS John 6:56 Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.

NJB John 6:56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me and I live in that person.

NAB John 6:56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.

YLT John 6:56 he who is eating my flesh, and is drinking my blood, doth remain in me, and I in him.

He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood La 3:24
abides: John 14:20,23; Jn 15:4-5; Jn 17:21-23 Ps 90:1 91:1,9 2Co 6:16 Eph 3:17 1Jn 3:24 4:12,15,16 Rev 3:20
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 14:20 “In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

John 15:4-5 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. 5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

John 17:21-23 that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 “The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.

PROMISE OF
UNION WITH CHRIST

He who eats (esthio) My flesh (sarx) and drinks My blood - This is figurative language for "believes in Me."

David Guzik on eats My flesh and drinks My blood - Such radical statements offend many; in part this was Jesus’ intent. In response to those who twisted His words and meaning, He made the metaphors stronger, not weaker. He refused to back down from the truth: I am the bread of life, and the substance of that bread is His sacrifice on the cross, the giving of His flesh and blood. What He gave at the cross, we must receive.

Abides (meno) in Me, and I in him - Jesus emphasizes the oneness, fellowship and communion every believer now has with Him forever! Abides is present tense picturing our present supernatural and eternal union, communion and koinonia with our Lord Jesus Christ! The idea is the picture of the believer remaining where he is (in Christ) forever. To abide in Him and have Him abide in us speaks of the oneness we experience when we enter the New Covenant in His blood by grace through faith. To eat His flesh and drink His blood is to believe wholly in Him as our substitutionary, fully atoning sacrificial Lamb. In Me is a locative of sphere which in simple terms pictures believers as living in the "atmosphere" of Christ forever (cf Gal 2:20+). Paul has a parallel thought writing "Christ Who is our life." (Col 3:4+). In Him, we live and breathe and have our being, now and forever. Hallelujah. Amen!

As Adam Clarke puts it "He lives in them, and they in him; for they are made partakers of the Divine nature: 2 Peter 1:4+ ("For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.").”

D A Carson writes that abides (meno) in Me and I in him describes "a mutual indwelling. Jesus' dwelling in believers means that he identifies himself with them, but their dwelling in him means that they continue to depend on him." (BORROW New Bible Commentary)

In another note Carson writes "The verb 'remains' or 'abides' (meno) is important to John, defining not only relationships amongst Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Jn 1:32-33; 14:10; 15:10), but between believers and Christ (e.g. Jn 5:38; 8:31; 15:4, 7, 9-10). (See The Gospel According to John)

William MacDonald - When we eat literal food, we take it into our very being (ED: ASSIMILATE IT); and it becomes a (VITAL) part of us. When we accept the Lord Jesus as our Redeemer, He comes into our lives to abide (FOREVER), and we, too, abide (continually dwell) in Him. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

I like the way Jamieson explains this hard saying - "As our food becomes incorporated with ourselves, so Christ and those who eat His flesh and drink His blood become spiritually one life, though personally distinct." COMMENT - "One life" speaks of the covenant oneness every believer in Christ experiences with Him, a oneness that one day will go from potential to perfection when we are glorified and abide with and in Him forever. Maranatha Lord! (See also The Oneness of Covenant and Covenant Oneness)

Brian Bell - Just as you take food into your body, so you take Christ into your life; & He becomes one with you.

Blum on abides in Me and I in him - The Father "remains" (ABIDES) in the Son (Jn 14:10), the Spirit "remains" on Jesus (Jn 1:32), and believers "remain" in Jesus and He in them (Jn 6:56; 15:4). The implications of this "remaining" are many. A believer enjoys intimacy with and security in Jesus. Just as He has His life from the Father, so believers have life because of Jesus. (SEE Bible Knowledge Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

Bob Utley on abides in Me and I in him This same truth is stated in John 15:4-7; 1 John 2:6,27,28; 3:6,24. This is the ongoing NT emphasis on abiding in faith (cf. Gal 6:9; Rev 2:7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21. True response is validated by a continuing response (ED: Abides is present tense). This emphasis on perseverance is the missing element in American evangelicalism. One must not only start in faith, but finish in faith (Hebrews 11). Jonathan Edwards said, "Sure proof of election is that one hold out to the end." W. T. Conner said, "The salvation of a man elected to salvation is from eternity to eternity certain in the mind and purpose of God, yet it is conditioned upon faith, and a faith that perseveres and conquers." (See "ABIDING" IN JOHN'S WRITINGS)

Related Resource:

Perseverance of the Saints - is it biblical?

Abides (continues, remains) (3306) meno in simple terms means to remain in the same place or position over a period of time. It means to reside, stay, live, lodge, tarry or dwell. Menō describes something that remains where it is, continues in a fixed state, or endures. Meno can mean "to take up permanent residence" or "to make yourself at home." Meno is the root of the Greek noun mone which means mansion or habitation (Jn 14:2, 23). Meno is a keyword for the apostle John who has more than one half of the NT uses.

Meno in John's Gospel - Jn. 1:32; Jn. 1:33; Jn. 1:38; Jn. 1:39; Jn. 2:12; Jn. 3:36; Jn. 4:40; Jn. 5:38; Jn. 6:27; Jn. 6:56; Jn. 7:9; Jn. 8:31; Jn. 8:35; Jn. 9:41; Jn. 10:40; Jn. 11:6; Jn. 11:54; Jn. 12:24; Jn. 12:34; Jn. 12:46; Jn. 14:10; Jn. 14:17; Jn. 14:25; Jn. 15:4; Jn. 15:5; Jn. 15:6; Jn. 15:7; Jn. 15:9; Jn. 15:10; Jn. 15:16; Jn. 19:31; Jn. 21:22; Jn. 21:23; Meno in John's letters - 1 Jn. 2:6; 1 Jn. 2:10; 1 Jn. 2:14; 1 Jn. 2:17; 1 Jn. 2:19; 1 Jn. 2:24; 1 Jn. 2:27; 1 Jn. 2:28; 1 Jn. 3:6; 1 Jn. 3:9; 1 Jn. 3:14; 1 Jn. 3:15; 1 Jn. 3:17; 1 Jn. 3:24; 1 Jn. 4:12; 1 Jn. 4:13; 1 Jn. 4:15; 1 Jn. 4:16; 2 Jn. 1:2; 2 Jn. 1:9; Rev. 17:10

John 6:57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.

BGT John 6:57 καθὼς ἀπέστειλέν με ὁ ζῶν πατὴρ κἀγὼ ζῶ διὰ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ὁ τρώγων με κἀκεῖνος ζήσει δι᾽ ἐμέ.

KJV John 6:57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

NET John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so the one who consumes me will live because of me.

CSB John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me.

ESV John 6:57 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.

NIV John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

NLT John 6:57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me.

NRS John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me.

NJB John 6:57 As the living Father sent me and I draw life from the Father, so whoever eats me will also draw life from me.

NAB John 6:57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

YLT John 6:57 'According as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, he also who is eating me, even that one shall live because of me;

the living: Ps 18:46 Jer 10:10 1Th 1:9 Heb 9:14
I live: John 5:26 17:21
also: John 11:25,26 14:6,19 1Co 15:22 2Co 13:4 Ga 2:20 Col 3:3,4 1Jn 4:9
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 5:21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes.

John 5:24-27 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

HOW TO HAVE
ETERNAL LIFE

In context, Jesus has just spoken of believers abiding in Him and He in them. Now He illustrates this close, inseparable union by describing His union with His Father.

As the living (zao) Father sent Me, and I live (zao) because of the Father - The key words are living and life emphasizing the Father and Son are the Source of eternal life. Living Father and I live speak of the perfect communication of attributes between the Father and the Son. The Father has life and the Son has life because He is one with the Father in perfect union.

So - For this reason or term of conclusion. In light of the intimate, living, life-giving connection between Jesus and His Father, Jesus offers this conclusion to believers.

He who eats Me, he also will live (zao) because of Me - Eats again speaks of belief in Jesus Who has life because of union with His living Father and we in turn can now and forever experience His supernatural life. This is one facet of Peter's description of believers as "partakers (koinonos - one who fellowships and shares something in common with) of the divine nature." (2Pe 1:4+).

William MacDonald - As a Man here in the world, Jesus lived because of the Father, that is, by reason of the Father. His life was lived in closest union and harmony with God the Father. God was the center and circumference of His life. His purpose was to be occupied with God the Father. He was here as a Man in the world, and the world did not realize that He was God manifest in the flesh. Although He was misunderstood by the world, yet He and His Father were one. They lived in closest intimacy. That is exactly the way it is with believers in the Lord Jesus. They are here in the world, misunderstood by the world, hated and often persecuted. But because they have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus, they live because of Him. Their lives are closely bound up with His life, and this life shall endure forever. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Live (living, alive) (2198) zao refers literally to natural physical life (opposite of death, Acts 22:22, 25:24, 28:4, Ro 7:1-3, 1Cor 7:39, of Adam = 1Cor 15:45; 2Cor 4:11 = refers to natural lives of believers; Php 1:22 - "to live on in the [physical] flesh"; 1Th 4:15,17 = believers physically alive at time of Rapture; Heb 2:15; Heb 9:17; James 4:15 = "we shall live" physically if God so wills it!), to come to life after death (Mt 9:18), to recover life after sickness (Jn 4:50). Zao refers to supernatural, spiritual life (cf Jn 11:25, 26), Paul explaining that Christ "lives because of the power of God." (2Cor 13:4) In Rev 16:3 "living thing" refers to the biological life of all the sea animals. In Rev 19:20 the Antichrist and his False Prophet will be "thrown alive into the lake of fire," indicating they will have conscious awareness of their torment (forever and ever). Zao refers to the new birth wrought by one's faith in the Gospel (Ro 1:17)

Zao in John's Gospel - Jn. 4:10; Jn. 4:11; Jn. 4:50; Jn. 4:51; Jn. 4:53; Jn. 5:25; Jn. 6:51; Jn. 6:57; Jn. 6:58; Jn. 7:38; Jn. 11:25; Jn. 11:26; Jn. 14:19

Spurgeon - Faith's Checkbook - WE live by virtue of our union with the Son of God (ED: SEE The Oneness of Covenant). As God-man Mediator, the Lord Jesus lives by the self-existent Father who has sent him, and in the same manner we live by the Saviour who has quickened us. He who is the source of our life is also the sustenance of it. Living is sustained by feeding. We must support the spiritual life by spiritual food, and that spiritual food is the Lord Jesus—not his life, or death, or offices, or work, or word alone, but himself, as including all these. On Jesus, himself, we feed.

This is set forth to us in the Lord’s Supper, but it is actually enjoyed by us when we meditate upon our Lord, believe in him with appropriating faith, take him into ourselves by love, and assimilate him by the power of the inner life. We know what it is to feed on Jesus, but we cannot speak it or write it. Our wisest course is to practice it, and to do so more and more. We are entreated to eat abundantly, and it will be to our infinite profit to do so when Jesus is our meat and our drink.

Lord, I thank thee that this, which is a necessity of my new life, is also its greatest delight. So I do at this hour feed on thee.

H. A. Ironside wrote: “When we recognize that his precious blood poured out on the cross has atoned for our sins, then we are eating his flesh and drinking his blood.”

PHILLIPS BROOKS. JOHN 6:57. He that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

To feed on Christ is to get His strength into us to be our strength. You feed on the cornfield, and the strength of the cornfield comes into you, and is your strength. You feed on Christ, and then go and live your life; and it is Christ in you that lives your life, that helps the poor, that tells the truth, that fights the battles, and that wins the crown.

John 6:58 "This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever."

BGT John 6:58 οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, οὐ καθὼς ἔφαγον οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἀπέθανον· ὁ τρώγων τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον ζήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

KJV John 6:58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

NET John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the bread your ancestors ate, but then later died. The one who eats this bread will live forever."

CSB John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven; it is not like the manna your fathers ate-- and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever."

ESV John 6:58 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."

NIV John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever."

NLT John 6:58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever."

NRS John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever."

NJB John 6:58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven; it is not like the bread our ancestors ate: they are dead, but anyone who eats this bread will live for ever.

NAB John 6:58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."

YLT John 6:58 this is the bread that came down out of the heaven; not as your fathers did eat the manna, and died; he who is eating this bread shall live -- to the age.'

GWN John 6:58 This is the bread that came from heaven. It is not like the bread your ancestors ate. They eventually died. Those who eat this bread will live forever."

BBE John 6:58 This is the bread which has come down from heaven. It is not like the food which your fathers had: they took of the manna, and are dead; but he who takes this bread for food will have life for ever.

RSV John 6:58 This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."

John 6:32,34,41,47-51
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JESUS THE BREAD
FROM HEAVEN REDUX

This is the bread (artos) which came down (katabaino) out of Heaven; not as the fathers ate and died - Jesus sums up the discourse by returning again to the contrast of the manna with the picture of the source of the Bread that is His flesh emphasizing that it is from Heaven.

He who eats this bread (artos) will live (zao) forever - Here the contrast is that the one who eats this bread, His flesh, will receive eternal life, even though he will die physically.

MacDonald concludes that "This verse seems to summarize all that the Lord has said in the previous verses." (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

John 6:59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

BGT John 6:59 Ταῦτα εἶπεν ἐν συναγωγῇ διδάσκων ἐν Καφαρναούμ.

KJV John 6:59 These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

NET John 6:59 Jesus said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

CSB John 6:59 He said these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

ESV John 6:59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

NIV John 6:59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

NLT John 6:59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

NRS John 6:59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

NJB John 6:59 This is what he taught at Capernaum in the synagogue.

NAB John 6:59 These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

YLT John 6:59 These things he said in a synagogue, teaching in Capernaum;

GWN John 6:59 Jesus said this while he was teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum.

BBE John 6:59 Jesus said these things in the Synagogue while he was teaching at Capernaum.

in the: John 6:24 18:20 Ps 40:9,10 Pr 1:20-23 8:1-3 Lu 4:31
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Ruins of 4th Century Synagogue at Capernaum

JESUS TEACHING IN
THE SYNAGOGUE

These things He said in the synagogue (sunagoge) as He taught (didasko in present tense) in Capernaum - Note the picture above is the white limestone structure from the fourth century which is actually situated on the foundation of the black basalt synagogue in which Jesus preached. These things (cf "these things" in Jn 6:1) of course refers to His discourse on the Bread of Life (it was more a dialogue than a sermon) which began with a question from the Jews in Jn 6:25 and His response in Jn 6:26. Recall that Capernaum was His home base while He ministered in Galilee. (cp Jn 6:17)

THOUGHT - What an example to imitate? People grumbling and arguing and yet because of His great love for their souls, He keeps on teaching. We need to do likewise to a lost and dying world.

The phrase these things is a favorite of John (45x/41v out of 203x in the NT) - Jn. 1:28; Jn. 2:16; Jn. 2:18; Jn. 3:9; Jn. 3:10; Jn. 3:22; Jn. 5:1; Jn. 5:16; Jn. 5:19; Jn. 5:34; Jn. 6:1; Jn. 6:59; Jn. 7:1; Jn. 7:4; Jn. 7:9; Jn. 7:32; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 8:30; Jn. 9:40; Jn. 11:43; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 12:36; Jn. 12:41; Jn. 13:17; Jn. 14:25; Jn. 15:11; Jn. 15:21; Jn. 16:1; Jn. 16:3; Jn. 16:4; Jn. 16:6; Jn. 16:25; Jn. 16:33; Jn. 17:1; Jn. 17:13; Jn. 19:25; Jn. 19:36; Jn. 19:38; Jn. 20:18; Jn. 21:1; Jn. 21:24

Brian Bell - These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. ILLUSTRATION - Several years ago a reader of The British Weekly wrote a letter to the editor as follows: "Dear Sir! I notice that ministers seem to set a great deal of importance on their sermons and spend a great deal of time in preparing them. I have been attending services quite regularly for the past thirty years and during that time, if I estimate correctly, I have listened to no less than 3000 sermons. But, to my consternation, I discover I cannot remember a single one of them. I wonder if a minister's time might be more profitably spent on something else? Sincerely... The letter kicked up quite an editorial storm of angry responses for weeks. The pros and cons of sermons were tossed back and forth until, finally, one letter ended the debate. This letter said, "My Dear Sir: I have been married for thirty years. During that time I have eaten 32,850 meals - mostly of my wife's cooking. Suddenly I have discovered that I cannot remember the menu of a single meal. And yet, I received nourishment from every one of them. I have the distinct impression that without them I would have starved to death long ago.” Sincerely...

Bob Utley on synagogue - Jesus practiced the Judaism of His day. He learned in synagogue school, He worshiped in a synagogue, and He taught in a synagogue. He fulfilled all the expectations of the Mosaic Law. Synagogues basically began during the Babylonian captivity (605-538 B.C.). The Jews started special places of worship and teaching everywhere there were ten Jewish men. These became the preservers of Jewish culture and customs. When the Jews returned to Judea (i.e., the decree of Cyrus, 538 B,C,) and the temple service they retained these local centers. SPECIAL TOPIC: SYNAGOGUE

Synagogue (4864) sunagoge from sunago = lead together, assemble or bring together) refers to a group of people “going with one another” (sunago) literally describes a bringing together or congregating in one place. Eventually, sunagoge came to mean the place where they congregated together. The word was used to designate the buildings other than the central Jewish temple where the Jews congregated for worship. Historically, the Synagogues originated in the Babylonian captivity after the 586 BC destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar and served as places of worship and instruction. Sunagoge was the name of a group "Synagogue of the Freedmen" (Acts 6:9). The only other use of synagogue in John's Gospel is in Jn 18:20. See also What is a synagogue? | GotQuestions.org.

Taught (teaching, taught) (1321) didasko from dáo= know or teach; English = didactic; see study of related noun didaskalia and the adjective didaktikos) means to provide instruction or information in a formal or informal setting. In the 97 NT uses of didasko the meaning is virtually always to teach or instruct, although the purpose and content of the teaching must be determined from the context. Didasko means to teach a student in such a way that the will of the student becomes conformed to the teaching taught. So the teacher teaches in such a way that as the student is taught, he/she now changes his/her mind saying in essence ''I won't do it this way, but I will do it this way because I've learned this doctrine or this teaching.'' Doctrine determines direction of our behavior--conformed to world or to God? (cf Ro 12:1+) Teaching that Scripture finds significant is not that which gives information alone but which produces (Spirit enabled) transformation (2 Cor 3:18+), making disciples (learners) who seek to live supernaturally (enabled by the Spirit - Eph 5:18+) in loving obedience to the will of our Father Who art in Heaven.

Didasko in Gospel of John - Jn. 6:59; Jn. 7:14; Jn. 7:28; Jn. 7:35; Jn. 8:2; Jn. 8:20; Jn. 8:28; Jn. 9:34; Jn. 14:26; Jn. 18:20

Related Resources:

John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?"

BGT John 6:60 Πολλοὶ οὖν ἀκούσαντες ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ εἶπαν· σκληρός ἐστιν ὁ λόγος οὗτος· τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν;

KJV John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

NET John 6:60 Then many of his disciples, when they heard these things, said, "This is a difficult saying! Who can understand it?"

CSB John 6:60 Therefore, when many of His disciples heard this, they said, "This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?"

ESV John 6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

NIV John 6:60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

NLT John 6:60 Many of his disciples said, "This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?"

NRS John 6:60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?"

NJB John 6:60 After hearing it, many of his followers said, 'This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?'

NAB John 6:60 Then many of his disciples who were listening said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"

YLT John 6:60 many, therefore, of his disciples having heard, said, 'This word is hard; who is able to hear it?'

GWN John 6:60 When many of Jesus' disciples heard him, they said, "What he says is hard to accept. Who wants to listen to him anymore?"

BBE John 6:60 Then, hearing this, a number of his disciples said, This is a hard saying; who is able to take in such teaching?

RSV John 6:60 Many of his disciples, when they heard it, said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?"

NKJ John 6:60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?"

ASV John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples, when the heard this, said, This is a hard saying; who can hear it?

MIT John 6:60 Many of his disciples after hearing the foregoing teaching, said, "This is a perplexing message. Who can take it in?"

DBY John 6:60 Many therefore of his disciples having heard it said, This word is hard; who can hear it?

NIRV John 6:60 Jesus' disciples heard this. Many of them said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

Many of His disciples: John 6:66 8:31
This: John 6:41,42 8:43 Mt 11:6 Heb 5:11 2Pe 3:16
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “IF you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

THE BREAD OF LIFE
A HARD SAYING

Therefore - Term of conclusion. The implication is that Jesus' sermon is over and now the critique begins (as is so common in churches when the pastor finishes his message and sometimes even during the message)!

All true believers are disciples,
not all disciples are true believers!

Many of His disciples (mathetes) - Praise God that this adjective was not "all" because many indicates there were some who did not express this sentiment, which we soon see is the 12 disciples (including one traitor). Disciples in simple terms means one who follows another person. Moses had disciples. John the Baptist had disciples. The word "disciples" here does not mean they were believers. Mark it down that while all true believers are disciples, not all disciples are true believers! Many so-called disciples professed to receive Jesus' teachings (and thus gained the title of His "disciple). But as we shall soon see, many of those disciples were professors but not possessors (of eternal life)!

Jesus makes it clear what defines a disciple who is a genuine believer declaring "to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word (logos), then (AND ONLY THEN) you are truly disciples of Mine." (Jn 8:31+) His point was that there was belief among these Jews that was not saving belief, which here in John 6 leads to disciples who are not true (born again) disciples! As these non-believing disciples will soon prove, they did not remain or abide in His Word (logos), so they failed Jesus' "definition" of a genuine disciple in Jn 8:31+.

When they heard (akouo) this said, "This is a difficult (skleros - "hard saying") statement (logos - word) who can (dunamai - inherently able to) listen (akouo) to it - CSB - "This teaching is hard! Who can accept it?" The idea of their accusatory question was “Who can stand and listen to such offensive doctrine?” In the immediate context this might refer to Jesus' last statement "he who eats this bread will live forever." Or it could refer to His entire discourse on Bread and His explanation regarding the fact that He was the flesh that must be eaten and the blood that must be drunk, both of which would have been very difficult for a Jew to receive. In short while most of the Jews did not understand the metaphorical and spiritual aspects of Jesus' message, it was the parts that they did understand that were disturbing.

In the phrase "who can listen (akouo) to it?" there is the nuance of who can accept it or who can receive it and believe it. There is often overlap in these various nuances. "Jesus’ teaching wasn’t difficult to understand, just difficult to accept." (Swindoll)

D A Carson - What was it that offended their sensibilities? Judging by the preceding discourse, there were four features in Jesus' word at which they took umbrage. (1) They were more interested in food (Jn 6:26), political messianism (Jn 6:14-15) and manipulative miracles (Jn 6:30-31) than in the spiritual realities to which the feeding miracle had pointed. (2) They were unprepared to relinquish their own sovereign authority even in matters religious, and therefore were incapable of taking the first steps of genuine faith (Jn 6:41-46). (3) In particular they were offended at the claims Jesus advanced, claiming to be greater than Moses, uniquely sent by God and authorized to give life (Jn 6:32ff., Jn 6:58). (4) The extended metaphor of the 'bread' is itself offensive to them, especially when it assaults clear taboos and becomes a matter of 'eating flesh' and 'drinking blood'. (BORROW The Gospel according to John page 300)

John MacArthur adds "Like those who dismissed Jesus' teaching outright, they were scandalized by His claim to have come down from heaven (Jn 6:33, 38, 41-42, 50-51), His contention that He was the only answer to mankind's spiritual need (Jn 6:33, 35, 40), and His call for them to eat His flesh and drink His blood (Jn 6:51-57). (See John Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

(Jesus' Sermon)
Not incomprehensible but unacceptable.
-- John MacArthur

Guzik on difficult - This refers to that which is hard to accept, not to what is hard to understand. No doubt, they did find Jesus’ words somewhat mysterious, but it was the parts they did understand that were really disturbing.. Jesus was demanding a complete allegiance to Him, and demanding that everything else—including literal bread—be put in second place.

Barton on difficult - The motive behind Jesus’ harsh words is not difficult to see—he wanted people to count the cost of following him (Luke 14:25–33). His words shocked and challenged. They were not comfortable half-truths, but hard-edged truth. Those who follow Jesus in hopes of feeling good will always be disappointed sooner or later. Only those who find in Jesus the rock-solid truth will be able to weather the difficulties of living in this fallen world (Borrow John - Life Application Commentary)

NET NOTE on listen - Or "obey it"; Grk "hear it." The Greek word akouo could imply hearing with obedience here, in the sense of "obey." It could also point to the acceptance of what Jesus had just said, (i.e., "who can accept what He said?" However, since the context contains several replies by those in the crowd of hearers that suggest uncertainty or confusion over the meaning of what Jesus had said (Jn 6:42; 6:52), the meaning "understand" is preferred here.

John MacArthur - Jesus' point was an analogy that has spiritual, rather than literal, significance: just as eating and drinking are necessary for physical life, so also is belief in His sacrificial death on the cross necessary for eternal life. The eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood metaphorically symbolize the need for accepting Jesus' cross work. For the Jews, however, a crucified Messiah was unthinkable (cf. Ac 17:1-3). Once again, the Jews, in their willful and judicial blindness, could not see the real spiritual significance and truth behind Jesus' statements. Moreover, Jesus' reference here to eating and drinking was not referring to the ordinance of communion for two significant reasons: 1) communion had not been instituted yet, and 2) if Jesus was referring to communion, then the passage would teach that anyone partaking of communion would receive eternal life. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible)

C H Spurgeon - Observe, dear friends, how careful the Holy Spirit is that we should not make a mistake about our Lord Jesus Christ. He knew that men are liable to think too little of the ever blessed Son of God, and that some, who call themselves Christians, nevertheless deny Christ’s divinity, and are ever ready to forge an argument against the true and real deity of the Saviour out of anything which appears to limit his power or knowledge. Here is an instance of the care of the Spirit to prevent our falling into an erroneous conclusion. Our Lord consults with Philip, asking this poor disciple, ‘Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?’ Some might therefore have inferred that Jesus did not know what to do, but felt embarrassed. From this they would argue that Jesus cannot be Almighty God, for surely embarrassment is inconsistent with Omnipotence. Why should Jesus consult with Philip if he knows all things? Now, the Holy Spirit would have us beware of falling into low thoughts of our great Redeemer and Lord, and especially of ever being so mistaken as to think that he is not God; therefore he plainly tells us, ‘this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.’ Jesus was not asking information or taking counsel with Philip because he felt any doubt about his line of procedure, or needed help from his disciple. He did not want Philip to multiply bread, but he desired to multiply Philip’s faith. Take heed, therefore, dear friends, that you never think little of the Saviour, or impute any of his acts to motives that would lessen his glory. Learn here, too, that we, being very apt to make mistakes concerning Christ, daily need the Spirit of God to interpret Christ to us. (Jesus Knew What He Would Do)

Brian Bell - THREE ATTITUDES! (60-71) Y. DEFECTION! (60-66) Z. This is the 1st group. Unbelievers who choked on the bread going down. 1. Did you know...Many sharks have the ability to turn their stomachs inside out and evert it out of their mouths in order to get rid of any unwanted contents. AA.(60) Hard saying - Yes, very difficult. 1. Not hard to understand, but hard to accept! – skleros (dried, rough, harsh), from skello (to dry). 2. This fresh bread from heaven just became stale & crunchy in their mouth fast!

Disciples (3101) mathetes from manthano = to learn which Vine says is "from a root math, indicating thought accompanied by endeavor". Gives us our English = "mathematics" - see matheteuo) describes a person who learns from another by instruction, whether formal or informal. Another sources says mathetes is from from math- which speaks of "mental effort that thinks something through" and thus describes is a learner; a follower who learns the doctrines and the lifestyle of the one they follow. Discipleship includes the idea of one who intentionally learns by inquiry and observation (cf inductive Bible study) and thus mathetes is more than a mere pupil. A mathetes describes an adherent of a teacher. As discussed below mathetes itself has no spiritual connotation, and it is used of superficial followers of Jesus as well as of genuine believers. The Lord calls everyone to grow as a disciple (a learner of Christ; cf. also Mt 11;29,30), one who lives in faith, who lives in and by His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mathetes in John - Jn. 1:35; Jn. 1:37; Jn. 2:2; Jn. 2:11; Jn. 2:12; Jn. 2:17; Jn. 2:22; Jn. 3:22; Jn. 3:25; Jn. 4:1; Jn. 4:2; Jn. 4:8; Jn. 4:27; Jn. 4:31; Jn. 4:33; Jn. 6:3; Jn. 6:8; Jn. 6:12; Jn. 6:16; Jn. 6:22; Jn. 6:24; Jn. 6:60; Jn. 6:61; Jn. 6:66; Jn. 7:3; Jn. 8:31; Jn. 9:2; Jn. 9:27; Jn. 9:28; Jn. 11:7; Jn. 11:8; Jn. 11:12; Jn. 11:54; Jn. 12:4; Jn. 12:16; Jn. 13:5; Jn. 13:22; Jn. 13:23; Jn. 13:35; Jn. 15:8; Jn. 16:17; Jn. 16:29; Jn. 18:1; Jn. 18:2; Jn. 18:15; Jn. 18:16; Jn. 18:17; Jn. 18:19; Jn. 18:25; Jn. 19:26; Jn. 19:27; Jn. 19:38; Jn. 20:2; Jn. 20:3; Jn. 20:4; Jn. 20:8; Jn. 20:10; Jn. 20:18; Jn. 20:19; Jn. 20:20; Jn. 20:25; Jn. 20:26; Jn. 20:30; Jn. 21:1; Jn. 21:2; Jn. 21:4; Jn. 21:7; Jn. 21:8; Jn. 21:12; Jn. 21:14; Jn. 21:20; Jn. 21:23; Jn. 21:24

Difficult (harsh) (4642) skleros from skéllo = to harden, dry up; English = sclerosis) literally means hard, stiff, dried up, dry, severe. When referring to voices or sounds it means hoarse or harsh (Jn 6:60). When referring to things it means hard or tough. When referring to people, it conveys an inhuman character. "The word always conveys a grave reproach; it indicates a character harshly inhumane and uncivil" (Trench). Figuratively, it describes something harsh, unpleasant, or hard to accept (cf. Matt. 25:24; Acts 26:14; Jude 15). Distressing news or challenging concepts would be called “hard.” For more background on the word group see Skleros - Hard as Rock Skleros refers to winds as fierce, violent, rough (Jas 3:4; Pr 27:16). In Acts 26:14, skleros refers to Saul of Tarsus; "hard to kick against the goads." Figuratively a "hard man" is a master who is difficult to please (Mt 25:24) Webster on Harsh - Rough to the ear; grating; discordant; jarring; as a harsh sound; harsh notes; a harsh voice. Austere; crabbed; morose; peevish. Rough; rude; abusive; as harsh words; a harsh reflection. Rigorous; severe. Though harsh the precept, yet the preacher charm´d.

John 6:61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?

BGT John 6:61 εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὅτι γογγύζουσιν περὶ τούτου οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει;

KJV John 6:61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

NET John 6:61 When Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about this, he said to them, "Does this cause you to be offended?

CSB John 6:61 Jesus, knowing in Himself that His disciples were complaining about this, asked them, "Does this offend you?

ESV John 6:61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this?

NIV John 6:61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you?

NLT John 6:61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, "Does this offend you?

NRS John 6:61 But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you?

NJB John 6:61 Jesus was aware that his followers were complaining about it and said, 'Does this disturb you?

NAB John 6:61 Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock you?

YLT John 6:61 And Jesus having known in himself that his disciples are murmuring about this, said to them, 'Doth this stumble you?

John 6:64 2:24,25 21:17 Heb 4:13 Rev 2:23
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Romans 9:33 just as it is written, “BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”

1 Corinthians 1:23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness,

Galatians 5:11 But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

1 Peter 2:8 and, “A STONE OF STUMBLING AND A ROCK OF OFFENSE (skandalon)”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

GRUMBLING THAT
CAUSES STUMBLING

But Jesus, conscious (knew their hearts Jn 2:25+) that His disciples grumbled (gogguzo present tense - continually) at this - Jesus conscious speaks of His complete knowledge of the hearts of men, His supernatural knowledge. Of course in this context, He was probably also conscious because of the low "rumble" in the crowd! Grumbling is usually in a low tone that is not easy to hear (unless there are 1000's rumbling!), but in His omniscience He discerned the attitude of their hard, unbelieving hearts.

Said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble (skandalizo) - "Does this scandalize you?" NAB = "Does this shock you?" NET = "Does this cause you to be offended?" This is a rhetorical question. Jesus knew that grumbling would lead to their stumbling, not literal stumbling when they walked, but spiritual stumbling when they thought. Jesus knew the end result would be that that they would end up "grumbling and stumbling" all the way into the Lake of Fire!

John MacArthur - Stumble translates a form of the verb skandalizō, which can mean either "to take offense" (e.g., Matt. 13:57; 15:12) or "to give up believing" (e.g., 13:21; 24:10). Both meanings are appropriate here; the false disciples took offense at Jesus' teaching, and that caused them to abandon their superficial faith in Him. (See John Commentary scroll up and down for more text)

Barton - Remember that it is possible to be offensive in the way we communicate the gospel, for which we would be at fault. But if we present Jesus lovingly and honestly, we must neither be shocked nor feel guilty if the Good News offends someone. (Borrow John - Life Application Commentary)

Stumble (fall away; take offense) (4624) skandalizo from skandalon= a trap = put a snare or stumbling block in way; English = scandalize = to offend the moral sense of) means to put a snare (in the way), hence to cause to stumble, to give offense. To entrap, trip up, or entice to sin, offend. So here in Mt 5:29-30 skandalizo is used in the active sense which conveys the idea to cause to do wrong, to entice to commit sin. In the passive sense it be means to be led into sin, to be caused to do wrong. In the passive some uses mean to be offended (Mt 11:6), the idea being that one is taking offense at Jesus and/or refusing to believe in Him. Finally, skandalizo can mean to furnish an occasion for some to be shocked, angered, or offended (Mt 17:27).

Swindoll - The original and most literal meaning is “to spring back and forth” or “to slam closed,” as with a spring-loaded animal trap. Therefore, the verb generally means “to close something in.” The figurative use of this word is rare outside of Jewish and Christian writings, but not altogether absent. One Greek playwright describes an unjust accuser dragging innocent men into court and “laying traps” with his questions. (Aristophanes, Acharnenses 687) Paul frequently used the corresponding noun (skandalon) to describe Jesus as an intellectual and moral trap for any who oppose God and think themselves righteous (Rom. 9:33; 11:9; 1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11). (Borrow Insights on John)

The only other use in John is John 16:1 (ADDRESSING THE 11 DISCIPLES) “These things I have spoken to you so that you may be kept from stumbling."

Skandalizo is derived from skandalon which refers to stick in a trap on which the bait is placed and which springs up and shuts the trap at the touch of the careless, unwary animal. It follows that the idea is to put a stumbling block or impediment in one's way, upon which another may trip and fall. Jesus' point is that anything or anyone that morally traps us (by our senses, visual, touch, and by expansion not excluding the other senses such as hearing), and causes us to fall into sin should be eliminated, radically and quickly. If we do not make every necessary effort to control our surroundings, what we watch and read, who we keep company with and speak with, etc, then those things will control us. If you cannot control something, it needs to be "jettisoned" to keep the boat afloat so to speak.

Skandalizo - Matt. 5:29; Matt. 5:30; Matt. 11:6; Matt. 13:21; Matt. 13:57; Matt. 15:12; Matt. 17:27; Matt. 18:6; Matt. 18:8; Matt. 18:9; Matt. 24:10; Matt. 26:31; Matt. 26:33; Mk. 4:17; Mk. 6:3; Mk. 9:42; Mk. 9:43; Mk. 9:45; Mk. 9:47; Mk. 14:27; Mk. 14:29; Lk. 7:23; Lk. 17:2; Jn. 6:61; Jn. 16:1; 1 Co. 8:13; 2 Co. 11:29

The Training of the Twelve - A B Bruce THE SIFTING John 6:66–71 - See his message on Jn 6:66-71 below

Vance Havner - The Beatitude of the Unoffended

"And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." Matt. 11:6

It may shock you but it is true that there is nothing more offensive on earth today than Jesus Christ. He is an offense to the Jews (Isa. 8:14; Rom. 9:33); the cross is an offense (1 Cor. 1:23); he is an offense to Pharisaism (Matt. 15:12); he offends superficial disciples (John 6:61); even true disciples are offended (Matt. 26:31).

Many Christians are actually pouting with the Lord. They have asked and have not received, they see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer, or like John in prison they are grieved because Jesus is not conquering the world in the way they expected.

So many, having expected the world to be Christianized, are offended because the social order is not being converted. Well, Jesus didn't say he would win the world that way but he is winning according to schedule: the blind are seeing, the deaf hear, the lame walk, lepers are healed, the dead are raised, the poor hear the gospel. God may seem slow but he is never late. The times may be evil but "the child Samuel grows on" (1 Sam. 2:26). Christ will return on time as promised (Acts 1:11). His schedule is in the Book. "Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them" (Ps. 119:165). Read his timetable and you won't be upset!

John 6:62 "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

BGT John 6:62 ἐὰν οὖν θεωρῆτε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναβαίνοντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον;

KJV John 6:62 What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

NET John 6:62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascending where he was before?

CSB John 6:62 Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?

ESV John 6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

NIV John 6:62 What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before!

NLT John 6:62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again?

NRS John 6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

NJB John 6:62 What if you should see the Son of man ascend to where he was before?

NAB John 6:62 What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?

YLT John 6:62 if then ye may behold the Son of Man going up where he was before?

GWN John 6:62 What if you see the Son of Man go where he was before?

BBE John 6:62 What then will you say if you see the Son of man going up to where he was before?

RSV John 6:62 Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?

NKJ John 6:62 "What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?

ASV John 6:62 What then if ye should behold the Son of man ascending where he was before?

MIT John 6:62 Then what would it do to you if you would see the human one ascend where he was before?

DBY John 6:62 If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before?

NIRV John 6:62 What if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before?

RWB John 6:62 What if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

WEB John 6:62 {What} if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?

John 3:13 16:28 17:4,5,11 Mk 16:19 Lu 24:51 Ac 1:9 Eph 4:8-10 1Pe 3:22
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

Luke 24:51 While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

Acts 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

JESUS'
ASCENSION

What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before - Jesus knew that one of the truths that most scandalized the Jews was the fact that He had come down from Heaven, that the Father had sent Him. So in this passage Jesus refers to His coming ascension. If they did not believe Jesus came from heaven, would they believe if He ascended to Heaven? According to verse 65, they would not, for they were not true believers.

Bob Utley - There is a play on the word "hear" (akouo). They heard Jesus' words, but they did not understand them and act on them (cf. Isa. 6;9-10). In this sense this Greek term functions like the Hebrew shema (i.e., "to hear, so as to do," cf. Deut. 4:1; 5:1; 6:3,4; 27:9-10). This is an incomplete FIRST CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE with no conclusion. The implication is they would see it (cf. Acts 1). After Jesus' death/resurrection/ascension and the coming of the Spirit in fullness, much of Jesus' teachings and acts would make sense to them (cf. John 14:26; 16:13-14).

Bob Utley on what then if you see - This is an incomplete FIRST CLASS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE with no conclusion. The implication is they would see it (cf. Acts 1). After Jesus' death/resurrection/ascension and the coming of the Spirit in fullness, much of Jesus' teachings and acts would make sense to them (cf. John 14:26; 16:13-14). ascending to where He was before is the continuing emphasis on Jesus as "coming down out of heaven." It speaks of His pre-existence with the Father in heaven and His intimate fellowship with the Father in heaven (cf. John 17:5,24). It continues the above and below imagery of John (THE ASCENSION)

John MacArthur - His implication seems to be, "If you saw Me go up into heaven, would that not convince you of My heavenly origin?" (The reference to His ascension also rules out any crassly literal interpretation of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, since Jesus would ascend bodily into heaven [cf. Acts 1:3-11].) It should be noted that some commentators (ED: SEE CARSON BELOW) see Jesus’ reference to ascending as an implied reference to His crucifixion (Jn 3:14; 12:32, 34), which led to His resurrection, and then His ascension. According to that view, the Lord was making a crucial point: If the false disciples were scandalized by His teaching, how much more would they be offended by His execution (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23)? In any case, Jesus left the question open-ended, because how His hearers responded to Him would determine how they would answer it. (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

A T Robertson - Clear statement of Christ's pre-existence in his own words as in John 3:13; John 17:5 (cf. John 1:1-18).

Guzik may take the interpretation a bit too far but it is interesting - Jesus is saying, “If all this has offended you, what will you think when you see Me in glory, and have to answer to Me in judgment?” Better to be offended now and to get over it, than to be offended then.

Charles Swindoll - Jesus challenged the grumblers with a question. In effect, He asked, “You find yourself unable to accept my claim that I came down from heaven and that you must eat my flesh and drink my blood; so what will you think when I tell you that I will ascend to heaven? If you then believe, how will you literally consume my body?” To put it another way, “If this teaching has brought you to your end, you don’t stand a chance with later teaching.”(Borrow Insights on John)

William MacDonald - They took offense because He said that He had come down from heaven. Now He asked them what will they think if they should see Him ascend back into heaven, which He knew He would do after His resurrection. They were also offended by His saying that men must eat His flesh. What would they think, then, if they should see that body of flesh ascend where He was before? How would men be able to eat His literal flesh and drink His literal blood after He had gone back to the Father? (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

Brian Bell - Maybe you’ll believe I “came down” if you see me “go back”? A forecast of His Ascension! (BUT SEE CARSON BELOW)

D A Carson has a lengthy explanation on if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before - The Greek preserves the condition but no conclusion, so it is possible to understand the argument in one of two ways: (1) Jesus' ascension will make the offence even greater; or (2) Jesus' ascension will reduce or remove the offence. When we remember what Jesus' 'ascending' and his 'lifting up' (cf. notes on Jn 3:14) mean in the Fourth Gospel, we may conclude that the alternatives are not mutually exclusive (cf. Westcott, 1. 247). If the disciples find Jesus' claims, authority and even His language offensive, what will they think when they see Jesus on the cross, His way of 'ascending' to the place where he was before? That is the supreme scandal. However offensive the linguistic expression 'eating flesh and drinking blood' may be, how much more offensive is the crucifixion of an alleged Messiah! The very idea is outrageous, bordering on blasphemous obscenity, 'a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles' (1 Cor. 1:23). Yet this stands at the very heart of the divine self-disclosure. The moment of Jesus' greatest degradation and shame is the moment of his glorification, the path of his return to the glory he had with the Father before the world began (Jn 17:5). The hour when the Servant of the Lord is despised and rejected by men, when he is pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities (Isa. 53:3-5) is the very portal to the time when 'he will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted' (Isa. 52:13). That is why the condition of this verse is left open. How men and women respond to this supreme scandal determines their destiny. Other religious leaders were said to have ascended to heaven at the end of their life, but Jesus the Son of Man (the title especially connected with his function as the revealer from heaven) first descended (v. 38; cf. notes on Jn 1:51; 6:27, 53), and so in ascending is merely returning to where he was before (cf. Jn 17:5). This not only affirms Jesus' pre-existence, but places him in a class quite different from antecedent Jewish religious heroes. (BORROW The Gospel according to John page 300)

John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

BGT John 6:63 τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν· τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἐγὼ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμά ἐστιν καὶ ζωή ἐστιν.

KJV John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

NET John 6:63 The Spirit is the one who gives life; human nature is of no help! The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

CSB John 6:63 The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

ESV John 6:63 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.

NIV John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

NLT John 6:63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

NRS John 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

NJB John 6:63 'It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh has nothing to offer. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.

NAB John 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

YLT John 6:63 the spirit it is that is giving life; the flesh doth not profit anything; the sayings that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life;

GWN John 6:63 Life is spiritual. Your physical existence doesn't contribute to that life. The words that I have spoken to you are spiritual. They are life.

BBE John 6:63 The spirit is the life giver; the flesh is of no value: the words which I have said to you are spirit and they are life.

RSV John 6:63 It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

NKJ John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

ASV John 6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I have spoken unto you are spirit, are are life.

MIT John 6:63 The spirit gives life. The flesh provides no benefit at all. The words I have spoken to you are spirit, expressing life.

DBY John 6:63 It is the Spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life.

NIRV John 6:63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life.

RWB John 6:63 It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak to you, they are spirit, and they are life.

WEB John 6:63 It is the spirit that reviveth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak to you, {they} are spirit, and {they} are life.

the spirit: Ge 2:7 Ro 8:2 1Co 15:45 2Co 3:6 Ga 5:25 1Pe 3:18
the flesh: Ro 2:25 3:1,2 1Co 11:27-29 Ga 5:6 6:15 1Ti 4:8 Heb 13:9 1Pe 3:21
the words: John 6:68 Jn 12:49,50 De 32:47 Ps 19:7-10 119:50,93,130 Ro 10:8-10,17 1Co 2:9-14 2Co 3:6-8 1Th 2:13 Heb 4:12 Jas 1:18 1Pe 1:23
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

2 Corinthians 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Galatians 3:2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive (WERE YOU BORN AGAIN) the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

Romans 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Deuteronomy 32:47 “For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. And by this word you will prolong your days in the land, which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess.”

Luke 8:11; 15 “Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God....15 “But the seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word in an honest and good heart, and hold it fast, and bear fruit with perseverance.

Luke 8:21 But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

James 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

James 1:21 Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.

1 Peter 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

John 3:3-7+ Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

JESUS' WORDS GIVE SPIRITUAL
LIFE THROUGH THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT

Several translations render this with a small "s" suggesting they do not see this as a reference to the Holy Spirit. But how could our spirit give life, recalling that Jesus has been speaking of eternal life?

It is the Spirit (pneuma) Who gives life (zoopoieo - present tense); the flesh (sarx) profits (opheleo) nothing (oudeis - absolutely nothing!!!) - NLT paraphrase - "The Spirit Alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing." Keep the context in mind - Jesus has been speaking of how to obtain eternal life, clearly stating it is by believing in Him. In Jn 6:32 it is the Father "who gives you the true Bread out of heaven (and with it eternal life)." In Jn 6:32 (cf Jn 6:51) it is Jesus who "gives life to the world." Now it is the Spirit Who gives life. Thus we see the Trinity involved in the giving of life to dead sinners. The main point would seem to be that it is not literal eating which gives life but it is the Holy Spirit Who gives spiritual life to a sinner who believes Jesus' Words that He is the Bread of Life. (cf Jn 3:3-7+)

To reiterate, in regard to spiritual life, only the Spirit can give it, and human works in an attempt to attain spiritual life are futile and ultimately eternally fatal! As John wrote earlier this new life in Christ is not from "the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (Jn 1:13+)

D A Carson on the flesh profits nothing - To take the words of the preceding discourse literally, without penetrating their symbolic meaning, is useless. It causes offence; it does not arrive at Jesus' meaning, for the flesh counts for nothing....It is not as if the flesh is of no significance: after all, the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14). But when all the focus of attention is on the flesh, then the real significance of Jesus is missed, and the kinds of objections raised both by 'the Jews' and by ostensible disciples quickly surface. (See The Gospel According to John - scroll up and down for more text)

John MacArthur - As He did in John 3:6, Jesus contrasted the Spirit Who gives life with the flesh that profits nothing. Spiritual life comes only when the Holy Spirit imparts Christ's life to the believer (Gal. 2:20; Col. 3:3-4). It does not come through "the will of the flesh" (Jn 1:13), which as R. V. G. Tasker notes, "signifies the outward to the exclusion of the inward, the visible apart from the invisible, the material unrelated to the spiritual, and the human dissociated from the divine" (BORROW The Gospel According to St. John, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries page 96). The Lord exhorted those who took issue with eating His flesh (John 6:52) to focus instead on partaking of His Spirit (vv. 53-58). (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

Steven Cole adds "The Holy Spirit imparts life to dead sinners. Human religious effort will not get you into heaven. Apart from the new birth, you can never understand why it is necessary to eat My flesh and drink My blood.”

Bruce Barton - This statement gives us the key to interpreting Jesus’ discourse. His hearers had not understood the spiritual intent of his message. A fleshly interpretation of his words would yield nothing; one must apply a spiritual interpretation to Spirit-inspired words. Human effort that begins with the desires and objectives of human wisdom accomplishes nothing. (Borrow John - Life Application Commentary)

The words (rhema) that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life (zoe) - Jesus' words "are spirit-giving and life-producing." What does Jesus mean? He is simply but clearly stating to the unbelieving "disciples" who will soon depart from Him (Jn 6:66) that the words He has spoken to them, if received and believed, will result in them being born again (spiritual new birth) and obtaining genuine, eternal life. The Spirit would have taken the living words Jesus spoke and used those words to give them eternal life! In short, they would have become believing disciples (instead of oxymoronic unbelieving disciples)! To refuse His words that give eternal life leaves no other alternative except to hear His words "Depart from me" (Mt 7:23+) to eternal punishment!

D A Carson on words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life - In this Gospel we have already been introduced to the Spirit's role in the new birth (Jn. 3); there the contrast between flesh and spirit is no less sharp. So here: The Spirit gives life. Strictly speaking, the Spirit does not come upon the disciples until after Jesus' ascension (Jn 7:37-39); but already Jesus himself is the bearer of the Spirit (Jn 1:32f.), the one to whom God gives the Spirit without limit and who therefore speaks the words of God (3:34). That is why Jesus can now say, The words I have spoken to you are spirit (i.e. they are the product of the life-giving Spirit) and they are life (i.e. Jesus' words, rightly understood and absorbed, generate life—cf. Jn 5:24). If the words of Jesus in this discourse are rightly grasped, then instead of rejecting Jesus people will see him as the bread from heaven, the one who gives his flesh for the life of the world, the one who alone provides eternal life, and they will receive him and believe in him, taste eternal life even now, and enjoy the promise that he will raise them up on the last day. (See The Gospel According to John - scroll up and down for more text)

John MacArthur on words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life - Of course, no one can do that apart from hearing and obeying the words that Jesus has spoken, which, He declared, are spirit and are life. It is Jesus' words that reveal who He really is. As noted earlier, accepting or rejecting those words separates true and false disciples. True disciples continue in His Word (Jn 8:31), which abides in them (Jn 15:7; cf. Jer. 15:16; Col. 3:16; 1 John 2:14); false disciples ultimately reject His word (Jn 8:37, 43, 47). To embrace Jesus' words is to receive Him, for they reveal His person. Thus the Bible teaches that salvation comes through the agency of the Word of God (Luke 8:11, 15, Luke 8:21, James 1:18, James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:23) (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

Peter later alludes to the life giving power of Jesus words asking "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

MacDonald - when His sayings about eating His flesh and drinking His blood were understood in a spiritual way, as meaning belief in Him, then those who accepted the message would receive eternal life. (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

A T Robertson - Those in this discourse (I have just spoken, lelalēka), for they are the words of God (John 3:34; John 8:47; John 17:8). No wonder they "are spirit and are life" (pneuma estin kai zōē estin). The breath of God and the life of God is in these words of Jesus. Never man spoke like Jesus (John 7:46). There is life in his words today.

Bob Utley on "the Spirit who gives life" This is one of many phrases that are used for both Jesus and the Spirit.

the Spirit is life-giving water (John 7:38-39)
Jesus is the living water (John 4:10-14)
the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)
the Spirit is paraclete (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7)
and Jesus is paraclete (1 John 2:1)

Notice in this verse that "spirit" (pneuma) is used in two specialized senses.

the Holy Spirit (cf. John 1:32,33; 3:34; 7:39; 14:17; 15:26; 16:13)
spiritual (cf. John 4:24; 11:33; 13:21)

In John 3:5,6,8 it is hard to know which is meant. Being John, possibly both. (See JESUS AND THE SPIRIT; SPIRIT (pneuma) IN THE NT)

Spirit (breath, wind)(4151) pneuma has several nuances - (1) a movement of air (a gentle blast 1a) of the wind, hence the wind itself 1b) breath of nostrils or mouth. (2) the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated 2a) the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides 2b) the soul (3) a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting 3a) a life giving spirit 3b) a human soul that has left the body 3c) a spirit higher than man but lower than God, i.e. an angel 3c1) used of demons, or evil spirits, who were conceived as inhabiting the bodies of men 3c2) the spiritual nature of Christ, higher than the highest angels and equal to God, the divine nature of Christ (4) Of God 4a) God's power and agency distinguishable in thought from his essence in itself considered 4a1) manifest in the course of affairs 4a2) by its influence upon the souls productive in the theocratic body (the church) of all the higher spiritual gifts and blessings 4a3) the third person of the trinity, the God the Holy Spirit (5) the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one 5a) the efficient source of any power, affection, emotion, desire, etc.

Gives life (2227) zoopoieo from zoos = alive + poieo = to make) means to revitalize, make alive, give life, quicken, vivify, reanimate, restore to life. Most of the NT uses refer to God's ability to give life to men, either by resurrecting them from physical death or by regenerating them from spiritual death. In 1Co 15:36 Paul uses zoopoieo figuratively to picture the sprouting of a seed in his defense of the doctrine of the resurrection.

Profits (5623) opheleo from ophéllo = heap up or from ophelos = increase, profit) means to provide assistance, with emphasis upon the resulting benefit. To help, to be of benefit, to be of use, to be an advantage, to be advantageous. Passive sense - to have benefit from, to profit. To be useful or profitable. It is used usually with the sense of gain, profit in both a material and non-material sense. Louw-Nida - "To provide assistance, with emphasis upon the resulting benefit (Jn 6:63). To be successful in accomplishing some goal, with the implication that such might be useful." Vine - "in the Active Voice signifies to help, to succor, to be of service; in the Passive to receive help, to derive profit or advantage." Mounce - Opheleo denotes the basic idea of benefiting through a particular condition or situation, hence, “to gain, profit, value.”

No one (nothing) (3762) oudeis from ou = not + dé = but + heis = one) Literally "but absolutely not one" no one, nothing, none at all; emphasizes not even one, not the least. Oudeis is used as a negating adjective (not even one) to negate a noun, denying absolutely and objectively (e.g., Lk 4:24) Note that oudeis differs from medeís which also is often translated "no one" as the negative particle ou differs from me. Thus ou = absolutely NOT and is objective while me = conditionally NOT and is subjective. For example Paul uses oudeis twice in 1 Cor 12:3+ "Therefore I make known to you that NO ONE speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and NO ONE can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit."

Words (4487) rhema from verb rheo = to speak - to say, speak or utter definite words) refers to the spoken word, especially a word as uttered by a living voice. Laleo is another word translated speak but it refers only to uttering a sound whereas rheo refers to uttering a definite intelligible word. Rhema refers to any sound produced by the voice which has a definite meaning. It focuses upon the content of the communication. For example in Luke we read "And they understood none of these things, and this saying (rhema) was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said." (Luke 18:34) In the plural rhema ("words"), means saying, speech or discourse. Rhema is used to refer to "the thing spoken of", an object, a matter, an affair or an event.

D L Moody - JOHN 6:63. The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

You cannot read the Bible as you do other books. I visited Mr. Prang’s chromo establishment in Boston and saw the process of printing a picture of some public man. The first stone made hardly an impression on the paper. The second stone showed no sign of change. The third no sign. The fifth and sixth showed only outlines of a man’s head. The tenth, the man’s face, chin, nose and forehead appeared. The fifteenth and twentieth looked like a dim picture. The twenty-eighth impression stood forth as natural as life. It looked as though it would speak to you. So, carefully and prayerfully read the Word of God—read the same chapter again and again—and the twenty-eighth time Christ Jesus will shine forth.

A C Gaebelein - John 6:63. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit, and they are life." After feeding the multitudes miraculously He spoke of Himself as the living bread come down from heaven. He taught again concerning eternal life and how it is obtained. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread, be shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Eating of Him means to believe on Him and become identified with Him. Those who hear His words and believe on Him are quickened by the Spirit. The word "quicken" means imparting life, so that our Lord teaches once more what He said to Nicodemus, that the work of the Spirit is to impart spiritual life in the new birth. And the words He speaks are Spirit and are life. The Spirit and Life is in them.

Selwyn Hughes - Spirit-Aided Praying (SEE ALSO PRAYING IN THE SPIRIT)

The Spirit is the One who gives life.—JOHN 6:63

The more I consider "praying in the Spirit," the more convinced I am that the majority of Christians do not know what it means to pray in this particular way. Many are content to recite prayers and know nothing of the thrill of entering a dimension of prayer in which the Holy Spirit has full control.

Not that there is anything wrong with liturgical or written prayers—they can be a wonderful primer for one's spiritual pump. Many people tell me that the prayers I frame at the end of each devotion in Every Day with Jesus have sometimes helped them more than the actual notes I have written. Using written prayers can be helpful, but we must heed the apostle's exhortation to move on into that dimension which he calls "praying in the Spirit." The best description of this I have ever heard is that given by some of the old Welsh preachers, like Daniel Rowlands, Christmas Evans, and others. They describe it as "praying with unusual liberty and freedom."

There is hardly anything more wonderful in the Christian life than to experience this "liberty and freedom" in prayer. I can remember the minister and elders of the church in which I was converted in South Wales saying after a prayer meeting in which there had been great liberty and power: "Tonight we have prayed in the Spirit."

Have you not experienced moments when, after struggling and halting in prayer, you were suddenly taken out of yourself and words just poured out of you? At that moment, you were "praying in the Spirit."
Prayer

O Father, forgive me that I try to do so much in my own strength instead of learning how to let You do it in me. Teach me how to let go and let You take over in everything—particularly my praying. In Jesus' name. Amen.

James Smith - "It is the Spirit who quickens; the flesh profits nothing." John 6:63

All real religion begins with the quickening of the Spirit. When we experience this . . .
  we begin to breathe after spiritual things;
  we open our eyes in a new world;
  we hunger and thirst after righteousness;
  and at length taste that the Lord is gracious.
We then have . . .
  new thoughts,
  new desires,
  new hopes,
  new fears,
  new joys, and
  new sorrows.
The eye fixes on Christ,
the heart goes out to Christ, and
the chief desire of the soul is to be like Christ.

The Spirit not only quickens us at first — but all through life we need and are dependent on the Spirit's quickening. He quickens us to pray, and He quickens us in prayer. It is His quickening which puts . . .
  life into our graces,
  energy into our prayers,
  confidence into our expectations, and
  enables us to resist Satan, steadfast in the faith.

If His quickening power is withheld — we soon grow dull, cold, lifeless, and inactive! We have . . .
  no power in prayer,
  no enjoyment in ordinances,
  no liberty in speaking to the saints,
  nor profit in reading God's Word.
Every duty becomes a task,
every privilege becomes a burden, and
every cross appears insupportable!

While under the quickening operation of the Spirit — we can do all things; but without His quickening — we can do nothing.

Often, very often, have we to cry out from bitter experience,

"My soul cleaves unto the dust; quicken me according unto Your Word!"
-- Psalm 119:25 (ED: AMEN!!!)

Quickening Spirit, daily quicken my soul!

Dave Roper - As Popeye says, “I yam what I yam,” and what I “yam” is incompetent; my limitations are limitless. And there’s a “holy host of others standing ’round me.” Human limitation is a fact of life, a hard truth that makes life easier when we accept it. “We’re all ordinary people,” said G. K. Chesterton, “and it’s the extraordinary people who know it.”

Paul agreed. He said, “We have this treasure [our ministry] in jars of clay [our humanity] to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7, emphasis added). Unaided humanity is useless; “the flesh [human effort] counts for nothing” (John. 6:63). If anything is to be done, God must do it. The people who work the works of God are those who realize their utter unfitness and overwhelming inadequacy to do the task. “We are weak in Him,” is not a platitude but a certainty. It irks us to think of ourselves so useless, but therein lies our strength.

Adrian Rogers - John 6:63 The Bible is a living book. It possesses vitality. As Hebrews 4:12 says, "The word of God is living and effective and sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as to divide soul, spirit, joints, and marrow; it is a judge of the ideas and thoughts of the heart." But even though the Bible pulsates with life, it doesn't come to life in you until you assimilate it. You don't just read a cookbook, for example. You use its instructions to prepare a meal to eat. Likewise, no matter how much you may appreciate the Word of God, what good does it do you unless you assimilate it?

F.F. Bruce - "The word of human beings however wise in substance or eloquent in expression cannot produce spiritual life; this is the prerogative of the Word of God."

Ray Stedman - Ministries that genuinely touch the world all can be traced to movement of the Holy Spirit. This is a truth that seems lost to today's church.

Wayne Grudem - THE HOLY SPIRIT
(1) empowers by giving life (John 6:63, Jn 3:5-8) and power for service (Acts 1:8).
(2) purifies (1Cor 6:11),
(3) reveals (2Pe 1:21), including guiding, directing, teaching, illuminating, and assuring (John 16:13),
(4) unifies.

J.C. Philpot, Ears from Harvested Sheaves. - It is through the word that the soul in the first instance is cleansed. It is by the word that the soul is begotten again unto eternal life. It is, too, by the word applied to the heart that the blessed Spirit from time to time keeps alive communion with the Lord Jesus Christ. Is it not so in vital experience? Some passage of Scripture drops into the soul, some promise comes warm into the heart, and as it comes it makes way for itself. It enters the heart, breaks down the feelings, melts the soul, and draws forth living faith to flow unto and centre alone in the “altogether lovely.” There are many times and seasons when the word of God is to us a dead letter; we see and feel no sweetness in it. But there are other times, through mercy, when the word of God is made sweet and precious to us; when we can say, with the prophet of old, “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jer. 15:16). It was so in the case of David. He says, they are “more to be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). When this is felt, the sure effect is to bring the soul into communion with the Lord Jesus, who is the true word of God, and makes use of the written word to draw us near unto Himself.

Spurgeon - A Blow for Puseyism

‘It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’ John 6:63

Do not men receive the body and blood of Christ in the Lord’s Supper? Yes, spiritual men do, in a real and spiritual sense, but not in a carnal way—not so as to crush it with their teeth, or taste it with their palate, or digest it by the gastric juice; but they receive the Lord Jesus, as incarnate and crucified, into their spirits, as they believe in him, love him, and are comforted by thoughts of him. ‘But how is that a real reception of him?’ cries one. Alas, this question reveals at once the world’s thoughts; you think the carnal alone real, and that the spiritual is unreal. If you can touch and taste, you think it real, but if you can only meditate and love, you dream it to be unreal. How impossible it is for the carnal mind to enter into spiritual things! Yet, hearken once again, I receive the body and blood of Christ when my soul believes in his incarnation, when my heart relies upon the merit of his death, when the bread and wine so refresh my memory that thoughts of Jesus Christ and his agonies melt me to penitence, cheer me to confidence, and purify me from sin. It is not my body which receives Jesus, but my spirit; I believe in him, casting myself upon him alone; trusting him, I feel joy and peace, love and zeal, hatred of sin and love of holiness, and so as to my spiritual nature I am fed upon him. My spiritual nature feeds upon truth, love, grace, promise, pardon, covenant, atonement, acceptance, all of which I find, and much more, in the person of the Lord Jesus. Up to the extent in which my spirit has communion with the Lord Jesus, the ordinance of breaking of bread is living and acceptable.

DEMONSTRATE YOUR FAITH - A W Tozer

It is the spirit that quickeneth…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. John 6:63

We know of many who have been deceived into believing that the learning and the memorizing of Christian doctrine is all sufficient. They actually think that somehow they are better off for having learned the doctrines of religion.

God actually asks of us what He asked of Noah long ago! “Demonstrate your faith in God in your everyday life!”

It is evident that God did not say to Noah, “I am depending on you to hold the proper orthodox doctrines. Everything will be just fine if you stand up for the right doctrines.”

I have read a statement by Martin Lloyd-Jones, the English preacher and writer, in which he said: “It is perilously close to being sinful for any person to learn doctrine for doctrine’s sake.”

I agree with his conclusion that doctrine is always best when it is incarnated—when it is seen fleshed out in the lives of godly men and women. Our God Himself appeared at His very best when He came into our world and lived in our flesh! (BORROW MORNINGS WITH TOZER)

J R Miller - John 6:63 - God's own life is in the words of Scripture. Put a handful of flower-seeds in your window-box, under the sunshine, and they will soon become lovely flowers. Put the truths of the gospel into a human heart, and soon the life will begin to grow into the beauty of Christ. Its effects will be seen in the disposition, in the character, in the conduct, in all the daily acts.

At an auction, a crude jar of common earthenware was bought by a seller of perfumes for a penny. But he filled it with attar of roses, and soon every particle of the substance of the jar had partaken of the sweetness. The fragrance within it had permeated it. Long, long afterward, when emptied and broken, every smallest fragment was still sweet with the precious perfume.

So it is, when even the most common life is filled with the Word of Christ. It flows out, as it were, in the character, in the feelings and affections, in the thoughts and desires, in the tempers and dispositions, until the whole being is permeated, filled with the spirit of Christ. For where the Word of Christ dwells—the Holy Spirit dwells; and where the Holy Spirit dwells—is the kingdom of heaven, heaven begun in a human life. We see the effects of this indwelling—in the gentleness, the sweetness, the purity of heart, the truth, the patience, the love, which the Word of Christ always produces.

Kenneth Osbeck - Borrow Amazing Grace - WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE Words and Music by Philip P. Bliss, 1838–1876

The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)

One of the basic precepts of the Sunday school movement has always been that God’s Word must be carefully and systematically studied by believers of all ages.

Study it carefully, think of it prayerfully,
Till in your heart its precepts dwell;
Slight not its history, ponder its mystery,
None can e’er prize it too fondly or well.
—Unknown

One of the earnest concerns of many present leaders is the biblical ignorance of so many church people. Often precious Sunday school time is spent in teaching everything but the Bible itself. Yet the churches that do teach the Scriptures diligently and apply their teachings to modern living are the churches that are experiencing the greatest growth. We never outgrow our need for the Bible; it becomes more helpful to us with the years.

We must also realize that God’s truth revealed to us is never contrary or apart from the Bible. Often there have been those who have claimed to have extra revelations through visions which supersede the Scriptures. God’s Word clearly warns against this false assertion (Jeremiah 23:16).

Philip P. Bliss was one of the most important names in the development of early gospel music. Before his tragic death at age 38, he wrote many favorites still enjoyed by congregations. “Wonderful Words of Life” was written by Bliss in 1874, for the first issue of a Sunday school paper, Words of Life. These words still speak to both young and old of the importance of God’s Word in our daily lives:

Sing them over again to me—wonderful words of life; let me more of their beauty see—wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty, teach me faith and duty:
Christ, the blessed one, gives to all wonderful words of life; sinner, list to the loving call—wonderful words of life. All so freely given, wooing us to heaven:
Sweetly echo the gospel call—wonderful words of life; offer pardon and peace to all—wonderful words of life. Jesus, only Savior, sanctify forever:
Refrain: Beautiful words, wonderful words of life.

For Today: Psalm 119:103, 172; Jeremiah 15:16; Matthew 4:4
Reflect on whether God’s Word has the place of importance in your life that it should have. Consider ways that this could be improved. Sing this musical reminder—

Kenneth Osbeck - Borrow Amazing Grace -THY WORD HAVE I HID IN MY HEART Words and Music by Ernest O. Sellers, 1869–1952

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (John 6:63)

O cleansing Word, O precious Word, Your promises are true;
They keep and purify my heart; Your truths are ever new.
—Unknown

God has made provision for each believer to live holy and pure lives—regardless of his or her environment. That provision is the power of His Word. The ability to live above the filth and evil in the daily world around us can be achieved only through listening to and responding to the truth of the Scriptures. (ED: AND I WOULD ADD LEARNING our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey)

Portions of the wonderful 119th Psalm, with the majority of its 176 verses speaking pointedly regarding the importance of God’s Word, were paraphrased by Ernest O. Sellers and set to a melody in 1908 to provide us with a hymn that still has an important place in our hymnals.

'The first stanza of this hymn is based on verse 105: “Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path.” Stanza two is based on verses 89 and 90: “Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven. Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.” The third stanza is taken from the 44th, the 62nd, and the 164th verses of this psalm: “Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous judgments. At midnight, I will rise to give thanks unto Thee, because of Thy righteous judgments. So shall I keep Thy law continually forever and ever.” The final stanza is based on the 41st verse: “Let Thy mercies come also unto me, O Lord, even Thy salvation according to Thy Word.”

For the chorus of his hymn, Mr. Sellers used the words directly from Psalm 119:11. They provide a strong closing summary for the reason we hide God’s Word in our hearts: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart—that I might not sin against Thee.”

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, a light to my path alway, to guide and to save me from sin and show me the heav’nly way. Forever, O Lord, is Thy Word established and fixed on high; Thy faithfulness unto all men abideth forever nigh.
At morning, at noon, and at night I ever will give Thee praise; for Thou art my portion, O Lord, and shall be thru all my days!
Thru Him whom Thy Word hath foretold, the Savior and Morning Star, salvation and peace have been brought to those who have strayed afar.
Chorus: Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee.

For Today: Psalm 119:11, 41, 44, 62, 89, 90, 105, 164; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17
Take one of these choice verses from Psalm 119 and let it saturate your life. Carry with you verse 11 in this musical form—

Vance Havner - "Try His Own Words" "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63

From far-off Norway a sailor, who once attended my church, wrote to tell me of a wonderful experience of healing. Evidently not well acquainted with English he puts his sentences together oddly but in the very phrasing there is beauty: "Will you... thank the Lord Jesus Christ, that he has given me a new spine in body by his own words from the Bible?" Then he adds what is very significant: "Just because I'll try his own words."

That is just what we won't do. We will try this theology and that, this devotional book and that, this exposition and that, this fad and that, but we will not try his own bold and naked words! Alas, even fundamentalists are often guilty of sizing and sorting Scripture to fit the dimensions of their own private theories, lopping off this verse and stretching that, to suit the procrustean bed of some favorite school of interpretation.

Blessed are they who, weary of the Babel of many tongues, press back through all the sermons and books and isms and ologies into his own dear presence, and who dare to "try his own words." It is possible even to search the Scriptures and yet not come to him that we might have life. Take him at his own word and see what happens!

John 6:64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.

BGT John 6:64 ἀλλ᾽ εἰσὶν ἐξ ὑμῶν τινες οἳ οὐ πιστεύουσιν. ᾔδει γὰρ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Ἰησοῦς τίνες εἰσὶν οἱ μὴ πιστεύοντες καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ παραδώσων αὐτόν.

KJV John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

NET John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe." (For Jesus had already known from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.)

CSB John 6:64 But there are some among you who don't believe." (For Jesus knew from the beginning those who would not believe and the one who would betray Him.)

ESV John 6:64 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.)

NIV John 6:64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.

NLT John 6:64 But some of you do not believe me." (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn't believe, and he knew who would betray him.)

NRS John 6:64 But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him.

NJB John 6:64 'But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the outset who did not believe and who was to betray him.

NAB John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him.

YLT John 6:64 but there are certain of you who do not believe;' for Jesus had known from the beginning who they are who are not believing, and who is he who will deliver him up,

GWN John 6:64 But some of you don't believe." Jesus knew from the beginning those who wouldn't believe and the one who would betray him.

BBE John 6:64 But still some of you have no faith. For it was clear to Jesus from the first who they were who had no faith, and who it was who would be false to him.

RSV John 6:64 But there are some of you that do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who those were that did not believe, and who it was that would betray him.

NKJ John 6:64 "But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.

ASV John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who it was that should betray him.

MIT John 6:64 But some among you do not believe." Jesus, indeed, knew from the beginning who the nonbelievers were and the identity of his betrayer.

DBY John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver him up.

NIRV John 6:64 But there are some of you who do not believe." Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies.

RWB John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who he was that would betray him.

WEB John 6:64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who he was that would betray him.

there: John 6:36,61 Jn 5:42 8:23,38-47,55 10:26 13:10,18-21
For: John 6:70,71 2:24,25 13:11 Ps 139:2-4 Ac 15:18 Ro 8:29 2Ti 2:19 Heb 4:13
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JESUS KNOWS WHO
WOULD NOT BELIEVE

But - Term of contrast. He has just spoken of the fact that the way to attain spiritual life is by the Spirit and the Word He had spoken.

There are some of you who do not (ou - absolutely do not) believe (pisteuo) - This is amazing -- Jesus has Jesus spoken words that give life (Jn 6:63), but "some" refused to believe and sadly soon "some" would prove to be "many" in John 6:66! They refused to receive His life giving words and could not receive life from the Spirit. The problem was not lack of information but lack of reception and faith (Jn 1:11+)!

These Jews who had just heard the words that give eternal life were like those Jews described by the writer of Hebrews who recorded "For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard." (Hebrews 4:2+)

William MacDonald - The difficulty lay not so much in their inability as in their unwillingness (Jn 5:40+). (Borrow Believer's Bible Commentary)

For Jesus knew (eido) from the beginning (arche) who they were who did not believe (pisteuo), and who it was that would betray (paradidomi) Him - This is a parenthetical comment by John. When is the beginning? This is difficult to state dogmatically - beginning of His ministry, beginning of time, in eternity past? Probably all are to some degree intended. This statement is most likely a parenthetical comment by John to help understand why He dogmatically stated some would not believe in Him. Jesus knew who would place their faith in Him and He also knew which one of the 12 disciples would betray (paradidomi) Him (anticipating His words in Jn 7:70-71).

Betray (hand over) (3860) paradidomi from para = alongside, beside, to the side of, over to + didomi = to give) conveys the basic meaning of to give over from one's hand to someone or something, especially to give over to the power of another, even as Judas would do to Jesus in the Garden (see paradidomi in Mt 26:48, 27:2-4).

John 6:65 And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."

BGT John 6:65 καὶ ἔλεγεν· διὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα ὑμῖν ὅτι οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με ἐὰν μὴ ᾖ δεδομένον αὐτῷ ἐκ τοῦ πατρός.

KJV John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

NET John 6:65 So Jesus added, "Because of this I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has allowed him to come."

CSB John 6:65 He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless it is granted to him by the Father."

ESV John 6:65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

NIV John 6:65 He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

NLT John 6:65 Then he said, "That is why I said that people can't come to me unless the Father gives them to me."

NRS John 6:65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

NJB John 6:65 He went on, 'This is why I told you that no one could come to me except by the gift of the Father.'

NAB John 6:65 And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father."

YLT John 6:65 and he said, 'Because of this I have said to you -- No one is able to come unto me, if it may not have been given him from my Father.'

GWN John 6:65 So he added, "That is why I told you that people cannot come to me unless the Father provides the way."

BBE John 6:65 And he said, This is why I said to you, No man is able to come to me if he is not given the power to do so by the Father.

RSV John 6:65 And he said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father."

NKJ John 6:65 And He said, "Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."

ASV John 6:65 And he said, For this cause have I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father.

MIT John 6:65 He continued, "This is the reason I said to you that no one is able to come to me unless that privilege is granted him by the father."

DBY John 6:65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no one can come to me unless it be given to him from the Father.

NIRV John 6:65 So he continued speaking. He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps him."

RWB John 6:65 And he said, Therefore I said to you, that no man can come to me, except it were given to him by my Father.

that no: John 6:37,44,45 Jn 10:16,26,27 Jn 12:37-41 Eph 2:8,9 Php 1:29 1Ti 1:14 2Ti 2:25 Titus 3:3-7 Heb 12:2 Jas 1:16-18
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:26 “But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep.

John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;

John 12:37-41 But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him. 38 This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet which he spoke: “LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT? AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED?” 39 For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, 40 “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, SO THAT THEY WOULD NOT SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND PERCEIVE WITH THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED AND I HEAL THEM.” 41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.

THE REASON THEY WOULD
NOT COME - THEY COULD NOT

And He was saying, "For this reason (term of conclusion) I have said to you, that (oudeis - absolutely) no one can (dunamai - is inherently able to) come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." - What reason? Their unbelief just predicted in John 6:64. Just in case they (and we) missed it Jesus reiterates the only way a spiritually dead sinner comes to Him is if the Father grants that to happen (John 6:37,44+) In short, no sinner who is spiritually dead could or would come to Jesus and believe in Him on their own initiative. This is a "hard" teaching for any of us, as it certainly "pulls the rug" of pride from under us! Our pride would like to take a little credit but this passage negates that consideration. As men and women with free will, we have one "work" and that is to believe.

John MacArthur points out that John 6:64, 65 "maintain the tension between divine sovereignty and human responsibility found throughout Scripture. On the one hand, unbelievers are condemned for their unbelief (v. 64); on the other hand, they are lost because the Father did not draw them (v. 65)." (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

D A Carson writes that "However much men and women are commanded to believe, and are held accountable for their unbelief, genuine coming to faith is never finally a matter of autonomous human decision." (See The Gospel According to John scroll up and down for more text)

Brian Bell - People are so ensnared in the quicksand of sin & unbelief that unless God draws them they are hopeless. We spiritually lay dead as a paperclip & don’t move until we feel His magnetic love drawing us to “rise up & come to Him”!

Bob Utley - This expresses the same truth as John 6:44. Fallen mankind does not seek God on its own initiative (cf. Rom. 3:9-18 for a series of OT quotes which emphasize mankind's sinfulness and rebellion). Humans do not initiate anything in the spiritual realm. They can only respond to (1) God's initiative (2) Satan's initiative

John 6:66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.

BGT John 6:66 Ἐκ τούτου πολλοὶ [ἐκ] τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπῆλθον εἰς τὰ ὀπίσω καὶ οὐκέτι μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ περιεπάτουν.

KJV John 6:66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

NET John 6:66 After this many of his disciples quit following him and did not accompany him any longer.

CSB John 6:66 From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him.

ESV John 6:66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.

NIV John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

NLT John 6:66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.

NRS John 6:66 Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.

NJB John 6:66 After this, many of his disciples went away and accompanied him no more.

NAB John 6:66 As a result of this, many (of) his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

YLT John 6:66 From this time many of his disciples went away backward, and were no more walking with him,

of his: John 6:60 Jn 8:31 Zep 1:6 Mt 12:40-45 13:20,21 19:22 21:8-11 27:20-25 Lu 9:62 2Ti 1:15 4:10 Heb 10:38 2Pe 2:20-22 1Jn 2:19
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 8:31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “IF you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;

THE GREAT
DISCIPLE DIVIDE

As a result of this ("for this reason" or "from this time") many of His disciples (mathetes) withdrew (opiso - backwards + aperchomai - went away) and were (ouketi no longer or absolutely) not walking (peripateo) with Him anymore - Literally "withdrew" reads "went away backward" (Jn 6:66YLT)! This is one of the more tragic verses in the Bible and describes their permanent abandonment of Jesus! It clearly teaches that not all who claim to be disciples of Jesus are true disciples. In other words they do not believe in Jesus for salvation. They are professors of faith but not possessors of faith. They may have called Him Lord, Lord (cf Mt 7:21), but their action here proves they were lost (spiritually dead). Jesus did not beg them to remain! He allowed them to exercise their will! Woe!

THOUGHT - While some teach the word disciple in the NT speaks of a believer in Jesus who is a "cut above," and that not all believers can or will ever attain to the level of a "disciple," this is a false teaching! It tragically leaves the door wide open for professors of Christ to feel assured of their salvation because they prayed a prayer to receive Jesus, but their lifestyle (general direction of their life) does not support their profession. The book of Acts calls the believers in the early church disciples far more than any other description, so I am firmly convinced that all believers are disciples (admittedly some may be less mature, but they are still disciples). The important takeaway is that if someone claims to be a disciple and yet turns away from Jesus as many do in Jn 6:66, there is no evidence that they were ever genuine believers in Jesus. As Jn 8:31 Jesus Himself states that disciples will continue in His Word. The clear implication is if they fail to continue in His Word, they were never true disciples (aka they were the John 6:66 type of disciple.)

A T Robertson - Jesus drew the line of cleavage between the true and the false believers. Withdrew - Aorist (ingressive) active indicative of aperchomai with eis ta opisō, "to the rear" (the behind things) as in John 18:6. The crisis had come. These half-hearted seekers after the loaves and fishes and political power turned abruptly from Jesus, walked out of the synagogue with a deal of bluster and were walking with Jesus no more. Jesus had completely disillusioned these hungry camp-followers who did not care for spiritual manna that consisted in intimate appropriation of the life of Jesus as God's Son.

F F Bruce says "What they wanted, he would not give; what he offered, they would not receive" (BORROW The Gospel of John)

Wiersbe - It is the Word of God, revealing the Person of Christ, that separates the true from the false. The crowd, desiring bread for the body, rejected the Bread of Life for the soul. (Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament)

Guzik - If we could do the same thing—effectively discourage every fleshly motive for following Jesus—how many would stop following Him in our churches today?i. Instead, many churches encourage people to follow Jesus for fleshly motives, promoting Jesus as a “product” to “fix” our life—just like bread will fix your hunger. But those who come to Jesus under such a sales and marketing approach will either come to God in Spirit and in truth, or it will be revealed that it was never been granted to him by My Father to follow after Jesus.

Brian Bell - They are no longer willing to walk alongside Jesus & no longer committed to Him & His Mission. So, here Jesus thins out the ranks! They say the test of an army is how it fights when it's tired! At the 1st shadow of the cross...they left Him! Like Gideon, Jesus sends home those who were “fearful & afraid” of the battle

Steven Cole addresses the question of how are we to avoid defection from the faith. See his discussion The Antidote to Spiritual Defection, Part 2

Not...anymore (no longer, no more)(3765)(ouketi from ouk = absolutely not + eti = yet, still) is a negative adverb of time = complete and permanent change - no more, no longer, no further—1. literally of time negating an extension of time beyond a certain point (Mt 19:6; Mk 9:8; Lk 15:19, 21; J 4:42; 6:66; 14:19) never again (Ro 6:9a; Ac 20:25, 38; 2Cor 1:23, cf ouketi ou me in Am 9:15). ouketi ou me = never again (Mk 14:25; Rev 18:14) —2. in a nontemporal use, logically, to mark logical progression = then not, accordingly not (Ro 11:6; Ro 14:15; Gal 3:18. Likewise nuni ouketi (Ro 7:17) BDAG adds ouketi means "the extension of time up to a point but not beyond." Ouketi occurs with other negatives for strength = (1) ouk . . . oukéti = Ac 8:39 (2) oudé . . . oukéti = Mt 22:46 (3) oudeís . . . oukéti = Rev 18:11 (4) oukéti . . . oudeís = Mk 7:12 15:5 Lu 20:40; (5) Ouketi ou me as an intens. = Mk 14:25 Lu 22:16 Rev 18:14.

Ouketi - 43 verses - Matt. 19:6; Matt. 22:46; Mk. 7:12; Mk. 9:8; Mk. 10:8; Mk. 12:34; Mk. 14:25; Mk. 15:5; Lk. 15:19; Lk. 15:21; Lk. 20:40; Lk. 22:16; Jn. 4:42; Jn. 6:66; Jn. 11:54; Jn. 14:19; Jn. 14:30; Jn. 15:15; Jn. 16:10; Jn. 16:21; Jn. 16:25; Jn. 17:11; Jn. 21:6; Acts 8:39; Acts 20:25; Acts 20:38; Rom. 6:9; Rom. 7:17; Rom. 7:20; Rom. 11:6; Rom. 14:15; 2 Co. 1:23; 2 Co. 5:16; Gal. 2:20; Gal. 3:18; Gal. 3:25; Gal. 4:7; Eph. 2:19; Phlm. 1:16; Heb. 10:18; Heb. 10:26; Rev. 18:11; Rev. 18:14

Ouketi in the Septuagint - Exod. 5:7; Exod. 5:10; Exod. 9:28; Exod. 10:29; Exod. 11:6; Lev. 27:20; Num. 11:25; Num. 32:19; Jos. 5:12; Jos. 8:20; 2 Sam. 7:10; Est. 2:1; Est. 2:14; Job 4:20; Job 7:7; Job 7:8; Job 7:9; Job 7:21; Job 14:10; Job 20:9; Job 23:8; Ps. 39:13; Isa. 1:14; Isa. 10:20; Isa. 17:3; Isa. 23:1; Isa. 23:10; Isa. 23:11; Isa. 23:12; Isa. 29:17; Isa. 30:20; Isa. 32:3; Isa. 32:5; Isa. 32:10; Isa. 38:11; Isa. 47:1; Isa. 47:3; Isa. 47:5; Isa. 52:1; Isa. 62:4; Isa. 65:19; Jer. 15:6; Jer. 22:11; Jer. 23:20; Jer. 31:40; Jer. 42:18; Jer. 50:39; Ezek. 7:13; Ezek. 12:23; Ezek. 12:28; Ezek. 13:21; Ezek. 16:41; Ezek. 16:42; Ezek. 20:39; Ezek. 21:5; Ezek. 23:27; Ezek. 24:27; Ezek. 27:36; Ezek. 28:24; Ezek. 29:16; Ezek. 34:28; Ezek. 34:29; Ezek. 36:14; Ezek. 36:15; Ezek. 37:22; Ezek. 39:7; Ezek. 39:29; Ezek. 43:7; Ezek. 45:8; Dan. 8:7; Hos. 2:17; Hos. 9:16; Hos. 14:3; Joel 2:19; Joel 2:27; Joel 3:17; Amos 5:2; Amos 6:10; Amos 7:8; Amos 7:13; Amos 8:2; Amos 9:15; Mic. 4:3; Mic. 5:13; Nah. 2:13; Zeph. 3:11; Zeph. 3:15; Zech. 9:8; Zech. 11:6; Zech. 13:2; Zech. 14:21

Oswald Chambers - Deserter or disciple? - Borrow My Utmost for His Highest

From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. John 6:66.

When God gives a vision by His Spirit through His word of what He wants, and your mind and soul thrill to it, if you do not walk in the light of that vision, you will sink into servitude to a point of view which Our Lord never had. Disobedience in mind to the heavenly vision will make you a slave to points of view that are alien to Jesus Christ. Do not look at someone else and say—‘Well, if he can have those views and prosper, why cannot I?’ You have to walk in the light of the vision that has been given to you and not compare yourself with others or judge them, that is between them and God. When you find that a point of view in which you have been delighting clashes with the heavenly vision and you debate, certain things will begin to develop in you—a sense of property and a sense of personal right, things of which Jesus Christ made nothing. He was always against these things as being the root of everything alien to Himself. “A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things that he possesseth.” If we do not recognize this, it is because we are ignoring the undercurrent of Our Lord’s teaching.

We are apt to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we have had. If there is one standard in the New Testament revealed by the light of God and you do not come up to it, and do not feel inclined to come up to it, that is the beginning of backsliding, because it means your conscience does not answer to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you for going on as a more true disciple of Jesus Christ, or for going back as a deserter.

Small Is Beautiful

Who has despised the day of small things? — Zechariah 4:10

Today's Scripture: John 6:53-71

Just the other day someone said of a friend, “This man is destined for a great ministry,” by which he meant he was headed for the big time—a high-profile church with a big budget.

It made me wonder: Why do we think that God’s call is necessarily upwardly mobile? Why wouldn’t He send His best workers to labor for a lifetime in some small place? Aren’t there people in obscure places who need to be evangelized and taught? God is not willing that any perish.

Jesus cared about the individual as well as the masses. He taught large crowds if they appeared, but it never bothered Him that His audience grew smaller every day. Many left Him, John said (John 6:66), a fickle attrition that would have thrown most of us into high panic. Yet Jesus pressed on with those the Father gave Him.

We live in a culture where bigger is better, where size is the measure of success. It takes a strong person to resist that trend, especially if he or she is laboring in a small place.

But size is nothing; substance is everything. Whether you’re pastoring a small church or leading a small Bible study or Sunday school class, serve them with all your heart. Pray, love, teach by word and example. Your little place is not a steppingstone to greatness. It is greatness. By: David H. Roper (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

The Lord will give you help and strength
For work He bids you do;
To serve Him from a heart of love
Is all He asks of you.
—Fasick

Little is much when God is in it.

What Kind of Savior Is He?

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. John 6:66

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:47–51, 60–66

Last year, friends and I prayed for healing for three women battling cancer. We knew God had the power to do this, and we asked Him to do so every day. We’d seen Him work in the past and believed He could do it again. There were days in each one’s battle where healing looked like it was a reality, and we rejoiced. But they all died that fall. Some said that was “the ultimate healing,” and in a way it was. Still the loss hurt us deeply. We wanted Him to heal them all—here and now—but for reasons we couldn’t understand, no miracle came.

Some people followed Jesus for the miracles He performed and to get their needs met (John 6:2, 26). Some simply saw Him as the carpenter’s son (Matthew 13:55–58), and others expected Him to be their political leader (Luke 19:37–38). Some thought of Him as a great teacher (Matthew 7:28–29), while others quit following Him because His teaching was hard to understand (John 6:66).

Jesus still doesn’t always meet our expectations of Him. Yet He is so much more than we can imagine. He’s the provider of eternal life (vv. 47–48). He is good and wise; and He loves, forgives, stays close, and brings us comfort. May we find rest in Jesus as He is and keep following Him. By: Anne Cetas (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Thank You, Jesus, that You are the kind of Savior we need. Wrap us in Your love and bring us confident rest in You.

I trust in you, Lord; I say, “You are my God.” Psalm 31:14

Popularity

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. —John 6:66

Today's Scripture: John 6:60-69

Popularity is fickle. Just ask a politician. Many of them watch their ratings to see how their constituents view their policies. They may start with a high rating, but then it steadily declines during their term.

Jesus also experienced a sharp decline in popularity. His popularity reached its peak after He fed the 5,000 (John 6:14-15). It plummeted when He told His listeners that He had “come down from heaven” (v.38). Their response to His stupendous claim was, essentially, Who does this guy think He is?! (see v.41).

Jesus’ popularity continued to dip when He explained how they could have Him as spiritual bread (vv.51-52). Perplexed by what they heard, they said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” (v.60). As a result, many left Him.

The crowds followed Jesus conditionally. They were happy only as long as Jesus supplied their needs and met their wants. They balked when He asked for commitment.

Jesus’ question to His disciples was “Do you also want to go away?” (v.67). Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v.68). Will you, like Peter, choose to ignore the world’s rating of Jesus and follow Him daily? (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)By: C. P. Hia

Those searching to know life’s true meaning
Can find it in only one way:
By serving the Lord with commitment,
And living for Him day by day.
—Branon

Commitment to Christ is a daily calling that challenges us.

Jesus’ Difficult Words

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. —John 6:66

Today's Scripture: John 6:44-58

Recently, a company advertised a “huggable, washable, and talking” Jesus doll that recites “actual Scripture verses to introduce children of all ages to the wisdom of the Bible.” Its sayings include, “I have an exciting plan for your life,” and “Your life matters so much to Me.” Who wouldn’t want to follow a Jesus like this?

Jesus does offer a wonderful plan for our lives. But He doesn’t serve as a cosmic genie or cuddly doll to meet our every whim. John 6 gives us a picture of a Jesus who is not so cuddly—in fact, He’s often offensive. Instead of fulfilling the selfish desires of His followers, He disturbed their expectations. He offered Himself as spiritual bread from heaven and said, “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life” (v.54).

This message was offensive and difficult. The image of eating flesh and drinking blood did not give His hearers “warm fuzzies.” Many stopped following Him (v.66). He wasn’t the conquering Messiah-King they had expected.

Sometimes we want a Jesus who meets our selfish needs. But the wonderful life He offers is found only in radical obedience to His commands. Let’s ask Jesus to show us what His words mean, and for the courage to act on His truth. By: Marvin Williams (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

“We love You, Lord Jesus,” we often may say,
But are we as ready His will to obey?
Let’s heed what God’s Spirit would have us to do,
For that’s how we show Him a love that is true.
—DJD

The way of Jesus is not always easy.

John 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?"

BGT John 6:67 εἶπεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοῖς δώδεκα· μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς θέλετε ὑπάγειν;

KJV John 6:67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

NET John 6:67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You don't want to go away too, do you?"

CSB John 6:67 Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, "You don't want to go away too, do you?"

ESV John 6:67 So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?"

NIV John 6:67 "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

NLT John 6:67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, "Are you also going to leave?"

NRS John 6:67 So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?"

NJB John 6:67 Then Jesus said to the Twelve, 'What about you, do you want to go away too?'

NAB John 6:67 Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?"

YLT John 6:67 Jesus, therefore, said to the twelve, 'Do ye also wish to go away?'

want: Jos 24:15-22 Ru 1:11-18 2Sa 15:19,20 Lu 14:25-33
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JESUS TURNS TO
THE REMAINING TWELVE

So - For this reason. What reason? In context because many of the disciples who claimed to be Jesus' disciples departed forever.

Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you - Here was His "64 Dollar Question" so to speak. It was a direct test of the loyalty and belief of the twelve (even the one who would betray Him).

D A Carson - The question is not moody, glum, but a challenging 'Surely you don't want to go away too, do you?' The question is asked more for their sake than his. They need to articulate a response more than he needs to hear it. One might guess from the flow of the narrative that the defection has been so substantial on this occasion that not many more than the Twelve actually remain. (See The Gospel According to John scroll up and down for more text)

A T Robertson- Jesus puts it with the negative answer (mē) expected. See John 21:5 where Jesus also uses mē in a question. Judas must have shown some sympathy with the disappointed and disappearing crowds. But he kept still. There was possibly restlessness on the part of the other apostles.

Brian Bell - DETERMINATION! (67-69) This is the 2nd group. Thinning crowds did nothing to thin the disciples determination! II. (67) The choice is always to follow the crowd or follow Jesus. Q Right now do you feel like going away? Is it too hot in your kitchen? Too stinky in your nursery? Too dry in your marriage? Too quiet in your relationship w/God? Q: Do you also want to go away? DECEPTION! (67-69) LL.This is the 3rd group. Standing right in the band of chosen men was one who looked & sounded like the most sincere disciple...but was a devil. Q: What category do you fall into? Like the crowd (open defection); or like Judas (subtle deception); or like the disciples (firm determination)? Illustration: Imagine a book on a shelf, never read. As long as it remains unread, it is external to you. One day you take it down & read it. You’re thrilled, fascinated, moved. The story sticks to you. The great lines remain in your memory. Now, when you desire you can take that wonder out from inside you & remember it, think about it, feed your mind & hear on it. Once the book was outside you & now that its inside, you can feed upon it. (adapted form William Barclay; Gospel of John; pg.224) If you’ve never taken Jesus into your life, assimilated His being into yours, then he is outside of your life! You are like a small child, with nose pressed up against a bakery window. Smelling bread, seeing, bread, knowing it’s there...but never tasting it. Oh, taste & see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Ps.34:8

C H Spurgeon - CLEAVING TO CHRIST - “Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”—John 6:67, 68.

In the case before us, we see that the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ acted like a great winnowing machine. His nominal disciples were like a heap of wheat and chaff all mingled together on the threshing-floor. His words were like a mighty wind passing through the whole mass, separating the chaff from the wheat, and driving it away, and leaving only the good corn lying all around him. This leads me to say that, apart from afflictions, temptations, and persecutions, the preaching of the gospel is in itself a means of dividing the true followers of Christ from those who are only his disciples in name; and wherever there is a faithful, Christlike ministry, you will find many going away from it for the very same reasons that those nominal disciples went away from Christ. “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.”

D L Moody - John 6:67, 68. THE sun is thousands of years old, but gas is new. Shall we then use gas in place of the sun? Block up all the windows of your houses, and have nothing to do with the sun! You might as well do that as give up the Bible. Outgrown it! Why, there is no book to be compared with it. No other book will lift up the world. If you could go into a town where men were trying to live without that good book, you would flee from it as they who left Sodom and Gomorrah. Have infidels ever produced a Knox, a Bunyan, or a Milton?

C H Spurgeon - A Home Question and a Right Answer

‘From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go?’ John 6:66–68

We know some that used to walk with Christ, who walk no more with his people; their hearts have gone away from Christ. The Sabbath is ignored; the house of God is forsaken; the Bible is put away; prayer is neglected and perhaps despised. They walk no more with Christ, for they prefer a broader or smoother road. If anybody mentions what they used to be, they slink away, and seem to say, ‘Never mention it again: we wish it to be ignored.’ I remember a household where the sons and daughters all professed to be converted to Christ; but some of them were fond of amusements that were not consistent with the profession of religion. When they were found in such engagements, they blushed a little; but by-and-by they boldly averred that they had never been converted, that they were forced into it by persuasion, and hurried on by excitement to do that which their better sense led them to regret. Their excuse was as false as their former profession. They knew that they acted of their own accord, and willingly professed Christ. Alas, just as willingly, when temptation came, they forsook him. Ah, apostate, it is all very well to say that you were persuaded; but you know that you deliberately confessed your faith, or you would never have been baptized by us; you deliberately sought membership with the church of God, or you would not have been received. If you have gone back from Christ you yourself must bear the shame in time and eternity. But when any openly sever themselves from the companionship of the Crucified One, well may the question pass from heart to heart, ‘Will ye also go away?’

Spurgeon - Morning and Evening - “Will ye also go away?”—John 6:67

Many have forsaken Christ, and have walked no more with him; but what reason have YOU to make a change? Has there been any reason for it in the past? Has not Jesus proved himself all-sufficient? He appeals to you this morning—“Have I been a wilderness unto you?” When your soul has simply trusted Jesus, have you ever been confounded? Have you not up till now found your Lord to be a compassionate and generous friend to you, and has not simple faith in him given you all the peace your spirit could desire? Can you so much as dream of a better friend than he has been to you? Then change not the old and tried for new and false. As for the present, can that compel you to leave Christ? When we are hard beset with this world, or with the severer trials within the Church, we find it a most blessed thing to pillow our head upon the bosom of our Saviour. This is the joy we have to-day that we are saved in him; and if this joy be satisfying, wherefore should we think of changing? Who barters gold for dross? We will not forswear the sun till we find a better light, nor leave our Lord until a brighter lover shall appear; and, since this can never be, we will hold him with a grasp immortal, and bind his name as a seal upon our arm. As for the future, can you suggest anything which can arise that shall render it necessary for you to mutiny, or desert the old flag to serve under another captain? We think not. If life be long—he changes not. If we are poor, what better than to have Christ who can make us rich? When we are sick, what more do we want than Jesus to make our bed in our sickness? When we die, is it not written that “neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord!” We say with Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

Oswald Chambers - Borrow My Utmost for His Highest - The time of relapse

Will ye also go away? John 6:67.

A penetrating question. Our Lord’s words come home most when He talks in the most simple way. We know Who Jesus is, but in spite of that He says—“Will ye also go away?” We have to maintain a venturing attitude toward Him all the time.

“From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” They went back from walking with Jesus, not into sin, but they relapsed. Many to-day are spending and being spent in work for Jesus Christ, but they do not walk with Him. The one thing God keeps us to steadily is that we may be one with Jesus Christ. After sanctification the discipline of our spiritual life is along this line. If God gives a clear and emphatic realization to your soul of what He wants, do not try to keep yourself in that relationship by any particular method, but live a natural life of absolute dependence on Jesus Christ. Never try to live the life with God on any other line than God’s line, and that line is absolute devotion to Him. The certainty that I know I do not know—that is the secret of going with Jesus.

Peter only saw in Jesus Someone to minister salvation to him and to the world. Our Lord wants us to be yoke-fellows with Him.

Jn 6:70. Jesus answers the great lack in Peter. We cannot answer for others.

John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.

BGT John 6:68 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ Σίμων Πέτρος· κύριε, πρὸς τίνα ἀπελευσόμεθα; ῥήματα ζωῆς αἰωνίου ἔχεις,

KJV John 6:68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.

NET John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

CSB John 6:68 Simon Peter answered, "Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life.

ESV John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,

NIV John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

NLT John 6:68 Simon Peter replied, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.

NRS John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life.

NJB John 6:68 Simon Peter answered, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the message of eternal life,

NAB John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

YLT John 6:68 Simon Peter, therefore, answered him, 'Sir, unto whom shall we go? thou hast sayings of life age-during;

GWN John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Jesus, "Lord, to what person could we go? Your words give eternal life.

BBE John 6:68 Then Simon Peter gave this answer: Lord, to whom are we to go? you have the words of eternal life;

RSV John 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life;

NKJ John 6:68 But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

to whom: Ps 73:25
You have: John 6:40,63 5:24,39,40 Ac 4:12 5:20 7:38 1Jn 5:11-13
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passages:

John 6:40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

SIMON'S GREAT
RESPONSE

Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life (Jn 6:63) - Guess who speaks his mind?! Simon spoke for the twelve (minus the one betrayer), acknowledging that Jesus' words in His Bread sermon were those that would give eternal life and that there was no one else to go to for eternal life. (cf Peter in Jn 13:36-37; Matt. 14:28; 15:15; 16:16, 22; 17:4; 18:21; 19:27; 26:33, 35; Mark 11:21; Luke 5:8; 8:45; 12:41).

One is reminded of the confession at Caesarea Philippi - " And He continued by questioning them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter *answered and *said to Him, “You are the Christ.” (Mk. 8:29+, Mt 16:16+)

Peter was a "realist!" He knew (undoubtedly the Spirit had given him understanding) that to leave Jesus, would leave the deserter with no chance of entering eternal life and the Kingdom of God. It was Peter who later declared (speaking of Jesus) "“He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other Name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:11-12+)

A T Robertson- Peter is the spokesman as usual and his words mean that, if such a thought as desertion crossed their minds when the crowd left, they dismissed it instantly. They had made their choice. They accepted these very words of Jesus that had caused the defection as "the words of eternal life."

Vance Havner - WONDERFUL WORDS OF LIFE Thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68.

Peter advances to a second and better stage in his confession. Our Lord had already said, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). When many of His disciples stumbled at this pronouncement, He explained it: "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). We feed on the living Word as we feed upon the written Word. There is something about His words that is different from all other words. They are living and when planted they sprout and grow. Peter did not understand all of them, did not always live up to what they required, but he never doubted their origin, their quality, and power. Hear them, hide them in the heart, heed them by being a doer of them, and we are made aware of a new life.

Vance Havner - WHERE ELSE CAN WE GO? Lord, to whom shall we go? John 6:68.

Peter gives three reasons for being a Christian. He begins with the poorest, but it will do to start. It is a matter of alternatives. If we do not take Jesus' way, what else can we do? What are the other options? Look up any other road and what do you see? It comes to this: it is Jesus Christ or else. There is only one Book that has the Answer and Jesus Christ is that Answer. I do not understand everything in the Book, but I stand on everything in it. I look every other direction and I see only depravity, despair, and death. Where could I go but to my Lord?

A W Tozer - WHO HEARS THE CALL OF GOD?

Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68

Who can deny that there are certain persons who, though still unconverted, nevertheless differ from the crowd, marked out of God, stricken with an interior wound and susceptible to the call of God?

In the prayer of Jesus in John 17:11, He said: “Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me.” Surely no man is ever the same after God has laid His hand upon him. He will have certain marks, perhaps some not easy to detect.

First might be a deep reverence for divine things. A sense of the sacred must be present or there can be no receptivity to God and truth.

Another mark is great moral sensitivity. When God begins to work in a man to bring him to salvation, He makes him acutely sensitive to evil.

Another mark of the Spirit’s working is a mighty moral discontent. It does take a work of God in a man to sour him on the world and to turn him against himself; yet until this has happened he is psychologically unable to repent and believe!

What Is the Alternative? John 6:68 - Archie Edwards

Three Important things:

I. The Choice of Salvation Is Not Optional. “… To whom shall we go? Thou hast …”
II. The Form of Salvation Is Settled. “Thou hast the words …”
III. The Result of Salvation Is Eternal Life. “Thou hast the words of eternal life.”

Kenneth Osbeck - Borrow Amazing Grace - IN TIMES LIKE THESE Words and Music by Ruth Caye Jones, 1902–1972

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Wars, earthquakes, famines, violence, drugs, child abuse, humanism, the occult, New Age …

When world events and ideologies like these seem ominous and unsettling to us or when personal sorrows or tragedies confront us, where can we go but to the Lord? How comforting it is to know that we can always flee to Him and rest securely on our “Solid Rock.” During the fearful days at the height of World War II, when the stress and strain of daily living seemed almost overwhelming, the comforting hymn “In Times Like These” was written. In the midst of a busy day as a housewife, Ruth Caye Jones felt a direct inspiration from the Holy Spirit. She stopped her work to quickly put down both words and music just as they were given to her by God.

Since that day the hymn has been a blessing to countless Christians at special times of need. It has brought comfort during illness, has been used widely at funerals, has encouraged and challenged Christian workers, and has drawn many to salvation. Mrs. Jones experienced for herself the consolation the words of the song could bring as she spent time recovering form serious surgery a few years after it was written.

The Scriptures warn that world conditions will continue to get worse as we approach the end of this age and the return of Christ. In addition, we must prepare ourselves for the difficult times that come to everyone as life progresses. We can only remain firm when we know with conviction that our God is in control and that all things are working out for our ultimate good. In the meantime, we simply grip the “Solid Rock!”

In times likes these you need a Savior; in times like these you need an anchor; be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
In times like these you need the Bible; in times like these O be not idle; be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!
In times like these I have a Savior; in times like these I have an anchor; I’m very sure, I’m very sure my anchor hold and grips the Solid Rock!
Refrain: This Rock is Jesus, yes, He’s the One; this Rock is Jesus, the only One! Be very sure, be very sure your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

For Today: Job 13:13, 15; 19:25, 27; Psalm 56:11; Isaiah 26:3, 4
Whatever difficulties might surround you just now, be certain that you can sing with conviction this musical testimony—

What Are Our Options?

Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." —John 6:68

Today's Scripture: John 6:48-69

In a pre-election newspaper column, William Safire posed the question, “What do you do when the candidate you support takes a position you don’t like [or when] the candidate you oppose takes a stand that you admire?”

Safire suggested three options:

1. Switch candidates.

2. Stay with your original choice and put on a button that says, “Nobody’s perfect.”

3. Be like the proverbial old woman who says, “I never vote. It only encourages them.”

Now think about the spiritual parallel. What are our choices when Jesus, our Leader, takes a position we don’t like, or when the enemy we oppose takes a stand more to our liking? Some will switch and walk with Christ no more (John 6:66). But that’s not a valid option for those who know Him (v.68). Neither can we wear a button that says, “Nobody’s perfect.” Jesus is the Holy One of God. He is perfect. If we disagree with Him, it is because we are wrong. Furthermore, we can’t be like the person who never votes. Our Lord didn’t give us that option. We must choose whom we will follow.

Today, we need to be as wise as Peter and the other disciples. We must follow the Lord even when His ways are contrary to ours. By: Mart DeHaan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Some people follow Jesus Christ,
And then they turn and walk away;
But Jesus gives eternal life
To those who trust Him and obey.
—Sper

No one can be neutral about Jesus.

Running In The Right Direction

Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” —John 6:68

Today's Scripture: John 6:53-69

One of the most difficult experiences in my years as a pastor was telling a member of our church that her husband, her son, and her father-in-law had all drowned in a boating accident. I knew the news would shatter her life.

In the days following their tragic loss, I was amazed as she and her family responded with unusual faith. Sure, there was deep brokenness, haunting doubt, and confusion. But when nothing else made sense, they still had Jesus. Rather than deserting Him in the midst of their desperately difficult days, they ran to Him as the only source of hope and confidence.

This reminds me of the reaction of the disciples to Jesus. After some of them “went back and walked with Him no more” because He was hard to understand (John 6:66), Jesus turned to His inner circle, and asked, “Do you also want to go away?” (v.67). Peter got it right when he responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v.68).

Whatever you face today, be encouraged by the words of Peter and by the example of a family who went through the fire with their faith intact. As long as you’re running in the right direction—to Jesus—you’ll find the grace and strength you will need. By: Joe Stowell

Jesus is the One to run to
When our lives bring grief and pain;
He provides His strength and guidance
With a peace we can’t explain.
—Sper

When all is lost, remember that you haven’t lost Jesus. Run to Him.

Beyond Time

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68–69

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 6:53–69

During 2016, theater companies in Britain and around the world have staged special productions to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. Concerts, lectures, and festivals have drawn crowds who celebrate the enduring work of the man widely considered to be the greatest playwright in the English language. Ben Jonson, one of Shakespeare’s contemporaries, wrote of him, “He was not of an age, but for all time.”

While the influence of some artists, writers, and thinkers may last for centuries, Jesus Christ is the only person whose life and work will endure beyond time. He claimed to be “the bread that came down from heaven . . . whoever feeds on this bread will live forever” (v. 58).

When many people who heard Jesus’s teaching were offended by His words and stopped following Him (John 6:61–66), the Lord asked His disciples if they also wanted to leave (v. 67). Peter replied, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God” (vv. 68–69).

When we invite Jesus to come into our lives as our Lord and Savior, we join His first disciples and all those who have followed Him in a new life that will last forever—beyond time. By: David C. McCasland (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Lord Jesus, thank You for the gift of eternal life in fellowship with You today and forever.

Jesus is the Son of God, the Man beyond time, who gives us eternal life.

Words Of Life

Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. — John 6:68

Today's Scripture: John 6:60-71

In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman warns us of the danger of a world of information overload. He reminds us of a chilling futuristic vision—Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, which describes a world thoroughly flooded with information. But that data is manipulated so that none of it has any significance.

A glance at the Internet or a magazine rack hints that we are living in just such a culture. We’re drowning in a sea of information often marketed by the unscrupulous. We need discernment to choose wisely whom we will listen to.

In John 6, Jesus delivered His “I am the bread of life” message (v.35). It was a sermon so controversial that, at its conclusion, many of His followers went away and stopped following Him (v.66). They chose to stop listening to the voice of Christ. When Jesus challenged His disciples as to whether they would also walk away, Peter wisely responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (v.68).

In a world swamped with confusing and contradictory information, we can, like Peter, turn to Christ for wisdom. He cuts through the words of confusion with words of life. By: Bill Crowder (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

There's so much wisdom to be learned,
So many ways for me to grow,
Lord, I would listen like a child,
And learn what You would have me know.
—K. De HaanIf you want to be wise, listen to Jesus

John 6:69 "We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God."

BGT John 6:69 καὶ ἡμεῖς πεπιστεύκαμεν καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ ἅγιος τοῦ θεοῦ.

KJV John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (Textus Receptus has different description of Jesus)

NET John 6:69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God!"

CSB John 6:69 We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!"

ESV John 6:69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

NIV John 6:69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

NLT John 6:69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God. "

NRS John 6:69 We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

NJB John 6:69 and we believe; we have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.'

NAB John 6:69 We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

YLT John 6:69 and we have believed, and we have known, that thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' (Textus Receptus has different description of Jesus)

GWN John 6:69 Besides, we believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

BBE John 6:69 And we have faith and are certain that you are the Holy One of God.

RSV John 6:69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God."

believed: John 1:29,41,45-49 11:27 20:28,31 Mt 16:16 Mk 1:1 8:29 Lu 9:20 Ac 8:37 Ro 1:3 1Jn 5:1,20
the Holy One: John 6:57
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Ps 16:10 For You (GOD THE FATHER) will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You (FATHER) allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

Luke 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.

DISCIPLES BELIEVED JESUS
WAS THE HOLY ONE

We (11 of the 12) have believed (pisteuo) and have come to know (ginosko) - This is an interesting verse. It seems to suggest that believing precedes knowing. In the next chapter Jesus declared "“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself." What was God's will for the disciples? To believe in Messiah. The fruit of doing the will of God is knowing His teaching.

THOUGHT - Dear believer, does the Word seem to be difficult to understand? Belief is intimately linked with obedience to what you have already read and believed. It follows that if you are not obeying in that which He has already shown you, might this explain why you are finding it difficult to understand the Word?

A T Robertson- perfect active indicative of pisteuō, "We have come to believe and still believe" (John 6:29). Same tense (perfect) of ginōskō, "We have come to know and still know."

Warren Wiersbe - Peter and ten of the disciples affirmed their faith in Christ. Their faith came by hearing the Word (Rom. 10:17).(Borrow Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament)

John MacArthur - Peter's affirmation in verses 68 and 69 expressed two key marks of true disciples: faith (we have believed)—which marks their spiritual birth—and faithfulness (Lord, to whom shall we go?)—which marks their character. The perfect tense of the verbs translated have believed and have come to know conveys the idea of an act completed in the past, but with ongoing results. The initial faith of true disciples results in continued commitment and loyalty to Christ. Unlike the false disciples who had made a final decision to abandon Jesus, the Twelve (except for Judas) had made a permanent pledge to follow Him. In this way, John contrasted the stark difference between those who are fickle and those who are faithful. (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

that You are the Holy One of God - We (minus Judas) have believed is the confession of their faith in Jesus as the Messiah, the Holy One Who had been sent from the Father. Jesus is called the Holy One of God only 2 other times in the NT, both times by demons who recognized Him (Mk 1:24 and Luke 4:34). How sad that the demons acknowledge Christ as the Holy One but most of Israel did not recognize Him or receive Him as Savior! At least 11 of the 12 believed which is probably why Jesus referred to them as "little flock" (Jn 12:32). The full title the Holy One of God occurs elsewhere in Mark 1:24 and Luke 4:34 in the mouth of a demon.

There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Holy One.

Jesus, my Redeemer, Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, O for sinners slain.

When I stand in Glory, I will see His face,
There I'll serve my King forever, In that holy place.

Thank you, oh, my Father, for giving us your Son, and
Leaving your Spirit 'til work on earth is done.

Babylonian Talmud, Sukkah 52a: "Our Rabbis taught, The Holy One (REFERRING TO THE FATHER), blessed be He, will say to the Messiah, the son of David (May he reveal himself speedily in our days!), 'Ask of me anything, and I will give it to thee', as it is said, I will tell of the decree etc. this day have I begotten thee, ask of me and I will give the nations for thy inheritance" (Psalm 2:7-8).

Holy One of Israel 31x - 2 Ki. 19:22; Ps. 71:22; Ps. 78:41; Ps. 89:18; Isa. 1:4; Isa. 5:19; Isa. 5:24; Isa. 10:20; Isa. 12:6; Isa. 17:7; Isa. 29:19; Isa. 30:11; Isa. 30:12; Isa. 30:15; Isa. 31:1; Isa. 37:23; Isa. 41:14; Isa. 41:16; Isa. 41:20; Isa. 43:3; Isa. 43:14; Isa. 45:11; Isa. 47:4; Isa. 48:17; Isa. 49:7; Isa. 54:5; Isa. 55:5; Isa. 60:9; Isa. 60:14; Jer. 50:29; Jer. 51:5

Failure Is Not Fatal

You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. —John 6:69

Today's Scripture & Insight: John 18:15-27

Prime Minister Winston Churchill knew how to bolster the spirits of the British people during World War II. On June 18, 1940, he told a frightened populace, “Hitler knows that he will have to break us . . . or lose the war. . . . Let us therefore brace . . . and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire [lasts] for a thousand years, men will still say, ‘This was their finest hour!’ ”

We would all like to be remembered for our “finest hour.” Perhaps the apostle Peter’s finest hour was when he proclaimed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (John 6:69). Sometimes, however, we let our failures define us. After Peter repeatedly denied that he knew Jesus, he went out and wept bitterly (Matt. 26:75; John 18).

Like Peter, we all fall short—in our relationships, in our struggle with sin, in our faithfulness to God. But “failure is not fatal,” as Churchill also said. Thankfully, this is true in our spiritual life. Jesus forgave the repentant Peter for his failure (John 21) and used him to preach and lead many to the Savior.

Failure is not fatal. God lovingly restores those who turn back to Him. By: Cindy Hess Kasper (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. — Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Dear Father, thank You for Your forgiveness. Thank You that Your mercy and grace are given freely through the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus.

When God forgives, He removes the sin and restores the soul.

Vance Havner - WE BELIEVE AND KNOW And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 6:69.

To believe is one thing; to know is another. Some believe in Christ, but they do not have certainty. It is possible to accept certain facts about our Lord and yet not have personal knowledge of Him. I believed that my dear wife loved me and was true to me, but, more than that, I knew it. Should we be less persuaded concerning our Lord? Paul knew whom he had believed. Christianity today is tragically weak here. It lacks the unshaken certainty that is sure He is the Son of the living God.

Jeff Brown - TO WHOM SHALL WE GO? JOHN 6:37–40, 63–69

Introduction. The sixth chapter of John records the feeding of the 5000; the miracle of Jesus walking on the water …
The next day people came seeking Jesus. Their motives were wrong. Jesus warned them against worldliness and offered them spiritual food—“My Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven—I am the bread of life”—verses 32, 35 …
After this discourse many went back and walked with him no more.
Let us note the crowds following Jesus and their respective attitudes:
1. Some of curiosity—these did not “stick” …
2. Some for loaves and fishes—these did not “stick” …
3. Some because of their need—some “stuck” …
4. Some because of their love—these “stuck” …

TO WHOM SHALL WE GO?

I. WE MUST HAVE SOMEONE TO WHOM WE CAN GO
1. In life …
(a) With problems—someone who can give advice …
(b) With fears—someone who can protect …
(c) With sins—Someone who can forgive …
2. In death …
(a) To whom shall we go in the loss of a loved one?…
(b) As we face death ourselves …
3. On the Judgment Day …
(a) We must have an advocate …
(b) We have nothing of ourselves to offer …

II. WE CAN GO TO NO ONE BUT JESUS
1. Shall we go to our governor?…
2. Shall we go to our educators?…
3. Shall we go to our friends and loved ones? These would help if they could …

III. WE CAN GO TO JESUS
1. He can help in every case …
2. God has given Him all authority and power …
3. He paid for our sins on the cross …
4. He died and rose again that we may fear death no longer …
5. He is our advocate before God …
6. He invites us to come …

Conclusion.
1. You need medical attention—you go to a doctor …
2. Legal advice—a lawyer …
3. Salvation—the Saviour …

John 6:70 Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?"

BGT John 6:70 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· οὐκ ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς τοὺς δώδεκα ἐξελεξάμην; καὶ ἐξ ὑμῶν εἷς διάβολός ἐστιν.

KJV John 6:70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

NET John 6:70 Jesus replied, "Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is the devil?"

CSB John 6:70 Jesus replied to them, "Didn't I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!"

ESV John 6:70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the Twelve? And yet one of you is a devil."

NIV John 6:70 Then Jesus replied, "Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!"

NLT John 6:70 Then Jesus said, "I chose the twelve of you, but one is a devil."

NRS John 6:70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil."

NJB John 6:70 Jesus replied to them, 'Did I not choose the Twelve of you? Yet one of you is a devil.'

NAB John 6:70 Jesus answered them, "Did I not choose you twelve? Yet is not one of you a devil?"

YLT John 6:70 Jesus answered them, 'Did not I choose you -- the twelve? and of you -- one is a devil.

Did I Myself not choose you: John 6:64 Jn 13:18 Jn 17:12 Mt 10:1-4 Lu 6:13-16 Ac 1:17
one: John 8:44 13:2,21,27 Ac 13:10 1Jn 3:8 Rev 3:9,10
a devil: 1Ti 3:11 Titus 2:3
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

Related Passage:

Matthew 10:1-4+ Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

Matthew 26:24 “The Son of Man is to go, just as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”

JESUS CHOICE OF
THE TWELVE

Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose (eklego) you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil (diabolos) - Note the context has Peter's confession that begins with "WE," but here Jesus corrects Simon by pointing out that one of the twelve is an accuser, who would betray Him to the Romans in the Garden. This is the first occurrence in John's gospel of the term the twelve, which designates the apostles in the Synoptic Gospels (e.g., Mt. 10:2; 20:17; Mk 4:10; 9:35; Lk 8:1; Lk 18:31).

A T Robertson - Jesus does not say that Judas was a devil when he chose him, but that he is one now. In John 13:2, 27 John speaks of the devil entering Judas. How soon the plan to betray Jesus first entered the heart of Judas we do not know (John 12:4). One wonders if the words of Jesus here did not cut Judas to the quick.

John MacArthur on did I Myself not choose you - He is not here referring to election to salvation, but rather selection to apostleship. He chose twelve men, one of whom was to slander Him in the most unthinkable way. After Judas had been dismissed from the Upper Room the night of the Last Supper, then the Lord spoke to the remaining eleven as being chosen for salvation. As He said to them, "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you" (John 15:16). His sovereign choice of them, both to salvation and apostleship, ruled out any pretentiousness or self-importance they may have otherwise felt. (See John Commentary - scroll up and down for more text)

Technical Note - NET Note - Although most translations render this last phrase as "one of you is a devil," such a translation presupposes that there is more than one devil. This finds roots in the KJV in which the Greek word for demon was often translated "devil." In fact, the KJV never uses the word "demon." (Sixty-two of the 63 NT instances of [daimonion] are translated "devil" [in Acts 17:18 the plural has been translated "gods"]. This can get confusing in places where the singular "devil" is used: Is Satan or one of the demons in view [cf. Matt 9:33 (demon); 13:39 (devil); 17:18 (demon); Mark 7:26 (demon); Luke 4:2 (devil); etc.]?) Now regarding John 6:70, both the construction in Greek and the technical use of diabolos indicate that the one devil is in view. To object to the translation "the devil" because it thus equates Judas with Satan does not take into consideration that Jesus often spoke figuratively (e.g., "destroy this temple" [ John 2:19]; "he [John the Baptist] is Elijah" [Matt 11:14]), even equating Peter with the devil on one occasion (Mark 8:33). According to ExSyn 249, "A curious phenomenon has occurred in the English Bible with reference to one particular monadic noun, diabolos. The KJV translates both diabolos and daimonion as 'devil.' Thus in the AV translators' minds, 'devil' was not a monadic noun. Modern translations have correctly rendered daimonion as 'demon' and have, for the most part, recognized that diabolos is monadic (cf., e.g., 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 20:2). But in John 6:70 modern translations have fallen into the error of the King James translators. The KJV has 'one of you is a devil.' So does the RSV, NRSV, ASV, NIV, NKJV, and the JB [Jerusalem Bible]. Yet there is only one devil…The legacy of the KJV still lives on, then, even in places where it ought not."

Choose (1586) eklego/eklegomai from ek = out, out of, out from + légo = select, choose) (see also word study on related word eklektos) means literally to select out, single out or choose out of. The idea in eklego speaks of the sizable number from which the selection is made. It implies the taking of a smaller number out of a larger. For example, in secular use, Virgil's Eclogues (from eklego) are short, selected excerpts taken from a larger collection of poems. Eklego means to choose out for oneself, but not implying rejection of those not chosen. A H Strong explained it this way - Election and sovereignty are only sources of good. Election is not a decree to destroy, it is a decree to save. When we elect a president, we do not need to hold a second election to determine that the remaining millions shall be non-presidents. Mal Couch on chose - there is no indication of any dislike towards those not chosen. It is not a rejection with disdain. The choice of Levi for the priesthood does not imply anything negative about the other tribes (ED: E.g. SEE Dt 18:5+ where same verb eklegomai is used and in same tense, voice, and mood as in Eph 1:4 with God as the subject in both uses!) When speaking of election, the Bible never contrasts it with reprobation. It only ever speaks of the ones who are chosen. It does not speak of those not chosen. (Galatians & Ephesians)

John 13:18 “I do not speak of all of you. I know the ones I have chosen; but it is that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘HE WHO EATS MY BREAD HAS LIFTED UP HIS HEEL AGAINST ME.’

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.

John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.

Devil (1228) diabolos from diá = through, between + ballo = to cast, throw) means a false accuser, slanderer (one who utters false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation), backbiting (malicious comment about one not present), one given to malicious gossip or a calumniator (one who utters maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about, this term imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions). Diabolos is the noun form of the verb diaballō which describes not only those who bring a false charge against one, but also those who disseminate the truth concerning a man, and do so maliciously, insidiously and with hostility (A GOOD DESCRIPTION OF JUDAS ISCARIOT!) Diabolos) means "slanderer" (cf. 1 Tim. 3:11; 2 Tim. 3:3; Titus 2:3, where the plural form of the noun is rendered "malicious gossips"), or "false accuser," which would prove true of Judas Iscariot!

There are only two other uses of diabolos in John

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 13:2 During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,

QUESTION - Who was Judas Iscariot?

ANSWER - Judas Iscariot is typically remembered for one thing: his betrayal of Jesus. He was one of the twelve disciples who lived with and followed Jesus for three years. He witnessed Jesus’ ministry, His teaching, and His many miracles. He was the treasurer for the group and used this trusted position to steal from their resources (John 12:6).

Judas was a common name in that era, and there are several other Judases mentioned in the New Testament. One of the other disciples was named Judas (John 14:22), and so was one of Jesus’ own half-brothers (Mark 6:3). To differentiate, John 6:71 and John 13:26 refer to Christ’s betrayer as “Judas, son of Simon Iscariot.”

Scholars have several ideas about the derivation of the surname. One is that Iscariot refers to Kerioth, a region or town in Judea. Another idea is that it refers to the Sicarii, a cadre of assassins among the Jewish rebels.

The possible association with the Sicarii allows for interesting speculation about Judas’ motives for his betrayal, but the fact that he made a conscious choice to betray Jesus (Luke 22:48) remains the same. The surname Iscariot is useful, if for no other reason, in that it leaves no doubt about which Judas is being referred to.

Here are some of the facts we glean from key verses about Judas and his betrayal:

Money was important to Judas. As already mentioned, he was a thief, and, according to Matthew 26:13–15, the chief priests paid him “thirty silver coins” to betray the Lord.

Jesus knew from the very beginning what Judas Iscariot would do. Jesus told His disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). And at the Last Supper, Jesus predicted His betrayal and identified the betrayer: “Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon” (John 13:26).

Jesus said that Judas Iscariot was not “clean”; i.e., he had not been born again and was not forgiven of his sins (John 13:10–11). In fact, Judas was empowered to do what he did by the devil himself: “As soon as Judas took the bread [that Jesus had given him], Satan entered into him” (John 13:27).

The other disciples had no clue that Judas Iscariot harbored treacherous thoughts. When Jesus mentioned a betrayer in their midst, the other disciples worried that it was they who would prove disloyal (John 13:22). No one suspected Judas. He was a trusted member of the Twelve. Even when Jesus told Judas, “What you are about to do, do quickly,” (John 13:27), and Judas left the Last Supper, the others at the table simply thought Judas had been sent to buy more food or to give something to charity (verses 28–29).

Judas Iscariot betrayed the Lord with a kiss, perfectly in keeping with his brazen duplicity (Luke 22:47–48). After committing his atrocious act, Judas “was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders” (Matthew 27:3). But we learn that remorse does not equal repentance—rather than make amends or seek forgiveness, “he went away and hanged himself” (Matthew 27:5).

Judas Iscariot fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 41:9, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me” (cf. John 13:18). Yet Judas was fully responsible for his actions. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Matthew 26:24).

Matthew 27:6–8 reports that the chief priests took the “blood money” from Judas and bought a potter’s field as a place for burying foreigners (thus fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12–13). Acts 1:18–19 continues the story of what happened after Judas’ death and gives some additional information. Luke reports, “With the reward he got for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.” The additional detail we learn from Luke is that, after Judas hanged himself, his dead body fell into the very field purchased with his ill-gotten gains.

Given the fact of Judas’ close proximity to Jesus during three years of ministry, it is hard to imagine how he could follow through on such a dastardly betrayal. Judas’ story teaches us to guard against small, gradual failings that gain strength and power in our lives and that could open the door to more deadly influences. His story is also a great reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Jesus taught, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” (Matthew 7:22–23).GotQuestions.org

QUESTION - Why did Jesus choose Judas?

ANSWER - Jesus chose Judas Iscariot as one of the twelve disciples. Judas was “a devil” (John 6:70–71), “a thief” (John 12:6), an unbeliever (John 6:64), and spiritually unclean (John 13:10), yet he held a respected position within the group (John 13:29). Since Jesus “knew what was in each person” (John 2:25), it may seem puzzling that He would select Judas, the one who would later betray Him.

Jesus chose Judas as a disciple because, ultimately, Judas fit into the plan of God. Jesus had come to earth to die for the redemption of sinners. That death, “the just for the unjust” (1 Peter 3:18, NKJV), was not an accident but was God’s intended purpose. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming for baptism, he spoke of Jesus as a sacrifice: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, ESV).

Jesus was not fooled by Judas. He knew exactly what Judas was like and what he was going to do: “Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him” (John 6:64). In Judas, we have a clear example of how a person can be religious, hear the Word of God taught, witness genuine miracles, and for all appearances seem to be saved, and yet not be born again.

One of the reasons Jesus chose Judas was that prophecy had to be fulfilled. Speaking of His imminent betrayal, Jesus says, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him” (Matthew 26:24; cf. John 13:18).

After Christ’s resurrection, Peter also points to fulfilled prophecy in relation to Judas: “Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16, ESV). He also links Judas’s actions to Psalms 69:25 and 109:8 (Acts 1:20).

Another reason that Jesus chose Judas was that God’s sovereign plan had to be accomplished. In Acts 2:23 Peter states in his sermon to the people of Jerusalem that “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23, ESV). Not only was the betrayal of Jesus foreknown by God, but it was part of His “definite plan.”

So, Jesus chose Judas to fulfill prophecy and because the plan of God required someone to betray the innocent Son of Man. However, none of this means that Judas and others who condemned and crucified Jesus were without fault. Judas Iscariot bore the responsibility for what he chose to do. Jesus said, “The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21).

Peter also speaks about the sovereign plan of God and the guilt of those who act in sinful ways. In Acts 3:17 Peter says, “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:17–19). Even though the people had “acted in ignorance” in the fulfilling of prophecy, and even though Christ had to suffer according to the plan of God, the people who brought about Jesus’ death were guilty and had to “repent.”

Throughout the Bible, we see that God can use even the most wicked of mankind’s actions for good (see Genesis 50:20). Nothing could be more wicked than betraying and murdering the Son of God, yet in spite of that evil—even through that evil—God provided salvation and “disarmed the powers and authorities [and] . . . made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15).

God does not create evil, but He does control it. God does not participate in sin, but, in His power and wisdom, God can and sometimes does use the sin already existing in our world to fulfill His purpose. Judas was chosen with the foreknowledge of God that he would betray Jesus, but his betrayal, rather than stop God’s plan for salvation, actually advanced it. GotQuestions.org

John 6:71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.

BGT John 6:71 ἔλεγεν δὲ τὸν Ἰούδαν Σίμωνος Ἰσκαριώτου· οὗτος γὰρ ἔμελλεν παραδιδόναι αὐτόν, εἷς ἐκ τῶν δώδεκα.

KJV John 6:71 He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

NET John 6:71 (Now he said this about Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for Judas, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.)

CSB John 6:71 He was referring to Judas, Simon Iscariot's son, one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray Him.

ESV John 6:71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the Twelve, was going to betray him.

NIV John 6:71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)

NLT John 6:71 He was speaking of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, one of the Twelve, who would later betray him.

NRS John 6:71 He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him.

NJB John 6:71 He meant Judas son of Simon Iscariot, since this was the man, one of the Twelve, who was to betray him.

NAB John 6:71 He was referring to Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot; it was he who would betray him, one of the Twelve.

YLT John 6:71 And he spake of Judas, Simon's son, Iscariot, for he was about to deliver him up, being one of the twelve.

for: Ps 109:6-8 Ac 1:16-20 2:23 Jude 1:4
was going to betray Him.: John 18:2-6 Ps 41:9 55:13,14 Mt 26:14-16 27:3-5
John 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries

JUDAS ISCARIOT
THE DEVIL

Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray (paradidomi) Him - In retrospect, writing long after Jesus' betrayal, John gives the parenthetical explanation that the one who was a devil was Judas Iscariot (Mt. 10:4; Mk. 3:19; Lk. 6:16).

NET Note - At least six explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning "man of Kerioth" (there are at least two villages that had that name). See The Gospel According to John (scroll up and down for more pages) - see page 304.

A T Robertson - So his father was named Iscariot also, a man of Kerioth (possibly in Judah, Joshua 15:25, possibly in Moab, Jeremiah 48:24), not in Galilee. Judas was the only one of the twelve not a Galilean. The rest of the verse is like John 12:4. One of the twelve. The eternal horror of the thing.

NET Note - This parenthetical statement by the author helps the reader understand Jesus' statement one of you is the devil in the previous verse. This is the first mention of Judas in the Fourth Gospel, and he is immediately identified (as he is in the synoptic gospels, Matt 10:4, Mark 3:19, Luke 6:16) as the one who would betray Jesus.

Betray (hand over) (3860) paradidomi from para = alongside, beside, to the side of, over to + didomi = to give) conveys the basic meaning of to give over from one's hand to someone or something, especially to give over to the power of another. Paradidomi conveys the idea of handing over to or of conveying something to someone, particularly a right or an authority (Matthew 11:27+ Luke 4:6+) Paradidomi is used in legal parlance to describe handing someone into the custody of the police, authorities, etc. To deliver up one to custody, to be judged, condemned, punished, scourged, tormented, put to death. (Matthew 10:17+) Paradidomi can describe the "illegal", treacherous or unjustified handing of someone over to someone as in a betrayal. Thus it describes the delivering over of an individual to an enemy who will presumably take undue advantage of the victim.

QUESTION - Why did Judas betray Jesus? WATCH THE VIDEO

ANSWER - While we cannot be absolutely certain why Judas betrayed Jesus, some things are certain.

First, although Judas was chosen to be one of the Twelve (John 6:64), all scriptural evidence points to the fact that he never believed Jesus to be God. He even may not have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (as Judas understood it). Unlike the other disciples that called Jesus “Lord,” Judas never used this title for Jesus and instead called him “Rabbi,” which acknowledged Jesus as nothing more than a teacher. While other disciples at times made great professions of faith and loyalty (John 6:68; 11:16), Judas never did so and appears to have remained silent. This lack of faith in Jesus is the foundation for all other considerations listed below. The same holds true for us. If we fail to recognize Jesus as God incarnate, and therefore the only One who can provide forgiveness for our sins—and the eternal salvation that comes with it—we will be subject to numerous other problems that stem from a wrong view of God.

Second, Judas not only lacked faith in Christ, but he also had little or no personal relationship with Jesus. When the synoptic gospels list the Twelve, they are always listed in the same general order with slight variations (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16). The general order is believed to indicate the relative closeness of their personal relationship with Jesus. Despite the variations, Peter and the brothers James and John are always listed first, which is consistent with their relationships with Jesus. Judas is always listed last, which may indicate his relative lack of a personal relationship with Christ. Additionally, the only documented dialogue between Jesus and Judas involves Judas being rebuked by Jesus after his greed-motivated remark to Mary (John 12:1-8), Judas’ denial of his betrayal (Matthew 26:25), and the betrayal itself (Luke 22:48).

Third, Judas was consumed with greed to the point of betraying the trust of not only Jesus, but also his fellow disciples, as we see in John 12:5-6. Judas may have desired to follow Jesus simply because he saw the great following and believed he could profit from collections taken for the group. The fact that Judas was in charge of the moneybag for the group would indicate his interest in money (John 13:29).

Additionally, Judas, like most people at the time, believed the Messiah was going to overthrow Roman occupation and take a position of power ruling over the nation of Israel. Judas may have followed Jesus hoping to benefit from association with Him as the new reigning political power. No doubt he expected to be among the ruling elite after the revolution. By the time of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus had made it clear that He planned to die, not start a rebellion against Rome. So Judas may have assumed—just as the Pharisees did—that since He would not overthrow the Romans, He must not be the Messiah they were expecting.

There are a few Old Testament verses that point to the betrayal, some more specifically than others. Here are two:

“Even my close friend, whom I trusted, he who shared my bread, has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalm 41:9, see fulfillment in Matthew 26:14, 48-49). Also, “I told them, ‘If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.’ So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, ‘Throw it to the potter’—the handsome price at which they priced me!' So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter” (Zechariah 11:12-13; see Matthew 27:3-5 for the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy). These Old Testament prophecies indicate that Judas’ betrayal was known to God and that it was sovereignly planned beforehand as the means by which Jesus would be killed.

But if Judas’ betrayal was known to God, did Judas have a choice, and is he held responsible for his part in the betrayal? It is difficult for many to reconcile the concept of “free will” (as most people understand it) with God’s foreknowledge of future events, and this is largely due to our limited experience of going through time in a linear fashion. If we see God as existing outside of time, since He created everything before “time” began, then we can understand that God sees every moment in time as the present. We experience time in a linear way—we see time as a straight line, and we pass from one point gradually to another, remembering the past we have already traveled through, but unable to see the future we are approaching. However, God, being the eternal Creator of the construct of time, is not “in time” or on the timeline, but outside of it. It might help to think of time (in relation to God) as a circle with God being the center and therefore equally close to all points.

In any case, Judas had the full capacity of making his choice—at least up to the point where “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27)—and God’s foreknowledge (John 13:10, 18, 21) in no way supersedes Judas’ ability to make any given choice. Rather, what Judas would choose eventually, God saw as if it was a present observation, and Jesus made it clear that Judas was responsible for his choice and would be held accountable for it. “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me” (Mark 14:18). Notice that Jesus characterizes Judas’ participation as a betrayal. And regarding accountability for this betrayal Jesus said, “Woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). Satan, too, had a part in this, as we see in John 13:26-27, and he, too, will be held accountable for his deeds. God in His wisdom was able, as always, to manipulate even Satan’s rebellion for the benefit of mankind. Satan helped send Jesus to the cross, and on the cross sin and death were defeated, and now God’s provision of salvation is freely available to all who receive Jesus Christ as Savior. GotQuestions.org

The Training of the Twelve - THE STORM MATT. 14:24–33; MARK 6:45–52; JOHN 6:16–21

“In perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea,” wrote Paul, describing the varied hardships encountered by himself in the prosecution of his great work as the apostle of the Gentiles. Such perils meet together in this crisis in the life of Jesus. He has just saved himself from the dangerous enthusiasm manifested by the thoughtless multitude after the miraculous repast in the desert; and now, a few hours later, a still greater disaster threatens to befall Him. His twelve chosen disciples, whom He had hurriedly sent off in a boat, that they might not encourage the people in their foolish project, have been overtaken in a storm while He is alone on the mountain praying, and are in imminent danger of being drowned. His contrivance for escaping one evil has involved Him in a worse; and it seems as if, by a combination of mischances, He were to be suddenly deprived of all His followers, both true and false, at once, and left utterly alone, as in the last great crisis. The Messianic King watching on those heights, like a general on the day of battle, is indeed hard pressed, and the battle is going against Him. But the Captain of salvation is equal to the emergency; and however sorely perplexed He may be for a season, He will be victorious in the end.

The Sea of Galilee, though but a small sheet of water, some thirteen miles long by six broad, is liable to be visited by sharp, sudden squalls, probably due to its situation. It lies in a deep hollow of volcanic origin, bounded on either side by steep ranges of hills rising above the water-level from one to two thousand feet. The difference of temperature at the top and bottom of these hills is very considerable. Up on the tablelands above the air is cool and bracing; down at the margin of the lake, which lies seven hundred feet below the level of the ocean, the climate is tropical. The storms caused by this inequality of temperature are tropical in violence. They come sweeping down the ravines upon the water; and in a moment the lake, calm as glass before, becomes from end to end white with foam, whilst the waves rise into the air in columns of spray.

Two such storms of wind were encountered by the twelve after they had become disciples, probably within the same year; the one with which we are concerned at present, and an earlier one on the occasion of a visit to Gadara. Both happened by night, and both were exceedingly violent. In the first storm, we are told, the ship was covered with the waves, and filled almost to sinking, so that the disciples feared they should perish. The second storm was equally violent, and was of much longer duration. It caught the twelve apparently when they were half-way across, and after the gray of dusk had deepened into the darkness of night. From that time the wind blew with unabated force till daybreak, in the fourth watch, between the hours of three and six in the morning. Some idea of the fury of the blast may be gathered from the fact recorded, that even then they were still little more than half-way over the sea. They had rowed in all only a distance of twenty-five or thirty furlongs, the whole distance in a slanting direction, from the eastern to the western shore, being probably about fifty. During all those weary hours they had done little more, pulling with all their might, than hold their own against wind and waves.

All this while what was Jesus doing? In the first storm He had been with His disciples in the ship, sweetly sleeping after the fatigues of the day, “rocked in cradle of the imperious surge.” This time He was absent, and not sleeping; but away up among the mountains alone, watching unto prayer. For He, too, had His own struggle on that tempestuous night; not with the howling winds, but with sorrowful thoughts. That night He, as it were, rehearsed the agony in Gethsemane, and with earnest prayer and absorbing meditation studied the passion sermon which He preached on the morrow. So engrossed was His mind with His own sad thoughts, that the poor disciples were for a season as if forgotten; till at length, at early dawn, looking seawards, He saw them toiling in rowing against the contrary wind, and without a moment’s further delay made haste to their rescue.
This storm on the Sea of Galilee, besides being important as a historical fact, possesses also the si

nificance of an emblem. When we consider the time at which it occurred, it is impossible not to connect it in our thoughts with the untoward events of the next day. For the literal storm on the water was succeeded by a spiritual storm on the land, equally sudden and violent, and not less perilous to the souls of the twelve than the other had been to their bodies. The bark containing the precious freight of Christ’s true discipleship was then overtaken by a sudden gust of unpopularity, coming down on it like a squall on a highland loch, and all but upsetting it. The fickle crowd which but the day before would have made Jesus their king, turned away abruptly from Him in disappointment and disgust; and it was not without an effort, as we shall see, that the twelve maintained their steadfastness. They had to pull hard against wind and waves, that they might not be carried headlong to ruin by the tornado of apostasy.

There can be little doubt that the two storms,—on the lake and on the shore,—coming so close one on the other, would become associated in the memory of the apostles; and that the literal storm would be stereotyped in their minds as an expressive emblem of the spiritual one, and of all similar trials of faith. The incidents of that fearful night—the watching, the wet, the toil without result, the fatigue, the terror and despair—would abide indelibly in their recollection, the symbolic representation of all the perils and tribulations through which believers must pass on their way to the kingdom of heaven, and especially of those that come upon them while they are yet immature in the faith. Symbolic significance might be discovered specially in three features. The storm took place by night; in the absence of Jesus; and while it lasted all progress was arrested. Storms at sea may happen at all hours of the day, but trials of faith always happen in the night. Were there no darkness there could be no trial. Had the twelve understood Christ’s discourse in Capernaum, the apostasy of the multitude would have seemed to them a light matter. But they did not understand it, and hence the solicitude of their Master lest they too should forsake Him. In all such trials, also, the absence of the Lord to feeling is a constant and most painful feature. Christ is not in the ship while the storm rages by night, and we toil on in rowing unaided, as we think, by His grace, uncheered by His spiritual presence. It was so even with the twelve next day on shore. Their Master, present to their eyes, had vanished out of sight to their understanding. They had not the comfort of comprehending His meaning, while they clung to Him as one who had the words of eternal life. Worst of all, in these trials of faith, with all our rowing, we make no progress; the utmost we can effect is to hold our own, to keep off the rocky shore in the midst of the sea. Happily that is something, yea, it is every thing. For it is not always true that if not going forward we must be going backward. This is an adage for fair weather only. In a time of storm there is such a thing as standing still, and then to do even so much is a great achievement. Is it a small thing to weather the storm, to keep off the rocks, the sands, and the breakers? Vex not the soul of him who is already vexed enough by the buffeting winds, by retailing wise saws about progress and backsliding indiscriminately applied. Instead of playing thus the part of a Job’s friend, rather remind him that the great thing for one in his situation is to endure, to be immovable, to hold fast his moral integrity and his profession of faith, and to keep off the dangerous coasts of immorality and infidelity; and assure him that if he will only pull a little longer, however weary his arm, God will come and calm the wind, and he will forthwith reach the land.

The storm on the lake, besides being an apt emblem of the trial of faith, was for the twelve an important lesson in faith, helping to prepare them for the future which awaited them. The temporary absence of their Master was a preparation for His perpetual absence. The miraculous interposition of Jesus at the crisis of their peril was fitted to impress on their minds the conviction that even after He had ascended He would still be with them in the hour of danger. From the ultimate happy issue of a plan which threatened for a time to miscarry, they might further learn to cherish a calm confidence in the government of their exalted Lord, even in midst of most untoward events. They probably concluded, when the storm came on, that Jesus had made a mistake in ordering them to sail away across the lake while He remained behind to dismiss the multitude. The event, however, rebuked this hasty judgment, all ending happily. Their experience in this instance was fitted to teach a lesson for life: not rashly to infer mismanagement or neglect on Christ’s part from temporary mishaps, but to have firm faith in His wise and loving care for His cause and people, and to anticipate a happy issue out of all perplexities; yea, to glory in tribulation, because of the great deliverance which would surely follow.

Such strong faith the disciples were far enough from possessing at the time of the storm. They had no expectation that Jesus would come to their rescue; for when He did come, they thought He was a spirit flitting over the water, and cried out in an agony of superstitious terror. Here also we note, in passing, a curious correspondence between the incidents of this crisis and those connected with the final one. The disciples had then as little expectation of seeing their Lord return from the dead as they had now of seeing Him come to them over the sea; and therefore His re-appearance at first frightened rather than comforted them. “They were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.” Good, unlooked for in either case, was turned into evil; and what to faith would have been a source of intense joy, became, through unbelief, only a new cause of alarm.

The fact of His not being expected seems to have imposed on Jesus the necessity of using artifice in His manner of approaching His storm-tossed disciples. Mark relates that “He would have passed by then,” affecting strangeness, as we understand it, out of delicate consideration for their weakness. He knew what He would be taken for when first observed; and therefore He wished to attract their attention at a safe distance, fearing lest, by appearing among them at once, He might drive them distracted. He found it needful to be as cautious in announcing His advent to save as men are wont to be in communicating evil tidings: first appearing, as the spectre, as far away as He could be seen; then revealing Himself by His familiar voice uttering the words of comfort, “It is I; be not afraid,” and so obtaining at length a willing reception into the ship.3

The effects which followed the admission of Jesus into the vessel betrayed the twelve into a new manifestation of the weakness of their faith. “The wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.” They ought not to have wondered so greatly, after what had happened once before on these same waters, and especially after such a miracle as had been wrought in the wilderness on the previous day. But the storm had blown all thoughts of such things out of their mind, and driven them utterly stupid. “They reflected not on the loaves (nor on the rebuking of the winds), for their heart was hardened.”5

But the most interesting revelation of the mental state of the disciples at the time when Jesus came to their relief, is to be found in the episode concerning Peter related in Matthew’s Gospel. When that disciple understood that the supposed spectre was his beloved Master, he cried, “Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water;” and on receiving permission, he forthwith stepped out of the ship into the sea. This was not faith, but simple rashness. It was the rebound of an impetuous, headlong nature from one extreme of utter despair to the opposite extreme of extravagant, reckless joy. What in the other disciples took the tame form of a willingness to receive Jesus into the ship, after they were satisfied it was He who walked on the waters,2 took, in the case of Peter, the form of a romantic, adventurous wish to go out to Jesus where He was, to welcome Him back among them again. The proposal was altogether like the man—generous, enthusiastic, and well-meant, but inconsiderate.

And yet that scene showed something more than the weakness of that disciple’s faith. It showed also what is possible to those who believe. If the tendency of weak faith be to sink, the triumph of strong faith is to walk on the waves, glorying in tribulation, and counting it all joy when exposed to divers temptations. It is the privilege of those who are weak in faith, and the duty of all, mindful of human frailty, to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” But when storms come not of their inviting, and when their ship is upset in midst of the sea, then may Christians trust to the promise, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;” and if only they have faith, they shall be enabled to tread the rolling billows as if walking on firm land.

“He bids me come; His voice I know,
And boldly on the waters go,
And brave the tempest’s shock.
O’er rude temptations now I bound;
The billows yield a solid ground,
The wave is firm as rock.”

Alfred Edersheim
CHAPTER 32

THE GREAT CRISIS IN POPULAR FEELING—THE LAST DISCOURSES IN THE SYNAGOGUE OF CAPERNAUM—CHRIST THE BREAD OF LIFE—‘WILL YE ALSO GO AWAY?’ (St. John 6:22–71.)

THE narrative now returns to those who, on the previous evening, had, after the miraculous meal, been sent away' to their homes. We remember, that this had been after an abortive attempt on their part to take Jesus by force and make Him their Messiah-King. We can understand that the effectual resistance of Jesus to their purpose not only weakened, but in great measure neutralised, the effect of the miracle which they had witnessed. In fact, we look upon this check as the first turning of the tide of popular enthusiasm. Let us bear in mind what ideas and expectations of an altogether external character those men connected with the Messiah of their dreams. At last, by some miracle more notable even than the giving of the Manna in the wilderness, enthusiasm has been raised to the highest pitch, and thousands were determined to give up their pilgrimage to the Passover, and then and there proclaim the Galilean Teacher Israel's King. If He were the Messiah, such was His rightful title. Why then did He so strenuously and effectually resist it? In ignorance of His real views concerning the Kingship, they would naturally conclude that it must have been from fear, from misgiving, from want of belief in Himself. At any rate, He could not be the Messiah, Who would not be Israel's King. Enthusiasm of this kind, once repressed, could never be kindled again. Henceforth there was continuous misunderstanding, doubt and defection among former adherents, growing into opposition and hatred unto death. Even to those who took not this position, Jesus, His Words and Works, were henceforth a constant mystery. [3422] And so it came, that the morning after the miraculous meal found the vast majority of those who had been fed, either in their homes or on their pilgrim-way to the Passover at Jerusalem. Only comparatively few came back to seek Him, where they had eaten bread at His Hand. And even to them, as the after-conversation shows, Jesus was a mystery. They could not disbelieve, and yet they could not believe; and they sought both a sign' to guide, and an explanation to give them its understanding. Yet out of them was there such selection of grace, that all that the Father had given would reach Him, and that they who, by a personal act of believing choice and by determination of conviction, would come, should in no wise be rejected of Him.

It is this view of the mental and moral state of those who, on the morning after the meal, came to seek Jesus, which alone explains the question and answers of the interview at Capernaum. As we read it: the day following the multitude which stood on the other (the eastern) side of the sea' saw that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples.' [3423] But of two facts they were cognizant. They knew that, on the evening before, only one boat had come over, bringing Jesus and His disciples; and that Jesus had not returned in it with His disciples, for they had seen them depart, while Jesus remained to dismiss the people. In these circumstances they probably imagined, that Christ had returned on foot by land, being, of course, ignorant of the miracle of that night. But the wind which had been contrary to the disciples, had also driven over to the eastern shore a number of fishing-boats from Tiberias (and this is one of the undesigned confirmations of the narrative). These they now hired, and came to Capernaum, making inquiry for Jesus. Whether on that Friday afternoon they went to meet Him on His way from Gennesaret (which the wording of St. John vi.25 makes likely), or awaited His arrival at Capernaum, is of little importance. Similarly, it is difficult to determine whether the conversation and outlined address of Christ took place on one or partly on several occasions: on the Friday afternoon or Sabbath morning, or only on the Sabbath. All that we know for certain is, that the last part (at any rate [3424] ) was spoken in Synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum.' [3425] It has been well observed, that there are evident breaks after verse 40 and verse 51.' [3426] Probably the succession of events may have been that part of what is here recorded by St. John [3427] had taken place when those from across the Lake had first met Jesus; [3428] part on the way to, and entering, the Synagogue; [3429] and part as what He spoke in His Discourse, [3430] and then after the defection of some of His former disciples. [3431] But we can only suggest such an arrangement, since it would have been quite consistent with Jewish practice, that the greater part should have taken place in the Synagogue itself, the Jewish questions and objections representing either an irregular running commentary on His Words, or expressions during breaks in, or at the conclusion of, His teaching.

This, however, is a primary requirement, that, what Christ is reported to have spoken, should appear suited to His hearers: such as would appeal to what they knew, such also as they could understand. This must be kept in view, even while admitting that the Evangelist wrote his Gospel in the light of much later and fuller knowledge, and for the instruction of the Christian Church, and that there may be breaks and omissions in the reported, as compared with the original Discourse, which, if supplied, would make its understanding much easier to a Jew. On the other hand, we have to bear in mind all the circumstances of the case. The Discourse in question was delivered in the city, which had been the scene of so many of Christ's great miracles, and the centre of His teaching, and in the Synagogue, built by the good Centurion, and of which Jairus was the chief ruler. Here we have the outward and inward conditions for even the most advanced teaching of Christ. Again, it was delivered under twofold moral conditions, to which we may expect the Discourse of Christ to be adapted. For, first, it was after that miraculous feeding which had raised the popular enthusiasm to the highest pitch, and also after that chilling disappointment of their Judaistic hopes in Christ's utmost resistance to His Messianic proclamation. They now came seeking for Jesus,' in every sense of the word. They knew not what to make of those, to them, contradictory and irreconcilable facts; they came, because they did eat of the loaves, without seeing in them signs.' [3432] And therefore they came for such a sign' as they could perceive, and for such teaching in interpretation of it as they could understand. They were outwardly - by what had happened - prepared for the very highest teaching, to which the preceding events had led up, and therefore they must receive such, if any. But they were not inwardly prepared for it, and therefore they could not understand it. Secondly, and in connection with it, we must remember that two high points had been reached - by the people, that Jesus was the Messiah-King; by the ship's company, that He was the Son of God. However imperfectly these truths may have been apprehended, yet the teaching of Christ, if it was to be progressive, must start from them and then point onwards and upwards. In this expectation we shall not be disappointed. And if, by the side of all this, we shall find allusions to peculiarly Jewish thoughts and views, these will not only confirm the Evangelic narrative, but furnish additional evidence of the Jewish authorship of the Fourth Gospel.

1. The question: [3433] Rabbi, when camest Thou hither?' with which they from the eastern shore greeted Jesus, seems to imply that they were perplexed about, and that some perhaps had heard a vague rumour of the miracle of His return to the western shore. It was the beginning of that unhealthy craving for the miraculous which the Lord had so sharply to reprove. In His own words: they sought Him not because they saw signs,' but because they ate of the loaves,' and, in their coarse love for the miraculous, were filled.' [3434] What brought them, was not that they had discerned either the higher meaning of that miracle, or the Son of God, but those carnal Judaistic expectancies which had led them to proclaim Him King. What they waited for, was a Kingdom of God - not in righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost, but in meat and drink - a kingdom with miraculous wilderness-banquets to Israel, and coarse miraculous triumphs over the Gentiles. Not to speak of the fabulous Messianic banquet which a sensuous realism expected, or of the achievements for which it looked, every figure in which prophets had clothed the brightness of those days was first literalised, and then exaggerated, till the most glorious poetic descriptions became the most repulsively incongruous caricatures of spiritual Messianic expectancy. The fruit-trees were every day, or at least every week or two, to yield their riches, the fields their harvests; [3435] the grain was to stand like palm trees, and to be reaped and winnowed without labour. [3436] Similar blessings were to visit the vine; ordinary trees would bear like fruit trees, and every produce, of every clime, would be found in Palestine in such abundance and luxuriance as only the wildest imagination could conceive.

Such were the carnal thoughts about the Messiah and His Kingdom of those who sought Jesus because they ate of the loaves, and were filled.' What a contrast between them and the Christ, as He pointed them from the search for such meat to work for the meat which He would give them,' not a merely Jewish Messiah, but as the son of Man.' And yet, in uttering this strange truth, Jesus could appeal to something they knew when He added, for Him the Father hath sealed, even God.' The words, which seem almost inexplicable in this connection, become clear when we remember that this was a well-known Jewish expression. According to the Rabbis, the seal of God was Truth (AeMeTH),' the three letters of which this word is composed in Hebrew ({hebrew}) being, as was significantly pointed out, respectively the first, the middle, and the last letters of the alphabet. [3437] Thus the words of Christ would convey to His hearers that for the real meat, which would endure to eternal life - for the better Messianic banquet - they must come to Him, because God had impressed upon Him His own seal of truth, and so authenticated His Teaching and Mission.

In passing, we mark this as a Jewish allusion, which only a Jewish writer (not an Ephesian Gospel) would have recorded. But it is by no means the only one. It almost seems like a sudden gleam of light - as if they were putting their hand to this Divine Seal, when they now ask Him what they must do, in order to work the Works of God? Yet strangely refracted seems this ray of light, when they connect the Works of God with their own doing. And Christ directed them, as before, only more clearly, to Himself. To work the Works of God they must not do, but believe in Him Whom God had sent. Their twofold error consisted in imagining, that they could work the Works of God, and this by some doing of their own. On the other hand, Christ would have taught them that these Works of God were independent of man, and that they would be achieved through man's faith in the Mission of the Christ.

2. As it impresses itself on our minds, what now follows [3438] took place at a somewhat different time - perhaps on the way to the Synagogue. It is a remarkable circumstance, that among the ruins of the Synagogue of Capernaum the lintel has been discovered, and that it bears the device of a pot of manna, ornamented with a flowing pattern of vine leaves and clusters of grapes. [3439] Here then were the outward emblems, which would connect themselves with the Lord's teaching on that day. The miraculous feeding of the multitude in the desert place' the evening before, and the Messianic thoughts which clustered around it, would naturally suggest to their minds remembrance of the manna. That manna, which was Angels' food, distilled (as they imagined) from the upper light, the dew from above' [3440] - miraculous food, of all manner of taste, and suited to every age, according to the wish or condition of him who see ate it, [3441] but bitterness to Gentile palates - they expected the Messiah to bring again from heaven. For, all that the first deliverer Moses had done, the second - Messiah - would also do. [3442] And here, over their Synagogue, was the pot of manna - symbol of what God had done, earnest of what the Messiah would do: that pot of manna, which was now among the things hidden, but which Elijah, when he came, would restore again!

Here, then, was a real sign. In their view the events of yesterday must lead up to some such sign, if they had any real meaning. They had been told to believe on Him, as the One authenticated by God with the seal of Truth, and Who would give them meat to eternal life. By what sign would Christ corroborate His assertion, that they might see and believe? What work would He do to vindicate His claim? Their fathers had eaten manna in the wilderness. To understand the reasoning of the Jews, implied but not fully expressed, as also the answer of Jesus, it is necessary to bear in mind (what forms another evidence of the Jewish authorship of the Fourth Gospel), that it was the oft and most anciently expressed opinion that, although God had given them this bread out of heaven, yet it was given through the merits of Moses, and ceased with his death. [3443] This the Jews had probably in view, when they asked: What workest Thou?'; and this was the meaning of Christ's emphatic assertion, that it was not Moses who gave Israel that bread. And then by what, with all reverence, may still be designated a peculiarly Jewish turn of reasoning - such as only those familiar with Jewish literature can fully appreciate (and which none but a Jewish reporter would have inserted in his Gospel) - the Saviour makes quite different, yet to them familiar, application of the manna. Moses had not given it - his merits had not procured it - but His Father gave them the true bread out of heaven. For,' as He explained, the bread of God is that [3444] which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.' Again, this very Rabbinic tradition, which described in such glowing language the wonders of that manna, also further explained its other and real meaning to be, that if Wisdom said, Eat of my bread and drink of my wine,' [3445] it indicated that the manna and the miraculous water-supply were the sequence of Israel's receiving the Law and the Commandments [3446] - for the real bread from heaven was the Law. [3447] [3448]

It was an appeal which the Jews understood, and to which they could not but respond. Yet the mood was brief. As Jesus, in answer to the appeal that He would evermore give them this bread, once more directed them to Himself - from works of men to the Works of God and to faith - the passing gleam of spiritual hope had already died out, for they had seen Him and yet did not believe.'

With these words of mingled sadness and judgment, Jesus turned away from His questioners. The solemn sayings which now followed [3449] could not have been spoken to, and they would not have been understood by, the multitude. And accordingly we find that, when the conversation of the Jews is once more introduced, [3450] it takes up the thread where it had been broken off, when Jesus spake of Himself as the Bread Which had come down from heaven. Had they heard what, in our view, Jesus spake only to His disciples, their objections would have been to more than merely the incongruity of Christ's claim to have come down from heaven. [3451]

3. Regarding these words of Christ, then, as addressed to the disciples, there is really nothing in them beyond their standpoint, though they open views of the far horizon. They had the experience of the raising of the young man at Nain, and there, at Capernaum, of Jairus' daughter. Besides, believing that Jesus was the Messiah, it might perhaps not be quite strange nor new to them as Jews - although not commonly received - that He would at the end of the world raise the pious dead. [3452] Indeed, one of the names given to the Messiah - that of Yinnon, according to Ps. lxxii.17 [3453] - has by some been derived from this very expectancy. [3454] Again, He had said, that it was not any Law, but His Person, that was the bread which came down from heaven, and gave life, not to Jews only, but unto the world - and they had seen Him and believed not. But none the less would the loving purpose of God be accomplished in the totality of His true people, and its joyous reality be experienced by every individual among them: All that (the total number, pn ) which the Father giveth Me shall come unto Me (shall reach Me [3455] ), and him that cometh unto Me (the coming one to Me) I will not cast out outside.' What follows is merely the carrying out in all directions, and to its fullest consequences, of this twofold fundamental principle. The totality of the God-given would really reach Him, despite all hindrances, for the object of His Coming was to do the Will of His Father; and those who came would not be cast outside, for the Will of Him that had sent Him, and which He had come to do, was that of the all which He has given' Him, He should not lose anything out of this, but raise it up in the last day.' Again, the totality - the all - would reach Him, since it was the Will of Him that sent Him that everyone (ps) who intently looketh [3456] at the Son, and believeth on Him, should have eternal life;' and the coming ones would not be cast outside, since this was His undertaking and promise as the Christ in regard to each: And raise him up will I at the last day.' [3457]

Although these wonderful statements reached in their full meaning far beyond the present horizon of His disciples, and even to the utmost bounds of later revelation and Christian knowledge, there is nothing in them which could have seemed absolutely strange or unintelligible to those who heard them. Given belief in the Messiahship of Jesus and His Mission by the Father; given experience of what He had done, and perhaps, to a certain extent, Jewish expectancy of what the Messiah would do in the last day; and all this directed or corrected by the knowledge concerning His work which His teaching had imparted, and the words were intelligible and most suitable, even though they would not convey to them all that they mean to us. If so seemingly incongruous an illustration might be used, they looked through a telescope that was not yet drawn out, and saw the same objects, through quite diminutively and far otherwise than we, as gradually the hand of Time has drawn out fully that through which both they and we, who believe, intently gaze on the Son.

4. What now follows [3458] is again spoken to the Jews,' and may have occurred just as they were entering the Synagogue. To those spiritually unenlightened, the point of difficulty seemed, how Christ could claim to be the Bread come down from heaven. Making the largest allowance, His known parentage and early history [3459] forbade anything like a literal interpretation of His Words. But this inability to understand, ever brings out the highest teaching of Christ. We note the analogous fact, and even the analogous teaching, in the case of Nicodemus. [3460] [3461] Only, his was the misunderstanding of ignorance, theirs of wilful resistance to His Manifestation; and so the tone towards them was other than to the Rabbi.

Yet we also mark, that what Jesus now spake to the Jews' was the same in substance, though different in application, from what He had just uttered to the disciples. This, not merely in regard to the Messianic prediction of the Resurrection, but even in what He pronounced as the judgment on their murmuring. The words: No man can come to Me, except the Father Which hath sent Me draw him,' present only the converse aspect of those to the disciples: All that which the Father giveth Me shall come unto Me, and him that cometh unto Me I will in no wise cast out.' For, far from being a judgment on, it would have been an excuse of, Jewish unbelief, and, indeed, entirely discordant with all Christ's teaching, if the inability to come were regarded as other than personal and moral, springing from man's ignorance and opposition to spiritual things. No man can come to the Christ - such is the condition of the human mind and heart, that coming to Christ as a disciple is, not an outward, but an inward, not a physical, but a moral impossibility - except the Father draw him.' And this, again, not in the sense of any constraint, but in that of the personal, moral, loving influence and revelation, to which Christ afterwards refers when He saith: And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Myself.' [3462]

Nor did Jesus, even while uttering these high, entirely un-Jewish truths, forget that He was speaking them to Jews. The appeal to their own Prophets was the more telling, that Jewish tradition also applied these two prophecies (Is. liv.13; Jer. xxxi.34) to the teaching by God in the Messianic Age. [3463] [3464] But the explanation of the manner and issue of God's teaching was new: Everyone that hath heard from the Father, and learned, cometh unto Me.' And this, not by some external or realistic contact with God, such as they regarded that of Moses in the past, or expected for themselves in the latter days; only He Which is from God, He hath seen the Father.' But even this might sound general and without exclusive reference to Christ. So, also, might this statement seem: He that believeth [3465] hath eternal life.' Not so the final application, in which the subject was carried to its ultimate bearing, and all that might have seemed general or mysterious plainly set forth. The Personality of Christ was the Bread of Life: I am the Bread of Life.' [3466] The Manna had not been bread of life, for those who ate it had died, their carcasses had fallen in the wilderness. Not so in regard to this, the true Bread from heaven. To share in that Food was to have everlasting life, a life which the sin and death of unbelief and judgment would not cut short, as it had that of them who had eaten the Manna and died in the wilderness. It was another and a better Bread which came from heaven in Christ, and another, better, and deathless life which was connected with it: the Bread that I will give is My Flesh, [3467] for the life of the world.'

5. These words, so deeply significant to us, as pointing out the true meaning of all His teaching, must, indeed, have sounded most mysterious. Yet the fact that they strove about their meaning shows, that they must have had some glimmer of apprehension that they bore on His self-surrender, or, as they might view it, His martyrdom. This last point is set forth in the concluding Discourse, [3468] which we know to have been delivered in the Synagogue, whether before, during, or after, His regular Sabbath address. It was not a mere martyrdom for the life of the world, in which all who benefitted by it would share - but personal fellowship with Him. Eating the Flesh and drinking the Blood of the Son of Man, such was the necessary condition of securing eternal life. It is impossible to mistake the primary reference of these words to our personal application of His Death and Passion to the deepest need and hunger of our souls; most difficult, also, to resist the feeling that, secondarily, [3469] they referred to that Holy Feast which shows forth that Death and Passion, and is to all time its remembrance, symbol, seal, and fellowship. In this, also, has the hand of History drawn out the telescope; and as we gaze through it, every sentence and word sheds light upon the Cross and light from the Cross, carrying to us this twofold meaning: His Death, and its Celebration in the great Christian Sacrament.

6. But to them that heard it, nay even to many of His disciples, this was an hard saying. Who could bear it? For it was a thorough disenchantment of all their Judaic illusions, an entire upturning of all their Messianic thoughts, and that, not merely to those whose views were grossly carnal, but even to many who had hitherto been drawn closer to Him. The meat' and drink' from heaven which had the Divine seal of truth' were, according to Christ's teaching, not the Law,' nor yet Israel's privileges, but fellowship with the Person of Jesus in that state of humbleness (the Son of Joseph,' [3470] ), nay, or martyrdom, which His words seemed to indicate, My Flesh is the true [3471] meat, and My Blood is the true drink;' [3472] and what even this fellowship secured, consisted only in abiding in Him and He in them; [3473] or, as they would understand it, in inner communion with Him, and in sharing His condition and views. Truly, this was a totally different Messiah and Messianic Kingdom from what they either conceived or wished.

Though they spake it not, this was the rock of offence over which they stumbled and fell. And Jesus read their thoughts. How unfit were they to receive all that was yet to happen in connection with the Christ - how unprepared for it! If they stumbled at this, what when they came to contemplate [3474] the far more mysterious and un-Jewish facts of the Messiah's Crucifixion and Ascension! [3475] Truly, not outward following, but only inward and spiritual life-quickening could be of profit - even in the case of those who heard the very Words of Christ, which were spirit and life. Thus it again appeared, and most fully, that, morally speaking, it was absolutely impossible to come to Him, even if His Words were heard, except under the gracious influence from above. [3476]

And so this was the great crisis in the History of the Christ. We have traced the gradual growth and development of the popular movement, till the murder of the Baptist stirred popular feeling to its inmost depth. With his death it seemed as if the Messianic hope, awakened by his preaching and testimony to Christ, were fading from view. It was a terrible disappointment, not easily borne. Now must it be decided, whether Jesus was really the Messiah. His Works, notwithstanding what the Pharisees said, seemed to prove it. Then let it appear; let it come, stroke upon stroke - each louder and more effective than the other - till the land rang with the shout of victory and the world itself re-echoed it. And so it seemed. That miraculous feeding - that wilderness-cry of Hosanna to the Galilean King-Messiah from thousands of Galilean voices - what were they but its beginning? All the greater was the disappointment: first, in the repression of the movement - so to speak, the retreat of the Messiah, His voluntary abdication, rather, His defeat; then, next day, the incongruousness of a King, Whose few unlearned followers, in their ignorance and un-Jewish neglect of most sacred ordinances, outraged every Jewish feeling, and whose conduct was even vindicated by their Master in a general attack on all traditionalism, that basis of Judaism - as it might be represented, to the contempt of religion and even of common truthfulness in the denunciation of solemn vows! This was not the Messiah Whom the many - nay, Whom almost any - would own. [3477]

Here, then, we are at the parting of the two ways; and, just because it was the hour of decision, did Christ so clearly set forth the highest truths concerning Himself, in opposition to the views which the multitude entertained about the Messiah. The result was yet another and a sorer defection. Upon this many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.' [3478] Nay, the searching trial reached even unto the hearts of the Twelve. Would they also go away? It was an anticipation of Gethsemane - its first experience. But one thing kept them true. It was the experience of the past. This was the basis of their present faith and allegiance. They could not go back to their old past; they must cleave to Him. So Peter spake it in name of them all: Lord, to whom shall we go? Words of Eternal Life hast Thou!' Nay, and more than this, as the result of what they had learned: And we have believed and know that Thou art the Holy One of God.' [3479] [3480] It is thus, also, that many of us, whose thoughts may have been sorely tossed, and whose foundations terribly assailed, may have found our first resting-place in the assured, unassailable spiritual experience of the past. Whither can we go for Words of Eternal Life, if not to Christ? If He fails us, then all hope of the Eternal is gone. But He has the Words of Eternal life - and we believed when they first came to us; nay, we know that He is the Holy One of God. And this conveys all that faith needs for further learning. The rest will He show, when He is transfigured in our sight.

But of these Twelve Christ knew one to be a devil' - like that Angel, fallen from highest height to lowest depth. [3481] The apostasy of Judas had already commenced in his heart. And, the greater the popular expectancy and disappointment had been, the greater the reaction and the enmity that followed. The hour of decision was past, and the hand on the dial pointed to the hour of His Death.

The Training of the Twelve - A B Bruce
THE SERMON JOHN 6:32–58

The task now before us is to study that memorable address delivered by Jesus in the synagogue of Capernaum on the bread of life, which gave so great offence at the time, and which has ever since been a stone of stumbling, a subject of controversy, and a cause of division in the visible church, and, so far as one can judge from present appearances, will be to the world’s end. On a question so vexed as that which relates to the meaning of this discourse, one might well shrink from entering. But the very confusion which prevails here points it out as our plain duty to disregard the din of conflicting interpretations, and, humbly praying to be taught of God, to search for and set forth Christ’s own mind.

The sermon on the bread of life, however strangely it sounds, was appropriate both in matter and manner to the circumstances in which it was delivered. It was natural and seasonable that Jesus should speak to the people of the meat that endureth unto everlasting life after miraculously providing perishable food to supply their physical wants. It was even natural and seasonable that He should speak of this high topic in the startling, apparently gross, harsh style which He adopted on the occasion. The form of thought suited the situation. Passover time was approaching, when the paschal lamb was slain and eaten; and if Jesus desired to say in effect, without saying it in so many words, “I am the true Paschal Lamb,” what more suitable form of language could He employ than this: “The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world”? The style was also adapted to the peculiar complexion of the speaker’s feelings at the moment. Jesus was in a sad, austere mood when He preached this sermon. The foolish enthusiasm of the multitude had saddened Him. Their wish to force a crown on His head made Him think of His cross; for He knew that this idolatrous devotion to a political Messiah meant death sooner or later to one who declined such carnal homage. He spoke, therefore, in the synagogue of Capernaum with Calvary in view, setting Himself forth as the life of the world in terms applicable to a sacrificial victim, whose blood is shed, and whose flesh is eaten by those presenting the offering; not mincing His words, but saying every thing in the strongest and intensest manner possible.

The theme of this memorable address was very naturally introduced by the preceding conversation between Jesus and the people who came from the other side of the lake, hoping to find Him at Capernaum, His usual place of abode. To their warm inquiries as to how He came thither, He replied by a chilling observation concerning the true motive of their zeal, and an exhortation to set their hearts on a higher food than that which perisheth.2 Understanding the exhortation as a counsel to cultivate piety, the persons to whom it was addressed inquired what they should do that they might work the works of God, i.e. please God. Jesus replied by declaring that the great testing work of the hour was to receive Himself as one whom God had sent.4 This led to a demand on their part for evidence in support of this high claim to be the divinely missioned Messiah. The miracle just wrought on the other side of the lake was great, but not great enough, they thought, to justify such lofty pretensions. In ancient times a whole nation had been fed for many years by bread brought down from heaven by Moses. What was the recent miracle compared to that? He must show a sign on a far grander scale, if He wished them to believe that a greater than Moses was here. Jesus took up the challenge, and boldly declared that the manna, wonderful as it was, was not the true heavenly bread. There was another bread, of which the manna was but the type: like it, coming down from heaven;2 but unlike it, giving life not to a nation, but to a world, and not life merely for a few short years, but life for eternity. This announcement, like the similar one concerning the wonderful water of life made to the woman of Samaria, provoked desire in the hearts of the hearers, and they exclaimed, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Then said Jesus unto them, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh unto me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

In these words Jesus briefly enunciated the doctrine of the true bread, which He expounded and inculcated in His memorable Capernaum discourse. The doctrine, as stated, sets forth what the true bread is, what it does, and how it is appropriated.

1. The true bread is He who here speaks of it—Jesus Christ. “I am the bread.” The assertion implies, on the speaker’s part, a claim to have descended from heaven; for such a descent is one of the properties by which the true bread is defined. Accordingly we find Jesus, in the sequel of His discourse, expressly asserting that He had come down from heaven.5 This declaration, understood in a supernatural sense, was the first thing in His discourse with which His hearers found fault. “The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that He saith, I came down from heaven?” It was natural they should murmur if they did not know or believe that there was any thing out of course in the way in which Jesus came into the world. For such language as He here employs could not be used without blasphemy by a mere man born after the fashion of other men. It is language proper only in the mouth of a Divine Being who, for a purpose, hath assumed human nature.

In setting Himself forth, therefore, as the bread which came down from heaven, Jesus virtually taught the doctrine of the incarnation. The solemn assertion, “I am the bread of life,” is equivalent in import to that made by the evangelist respecting Him who spoke these words: “The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.”

It is, however, not merely as incarnate that the Son of God is the bread of eternal life. Bread must be broken in order to be eaten. The Incarnate One must die as a sacrificial victim that men may truly feed upon Him. The Word become flesh, and crucified in the flesh, is the life of the world. This special truth Jesus went on to declare, after having stated the general truth that the heavenly bread was to be found in Himself. “The bread,” said He, “that I will give is my flesh, (which I will give) for the life of the world.” The language here becomes modified to suit the new turn of thought. “I am” passes into “I will give,” and “bread” is transformed into “flesh.”

Jesus evidently refers here to His death. His hearers did not so understand Him, but we can have no doubt on the matter. The verb “give,” suggesting a sacrificial act, and the future tense both point that way. In words dark and mysterious before the event, clear as day after it, the speaker declares the great truth, that His death is to be the life of men; that His broken body and shed blood are to be as meat and drink to a perishing world, conferring on all who shall partake of them the gift of immortality. How He is to die, and why His death shall possess such virtue, He does not here explain. The Capernaum discourse makes no mention of the cross; it contains no theory of atonement, the time is not come for such details; it simply asserts in broad, strong terms that the flesh and blood of the incarnate Son of God, severed as in death, are the source of eternal life.

This mention by Jesus of His flesh as the bread from heaven gave rise to a new outburst of murmuring among His hearers. “They strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” Jesus had not yet said that His flesh must be eaten, but they took for granted that such was His meaning. They were right; and accordingly He went on to say, with the greatest solemnity and emphasis, that they must even eat His flesh and drink His blood. Unless they did that, they should have no life in them; if they did that, they should have life in all its fulness—life eternal both in body and in soul. For His flesh was the true food, and His blood was the true drink. They who partook of these would share in His own life. He should dwell in them, incorporated with their very being; and they should dwell in Him as the ground of their being. They should live as secure against death by Him, as He lived from everlasting to everlasting by the Father. “This, therefore,” said the speaker, reverting in conclusion to the proposition with which he started, “this (even my flesh) is that bread which came down from Heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever.”2

A third expression of disapprobation ensuing led Jesus to put the copestone on His high doctrine of the bread of life, by making a concluding declaration, which must have appeared at the time the most mysterious and unintelligible of all: that the bread which descended from heaven must ascend up thither again, in order to be to the full extent the bread of everlasting life. Doth this offend you? asked He at His hearers: this which I have just said about your eating my flesh and blood; what will ye say “if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where He was before?” The question was in effect an affirmation, and it was also a prophetic hint, that only after He had left the world would He become on an extensive scale and conspicuously a source of life to men; because then the manna of grace would begin to descend not only on the wilderness of Israel, but on all the barren places of the earth; and the truth in Him, the doctrine of His life, death, and resurrection, would become meat indeed and drink indeed unto a multitude, not of murmuring hearers, but of devout, enlightened, thankful believers; and no one would need any longer to ask for a sign when he could find in the Christian church, continuing steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking bread and in prayers, the best evidence that He had spoken truth who said, “I am the bread of life.”

2. This, then, is the heavenly bread: even the God-man incarnate, crucified, and glorified. Let us now consider more attentively the marvellous virtue of this bread. It is the bread of life. It is the office of all bread to sustain life, but it is the peculiarity of this divine bread to give eternal life. “He that cometh to me,” said the speaker, “shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me, shall never thirst.” With reference to this life-giving power He called the bread of which He spake “living bread,” and meat indeed, and declared that he who ate thereof should not die, but should live forever.2

In commending this miraculous bread to His hearers, Jesus, we observe, laid special stress on its power to give eternal life even to the body of man. Four times over He declared in express terms that all who partook of this bread of life should be raised again at the last day. The prominence thus given to the resurrection of the body is due in part to the fact that throughout His discourse Jesus was drawing a contrast between the manna which fed the Israelites in the desert and the true bread of which it was the type. The contrast was most striking just at this point. The manna was merely a substitute for ordinary food; it had no power to ward off death: the generation which had been so miraculously supported passed away from the earth, like all other generations of mankind. Therefore, argued Jesus, it could not be the true bread from heaven; for the true bread must be capable of destroying death, and endowing the recipients with the power of an endless existence. A man who eats thereof must not die; or dying, must rise again. “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.”

But the prominence given to the resurrection of the body is due mainly to its intrinsic importance. For if the dead rise not, then is our faith vain, and the bread of life degenerates into a mere quack nostrum, pretending to virtues which it does not possess. True, it may still give spiritual life to those who eat thereof, but what is that without the hope of a life hereafter? Not much, according to Paul, who says, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.” Many, indeed, in our day do not concur in the apostle’s judgment. They think that the doctrine of the life everlasting may be left out of the creed without loss—nay, even with positive advantage, to the Christian faith. The life of a Christian seems to them so much nobler when all thought of future reward or punishment is dismissed from the mind. How grand, to pass through the wilderness of this world feeding on the manna supplied in the high, pure teaching of Jesus, without caring whether there be a land of Canaan on the other side of Jordan! Very sublime indeed! but why, in that case, come into the wilderness at all? why not remain in Egypt, feeding on more substantial and palatable viands? The children of Israel would not have left the house of bondage unless they had hoped to reach the promised land. An immortal hope is equally necessary to the Christian. He must believe in a world to come in order to live above the present evil world. If Christ cannot redeem the body from the power of the grave, then it is in vain that He promises to redeem us from guilt and sin. The bread of life is unworthy of the name, unless it hath power to cope with physical as well as with moral corruption.

Hence the prominence given by Jesus in this discourse to the resurrection of the body. He knew that here lay the crucial experiment by which the value and virtue of the bread He offered to His hearers must be tested. “You call this bread the bread of life, in contrast to the manna of ancient times:—do you mean to say that, like the tree of life in the garden of Eden, it will confer on those who eat thereof the gift of a blessed immortality?” “Yes, I do,” replied the Preacher in effect to this imaginary question: “this bread I offer you will not merely quicken the soul to a higher, purer life; it will even revivify your bodies, and make the corruptible put on incorruption, and the mortal put on immortality.”

3. And how, then, is this wondrous bread to be appropriated that one may experience its vitalizing influences? Bread, of course, is eaten; but what does eating in this case mean? It means, in one word, faith. “He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth in me shall never thirst.” Eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood, and, we may add, drinking the water of which he spake to the woman by the well, all signify believing in Him as He is offered to men in the gospel: the Son of God manifested in the flesh, crucified, raised from the dead, ascended into glory; the Prophet, the Priest, the King, and the Mediator between God and man. Throughout the Capernaum discourse eating and believing are used interchangeably as equivalents. Thus, in one sentence, we find Jesus saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life: I am that bread of life;” and shortly after remarking, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: If any man eat of this bread he shall live forever.” If any further argument were necessary to justify the identifying of eating with believing, it might be found in the instruction given by the Preacher to His hearers before He began to speak of the bread of life: “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.”4 That sentence furnishes the key to the interpretation of the whole subsequent discourse. “Believe,” said Jesus, with reference to the foregoing inquiry, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?—“Believe, and thou hast done God’s work.” “Believe,” we may understand Him as saying with reference to an inquiry, How shall we eat this bread of life?—“Believe, and thou hast eaten.”

Believe, and thou hast eaten: such was the formula in which Augustine expressed his view of Christ’s meaning in the Capernaum discourse. The saying is not only terse, but true, in our judgment; but it has not been accepted by all interpreters. Many hold that eating and faith are something distinct, and would express the relation between them thus: Believe, and thou shalt eat. Even Calvin objected to the Augustinian formula. Distinguishing his own views from those held by the followers of Zwingli, he says: “To them to eat is simply to believe. I say that Christ’s flesh is eaten in believing because it is made ours by faith, and that that eating is the fruit and effect of faith. Or more clearly: To them eating is faith, to me it seems rather to follow from faith.”2

The distinction taken by Calvin between eating and believing seems to have been verbal rather than real. With many other theologians, however, it is far otherwise. All upholders of the magical doctrines of transubstantiation and consubstantiation contend for the literal interpretation of the Capernaum discourse even in its strongest statements. Eating Christ’s flesh and drinking His blood are, for such, acts of the mouth, accompanied perhaps with acts of faith, but not merely acts of faith. It is assumed for the most part as a matter of course, that the discourse recorded in the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel has reference to the sacrament of the Supper, and that only on the hypothesis of such a reference can the peculiar phraseology of the discourse be explained. Christ spoke then of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, so we are given to understand, because He had in His mind that mystic rite ere long to be instituted, in which bread and wine should not merely represent, but become, the constituent elements of His crucified body.

While the sermon on the bread of life continues to be mixed up with sacramentarian controversies, agreement in its interpretation is altogether hopeless. Meantime, till a better day dawn on a divided and distracted church, every man must endeavor to be fully persuaded in his own mind. Three things are clear to our mind. First, it is incorrect to say that the sermon delivered in the Capernaum synagogue refers to the sacrament of the Supper. The true state of the case is, that both refer to a third thing, viz. the death of Christ, and both declare, in different ways, the same thing concerning it. The sermon says in symbolic words what the Supper says in a symbolic act: that Christ crucified is the life of men, the world’s hope of salvation. The sermon says more than this, for it speaks of Christ’s ascension as well as of His death; but it says this for one thing.

A second point on which we are clear is, that it is quite unnecessary to assume a mental reference by anticipation to the Holy Supper, in order to account for the peculiarity of Christ’s language in this famous discourse. As we saw at the beginning, the whole discourse rose naturally out of the present situation. The mention by the people of the manna naturally led Jesus to speak of the bread of life; and from the bread He passed on as naturally to speak of the flesh and the blood, because he could not fully be bread until He had become flesh and blood dissevered, i.e. until He had endured death. All that we find here might have been said, in fact, although the sacrament of the Supper had never existed. The Supper is of use not so much for interpreting the sermon as for establishing its credibility as an authentic utterance of Jesus. There is no reason to doubt that He who instituted the mystic feast, could also have preached this mystic sermon.

The third truth which shines clear as a star to our eye is,—that through faith alone we may attain all the blessings of salvation. Sacraments are very useful, but they are not necessary. If it had pleased Christ not to institute them, we could have got to heaven notwithstanding. Because He has instituted them, it is our duty to celebrate them, and we may expect benefit from their celebration. But the benefit we receive is simply an aid to faith, and nothing which cannot be received by faith. Christians eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man at all times, not merely at communion times, simply by believing in Him. They eat His flesh and drink His blood at His table in the same sense as at other times; only perchance in a livelier manner, their hearts being stirred up to devotion by remembrance of His dying love, and their faith aided by seeing, handling, and tasting the bread and the wine.

The Training of the Twelve
A B Bruce

THE SIFTING JOHN 6:66–71

The sermon on the bread of life produced decisive effects. It converted popular enthusiasm for Jesus into disgust; like a fan, it separated true from false disciples; and like a winnowing breeze, it blew the chaff away, leaving a small residuum of wheat behind. “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.”

This result did not take Jesus by surprise. He expected it; in a sense He wished it, though He was deeply grieved by it. For while His large, loving human heart yearned for the salvation of all, and desired that all should come and get life, He wanted none to come to Him under misapprehension, or to follow Him from by-ends. He sought disciples God-given, God-drawn,2 God-taught, knowing that such alone would continue in His word.4 He was aware that in the large mass of people who had recently followed Him were many disciples of quite another description; and He was not unwilling that the mixed multitude should be sifted. Therefore He preached that mystic discourse, fitted to be a savor of life or of death according to the spiritual state of the hearer. Therefore, also, when offence was taken at the doctrine taught, He plainly declared the true cause, and expressed His assurance that only those whom His Father taught and drew would or could really come unto Him.6 These things He said not with a view to irritate, but He deemed it right to say them though they should give rise to irritation, reckoning that true believers would take all in good part, and that those who took umbrage would thereby reveal their true character.

The apostatizing disciples doubtless thought themselves fully justified in withdrawing from the society of Jesus. They turned their back on Him, we fancy, in most virtuous indignation, saying in their hearts—nay, probably saying aloud to one another: “Who ever heard the like of that? how absurd! how revolting! The man who can speak thus is either a fool, or is trying to make fools of his hearers.” And yet the hardness of His doctrine was not the real reason which led so many to forsake Him; it was simply the pretext, the most plausible and respectable reason that they could assign for conduct springing from other motives. The grand offence of Jesus was this: He was not the man they had taken Him for; He was not going to be at their service to promote the ends they had in view. Whatever He meant by the bread of life, or by eating His flesh, it was plain that He was not going to be a bread-king, making it His business to furnish supplies for their physical appetites, ushering in a golden age of idleness and plenty. That ascertained, it was all over with Him so far as they were concerned: He might offer His heavenly food to whom He pleased; they wanted none of it.

Deeply affected by the melancholy sight of so many human beings deliberately preferring material good to eternal life, Jesus turned to the twelve, and said, “Will ye also go away?” or more exactly, “You do not wish to go away too, do you?” The question may be understood as a virtual expression of confidence in the persons to whom it was addressed, and as an appeal to them for sympathy at a discouraging crisis. And yet, while a negative answer was expected to the question, it was not expected as a matter of course. Jesus was not without solicitude concerning the fidelity even of the twelve. He interrogated them, as conscious that they were placed in trying circumstances, and that if they did not actually forsake Him now, as at the great final crisis, they were at least tempted to be offended in Him.

A little reflection suffices to satisfy us that the twelve were indeed placed in a position at this time calculated to try their faith most severely. For one thing, the mere fact of their Master being deserted wholesale by the crowd of quondam admirers and followers involved for the chosen band a temptation to apostasy. How mighty is the power of sympathy! how ready are we all to follow the multitude, regardless of the way they are going! and how much moral courage it requires to stand alone! How difficult to witness the spectacle of thousands, or even hundreds, going off in sullen disaffection, without feeling an impulse to imitate their bad example! how hard to keep one’s self from being carried along with the powerful tide of adverse popular opinion! Especially hard it must have been for the twelve to resist the tendency to apostatize if, as is more than probable, they sympathized with the project entertained by the multitude when their enthusiasm for Jesus was at full-tide. If it would have gratified them to have seen their beloved Master made king by popular acclamation, how their spirits must have sunk when the bubble burst, and the would-be subjects of the Messianic Prince were dispersed like an idle mob, and the kingdom which had seemed so near vanished like a cloudland!

Another circumstance trying to the faith of the twelve was the strange, mysterious character of their Master’s discourse in the synagogue of Capernaum. That discourse contained hard, repulsive, unintelligible sayings for them quite as much as for the rest of the audience. Of this we can have no doubt when we consider the repugnance with which some time afterward they received the announcement that Jesus was destined to be put to death. If they objected even to the fact of His death, how could they understand its meaning, especially when both fact and meaning were spoken of in such a veiled and mystic style as that which pervades the sermon on the bread of life? While, therefore, they believed that their Master had the words of eternal life, and perceived that His late discourse bore on that high theme, it may be regarded as certain that the twelve did not understand the words spoken any more than the multitude, however much they might try to do so. They knew not what connection existed between Christ’s flesh and eternal life, how eating that flesh could confer any benefit, or even what eating it might mean. They had quite lost sight of the Speaker in His eagle flight of thought; and they must have looked on in distress as the people melted away, painfully conscious that they could not altogether blame them.

Yet, however greatly tempted to forsake their Master, the twelve did abide faithfully by His side. They did come safely through the spiritual storm. What was the secret of their steadfastness? what were the anchors that preserved them from shipwreck? These questions are of practical interest to all who, like the apostles at this crisis, are tempted to apostasy by evil example or by religious doubt; by the fashion of the world they live in, whether scientific or illiterate, refined or rustic; or by the deep things of God, whether these be the mysteries of providence, the mysteries of revelation, or the mysteries of religious experience: we may say, indeed, to all genuine Christians, for what Christian has not been tempted in one or other of these ways at some period in his history?

Sufficient materials for answering these questions are supplied in the words of Simon Peter’s response to Jesus. As spokesman for the whole company, that disciple promptly said: “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and know that Thou art that Christ, the son of the living God,” or, according to the reading preferred by most critics, “that Thou art the Holy One of God.”2

Three anchors, we infer from these words, helped the twelve to ride out the storm: Religious earnestness or sincerity; a clear perception of the alternatives before them; and implicit confidence in the character and attachment to the person of their Master.

1. The twelve, as a body, were sincere and thoroughly in earnest in religion. Their supreme desire was to know “the words of eternal life,” and actually to gain possession of that life. Their concern was not about the meat that perisheth, but about the higher heavenly food of the soul which Christ had in vain exhorted the majority of His hearers to labor for. As yet they knew not clearly wherein that food consisted, but according to their light they sincerely prayed, “Lord, evermore give us this bread.” Hence it was no disappointment to them that Jesus declined to become a purveyor of mere material food: they had never expected or wished Him to do so; they had joined His company with entirely different expectations. A certain element of error might be mingled with truth in their conceptions of His Mission, but the gross, carnal hopes of the multitude had no place in their breasts. They became not disciples to better their worldly circumstances, but to obtain a portion which the world could neither give them nor take from them.

What we have now stated was true of all the twelve save one; and the crisis we are at present considering is memorable for this, among other things, that it was the first occasion on which Jesus gave a hint that there was a false disciple among the men whom He had chosen. To justify Himself for asking a question which seemed to cast a doubt upon their fidelity, He replied to Peter’s protestation by the startling remark: “Did not I choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?” as if to say: “It is painful to me to have to use this language of suspicion, but I have good cause: there is one among you who has had thoughts of desertion, and who is capable even of treachery.” With what sadness of spirit must He have made such an intimation at this crisis! To be forsaken by the fickle crowd of shallow, thoughtless followers had been a small matter, could He have reckoned all the members of the select band good men and true friends. But to have an enemy in one’s own house, a diabolus capable of playing Satan’s part in one’s small circle of intimate companions:—it was hard indeed!

But how could a man destined to be a traitor, and deserving to be stigmatized as a devil, manage to pass creditably through the present crisis? Does not the fact seem to imply that, after all, it is possible to be steadfast without being single-minded? Not so; the only legitimate inference is, that the crisis was not searching enough to bring out the true character of Judas. Wait till you see the end. A little religion will carry a man through many trials, but there is an experimentum crucis which nothing but sincerity can stand. If the mind be double, or the heart divided, a time comes that compels men to act according to the motives that are deepest and strongest in them. This remark applies especially to creative, revolutionary, or transition epochs. In quiet times a hypocrite may pass respectably through this world, and never be detected till he get to the next, whither his sins follow him to judgment. But in critical eras the sins of the double-minded find them out in this life. True, even then some double-minded men can stand more temptation than others, and are not to be bought so cheaply as the common herd. But all of them have their price, and those who fall less easily than others fall in the end most deeply and tragically.

Of the character and fall of Judas we shall have another opportunity to speak. Our present object is simply to point out that from such as he Jesus did not expect constancy. By referring to that disciple as He did, He intimated His conviction that no one in whom the love of God and truth was not the deepest principle of his being would continue faithful to the end. In effect He inculcated the necessity, in order to steadfastness in faith, of moral integrity, or godly sincerity.

2. The second anchor by which the disciples were kept from shipwreck at this season was a clear perception of the alternatives. “To whom shall we go?” asked Peter, as one who saw that, for men having in view the aim pursued by himself and his brethren, there was no course open but to remain where they were. He had gone over rapidly in his mind all the possible alternatives, and this was the conclusion at which he had arrived. “To whom shall we go—we who seek eternal life? John, our former master, is dead; and even were he alive, he would send us back to Thee. Or shall we go to the scribes and Pharisees? We have been too long with Thee for that; for Thou hast taught us the superficiality, the hypocrisy, the ostentatiousness, the essential ungodliness of their religious system. Or shall we follow the fickle multitude there, and relapse into stupidity and indifference? It is not to be thought of. Or, finally, shall we go to the Sadducees, the idolaters of the material and the temporal, who say there is no resurrection, neither any angels nor spirits? God forbid! That were to renounce a hope dearer than life, without which life to an earnest mind were a riddle, a contradiction, and an intolerable burden.”

We may understand what a help this clear perception of the alternatives was to Peter and his brethren, by reflecting on the help we ourselves might derive from the same source when tempted by dogmatic difficulties to renounce Christianity. It would make one pause if he understood that the alternatives open to him were to abide with Christ, or to become an atheist, ignoring God and the world to come; that when he leaves Christ, he must go to school to some of the great masters of thoroughgoing unbelief. In the works of a well-known German author is a dream, which portrays with appalling vividness the consequences that would ensue throughout the universe should the Creator cease to exist. The dream was invented, so the gifted writer tells us, for the purpose of frightening those who discussed the being of God as coolly as if the question respected the existence of the Kraken or the unicorn, and also to check all atheistic thoughts which might arise in his own bosom. “If ever,” he says, “my heart should be so unhappy and deadened as to have all those feelings which affirm the being of a God destroyed, I would use this dream to frighten myself, and so heal my heart, and restore its lost feelings.” Such benefit as Richter expected from the perusal of his own dream, would any one, tempted to renounce Christianity, derive from a clear perception that in ceasing to be a Christian he must make up his mind to accept a creed which acknowledges no God, no soul, no hereafter.

Unfortunately it is not so easy for us now as it was for Peter to see clearly what the alternatives before us are. Few are so clear-sighted, so recklessly logical, or so frank as the late Dr. Strauss, who in his latest publication, The Old and the New Faith, plainly says that he is no longer a Christian. Hence many in our day call themselves Christians whose theory of the universe (or Weltanschauung, as the Germans call it) does not allow them to believe in the miraculous in any shape or in any sphere; with whom it is an axiom that the continuity of nature’s course cannot be broken, and who therefore cannot even go the length of Socinians in their view of Christ and declare Him to be, without qualification, the Holy One of God, the morally sinless One. Even men like Renan claim to be Christians, and, like Balaam, bless Him whom their philosophy compels them to blame. Our modern Balaams all confess that Jesus is at least the holiest of men, if not the absolutely Holy One. They are constrained to bless the Man of Nazareth. They are spellbound by the Star of Bethlehem, as was the Eastern soothsayer by the Star of Jacob, and are forced to say in effect: “How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and He hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.” Others not going so far as Renan, shrinking from thoroughgoing naturalism, believing in a perfect Christ, a moral miracle, yet affect a Christianity independent of dogma, and as little as possible encumbered by miracle, a Christianity purely ethical, consisting mainly in admiration of Christ’s character and moral teaching; and, as the professors of such a Christianity, regard themselves as exemplary disciples of Christ. Such are the men of whom the author of Supernatural Religion speaks as characterized by “a tendency to eliminate from Christianity, with thoughtless dexterity, every supernatural element which does not quite accord with current opinions,” and as endeavoring “to arrest for a moment the pursuing wolves of doubt and unbelief by practically throwing to them scrap by scrap the very doctrines which constitute the claims of Christianity to be regarded as a divine revelation at all.” Such men can hardly be said to have a consistent theory of the universe, for they hold opinions based on incompatible theories, are naturalistic in tendency, yet will not carry out naturalism to all its consequences. They are either not able, or are disinclined, to realize the alternatives and to obey the voice of logic, which like a stern policeman bids them “Move on;” but would rather hold views which unite the alternatives in one compound eclectic creed, like Schleiermacher,—himself an excellent example of the class,—of whom Strauss remarks that he ground down Christianity and Pantheism to powder, and so mixed them that it is hard to say where Pantheism ends and Christianity begins. In presence of such a spirit of compromise, so widespread, and recommended by the example of many men of ability and influence, it requires some courage to have and hold a definite position, or to resist the temptation to yield to the current and adopt the watchword: Christianity without dogma and miracle. But perhaps it will be easier by and by to realize the alternatives, when time has more clearly shown whither present tendencies lead. Meantime it is the evening twilight, and for the moment it seems as if we could do without the sun, for though he is below the horizon, the air is still full of light. But wait awhile; and the deepening of the twilight into the darkness of night will show how far Christ the Holy One of the Church’s confession can be dispensed with as the Sun of the spiritual world.

3. The third anchor whereby the twelve were enabled to ride out the storm, was confidence in the character of their Master. They believed, yea, they knew, that He was the Holy One of God. They had been with Jesus long enough to have come to very decided conclusions respecting Him. They had seen Him work many miracles; they had heard Him discourse with marvellous wisdom, in parable and sermon, on the divine kingdom; they had observed His wondrously tender, gracious concern for the low and the lost; they had been present at His various encounters with Pharisees, and had noted His holy abhorrence of their falsehood, pride, vanity, and tyranny. All this blessed fellowship had begotten a confidence in, and reverence for, their beloved Master, too strong to be shaken by a single address containing some statements of an incomprehensible character, couched in questionable or even offensive language. Their intellect might be perplexed, but their heart remained true; and hence, while others who knew not Jesus well went off in disgust, they continued by His side, feeling that such a friend and guide was not to be parted with for a trifle.

“We believe and know,” said Peter. He believed because he knew. Such implicit confidence as the twelve had in Jesus is possible only through intimate knowledge; for one cannot thus trust a stranger. All, therefore, who desire to get the benefit of this trust, must be willing to spend time and take trouble to get into the heart of the Gospel story, and of its great subject. The sure anchorage is not attainable by a listless, random reading of the evangelic narratives, but by a close, careful, prayerful study, pursued it may be for years. Those who grudge the trouble are in imminent danger of the fate which befell the ignorant multitude, being liable to be thrown into panic by every new infidel book, or to be scandalized by every strange utterance of the Object of faith. Those, on the other hand, who do take the trouble, will be rewarded for their pains. Storm-tossed for a time, they shall at length reach the harbor of a creed which is no nondescript compromise between infidelity and scriptural Christianity, but embraces all the cardinal facts and truths of the faith, as taught by Jesus in the Capernaum discourse, and as afterwards taught by the men who passed safely through the Capernaum crisis.

May God in His mercy guide all souls now out in the tempestuous sea of doubt into that haven of rest!

John 6:1-15 How Christ Meets Needs Steven Cole

Over 36 years ago when I began as a pastor (at age 30), I was extremely unsure about whether I could do the job. I didn’t know whether I could come up with new sermons week after week without running dry. I wasn’t sure about whether I could adequately shepherd God’s flock or fulfill the other demands of the position. So I told the Lord, “I’ll try it for three years and see where I’m at.”

Although many weeks I still feel so overwhelmed with inadequacy that I think about quitting, by God’s grace alone, I’m still serving as a pastor. No text in the New Testament has helped me do what I do as much as the story of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. It might better be called the feeding of the 20,000, because there were 5,000 men, plus women and children. It’s not just a literal miracle witnessed by thousands of people. It’s also a parable with many lessons about the all-sufficiency of Jesus Christ to meet the vast needs of the world through His inadequate disciples. Although they were completely inadequate to meet the needs of this hungry crowd, they gave the little that they had to the Lord, who blessed it and multiplied it so that they could distribute it to the people. That’s been my experience for 36 years now.

This is the only miracle recorded in all four gospels, which shows its significance. C. H. Spurgeon says that it’s in all four gospels so that we won’t forget how much the Lord can do with little things that are yielded to Him. The feeding of the 5.000 precedes Jesus’ discourse on being the living Bread that comes down out of heaven to give His life for the world (Jn 6:32-58). So it’s also a miracle that points to salvation. John wrote this sign “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31).

John begins the story (Jn 6:1): “After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).” The last time note in John (Jn 5:1) mentioned an unnamed “feast of the Jews.” If it was the Feast of Tabernacles, five to six months have passed. The other gospels inform us that Jesus has sent out the twelve on a ministry tour. They have come back and reported their experiences to Him. Meanwhile, they got word that Herod had beheaded John the Baptist. Jesus and the disciples were so busy with all the needy people that they didn’t even have time to eat. So Jesus invited them to get away to a desolate place for some much needed rest.

So they took a boat across the northern end of the Sea of Galilee to a spot in the country north of Bethsaida (home of Philip, Andrew, and Peter). The problem was, the crowds saw them go, ran around the lake on foot, and greeted them as they disembarked (Mark 6:33). The disciples must have thought, “Oh no! We can’t get away from these needy people!” But Jesus felt compassion for them, taught them, and healed their sick (Mark 6:34; Matt. 14:14).

John 6:2 notes, “A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick.” These people weren’t following Jesus because they recognized Him as the Son of God who could save them from their sins. Some were fascinated just seeing the miracles. Others needed miraculous healing for themselves or their loved ones. But overall their reasons for following Jesus were misguided and superficial.

John adds (Jn 6:3-4): “Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.” I’m not sure why John reports the detail of Jesus going up on the mountain. But coupled with the mention of the Passover, he may want us to draw a parallel with Moses, who led the people out of Egypt after the Passover. Later, he went up on the mountain receive the Ten Commandments. God also used Moses to give manna to the people in the wilderness. So the mention of the Passover being near is probably more than just a time notice. John wants us to see Jesus as the new and better Moses. He fulfilled what the Passover lamb typified. He gave Himself as the permanent manna or bread of life. He is the Prophet of whom Moses wrote (Deut. 18:15; John 6:14).

But in this case, although Jesus could have called for manna to float down from heaven, He didn’t do that. Why not? Jesus used this miracle and those that follow to train the twelve. John shows this by Jesus asking Philip (6:5), “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” The other gospels report that the disciples had asked Jesus to dismiss the multitude so that they could go buy their own food. But Jesus pointedly told the disciples (Mark 6:37), “You give them something to eat!” Here, John adds (6:6), “This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” Jesus was showing Philip and the other disciples their woeful inadequacy to meet this need, along with His all-sufficiency. So this miracle teaches us that …

Christ uses inadequate people
who surrender what they have to Him
to meet the overwhelming needs of others.

Note four main lessons:

1. People are needy.

There were about 20,000 people out in a remote place (Luke 9:12), with many needing healing. They were hungry and there was no place nearby to buy food. Their physical hunger and their inability to satisfy that hunger pictures the spiritual needs of this sinful world. As Jesus will later tell them (6:26-27), they were following Him because they ate their fill of the bread, but they should have been focused on the food that endures to eternal life.

They are typical of so many in this world who are living for material things that will shortly perish, but they don’t see their need for the food that endures to eternal life. While it is right for Christians to engage in ministries of mercy to meet the physical needs of the poor, our ultimate goal should be to introduce them to the Lord, who can save them for eternity. So we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will convict them of their sin so that they will see their true need for Christ to rescue them from judgment before they die.

Evangelist Ray Comfort helps people see their need for Christ by walking them through some of God’s commandments that they have broken. He asks,

“Have you ever lied or stolen anything?” “Yes.” “What do you call someone who lies and steals?” “A liar and a thief.” “Have you ever taken God’s name in vain?” “Yes.” “The Bible calls that blasphemy. So you’re saying that you’re a liar, a thief, and a blasphemer!”

“Have you ever been angry with anyone?” “Yes, many times.” “Jesus said that God views such anger as murder.” “Have you ever looked on someone with lust?” “Yes, of course.” “Jesus said that to do so is to commit adultery in God’s sight. So you’re saying that you’re a liar, a thief, a blasphemer, a murderer, and a multiple adulterer! How do you think it will go when you stand before the holy God at the judgment?” It’s only when people see how spiritually needy they are that they will cry out to Jesus to save them.

2. The Lord’s people are inadequate in themselves to meet people’s needs.

As I said, the other gospels report that the disciples’ easy solution to this multitude’s need for food was to send them away so that they could buy their own food (Mark 6:36). Problem solved! Well, at least it was solved as far as the disciples were concerned! But Jesus told them (Mark 6:37), “You give them something to eat!” Specifically, the Lord asked Philip (John 6:5), “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”

It would have been great if Philip had responded, “Lord, I’ve seen You turn water into wine. I watched You heal the royal official’s son from a distance. I saw you heal the man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. I’ve watched You perform dozens of miracles. Surely, You can provide bread for this hungry multitude, even as God provided manna in the wilderness!” I’d like to think that that’s how I would have responded. Ha!

No, I would have responded just as Philip did. He started calculating, but he calculated without Christ. He did the numbers without considering the Lord’s power and concluded with businesslike efficiency, “Eight months’ salary of a working man (200 denarii) is not sufficient for each one to receive a little.” The problem was, they didn’t have 200 denarii and even if they did, it wasn’t enough. And even if they had more, there weren’t supermarkets just down the road that had enough bread on hand to feed 20,000 hungry people. But how often we throw up our hands and conclude that we can’t do something for the Lord because we calculate based on our inadequate resources!

Then, along comes Andrew who says (6:9), “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish ….” So far so good. But then he adds, “But what are these for so many people?” I’m not sure why Andrew even bothered to bring this boy and his little lunch to Jesus. Maybe the boy had offered and Andrew felt obligated to acknowledge the boy’s good intentions. But his comment, “But what are these for so many people?” seems to reflect his embarrassment to bring this pitiful lunch to Jesus. The loaves were not the size of our loaves of bread. They were small, flat barley cakes, probably about the size of a small pancake. Barley was the food of poor people and animals. The two fish were either pickled or dried small fish, like sardines. But Andrew’s comment accentuates the obvious inadequacy: “What are these for so many people?” So people are needy, but the Lord’s people are inadequate to meet those needs.

3. Jesus Christ is all-sufficient to meet people’s overwhelming needs.

Jeremiah prayed (Jer 32:17), “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You.” If Jesus is the Lord God in human flesh, Creator of heaven and earth, then nothing is too difficult for Him! John brings out Christ’s all-sufficiency in at least five ways:

A. CHRIST IS IN CONTROL OF EVERY SITUATION.

John 6:6: “This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do.” Jesus never tested anyone in the sense of tempting them to do wrong. But He does test His servants so that they can learn to trust Him more. As someone has observed, “It was not bread that He was seeking from Philip, but faith.” John’s comment, “for He Himself knew what He was intending to do,” shows that Jesus wasn’t stumped and asking the disciples to brainstorm on how they could solve this perplexing problem. Rather, Jesus was in complete control. No problem that you or I ever face takes Him by surprise or causes Him to wonder, “How in the world am I going to solve this one?”

B. CHRIST IS MORE CONCERNED FOR NEEDY PEOPLE THAN WE ARE.

The disciples wanted to solve this problem by sending the multitude away to buy their own bread. They were more focused on their own need for a break than they were with the multitude’s need for food. They viewed the hungry multitude as a bother. But Christ was concerned for them. He wants us to learn to look at needy people through His eyes. He has compassion for them and delights to meet their needs.

C. CHRIST IS NOT LIMITED BY OUR INADEQUATE RESOURCES.

When Philip came up with his 200 denarii estimate (that he didn’t have), Jesus didn’t say, “Go take a collection from the crowd and see how much we can get.” When Andrew offered his apology, “But what are these for so many people?” Jesus didn’t say, “I’ll bet there’s more food in this crowd. Let’s get everyone to share!” Jesus wasn’t limited in any way by this meager lunch. And, He isn’t limited today by the fact that we don’t have enough money or time or talent to get the gospel to the whole world. As Watchman Nee put it (Twelve Baskets Full [Hong Kong Church Book Room], 2:48), “The meeting of need is not dependent on the supply in hand, but on the blessing of the Lord resting on the supply.”

D. CHRIST DOESN’T JUST BARELY MEET NEEDS; HE ABUNDANTLY SUPPLIES ALL THAT WE WANT.

John draws a contrast between Philip’s “for everyone to receive a little” (Jn 6:7), Andrew’s “but what are these for so many people?” (Jn 6:9), and Jesus’ distributing to the people “as much as they wanted” (Jn 6:11). It reminds us of when God sent manna to the Israelites in the desert and we read (Exod. 16:18), “Every man gathered as much as he should eat.” To emphasize the sufficiency of the manna, the text repeats (16:21), “They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat.” Nobody went hungry. When Jesus fed the 20,000, everyone was satisfied and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.

Paul wrote (Phil. 4:19),

“And my God will supply all your needs (ED: NOT ALL YOUR GREEDS!) according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

E. CHRIST IS SUFFICIENT NOT ONLY FOR PHYSICAL NEEDS, BUT ESPECIALLY FOR SPIRITUAL NEEDS.

This isn’t just a story about feeding hungry stomachs. This is about the spiritual satisfaction that Jesus brings to all who feed on Him as the bread of life. As He says (John 6:35), “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” As Paul put it (Eph. 1:3), God “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” Are you satisfied with Jesus as your living Bread?

When Jesus was dealing with the Samaritan woman at the well, the disciples were focused on the physical: “Rabbi, eat the lunch that we brought to You!” But Jesus was focused on the spiritual food of doing His Father’s will. Here, the disciples are still looking at things on the physical plane: How much money will it take to buy bread for this many people? The multitude was also focused on the physical. After this miracle, they wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him king (6:15). “This man can solve our economic problems!” But later (6:26-27), Jesus rebukes them because they were only interested in filling their stomachs. They had no concern about the food that endures to eternal life.

Even so, today people come to Jesus because they need physical healing or they need a job or they need Him to solve some pressing problem. He can meet those needs and He often does. But He wants us to see that we all have a deeper need: We need to be reconciled to the holy God. Jesus provided the only way for that to happen by giving Himself on the cross (6:51). No matter how great your sin may be, Jesus is more than sufficient to forgive your sin and save you from God’s judgment.

So this miracle shows us that people are needy and the Lord’s people are inadequate to meet those needs. But Jesus Christ is powerfully sufficient to meet the needs of all people, especially their need to be reconciled to God. How does He do it?

4. Christ meets the needs of people through His inadequate people who yield their inadequate resources to Him.

Briefly, here are four ways that Christ meets needs:

A. CHRIST USES PEOPLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE.

John does not specifically state what the other gospels state, that Jesus used the disciples to distribute the bread and fish to the people. But he does show how Jesus involved Philip and Andrew and it’s only from John that we learn that the five loaves and two fish came from a boy’s lunch. As I said, Jesus easily could have prayed and called down bread from heaven without involving anyone else. But He used people, including a boy and his lunch, to meet the needs of other people. If you know Him, He wants to use you to meet others’ needs.

B. CHRIST USES INADEQUATE PEOPLE TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE.

Jesus could have looked around the crowd for the obviously rich and appealed to them for the funds to feed the crowd. He could have asked those with plenty of food to share. But instead, He used people who were painfully inadequate to meet this overwhelming need. If you think that you’re adequate or competent to serve the Lord, you’re not ready to serve Him.

Someone asked Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary to China, “Do you really expect to make an impact on that great land?” “No, sir,” Morrison replied, “but I expect God to.” Hudson Taylor, who followed in Morrison’s footsteps, said, “All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on God being with them.” God only uses inadequate people.

C. CHRIST USES INADEQUATE PEOPLE WHO YIELD THEIR INADEQUATE RESOURCES TO HIM.

The boy had to give up his lunch, not knowing for sure whether he would go hungry or not. He ended up eating more than he gave up! But we can only give to others what we have first received from God ourselves. We can’t give and the Lord won’t use the 200 denarii that we don’t have. But He will use the inadequate resources that we do have if we yield them to Him. What has the Lord given you? Remember, it was the slave who only had one talent who buried it and didn’t use it for his master. If you think that you’re just a “one-talent” Christian, make sure that you yield it to Christ and use it for His purpose.

D. WHEN CHRIST USES YOU TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS, HE ALWAYS PROVIDES A BASKETFUL OF LEFTOVERS FOR YOUR NEEDS.

Unlike the manna, which spoiled if they gathered too much, in this miracle the Lord directed the disciples to gather the leftovers, so that nothing would be wasted. We should learn from this to be frugal with what the Lord supplies. Even though He can provide far more than we need, we shouldn’t waste it. But this also shows how the Lord provides for those who serve Him. There were 12 disciples and there were 12 baskets full of leftovers.

We hear a lot about “burnout” today, especially among pastors and missionaries. While we all need adequate rest and time off, if we’re feeling burned out in serving the Lord, it’s likely that we’ve been trying to meet others’ needs in our own strength. We’re trying to feed the multitude with the 200 denarii that we don’t have, and it isn’t sufficient even for everyone to have a little. But if we come away tired, yes, but with the satisfaction of the fullness of Christ in our souls, then the Lord’s blessing was on us. Remember, the bread is a picture of Christ. When we yield to Him our inadequate abilities and gifts to use as He pleases, He will satisfy us with a full measure of Himself. We’ll have food to eat that others know nothing about (John 4:32).

Conclusion

I have two concerns in this message. First, if you’ve never tasted Christ as the living bread to give you eternal life, then that is your main need. Your main need is not for Jesus to heal you or give you a job or provide you with a mate. Your main need is to come to Jesus for eternal life. Just as you eat bread to sustain your physical life even though you don’t understand exactly how it works, so you need to trust in Christ for eternal life. He promises (John 6:35), “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and He who believes in Me will never thirst.”

Second, if you have trusted in Christ, my concern is that you offer yourself to Him to use to meet the needs of others. We always have many ministry needs in the church. Some are behind the scenes, servant-type jobs. But also, the Lord wants to use you to give out the bread of life to others, whether to fellow believers or to those who don’t know the Savior. Don’t live for yourself. Live to be used of God and you’ll be satisfied with a basket full of the Living Bread for yourself.

Application Questions

Since there are so many needs in the world, how do you know where to devote your time, effort, and money?
When is it right to say “no” to the demands of needy people?
How do spiritual gifts fit in with service? How do you know if God wants to use you in an area you aren’t gifted in?
Are there conditions that we must meet in order to experience God’s blessing? What are they?

John 6:14-21 GROWING TO KNOW THE LORD FOR WHO HE IS by Steven Cole

Many people come to Christ in the hopes that He will make them happy. They struggle with personal problems and they hear that Jesus can help, so they trust in Him to gain the peace and joy that they long for. Or, they’re in an unhappy marriage or having problems with their kids and they heard that Christ can help, so they decided to “try Christ.” Whatever the need, they want Christ to make them happy.

But after they come to Christ, they find that the problems get worse, not better. Things aren’t exactly like the salesman—I mean evangelist—promised! They feel like when you sign up for some offer, only to find that it was a bait and switch. If you had known what you were in for, you never would have signed up.

As I’ve often said, the crucial question in life to answer is Jesus’ question to the disciples (Matt. 16:15), “But who do you say that I am?” If Jesus is who He claimed to be and who the Scriptures show Him to be, then we must follow Him as Savior and Lord, even if it results in being tortured and killed. The Bible is quite clear that many godly saints have suffered terribly because of their faith. In fact, Paul promises (2 Tim. 3:12), “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” The main reason for following Christ is not because He can make you happy—although He can, even in your suffering—but because He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6). He is the eternal Son of God, sent from the Father to provide the only way to heaven through His death and resurrection.

Thus, as we’ve seen, John wrote his Gospel, and especially the miracles or signs that Jesus did (Jn 20:31), “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” It’s important that we believe in Jesus for the right reasons and that we grow to know Him as He is, not as we might wish for Him to be.

John (and Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52) follows the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 with the miracle of Jesus walking on the water, but he gives a compressed version of the story. For example, John doesn’t tell us that Jesus compelled the disciples to get into the boat. He doesn’t tell us that Jesus sent the multitude away or that He was praying on the mountain. He omits Mark’s comment (6:48) that Jesus saw the disciples straining at the oars or that He intended to pass them by when He came to them on the water. He doesn’t say that the disciples thought that they were seeing a ghost (although he does say that they were frightened). He doesn’t mention Peter’s walking on the water (Matt. 14:28-31). He doesn’t tell us that the storm was instantly stilled when Jesus got into the boat. And it’s puzzling why John, who wants us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, omits the disciples’ worshipful response, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matt. 14:33).

Also, John doesn’t offer any comment on why he includes this story. He just gives it in this compressed form and then the following narrative goes back to the feeding of the 5,000, as Jesus expounds on His being the bread of life. So you have to ask, “Why did John include this sign in his Gospel? What does he want us to take away from meditating on it?”

One clue to these questions is what John told us back in 1:14, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John reports this miracle so that we, too, will see Jesus’ glory and trust Him in life’s storms. Also, this miracle was private; only the disciples saw it. Thus it was for their training (and ours).

We’re not reading too much into this story to say that the disciples were confused and disappointed with Jesus’ response to the multitude after He fed them with the loaves and fish. (R. C. Trench, Notes on the Miracles of Our Lord [Baker], p. 173, and G. Campbell Morgan, The Gospel According to John [Revell], pp. 102-103, point this out.) The crowd proclaimed Him to be the prophet of whom Moses spoke and they wanted to take Him by force and make Him king (John 6:14-15). The disciples had placed all of their hopes in this Galilean carpenter-prophet as the promised Messiah-King, who would deliver His people. They had given up their livelihoods to follow Him. Jesus has sent them out on a mission to proclaim that the kingdom of God was at hand. They were expecting Him to establish that kingdom at any moment.

And now, after Jesus has shown Himself to be the new Moses by providing bread for this crowd in the wilderness, the people want to make Him king. This was what the disciples had been waiting for!

But rather than capitalizing on the mood of the crowd and moving ahead with their desire to see Him enthroned, Jesus forced the disciples to get into the boat and head back toward Capernaum, while He sent the multitude away and went up on the mountain by Himself. What was He thinking? And then, to make matters worse, after Jesus forced them to get in the boat and put out on the lake without Him, a strong wind came up against them. They had already been in one storm on that lake when Jesus had been asleep in the boat with them. He woke up, rebuked the storm, and the sea was instantly calm. But now He wasn’t even with them!

So it’s reasonable to assume that the disciples were confused and disappointed as they were trying to row against this storm. Here they were, trying to help bring in God’s promised kingdom and to help people see that Jesus is the promised Messiah-king. In obedience to Jesus, they had set out across the lake without Him. But now, they were caught in this storm. In that setting, Jesus came to them walking on the water to teach them that even though He wasn’t the kind of Messiah-king they may have hoped for, He still is the Lord of all creation. They needed to get to know Him as He is, not as they had hoped that He would be. The lesson for us is:

Jesus does not want followers who use Him for their own purposes, but followers who grow to know Him and trust Him for who He is.

1. Jesus does not want followers who have misconceptions about who He is, who use Him for their own purposes (Jn 6:14-15).

John 6:14-15: “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.”

Moses was the revered leader who had led Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Through him, God gave the law and provided manna in the wilderness. If Jesus was the prophet of whom Moses had prophesied (Deut. 18:15), then maybe He could deliver Israel from Roman domination! Maybe He could usher in God’s kingdom where Israel would enjoy peace and prosperity. So they wanted to make Him their political king.

But they didn’t want to repent of their sin and submit to Him as Lord. Rather, they wanted a king who would improve their living situation. They wanted a king who would usher in peace and prosperity. In short, they had misconceptions about who Jesus is and they wanted to use Him for their own purposes.

Even the disciples fell into this wrong way of thinking about Jesus, as you know. Right after Jesus asked them that crucial question (Matt. 16:15), “But who do you say that I am?” Jesus told them that He had to go to Jerusalem, where He would suffer many things, be killed, and be raised up on the third day. But (Matt. 16:22), “Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But Jesus rebuked Peter (Mt 16:23), “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Peter had a wrong conception of Jesus that didn’t include the cross.

I hope that that doesn’t describe you, but it would not be uncommon if it describes some of you. One Sunday several years ago a woman who was visiting here for the first time came up for prayer after the service. She and her husband had moved here for a good job that she had been offered. But after a short while on the job, she had been terminated. She was very angry at God for leading them here, only to lose her job. I wasn’t able to help her see that this trial was from God’s loving hand for their good, but that she needed to trust Him, submit to Him, and even give Him thanks for this opportunity to grow in her faith. She had misconceptions about who Christ is and she wanted to use Him for her own happiness. When that didn’t work out as she envisioned, she grew angry and bitter.

2. Jesus wants followers who grow to know Him and trust Him for who He is.

In Isaiah 55:8-9, the Lord says, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Part of growing to know the Lord is growing to know His ways and to submit thankfully to His ways when they run counter to my ways. One test of whether I am truly submitting to God’s ways with me is whether I am grumbling or giving thanks when things don’t go the way that I wanted them to go. If I’m trying to use Him then I’m acting as lord and He’s just my servant. Biblical Christianity means that I submit joyfully to Him as Lord and I’m His servant. John’s account of Christ’s walking on the water brings out five ways that we grow to know and trust Jesus for who He is:

A. We grow to know and trust Jesus’ person through the trials that He puts us through.

John tells us that Jesus withdrew to the mountain by Himself alone. The disciples got into the boat and started to cross the sea without Him. John adds the puzzling statement (Jn 6:17), “It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.” Not all agree, but I take it to mean that John anticipates the rest of the story: Jesus would shortly come, but He hadn’t yet come. So the disciples were on the lake in the dark in this storm, without Jesus.

Not only was Jesus not with them, He also let them struggle against this storm for many hours. John says that they had rowed “25 or 30 stadia,” which was about three and a half miles. The other gospels say that it was in the fourth watch of the night (between 3-6 a.m.) that Jesus came to them. They were probably exhausted and perhaps wondering whether they should turn around and let the wind blow them back to their starting point. At that point of great need, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.

If we could interview John as he recalled this event, he would probably say, “It was an awful thing to be on the lake in the dark in a storm for that long without Jesus in the boat. But if He had not sent us into that situation, we would not have seen His glory and power when He came to us, walking on the water. The fresh vision of who Jesus is made it worth all the toil and anxiety.”

Although such trials are never enjoyable at the moment, as the author of Hebrews tells us (Heb 12:11), “Yet to those who have been trained by it [the trials of God’s discipline], afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” The late Malcolm Muggeridge wrote (A Twentieth Century Testimony [Thomas Nelson], cited in Reader’s Digest, Jan. 1991, p. 158):

Contrary to what might be expected, I look back on experiences that at the time seemed especially desolating and painful with particular satisfaction. Indeed, everything I have learned, everything that has truly enhanced and enlightened my existence, has been through affliction and not through happiness.

Also, that storm kept them from joining the crowd in their error of wanting to make Jesus a political king. I think that when we’re in heaven, we’ll look back and see many instances in our lives where some trial or situation that didn’t go as we had wished actually kept us from some temptation that we would have fallen into. If I may use a rather homely personal example, when I was a teenager, I had a bad case of acne. Also, like most teenage boys, I struggled a lot with lust. I’ve thought that maybe the Lord used my bad complexion to keep me from getting involved immorally with girls at that vulnerable time of my life.

So one result of this miracle was that through it, the disciples grew to know Jesus’ person in a way that they never would have if they had not been in this storm. Jesus often sends us into storms so that we will grow in our understanding of who He is when He comes to us in a powerful way in the midst of the storm.

B. We grow to know and trust Jesus’ purpose in the trials He puts us through.

A. W. Pink (Christ Walking in the Sea John 6:14-27) points out that these people proclaimed Jesus as their prophet and were willing to make Him their king. But they were omitting the other office that must come before He is crowned as king: He is the priest, who offered Himself as the final sacrifice for our sins. The disciples did not learn that lesson until after the cross and resurrection. But this miracle was one of the many times that Jesus had to repeat this lesson before it finally sank in.

One of the main lessons of the Christian life is that God’s purpose is not centered on me and my glory. It’s about Jesus and His glory! God’s purpose is to sum up all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10). To that end, He is working all things in our lives for His glory. Maybe you’re thinking, “I thought he was working all things together for my good, as Romans 8:28 says.” He is, but your greatest good is bound up with Jesus’ glory. Your greatest good and your ultimate glory is to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29-30). When we’re perfectly conformed to His image in heaven, it will be to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:6, 12, 14).

C. We grow to know and trust Jesus’ providence in the trials He puts us through.

The disciples here went from the mountaintop experience of the feeding of the 5,000 to the valley of the violent storm as they struggled to cross the sea without Jesus being with them. Just as Jesus knew what He would do with the feeding of the 5,000 (6:6), so He knew that He was sending the disciples into a storm and that He would come to them to calm their fears and to increase their understanding of who He is. Mark 6:48 says that Jesus saw them as they rowed against the winds. They were at least 3-4 miles away, so Mark is referring to Jesus’ omniscience. Also, Jesus had to know exactly where they were on the stormy sea to walk to them. They thought that they were alone, but they were really not alone. They learned that even though they didn’t know it, Jesus was fully aware of their circumstances and He would come to them in His time. And, as the other gospels state, He was praying for them while He was on the mountain. But they didn’t know that until later.

God’s providence means that nothing happens to us apart from His sovereign, loving will. Jesus isn’t asleep in heaven; He is there praying for us, even as He was praying for the disciples while they were fighting against this storm. In His perfect time, He will come to us. But we’ve got to trust Him when we can’t see Him or figure out any reason for why we’re in the storm.

D. We grow to know and trust Jesus’ power in the trials He puts us through.

The disciples had just seen Jesus create bread and fish to feed the large crowd. Now they saw Him as the Lord over His creation, as He walked on the water. Our trials cannot prevent Him from coming to us, even if we can’t imagine how He will do it.

At the same time, it is not always His will to use His power to deliver us from trials. Here, He stilled the storm and the disciples got safely to the shore. But He didn’t deliver John the Baptist from Herod’s sword. He didn’t call legions of angels to spare Himself from the cross. He later delivered Peter from prison, but not James. As Hebrews 11:33-37 shows, by faith many experienced powerful deliverances from their trials, but also by faith others were tortured and suffered martyr’s deaths. But whether it’s God’s will to deliver us or to take us to glory through death, we should know and trust His mighty power in the trials He puts us through.

E. We grow to know and trust Jesus’ presence in the trials He puts us through.

One of John’s main emphases in recounting this miracle is that Jesus’ presence with them in the boat got them immediately to their destination (6:21). This may have been another miracle or John may mean that with Jesus in the boat, they quickly got to their destination (solid commentators hold to both views). But at any rate, Jesus’ presence with the disciples calmed their fears in this storm. As Jesus says (6:20), “It is I; do not be afraid.” When we experience Jesus’ presence in the middle of life’s storms, it calms our fears.

“It is I” is literally, in Greek, “I am.” Some commentators say that this is the only way that a person could identify himself in Greek, so Jesus is not claiming to be Yahweh, who identified Himself to Moses as “I am” (Exod. 3:14+). But perhaps John, in light of his overall purpose, wants his readers to at least see a hint of this here. It is obviously Jesus’ point in John 8:58, where He says, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” Because of who He is, Jesus’ presence with us gives us comfort.

When the Lord gave the Great Commission, He also gave the reassuring promise (Matt. 28:20), “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That was David Livingstone’s verse as he endured countless hardships in the 19th century, trying to open the interior of Africa to the gospel. He said (A Frank Boreham Treasury, compiled by Peter Gunther p. 106),

“On those words I staked everything, and they never failed! … It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor, so there’s an end of it!”

Conclusion

So, why do you follow Jesus? Is it so that you can use Him to make you happy? Or, is it because He is the sovereign Lord of creation, who demands your submission and loyalty, even if His ways are not what you expected?

Another underlying current of this story is Christ’s patience and grace toward the disciples. Mark (6:51-52) reports that they had not gained any insight from the feeding of the 5,000. Later, they were still clueless about how to feed the 4,000 (Mark 8:4, 16-21). But the Lord did not give up on them. Even though we’re slow to learn, He is gracious with us as we struggle to know Him and trust Him for who He is. Even when things do not go as you expected or hoped, you can know that Jesus is still the Lord over all. Through your trials you can grow to know His person, His purpose, His providence, His power, and His presence. You will look back and say, “The storm was worth it because I grew to know more of who Jesus really is!”

Application Questions

How can we keep our prayers from turning into idolatry, where we use “God” to get what we want?
Since it is not always God’s will to deliver us from trials, is it wrong to pray for deliverance? What else should we pray for?
Why doesn’t the Lord protect those who are seeking to serve Him from difficult trials?
How can we grow to experience God’s presence with us in all situations? How would this affect our behavior and emotions?

John 6:22-36 Seeking Jesus Rightly Steven Cole

What are you seeking for in life? We all seek happiness, but where are you looking for that happiness? Some think that they will find it in financial success or a satisfying career, and so they devote themselves to those pursuits. Others think that they will find happiness in sex. They become enslaved to pornography, or they go from one partner to the next. Many try to find that pleasure in alcohol or drugs, only to destroy their lives. Some seek happiness through marriage and children. While a happy family is a blessing from God, it should never become our main source for happiness, because we can easily lose it through death. And often our families can be the source of great pain. As Solomon makes clear in Ecclesiastes, any earthly thing that you seek to satisfy the inner void is like chasing soap bubbles. You catch one only to have it burst in your hand.

The Bible is clear that our ultimate source of happiness and pleasure is found only in God. David wrote (Ps. 16:11), “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Jesus told the disciples (John 15:11), “These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.” We will find fullness of joy and pleasures forever when we seek God.

A. W. Tozer begins his spiritual classic, The Pursuit of God (p. 11), by pointing out “that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man.” As Paul says (Ro. 3:11), “There is none who seeks for God.” Tozer adds (ibid.), “We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit.” Thus we can’t take credit for our pursuit of God.

And yet at the same time, the Bible clearly exhorts everyone, including the ungodly, to seek the Lord. Isaiah 55:6-7 calls to us,

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord, and He will have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

So there is a mystery here: no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him (John 6:44), and yet we are commanded to come to Jesus and to seek Him diligently. We begin by seeking Him for the mercy of salvation and we keep seeking Him for the grace to live in a manner pleasing to Him. It’s a lifelong quest. The prophet Hosea said (Jn 6:3), “So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” The apostle Paul echoes that (Phil. 3:7-11), where he says that he has counted all of his former gains as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ. Even though he had known Christ for about 25 years when he wrote that letter, he admits that he had not yet attained what he desired. Then he added (Phil. 3:14), “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Tozer put it like this (Pursuit of God p. 14, 17),

Come near to the holy men and women of the past and you will soon feel the heat of their desire after God. They mourned for Him, they prayed and wrestled and sought for Him day and night, in season and out, and when they had found Him the finding was all the sweeter for the long seeking…. Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth.

In our text (John 6:24), many of the people whom Jesus had fed with the loaves and fish “came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.” The morning after the miracle, they couldn’t find Jesus. They knew that He had not left in the boat with the disciples and that there had not been any other boats there the night before. But they couldn’t find Him. So when some small boats from Tiberias came there, these people got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. Their question when they found Him (Jn 6:25), “Rabbi, when did You get here?” shows that they couldn’t figure out how He got there because they didn’t know about His walking on the water to the disciples.

Jesus could have replied, “I got here early this morning after I walked on the water to the disciples and joined them in the boat.” That answer would have caused some jaws to drop! But Jesus didn’t answer their question. Instead, He confronted them because even though they had gone to a good bit of trouble to seek Him, they were seeking Him wrongly. They sought Him because they wanted a political Messiah to bring peace and prosperity. By reversing their negative example into a positive one, we can learn how to seek Jesus rightly:

Seek Jesus for the right reason,
by the right route, and through the right relationship
to give you eternal life.

These Jews were seeking Jesus for the wrong reason: They wanted Him to provide them with material comfort, not with eternal life (Jn 6:22-27). They were seeking by the wrong route: works, not faith (Jn 6:28-29). And, they were seeking Jesus as the new Moses, to provide them with what they wanted, but not as the satisfying bread of life whom they could know personally (Jn 6:30-36).

1. Seek Jesus for the right reason: Desire eternal food, not temporal food (Jn 6:22-27).

Jesus confronts the multitude (John 6:26): “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” He means that they had missed the true significance of the miracle that He had just performed. Rightly understood, the miracle of the loaves and fish should have turned them to Christ as their Messiah, who could satisfy their spiritual hunger for time and eternity. But, as one commentator put it (Lange, cited by F. Godet, Commentary on John - Volume 2 - John 2-10), “Instead of seeing in the bread the sign, they had seen in the sign only the bread.” Their minds were on the temporal and material, rather than on the eternal and spiritual. They wanted their stomachs filled, but they weren’t seeking Jesus for eternal life. They had no sense of their sin or their need to be reconciled to the holy God. They sought Jesus only for what He could do for them materially.

Jesus’ words here obviously refute the popular heresy that it is God’s will for every Christian to be financially prosperous. The false teachers who promote this damnable teaching are preying on people’s greed. Sadly, this teaching is rampant in many poor countries, as well as in the United States. It deceives people into thinking that their real need is more money, when in fact their real need is the eternal life that Jesus offers. So, Jesus becomes Aladdin’s Genie to help you get what you want out of life. But He isn’t the Savior from sin, who satisfies your soul whether you are rich or poor, living in a nice home or locked up in a cold prison cell.

So Jesus exhorts (Jn 6:27), “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Jesus doesn’t mean that you should quit your job and take a vow of poverty. The Bible commends hard work and commands us to provide adequately for our families (Col. 3:23; 1 Tim. 5:8). It does not condemn having earthly riches, although it does warn about the dangers of riches (1 Tim. 6:8-10, 17-19).

Rather, Jesus is showing us by way of contrast where to put our focus. As He said in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Or, as Jesus graphically illustrated with the parable of the man who wanted to build bigger barns to store his wealth, but who died that very night, to end up rich in this world’s goods, but to die poor toward God, is a huge mistake (Luke 12:15-21). We should not be so caught up with working to put food on the table that we neglect working for “the food which endures to eternal life.”

I’ll comment more on this when we look at Jn 6:28-29, but note the irony of Jesus’ statement that we should work for this food that endures to eternal life, and yet at the same time, the Son of Man gives it to us. It’s the same as when Jesus exhorted His hearers (Luke 13:24), “Strive to enter through the narrow door.” Or (Matt. 11:12), “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force.” There is a lot of effort involved in “striving” and “taking the kingdom by force.” And yet at the same time, Jesus gives living water to the spiritually thirsty and the true bread of eternal life to the hungry (John 4:10; 6:27, 32, 35).

What does it mean to work “for the food which endures to eternal life”? J. C. Ryle (John 6 Commentary) sums it up well:

How are we to labor? There is but one answer. We must labor in the use of all appointed means. We must read our Bibles, like men digging for hidden treasure. We must wrestle earnestly in prayer, like men contending with a deadly enemy for life. We must take our whole heart to the house of God, and worship and hear like those who listen to the reading of a benefactor’s will. We must fight daily against sin, the world, and the devil, like those who fight for liberty, and must conquer, or be slaves. These are the ways we must walk in if we would find Christ, and be found of Him. This is “laboring.” This is the secret of getting on about our souls.

As always, Ryle cuts to the quick! Evaluate yourself in light of his words and put them into action. Figure out how to rearrange your busy schedule so that you take the time and effort to work for the food which endures to eternal life.”

Before we leave these verses, note three important truths here about Jesus.

First, Jesus knows your motives. He saw right through this crowd that was seeking Him for the wrong reasons and He lovingly confronted and exhorted them in the way they needed to change. When Jesus confronts your wrong motives through His Word, pay attention and respond with repentance. He’s doing it because He loves you, not to hurt you.

Second, Jesus gives spiritual food to those who seek Him properly. He could not do this if He were not God. He knows exactly what you need to grow in Him and He will give it to you when you diligently seek Him for it.

Third, Jesus is God’s only approved source of spiritual blessing. He says (Jn 6:27b), “For on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” A seal in that day authenticated a document and showed that the owner of the seal approved of it (Leon Morris, Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 359). D. A. Carson explains (Borrow The Gospel according to John Pillar Commentary Series p. 284), “The idea is that God has certified the Son as his own agent, authorizing him as the one who alone can bestow this food.” So don’t fall prey to any false teaching that diminishes the full deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Seek Him for the food that endures to eternal life.

2. Seek Jesus by the right route: by faith, not by works (Jn 6:28-29).

John 6:28-29: “Therefore they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” Their question picks up on Jesus’ command not to work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life (Jn 6:27).

John Calvin explains (Calvin’s Commentary),

“By the works of God we must understand those which God demands, and of which he approves.”

Again, Jesus is using irony here. He does not mean that faith is a meritorious work on our part that somehow commends us to God. The Bible is clear that faith itself is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 1:29). Rather, Jesus is picking up on their question about works and saying, in effect, “The only ‘work’ that you can do is not to work, but rather to believe in Me, the one whom the Father has sent to provide salvation through My death and resurrection.”

As Calvin again explains (Calvin’s Commentary),

Now faith brings nothing to God, but, on the contrary, places man before God as empty and poor, that he may be filled with Christ and with his grace. It is, therefore, if we may be allowed the expression, a passive work, to which no reward can be paid, and it bestows on man no other righteousness than that which he receives from Christ.

Seeking to be right with God by works rather than by faith alone is probably the most common spiritual error in the world. All false religions, including some that go under the label of “Christian,” teach a works-approach to salvation. They may teach that we are saved by faith, but not by faith alone, but by faith plus works. But if that is true, then we have grounds for boasting in ourselves. And, the question is, how many works do you have to add to your faith to be saved? The Bible is clear that those who are saved by faith in Christ always produce good works as a result (Eph. 2:8-10; James 2:14-26). But it is faith in Christ alone that saves. As Paul put it (Ro 4:4-5), “Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.”

So to seek Jesus and the food that endures to eternal life, come to Him as a guilty, helpless sinner and trust entirely in what He did for you when He died on the cross. If you want to fly somewhere, you’ve got to entrust yourself totally to the pilot and the airplane. It would be ridiculous to insist on going into the cockpit and helping the pilot fly the plane, especially if you are not a trained pilot. Even so, it’s crazy to tell God that you’re going to help Jesus save you by your good works when He has said that He will save all that trust in Him. Don’t trust in your own good works to justify you when you stand before God someday. Rather (Acts 16:31), “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

Thus there is nothing more important to seek for in life than to seek for Jesus and the eternal life that He can give. Seek Him for the right reason: you need eternal food, not temporal food. Seek Him by the right route: by faith and not by works.

3. Seek Jesus through the right relationship: Hunger for Him to satisfy your soul (Jn 6:30-36).

These Jews, who have just the day before eaten the miraculous loaves and fish, ask Jesus an incredible question (6:30):

“What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform?” They go on (6:31) to mention that their fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. Behind this request for a sign was the Jewish expectation that when the Messiah came, He would renew the miracle of the manna (Morris, p. 361 - Borrow The Gospel according to John).

So in spite of Jesus’ miraculous feeding the 20,000, they’re asking for more: Jesus fed a large crowd; Moses fed the entire nation. Jesus did it once; Moses did it for 40 years. Jesus provided ordinary bread; Moses gave them “bread out of heaven.” So they’re saying, “Okay, Jesus, you gave us a little sign. Let’s see You do a big one, like Moses did! Then we’ll believe in You!”

Ryle (pp. 361-362) astutely comments,

They were always deceiving themselves with the idea that they wanted more evidence and pretending that if they had this evidence they would believe. Thousands in every age do just the same…. The plain truth is that it is lack of heart, not lack of evidence, that keeps people back from Christ.

Jesus responds by correcting them. He says (Jn 6:32-33),

“Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

He is saying, first, that it wasn’t Moses who gave them the manna; God did. And, second, the manna wasn’t the true bread, because people who ate it still died. But Jesus, whom God sent, gives eternal life to the world, that is, to all people everywhere who believe in Him.

The Jews’ reply focuses on the material, “Lord, always give us this bread.” (“Lord” here should properly be translated, “Sir.” They were not acknowledging Jesus to be Lord, as Jn 6:36 makes plain. They just wanted Jesus to be their free meal ticket.) Jesus’ reply tells them who the true bread is and how to get it (Jn 6:35): “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” This is the first of seven “I am” metaphors in John (Jn 8:12; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1). I’ll say more next time, but for now note what an astounding claim this is. Jesus is saying that He is the source of eternal life and the sustainer of that life for whoever comes to Him and believes in Him.

These Jews were satisfied with their religion and rituals that had come down to them from Moses, so they had no hunger for the living bread that Jesus offered. Before you are hungry to eat of the living bread God has to open your eyes to your true condition: Without Christ you are spiritually starving. In Christ’s day, bread was the main staple in their diet. You could not live without bread. In the same way, you cannot live eternally in the presence of the holy God without Jesus Christ. The Father sent Jesus to this world to bear the sins of all who believe in Him. Without Him, you’re under God’s righteous judgment.

“Coming to Jesus” and “believing in Jesus” are parallel here. They explain what Jesus means in Jn 6:53 when He talks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. It means to trust in Jesus’ death as the complete and final payment for your sins. Jesus says that the result of coming to Him is that we will not hunger and the result of believing in Him is that we will never thirst. This does not mean that we will not still long to know more and more of the riches of Christ. Rather, it means that when we truly believe in Jesus, we are satisfied with Him. We have all spiritual blessings in Him (Eph. 1:3). We are complete in Him (Col. 2:10).

Conclusion

Sadly, these Jews were seeking Jesus for the wrong reason: They wanted Him to provide for their material needs, but they didn’t see their spiritual needs. They sought Jesus by the wrong route: works, but not faith. They sought Him through the wrong relationship: They wanted Him to be the new Moses, the new political leader to bring in peace and prosperity, but they didn’t want to come to Him personally in faith to satisfy their spiritual hunger. Jesus states the tragic result (Jn 6:36): They had seen Him and yet they did not believe.

What are you seeking for in life?

What are you seeking for in life? Jesus is the only one who can provide true soul satisfaction, both in this life and for eternity. But perhaps you’re seeking Jesus wrongly: You want Him to provide for your temporal needs, but you don’t sense your desperate spiritual need for Him as the living bread to give you eternal life. Even worse, maybe you aren’t seeking Jesus at all. You’re a heartbeat away from standing before God in judgment, and yet you don’t even see your desperate condition. Cry out to God to open your eyes to your greatest need. Come to Jesus and you will not hunger. Believe in Him and you will never thirst.

Application Questions

How can we help unbelievers to see that their main need is for eternal life, not for temporal goods or pleasures?
A Roman Catholic friend argues that James 2:14-26 proves that we must add our works to faith in order to be saved. How would you answer him? What Scriptures would you use?
To do well in a demanding career, you must devote much time and effort to it. How does John 6:27 apply in this situation?
Reread J. C. Ryle’s comments (John 6 Commentary) on how we should labor for the food that endures to eternal life. How can you best apply his prescription?

John 6:35-40 The Certain Success of Jesus’ Mission by Steven Cole (Theme - God's Sovereignty versus Man's Responsibility)

Although it sounds heretical to ask, have you ever wondered whether Jesus failed in His mission? His mission was to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). And yet, Jesus left this planet with only a small band of followers compared to the vast numbers, both in Israel and around the world, who remained lost. After 2,000 years of church history, there are still thousands of people groups that have not heard the gospel, and even among those who have heard, the majority of the world’s population remains unbelieving. So did Jesus fail? Has God’s purpose failed?

I would hesitate to raise the question at all, except that the apostle Paul raised it in Romans 9. In light of the Jews’ widespread rejection of Jesus as their Messiah and Savior, Paul deals with whether God’s promises to Israel have failed. He answers that God’s promises have not failed, because God never determined to save all Israel, but only an elect remnant. Also, the salvation of that chosen group does not depend on the fallen will of man, but on the sovereign working of God. As Paul says (Rom. 9:16), “So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy.” And, God does not have mercy on all (Rom. 9:18), “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Paul shows that God’s purpose to glorify Himself by saving His elect and judging the wicked cannot fail.

That is Jesus’ point in our text. These verses occur in the context of those who ate the miraculous meal of the loaves and fish asking Jesus to do a greater sign so that they may believe in Him (Jn 6:30). They want Him to go one up on Moses, who gave them the manna (Jn 6:31). Jesus corrects their impudent demand by pointing out that it was the Father, not Moses, who gave them the manna. Also, the bread that God is giving now is not just temporary food to satisfy their stomachs, but the true bread out of heaven to satisfy their souls (Jn 6:32). And, unlike the manna that God gave Israel in the wilderness to sustain life for a few years, the true bread out of heaven gives eternal life to the whole world (Jn 6:33).

But these Jews were still focused on the temporal when they asked Jesus to give them this bread (Jn 6:34). They wanted a lifetime supply of food. Jesus replies by offering Himself as the bread of life who satisfies everyone who comes to Him and believes in Him (Jn 6:35). But even though they had seen Jesus, they still did not believe in Him (Jn 6:36). That’s the context for Jesus’ words in Jn 6:37-40, where He takes comfort in God’s sovereignty over the salvation of sinners (cf. Luke 10:21-22). The point is, those who reject Jesus do not thwart God’s sovereign plan.

Also, note that after Jesus gives this extended discourse on being the bread of life, some who had professed to be His disciples stumble over what He says and stop following Him (Jn 6:60, 61, 66). If Jesus had been trying to build a large following, He could have become discouraged over this. But His focus was on the Father’s will and the fact that He had come to do that will (Jn 6:38). There is nothing more certain than that God will accomplish His purpose (Isa. 46:10; Job 42:2). That purpose centers on the fact that He has given a large number from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation to His Son. Jesus will see the result of the anguish of His soul because He poured out Himself to death and bore the sin of many (Rev. 5:9; Isa. 53:10-12). So when people rejected Jesus, even those who had professed to be His disciples, He rested in God’s sovereign plan for the ages.

As a teacher of God’s Word, I must do the same. I hope not, but it’s possible that some of you will hear this message and say, “I’m out of here!” I’d appreciate it if you’d talk to me about what Scripture teaches on this, but usually people just leave. Many who profess to believe in Christ do not like the biblical truth that God sovereignly chose some, but not all, for salvation. They say, “That’s not fair!” They believe that God wills to save everyone, but people by their free will cast the deciding vote. God’s hands are tied to actually save anyone, because He can’t override man’s free will. So according to them, the success of God’s eternal purpose rides on whether sinners choose to respond to Jesus.

But Jesus soundly refutes that error in our text. God’s sovereign plan to glorify His Son does not rest on the sinful will of man, but on God’s mighty power to save all whom He chooses to save. If sinners have a part in their salvation, then they can share the glory with Christ. But as Paul argues in Ephesians 1:3-12, God chose to save us so that we would be “to the praise of the glory of His grace” (Eph 1:6). God predestined us “according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (Eph 1:11-12). By the way, if God cannot override the fallen human will, you should give up praying for the salvation of the lost. Why pray if God can’t do anything about it?

So while it may be hard to get our finite minds around it, the doctrine of God’s sovereignty over our salvation runs through all Scripture, alongside the doctrine of human responsibility. God determined before the foundation of the world to put Christ on the cross, and yet the evil men who did it were responsible for their sin (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28). God determined before the foundation of the world to give a chosen bride to His Son, and yet all people are invited and commanded to believe in Jesus. Remember, this doctrine is a part of God’s inspired Word, which is for your spiritual benefit (2 Tim. 3:16-17). If you resist it or dodge it or try to explain it away, you’ll be spiritually impaired. Even if you don’t understand it, you need to submit to it (Rom. 9:19-20). While all Scripture is equally inspired by God, our text reports the very words of the Lord Jesus. His point here is:

Jesus’ mission to save and keep all whom
the Father has given to Him will certainly succeed.

Christ offers eternal life to all (Jn 6:35), but not all believe (Jn 6:36). All those whom God has given to Jesus will come to Him (Jn 6:37a). He will save them and keep them for all eternity (Jn 6:37b-40).

1. Christ offers Himself as the living bread that gives eternal life to all who believe in Him (Jn 6:35).

John 6:35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.” As Leon Morris points out (Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 366), Jesus’ words are not an abstract statement, but rather an appeal for people to come to Him and believe in Him. As I mentioned last week, this is an astounding claim that no mere man could make. Jesus says that if we will come to Him and believe in Him, He will eternally satisfy and sustain us spiritually.

It’s important to affirm that the doctrine of election does not in any way restrict offering the gospel freely to all. Whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life (John 3:16). The Bible ends with this open invitation (Rev. 22:17), “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.” The Bible never says, “If you’re one of the elect, come.” It invites every sinner to come to Jesus just as you are and know that He will welcome you. But …

2. People are so hopelessly lost in sin that they will reject even the best reasons to believe (Jn 6:36).

I might add, “Even religious, morally upright people are so hopelessly lost in sin that they will reject even the best reasons to believe.” Jesus was speaking to religious, moral Jews. They were zealous about keeping the Sabbath and the many Jewish rituals. Yet here they’ve seen Jesus miraculously provide bread and fish for a huge multitude and they’ve watched Him heal many of their sick, but Jesus’ tragic assessment is (Jn 6:36), “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.”

People do not reject Christ because they lack solid evidence for believing in Him. Sometimes skeptics will say, “Show me a real miracle and I’ll believe.” No, they wouldn’t. People reject Jesus because they love darkness rather than light (Jn 3:19-21). People apart from Christ are spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3). They cannot understand spiritual truth (1 Cor. 2:14) because Satan has blinded their eyes (2 Cor. 4:4).

In John 8:43, Jesus asks the unbelieving Jews, “Why do you not understand what I am saying?” He answers His own question, “It is because you cannot hear My word.” He did not say “because you will not hear My word,” but “because you cannot hear My word.” That’s why He says (John 6:44), “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (also, 6:65). Because of sin, it’s impossible for anyone to believe in Jesus apart from God’s opening their blind eyes (Rom. 3:10-18). In the words of Charles Wesley’s hymn, before Christ sends His “quickening ray,” we are “fast bound in sin and nature’s night.” Leon Morris writes (Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 367), “People do not come to Christ because it seems to them a good idea. It never does seem a good idea to natural man. Apart from a divine work in their souls (cf. Jn 16:8) men remain contentedly in their sins.” Yet at the same time, we are responsible for our unbelief. So, then, how can anyone be saved?

3. All whom the Father has given to Jesus will certainly be saved Jn 6:37a).

John 6:37a: “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me ….” This refers to the elect, whom the Father chose before the foundation of the world to give to His Son. Jesus refers to those the Father has given Him in Jn 6:39 and in Jn 10:29 (see, Jn 18:9). He repeats it five times in His prayer in John 17:

John 17:2: “… even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”

John 17:6 [2x]: “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.”

John 17:9: “I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours ….” (Note that the Father has not given everyone in the world to Jesus, but only some.)

John 17:24: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”

Many argue that the elect, whom the Father gives to the Son, are those whom God foreknew would believe in Christ by their own free will. But as we’ve seen, left to their own fallen will, none would choose to believe in Christ. Furthermore, the foreknowledge ruse robs God of His sovereignty and makes man sovereign. But the Bible is clear that God did not make up His plan for the ages after He saw what sinful people would do!

John Bunyan wrote a wonderful book on John 6:37, “Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ”. He makes the point that Jesus’ statement here is unconditional. It will happen without exception because it rests on God’s will, which He is able to accomplish. It’s sometimes called “irresistible grace.” This does not mean that God drags people to Christ kicking and screaming against their will. No one comes to Christ unwillingly. Rather, it means that God makes sinners willing to come to Christ (Ps. 110:3). When Paul preached the gospel to Lydia, we read (Acts 16:14), “And the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul.” If God had not opened her heart, she would not have responded favorably.

If you have believed in Christ, it’s because the Lord opened your heart to believe. You believed because the Holy Spirit imparted new life to you, apart from anything in you. You believed because in His sovereign grace, before the foundation of the world the Father chose you in love to give to His Son. All whom the Father has given to Jesus will certainly be saved. No sinner can thwart God’s mighty will to accomplish His purpose (Ps. 115:3).

4. Salvation is absolutely and finally secure for all whom the Father has given to Jesus (Jn 6:37b-40).

These verses are a wonderful foundation for assurance of salvation for all who have come to Jesus and believed in Him. Note four things:

A. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him (Jn 6:37b).

John 6:37b: “… and the one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out.” That phrase is often understood, even by the greats like John Bunyan and Charles Spurgeon (who has at least seven sermons on this verse), to mean that Christ will welcome all who come to Him. That is certainly true, whether it’s the thief on the cross or Paul, the persecutor of the church. But I agree with D. A. Carson (Borrow The Gospel according to John, p. 290) that that is not the meaning of this phrase in its context. Rather, what Jesus is saying is that all that the Father gives to Him (who will surely come to Him) He will certainly keep or preserve unto eternity. In modern terms, He won’t “kick out” any whom the Father has given to Him.

There are two reasons that this is what Jesus means here. First, the Greek verb translated “cast out” in almost all of its parallel occurrences refers to casting out something that is already “in.” For example, John uses it (9:34) to refer to the Pharisees expelling the man born blind from the temple (cf. 3 John 10). Second, the next three verses show that this is Jesus’ meaning. He repeatedly emphasizes that He will eternally keep all whom the Father has given Him.

At Christmas, you may receive a gift that you have absolutely no use for (except for a white elephant gift to unload on some poor victim at next year’s Christmas party). Jesus doesn’t do that with the gifts that the Father gives Him. He uses a strong double negative (in the Greek text) to underscore that He will keep every gift from the Father. If you have believed in Jesus, you’re one of God’s gifts to His Son. (Don’t let that go to your head!) As a member of Christ’s body, He will tenderly nourish and cherish you (Eph. 5:29).

B. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him because He came down from heaven to do the Father’s will (Jn 6:38).

John 6:38: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” Jesus bases the success of His mission not on whether or not people respond to Him, but rather on the fact that He came down from heaven (John 6:33, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51, 58), where He shared the glory of the Father (Jn 17:5), to do the Father’s will, which is absolutely certain. If any whom the Father gave to the Son do not make it to heaven, it would mean either that Jesus was incapable of performing what the Father commanded Him to do or that He was flagrantly disobedient, both of which are unthinkable (Carson, Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 291). But what is the Father’s will?

C. The will of the Father who sent Jesus is that of all that He has given Him, He lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day (Jn 6:39).

John 6:39: “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.” “The last day” is a phrase that occurs only in John (Jn 5:28, 29; 11:24; 12:48). It means that Jesus will keep us until we’re in heaven. Morris states (Borrow The Gospel according to John, p. 368), “This thought is of the greatest comfort to believers. Their assurance is based not on their feeble hold on Christ, but on His sure grip of them.”

You may wonder, “What about Judas or what about the disciples in John 6:66 who turned away from Jesus?” The answer is, they never truly believed in Jesus. In John 17:12, Jesus prays with reference to the twelve, “While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.” There are many like the seed sown on the stony ground or the thorny ground, who spring up and at first look genuine, but when trials and temptations hit, they wither and die (Matt. 13:20-21). They never truly believed in Christ. But those to whom Jesus gives eternal life will never perish (John 10:28).

D. To sum up, the will of the Father is that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life and Jesus will raise him up on the last day (Jn 6:40).

John 6:40 sums up what Jesus has been saying: “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” Again, this is a staggering claim that Jesus has already made (5:28-29), that He will raise us from the dead on the last day so that we will be with Him forever.

Note that rather than referring to those whom He will raise up as those whom the Father has given to Him, here Jesus goes back to the invitation mode of Jn 6:35. There it was “he who comes to Me” and “he who believes in Me.” Here, it is “everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him.” “To behold” implies knowledge of who Jesus is. You can’t believe in one you know nothing about. John wrote this gospel to show us who Jesus is—the Christ, the Son of God—so that we may believe in His name and have eternal life (Jn 20:31). It’s interesting that none other than John Calvin (John 6 Commentary) here calls “madmen” those who seek salvation in what he calls “the whirlpool of predestination,” rather than by faith in Christ. He’s saying, to be saved, don’t probe into whether or not you’re one of the elect. Rather, focus on answering the question, “Who is Jesus?” and on the basis of the apostolic witness, put your trust in Him.

Conclusion

Some preachers do not teach on God’s sovereignty over our salvation because they say that it’s too controversial or divisive. Some argue that these doctrines are just theoretical theology that have no relevance for how we live. I’ve heard seminary professors say that you should never talk about the doctrine of election with unbelievers, because it will drive them away from Christ.

Yet here Jesus speaks plainly about election as He confronts these unbelievers (He will do it again in Jn 10:26). The thought that you may not be one of God’s elect should drive you in panic to believe in Jesus! Also, God’s sovereign election is a comforting doctrine for us who truly believe in Jesus because it’s the foundation for our eternal security. Jesus will keep all whom the Father has given Him. His mission will not fail.

God’s sovereign election the only doctrine that produces true humility in us as we give all glory to God, who graciously saves unworthy sinners (1 Cor. 1:18-31). The doctrine of election encourages us to share the gospel even with immoral, idolatrous “Corinthians” (Acts 18:9-10), because God will save all whom He has purposed to save. And, Jesus’ words here give comfort to preachers who preach on God’s sovereignty, only to have people leave the church, which I hope that none of you will do!

Application Questions

Some say that the doctrine of election discourages evangelism and missions. Why is this false? What Scriptures refute it?
Some argue that if sinners can’t believe by their own free will, it is mockery to encourage them to believe. What Scriptures refute this error?
Since some (like Judas or those in John 6:66) seem to be saved for a while and then fall away, how can we know that our faith in Christ is the real thing?
Should we assure a professing Christian who is living in sin that he is eternally secure in Christ? Why/why not? Which Scriptures give guidance on this?

Related Resources:

John 6:41-47 A Lesson in Witnessing to Skeptics - Steven Cole

When I’ve received training in how to share my faith, the instruction has often been along the lines of showing unbelievers how easy it is to trust in Christ. Give them examples of how every day we trust in people we don’t even know: “You trust the companies that make your food. You trust your doctor and the pharmacist. You trust the mechanic who fixed the brakes on your car. So now, just trust in Jesus. It’s easy!”

Some of these evangelistic methods also advise not to focus on the person’s sin and his need of repentance or on God’s wrath and the judgment to come. That might scare away a potential convert. Rather just tell them about God’s love and faith in Christ. Keep it positive: focus on how Jesus will meet his needs for a happy marriage, a successful career, and a life free of trouble and pain. After you “close the deal,” you can talk about the hard stuff.

But have you ever noticed how Jesus often took the opposite approach? When the rich young ruler asked what he needed to do to inherit eternal life, Jesus simply could have said, “It’s easy: God loves you, man, and I love you too! Just believe in Me and you’ve got it.” Instead, He told him to keep the commandments. When the young man claimed that he had done that, Jesus replied (Luke 18:22), “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Not so easy!

Jesus told the unbelieving crowd (Mark 8:34-35), “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” Death to self! Not so easy! Jesus often seems to have made it hard to believe. He never softened His demand for total commitment in order to win more followers.

To understand John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,” we have to view it in its context: Jesus is talking with unbelieving skeptics. They ate the miraculous bread and wanted to make Jesus king. But He didn’t come to be the kind of king that they were looking for, so He withdrew from them. They later sought Jesus in Capernaum, but for the wrong reason. They wanted Him to be the new Moses, who could provide them with a lifetime supply of bread. They had a wrong expectation for who the Messiah should be and what He should do for them. So Jesus corrected their errors and asserted that He is the true bread out of heaven who could satisfy their spiritual hunger.

Then Jesus confronted their unbelief (Jn 6:36): “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” He then brought up the sovereign plan of God, who had given some to Jesus, whom He would certainly save and keep for all eternity (Jn 6:37-40). His mission would certainly succeed even if these Jews rejected Him, because Jesus came to fulfill the Father’s sovereign will. In this context these Jews were grumbling about Jesus (Jn 6:42-43): They thought that they knew His origin as the son of Joseph and Mary. How then could He be the bread of life that came down out of heaven? They challenged Jesus’ claims.

Sometimes Jesus followed the principle of not casting your pearls before swine (Matt. 7:6) by just ignoring such critics. But here, He witnesses to them, although not in the way many modern evangelism courses would advise. Rather than defending Himself or correcting their misunderstandings or telling them how much God loved them, Jesus restated His teaching about God’s sovereignty over our salvation. He showed them their inability to come to Him apart from God’s sovereign grace. That’s a subject which, as I said last week, some pastors won’t bring up at all, but especially they would advise that you never bring it up with skeptical unbelievers. But Jesus breaks that rule here by telling these skeptical Jews that they cannot come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them. In so doing, Jesus gives us a lesson in how to witness to skeptics:

Christ witnessed to skeptics by confronting their attitude,
showing them their spiritual inability,
and pointing them to faith in Himself as their only hope of eternal life.

1. Christ witnessed to skeptics by confronting their attitude (Jn 6:41-43).

John 6:41-43: “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, ‘I am the bread that came down out of heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, “I have come down out of heaven”?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do not grumble among yourselves.’”

John uses the word “Jews” consistently to refer to those who were hostile toward Jesus. In this context, he also may want us to think back to the Jews who grumbled in the wilderness under Moses and brought judgment on their own heads (Exod. 15:24; Num. 11:1; 14:2-5, etc.).

The cause of the Jews’ grumbling here was Jesus’ claim to be the bread that came down out of heaven. They thought that they knew Jesus’ origin as the son of Joseph and Mary. So they couldn’t understand how He claimed to come down out of heaven, which He repeats over and over in this chapter (Jn 6:32 [implied], Jn 6:33, 38, 50, 51, 58). So they were setting themselves up as capable of judging Jesus’ repeated claim because they did not know about His virgin birth. John is again using irony here, because he has already told us that the eternal Word became flesh and dwelt among us (1:14). If these Jews only knew the truth (as we, the readers, do), they would have known that Jesus’ claim was absolutely true.

Jesus did not correct their misunderstanding about His coming down out of heaven. Rather, He confronted their attitude (Jn 6:43): “Do not grumble among yourselves.” Grumblers invariably set themselves up as sovereign over God: “If God only saw things my way, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” “If God only took account of my insights, this problem would get cleared up right now!” Grumblers are not in submission to God’s sovereign rule. They want to tell God how to run the world so that things will go the way that they want. Grumblers arrogantly imply that they know more than God knows. These grumblers thought that they were competent to pass judgment on Jesus. So He confronted their grumbling attitude.

The point is, grumblers will not believe in Jesus even if they’ve seen Him feed 20,000 people with five loaves and two fish and they’ve watched Him heal the sick, unless they repent of their grumbling attitude. At the root of unbelief is not a lack of evidence, but an attitude that wants to tell God how to run the universe, at least my corner of the universe! In John 7:17, Jesus states, “If anyone is willing to do His [the Father’s] will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself.” At the root of correct understanding about Jesus that leads to faith in Him is whether we are willing to be obedient to God’s will.

As I’ve said before, a good approach when a skeptic raises an objection to the faith (evolution, the problem of suffering, errors in the Bible, etc.) is to reply, “Are you saying that if I can give you reasonable answers to that issue, then you will repent of your sins and follow Jesus?” Invariably, the skeptic will say, “Well, there are other issues, too!” In other words, the issues are not the issue. The issues are smokescreens to hide the fact that the skeptic doesn’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. If he can “control” Jesus to provide him with what he wants out of life, he might profess to “believe.” But then he’s not believing in Jesus as Lord, but rather in Jesus as Aladdin’s Genie. So in witnessing to such grumbling skeptics, confront their underlying attitude of not wanting to submit to Jesus.

Before I move on to Jn 6:44-45, I need to mention that grumbling is not just a problem for unbelieving skeptics. It’s also a problem for many that profess to know Christ (1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14). If you’re grumbling about your circumstances, you’re not giving thanks in all things. And if you’re not giving thanks, you’re not trusting in the Lord and submitting to His sovereign hand over your circumstances. So we all need to apply Jesus’ words in 6:43 to ourselves as often as needed: “Do not grumble among yourselves.”

2. Christ witnessed to skeptics by stripping them of all spiritual self-confidence (Jn 6:44-45).

John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.” Note, also, that Jesus basically repeats verse 44 in 6:65, except that there He changes the Father’s drawing with His granting coming to Jesus as a sovereign gift.

Why would Jesus tell unbelieving skeptics that they are unable in and of themselves to come to Him? I can see why He would talk privately with His disciples about such a profound theological truth. But why would He bring this up with these skeptics?

A. Unbelieving skeptics need to be stripped of their proud self-confidence.

I think that this is the main reason Jesus tells these skeptics that no one has the ability to come to Him unless the Father who sent Him draws them. Skeptics invariably are proud of their mental ability. They view believers as uneducated simpletons: “If they had half a brain, they could see how unreasonable it is to believe that this carpenter from Nazareth came down from heaven!”

Skeptics think that their intellect is sovereign over God. They base their understanding of God (if He even exists) on evidence and logic. But if a skeptic were able to come to Christ through his own intellect or will-power or decision, he would come in pride, which is antithetical to gospel repentance. The Bible yanks the rug of pride out from under us all: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” J. C. Ryle comments on 6:44 (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels [Baker], 3:385):

Our Lord … desired to magnify their danger and guilt and to make them see that faith in Him was not so easy an affair as they supposed. It was not knowledge of His origin alone, but the drawing grace of God the Father which they needed. Let them awake to see that, and cry for grace before it was too late.

The general lesson of the sentence … is one of vast importance. Our Lord lays down the great principle: “That no man whatsoever can come to Christ by faith, and really believe in Him, unless God the Father draws him so to come and inclines his will to believe.” The nature of man since the fall is so corrupt and depraved that even when Christ is made known and preached to him, he will not come to Him and believe in Him without the special grace of God inclining his will and giving him a disposition to come….

This is, no doubt, a very humbling truth, and one which in every age has called forth the hatred and opposition of man. The favorite notion of man is that he can do what he likes—repent or not repent, believe or not believe, come to Christ or not come—entirely at his own discretion. In fact, man likes to think that his salvation is in his own power. Such notions are flatly contradictory to the text before us. The words of our Lord here are clear and unmistakable and cannot be explained away…. Man never of himself begins with God. God must first begin with man. And this beginning is just the “drawing” of the text.

So Jesus is saying to them (in Jn 6:44), “I know why you’re grumbling. I know why you don’t believe in Me. You’re got a desperate problem that only God can solve. You cannot come to Me unless the Father draws you.” He’s stripping them of their proud spiritual self-confidence, which is the opposite of trusting in Christ for salvation.

B. Unbelieving skeptics need to realize their inability to come to Christ apart from the Father’s powerful drawing.

Some who argue that God does not force Himself on anyone, but that we all must make our own decision to believe in Jesus, say that God’s “drawing” means that He woos sinners, much as a young man woos a woman to decide to marry him. But the Greek word is used in John 21:6,11 of the disciples dragging the net full of fish into the boat and then to the shore. They didn’t woo those fish to please decide to jump into the net and then to cooperate by wiggling their way onto shore! The word is also used of Paul and Silas being dragged to the authorities in Philippi after they cast the demon out of the slave girl (Acts 16:19). And, Paul was dragged out of the temple by the angry mob in Jerusalem (Acts 21:30). Obviously, they weren’t “wooing” him!

Leon Morris (Borrow The Gospel according to John p. 371, note 110) points out that there is always the idea of resistance with the use of this verb, but that there is not one example in the New Testament where the resistance was successful. He says, “Always, the drawing power is triumphant, as here.” A. W. Pink (Christ in the Capernaum Synagogue John 6:41-59) describes this drawing:

It is the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the self-righteousness of the sinner, and convicting him of his lost condition. It is the Holy Spirit awakening within him a sense of need. It is the power of the Holy Spirit overcoming the pride of the natural man, so that he is ready to come to Christ as an empty-handed beggar. It is the Holy Spirit creating within him a hunger for the bread of life.

Note that the drawing of which Jesus speaks here is effectual. It results in the sinner actually coming to Jesus in saving faith. Jesus states in 6:44 that He will raise up the one who is drawn to Him on the last day (Jn 6:40 shows that He means, “raise up to eternal life”). And, in 6:45 Jesus reinforces that this is effectual when He says, “Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” It is the same unbroken chain of redemption that Paul outlines (Rom. 8:29-30): “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

Jesus makes a third point here:

C. Unbelieving skeptics need to realize that the Scriptures are the only source for the truth about Jesus that leads to salvation (Jn 6:45).

John 6:45: “It is written in the prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me.” Jesus is referring to Isaiah 54:13 (and perhaps also to Jeremiah 31:34) to show these proud skeptics that their own Scriptures supported Jesus’ point in Jn 6:44. The “all” in the quote refers to true believers, as the second half of the verse shows. God draws all whom He draws to believe in Jesus by teaching them through His Word. The Holy Spirit uses God’s Word to open blind eyes to see the beauty of Jesus so that formerly resistant sinners are drawn to Him. You can know that you’ve been taught of God when you lay aside all self-confidence and come in faith to Jesus as the Savior of whom all Scripture speaks.

Again, Jesus is stripping these proud skeptics of their own intellect or power of reason as the basis for salvation. If someone can reason his way to salvation, he will take pride in his reason. But Jesus is saying that the truth about Him is contained in God’s written Word and that no one has the mental capacity to understand that truth unless God teaches it to him. As John the Baptist said (John 3:27), “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.” Or, as Jesus told Peter after he made his famous confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:17), “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.”

If you’re proud of your spiritual knowledge, even if you are truly born again, you don’t know what you think you know. Genuine spiritual knowledge always humbles you in the presence of God and causes you to wonder why He ever chose to reveal Christ to your soul. The more you know, the more you realize how little you really know.

Thus Christ witnessed to these skeptics by confronting their attitude and by stripping them of all spiritual self-confidence.

3. Christ witnessed to skeptics by pointing them to faith in Himself as their only hope of eternal life (Jn 6:46-47).

Briefly, there are two points here:

A. Christ witnessed to skeptics by showing them that He is the only one through whom we can know the Father (Jn 6:46).

John 6:46: “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.” This repeats the truth that John stated in the prologue (1:18), “No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.” Jesus is the only one who can reveal and mediate the Father to us (Luke 10:22; John 14:6, 9). We cannot come to the Father through mysticism, philosophy, or human reason. We can only come to the Father through Jesus.

B. Christ encouraged skeptics with the promise that whoever believes in Him has eternal life as a present possession (Jn 6:47).

John 6:47: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life.” (The earliest manuscripts omit “in Me” after “believes.”) By again saying, “Truly, truly” (6:26, 32), Jesus was calling their attention to His next words. He is describing those who have eternal life: They believe in Him. I agree with D. A. Carson (Borrow The Gospel according to John, p. 294),

Notwithstanding the strong note of predestinarian thought in the preceding verses, this is an implicit invitation to believe, and an implicit warning against unbelief. In this context, it strips the would-be disciple of all pretensions, of all self-congratulation, of all agendas save those laid down by Jesus himself. Those who believe … cannot approach Jesus as if they are doing him a favor …. They must believe—but they do so on his terms, and by his grace.

“Believes” is a present participle, which indicates that we don’t just believe in Jesus at the point of salvation, but as an ongoing, daily matter. The moment you believe you have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus says of His sheep, who hear His voice and follow Him (John 10:28), “I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”

That invitation extends to you. You don’t have to put your brain on the shelf to believe in Jesus. But you do have to confront your arrogant, grumbling, skeptical attitude. You do have to be stripped of all self-confidence that you are able in and of yourself to make a rational decision to come to Christ. There is more than sufficient apostolic testimony to the truth about Jesus. But to come in faith to Him, you must cry out to the Father to do a sovereign work of grace in your heart. He must draw you to Jesus.

Conclusion

C. H. Spurgeon wrote (High Doctrine):

The doctrine which leaves salvation to the creature, and tells him that it depends upon himself, is the exaltation of the flesh, and a dishonoring of God. But that which puts in God’s hand man, fallen man, and tells man that though he has destroyed himself, yet his salvation must be of God, that doctrine humbles man in the very dust, and then he is just in the right place to receive the grace and mercy of God. It is a humbling doctrine.

Has God humbled your heart and drawn you to Jesus? If not, stop grumbling and start praying that He will do it soon!

Application Questions

Discuss: Many modern evangelistic methods are much too influenced by American sales techniques than by biblical models.
Some argue that unbelievers are able by themselves to believe in Christ; otherwise, God wouldn’t command them to do so. Why is this fallacious? Support your answer with Scripture.
Have you ever tried to witness to a skeptic? What did you learn from the experience? What can you learn from our text?
Why is grumbling such a serious sin (Exod. 15:24; Num. 11:1; 14:2-5; 1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14)? How can you overcome it?

John 6:48-59 What Are You Eating? Steven Cole

Perhaps the Sunday before Thanksgiving is not the time to ask, “What are you eating?” The holidays are the most difficult time of the year to stick to a diet. You say, “Ask me in January!”

But that’s the question that our text implicitly wants us to consider: “What are you eating?”—not physically, but spiritually. We hear a lot these days about the importance of a healthy diet. You are what you eat and a lot of Americans eat a lot of junk food, resulting in a lot of serious, but avoidable health problems. Most of us could benefit by being careful about what we eat.

It’s the same spiritually. If you gorge yourself on the latest movies or on the fare that is offered every night on TV, and you seldom feed on the Bible, don’t be surprised if you’re not spiritually healthy. If your spiritual intake consists of a sugary devotional that you grab on the run, like a donut, and an occasional sermon when you aren’t doing something else on Sunday, don’t be surprised if you’re feeling kind of spiritually sluggish. You are what you eat.

In John 6, after He fed the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, Jesus repeatedly offers Himself as the spiritual food that gives eternal life and eternal satisfaction to all who eat:

John 6:27: “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

John 6:32: “Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven.’”

John 6:33: “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.”

John 6:35: “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst.’”

John 6:48: “I am the bread of life.”

John 6:50: “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.”

John 6:51: “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”

In 6:52, the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” Rather than softening the analogy so as to be less offensive, Jesus goes on to make it more offensive! He changes the bread analogy to His flesh and, in a statement that would have grossed out just about every Jew, He added that not only did they need to eat His flesh, but also they needed to drink His blood!

John 6:53-57: “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 yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.’”

Then He goes back to the bread analogy (John 6:58):

“This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”

Then John mentions (Jn 6:59) that Jesus spoke these things (probably from Jn 6:41 on) as He taught in the synagogue in Capernaum. At another time, Jesus lamented of Capernaum (Matt. 11:23-24),

“And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”

That’s an awful warning! It’s going to be worse for Capernaum on the day of judgment than for Sodom because the people of Capernaum did not eat Jesus’ flesh or drink His blood when it was offered freely to them. So we need to be clear about what Jesus means here and we need to take it to heart so that we don’t follow Capernaum into judgment. The lesson is:

Feeding on Jesus by faith is necessary for eternal life,
for temporal sustenance, and for temporal and eternal satisfaction.

This is an eternal life or death matter. In Jn 6:50, Jesus says that if you eat of Him as the bread from heaven, you will not die. He states the converse in Jn 6:51, if you eat of this bread, you will live forever. In Jn 6:53, Jesus warns the Jews that unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood, they have no life in themselves. In Jn 6:54, He again states the converse of 6:53, namely that the one who eats His flesh and drinks His blood has eternal life. He reinforces it again in Jn 6:57, “He who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.” And in Jn 6:58 he again contrasts Himself with the manna, which the Israelites ate and died, by saying that the one who eats this bread (probably pointing to Himself) will live forever. Thus …

1. Feeding on Jesus by faith is necessary for eternal life.

Some interpret these verses to refer to partaking of communion, or the Lord’s Supper. The Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church also base their views of transubstantiation (the view that the communion elements actually become the body and blood of Christ) in part on John 6:53, where Jesus says that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to have eternal life. So before we examine what Jesus means, we need to look at what He does not mean:

A. Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood do not refer to partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

A. W. Pink (Christ in the Capernaum Synagogue John 6:41-59) gives four reasons that John 6 does not refer to communion.

First, communion had not yet been instituted. Jesus instituted it on the night He was betrayed.

Second, Jesus was speaking here to unbelievers and communion is for believers.

Third, the eating here is unto salvation or eternal life, while eating the Lord’s Supper is for those already saved and points to fellowship.

Fourth, the Lord’s Supper does not produce the results that are here attributed to eating and drinking Christ. If Jesus’ words here refer to communion, then you gain eternal life by partaking, which contradicts many other Scriptures that show that salvation is through faith in Christ, not through participating in a ritual.

So, as J. C. Ryle puts it (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels),

“We may eat the Lord’s Supper, and yet not eat and drink Christ’s body and blood. We may eat and drink Christ’s body and blood, and yet not eat the Lord’s Supper.”

B. Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood refer to believing in or appropriating personally His death on the cross as your only hope for eternal life.

Note these parallels: In John 6:40, Jesus says, “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” The requirement for eternal life is to behold the Son and to believe in Him. The promised results are that a believer has eternal life and Jesus will raise him up on the last day. In Jn 6:54, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” These are exactly the same results as in Jn 6:40, but instead of beholding the Son and believing in Him, Jesus substitutes eating His flesh and drinking His blood. Since things equal to the same thing are equal to each other, eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood refer to believing personally in His death on the cross as your only hope for eternal life.

Why would Jesus use such graphic language as eating His flesh and drinking His blood to describe believing in Him? Perhaps one reason is that He was making it clear to these Jews who wanted Him to be a political Messiah that He wasn’t that kind of Messiah. He came the first time to give His life as an offering for our sins. He will come the second time as the conquering King to rule in power and judge the nations (Rev. 19:15).

But the first time, He was the Passover Lamb of God (John 1:29), offered up so that His blood would protect those who applied it to their lives. The Jews were very familiar with eating the Passover lamb. By shocking them with this graphic language and applying it to Himself, those who were true seekers for eternal life would be jarred into realizing that their main need was not for a Messiah to give them literal bread, but for one to give them the bread of eternal life. They needed Jesus as their Passover Lamb.

In Jn 6:51, Jesus says, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.” By giving His flesh, Jesus was referring to His upcoming death. No one took His life from Him; rather, He gave it on His own initiative (John 10:18).

Also, the bread analogy pictures death. As Jesus says (John 12:24), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” To make bread, the grain of wheat had to die. Then, the fruit of the grain had to be plucked, crushed, and made into flour before it was baked into bread. Even so, Jesus had to die in order to be the bread that gives eternal life to those who eat it in faith. Pink suggests that “eating” looks back to Adam and Eve. Their eating the forbidden fruit plunged the human race into sin and judgment. Now, eating Christ, the “tree of life,” liberates us from the curse that came on us with Adam’s fall.

Perhaps another reason that Jesus uses the graphic language, especially the part about drinking His blood, is that it puts the offense of the cross in full view. Drinking or eating blood was highly offensive to a Jew (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26-27). But when they start arguing among themselves about how “this man” (probably a derogatory term) can give them His flesh to eat (John 6:52), which was offensive enough, Jesus doesn’t explain it in less offensive terms. Rather, it’s like He pokes them in the eye by adding to eating His flesh the gross picture of drinking His blood!

But the Bible is clear (Heb. 9:22), “Without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Have you ever thought about how bloody the Jewish religion was, with the slaughter of bulls and goats and rams? We got a little glimpse of that when we visited our daughter and her family in a Muslim area of Central Asia, where they were slaughtering sheep on the sidewalk as we walked by. It isn’t pretty! But to be the complete and final sacrifice for our sin, Jesus’ blood had to be shed. If Jesus is just your moral example, but not your sacrificial Lamb, then He is not your Savior from sin.

So, to be clear:

Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood refer to
believing in and personally appropriating His death on the cross
as your only hope for eternal life. Thus,

C. Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood are how you gain eternal life.

This is not just a matter of how to have a happier life. It’s a matter of eternal life or eternal death. In Jn 6:49-51, Jesus contrasts the manna, which only fed the people physically for a while and then they died with Himself as the living bread that came down out of heaven to give eternal life to people through His flesh. Religious rituals cannot not bring eternal life to anyone. Apart from Jesus’ sacrificial death, He cannot be the bread that gives eternal life to us. So to gain eternal life, you must eat Jesus’ flesh and drink His blood, which primarily means, to believe in Him personally.

But let’s think about the eating and drinking analogy further so that we understand what saving faith means (Pink develops some of these points).

First, eating is a necessary response to a felt need. You eat when you feel hungry and you drink when you feel thirsty. If you go long enough without eating or drinking, you will die. But, the world feeds us with all sorts of things that mask our true hunger and thirst. It feeds us with money and possessions and sex under the illusion that these will satisfy us, but those things get left behind at death. Sometimes the world deceives us with legitimately good things, like family and friends, to make us feel full and happy. But the best family and friends will not do us any good when we stand before God at the judgment. Those are not true food. Jesus says (Jn 6:55), “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.” The Holy Spirit has to impress on us the vanity of life apart from God and convict us of our true guilt before God so that we will hunger and thirst for the eternal life that only Jesus can give.

Second, eating and drinking only benefit you when you actually eat and drink. It doesn’t do you any good to smell a good meal or to analyze it chemically or to write flowery poems about how wonderful it is. You’ve got to eat it.

Also, it must be personal. I can’t eat it for you. Your parents can’t eat it for you. You must eat your own food. In the same way, you have to appropriate Christ for yourself by faith. You must not only believe that He is the Savior. You must believe that He is your Savior. You must trust in His death on the cross as the penalty for your sins. You must receive or appropriate Him into your innermost being, just like you eat food and drink water to live.

Feeding on Jesus by faith
is necessary for eternal life.

2. Feeding on Jesus by faith is necessary for temporal sustenance.

In Jn 6:56, Jesus states, “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.” Here Jesus mentions the intimate union that takes place between Him and the one who feeds on him by faith. (He will explain this further to the disciples in Jn 15:1-11.) The Greek verb for “eats” is a present participle, looking at the ongoing, close relationship between Jesus and the one who feeds on Him. When you eat food, it literally becomes a part of you. When you feed on Christ by faith, you become more like Him and you enjoy a close relationship with Him.

Also, in Jn 6:57 Jesus emphasizes the intimacy that we enjoy with Him: “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me.” J. C. Ryle explains (ibid., 3:404),

It is as though our Lord said: “Just as the Father sent Me into the world to be born of a woman and take the manhood into God—and even though I am among you as man, I live in the closest union and communion with God—even so the man that by faith feeds his soul on my sacrifice for sin shall live in the closest union and communion with Me.” In a word, the union between Christ and the true Christian is as real and true and close and inseparable as the union between God the Father and God the Son.

The implication here is that we should eat often. Most of us eat three meals a day, sometimes with snacks in between. If you were a prisoner of war, you might survive on a cup of rice or a piece of bread and some water every day. But if you survived, you would come out of that camp emaciated, weak, and vulnerable to disease. To be healthy, you have to eat nutritious food several times a day.

Do you feed your soul on Christ every day? “Well, I try to read ‘Our Daily Bread’ once in a while.” Okay, but you need more than that. You need a consistent diet of reading and meditating on God’s Word, praying as you read, “Lord, reveal Yourself to my soul.” Or, as Moses dared to pray, even after all of the amazing miracles that he had seen (Exod. 33:18), “I pray You, show me Your glory!” Feed on Christ often in His Word. Don’t be satisfied with the fact that you ate last week or yesterday. You need manna for your soul today.

Also, it is helpful to eat at regular times. Don’t wait until you’re starving to eat, but eat at set times. Dietary experts say that breakfast is the most important meal not to skip. Likewise, it’s spiritually healthy to spend at least a short time each morning feeding your soul on Christ. I’m not a morning person, so it’s hard for me. But I set my alarm a half hour earlier than I need to and spend that time reading God’s Word and often praying it back to Him.

One final thought: You can’t overeat when it comes to feeding on Jesus! When we sit down to a holiday feast, it all tastes so good that it’s easy to eat more than you should. But with Jesus, you can eat and eat and eat, and it won’t adversely affect your health. In fact, the more of Jesus that you feed on, the healthier you will be!

Thus, feeding on Jesus by faith is necessary for eternal life and for temporal sustenance.

3. Feeding on Jesus by faith is necessary for temporal and eternal satisfaction.

In Matthew’s account (Mt 14:20) of the feeding of the 5,000, he says, “And they all ate and were satisfied.” There is a satisfaction factor about eating, isn’t there? That’s why we overeat—because it tastes so good and it’s pleasurable. Good bread nourishes and sustains life, but also it’s enjoyable. To smell bread baking in the oven and then to butter and eat a warm slice—ah! Even so, feeding on Jesus by faith is enjoyable in this life and it will continue in His eternal presence, where, as David exults (Ps. 16:11), “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

Conclusion

Yet, as John Calvin laments (Calvin’s Commentaries), “How few are there who are satisfied with Christ alone!” How about you? Are you satisfied with Christ alone? Do you feed on His death for you as your only hope of eternal life? Do you feed on Him daily in His Word as nourishment for your soul? Do you enjoy all that He is for you, both now and for eternity? If not, the answer is fairly simple: Change your diet!

Application Questions

Biblically, what is the true meaning of the Lord’s Supper? How can we keep it fresh when we repeat it so often?
A Christian tells you, “I try to read the Bible every day, but it often seems so dry and boring.” How could you help him?
I mentioned two reasons why Jesus may have used such graphic language that He knew would shock His hearers. Can you think of any other reasons?
Discuss: Should you read the Bible and pray as a regular discipline even when you may not feel the delight? How can you keep the “delight” factor burning strong?

John 6:60-71 The Antidote to Spiritual Defection, Part 1

If you’ve been a Christian for a while, you’ve known people who professed faith in Christ, who seemed to follow Him for some time, but then they fell away. In some cases, they have even served in the ministry. I’ve known pastors, including the pastor who baptized me, who have left the ministry, turned away from the Lord, and lived as unbelievers.

Often, the cause of spiritual defection is moral failure, as it was with my former pastor. In other cases, the defection may be due to unresolved doubts or unanswered hard questions about the Bible, such as: How do you resolve the seeming contradictions in the Bible? How can you reconcile the creation account with modern science? How can a loving and powerful God permit all the evil that goes on in the world? If God loves everyone, why doesn’t He let them all hear the gospel? If God is sovereign, then aren’t we just a bunch of robots with no free will? We could go on and on with the difficult issues that cause some to defect from the faith.

But let’s bring it a little closer to home: If you’ve been a Christian for any length of time, you have faced difficult issues that have challenged your faith. Maybe it was some of the hard questions that I just mentioned. Or, maybe you prayed for something that seemed to be in God’s will and for His glory, but He did not answer favorably. Perhaps you trusted some promise in the Bible, but it didn’t work out the way that you had expected. Maybe you’ve had to suffer some illness that has greatly hindered your ability to serve the Lord. Perhaps a spouse or Christian friend betrayed you. Maybe your children, whom you love sacrificially and taught God’s ways, have rejected both God and you.

How do you handle these kinds of hard trials and disappointments? What do you do when those you love turn away from Christ? In short, how do you persevere in your faith when you encounter things in the Bible or in your own experience that don’t make sense? What is the antidote to spiritual defection?

Our text reports the aftermath of Jesus’ feeding the 5,000 and His discourse in the synagogue in Capernaum on being the bread of life (Jn 6:60): “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?’” Jesus’ reply to their grumbling (in Jn 6:61-65) did not placate them (Jn 6:66): “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.” Also, John twice (Jn 6:64, 70-71) mentions Judas, one of the twelve, who would soon betray Jesus. So there were many spiritual defections among those who had professed to be disciples of Jesus, including Judas.

But in contrast, when Jesus asks the twelve (Jn 6:67), “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Peter gives a great reply (Jn 6:68-69), “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” So we have here the antidote to spiritual defection:

Persevering faith in God’s Word and in God’s Son is the antidote to spiritual defection.

In Hebrews 10:36, the writer tells his readers, who were enduring severe trials as Christians and were tempted to go back to Judaism, “You have need of endurance.” Then he proceeds to give them an entire chapter that shows how the saints of old endured by faith. We need faith in God’s Word and faith in His Son if we want to persevere and not fall away. In this message, I can only deal with faith in God’s Word. We’ll look at faith in God’s Son next time.

1. Persevering faith in God’s Word is the antidote to spiritual defection.

But to begin, we need to acknowledge:

A. There are hard truths in God’s Word that must be submitted to, even if you don’t understand or like them.

The Jews in John 6 had eaten the miraculous bread and fish. As a result, they sought out Jesus after He returned to Capernaum, but they sought Him for the wrong reason. They wanted a political Messiah who would provide freedom from Rome’s yoke, peace, and prosperity. But they stumbled over Jesus’ claim that He was the bread of life that came down out of heaven (Jn 6:35, 41). They knew Him as the young man that grew up in Nazareth, the son of Joseph and Mary. So they couldn’t accept His claim to have come down out of heaven.

Jesus confronted their grumbling and told them that they were unable to come to Him unless the Father drew them (Jn 6:43-44). He proceeded to emphasize repeatedly that He was the bread out of heaven and that He would give His flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:48-51). But this caused more grumbling (Jn 6:52): “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” In response (6:53-58), Jesus didn’t back off, but in graphic language He told them over and over that they must not only eat His flesh, but also drink His blood to have eternal life.

This led to the response of many of His disciples (Jn 6:60), “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” As good Jews, they were grossed out over the thought of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood. They thought that their Jewish religion and heritage were good enough to commend them to God. They didn’t see their need for a Savior from sin, who had to die as their Passover lamb. So they grumbled. But Jesus didn’t back off. He was saying, “You must trust in My sacrificial death on your behalf.”

Note that they didn’t come to Jesus with teachable hearts, saying, “Lord, we’re confused. Can you help us understand?” Rather, John says (Jn 6:61) that Jesus was conscious that they were grumbling at His teaching, implying that it was among themselves. But He doesn’t soften His earlier statements or explain things to them, because they didn’t have teachable hearts, seeking to understand these truths that they didn’t like so that they could obey. Rather, they were sitting in judgment on Jesus: “He’s that kid from Nazareth, whose parents we know! How can He gross us out with all this talk about eating His flesh and drinking His blood? Our views are what normal people think; it’s Jesus who is crazy!”

In the same way, I’ve seen people who get offended by something that I say, but they never come and talk with me to get the matter cleared up. They don’t want to change their minds or learn new things from God’s Word. They don’t have a teachable heart in submission to God’s Word. Rather, they sit in judgment on what they heard, leave, and go find a pastor who agrees with them.

If you come to God’s Word with that kind of attitude, you won’t grow in your walk with God. You may not like what the Bible says about God sovereignly choosing some for salvation and passing over others, but Jesus repeatedly teaches that in this chapter and it’s taught from Genesis to Revelation. The starting place for growing in the Lord when His Word confronts you with things you don’t like is to humble your heart before the Lord and ask Him for understanding. If you reject it because you don’t like it, you’re sitting in judgment on God’s Word and you won’t grow.

This applies to many difficult areas where the Bible goes against our culture or against our preferences: the role of women in the home and in the church; homosexuality; sexual purity; divorce; hell; etc. But if we accept only the parts of the Bible that fit with what we like, then we’re not following Jesus as Lord, but rather ourselves as lord. We’re just using certain parts of the Bible that we agree with to support our own biases. To be a Christian is to submit to the teachings of Jesus and Jesus believed in God’s Word as truth (John 17:17). But, how do we submit to hard truths?

B. To submit to hard truths, we must be born of the Spirit.

In Jn 6:63, Jesus says to these fair-weather disciples, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Jesus here confronts the root problem of these grumblers: They were not born again. Jesus’ opening words to Nicodemus were (Jn 3:3), “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” In other words, “All your religious learning and religious activities are incapable of getting you into heaven. You need the new birth.” Jesus explains further (Jn 3:6): “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

In 6:63, Jesus is teaching the same thing: “The Holy Spirit imparts life to dead sinners. Human religious effort will not get you into heaven. Apart from the new birth, you can never understand why it is necessary to eat My flesh and drink My blood.” As we saw in our last study, eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood mean that we must trust His sacrificial death on our behalf as the only way to have eternal life. But Jesus confronts these fair-weather followers (6:64), “But there are some of you who do not believe.” The Spirit had not given them new life and so they did not believe.

The crowd thought that Jesus’ words were hard (Jn 6:60), but actually, He says (Jn 6:63), His words “are spirit and are life.” This means (D. A. Carson, borrow The Gospel according to John p. 302) that His words “are the product of the life-giving Spirit,” and “rightly understood,” Jesus’ words in the discourse that He just gave are the source of life for the one who believes. Carson adds, “One cannot feed on Christ without feeding on Christ’s words, for truly believing Jesus cannot be separated from truly believing Jesus’ words (Jn 5:46-47).” The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to impart new life to sinners so that they can understand it (James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23; 1 Cor. 2:14).

A. W. Pink ( (Christ and His Disciples John 6:60-71)) points out the balance in John 6:63-64: “It is the Spirit who gives life,” points to God’s sovereignty. He must impart new life to us. But, “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life” are addressed to human responsibility: we must believe Jesus’ words, as Jn 6:64 shows: “But there are some of you who do not believe.” Jesus was pressing on these superficial disciples the need to truly believe in Him.

In Jn 6:64, John adds, “For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him.” This anticipates Jn 6:70-71, “Jesus answered them, ‘Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?’ Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.” The defection of these “disciples” and of Judas shows us how hard the human heart is and how desperately we need God’s sovereign grace and the new birth. These disciples had seen Jesus and yet did not believe (Jn 6:36). Jesus had chosen Judas as an apostle. He was with Jesus for three years. He saw His miracles and heard His teaching. He was friends with the other apostles, with whom he could discuss the things of God. He went out on a mission and saw God work miracles through him. Yet he did not believe and he was lost!

C. To submit to hard truths, we often must go against our cultural and religious backgrounds by confronting our preconceived ideas.

These superficial disciples were grumbling because they could not imagine a Messiah who would give His flesh for the life of the world (Jn 6:51). Their view of Messiah was that He would conquer Israel’s enemies and usher in an age of peace and prosperity, not that He would die. Also, “the world” meant Gentiles, and they didn’t like the idea of Messiah including those “dogs” in the kingdom! And their religion said that it was abominable to drink blood, but this carpenter from Nazareth who claimed to have come down from heaven was saying that to have eternal life, they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Wasn’t being a good Jew enough to get them into heaven? So all of these things confronted their culture and religion and went against their preconceived ideas of Messiah and His kingdom.

Jesus asked these unbelieving “disciples” (Jn 6:62), “What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?” He was confronting their mistaken expectations. They thought that the Messiah would remain forever to reign (Jn 12:34). But here Jesus was talking about giving His flesh and drinking His blood. Later, He talked about being lifted up (Jn 12:32). After the cross, He would be raised from the dead and ascend again into heaven.

Just before His ascension, even His loyal disciples asked (Acts 1:6), “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” They still thought that He might set up His earthly kingdom at that time. They needed to confront their preconceived ideas and submit to God’s plan for Jesus to ascend to the Father and to return to reign at a later time.

I think that in part, wrong expectations about Jesus were why Judas betrayed Jesus. At first, he thought that Jesus would set up His earthly kingdom and he (Judas) would be one of the top officials in that reign. He liked that idea. He could get into sitting on one of the twelve thrones of Israel, reigning with Jesus (Matt. 19:28). But to his alarm, Jesus seemed fixated on dying! That didn’t fit Judas’ vision for the future!

When we begin to follow Christ, most of us have many wrong expectations and preconceived ideas about Him and the Christian life. Some of those ideas come from our cultural or religious backgrounds. Some may come from the “pitch” we heard for the gospel: “Come to Jesus and He will give you peace, joy, and an abundant life.” While that statement is true, it may not be true in the sense that we envisioned. He may give us peace, joy, and an abundant life in a prison cell where we are tortured and eventually killed because of our faith. Ask John the Baptist or the pastor in prison in Iran about that “abundant life”!

Thus, we’ve acknowledged that there are hard truths in God’s Word that we need to submit to. To submit to them, we need the new birth from the Holy Spirit. And, we often must go against our cultural and religious backgrounds by confronting our preconceived ideas.

D. To submit to hard truths, we must accept that God is sovereign, even over evil and unbelief.

Jesus again brings up to these unbelieving “disciples” the truth that He stated in Jn 6:44, which was also implicit in Jn 6:37. He says (Jn 6:65), “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” As we saw when we studied Jn 6:37,44, each time that He states this truth, it’s in response to unbelief or skepticism. In Jn 6:36, He tells His critics, “You have seen Me, and yet do not believe.” Then He immediately adds (Jn 6:37), “All that the Father has given Me will come to Me.” In Jn 6:43, Jesus confronts their grumbling about Him and then adds (Jn 6:44), “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws Him.” Here, Jesus again confronts their unbelief (Jn 6:64) and then adds (Jn 6:65), “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.” Then, in Jn 6:70 Jesus again mentions His sovereignty in choosing the twelve in the face of Judas’ impending betrayal.

What’s the point of this repeated cycle of unbelief countered by God’s sovereignty? As I explained when we studied Jn 6:37-40, Jesus is showing us that we can take comfort in God’s sovereignty even over the forces of evil and unbelief. If you’re not careful, the spiritual defection of your close friends or loved ones can be contagious. You can easily start thinking, “If he was such a strong Christian and he fell away, maybe I should re-examine my faith.” Or, if evil people do bad things to you, you can begin to wonder, “Where is the sovereign and loving God? Why didn’t He protect me from their evil deeds?” (See Matt. 11:2-3.)

But Jesus shows repeatedly in this chapter that even when people who saw His miracles and heard His teaching reject Him, it has not thwarted God’s sovereign plan in the slightest. The flaky disciples turned away from Jesus because God had not drawn them or granted for them to come to Him (6:44, 65). Judas, one of the twelve, was chosen as an apostle even though Jesus knew from the beginning that he would betray Him (Jn Jn 6:64).

So even if difficult things happen to you, even if close friends betray you or turn away from the Lord, God is still the sovereign God “who works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph. 1:11). He still “does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Da 4:35). You can persevere in faith when you accept that God is sovereign, even over evil and unbelieving people. And yet they are responsible for their unbelief and will come under God’s judgment if they don’t repent.

E. When you submit in faith to the hard truths of God’s Word, you gain the foundation for certain knowledge.

In the face of this widespread defection by these professed followers, Jesus turns to the twelve and asks (Jn 6:67), “You do not want to go away also, do you?” Wow, what a question! The way the question is stated indicates that Jesus did not expect them to say, “Yes, we’re out of here, too!” He said it to test their faith.

Peter, speaking for the group, gives the great confession (Jn 6:68-69), “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” We need to wait until next week to look more closely at this confession. But for now, I want to look at the part where he says, “We have believed and have come to know.” The terms are roughly synonymous, but the order is important. First, we believe and then we come to know.

The world says, “Seeing is believing,” but God’s Word tells us, “Believing is the way to seeing.” Hebrews 11:3 affirms, “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.” Faith yields understanding, or knowledge.

Faith is not a blind leap in the dark, because our faith is based on God’s testimony to His Son through trustworthy eyewitnesses. But this means that you will never attain complete knowledge apart from believing. The main reason people do not believe in Christ is not because they have intellectual problems with God or the Bible, even though they claim that’s the reason. They do not believe because they love their sin and they don’t want to submit to the lordship of Jesus Christ. It’s only after we believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord that we will come to the full assurance of knowing that He is the Holy One of God.

Conclusion

Next time we’ll look at persevering faith in God’s Son as the antidote to spiritual defection. But for now, note that there are three groups represented in our text:

(1) There are those who were initially interested in Jesus and followed Him until He started teaching some things that they didn’t like. Then they defected.

(2) There are those, represented by Judas, who seem fully committed to Jesus. Judas kept up such a good front that the other disciples did not suspect that he was the betrayer. But his life ended in tragic rejection of Christ.

(3) There are those, like Peter, who submit with persevering faith even to the hard teachings, because they know who Jesus really is and they’re committed to follow Him.

Which group are you in? Your perseverance unto eternal life depends on being in that third group. Make sure that your faith is in God’s Word and in His Son!

Application Questions

How does spiritual defection fit in with the perseverance of the saints? Can true Christians lose their salvation?
Note that Jesus not only tolerated the truth of God’s sovereignty; He rejoiced greatly in it (Luke 10:21-22). How can we develop the same attitude toward difficult truths?
What are some of the hard truths in the Bible that run counter to our culture? How can we identify and embrace these truths?
What Scriptures support that God is sovereign over evil and yet not responsible in any way for it?

John 6:60-71 The Antidote to Spiritual Defection, Part 2 Steven Cole

It’s always distressing for pastors when people leave the church. It’s one thing if they get involved in another church where God’s Word is taught, but it’s grievous if they move to a liberal church or drop out of church completely.

While I realize that we always have room to improve and that we should try to learn from the reasons why people leave the church, at the same time I take comfort in the fact that Jesus lost people who at first professed to be His disciples. At the start of John 6, Jesus has 20,000 people singing His praises after He fed them the loaves and fish. By the end of John 6, He has twelve, and one of them is a traitor! Maybe Jesus needed to read some books on how to grow your ministry! Things weren’t looking good!

Probably the twelve were deflated. Earlier, it seemed like Jesus was on the brink of widespread success. The wave of popular support was building. The people wanted to make Jesus king (Jn 6:15). Wasn’t that God’s plan, for His Messiah to reign over Israel? But then Jesus’ shocking comments about eating His flesh and drinking His blood drove away almost everyone. And then He asks the twelve (Jn 6:67), “You do not want to go away also, do you?”

So we’re looking at the problem of spiritual defection and how to avoid it. The overall message is:

Persevering faith in God’s Word and in God’s Son is the antidote to spiritual defection.

Last week we saw:

1. Persevering faith in God’s Word is the antidote to spiritual defection.

A. There are hard truths in God’s Word that must be submitted to, even if you don’t understand them.

B To submit to hard truths, we must be born of the Spirit.

C. To submit to hard truths, we often must go against our cultural and religious backgrounds by confronting preconceived ideas.

D. To submit to hard truths, we must accept that God is sovereign, even over evil and unbelief.

E. When we submit in faith to the hard truths of God’s Word, we gain the foundation for knowledge.

This week our focus will be on how persevering faith in God’s Son is the antidote to spiritual defection. But, first, note:

1. There are many things other than God’s Son in which to put your faith, but they all will fail.

Peter asks the haunting question (Jn 6:68), “Lord, to whom shall we go?” I’ve often thought about that question when I’ve encountered difficult issues. Before you turn away from Jesus because of hard truths or difficult circumstances or disappointed expectations, stop and ask yourself, “Lord, to whom shall I go?” There just aren’t a lot of other viable options.

Comfortable religion will ultimately fail if you turn to it. These fair-weather disciples who couldn’t handle Jesus’ statements about eating His flesh and drinking His blood as the requirement for eternal life went back to their Jewish heritage and religion. They thought that being the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and following the Jewish religious rules and ceremonies was good enough. They had hoped at first that Jesus would be the Messiah who would deliver them from Roman rule and usher in an age of peace and prosperity. But, when they heard His shocking teaching about giving His flesh for the life of the world and the need to eat His flesh and drink His blood, they just turned back to the religion that they always had known.

That was a comfortable option for them, but it was spiritually ignorant and stupid because it ignored the serious reality of their sin and guilt before the holy God and their desperate need for a Savior. When the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin and guilt, you realize that no amount of religion or good deeds on your part can atone for your many sins. You realize that your best deeds are worthless as a defense against your true guilt before God (Isa. 64:6). John Owen (The nature and causes of apostasy from the gospel p. 90) comments on those who turn away from Christ:

If they had had a true conviction of their need of Christ and had experienced his power in meeting that need, why do they now forsake him? A person who has been truly convinced of his need of Christ for forgiveness and salvation and has, as a result, received him by faith will never forsake Christ. To be truly convinced of our need of Christ, we must first be convinced of the nature, guilt, pollution, power and punishment of sin, for he came to save us from our sins.

Money and power will ultimately fail if you turn to them. John twice mentions Judas (Jn 6:64, 70-71) in the context of these disciples who turned away from Jesus. Later (Jn 12:6) John explains that Judas was in charge of the disciples’ money box and that he used to steal from it. Arguably, Judas had accepted the invitation to become an apostle because he saw it as a good career move. If Jesus was the promised Messiah who would conquer Israel’s enemies and reign on David’s throne, then being in the inner circle meant financial security and powerful influence.

But when Judas heard Jesus talking about giving His flesh for the life of the world and how the Jewish leaders would put Him to death and how those who followed Him must take up their cross and die, he started backpedaling. That wasn’t what he had signed up for! So he betrayed Jesus for the measly sum of 30 pieces of silver. When he realized that he had betrayed innocent blood, he threw the silver down in the temple and went and hanged himself (Matt. 27:3-5). Money and power never bring us into right standing with God. They fail all who trust in them for satisfaction.

Education, saving the environment, the arts, sexual pleasure, drugs, and alcohol will ultimately fail if you turn to them. These are some of the things that King Solomon tried (Eccl. 2:1-16) to alleviate the vanity of life (he didn’t know about drugs, but he did try alcohol, and he probably would have smoked some marijuana if he had known about it!). But his conclusion was (Eccl 2:17), “So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.” Some of the things he did are legitimate enterprises in the proper sphere and in balance, but none of them provide eternal life.

So it’s not wrong to do well in your career and to provide adequately for your family. It’s not wrong to run for public office and use your power to better society. It’s not wrong to help save the environment as a good steward of God’s creation. It’s not wrong to study and learn all that you can. But the point is, if you put your faith and effort in anything other than Jesus Christ, it will evaporate the second you stand before God for judgment. Even legitimate things will be vanity if your faith is not in Christ to save you from your sins.

But that leads to a question: If all else fails us at death and death is 100 percent certain, why do people turn away from Christ to these vain things?

2. Many wrong reasons can lead you to put your faith in things that never can save.

(C. H. Spurgeon develops some of these in his sermon, “A Mournful Defection,” on John 6:67, 1877) More could be added, but here are nine:

1) You don’t like some teaching or commandment in the Bible.

These “disciples” turned away from Jesus because they found His teaching about eating His flesh and drinking His blood to be difficult (6:60). Also, they stumbled over His teaching that He had come down from heaven (6:41-42), which implies His divine preexistence. They knew Him as the son of Joseph and Mary. They had watched Him grow up. So His implicit claim to deity grated on them.

They also didn’t like Jesus’ repeated statements (6:37, 44, 65) that they were unable to come to Him unless the Father drew them. After all, they were good Jews, not Gentile dogs. They followed Moses and the Law. So they didn’t like Jesus’ assertion that they were spiritually unable to come to Him. It implied that they were helpless sinners! How dare Him say such a thing!

There are many today who profess to be disciples of Jesus but they don’t like certain doctrines or commands in the Bible. They don’t like the doctrine that God predestines some, but not all, for salvation. They don’t like the doctrine that He will punish the unrepentant in hell for all eternity. Some don’t like the doctrine of the Trinity. Others don’t like the biblical teaching on the role of women or homosexuality or sexual purity. So they turn aside from the only Savior to things that they like. But those things can never save.

2) You stupidly forget the certainty of death so that you live for immediate pleasure in these few, uncertain years, rather than for lasting pleasure in light of eternity.

These people wanted a lifetime supply of bread, but they were not laboring for the food that endures to eternal life (6:27). They wanted Jesus to be their king if He would usher in an age of peace and prosperity, but not if He had to die to atone for their sins. But if we start thinking that more stuff and a better house and career success and a comfy investment portfolio will bring ultimate satisfaction, our priorities are wrong. We fall into the trap of Solomon, Judas, and Demas, who deserted Paul because he loved this present world (2 Tim. 4:10).

3) You are frightened by the prospect of rejection or persecution.

The recipients of the Letter to the Hebrews were tempted to return to their former Judaism because they were suffering for their faith as Christians. Perhaps one reason for Judas’ defection was that he wanted to be on the good side of the Jewish religious leaders. But when he saw that Jesus was always clashing with them and that to be Jesus’ follower would mean alienation from the Jewish leaders, he decided to ingratiate himself with them by betraying Jesus.

4) You think that following Jesus will rob you of “the good life.”

Many young people fall into this trap. They think that if they follow Jesus, they’ll have to give up everything enjoyable and fun and start doing all sorts of things that sound perfectly dreadful. I used to worry as a teenager that if I yielded my life to the Lord, He would send me to some jungle to live as a missionary. But it finally dawned on me that if He is a loving and all-wise Father, He would only ask me to do what would be for my ultimate good.

5) You allow trials and difficulties to grow into disappointment with Christ.

Like Judas, you think that “signing up” with Jesus means financial prosperity and the abundant life. But then you realize that the “abundant life” may include persecution and martyrdom, so you turn away to other things.

6) You get busy with other things that crowd out the most important thing.

Seeking after the Lord and walking with Him require time and effort. But we’re all prone to drift into other things that fill our time: TV, computer games, sports, social networks, and many other things can easily crowd out seeking first God and His kingdom.

7) You are too lazy and undisciplined to keep Christ first in your priorities.

Paul tells us to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7). By definition, discipline means denying yourself some immediate gratification for a more worthwhile long-range goal. It implies that the long-range goal won’t happen by default if you kick back and cruise through life doing what feels good. If you don’t want to drift away from Christ, you have to confront your laziness and discipline yourself for godliness.

8) You sin, which causes your thinking about Christ to become muddled.

Following Christ is a rational decision based on the evidence about who He is and what He did for us on the cross. But the problem is, sin is always irrational and it causes us to become mixed up in our thinking. Sin skews our judgment and causes us to make other wrong choices to cover up or justify our sin.

9) You don’t grasp the supremacy and excellence of Christ.

You don’t see what Peter saw, that Jesus is the only one worth following. Where else or to whom else can you go that even begins to compare with Jesus? That leads us to the main point:

3. Persevering faith in God’s Son is the antidote to spiritual defection.

Peter sums it up (Jn 6:68-69): “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” We could be here all day and then some if we were to catalog the many wonderful qualities of Jesus Christ, but here are four:

A. Jesus Christ alone has words of eternal life.

Life is extremely short and uncertain, but eternity is forever. Jesus is the only one who came from heaven to earth to tell us how to go to heaven when we die and to provide the atonement for sin that we need in order to stand in God’s holy presence. Jesus put it in perspective (Matt. 16:26), “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Think about the shortness of life, the certainty of death, and the reality of eternity and you will not defect from Jesus Christ.

B. Jesus Christ alone is the Holy One of God.

(The King James Version’s, “You are the Christ, the Son of God,” is based on inferior manuscript support. The copyist was trying to harmonize John 6:69 with Matt. 16:16.) “The Holy One of God” is an unusual designation for Jesus. It only occurs one other time in the New Testament, when a demon-possessed man in the synagogue in Capernaum addressed Jesus with this title (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34). In the Old Testament, it is used of Aaron (Ps. 106:16). “Your Holy One” is used of Messiah (Ps. 16:10). But Isaiah often refers to the Lord as “the Holy One of Israel” (Isa. 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; etc.). Leon Morris comments (Borrow The Gospel according to John , p. 390),

There can be not the slightest doubt that the title is meant to assign to Jesus the highest possible place. It stresses His consecration and His purity. It sets Him with God and not man.

Your faith is only as good as its object. You can have all the faith in the world in a faulty airplane, but your faith won’t make it fly. On the other hand, all you need is enough faith to get on board a mechanically sound plane, and it will get you where you’re going. If Jesus is not who the Bible shows Him to be, then faith in Him will not get you to heaven. But if He is the Holy One of God, then you should trust in Him and persevere even when He says hard things or takes you through hard times.

C. Jesus Christ alone is the omniscient, sovereign God.

John repeatedly emphasizes this truth in our text. Jesus knew when the fair-weather disciples were grumbling among themselves (Jn 6:61). He knew those who did not believe (Jn 6:64). He knew from the beginning who would betray Him (Jn 6:64). He knew that He would give His life on the cross, be raised again, and ascend to the Father (Jn 6:51, 62). He chose Judas as an apostle although He knew that he was a devil (Jn 6:70). And, of course, He knows all whom the Father has given to Him and He knows that He will not lose any of them (Jn 6:37, 39; 17:9, 12). He is omniscient and sovereign.

But, you may wonder, why did Jesus choose Judas when He knew that he would betray Him? A. W. Pink (Christ and His Disciples John 6:60-71) suggests seven reasons:

(1) It furnished an opportunity for Christ to display His perfections. Christ came to do the Father’s will and to accomplish the work on the cross that the Father gave Him (John 4:34). That required choosing the disciple who would betray Him.

(2) It provided an impartial witness to the moral excellency of Christ. Judas later testified (Matt. 27:4), “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”

(3) It gave occasion to uncover the awfulness of sin. Judas shows us the heinous nature of the sin from which we have been saved. Apart from His grace, we all would be traitors against Christ.

(4) It supplies sinners with a solemn warning. Judas shows us “how near a man may come to Christ and yet be lost.”

(5) It tells us we may expect to find hypocrites among the followers of Christ.

(6) It shows us that a devil is to be expected among the servants of God.

(7) It affords one more illustration of how radically different are God’s thoughts and ways from ours.

D. Jesus Christ is far above all others by way of comparison.

“Lord, to whom shall we go?” I’ve thought about that question many times when I’ve faced hard things. “Lord, to whom shall I go?” Jesus Christ is far and away supreme over all other options. He alone has words of eternal life. He alone is the Holy One of God. He alone is the omniscient, all-wise sovereign of the universe. “Lord, to whom shall we go?”

To the extent that we are tempted by the world, the flesh, and the devil, we do not realize or have forgotten the supreme beauty and glory of Christ. John Owen wrote (ibid., p. 93), “The whole foundation of all gospel faith rests in the glory of Christ’s person and offices…. It is this knowledge of him alone that will make us despise all other things in comparison with him.” Jesus is the pearl of great price. He is the treasure in the field. Sell everything and buy that pearl! Buy that field!

I like the way Juan Carlos Ortiz tells the story of the pearl of great price (adapted from The Disciple [Creation House], pp. 34-35). A man sees this pearl and says to the merchant, “I want this pearl. How much is it?”

The seller says, “It’s very expensive.” “How much?” “A lot!” “Well, do you think I could buy it?” the man asks.

“Oh, yes,” says the merchant, “everyone can buy it.”

“But I thought you said it was very expensive.” “I did.” “Well, how much?” “Everything you have,” says the seller.

“All right, I’ll buy it.” “Okay, what do you have?”

“Well, I have $10,000 in the bank.” “Good, $10,000. What else?” “That’s all I have.” “Nothing more?” “Well, I have a few dollars more in my pocket.” “How much?” “Let’s see … $100.” “That’s mine, too,” says the seller.

“What else do you have?” “That’s all, nothing else.” “Where do you live?” the seller asks. “In my house. Yes, I own a home.” The seller writes down, “house.” “It’s mine.”

“Where do you expect me to sleep—in my camper?” “Oh, you have a camper, do you? That, too. What else” “Am I supposed to sleep in my car?” “Oh, you have a car?” “Yes, I own two of them.” “They’re mine now.”

“Look, you’ve taken my money, my house, my camper, and my cars. Where is my family going to live?” “So, you have a family?” “Yes, I have a wife and three kids.” “They’re mine now.”

Suddenly the seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything becomes mine—wife, children, house, money, cars, and you, too.” Then he goes on, “Now, listen, I will allow you to use all these things for the time being. But don’t forget that they’re all mine, just as you are. And whenever I need any of them, you must give them up, because I am now the owner.”

Conclusion

Everything in the Christian life depends on Jesus Christ and whether He is who He claimed to be. If He’s not, then go follow someone or something else. Maybe there is someone better to follow or something better to live for. But if Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, the one with words of eternal life, the Holy One of God, the omniscient, sovereign God, then where else can you go? Even when He says hard things or takes you through hard times, you’ve got to follow Him. There just aren’t any other options that even come close!

Application Questions

What thing(s) other than Christ are you most tempted to put your faith in? How can you guard against their lure?
Which of the nine wrong reasons to turn from Christ to things that cannot save do you most easily succumb to?
Why didn’t Jesus go after these disciples who turned away? Is the church growth approach that focuses on getting more people into the church valid in light of Jesus’ ministry?
How can we as Christians get an ever-increasing vision of the glory and supremacy of Jesus Christ?

Book

John

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Click chart to enlarge Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission Another Chart from Charles Swindoll

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THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED BY GOSPEL OF JOHN (shaded area) Click chart to enlarge

Bethsaida (Article)

Golan Heights North & East of Galilee

A Little is a Lot with the Lord

"The Jesus Boat"

Storm Tossed Ship

Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover) © 1998 B&H Publishing Group, Used by permission, all rights reserved. This is one of the best resources for Bible maps. Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage.

Capernaum a City of Galilee Source: ESV global study Bible

Ruins of 4th Century Synagogue at Capernaum

Book

Click chart to enlarge
Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission
Another Chart from Charles Swindoll

THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED
BY GOSPEL OF JOHN (shaded area)

Click chart to enlarge

Bethsaida
(Article)

Click to enlarge - from the Holman Bible Atlas (digital book; Hardcover)
© 1998 B&H Publishing Group,
Used by permission, all rights reserved.
This is one of the best resources for Bible maps.
Please do not reproduce this map on any other webpage.

Capernaum a City of Galilee
Source: ESV global study Bible