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The disciples return from their mission and what is the response of Jesus? Send them out again for more work? Scold them for not doing enough? No. He tells them to rest. Just as work is important, so is rest. We have so many burned out people in the church because they don't understand this simple principle: there is a time to rest. No matter how enthused you are about your work, it's important to take some time alone with the Lord to rest. We must never feel our work for the Lord is a "got to" - as in "I've got to get this work done, even though I don't want to". Instead, we must look at it as a "get to" - as in "Isn't it great God is giving me the opportunity to serve this way". As soon as our attitude goes from "get to" to "got to" it's time to rest. Better yet, take periodic breaks from work to avoid reaching that point altogether. It's alright to rest as Jesus tells His disciples. Therefore we rest should also.
Again we see Jesus have compassion on the multitude.
This is a story we all know well; anyone who has been in Sunday school is familiar with it. It's a favorite to teach to the kids. But it's also one of the few events recorded in all four gospels, so it also has a significance we may miss because we are so familiar with it.
Jn 6:4 Contrast the feast of the Jews and the feast of Jesus.[1] Remember, when John uses the word Jews, he does not mean all the Jewish people, but rather the leadership of the Jews.)
| Feast of Jesus | Feast of the Jews |
|---|---|
| Simple | Elaborate |
| Surrounded by God's creation | Surrounded by the Temple |
| Filled body and soul | Filled only the body |
| The fullness of His ministry | The emptiness of Jerusalem |
Jn 6:5-6 Jesus again has compassion on the multitude. But why would He ask Phillip how they were to get bread if He already knew what He was going to do? As an exercise to build Phillip's faith. The Lord always knows what He is going to do, but He wants to involve us in His plans. He is giving Phillip the opportunity for two things. One, a chance to be involved in God's work. Two, as a way to build his faith. God also wants us to learn about our faith. He already knows, but He wants us to know. As an example, recall the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22. Did God do this to find out how Abraham felt? No. Was He surprised by Abraham's actions? No. Then why did Abraham have to go through all that? So that Abraham would learn about his faith. God already knew.
Jn 6:7 Phillip responds with earthly wisdom. How can we get enough money to feed all these people? Instead of looking to the creator as a means of providing for the people, all Phillip can think of is how much money would be required.
We have a distorted view of the value of money. We do need it to pay the rent and other bills, but it's probably the easiest resource for God to raise. When people donate money it's easy to place them above the person who is stacking chairs or cleaning toilets. But which is harder for God to get - paper with green ink or a person with a heart and passion for God? Be careful where we place our priorities. Money has no intrinsic value of it's own; it's only use is what we can do with it. It's just a tool with no greater worth than anything else.
Jn 6:8-9 Andrew starts off well when he notices a small boy who has five loaves and two fish. Whenever faced with a situation, it's important to take inventory of what we have available, and then offer it to God and see what he does with it. Just as in this story, we can easily find God multiplying our small resources into a major feast.
Andrew then asks what is this among so many people? He didn't believe in the ability of God to bless any small offering given to Him. Many people in the Bible offer their small resources and saw God perform a mighty work. David only had five stones, and God says, "Lets go take on Goliath". Five stones against a giant? You've got to be kidding! Get serious. But as we all know God did a mighty work that day against a seemingly invincible foe. In Judges chapter seven, we see the story of Gideon attacking the Midianites. Gideon started out with 32,000 people. But God said Gideon had too many people. By the time the attack occurs, Gideon was left with only 300. Then God said, "let's go get 'em." - and the victory was theirs.
We may wonder what God can do with our own meager skills and talents. But it's not what we have that counts, it's what we do with it. Given to God, any small offering can be used in a powerful way. God is looking for people who want to serve Him, not people with the largest bank accounts, or the most talent.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Let's be careful and not fall into the Andrew mentality of only looking at the worldly means to accomplish projects. God can (and does) get His work accomplished with any means, no matter how small. Where God guides, God provides.
Jn 6:10 Jesus had everyone sit down. This was no small feat in itself, trying to get thousands of people to sit down. But God is a God of organization. If confusion abounds, it's not of the Lord for God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33, 40).
Jn 6:11 Jesus gives thanks for what they have. We should always do the same and give thanks for whatever skills, talents or resources we have, and ask the Lord to bless them. Nothing is too insignificant for God to use. He is looking for a willing person to serve with whatever they have; God will give the increase.
Jn 6:12 "filled"- term used in feeding animals: glutted, fatted, fed to repletion.[2] When God provides, He doesn't provide just barely enough to get by. Each person was provided as much as they wanted.
"nothing is lost" - Jesus is the good shepherd, and the good shepherd will lose nothing that has been given to Him. Not even as trivial as bread and fish.
Jn 6:13 God gave the increase.
Jn 6:14 Many follow Jesus only because they saw a miracle. They were not true followers, they were only interested in the miracles.
The crowd attempts to take Jesus and make Him king. But they were not looking for the Messiah, but rather a military leader to throw off the yoke of Rome. Since this was not His mission, He quietly slips away.
Mk 6:45-46 Jesus commands the disciples to get into a boat and cross to the other side while He stays behind. Did He know what was about to happen? Of course. He knowingly sends them into a stormy situation. But they were never in any real danger (v47 - He was watching them). Sometimes God sends us into the storms of life for a reason - there is some lesson to be learned. It's important to remember God is not abandoning us, but some important lesson must be learned we can not get in any other way.
Mk 6:47-48 They get about half way across when they start to have problems; Jesus could see them from the shore straining at their rowing. Whenever we get into a storm, we can be assured God is watching us.
Mark's gospel then tells us Jesus appears to them walking on water, and would have passed them by. What does this mean? I have no idea.
Mk 6:49 Since walking on water was (is) a supernatural act, the disciples were understandably afraid and thought they had seen a ghost.
Mk 6:50 Jesus talks with them and reassures them. But the phrase "it is I" is better rendered simply "I AM". What Jesus said was, "Take courage, I AM". I am what? I AM YHWH the God of the universe. I AM the solution to your problem. I AM whatever you need.
Jn 6:21 As soon as they receive Jesus into the boat, they arrive at their destination. When you openly receive Jesus into your boat, stop straining at your rowing, you arrive at your destination you were working so hard to get to.
Mt 14:28-29 But there goes Peter (Ready, Fire, Aim) again. In these two verses is an important lesson on the difference between faith and belief. All the people in the boat probably believed Jesus was God at this point. But only Peter responded in faith. Put it this way - I believe a chair will hold me up, but I don't have faith in it until I sit in it. For all of Peter's faults, he was the only one who took the leap from belief to faith here. Only Peter left the relative safety of the boat in faith knowing Jesus would sustain him. Belief is the knowledge of something, that's it. Faith is relying on that knowledge, and putting it into action. And Peter was a man of action.
Mt 14:30 Peter was doing great - until he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to think of the circumstances around him. This is the same problem we have. We do great until we begin to think of what's going on around us. Just like Peter, as soon as we do that, we begin to sink. But he cries out to Jesus, and Jesus saves him.
Jn 6:22-24 Everyone was looking for Jesus. Why? Did they decide He was the Son of God? Not exactly.
Jn 6:25-26 They came to get another free lunch! They were looking for more miracles.
Jn 6:27 Everything in this world will perish. Are we working for heavenly things, or are we concerned about earthly things? Trying to please God by are own works is just food that perishes. Only by the blood of Jesus can we enter into everlasting life.
And as a side note, all our works will be tried by fire, and anything not done for Jesus won't last.
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)
"seal of God" - A seal is an authentication and a guarantee it's genuine. A king sealed a document so that the receiver would know it was genuinely from the king.
Jn 6:28 Give this crowd a little credit, they are asking what they must do. But they ask in the plural, the works of God. That's always what we want, a list of do's and don'ts to follow. But that leads to legalism.
Jn 6:29 Jesus responds in the singular. The work of God. Any time we add anything to it is wrong.
Jn 6:30-31 Jesus had just fed five thousand people, healed others and they asked for a sign? Many times we look for signs from the Lord; it's much more comforting than having faith in what He has already said. But we must walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).
Jn 6:32-33 Jesus tells them what the true bread is. Manna was in contrast to Jesus. Manna was temporary, Jesus is permanent. Manna was through Moses, Jesus given by God.
Jn 6:34 They associated this with physical bread - since this was just after he fed five thousand - they just wanted their stomachs full. They didn't follow Jesus is speaking in spiritual terms.
Jn 6:35 "comes" - from the Greek meaning a serious commitment.[3]
"believes" - continuing trust after coming[4]
This means belief in Jesus is no superficial thing. We must be completely sold-out to Him.
Jn 6:36 But this crowd was not ready for that complete commitment.
Jn 6:37 Jesus is the good shepherd and will lose NOTHING the Father has given Him. Not even the left-over bread and fish from the previous miracle. If He won't lose that, He certainly won't lose a small crumb like me.
Anyone who comes to Him He won't turn away. Many people think God won't forgive them for what they have done, but it's just not biblical. Or satan uses a similar tactic with the Christian to convince them they have gone too far and God won't forgive them. But anyone turning to Jesus will not be turned away. There is no condemnation for the Christian (Romans 8:1).
But if you ever want to stir people up (you shouldn't), all you have to do is mention the predestination verses free will debate. Some people believe God has chosen who will be saved and who won't be, and nothing can be done to change that. God is sovereign. Others say that is wrong, and you must make a choice for Jesus, if you don't it's your fault if you end up in hell. Who is right?
Why would I bring up this divisive issue here? Hasn't this issue split churches and caused lots of trouble? Yes it has. But in this simple verse we see clear, conclusive and overwhelming evidence of the truth, and a valuable lesson for other such arguments. Jesus says "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me". If you have been given to the Son by the Father, it's a slam dunk. He chose you before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4-5). And no one can resist His will (Romans 9:9-24). But some may say this isn't fair. If God chose us, how do I know He chose me? What if I haven't been chosen? The answer is given in the second half of this verse. "the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." That's your responsibility. You must come to Jesus. If you do, He will not cast you out.
Who's right in this predestination verses free will argument? They both are. The answer if given by Einstein (oh, no, not Physics again!) in his theory of relativity. The details are too much for here, but briefly Einstein showed one event can be perceived in two apparently contradictory ways. The way an event is perceived depends on your frame of reference; neither is wrong. How does this relate to our topic at hand? Imagine the following (I believe it's called Ironsides door, but don't quote me). You walk down a hall and see a door. Above it is written "All who will may enter". You can't decide whether to enter or not (you see other people enter, while others turn around and walk away). But after much thought, you decide to enter. On the other side of the door is an incredible banquet with food beyond your wildest dream. But as you walk along the tables, you notice name tags at each place. Further, you find a place with your name on it. And as you look back at the door you just came through, you see the inscription reads "foreordained before the foundation of the world".
The problem in the predestination verses free will argument is they only look at it from one point of view. The answer lies in the simple conclusion that BOTH are right. BOTH are in this single verse in John. Either extreme view will have problems with this verse. It's sad this topic can be so divisive among the body of Christ. Don't we have more important things to do than argue about things that ultimately don't have any bearing on how we live our life?
Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them. (Hebrews 13:9)
These arguments are for people in seminary to earn their Ph.D. But does it profit them who are occupied with them? I don't think so. It may help you learn your way around the Bible and get a better understanding of the whole, but our main goal should be to learn to be more like Jesus. These debates don't add to that goal, and many times cause stumbling.
If you don't have a view on this debate, don't worry about it. If you do, it's not a problem, just don't let it influence you into preconceived ideas when reading the Bible. If you do you'll find yourself trying to shoehorn passages into your ideas instead of letting the Spirit guide and teach you.
Jn 6:38 Once again, Jesus puts the Father's will above His own. We must do the same.
Jn 6:39-40 What is the Father's will?
Jn 6:41-42 Just as when the Jews received manna, they grumbled when Jesus came down from heaven.
Jn 6:43 Complaining is a sin (1 Cor 10:1-11). We must be content wherever God places us. (Phil 4:11).
Jn 6:44 Many times we think it's our job to convert people. But it's not. Without God leading them, salvation is impossible. It's only our job to present the gospel.
"raise him up" - the third time resurrection is promised in this passage (39,40,44).
Jn 6:47 "has" is in the present tense - you've already got everlasting life, it's not something you get when you die.
Jn 6:48 One of Jesus' seven I AM statements in John.
Jn 6:49-50 A contrast with the physical bread (manna) verses the spiritual bread Jesus is speaking of.
Jn 6:51 Jesus is speaking spiritually. We must partake of Him for eternal life. He is the ONLY way.
Jn 6:52 The Jews think physically and are understandably confused.
Jn 6:53-58 This does NOT mean communion. The Lord's supper hadn't been instituted yet. Also the promise is given of those who do this to have eternal life. No promise of that type is ever associated in the teaching of communion elsewhere.
Just as our body can't last without food, so our spiritual body requires Jesus every day. A lot one day and none for a few days doesn't work. (Neither does Sunday only).
Verse 58 draws the distinction between the spiritual and physical. The analogy of bread is to understand how we must feed on Jesus and the Word of God daily.
Jn 6:60 "hard" - from the Greek can mean unpalatable. Jesus' teaching wasn't hard to understand, they just didn't like what it meant.
Jn 6:61-62 If this offends them, just wait!
Jn 6:63 The flesh profits nothing. The flesh profits nothing. Did I mention the flesh profits nothing?
Jn 6:64-66 Jesus of course knew some people won't believe. These left Him at this point. But Jesus did not run after them and try to convince them. We must remember it's only our job to present the gospel. If people reject it, our job is done. Don't waste time trying to argue someone into being a Christian. If they aren't drawn by the Father, nothing we say will make any difference. Conversely, if they are being drawn by the Father, we don't need eloquent arguments to bring them to Christ!
Jn 6:67-69 Peter knows even if Jesus teaching is hard, there is no where else to go. Only Jesus can provide eternal life.
We believe and are then sure. This is the opposite of what we what. We what to be sure before we believe. But then where is faith?
Jn 6:70-71 "devil" - diablos in Greek.
Three groups of people around Jesus at this point.
[1] Missler, Chuck John page 30
[2] Missler, Chuck John page 31
[3] Missler, Chuck John page 33
[4] Missler, Chuck John page 33
This page is historical only and contains old content. Please see our main site for current content.