John 6:1-15 (Part 1)
1-Passover (John 6:1-4)
2-Philip (John 6:5-7)
3-Andrew (John 6:8-9)
4-Jesus (John 6:10-13)
5-The Crowd (John 6:14-15)
1-Passover (John 6:1-4)
So at this point in our journey through the book of John, we have seen him refer to 2 other festival times. In John 2:13, he says “The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Here is where He overturned the tables and made a whip to drive everyone out the temple. He fulfilled the Ps. 69:9, prophecy here that “Zeal for you house will consume me.”He also spoke to His death and resurrection by responding to their request for a sign with “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
Also, in the start of John 5:1, we see it says “After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now if the text identifies the feast, we can know what time of the year it was and to some degree what was on the minds of the people.
The 3 main feast to consider are The Passover, The Feast of Weeks, and The Day of Atonement. April and October is the two main ideas that every 6 months you are coming to Jerusalem to focus and remember what God has and will do for you.
At Passover it is mostly about “bread” and at the Day of Atonement it is mostly about “wine”.
There are 3 major harvest they have. 1-Barley, 2-Wheat, and 3-Grapes and Olives. So in general 6 months or focused on “Bread” and 6 months are focused on “Wine and Oil”.
The season focused on “Bread” is about noticing how God will provide for our hunger and the season focused on “Wine” is about how God will provide for our thirst. These concepts would be engrained into the minds of the Jewish people so when Jesus talks to them about these things, He is speaking life to the common things they are familiar with in order to open their eyes to the fulfillment of the greater spiritual realities God has planned for them in eternity and for eternity.
In this first part of John 6:1-4, we see the scene set as “Now the Passover the feast of the Jews, was at hand.” So from the end of John 5:46 conversation to John 6:1, we could be looking at as much as a year passed by, but at least 3 months.
But now we know in this text that the season is Passover, so the Feeding of 5000 with a miraculous distribution is very fitting with the seasonal time and the teaching of the first “I am”statement in John 6:35, “I am the Bread of Life”. Also, it seems like at this Passover, Jesus did not go to Jerusalem to observe it. It appears He most likely celebrated Passover there in Galilee. The context of the feast of John 5 is in Jerusalem and John 6 is in Galilee.
2-Philip (John 6:5-7)
Here we have the first of two disciples in the story. Philip’s perspective is about how much money it would cost to buy enough bread to feed the people just a little bit.
In our cultural day, that would be about like $25-30K. So, it would be comparable to a really nice wedding where the guest leave saying wow that was so nice.
3-Andrew (John 6:8-9)
Here we have the second of two disciples in the story. Andrew’s perspective is do what you can with what you have. He was aware that the provision he had was so little, but it is what he could offer.
Are we willing to give what we have when it seems too small to meet the need?
Do we give the Lord what we have and trust in Him to multiply our offering?
Before Jesus does what He does, he generates some thinking from His disciples. This is going to be very expensive and how in the world can we accomplish this great task?
4-Jesus (John 6:10-13)
“Now there was much grass in the place”
Gen. 13:8-13, reminds us of the story of when Abraham and Lot separated. The area of Israel can have grass in one place and desert in another. You can easily find deserted area in the area of Israel. The idea of pointing out “there was much grass in this place” sets the scene for a blessing to take place, because grass in the area speaks to a blessed place.
“When he had given thanks, He distributed them to those who were seated”
Luke 24:30-31, When He was at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him. And He vanished from their sight.
We referred to this text highlighting the term “broke” the bread which is what happen to His body.
Luke 22:19: And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 11:23–24: took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
When Jesus breaks bread it is a big deal.
12 baskets of leftovers picked up after “And when they had eaten their fill”
Last night we went out to eat with a couple and I can testify that we ate to our fill. The company was nice, the waiter was nice, and the food exceeded expectation. We could not eat anymore and brought home 5 boxes of food that I will enjoy again this evening after Church.
How is it that they had more food leftover after feeding the 5000 than before?
Two Old Testament examples of God’s ability to create something from nothing is with the Prophets Elijah and Elisha in 1 Kings 17:7-16 and 2 Kings 4:1-7. There is also the example of Jesus in John 2:1-11, where He turned water into wine, and also the creation text of Gen. 1, John 1 and Abraham’s thoughts recorded by Paul in Romans 4:17.
5-The Crowd (John 6:14-15)
“The Sign”
This is interesting because in one way they believe because of “signs” and then in another way the request a “sign”.
In John 6:26, Jesus pass judgement on how they are processing the signs by saying “Truly, Truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
This is similar to John 4:48, where Jesus says “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe” John the Baptist said something like this also in Matt. 3:7, when he told the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
In John 6:30, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you?” And they remind Him of the sign of mana with Moses. If you remember in John 5:45-47, Moses was the conversation piece where Jesus spoke how Moses would accuse them because they didn’t really understand what he was saying. It talked about their relationship with Moses saying “on whom you have set your hope” and in the same conversation He talked to them about their view of scripture and how they missed how it is a witness to Him when saying “You search the scripture because you think that in them you have eternal life; any it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
“The Prophet”
“This indeed is the prophet to come into the world” This is the idea we pick up in a variety of places where they know a forerunner prophet is going to come, but they didn’t recognize that the forerunner prophet that was prophesied to come was John the Baptist. Since they didn’t recognize who John the Baptist was and didn’t see an established prophet to come yet, Jesus could not in their opinion be the Messiah.
“They were about to come and take Him by force to make Him King”
While they didn’t see Jesus as the Messiah they were willing to make Him a Prophet King.
Deut. 18:15-22, speaks to Moses telling them that “God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among you from your brothers it is to Him you shall listen.”
Jesus was a Prophet, but He was also a Priest, a King and most of all God. A Prophet would say something and God would confirm Him by doing it the way He said it. In the same way God would confirm a Priest and a King by certain signs. But how does God confirm a person that is all 3 of those things and also God Himself. Jesus was showing them more signs than any other Prophet and God was confirming Him more than any other person, Prophet, Priest or King.
Next week we will look at John 6:16-21, Jesus walking on water and probably look at the other account of Him on the Sea with His disciples, the boat experience where He is found asleep in the boat.
I wonder if in some way the cause of the storm is Jesus entering in the HOLY however He was able to do that as a man on earth. The reason I suggest such a thing, is the first experience on the Sea with His disciple in a boat is after He had been praying most of the night and He came walking through the Sea. The Sea’s response to His stroll was to get extremely excited. Who knows in their own way they may have just been giving Him praise and worshiping Him. He didn’t seem to be bothered about it.
(Matt. 14:24-33, Mark 6:45-52)
In the second encounter in a boat with His disciples and the Sea got excited we find Jesus sleeping away. The disciples had to wake Him up. Why is it when the Sea does things that are fearful to us that Jesus is not threatened by it all?
(Matt. 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25)
As we ponder this John 6:1-15, Feeding of the 5000 and the John 6:16-21, Jesus walking on water consider how Jesus is setting up the teaching He will do in John 6:22-40, where He will make a few significant points.
In vs27, Do not work for food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life.
In vs 29, This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.
In vs 33, For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
In vs 35, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
Looking forward to navigating through it all with you in the weeks to come. Hope you guys take the time to prepare your hearts by reading the text and asking God to teach it to you and to open up the significance the words hold for our lives.
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