Lesson 8 - John 6:5-11, 26-31, 47-51 - JESUS FEEDS THE FIVE THOUSAND
INTRODUCTION: Last week, in John 5:2-3a, 5-17, we found Jesus back in Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts, where at the pool of Bethesda, very near the Temple, He healed a man who had been crippled for 38 years and summarily ordered him to "Get up, pick up your pallet, and walk." Of importance in this healing were several facts: (1) the crippled man never asked to be healed or indicated that he wanted to be healed; (2) Jesus never asked the man whether he had faith in Him or faith that God would heal him if he believed; and (3) Jesus never touched him to complete the healing. Finally, of importance to the Sign this miracle signified, Jesus performed it on the Sabbath, which in turn, marked the time when the official Jewish reaction grew from mere reservations about Him to outright hostility. The main truth we took from this Sign was that Jesus' works-His ability in the Godhead to perform miracles-isn't limited by human sin or shortcomings. It also showed that Jesus, as the Son of God, had the same relationship to the Law (i.e., the Sabbath) as God the Father.
This week, in John 6:5-11, 26-31, 47-51, we see Jesus once again in Galilee, where he performs the fourth of the seven Signs reported in John's Gospel: the Feeding of the Five Thousand, which has a different emphasis than the similar accounts reported in the synoptic gospels (Matt. 14:14; Mark 6:34; and Luke 9:10-17). John's version does not contradict but compliments the other versions.
Read John 6:5-9 - WHERE ARE WE TO BUY BREAD?
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?" 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little." 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, *said to Him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?"
v. 5a: "Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him," - As Jesus observed this "large crowd" coming to see Him, His first concern centered on the problem of making provision-providing them with physical sustenance-something to eat.
v. 5b: "*said to Philip, 'Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?'" - Jesus directed the question to Philip, from nearby Bethsaida, who would know where a staple food like bread could be purchased locally. This alludes to Moses' problem when he asked God how he was going to feed the great multitude of people he was leading through the Sinai wilderness (Num. 11:13).
v. 6a: "This He was saying to test him," - Jesus is preparing to teach Philip a very valuable lesson, which was designed to both test and strengthen his faith. The word used here for "test" (Gk. peirozon) carries the idea that the teacher really wants His student to succeed-to pass this test.
v. 6b: "for He Himself knew what He was intending to do" - Jesus already had a plan and knew that He was going to perform a miracle to feed this crowd, but did Philip have faith that He could do it?
v. 7: "Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little." - Philip's answer points to the obvious: Purchasing enough bread to feed a crowd of this size would cost over 200 denarii, the equivalent of six month's wages-a virtual fortune; and even if they raised the money, it would be impossible to find that much bread for sale anywhere, and even if it were found, they lacked the means to transport it to this location. Philip, like Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, was thinking only on a physical level-which was hopeless. He's obviously forgotten what Jesus did previously at the wedding in Cana (John 1:43-48).
v. 8-9: "One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, *said to Him, 9 'There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?'" - Philip presents a small boy who is willing to offer "five barely loaves and two fish," but like Philip, Andrew negatively interjects that it obviously would be inadequate to feed a crowd of this magnitude. The barely loaves undoubtedly allude to the prophet Elisha's miraculous feeding of 100 people with only 20 barely loaves in 2 Kings 4:42-44. The main spiritual principle the disciples (and us) need to see in this scenario was not the limited resources the boy had to offer, but the Son of God's ability to feed a multitude with those resources. Whenever we are tempted to think that we have too little to offer to make much of a difference, we need to remember how the Lord can multiply the contributions of faithful people.
Read John 6:10-11 - THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND
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. 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.
v. 10a: "Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place." - Here, after the disciples had confessed their inadequacy, Jesus now proceeds to demonstrate His adequacy. Like a shepherd who makes His sheep lie down in a green pasture (Ps. 23:2), he tells this crowd to sit down on the grass as if to prepare to eat lunch. Commentators believe He did this to get them settled in order to prevent a mad rush for the food once they realized what He was preparing to do.
v. 10b: "So the men sat down, in number about five thousand." - As was the custom in those days, the "number" 5,000 included only the men, so if you added the number of women and children present, it could have totaled up to 15,000 to 20,000 people. The parallel account in Matt. 14:21 mentions "about five thousand men, besides women and children."
v. 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." - Following Jewish tradition and before distributing the food, Jesus thanked God for the food in prayer. Then it seems evident that Jesus miraculously multiplied the food as He broke it apart and distributed it among the seated people. He did this with the five loaves and then with the two fishes, and the text reveals that the seated people received "as much as they wanted," i.e., there was so much food that they ate their fill. John obviously wanted to showcase the sheer abundance of Jesus' supply. The underlying truth of this is that the Son of God is always sufficient to provide for people's needs.
Note: We skip vv. 12-25, which report that the crowd wrongly identified Jesus as a Prophet-King who would restore Israel to its former glory, and Jesus withdrew from them to be alone. Meanwhile, His disciples took a boat to cross the Sea to Capernaum, and when conditions became rough and windy, they saw Jesus walking towards them on the water (5th Sign). He told not to be afraid and got into the boat, which instantly placed them at their destination. On the next day, the crowd, wondering where Jesus went, all got into small boats and came to Capernaum to seek Him, and they found Him.
Read John 6:26-31 - DO NOT WORK FOR THE FOOD THAT PERISHES
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. 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." 28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." 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? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"
Note: The following verses will introduce what is known as Jesus' "Bread of Life Discourse."
v. 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.'" - When the crowd found Jesus and asked Him how he had gotten to Capernaum (v. 25), he gave them an veiled answer. In His all-knowing power as the Son of God, Jesus knew that they weren't following Him because of who He really was, but were primarily attracted to His ability to satisfy their physical appetites. They only wanted Him to fill their stomachs again. But rather than answer them directly, He began to explain the true spiritual significance of the miracle-the Sign-they had witnessed the day before.
v. 27a: "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 had previously spoken to the Samaritan woman about the "living water" (a metaphor for spiritual regeneration by the Holy Spirit; John 4:14), and now, using another metaphor, he speaks to these people about the "food which endures to eternal life," in other words, food that offers spiritual regeneration and eternal life. Jesus words here are intended to be a sharp criticism of the crowd's totally materialistic view-their desire to only fill our bellies again-compared to what He actually came to do for them.
v. 27b: "which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." Here, Jesus tells them that the gift that He is empowered to give them, the food that endures-eternal life-is infinitely more important than mere physical food for their flesh, and furthermore, He's been given the Father's "seal" of approval to give it to them.
v. 28: "Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" - The people still don't get it. They were still operating on a physical level, thinking that Jesus was talking about some form of physical work that would earn them eternal life. There's something in man' fallen nature that makes working for eternal life more attractive than receiving it as a free gift.
v. 29: "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." - Here, Jesus reveals the essence of the gospel: The only work that God requires for people to receive the gift of eternal life is faith in His Son. And it's not labor in any real sense, but simply a decision to (1) trust Jesus and (2) believe He's who He claims to be.
v. 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?" - Jesus has just told these people what they needed to do to receive eternal life-to believe in Him as the Son of God. But instead of showing faith, they now ask him to perform a new "sign" in order to prove that He's the authorized representative of God He claims to be. So, in the wake of the extraordinary miracle Jesus had performed for them the previous day, these people are demonstrating an incredibly stubborn hardness of heart.
v. 31: "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'" - The crowd's implication here seems to be that Jesus' miraculous feeding the day before was a minor miracle compared to what Moses did to feed millions in the wilderness. What they failed to see was that the bread that Moses produced would spoil (became useless) if left overnight, whereas the spiritual food that Jesus offered them would endure forever.
Read John 6:47-51 - I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 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."
Note: We skip vv. 32-45, as Jesus answers the crowd's objections and continues His explanation that Moses had never given them "bread out of heaven" but that He, as the "bread of life" had been sent by the Father, and those who received this bread of life-i.e., believed in Him-would receive eternal life. Some of the "Jews" (a reference to religious officials) who heard Him, grumbled and said that since He was the son of Joseph and Mary, how could He claim to have come down from heaven? Jesus concluded by saying that everyone who has heard and learned from the Father "comes to Me" (i.e., by which He meant He was in fact present with the Father when He fed the Israelites with manna from heaven), and that no one has seen the Father except the One who is from God, who is Jesus Himself, the One speaking to them right now!
v. 47: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life." - Here, Jesus re-states the essential truth He gave them in vv. 26-29, above. They needed to fully understand that the Father's reward for belief in Him is "eternal life." Although the Father calls them and teaches them, they are required to respond to His message with belief. Moreover, they also needed to grasp that the eternal life of a believer was present tense-a quality of life that infinitely extends into the future, to eternity. As witnesses for Christ in the present age, we carry the same message, inviting and teaching people to believe it and be saved.
v. 48: "I am the bread of life." - Jesus used this title for Himself to contrast the living bread He offered them from the manna eaten by the Israelites in the wilderness. He also wanted to draw a distinction between Himself-the Son of God sent from heaven-and their reference to "our fathers" (v. 31). Those people, even the great Moses, were short-lived, mortal humans. Although Jesus was technically related to them through the line of David, He was God in the flesh, not one of them.
v. 49: "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died." - Here, Jesus nails down the distinction between what He offers-"the bread of life"-in contrast to the "manna" their "fathers" ate in the wilderness: They ate it and died.
v. 50: "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die." - Jesus now contrasts the "bread" He offers, which leads to eternal life, with the bread of their ancestors who died in the wilderness without having seen the Promised Land. Jesus was offering Himself as the bread, and eating of it meant, figuratively, in context, believing in Him and His claims; and when we "eat" of Him, we receive all the benefits of His person and work.
v. 51a: "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;" - The "living bread" parallels the "living water" that Jesus offered the Samaritan women in John 4:10. To "eat of this bread," in this context, means the once-and-for-all-time acceptance of Jesus Christ by faith.
v. 51b: "and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." - By this, Jesus is predicting His forthcoming sacrificial death on the cross of Calvary. Therefore, the Father had not only given the Bread Life, but the Bread would now give Himself. It recalls John the Baptist's earlier reference to Jesus as the "Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world" (John 1:29) and brings to mind the Passover Lamb, which was sacrificed for the lives of the Israelites in Egypt (Ex. 11-12).
APPLICATION-Seeking and Saving
