John 6:1-71
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.
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?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up,9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 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.
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.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15 Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, 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. 18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.” 21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
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. 23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 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.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
30 So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”
35 Then 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. 36 But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. 37 All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. 38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 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 them up at the last day.”
41 At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 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’?”
43 “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. 44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”
53 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.54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent meand I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60 On hearing it, many of his disciples said, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?”
61 Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! 63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. 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. 65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
70 Then Jesus replied, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” 71 (He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray him.)
I think people want to see more of God's miracles...
As we read about Jesus traveling around He travels to a town called Tiberias…And this town of Tiberias is on the water...It is by the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias…There Jesus would feed a crowd of five thousand men and also there were women and their children...Jesus would feed them with a five small loaves of barley bread and two small fish…His Disciple Philip does not think that they have the capacity or the where with all to feed this many people…But Jesus blesses the food and gives thanks and miraculously feeds this very, very large crowd…And the crowd gets plenty to eat...And the crowd would see and be witnesses to this feeding miracle…Philip, too, the Disciple would witness this miracle, which He wondered how it would get done...
The next day that same crowd that He has fed had stayed on the opposite shore of the Sea of Tiberias and realized that only one boat had been there...They knew that Jesus had not entered the boat with His Disciples...The Disciples had gone away alone and without Him in this one boat…Then some other boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the miraculous bread after the Lord had given thanks...Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his Disciples were there, they got into these boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus...
Now the crowd knew that Jesus had not taken a boat to Capernaum…And when they found Him, for some reason they do not ask Him how He got there...The crowd knew Jesus did not take the one and only boat at Tiberias that was available to Him, because the Disciples took it and left without Him…Instead they wanted to know when He had gotten to Capernaum...So when the crowd found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”...If they had asked Him how He got there, He might have told them about another miracle...They think He has traveled there like a normal man, and walked on land...But He had walked to His Disciples boat not around the lake, but over the lake and actually on the waters of the Sea of Tiberias...The crowd has missed this miracle, but probably are wanting to see another miracle (other than the feeding of five thousand miracle)…
So the crowd now has found Him...As they do ask Him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”...Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill...Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”...Then the crowd asked Him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”...Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”...So they asked Him, “What sign then will You give that we may see it and believe you?...What will you do?...Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”...The crowd wants to see another miracle, but instead Jesus tells the crowd that He is the Bread of Life...He is the Bread of Life and He offers Himself to us...He has done a great miracle for this crowd earlier, which they were actual eyewitnesses...But the crowd tells Him and His Disciples, that this is a hard teaching and who can accept words like this?...Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, “Does this offend you?...Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before!...The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing...The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life...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...He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to Me unless the Father has enabled them.”...From this time many of His disciples turned back and no longer followed Him...“You do not want to leave too, do you?”...
We often see or read about things that we find hard to believe and understand...Then we try to explain these things to ourselves, so that we can understand them in our own terms and in our own understandings...Sometimes we do not have the eyes or ears to see and hear the grace of God right in the middle of our lives amidst the happy and the unhappy, in both the good times and the bad times, and also in our dull times and our exciting times...The crowd seems to have missed some of these things about Him...He is there and with us all the time and in a gentle and subtle way, but we have missed Him...Jesus was with this crowd, intervening with His Father, and it seems as though the crowd has missed this...We and our minds do not like confusion, so we believe what are mind rationalizes to tell and explain to us...We need God's help to understand many things, and many things about Him and His Son...The crowd whom He has fed leaves...
The Bread of Life is the Source of All Life...He is the One providing our daily bread, this very Source of Life...Day by day those that travel with Him must learn to trust Him and they will learn that He never disappoints...Jesus asked the Twelve Disciples if they want to leave...Simon Peter answered Him, “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.”...The big crowd that He miraculously fed has now all left...He is left with only the Twelve Disciples...Faith is more than miracles...