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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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GOSPEL OF JOHN Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert 3. Fourth
Sign: Feeding The Five Thousand 6:1–15
[08 - (Jn 6:1-35) 1/20/10] a) The
feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that is recorded in all four
Gospels (Matt. 14:13–23; Mark 6:30–46; Luke 9:10–17). However, Jesus also fed
four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish on a later occasion (Mt
15:34; Mk 8:6). b) Jesus’ following continued to grow larger
vs. 2). It is clear they were only following for the miraculous signs (sêmeíon – a distinguishing sign or
miracle). c) John cites that it was the Passover, which
reveals that Jesus is probably about two-thirds through His three-year
earthly ministry (vs. 4). d) Jesus tested His disciples in the sense of
teaching them concerning Himself and His power. He asked them where they
could buy bread for the entire crowd. Philip would be familiar with the local
resources (Jn 1:44). Andrew had gone into the crowd to determine the
resources and had found a boy with five loaves of barley and two fish (cp. Mk
6:38). After Jesus gave thanks, He and His disciples distributed food to more
than five thousand because that number only reflected the men (Jn 6:10 cp.
Mt:14:21). e) The significance of Jesus’ fourth miracle
was that Jesus was Master over Sustenance. Man’s sustenance, resources, and
power are limited and dependent upon God, Christ
showed that as the Son of God, His sustenance, resources, and power were
unlimited. (1) Christ’s
sustenance, resources, and power are over and above man’s needs in that there
was twelve baskets left over (Jn 6:13 cp. Mark 8:17-21). (2) God allows man to participate in ministry
by using his limited resources. (3) Ministry is not dependent on man’s
resources but God’s. (4) Jesus is man’s ultimate spiritual
sustenance and called Himself the “Bread of Life” (Jn 6:35, 48). f) When the
people witnessed Christ’s miracle, they correctly associated Jesus as “the
Prophet” mentioned in Dt 18:18 by Moses. Therefore the people wanted to make
Jesus King, but Jesus withdrew from them because though He was the Lion of
Judah (Re 5:5), He first had to be the Passover Lamb (Jn 1:29). 4. Fifth
Sign: Walking on Water 6:16–25 a) When it
was evening, Jesus had His disciples cross the Sea of Galilee without Him.
Mark’s account tells us that Jesus went to pray (Mk 6:45-49). We are told
that it was evening and often the time when the wind picks up (Jn 6:16-18). b) As the disciples were approximately half
way (three to four miles), they were having difficulty rowing in the wind.
Mark’s account reveals that Jesus saw His disciples struggling and went to
them (Mk 6:48). c) When Jesus came to His disciples, He was
walking on water. This was Jesus’ fifth sign and showed that as the Son of
God, He was Master over Nature. d) When the disciples saw Jesus, they were
afraid and Jesus said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Literally in the
Greek it was “I am” (egō eími) which does not always mean that Jesus is
claiming to be the Great I Am, but many times does (cp. Jn 8:58). They were
not to be afraid because of Who Jesus was and that He was with them. e) After the disciples realized it was Jesus
on the water and not a “phantom” (phantasma-
apparition or ghost), they received Him into the boat. John wrote that
“immediately” the boat was at the land. This was another miracle for the
literal meaning of the words are “immediately it
happened” (euthéōs egéneto). f) The fifth sign evidently was not a sign
just for the disciples but also for the crowds. The crowd remembered that the
disciples took the only boat and Jesus was not with them. When the crowds
could not find Jesus, they crossed the sea by boats. When they found Jesus
they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” g) As Master over Nature, the Son of God
controls all the forces of nature. The forces of nature were created by Him
and they serve Him, even lifting Him by properties which were not intended to
do so. He calms winds (cp. Mk 6:51; Mk 4:39) and storms (Mt 8:24-26; Ps
107:29). In the midst of the storms of life, the believer must hear the voice
of the Master over Nature. The Savior watches and intercedes for His
children. He comes to them and says, It is I, do not
be afraid.” 5. Bread of
Life Discourse 6:26–35 a) Jesus’
answer to the crowd’s question as to His whereabouts revealed that they were
merely following Him because they were fed and filled. They were not looking
at Jesus’ signs for the purpose of identifying Him as Messiah. b) Their motives were purely temporal and all
their labor and energy (“work” - ergázomai)
went toward their temporal needs, which will perish. However, Jesus taught
that their labor and energy should be used for eternal things. c) It is the Son of Man who gives eternal
life, because He is the One whom the Father has sent and set his seal (Jn
1:33). d) The crowds asked what they should do to
work the works of God. They were thinking that they could earn their way to
eternal life through their own works (Ro 10:2-4). Jesus replied that the
first work is to believe in the One whom God had sent. This is not a work as
in working one’s way to heaven (cp. Ep 2:8-9; Ti 3:5). Rather, exercising
one’s faith in Christ is the first and only step to salvation. Works come
into play after salvation for the genuine believer. e) It is at this point that the crowds show
their true motives. They ask for a sign that they may see and believe. They
asked Jesus what work He would perform. The crowds challenged Jesus when they
said that their fathers ate manna in the wilderness and even quoted Ex 16:4.
They compare the feeding of the five-thousand with the feeding of the manna
in the wilderness. f) Jesus corrected them by stating that it
was God who provided the manna, not Moses. God not only provided the bread
from heaven but He provided the true bread from heaven, i.e. Jesus Christ.
Earthly manna gave temporary and physical life to a nation, but the true
bread of heaven gives eternal life to the world. g) When the crowds heard Jesus’ teaching,
they asked for the bread of life. However, they were not prepared for His
answer. h) John writes the first of seven Jesus’ “I
AM” statements, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE.” (1) Twenty-three
times in all we find our Lord’s meaningful “I AM” (ego eimi,
Gr.) in the Greek text of this gospel (4:26; 6:20,35,41,48,51;
8:12,18,24,28,58; 10:7,9,11,14; 11:25; 13:19; 14:6; 15:1,5; 18:5,6,8). In
several of these, He joins His “I AM” with seven tremendous metaphors which
are expressive of His saving relationship toward the world. MSB (2) The “I AM” is divine reference to God in
the OT. In Ex 3:14, God gave His divine name to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” (3) As the Bread of Life, Jesus is the source
and sustenance of eternal life. Sin is like yeast that has permeated man’s
entire being (Ro 3:10ff). Christ provides forgiveness over sin and the power
to have victory over it. (4) The believer will never (ou mê is a double
negative stated for emphasis) hunger spiritually. Man lives by bread
alone when Jesus is the bread of life and the Word of God (Mt 4:4). |
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