Look back at chapters of John 4 and 5

November 14, 2020

John was writing to the Church, Gentiles and Jews together

Jesus does three miracles.

Man could not walk – 5:3; man had infirmity 38 years, take up your

bed and walk

Samaritan woman – 4:7; Jesus asked for a drink at the well

Nobleman’s son – 4:46; Ask to come down and heal his son, Jesus said he will live

Five witnesses;

1. John the Baptist {5:33-35}; Jesus said he borne witness to the truth
2. The Works {John 5:36}; Jesus said the works does bear witness of me
3. The Father {John 5:37}; Jesus said the Father testified of me
4. The Scriptures {John 5:39}; Jesus said the Scriptures testify of Him
5. Writings of Moses {John 5:45-47}; Jesus said Moses wrote about Him

Two resurrections – 5:28,29

• Bema Judgment
•  White Throne judgment 

Declares Jesus of His Deity, Equal with God

• Equal with God in Nature  John 5:17-18
• Equal with God in Power  John 5:19-21
• Equal with God in Authority  John 5:22-24

This is the longest chapter in the Gospel of John, chapter 6 (71 verses) of 21 chapters. 

John 6 covers just one 24-hour period in the life of Jesus.

This chapter occurs a year after Chapter 5. (Jesus death is still about a year away, and His resurrection)

John the Baptist was killed, and the Jewish leaders were seeking Jesus.

Disciples had preached throughout Galilee; people were curious about Jesus.

This chapter records the first of Jesus’ seven major “I AM” statements.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

When the disciples returned, they told Jesus all they had done. Jesus told the apostles lets go to a quiet place and get some rest.

John 6:1 After this, Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).

Mark 6:32-44; Matthew 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13

John uses this term 10 times in the Gospel of John, as a marker of time period, “after this,” or “after these things.”  5 months to 18 months

Romans called it Sea of Tiberias, names for Emperor Tiberius.  The Sea is approximately 16 miles long and 6 miles across. 

Luke tells us they went to Bethsaida.

Interesting side light, Tiberias, the city is still in existence. No record of being visited by Jesus, and therefore not guilty of rejecting Him. All the cities which did reject Him have perished.

Jesus went over – Went to the east side of the sea. The place to which he went was Bethsaida, Luke 9:10. The account of this miracle of feeding the five thousand is recorded also in the other Gospels. John has added a few circumstances omitted by the other evangelists.

John 6:2 A large crowd kept following him because they had seen the signs that he was performing by healing the sick.

Where Jesus had been preaching and working miracles, we find people were following Him around not for the sake of the Message Jesus preached or for the good for their souls, they followed him because they had seen the signs and miracles that he was performing by healing the sick.

After miracles, Jesus went out to a deserted place to be alone (Luk_9:10), yet the crowds followed Him there

This is one of the few incidents recorded in all four Gospels: The

“Feeding of the 5,000”with five loaves of bread and two fish.  Remember, only men were counted:  probably upwards of 10,000 to 15,000 people,

John said it occurred near the Passover, that is, in the early spring, after the death of John the Baptist.

Because the people saw Jesus miracles.  They saw that he had the power to supply their wants, and the people therefore followed him. 

John 6:3 But Jesus went up on a hillside and sat down there with his disciples.

Luke 9:11 tells us that Jesus also taught these people, something that John doesn’t specifically mention.

Remember a Rabi would teach sitting down and read the word standing up in the synagogue.

Jesus withdrew to this place for a little rest, for He and his disciples had to have some time alone. 

Jesus saw a great crowd coming toward him, and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He welcomed
them and began teaching them many things about the kingdom of
God, and he healed those who needed healing

John 6:4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.

Remember, Jews Passover was not on the same night as Jesus Passover that He gave to His Body, the Church to observe. 

At the time when His Jewish hearers were thinking of unleavened bread and manna, Jesus declared Himself to be the “bread of life”

John is the only one of the four gospel writers (all four describe this miracle) who tells us this took place near the time of the Passover.

John wrote to the church, This is one of the circumstances of explanation thrown in by John. 

John 6:5 When Jesus looked up and saw that a large crowd was coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”

Was its Philip responsibility to provide food for the disciples or because he was Cana, or both.  Philip is always listed fifth (Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:14-16; Acts 1:13). Was he the leader of a second group.

Why did Jesus ask Philip this question? Maybe because he was from Bethsaida (Joh_1:44) and this is near where this miracle took place (Luk_9:10)

John omitted mention of Jesus” teaching and healing ministry  as well as the disciples” concern for food ( Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:35-36; Luke 9:12)

Large crowd: A great multitude coming from cities of Galilee. People were following him because of the signs, wonders and miracles and not because of “who He was.”

John 6:6 Jesus said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do.

Why test him, Jesus also lets His disciples participate in the work of the Kingdom, even when Jesus has things planned out.

To prove him – To try him; to see if he had faith, or if he would show that he believed that Jesus had power to supply them. 

John 6:7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread isn’t enough for each of them to have a little.”

One denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer or field hand (Mat 20:2). Two hundred denarii would have been almost two-thirds or 8 months of a year’s wages

Their problem is in two parts. First, they don’t have the resources to feed the people. Second, even if they did have the money it would be impossible to purchase enough bread to feed them all.

Philip thought in terms of money; and how much money it would take to carry out God’s work in a small way (every one of them may have a little). We often limit God the same way, looking for how God’s work can be done in the smallest way

John 6:8 One of his disciples, Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, told him,

John 6:9 “There’s a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are these among so many people?”

Andrew maybe with a little more faith than Philip, to him about the boy and food to provide.  “Andrew”: It seems like every time he’s mentioned in Scripture, he’s always bringing someone to Jesus. Only the Gospel of John records the (very small or little) boy. “The feeding of the 4000 has not happen yet.

Barley loaves were an inexpensive food of the common people and the poor.  Good for you, but not necessarily desired. “Stuff your Mom makes you eat.

Barley was always regarded as fit for animals, the horses and donkeys.”

John 6:10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was plenty of grass in that area, so they sat down, numbering about 5,000 men.

Remember, Women and children were not included in this number (Mat 14:21). The crowd possibly exceeded ten thousand. They sat on the green grass in groups of fifty and one hundred (Mar 6:40) and thus were easy to count.  {probably early April time}

One loaf for more than a thousand persons.  Only men were counted.  Did they keep the women and children apart by themselves. 

John 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed them to those who were seated. He also distributed as much fish as they wanted.

The miracle of the increase of food demonstrates that Jesus is God, because only God can create.  This is the only miracle of Jesus that is recounted in all four Gospels.

John 6:12 When they were completely satisfied, Jesus told his disciples, “Collect the pieces that are left over so that nothing is wasted {or lost}.”

Satisfied, to fill up.  The disciples gathered the leftovers at the command of Jesus. Jesus is a giving character person and very generous, but not wasteful.  This command is omitted by the other Gospel writers. 

It shows the care of Jesus that there should be no waste. 

If we look around, nature does not waste nothing.

John 6:13 So they collected and filled twelve baskets full of pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.

The disciples’ gathering of the 12 baskets {small, hand carrying of fragments} was part of their education, to show them that He is more than adequate for their needs.  The large baskets were used after feeding 4000 {Mat 15:37}.

This basket is like a backpack we have today, but made as a wicker hand-basked, which every Jew carried when on a journey, to keep himself independent of Gentile food, which would be unclean

Why 12 baskets {or backpacks}, one for each of the12 disciples, 12 tribes Shows and emphasizes that Jesus is sufficient for our food and that He is the Bread of Life as we shall see later in the chapter.

Jesus stopped the people from proclaiming Jesus as King

John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they kept saying, “Truly this is the Prophet who was to come into the world!”

*Deuteronomy 18:15 “The LORD your God will raise up a prophet like me for you from among your relatives. You must listen to him.

The miracle of bread may have reminded them of Moses and manna. Thus they concluded that Jesus was the Prophet that Moses had foretold. 

But Jesus goes on to explain that He is far more than a new Moses.  The power to work the miracle showed that he was the long-expected Messiah.  Notice, Moses said he was a Prophet

John 6:15 Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, withdrew again to the hillside by himself.

Convinced that he was the Messiah, they wanted to make him king by force, a revolution in the air, a political title to throw off the yoke of the Roman oppression: No wonder the Jewish leadership want to stop Jesus.

This crowd was willing to support Jesus so long as He gave them what they wanted – bread.  No. He must be the Lamb first; then the Lion;

Jesus made his disciples to leave without Him and to get into the boat and go on ahead of him.  His disciples went down to the lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake

Jesus went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone