Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (Verses 1-14)
In this passage, we have one of the most remarkable miracles of our Lord’s earthly ministry. None of His miracles were performed with as many witnesses as this one. There were at least five thousand witnesses to Christ’s amazing work. This miracle is mentioned in all four Gospels. This fact alone is enough to show us that it demands our special attention.
We find an important lesson about Christ’s power in these verses. He feeds five thousand people with just five loaves and two small fishes. There is clear evidence that a miracle occurred in those twelve baskets full of the food still left after the people had eaten their fill. Food was created that did not exist before.
This miracle by Christ illustrates to us that He can save to the uttermost. Hebrews 7:25 says, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” The Lord Jesus Christ has power over dead hearts and souls. He is the one who brings life to spiritually dead souls. This miracle teaches us that Christ can do great things with little resources. He fed five thousand people with just five fish and two loaves of bread. He is the Bread of God who is able to meet spiritual needs as he met material needs.
There is also a lesson for all believers in this passage of Scripture. It was not the hands of the apostles that made the increase, but the Lord. It was the hands of Christ that gave an unfailing supply. It was the work of the apostles to receive what Christ had done and distribute the gift faithfully. This is a picture of the work that a Christian is called to do. He is to receive the things of Christ and give them to others. The blessings of Christ are for all who believe and receive them. We are to tell others of those blessings by preaching the Gospel and living a life that brings glory to God. We are to be faithful witnesses to the truths of God’s Word. The business of the Christian is to receive the bread of life which Christ provides and distribute it.
A further point mentioned above that the text draws to our attention is the sufficiency of the Gospel for all the needs of mankind. We see in the text the Lord Jesus Christ supplying the hungry with food. The Lord Jesus meets the physical and the spiritual needs of all who come to Him. We see throughout the Gospel accounts that Christ healed people with various physical conditions as well as telling them of their spiritual needs. Their physical bodies needed to be healed, but so did their souls. Bodies are important, but more significant is your soul.
The message of this miracle is that we need to feed on the crucified Saviour and take refuge in the sacrifice He made on our behalf upon the cross, or we shall die in our sins. If we feed on the living bread of life, that is Christ, our souls will never be hungry. Our souls shall be filled and satisfied if we feed on Christ.
It Is I, Be Not Afraid (Verses 15-21)
One of the striking points in this passage is our Lord’s humility. We are told that after feeding the five thousand Jesus perceived that they would make Him a king, by force. He departed and left them. He wanted no such earthly honour to be bestowed upon Him. Christ did not come to be ministered unto, but to minister (Matthew 20:28). At His first coming Christ came as a servant, but at His Second Coming, He will come as a mighty Judge and Ruler to reign and divide between the righteous and wicked. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ has been given authority from the Father to judge (John 5:26-29). The Bible also teaches that Jesus will judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1). The Bible says that when Christ comes in his glory He will sit on his glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered and then He will divide between the sheep and the goats. The teaching can be found in Matthew 25:31-46. The Bible does not give a time and date when Christ will return. What we do know is this, Christ’s second coming will be like a thief in the night, unexpected. People will be going about their daily business and suddenly Christ will return. We need to be reminded that the Bible teaches that Christ will return soon (Revelation 22:12). During His return he will repay each person according to what they have done (Matthew 16:27).
This humble-minded spirit and attitude of Christ is evident throughout His life and public ministry. From the moment of His birth in a humble stable to His glorious death on the cross the life of Christ was marked by service and humility. Philippians 2:8 says, “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” When he went on the Sea of Galilee, it was on a borrowed boat; when he rode into Jerusalem, it was on a borrowed donkey; when he was buried it was in a borrowed tomb. 2 Corinthians 8:9 explains, “ For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
The lowly attitude of Christ is a fact that we far too often forget. Christ when he was offered worldly greatness refused it. How different is that to many of us today? How many of us if offered positions of great power and influence would turn them down? I am yet to hear of a leader of a political party turning down the office of Prime Minister after an election victory. At the time of writing this, the United Kingdom has seen a change in the party of government. The current Prime Minister has just won a large majority and was invited by HM the King to form an administration. It would be unheard of, in fact, ludicrous, to turn it down. However, Christ on the other hand turned down positions and titles of great honour and privilege. He was satisfied by being obedient to His Father’s will. We are told in Jeremiah 45:5, “And seeketh thou great things for thyself? seek them not…” Humility is the true path to honour.
Our attention is drawn to the trials that Christ’s disciples endured. We are told they were sent over the lake alone. In the darkness of the night, they were tossed about by a great agitation in the sea. Trials and times of testing are part of the true Christian life. There is not a faithful Christian who has not suffered a time when their faith and source of hope and peace have been put to the test. It is often in these times of testing and trials that grace is proven and displayed.
The Bible is full of people who had their fair share of trials. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, and Job are all men who suffered for the Lord. The lives of these men teach us that in our darkest hour, the Lord is near.
The last thing the passage draws our attention to is the power Christ has over the winds and the sea. The Lord Jesus Christ came to the disciples walking on the water. He did this just as easily as He walked on dry land. That which is contrary to natural reason was perfectly possible for Christ.
Jesus Christ is the Lord and Maker of all creation. John 1:3 testifies to this truth, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any-thing made that was made.” It was just as easy for Him to walk on the water as to create the sea in the beginning. Even the so-called “laws of nature” are under His control. They are neither immutable nor eternal. He is the unchanging and eternal Christ “the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Let these verses of Scripture comfort and strengthen all true children of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is Lord of the waves, the seas, the storms of life, the times of testing, and indeed of all things. He is the Lord who walked on the sea. He is near His people during their darkest hour. In the midst of the storm, the Lord is nigh. When the Lord Jesus Christ is near, all will be calm. We need not fear. He is in control.
Warning Against Worldliness (Verses 22-27)
The first thing to which our attention is drawn in these verses is the knowledge that Christ has of man’s heart and true intentions. We see the Lord Jesus Christ exposing the false motives of those who followed Him for the sake of the loaves and fishes. They appeared at first to believe in Christ and be following for His teaching. However, Christ knew their true intentions.
The Lord Jesus Christ is still the same today. He knows the motives of all, including those who profess to be Christians. He knows what lies behind all our spiritual exercise. For example, why we attend the meetings at our local assembly, why we pray, and why we read our Bibles. All of us are open to the eyes of the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Samuel 16:7 explains it like this, “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh at the heart.” The Lord knows the hypocrisy of those who use Christianity and the name of Christ for their own purposes. Men may deceive one another, but one cannot deceive the Lord. Happy is the man that can say, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee” (John 21:17).
A second thing we learn is what Christ forbids. Speaking to the crowds that followed Him for the loaves and the fishes He urges His hearers, “not to labour for the meat that perisheth.” This does not imply that Christ promoted idleness. Our Lord worked as a carpenter at Nazareth. His followers also worked. For example, the Apostle Paul was a tentmaker. What our Lord did rebuke was excessive attention to labouring for things that have to do with the body, while the soul was being neglected. It is easy to fall into the trap of toiling just for the here and now. We must find the balance in the Christian life between labouring work to meet bodily needs (the things of this life) and the things that have to do with the life to come (for eternity).
Christ says we are to, “labour for the meat that endureth to everlasting life.” How are we to be busy with this kind of labour? We must read our Bibles like men digging for gold. We must read our Bibles like a man searching for a precious jewel. We must wrestle steadfastly in prayer. We must fight daily against sin, the world, and the devil. This is the way we must labour if we are in Christ.
A final point from these verses draws our attention to the promise of Christ. He tells us that He will give eternal food to all who seek it. Christ said, “the Son of man shall give you the meat that endureth unto everlasting life.” Whatever we require the Lord will provide. Be it mercy, grace, peace, strength, freely Christ will grant it. May we never rest till we have eaten the spiritual food that only Christ can give.
Christ is the true Bread from Heaven (Verses 28-34)
One of the key things we learn from this passage is the great spiritual ignorance and unbelief of those who are not saved. When our Lord told his hearers to “labour for the meat which endureth to eternal life,” they immediately began to think of work to be done in order to establish their own goodness. The other example is set before us in this passage. In verse 28 those who heard Jesus said, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” They were driven by a mindset of doing works as their means of gaining entry to heaven.
Jesus turns to them and starts to lay before them the true meaning of salvation and how to enter the eternal Kingdom of God. Christ puts faith in Himself as the essential thing. The Jews asked Him, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” In reply Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent.” If there are any two things that are put in strong contrast in the New Testament, they are faith and works. Not by working, but by believing. Not by works but through faith. The Lord Jesus Christ declares that believing on Him is the highest and greatest of all “works.” It is “the work of God.”
Our Lord and Saviour taught that faith in Him as the only Saviour is the first act of the soul which God requires from a sinner. Until a man believes on Jesus he remains a lost sinner.
When God sees a sinner casting aside their own works and self-righteousness and simply trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, He is well pleased. “Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). Jesus Christ taught that faith in Himself as one’s personal Lord and Saviour is saving faith.
We may at times feel poor, weak, and helpless. We may fail and come short in many things, but our faith is not based on how we feel but on the Lord Jesus Christ. Let all who have saving faith thank God and rejoice. Blessed are those who believe in Christ.
A further important lesson that the passage draws our attention to is the privileges of Christ’s hearers. They had a far greater blessing than those who lived during the times of Moses. Wonderful and miraculous as was the manna that fell from Heaven, it was nothing in comparison to the true bread from heaven, even Christ Himself. He is the bread of God who has come down from heaven to give life to the world. The bread that fell from heaven during Moses’s day could only feed and satisfy the body. The Son of God came to feed and satisfy the soul. The bread which fell in the days of Moses was only for the benefit of Israel. The Son of God came to offer eternal life to the world. Those who ate the manna died and were buried, many were lost for ever. However, those who put their faith in Him are thereby spiritually, taking and eating the bread from Heaven and are eternally saved.
May we not rest till we are sure that we have taken and eaten the bread of eternal life that only Christ can give. May we not rest till we can say from our heart that Christ is mine. May we not rest till our soul is satisfied and eternally saved in Christ.
Christ, the Bread of Life (Verses 35-40)
Here we read more about Christ as the bread of life. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Our Lord wants us to know that He is the food for man’s soul. The soul of every man is starving and famishing outside of Christ. The soul without Christ has no nourishment. Christ is the satisfier, the reliever, the physician of man’s spiritual need. Bread is necessary food. We must have Christ, the Bread from Heaven, or die in our sins. Bread is food that we need daily, we continue to feed on Christ after we are saved.
Christ said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” What does “coming” mean? It is that movement of the soul which takes place when a man feeling the weight of sin comes to the Saviour seeking for forgiveness, and simply trusts in Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. When this happens, a person is said, in biblical language to “come” to Christ.
What did our Lord mean by saying, “I will in no wise cast him out”? Christ meant that He will not refuse to save anyone who comes to Him, no matter what the person may have been and done. His past sins many and black will not prevent a soul from being saved. If a person comes to Christ in faith He will receive him graciously, pardon him freely (this removes all sins, past, present and future), and places him in the number of His beloved children, and give him eternal life. These are golden words, beautiful words, and humbling to anyone who knows the grace of God.
Note in the passage that we read a saying of Christ about the will of His Father. “This is the will of Him that sent me.” We are told by these words that Christ has brought into the world a salvation freely open to everyone. All who chose to look to Christ by faith may have eternal life. Everyone may look and live. We are told that Christ will never allow any soul that is committed to Him to be lost and cast away.
Let the true Christian feed on the truths contained in this passage and thank God for them. Christ the Bread of life will never cast away a soul that comes to Him. Christ is the Saviour of all who trust in Him. Christ is the one who gives eternal life to all who receive Him as their Bread of life. Surely this is glad tidings and good news to all who hear.
The Murmuring of the Jews (Verses 41-51)
There are few parts of the Bible which contain as many deep things as the sixth chapter of John’s Gospel. Christ’s humility was a stumbling block to the natural man. The Jews murmured because Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He saith, I came down from heaven?” A poor, lowly, and suffering Messiah was an offence to them. Their pride forbad them to accept that the Messiah would be a man like Jesus.
We also learn from the passage of man’s natural helplessness and inability to repent and believe. Scripture clearly teaches both that God is sovereign in salvation and that men are fully responsible for their response to the preaching of the Gospel. Both are taught in Scripture, and both are true. Our ability to understand such truth is limited. We should not be surprised. God’s ways are far beyond our grasp. We read in verse 44, “No man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.” The meaning of this text is this. Until the Father draws the heart of man by His grace, man will not believe. Without the grace of God no one can become a true Christian.
Of what does this inability of man consist? What part of the inward nature does this inability apply to? Here is a point where many mistakes have arisen. The will of man is the part of him which is at fault. His inability is not physical, but moral. It would be untrue to say that a man has a desire to come to Christ, but no power to come. It is true to say that a man has no power to come because he has no desire to come. It is the will and desire of man that is at fault. The lack of desire is the real cause of unbelief. The power that we want is a new will. It is at this point that we need the drawing of the Father.
A man cannot come to Christ unless there is an outside power to draw him. Jesus said in John 12:32 that He will draw all men unto Himself. In order to provide an example of the drawing of the Father the Lord Jesus quoted Isaiah 54:13.
One thing very clear from the passage is the responsibility of man for his own soul. His natural inability to come to Christ does not mean that he is somehow not responsible. If a person is lost, they are lost by their own fault. Christ has paid the price for all mankind to be saved. The problem is that the natural heart will not come to Christ, that he might have life.
God draws the person by various means and methods but all lead to faith and salvation.
- God directly draws the person (Isaiah 54:13).
- By His Son (Hebrews 1:2).
- By the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).
- By reading the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
- Through nature (Romans 1:20).
Another truth found is that the passage draws our attention to is the fact that salvation is a very present thing. Our Lord said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.” As we know life is a present possession. The moment a person believes on Christ he has that same moment everlasting life from God.
Salvation does not come to us through a lifetime of obedience or a lifetime of service. No, the moment a person looks unto Christ and by faith accepts Him as their personal Lord and Saviour they have eternal life. Salvation is not by obedience of faith. Salvation is not by holiness. Salvation is by faith in Christ. The very second a sinner believes on Christ he is justified and accepted in Christ. There is no condemnation for him. He has peace with God. His name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36).
The Meaning of Eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ (Verses 52-59)
Few passages of Holy Scripture have been perverted and misunderstood as much as this one. The Jews are not the only people who had difficulty in understanding the meaning of this passage. Sinful man, in interpreting the Bible has a desire for turning meat into poison.
The first thing we must carefully understand is that which it does not mean. The “eating and drinking” of which Christ speaks do not mean literal eating and drinking. The words of Christ here are not a reference to the Lord’s Supper. There have been false teachings such as transubstantiation that get their proof text in this passage and claim that the bread really becomes the flesh of Christ and the wine likewise his blood.
There are many sensible reasons why this passage is not to be understood as eating and drinking Christ’s body and blood in a literal sense. A literal eating and drinking of blood and flesh would have been utterly repugnant to the Jewish listeners. Eating of flesh and blood was forbidden by the Law. Genesis 9:4 is one of a number of Old Testament texts that forbids the eating of flesh. Leviticus 17:10 threatens that anyone who “eats blood” will be cut off from the people of God. With these two verses in mind there is no suggestion from the biblical text that the Jews were shocked by Christ’s words. It is true that they asked questions about what Christ said, but there is no suggestion that they were revolted by Christ’s words. Our Lord emphasises the non-literal meaning of His words in verse 55, “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.” The “indeed” is redundant if a literal meaning is taken. What Christ is saying here is that His body is true food and His blood is true drink. Again the use of “true” underlines its non-literal meaning. The Lord’s use of “true” underlines its non-literal meaning. He also says later in the passage, “the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63), which further makes the point that Christ is speaking of spiritual things not physical things.
To take a literal view of “eating and drinking” would involve blasphemous and profane consequences. It would shut out of heaven the thief on the cross next to the Lord. Jesus clearly said that the thief would be with Him in paradise (Luke 23:43). Not only so, but it would shut out many souls that come to Christ in the last stages of their earthly life who have not “eaten and drank” His flesh and blood.
Let us now carefully consider the true meaning of the passage. Let us try to get some clear notion of its significance. The “flesh and blood of the Son of man” means the sacrifice of His own body on the cross. It is a reference to the redemption made by His body and shed blood. The “eating and drinking” without which there is no life in us is the personal acceptance of Christ death on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins. It is a spiritual eating and drinking that takes place within the heart of sinners. When a person trusts in the finished work of Christ he “eats the flesh of the Son of man, and drinks His blood.” Believing he is said to “eat.” Believing he is said to “drink.” Faith in Christ’s blood sacrifice is an absolute necessity to salvation.
A further important thing we learn from the passage is that faith in the cross of Christ is a personal daily act. No one can eat and drink for us. I do not want there to be any misunderstanding when I say that the faith we have in the cross of Christ is a daily act. By this I do not mean that we must daily be saved. Salvation is a one-time event that takes place in the heart of the believer. By a personal daily act I mean that every day we must continue to feed on Christ as by faith we learn more about Him and become more like Him. Our faith in the finished work of Christ and nothing we do can add to or merit our salvation. However, just as our natural bodies need food every day, not once a week, so we need spiritual food every day. If we believe in Christ we have food for the soul and are at peace with God. May we never forget that only he who eats of “the bread that came down from heaven” shall have everlasting life.
Hard Sayings & Christ’s Knowledge of Hearts (Verses 60-65)
We learn from these verses that there are some words of Christ that are hard to understand. We are told that “many” who followed our Lord stumbled when He spoke of “eating His flesh and drinking His blood.” They grumbled and said, “This is a hard saying: who can hear it?”
It is common throughout Scripture that those who followed Christ did not at first understand His sayings. Humility is the frame of mind that we ought to strive after if we do not at first grasp the meaning of a text. We ought to seek the Lord for wisdom and understanding. We ought to believe by faith that we will understanding hard sayings with prayer and faithful study of God’s Word.
We learn from the passage that we ought to beware of putting carnal meaning on spiritual words. Our Lord said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.”
When the Lord Jesus said, “It is the Spirit that quickeneth” He meant that it is the Holy Spirit who gives spiritual life to a seeking heart. If the hearers of Christ had the idea that spiritual life is by bodily eating and drinking they were mistaken.
Our Lord said, “The flesh profiteth nothing.” By these words Christ meant that His flesh literally eaten, is not the way to spiritual life. Spiritual life is not by the mouth, but through the heart. The soul is not a material thing, and cannot be filled by material food.
Our Lord said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” By this Christ shows that His words and teachings are to be applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit. The words of Christ are spirit-stirring and life-giving. It is Christ’s words entering the mind and heart that give eternal life.
The last point that the text draws our attention to is that Christ has perfect knowledge of the hearts of men. We read that “He knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.” The Saviour with whom we deal with is one who knows all things.
This final truth in the passage is both a comfort and a warning. It throws light on the folly of false professions of Christ and all hypocrisy of man. It shows us clearly that no one can deceive Christ. He knows who are His and who are not. He sees them and knows those both for Him and against Him. He will expose false followers at the last day, except they repent.
What a great comfort it is to know that all true Christians are known by Christ. However unknown and misunderstood by the world around us, our Lord and Saviour knows us. Happy is the man who can rest in the great comfort of Christ’s love. Happy is the man who knows that Christ is his, and he is Christ’s.
Peter’s Confession of Faith (Verses 66-71)
We now come to the final verses of John’s sixth chapter. Here we read Peter’s confession of faith in Christ as the Son of God. We also read a depressing proof of the condition of man’s heart. Even when the Son of God was the preacher many of His hearers turned away. Backsliding and turning away from Christ occurs when the hearers lacks faith in Christ and His words. We read that when our Lord explained what He meant by “eating and drinking His flesh and blood” many of His followers turned away and walked no more with Him.
The grace of God is an everlasting possession of the truly saved person. A saved soul can never fall away completely from the grace of God. 2 Timothy 2:19 says, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus Christ knows those who belong to Him and they are sealed. Our Lord said in John 10:28, “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” The Lord Jesus reassures His followers that if their faith in Him is genuine then they have eternal life and no one is able to pluck them out of His hand. Eternal life means just that, it is eternal, everlasting and can never be lost.
However, there is such a thing as counterfeit faith. Numbered among the true followers of Christ there are those who seem to have saving faith in Christ on the surface but deep within their heart and soul they are not born again and have no saving faith in Christ. They may have feelings, desires, convictions, hopes, joys, sorrows in religion, and yet never have the grace of God. They are like Lot’s wife who looked back and Judas Iscariot who betrayed the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us turn our attention now to the declaration of faith which Peter made. Our Lord said to the twelve, “Will ye also go away?” Peter responded with zeal, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” For a Jew to say these words was a mighty act of faith. No wonder our Lord said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
Peter said, “To whom shall we go?” He knew that there was no other teacher like Christ, no other Saviour, and no one to compare with the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter knew that he had nothing to gain by forsaking the Lord. The question that Peter asked is one that every Christian should ask when they are tempted to go back to the world and turn away from Christ. To whom shall we go? Who can compare to the Lord Jesus Christ?
The final point in this passage is the little benefit that some men find in great privileges. We read that our Lord said, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil.” John tells us that Christ spoke of, “Judas Iscariot the son of Simon.” If ever there was a man who had great privileges, that man was Judas Iscariot. He was a chosen disciple of Christ, a constant companion of Christ, and a witness of all the miracles and words of Christ. He walked with Christ and shared fellowship with the Son of the living God, yet this was not enough for him.
The character of Judas Iscariot must have been very dark indeed as Jesus said of him, “He is a devil.” No one in all the Gospels is spoken of so severely by Christ as Judas. Just look at the difference between Peter and Judas. Both men had the same privileges yet one was a faithful follower and the other was a deceiving dangerous devil. One embraced Christ and the other betrayed him. One made a bold confession of faith and the other boldly handed Christ over to be put to death as a criminal. Despite his denial of the Lord one of them was a major figure in the early church after his recovery by the Saviour and after the Lord went to be with the Father and the other is remembered as a traitor. The questions we need to ask ourselves is this. What will you be remembered for? Who will you follow? Which side are you on? Will you walk after the Lord Jesus Christ or turn aside on the path of destruction?
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