An Expository Study of John’s Gospel
CHAPTER 6
Scripture Reading: John 6 (KJV)
Introduction
In the light of our total study of the life of Jesus through John’s pen, it is interesting that only a short way into John’s Gospel, chapter 6, we reach the highlight of the Lord’s popularity. When Jesus fed the five thousand, another account says they wanted to make Him king, not because He was Messiah and Savior of the world, but because they saw He was a tremendous crowd pleaser and miracle worker. He could heal diseases and do many things and they thought of Him as a marvelous person. Regretfully, after chapter 6 His popularity begins to go down, though He has a long way yet to go. Chapter 6 ends the Period of Controversy. Chapter 7 will begin the Period of Conflict. In Chapter 6, we study about the feeding of five thousand. This, in itself, is an interesting event. It gives us an opportunity to see the personal response of His disciples. This miracle is spectacular. Imagine taking what would probably amount to a light lunch for one person and turning it into food for a multitude of people. We do not know how many, totally, were fed by Jesus. We know there were five thousand men, not counting women and children. In that day, men were the count of the population.
THE REVELATION OF THE SON OF GOD TO ISRAEL
6:1 … “After these things . . .” John uses this as a transition statement. It does not mean that Chapter 6 starts immediately after Chapter 5. But, some time later, the following things happened. “Jesus went away over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.” Tiberias, a city on the coast of the sea, located on the Western side, near the top of the sea. The sea was named after this city probably because the king of that province lived and reigned there.
6:2 … “And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.” The great crowd is coming, not because of the quality of His life, but the quality of His miracles. They saw Him perform miracles on the sick and were curious. Some of them, no doubt, were grateful to Jesus for what He had done to their sick, while others waited for the opportunity to present their own sick to Jesus for healing. So, as long as Jesus was willing to heal the sick, a crowd gathered around Him. If He feeds them they will stay around even longer, as we shall see.
6:3 … “And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.” The Word of God leaves the impression that Jesus did not have many private meetings with His disciples, and no doubt those He did have were cherished moments. During these times together, He could review with them what had happened in recent days and answer their questions. Having Jesus to themselves, as on this occasion, certainly must have been meaningful to the disciples.
6:4 … “And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.” This was the most important of all annual Jewish feasts. It was the one that memorialized their departure from the land of Egypt. It is called “Passover” because, while in Egypt, if they applied blood, as commanded by God, they were “passed over” when the messenger of death killed all the first born of Egypt. It was memorialized as the “Passover” feast. The lamb, killed for blood to put on the door post in Egypt, was a symbol or type of Jesus, who will be crucified for the sins of the world. Jesus is the “Passover” Lamb. And, soon Jesus is actually going to be the “Passover” Lamb, when His blood will be shed for each of us.
6:5, 6 … “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove (test) him: for he himself knew what he would do.” The Lord had perfect foreknowledge and knew in advance what was going to happen, but in this situation, He desires to test Philip. Philip reacted much like a C.P.A., thinking only in numbers.
6:7 … “Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.” In that day, two hundred pennyworth was equivalent to a workers wage for two hundred days. Philip says that would provide only a little, certainly not a meal. He says to the Lord, in effect, “In the face of this crowd, we do not have the means to do much.”
6:8. 9… “One of his disciples, Andrew . . .” We can always expect something remarkable from Andrew. He is perceptive and knows what is going on in the crowd. When he met the Lord, he wanted to introduce Peter, so he brings him to meet the Lord. Andrew was always willing to play second fiddle. He did not have to be on top. We need such today. “Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes.” Andrew had already checked with the crowd to see what was available. He found a lad willing to share his small amount of food. Andrew knew the Lord could do marvelous things, but he was not ready for what was about to happen – “but what are they among so many?” What is this small amount of food going to do for five thousand men, plus women and children? From human abilities it would not provide a good meal for even one man in the great crowd and not much for one lad. Jesus is about to teach a remarkable lesson. His action will rebuke Philip and reward Andrew for being optimistic, in a reserve way. Andrew, though unsure, perhaps thought the Lord might do something. So, he located a small contribution.
6:10, 11… “And Jesus said, Make the men sit down.” Taking all other accounts into consideration, we learn that they sat down in small groups of fifty. Thus, allowing the disciples ways to walk between the crowds to serve them. The Lord did everything very orderly. Though in a desert area, “there was much grass in the place.” “Desert” often means deserted, not a sandy place. Philip met the eunuch in a “desert”, or deserted place. In Matthew 14:13, Jesus departed into a desert place – a deserted place. Here in Chapter 6, the Lord is in a deserted place, not a sandy desert. “So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.” In other words, they ate as much as they wanted. The people saw Him begin to break the small loaves of bread, handing them to His disciples. They would have noticed that as the Lord broke up the small loaves, He never broke the last piece. The more He broke, the more there was. The Lord keeps this up until there is enough to feed a group of fifty. He does the same with the fish, giving them out yet always having more to give. He keeps this up until everyone is filled. Surely, the people were progressively amazed. In fact, after everyone had eaten all they wanted, there was more left over than when the Lord began. It is understandable why the people were impressed with Jesus. The people who had no idea of what Messiah meant must have wondered who is this man who can take such a small amount of food and feed thousands? The Lord could have fed 100,000 or more because there was no limit to how long He could have continued serving. When everyone who was hungry had eaten all they desired and no one wanted more, then the Lord stopped serving.
6:12 … “When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.” We do not know what was to be done with the remaining food. Probably, the Lord wanted to convince His disciples of His ability to manufacture food. When the disciples took up baskets full of leftovers, after the Lord had fed thousands from so little, the miracle would, to His disciples, take on its true dimension.
6:13, 14 … “Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.” Why they would settle on a prophet coming into the world is unclear. A prophet is normally not one who feeds people bread. Perhaps they were thinking about His tremendous ability as Master of Nature. The main point is certainly that they were open and receptive to Him. This is the moment they would have made Him king.
6:15 … “When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.” Sometimes we do not consider it, but on occasion Jesus wanted to be alone. Perhaps, when His popularity was greatest, the Lord needed to be alone to retain His perspective. Many of His temptations were like our own. However, He had other temptations not experienced by humans. Imagine being before thousands of people, performing a great miracle. Afterward, thousands literally worship the ground you walk on. The Lord did not want to spend time thinking of Himself as a mighty “bread provider.” He needed to focus His attention on the mission for which He had come to this earth. Often, solitude is the only way to accomplish this goal. If we are spiritually mature we are almost never lonely. The loss of a loved one is extremely lonely. When that loved one is a companion there is a great void. The loss of a beloved family member is not the same as the loss of a beloved wife or husband. But, in spite of such a great loss, a spiritually mature person can, by contemplation, meditation, and anticipation, always turn loneliness into fruitful solitude. The mind is a wonderful power. The Word of God does not mention it, but the Lord was probably lonely for heaven; much like a soldier lonely for home. He must have been lonely for His Father. From everlasting to everlasting the Lord and His Father had existed together. The Lord entered into the project of coming down to earth, to save sinful humans, knowing it would mean separation from His Father for about 33 years. Also, before coming to earth, He knew that He would have to endure terrible pain and suffering. Probably, the Lord had to often get away, alone, to focus on who He was and His purpose. He was so closely in touch with raw humanity, that, on occasion, He needed to be alone to cleanse Himself and commune with the Father; to maintain His willingness to face another day on earth among so many unkind and uncaring humans. What burdens He endured for us.
6:16, 17 … “And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.” Jesus was expected to come with them. It may have been the only boat around, and they would probably think that if Jesus was going to cross the sea, He surely would go by boat. They did not consider that the Lord would walk on water. So, while Jesus is alone, they go down to the boat, preparing it, and are ready to leave, but the Lord is not yet there. The sea on which they were about to travel was unusual; perhaps one of the most unusual in the world. In size, it is a small body of water; about 14 miles North to South; about 9 miles East to West. The water is fresh, being fed by the Jordan River, and not very deep. It contained a good supply of fish. But, being a shallow body of water, with mountains on all sides, it was a windy place. Wind, coming between the mountains from either West or East, hits the sea causing waves of 12 to 15 feet or higher. The disciples were probably in a small fishing boat, perhaps 25 to 30 feet long. And, with 12 on board, 13 if Jesus was going to be with them. The small boat, with 12 on board (13 if Jesus was to be with them) is full of people, and when the waves begin to come on board the displacement will be maximum. Evening was approaching as they were leaving. This is the time when the lows and highs pass through. The waves became high and the sea rough. The disciples probably became concerned about the roughness of the sea, and therefore pushed off, not waiting on the Lord.
6:18, 19 … “And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.” Other accounts mention that this is about the third watch in the morning. In nine hours they had rowed about a third of the way across the sea. They were rowing with their backs to the wind, looking back in the direction from which they had come. While looking back, they see Jesus walking on the water, overtaking them. Because of the strong wind, they are moving slowly, making little progress across the sea. Now, up in the morning, they see the Lord coming. John treats this situation different than the other accounts. One account says that when they see Jesus walking on the water, they imagine the ghost of a fearful sea creature coming toward them. In that sea, they faced what they thought was certain death.
6:20.21… “But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.” They knew His voice. Probably, when they heard Him speak, it calmed them. “Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” When the wind calmed; and in a short time, they arrived at their destination. Instead of detailing the elements facing the disciples, John writes about how they related to Jesus. John does not give us an account of how rough the sea was and how Jesus spoke first to the winds, then to the waves, saying, “Peace, be still.” Because of his theme, John details relationships. John carefully chose the miracles of Jesus, in order that he might build up our faith.
6:22-24 … “The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone; (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.” The other boats on that side probably stopped there to avoid the storm. When they saw that Jesus and His disciples were not there, they knew that by some means, they had left. So, they go to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
6:25, 26 … “And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” In other words, Jesus says, “You are just looking for another square meal.” However, Jesus teaches them there is no free lunch. He had already given them their free meal and now they follow Him, not because He is Messiah, but because they want more food. Consider the woman at the well, in chapter 4, when Jesus spoke of giving her water which would never make her thirst again. She wanted the Lord to give her that water so she would not have to travel, in the heat of the day, to draw water at the well. She wanted to avoid the work of drawing water. Now, in chapter 6, people figure that by following Jesus they can escape the work of earning a meal. Jesus was not interested in increasing their desire for earthly bread. He wanted them to desire the bread which comes down from heaven. Jesus teaches them that He is the bread come down from heaven.
6:27-29 … “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” God would have easily worked in them to believe on Him, if they had desired to believe, but they did not. They did not come with spiritual expectations. They did not come to hear a great Prophet, come from God. This is why Jesus says, in effect, “You came because you saw the sign of feeding thousands, and you want more bread.” It is difficult to teach people spiritual values when they are in no mood for it. Jesus points out that the work of God is that they “believe on him whom he hath sent.”
6:30 … “They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?” They had just witnessed the most tremendous sign anyone could ever expect to see. If the wonderful miracle the Lord had already performed, feeding thousands, did not make a lasting impression on them, then what would another one accomplish? Or another? Or another? The rich man wanted Abraham to send back and tell his brothers not to live as he had lived, so they would not come to the terrible place he now found himself. Abraham pointed out to him they had Moses and the Prophets. The man responded by pointing out that they will not hear Moses and the Prophets, but they would listen if one rose from the dead. But Abraham then points out that if they will not listen to Moses and the Prophets, then they would not hear one even if he rose from the dead. If we are incredulous, it does not matter what is presented to us, we are not going to believe. On the other hand, if we are inclined to believe, it does not take much solid evidence or testimony to establish and nourish faith. People, who are pre-disposed to believe, will believe with ease. Those not disposed will not believe no matter what happens.
6:31 … “Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” It appears they expected Jesus to give them bread from heaven every morning, just as the manna was given to God’s people in the desert.
6:32-35 … “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” They are still thinking in terms of literal bread and water.
6:36, 37 … “But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” God knows who will believe. And, God is going to see that they have all that is necessary to establish and maintain that belief. We need to understand that God gives faith. He provides an experience for us, to show us the way, and, if we are inclined to believe, that will be enough. If we are not inclined to believe, then it will not be enough. And, ten times that experience would not be enough. Jesus, in effect, is saying, “The Father has sent bread from heaven. I am that bread come down from heaven. He that eateth of Me will never hunger or thurst.”
6:38, 39 … “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.” All those given to Him by the Father, He will lead and save, and they will all be raised up in the last day. 6:40 … “And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." Ten thousand people can see the same miracle. Some will believe and some will not. Whether we believe or not does not depend on the miracle, but on how each of us thinks and responds.
6:41, 42 … "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And 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?” Often we know just enough to give us some satisfaction, contrary to what we have seen or heard. They knew just enough about Jesus to keep from perceiving that He was something more than the young man they had watched growing up.
6:43-45 … “Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” Jesus here gives us the prescription, “Every man . . . that hath heard, and . . . learned . . . cometh unto me.” He receives the ones that God, through Christ, has called to Himself.
6:46-49 … “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.” The Lord is speaking of Himself. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” That bread was not life-sustaining bread. That is why they had to gather it daily and could not store it overnight. It served as their daily bread, but it was not unto eternal life. Jesus points out that He is the bread that sustains eternal life.
Summary
The Lord is in the midst of His discussions with the multitude that were with Him the day before, when He fed the multitude. Beginning with v. 22 of chapter 6, He discusses something with the multitude, who had gathered the next day, hoping they would be given another meal. But, Jesus gives them a “meal” of truth and not of bread. From v. 22 through 41, He talks to the multitude at large. Beginning at v. 41, He talks to Jews in the synagogue at Capernaum. From v. 59, the Lord speaks to the disciples throughout the chapter.
6:50, 51… “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” With these last words, the Lord provokes uneasiness among the people because they do not understand what He is saying. People in every audience are usually divided into two groups: Those likely to find a message from God’s Word enlightening, encouraging and inspiring; and those likely to find it discouraging, contrary to their desires and expectations. Paul says, “Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:14-16)
This same message could be delivered to an audience. Some will find it a sweet odor of life unto life. Others might find it more condemning than what they already feel, an odor of death unto death. This is not the main intent of Paul’s message, but often God’s Word is like a two edged sword, it cuts both ways. Those hungry for the Word of God will find it inspiring, enlightening, helpful and nourishing, while others find the same Word discouraging and unhelpful.
6:52, 53 … “The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” In the earthly life of Jesus, there are several occasions when He spoke, knowing the people were perplexed at what He said. He knew that often people did not fully comprehend His meaning. Still, on these occasions, He often did not give them a detailed explanation. The Lord knows that some people have the ears to hear His sayings and some do not. In our verse, He is giving the people advanced information. The day before, they had actually eaten bread He multiplied and were satisfied, like their fathers who ate the manna in the wilderness. But, after eating that bread, they were still destined to die. Jesus wants the people to transfer their understanding of Him from the provider of literal food to the provider who can nourish their spirits throughout all time, preparing them for eternal life. So, the Lord continues to discuss the eating of His flesh and drinking of His blood. When the Lord talked about the Supper in the Upper Room, He surely explained to the disciples that the bread became His body by His pronouncement. Not literally, but figuratively and symbolically. We must eat the bread remembering Him as the One who gave His life. By the giving of His life, and the surrendering of our lives to Him, our souls are nourished by remembering His death on the cross. When we eat the bread and drink the cup, we are symbolically eating the body and drinking the blood of the Lord, in memory of the spiritual Words He gave us to nourish our souls, and He will say this before our chapter ends.
6:54-59 … “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.” The Lord here gives us a clue, regarding the spiritual meaning of His words, when He says, “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father.” He imbibed in His life, the life of God. In effect, the Lord says unless we imbibe His Word and Spirit we are not going to live as Spirit beings. Our eating of the bread and drinking of the cup are only symbols of that flesh and blood, because we see beyond it the Spiritual Words He spoke and the Spiritual Life He lived, as well as the promise He gave that when we are resurrected from the grave of water to Life in Him, His Words will nourish us. Our abiding in Him will also nourish our spirits. This is the way we eat of His flesh and drink of His blood. In other words, we are going to live off Jesus, like He lived off the Father, by a mutual desire to be identified one with the other.
6:60-62 … “Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?” The Lord now anticipates His own ascension, of which they have no concept. But, if their minds and hearts can be stretched by the idea that one day He will ascend back to the Father, then surely His already spoken Words will, at that time, have new meaning. Luke 24:45 says, “Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.” When the time comes for understanding, the Lord will take care of it. Many things that Jesus said while on earth were premature because of the immaturity of the people to whom He spoke. Many of these people will never hear anything else He has to say, because they do not believe and will not follow Him, and the Lord knew this. Sometimes today, we become unnecessarily distressed because someone may not understand, at a given moment, a concept that has been delivered and perhaps partially explained in the pulpit or Bible class. And, often, we do not want the person to go away until he understands completely. However, this may not always be possible. A person may not have grown spiritually to the point of comprehending one of the many concepts of Scripture. Even though the Lord knew many of the people would go away, He still did not say, “Wait a Minute; let Me make it easier for you to understand.” No, He did not do that. That would have watered down His Words and He wanted His Words to abide in their minds, knowing that in time His Words would be a part of the written Word that all of time would ponder over.
6:63 … “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” The Words He is saying are Spirit Words, giving and sustaining Spirit life. This is the only explanation He gives. However, just before His death, He makes further explanations, because the disciples would have grown by that time and He will have opened their hearts to much more understanding and then they in their written records, as well as their oral preaching after His resurrection, will make many things clear.
6:64 … “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” It is amazing how Jesus was able to go forward with His plan, with all of His teaching and miracles, knowing in advance who would and would not believe. It is not uncommon for a spiritually motivated preacher or teacher of the Word of God to speak to someone who does not agree with what is said or taught. Many of us are inclined to listen out of our own framework of life, our own lifestyle. If something reaches us that makes us uncomfortable, we are likely to reject it. The most self-serving and face-saving way to get out of it is to say, “I don't understand it.” We may understand more than we are willing to reveal. But, often we simply turn a deaf ear to what we do not want to hear. When a preacher speaks to the congregation, he preaches either to the saints of God or to deaf ears. When preaching to the saints, one is evangelizing those already saved. This is necessary because there are some present who have not yet been evangelized and who are not saved. So, at times it is necessary for the preacher or teacher to evangelize the saints. At these times things must be said that possibly will not be happily accepted by some, who may turn a deaf ear. The Lord also found this to be true. But He was able to keep heart and go forward with His mission without wavering, even though He knew a large percentage of people would not accept or believe what He said. In the parable of the soils, the wayside soil people, the stony ground people and the thorny ground people were not going to believe and bear fruit. Only the good fertile soil, one part out of four, would hear the Word, holding it fast, receiving it into their hearts, bearing fruit according to their ability. Jesus knew that three-fourths of the people to whom He spoke would not benefit eternally by what He said, but He still said it with all His heart and soul, laying down His life to verify that it was indeed the Truth.
6:65 … “And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.” He said this in v. 44. When God draws a person, and he learns about God, that person is drawn to Christ. V. 45 says, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.” When people hear and learn of God they come to Christ. If they will not hear or learn they will not come. Paul says, “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Phil. 4:9). It is important for us to learn the details and truth about what we have already received. Paul says, in effect, if you receive it without learning it, then your faith may be in vain. One can believe without just cause. Paul says, “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain” (1 Cor. 15:1, 2). Up to this point in time, they had believed in vain. And, the reason Paul uses the entire chapter to preach on the resurrection is to teach them not to any longer believe in vain about the resurrection. So, at the end of the chapter they can both receive and understand, never again denying the resurrection of the dead.
6:66 … “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." That must have been a sad moment for the Lord; seeing a large part of the crowd turning their backs on Him, walking away.
6:67 … "Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?” A more literal translation of these words brings out a different spirit. What Jesus really said was, “You do not want to go away, do you?” He hoped for a “No.” His heart was pulling at them. Peter, we will see, says, in effect, “No, we are not going away.” But many did leave because they were not willing to receive what He had to say or offer to them. Even today, there are some people that even God will not draw. There are those that will not hear or learn of God. 6:68, 69 … “Then Simon Peter answered him, 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.” We are studying the book of John, the Gospel of Belief. This is certainly an advancement in Peter’s belief, and it appears that he is speaking for the other disciples. They have grown spiritually by virtue of what the Lord has said and done, and they have understood a good part of it. Therefore, they are not willing to go away. Peter presents the idea that the twelve were now grounded. This is the same Peter, who on the night of the Lord’s betrayal, denies the Lord three times. It behooves all of us to be cautious about how sturdy, strong and firm we are in the faith at any point in time. We do not know what might come along, tripping us, causing us to stumble.
Illustration
The story is told of a man lost a loved one years ago. He recently said, “For a long time I was angry and bitter with God.” Sometimes, a shock to our system is more than our mind and spirit can temporally handle. After many years, the man repented, realizing that his feelings of anger and bitterness were not a healthy response. It can happen to anyone. This man lost his mother, becoming so angry with God that he stopped reading the Scriptures, praying, attending worship, taking the Lord’s Supper, teaching, discussing the Scriptures or serving God in any way. He was hurting and crushed inside, feeling lonely, desperate, lost and alone. And, this man had been a preacher of the Gospel; at one time a hard-working missionary. But after many years, when he finally collected himself, seeing things from a broader point of view, he repented and today is stronger than ever for the Lord.
When Peter made the statement, “Lord, to whom shall we go?” he did not know how fickle he would be in the future.
6:70, 71… “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.” It is amazing that Jesus knew when He chose the twelve, that one of them would betray Him, causing His death on the cross. Yet, throughout His ministry, He was good to Judas. In fact, He entrusted Judas with the treasury. We learn later that Judas lived out of the treasury bag he carried for the Lord. He misappropriated the treasury of the Lord, using it for himself. But the Lord allowed him to proceed until he reached the point of betrayal. The Lord is watching our lives and He sees us either progress or digress. Sometimes, the Lord does not intrude in our lives and wills. If we are determined to turn away, He will let us go, even though it is not His desire. Sometimes, He may send us, in loving mercy, an experience that will shock our souls, bringing us back to Him. When we are suffering a shock and/or pain, it is often hard at that moment to convince us this may be the Lord trying to bring us back to Him. We may have turned away from Him, and something less server might not be sufficient to bring us back.
