Thank you for your patience and grace by waiting for me to clear a portion of my plate last week. I am very excited to be back with you all.
Following Jesus' encounter with the religious leaders in chapter 5, He crossed to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also know as the Sea of Tiberius. Jesus' reputation had grown because of all the miracles and healing of the sick He had done. When Jesus landed, He and His disciples went up a hill and sat. While sitting there, He saw a huge crowd of people coming their way looking for Him. Jesus saw all those people and knew He wanted to feed them and He knew how He was going to accomplish it. To test Phillip, Jesus asked him if they had enough money to buy bread to feed the people coming their way. Phillip must have taken notice that there were about 5,000 men, not counting women and children, and told Jesus there were so many people coming that even if they worked for months they would not have enough money to feed them! Andrew told Jesus he noticed a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish but added that wouldn't do much good for a crowd this size. The disciples had seen what Jesus had done with the wine, at the wedding in Cana in chapter two, and may have hoped and expected Him to do something similar here.
Jesus instructed the disciples to tell all the people to sit down. When they all sat, Jesus took the five loaves, gave thanks to God and had them distributed to the crowd. Jesus then took the two fish and did the same. All the people ate all they could and were full. After they ate, Jesus told the disciples to gather up all the leftovers so nothing would be wasted. They gathered 12 baskets full of scraps left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves. (In my comments on Mark, there is more detail about basket size, etc.)
The people saw Jesus do that miracle and exclaimed, (vs. 14) "Surely, He is the Prophet we have been expecting!" Jesus saw that they were ready to force Him to be their king and he went off into the hills alone.
In the evening of the same day the disciples went to the shore to wait for Jesus to return. The evening turned to darkness and Jesus had still not come back so they got into the boat and headed across the lake. While they were in the boat, a gale kicked up. (A gale is defined as a very strong wind, in the range of 32-63 miles per hour.) With the strong winds, the sea became very rough. The disciples rowed three or four miles in the rough seas when they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them and He saw that they were terrified. Jesus told them to not be afraid. They got Him into the boat and, "immediately" they arrived at their destination. (vs.21) Apparently Jesus miraculously transported them to where they wanted to be.
The next day, the crowd that had stayed behind realized the disciples had taken the only boat and crossed the lake. They also realized Jesus had not gone with them. One would think if they realized that, they would also think Jesus was still near by. Many other boats came to the place where Jesus fed the 5,000. No one could find Jesus or the disciples and they got into the boats and headed to the other side of the lake like Jesus and the disciples had. When they arrived, they found Jesus and asked Him when He got there.
Jesus did not really answer the question but addressed their reasons for chasing after Him. He told them they wanted to be with Him because He fed them the day before. On the other hand, He told them they weren't following Him because they understood the miraculous signs He had done. He instructed them to not worry about things that would perish, like food, but rather make the effort to seek eternal life and the things that led to eternal life, which He, the Son of Man, could give them for God had given Jesus His seal of approval. In other words, they needed to trust in Jesus, the one whom God had sent. The people responded by asking Jesus what they should do to do miraculous things as He did. Perhaps they thought they could do good things, miraculous things, and earn the way to eternal life. Jesus told them the only thing, the only work the Father wanted from them was that they, "Believe in the One He has sent."
The crowd told Jesus to do a miraculous sign if they were to believe in Him. They then talk of the sign Moses gave the people in the wilderness by giving them manna, the bread from heaven, to eat. (It is as Jesus said, they wanted what He could provide, not who He is or what He offered. They mentioned manna and He had already fed many and I believe perhaps they simply wanted more to eat.) However, we must also realize that God showed Moses to be of Him by the signs Moses could do. Likewise, God validated Jesus as His also by miraculous signs. For those who followed Moses because of what God did through him, it should have been easy to accept Jesus on the same basis.
Jesus corrected them by telling them His Father gave them the food, not Moses. He added that the Father now gives them true bread from heaven in the person of Jesus. He is the one who came from heaven and gives not bread, but life to the entire world.
They did not grasp what Jesus was teaching them. They saw it much like the woman at the well who wanted Jesus to give her the living water so she would not be thirsty and would not have to go to the well daily to draw water. They also saw this bread of life as something that would make their life better and easier. They wanted this bread so they could eat and be filled. They seemed to be focused on the manna thinking if they could get food falling from heaven as their ancestors did, they would never hunger again. They cried for Jesus to give the true bread every day in the context of food.
In response to their request, "give us that bread every day" (vs. 34), Jesus told them He is the bread of life and that whoever comes to Him will never be hungry or thirsty again. They asked for that bread and He said "I am that bread." We might say, He told them if they came to Him and believed in Him they would never hunger or thirst for the things of the world, for they would have all they would need from a relationship with Him. Can we see that kind of relationship with Jesus would change our interests and desires in the things from the perishable things of the world to the things that bring eternal life? He also explained that even though they had seen Him and had seen Him do miraculous things they still did not believe. He told them, those the Father sends to Him will come to Him and He would never reject them, that He would not lose even one, and He would raise them at the last day. This is the Father's will. Jesus declared He was sent by the Father and had come down from heaven to not do His own will, but to do the Father's will.
The people were expecting food and all the talk about eternal things must have disappointed them for they started murmuring. Jesus' words about Him being the bread that came down from heaven, sent them over they edge. All they could think and complain about was the idea that Jesus, who was born of Joseph and Mary, could say He came down from heaven when they already knew where He came from?
Jesus told them to stop complaining about what He said and listen to what He was telling them. He went on to tell them that no one could come to Him unless the Father who sent Him drew them to Jesus. With that in mind, He also told them those who the Father sent to Him would also be raised up by Him. Those who the Father sends to Jesus will be taught by God. This is an Old Testament prophesy found in the prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. That teaching is God's work in the hearts and minds of the people leading them to Jesus.
Jesus continued, "I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I am the bread of life." He spoke of how their ancestors ate manna and yet they died but those who take of the bread of heaven, the living bread, will never die but live forever. The bread which "He will offer," (speaking to the sacrifice of His own body) is His flesh.
Why all this talk of bread? In their day, bread was a main staple. It was part of every meal. It filled them, was easily supplied and gave them much of what they needed to survive. It helped sustain their lives. The bread that Jesus was gave more than help in sustaining daily life. This bread, Jesus, gave life eternal. Their ancestors ate the bread of heaven and died but those who consume Jesus, the bread of life, will live for eternity.
At the mention of eating His flesh, the people again began arguing about how He could offer His flesh and how can he ask them to eat it.
He went on to tell them that to have life eternal they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. Jesus was pointing forward, to a year later, to the Last Supper and present eucharist. In their time, the blood of the animal which was sacrificed was shed for the atonement of their sins. It was to be shed but not drunk. Jesus' blood would be shed but then drunk in in the form of communion or eucharist.
Some think there was only 12 disciples but Jesus had hundreds of followers called disciples. The 12 were His inner circle. Some of those that were not of the 12 started questioning what Jesus had said saying it was very hard to accept such a thing. Jesus asked them if they were offended by His teaching. He asked them what they would think if they were to see Him ascend to heaven again. He taught that it was the Spirit who alone gives eternal life and the effort of humans can never accomplish or earn life eternal. The words He just said were spirit and life. He already knew who were the ones who did not believe. He restated that was why He said people cannot come to Him unless the Father gave them to Him. People come to Jesus by the urging of the Father, none of it comes from our own efforts or works.
Following that exchange, some of the disciples left Him for they could not believe and were not sent to Him by the Father. Jesus then asked the 12 if they were also going to leave. Peter answered, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe and we know you are the Holy One of God." (vs.68)
Then Jesus told them one of them was a devil. He was speaking of Judas who would later betray HIm.
(I will comment of chapters 7 & 8 next week to catch up)