Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 6
Bible Study - Gospel of John Chapter 6
| 1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). | Writers of this time would skip large chunks of time and the events that occurred when they weren't needed. This was true in Old Testament times as well. We can see jumps of ten years or more within a sentence of the account of one person's life, such as in 1st Samuel. A modern writer would feel obligated to give some sort of narration of Jesus and his disciples leaving Jerusalem for the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The apostle John was perfectly comfortable with skipping those steps entirely with the phrase, "After these things." So at this point in this Gospel Jesus is going to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Not even how he is traveling is mentioned. Some referred to the Sea of Galilee by the name Tiberias after the largest city on this sea. |
| 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. | Since a large crowd is able to follow Jesus it is likely that Jesus was walking around the lake, although he could have travelled by boat. Either way, the crowd would have needed to be able to see where He was going, or at least be told in advance. The reason they followed was because Jesus was performing signs and wonders. |
| 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. | We aren't told what mountain this was. However, verse 23 seems to say that Tiberias was the closest city, making it likely this was on the southwest side of the Sea of Galilee. Nor are we told the purpose of sitting down with His disciples. However, this is normally for teaching when it is just the disciples. Whether this was just the 12 or the larger outer circle of disciples isn't mentioned. |
| 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. | This verse appears to be merely for marking the time that has passed. It doesn't seem to have any meaningful bearing on the passage. |
| 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?" 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. |
This is an important principle. Jesus is God the Son. Therefore He knew what He would do and what would happen in every situation. Yet he asks Philip, His creation, what to do. In this case it was to test Philip. Yet Jesus already knew what Philip would say. Thus the test was not for Jesus to learn about Philip but for Philip to learn about himself. More importantly, this was for Philip, the rest of the disciples, and us to learn the lesson about the unlimited power of God verses our own self-limiting minds. God works through his creation. This is not because He needs to. It's how He chooses to operate. In 1 Kings 22:20-22 God the Father asks His angels, who are also His creation, who will entice King Ahab to go to his death. More than one suggested one thing or another until one said he would be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all the king's prophets. And God chose that angel and idea. God knew all along that was how it was going to go. But He choses to operate through His creation. |
| 7 Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little." | Philip was thinking in the natural, not like the Messiah was asking him the question. One denarius was about a day's wages. So this was almost seven month's wages. And this wouldn't have bought enough bread for the crowd to have a mouthful. |
| 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, *said to Him, 9 "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" | Andrew speaks up next and volunteers more information. It seems that he was listing this one boy's food supply to emphasize that it is all there was in this remote location. It may be that he was implying that all the others should have been responsible for their own provision like this boy was. In other words, this boy came prepared and tough luck on the others for not supplying their own needs. |
| 10 Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. |
Jesus doesn't say why He wanted the people to sit down. For all the disciples knew, He was just going to teach and forget about the people's need. Perhaps there was something in Jesus' manner that let them know something amazing was about to happen. It is very common in older writings, both secular and scriptural, for large groups of people to be numbered by the men who were there rather than include the women and children in the count. Even an official census would count the men, dividing them into two groups according to whether they were of age to be soldiers or not. |
| 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. |
Jesus starts by taking the food and praying to give thanks for it. Then the amazing miracle happens. Jesus distributes the bread and fish, and everyone has as much as they wanted. The other gospel accounts explicitly state that as Jesus performed the miracle He gave the food to His disciples to distribute. This mostly likely would have been all of his disciples present, not just the 12. Although it is not explicit in John's gospel, it is almost certain that this happened here as well. The actions of subordinates are frequently ascribed to the one in charge both then and today. |
| 12 When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost." 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. |
Jesus' instructions are for the stated purpose of making sure nothing was wasted. This also had the effect of emphasizing the magnitude of the miracle by having 12 baskets full in plain sight. While the huge crowd being fed was far greater, the visual impact of the full baskets when the food at the start wasn't enough to fill one was impossible to discount. Some connect the 12 baskets with the 12 tribes of Israel and/or the 12 disciples. While the symbolism may have been intentional in this miracle, the significance does not seem to go beyond mere symbolism. |
| 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." |
It seems that it was the gathered leftovers that had generated the impact on the people more than the multitude being fed. Spread out a greater amount has less impact than the smaller gathered amount being concentrated. Regardless, the performed sign had a profound impact. They said Jesus was "the Prophet", which is what John denied being in 1:21. This is the Prophet as promised by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. While it was not widely accepted in Judaism, there was a belief that this promise of Moses referred to a major prophet being brought up by Yahweh at various times of need, like Elijah, Samuel, Isaiah, and so on. And some would look to for such a prophet to arise. However, the more common understanding of Deuteronomy 18 was that this referred to all prophets, major and minor. |
| 15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. |
Jesus' perception of the crowd's intention is by divine knowledge. Only God can know what is in someone's heart. The Jews were living under Roman rule at this time, and had been primarily at the mercy of one overlord or another since the Babylonian captivity. They latched onto the conquering Messiah prophecies, ignoring the suffering Messiah prophecies. Thus they were motivated to see a Jewish sovereign as the solution to their situation. Thus, Jesus removed Himself from their presence. We aren't given an explicit reason why Jesus chose to go completely alone up the mountain. He would go off alone to pray regularly. But this was usually not that far from the twelve. It seems at least part of the reason for the greater separation was to set up the next miracle and lesson. |
| 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. |
His disciples here seems to refer to the 12. Verse 22 makes it clear that it is highly unlikely there were boats large enough to take the hundreds that made up the outer circle of disciples to Capernaum. A boat large enough for the outer circle would not have been able to operate from the shore without a dock or harbor which would only be found in a city. And a boat that size that could be powered by rowing would have been the size of a Roman Galley, which certainly would not have been economical to operate on the Sea of Galilee. That they took a boat to Capernaum here does not mean they came from there by boat in verse 2, although it is possible. However, this crossing makes it clear that here they took a direct line to Caperaum across the western bulge of the Sea of Galilee rather than follow the shoreline. That Jesus had not come to them does not mean that the disciples were expecting Him. If they were they would have waited before departing no matter how long He took. Or they would have expected to meet Him at Capernaum by His instruction. This is a narrative comment, not a note on the state of mind of the disciples. |
| 18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. | Wind creates waves. The stronger the wind the bigger the waves. However, this is not a storm that Jesus needs to calm by command as in other gospels. It is merely adding to the unnerving atmosphere of traveling by boat on a dark night. |
| 19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. |
In the Greek they are 25-30 stadia into their journey. According to Josephus, the Sea of Galilee at this time was 40 stadia east to west and 140 stadia in length. Thus the disciples were between less than halfway to two thirds of the way to Capernaum. The stadion, singular for stadia, is a Greek unit of length based on the length of a sports stadium's racetrack. Since Greek stadium tracks were not uniform in size the measure could vary with the region's track as the local standard. The Romans adopted the unit during the conquest of Greece and set a standard length of 192 meters, which is the definition both the Apostle John and Josephus would have been using. The disciples see Jesus walking on the water towards them. This would be unnerving during the day. In a wave tossed boat at night it would be much, much worse. It is very likely they thought it was a spirit moving towards them as they had no experience with this sort of miracle. It would be like an unexpected person jumping out of the dark, except it would only get worse after the initial surprise because of the illogic of the situation. |
| 20 But He *said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." | Hearing Jesus' voice let them know it was really Him. |
| 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. |
Calmed down by understanding that it really was Jesus, and therefore was understandable, they were willing to let Him in the boat without a fuss. Then another miracle happens. They should have had several stadia yet to row, but instantly they were at Capernaum. It is possible that they had reached the shore by natural means, and that Jesus' arrival at the boat was just as they were pulling up to their destination. However, in that case it would be unnecessary for Jesus to enter the boat at all. Not to mention it would seem logical that the fearful disciples would have scrambled out of the boat to the shore to escape. It is much more likely that John meant to record another miracle. |
| 22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. | Some from the crowd that had been miraculously fed the day before were still at location of that miracle in the morning. They wake up to discover Jesus is gone. But they saw the disciples leave by boat without him. And there are no other small boats other than the one the disciples took. How many remained and how many were looking for Jesus is not specified. It is likely that some looking for Jesus here were those in verse 15 who wanted to make him king. But verse 26 gives a different motivation for their search. |
| 23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. | Small boats came from Tiberias on the southwest shore to the place where Jesus miraculously fed the 5,000 on the eastern shore. That small boats are referred to is likely to illustrate that there was no dock or harbor that could support larger boats. Only small boats can be brought to shore without that support. Thus, the remoteness of this location is emphasized, making the miracle of feeding so many out in the middle of nowhere that much greater. |
| 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. | Small boats could earn money ferrying passengers to and from places that larger ships could not reach, supplementing the income from fishing. We don't know how many were still there from the masses of the previous day, nor how many were able to take a boat to Capernaum. |
| 25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You get here?" |
On the other side of the sea refers to crossing the northwestern bulge of the Sea of Galilee. That would be an open water crossing as much as crossing from the west to east coast, and about the same distance as well. A casual reading could lead a person to erroneously think that Jesus crossed to or from the western coast. They asked Jesus when he got to Capernaum. I would have wanted to know how. But perhaps they were reluctant to ask that. And they called Jesus Rabbi, which would indicate they wanted to be his disciples. But the next verse calls that into question. |
| 26 Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. |
Truly, truly is amen, amen in Greek. Like today, people would say amen after someone speaks to affirm that what they heard was true. Jesus saying it before speaking was unique. By starting with amen, amen it asserts that what He was about to say was absolute truth as a person of high authority and integrity. Of course, His authority came from the fact that He is God which is why it was so authentic to those who heard Him. It was one of the reasons why people would remark that He spoke with authority. Jesus rebuked them calling Him rabbi. In essence, He told them they are faking wanting to be His disciples. All they really wanted was the free all-you-can-eat food. He made it clear that the signs and wonders ought to have made them eager to be His disciples. |
| 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal." |
That earthly food perishes is not referring to spoilage, but to the temporary nature of everything in this life. Even the great stone buildings and mountains of this world will ultimately perish just as surely as earthly food will. This is a parallel to the water illustration Jesus used with the Samaritan woman in 4:7-14. What is also being metaphorically being contrasted here is work for earthly reward that is perishable versus work for eternal reward. This is the food the Son of Man, who is Jesus, gives us. We must work in order to eat, in accordance with the curse at the exile from the garden of Eden in Genesis 3:17-19. Jesus is not saying we shouldn't do that. Jesus' point is that the work of God is more important. The result of earthly work is only a delay of the loss of this life. God's work results in eternal reward in the eternal life He gives. A seal is the authentication of a document. It proves who sent it and that it is authentically from them. Thus that God has set is seal on Jesus means that Jesus is proven to have been sent by the Father. This is not a reference for a single particular event like Jesus baptism which isn't even in John's gospel. The miracles, fulfillment of prophecy, divine knowledge, and such are all proof. |
| 28 Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" | They were following Jesus' point about earthly work versus God's work. So they asked Him to tell them what that work is so they can do it. |
| 29 Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." | In other words, the key to eternal life is believing in Jesus as the Christ. We are saved by Christ through faith, not by what we do. However, this is not mere belief in His existence. Even the demons believe and tremble in James 2:18. Mere belief is no better than the demons. If we really believe that Jesus' sacrifice saved us from the punishment we deserve, it will have an effect on us beyond mere recognition of His existence. |
| 30 So they said to Him, "What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? |
They connected the dots, just not all the way. They understood the Son of Man is the one sent by God, and Jesus is the Son of Man. Son of Man is a title for the Messiah in the prophecies of Daniel 7:13 and Psalm 80:17. Thus they understood that Jesus was saying he was the Messiah sent by the Father. However, their motivation seems to remain the desire for free stuff that Jesus rebuked them for in verse 26. They had already seen the signs of being fed all they could eat in the middle of nowhere. That was huge. They shouldn't need another sign. That they were seeking another Indicates their motivation was not for Jesus but for what He could do for them. In other words, they were seeking a prosperity gospel rather than the real gospel. |
| 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'" | They quote from Psalm 78:24 and Exodus 16:4, although this is referenced in other scriptures as well. It seems they were trying to argue that if Jesus really was from the Father, then He should prove it by providing food again, like happened during the exodus with Moses. While it is possible they were honestly seeking truth, their repeated focus on food miracles, and their grumbling in verses 41-42 make that very unlikely. At best, they were seeking truth that conformed to their expectations, which is really to deny truth entirely. But it is clear that they wanted free stuff more than they wanted the truth. |
| 32 Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. |
By a superficial understanding is seems like Jesus is setting them straight about who gave their fathers the manna. However, the quotation they used clearly gives the credit to God, and they knew this from childhood like we know the alphabet. Jesus refers to the bread going to them, not their ancestors. This acknowledges the continuity of the Jewish people. Jesus' point by invoking Moses and changing the object from their fathers to them was to point out that since Moses didn't do it then, the miracle the day before wasn't done by a prophet either. Thus He was subtly pointing out the fact that He provided food by a miracle meant he was God the Son, not just a prophet. And in doing so, he again refers to eternal food, "true bread". |
| 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." | Here Jesus started to lead them to the definition of the true bread. He names two characteristics, that it comes from heaven and that it gives life to the world. He brings this to the full definition in verse 35. |
| 34 Then they said to Him, "Lord, always give us this bread." | Like the Samaritan woman asking for the water that permanently quenches thirst, they misunderstood Jesus. Although it seems they may have grasped that Jesus was using a metaphor, it seems they thought He was talking about a physically tangible gift from God like the manna. After all, bread does give life in that it sustains us. And their primary motivation had been revealed to be for personal gain. |
| 35 Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. | Here Jesus explicitly states what the metaphor is about. He is the bread of life, the bread of God, the true bread. He gives life to the world. He is the one that satisfies our real needs, reconciliation with the Father and eternal life. There is no need to "always give us" the true bread. It satisfies us once and for all. To be clear, the use of bread and water is a metaphor and not literal. |
| 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. |
They see Jesus. They saw the incredible miracle of a giant feast in the wilderness. And when Jesus told them they should believe in Him in verse 29 they asked for another sign. In other words, Jesus is saying here that the promises of verse 35 were not for them because they did not believe. People today who complain that God doesn't do more miracles so more people believe haven't paid attention to scripture. Over and over again people saw great miracles and still rejected God. Clearly that has no effect on anyone who insists on their own way no matter what. |
| 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. |
This verse and verse 44 are used as proof-texts for predestination and God's sovereignty, and against free will. However, there are more proof-texts for free will than against it. Regardless, using proof-texts is to pit scripture against scripture, which is to mislead. Scripture is a whole, not competing parts. The truth is that God is sovereign and that we have free will. It is not one or the other, but both. Anyone who says that God's sovereignty and free will must be mutually exclusive is denying the omnipotence of God. Ironically, they are arguing for God's sovereignty by denying he can be sovereign in this way. Just because we can't comprehend something doesn't mean it can't be. To be clear, Jesus didn't say that free will was excluded, only that the Father gives them to Him. One could argue that this is simply that they were created in the knowledge that they would choose to follow Jesus. That would fit both this verse and the many verses about choosing Jesus from our free will. However, the reality is that it isn't that simple. This is something that is hard for us to understand logically. A wise person knows their limitations and accepts what scripture says on faith when it exceeds their ability to comprehend it. This verse is also used to argue for the doctrine of eternal security, also known as once-saved always-saved. This is common among many Baptist traditions, Charismatics, and most Calvinists. However, this verse says that Jesus will not drive any of them out. It says nothing about a free will choice by the person. All the proof texts used to argue for the doctrine of Eternal Security state that God will not turn away and no third party is capable of taking us away from God. But they are all completely silent about the person choosing to turn away from God. When someone turns away, the explanation of the proponents of eternal security is that they were never really saved in the first place. So they didn't actually turn away. However, 2 Peter 2:20-22 specifically addresses those who know God and then turn away. And Hebrews 6:4-6 states that in addition to multiple aspects of being followers it explicitly states that they shared in the Holy Spirit and then fall away. These and others explicitly state that we can be saved and yet chose to turn away later. Scripture is clear that God does not force us to follow Him, nor to be in His presence when we don't want to be. Hell is the separation from God that is the free will choice of those that reject God. |
| 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. | Here Jesus uses the first person to state that He came from heaven rather than the distancing language of the Son of Man. More importantly, He states His reason is to do the will of the Father. Implied is that the Father sent Him to do this. |
| 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. | Explicitly, the will of the Father is that Jesus would save everyone given to Him by the Father and raise them up on the last day. The last day is eschaton, which is the end times and judgment day. Implied is what that will require. Jesus is referring to His death on the cross and resurrection, which is the means by which He will save and raise up all who believe in Him. |
| 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." | Jesus has brought them to the conclusion slowly, starting with distancing language for Himself and the Father, and finishing with "I" and "My Father". He began with indirect analogies and ended with a direct, explicit, and succinct statement that believing in Him is the way to eternal life and being raised up at eschaton. It is the will of the Father that Jesus be crucified for our sins. However, they will need more convincing before they either choose Jesus or leave. |
| 41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, "I am the bread that came down out of heaven." 42 They were saying, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, 'I have come down out of heaven'?" |
The reason they grumbling about was that Jesus said He came down out of heaven when to their understanding this was the kid who grew up among them and had earthly parents. To their minds, his statement and their knowledge were incompatible. But this was because their knowledge had a huge gap. They arrogantly assumed they knew it all. Therefore they could not comprehend the truth that the Holy Spirit was responsible for his birth rather than Joseph, and that Jesus was the incarnation of the Son of God. This should be a warning to us not to be so full our ourselves and so proud of our own knowledge and reasoning. Only the most arrogant idiot thinks they know everything. At the root of their grumbling was that God didn't conform to their expectations and desires. They wanted a repeat of the free feast, and for God to conform to their views. They wanted their worldview to be affirmed, not challenged. Only a person who puts themselves above God would expect that God to conform to their expectations and desires. A sign that we or someone we know has this problem is when they try to explain away something in scripture they disagree with. That is the spirit of arrogance. Arrogance is the opposite and enemy of wisdom. And arrogance makes it impossible to be a disciple of Jesus. |
| 43 Jesus answered and said to them, "Do not grumble among yourselves. | They weren't speaking to Jesus directly. But Jesus is God, and knew what they were thinking and saying amongst themselves. |
| 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. | This draws together the statements from verses 37 and 39. Again, this does affirm God's sovereignty. But it does not deny free will. To say it does is to make an assumption that reads into these verses and contradicts scripture as a whole. However, this does reveal that it is God's desire to be reconciled to every human being. But that doesn't mean He forces us to do so. It is also in His heart for us to willingly choose Him. |
| 45 It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught of God.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. | Jesus quotes from Isaiah 54:13 and Jeremiah 31:34 here to imply that these prophecies are coming true at that time through Jesus. The prophecy in Isaiah continues into chapter 55 where it uses the language of water for those who thirst and bread without cost that satisfies when what they are buying does not. Jeremiah speaks of a new covenant where God's people will know Him personally rather than needing to be taught about Him by intermediaries. This doesn't mean we won't need to learn about God. It refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. |
| 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. | Jews understood that no human can see the face of God and live. Jesus uses the third person to explicitly assert that He has seen the Father. As He is the one sent. He is God the Son. He is God incarnate. He has been with the Father from before Creation. Thus Jesus has the knowledge and authority to relate and teach about the Father to us who have not seen Him. |
| 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. | Jesus repeated and summarized verses 35-40. This brings the discussion back to their wrong desires for free earthly food here and now instead of what they ought to seek, God and eternal life. |
| 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. | Food for the earthly body only delays death. It does not stop it. Even if it is obtained by miraculous means like the manna in the wilderness of the exodus, or the fish and loaves in the wilderness by the Sea of Galilee. |
| 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. | Jesus spoke in the third person again. The bread of life brings eternal life, which is the Son of God come to earth from heaven. Literally, it is God incarnate. |
| 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh." | Explicitly, Jesus is saying that He is the Messiah, the Christ in Greek. He is the Son of God come from heaven who always existed with the Father and the Spirit. He is the way to eternal life. Here he also prophesied that he would die for the salvation of any who believe in Him. His flesh would be given for us. In other words, He will give Himself, His death. |
| 52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, "How can this man give us His flesh to eat?" |
The grumblers did not understand the prophecy. They knew this couldn't be a literal call by Jesus to cannibalize Him. So they fell into argument with each other about what this could possibly mean. This was the argument of struggling to understand, not an argument of hostility. There is a biblical principle here. These people had God in the flesh right there in front of them. Yet they were arguing amongst themselves as to what it meant rather than ask God Himself. Today many Christians do the same thing. We have scripture right in front of us, giving us the direct revelation of God by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Yet they will argue with each other out of our own reasoning instead of consulting God's word. Quoting a verse or two out of context to make a point in an argument is not consulting God's word. That is to distort and misuse scripture rather than study it. |
| 53 So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. |
The consumption of blood was prohibited by the law of Moses. So the addition of drinking his blood to eating his flesh had some shock value to those listening. Although they realized Jesus was speaking metaphorically, they didn't understand what the meaning was. This is absolutely not a reference to communion. Roman Catholics take this as a confirmation of the doctrine of transubstantiation and the eucharist. However, the language is deliberately different. In communion the bread is presented as the symbol of Jesus' body. In this instance Jesus was talking about the flesh, not the body. Here Jesus spoke in terms of His flesh, which directly invokes killing, and His blood, which directly invokes the shedding of blood. Thus, this is a prophecy about His crucifixion, not a call for communion. That we must eat His flesh and drink His means we must identify with His crucifixion and die to ourselves. Our fleshly life must die and our spiritual self must live in Christ. If we are to try to draw a parallel to a sacrament it would be baptism, not communion. |
| 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. | This further contrasts between the heavenly and earthly. Earthly food and drink are not unreal. They give life, but only for a day. The real food and drink of the flesh and blood of Jesus give life forever. |
| 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. | This defines the eternal life result of verse 54. Dwelling in Jesus and Jesus dwelling in us was as radical a concept as eating His flesh and drinking His blood. This is how we obtain eternal life. This is what it means to believe in Jesus. This is what it means to truly be His disciple. This mutual indwelling is the relationship the members of the Trinity have. By being true disciples of Jesus we also have this mutual indwelling with Jesus. And by His indwelling with the Father we are reconciled with the Father as well. However, Jesus won't fully explain this until much later in 10:38 and 14:20. |
| 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. | The living Father sent Jesus and Jesus is dependent on the Father, which is a characteristic of the mutual indwelling between the Father and Son. This is presented as a model for the relationship between us and Jesus as His disciples. In 4:34 Jesus' food is to do the will of the Father and accomplish His work. Thus our food is to do the will of Jesus and accomplish His work. This is reinforced in verse 38 of this chapter. |
| 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever." | Concluding His argument, Jesus tells the people that when they asked for bread from heaven, it was already there in Himself, the incarnation of God, and the way to eternal life. |
| 59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum. | Here it is narrated that this discussion from verse 31 to here took place in the synagogue of Capernaum. Jesus grew up in the district of Galilee, so that He taught here as one in authority was significant. Clearly the signs and wonders He performed were in tension with the memories of this kid growing up in that area. |
| 60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" | The disciples in this verse almost certainly refers to the larger outer circle of Jesus' disciples, and that verse 67 is specifically only to the twelve strongly reinforces this. That Jesus words were difficult does not refer to them being hard to understand, although they weren't obvious. The concepts were very different, which is probably why Jesus explained and taught them so exhaustively here. That they were difficult refers to how they were hard to accept. This discourse was about death and their identification with it. For all they knew, their own death would be required along with Jesus. And for many that was so, although that didn't take place until years after Jesus' crucifixion. |
| 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, "Does this cause you to stumble? | Again, Jesus' divine knowledge lets Him know what is in the hearts and hidden speech of others. Jesus asks them if this causes them to stumble. Notice Jesus does nothing to retract his words or cushion the blow. Those who try to argue against ever doing anything that could possibly make someone "stumble" should take this as a rebuke. If the truth causes someone to "stumble" they were not really a believer. The truth reinforces a disciple of Jesus. The truth can only make someone stumble from the false religion they have created for themselves. If the truth makes someone stumble the true gospel was not in them. |
| 62 What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? | This is a rhetorical question for those grumbling. So if they see Jesus returning to heaven, then what? In other words, death itself should not be feared by those who truly are His disciples. |
| 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. |
Anyone who tries to assert that verses 53-56 are about communion, transubstantiation, or the eucharist are tripped up by this verse. Because their house of cards is collapsed by the statement here that the flesh is useless. That could not be said of a eucharist of Jesus' flesh. This is also not stating that the previous discourse about Jesus' flesh and blood were only metaphors for spiritual things. That was clearly referring to the actual crucifixion. What is meant is that even a noble death is meaningless without the Spirit's action. In other words, it is not the death in itself that matters, but the resurrection by the Spirit that makes the crucifixion the salvation of all. If Jesus had merely died it would have be the victory that Satan thought he was getting. |
| 64 But there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. | Jesus calls out those who were not real disciples. In the present day we would call them fair weather friends. He also knew that Judas would be the one who hands Him over to the Jewish authorities. That Jesus knew all along about the many disciples who would not be true but did nothing about it is significant, and not just regarding his divine omniscience. Despite knowing they would fail in the end, Jesus still allowed them the free will to make their own choices to turn away from God in their own time. And He even uses it to do the will of God. |
| 65 And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." | Again, as in the detailed discussion of verse 37, this affirms the sovereignty of God but does not exclude free will. In reality, this is more of an affirmation of the omniscience of God than anything else. |
| 66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. |
Jesus' words were too hard and harsh for many disciples to accept, and they left Jesus. It is implied that they left for good. But that is not explicit. Some may have returned later. Although if these words were too hard at this point, the actual crucifixion would completely devastate them. This verse, and this chapter, is a direct rebuke of those who claim to be Christians but refuse to speak the truth to their brothers and sisters who are in error. These "Christians" will say things like confronting other Christians is un-Christ like. Or they will say that people have be left to find out on their own. The problem is that these are the ones who really are un-Christ like. If they have never had people abandon them because they have spoken the truth, then the truth is not in them and they are not like Christ. Christ even says one of the twelve is a devil in verse 70. The truth is harsh to the one who is in error. But Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. If people in error could realize it on their own they wouldn't be in error. A person in a pit who is capable of getting themselves out of it will do so. But most people stay in the pit because they don't realize they are in one. Most of them deny the pit even exists. Thus they will never get out without someone pointing out they are in a pit, and tossing them the rope of truth. If they smack it away in anger, the person with the rope is not to blame. It is not loving to leave a person in the pit. Hebrews 12:11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. [ESV] Proverbs 12:1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. [ESV] Revelation 3:19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. [ESV] Proverbs 10:17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray. [ESV] |
| 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, "You do not want to go away also, do you?" | Turning to the inner circle of the twelve disciples, Jesus asks if they are going to bail on Him as well. |
| 68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God." | Peter speaks for the twelve, showing they understood the meaning of Jesus' discourse even if they did not yet comprehend all the details yet. The way to eternal life is through Jesus because Jesus is the Son of Man, the Son of God. Even though His words are hard to accept, there is no choice but to accept them. That Jesus was speaking with the twelve does not mean the outer circle all left. Verse 66 says that many left. That still leaves many in the outer circle of disciples as we will read in later chapters. |
| 70 Jesus answered them, "Did I Myself not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?" |
This must have been startling to the twelve. There is a lot in this one verse. First, the disciples were not chosen because they were particularly good or holy. They were chosen to do the will of God and make His plan happen. We should remember that God can even use those who are hell-bound to do His will. That we are doing His will does not make us special or holy. It is His grace, His undeserved favor that makes us special. We do His will because we are His true disciples and it is right for us to do so, not for salvation or holiness. It is a sign, not a cause. Second, God is not surprised by our sins and turning away from Him. He knows. He wants us to be reconciled with Him. But he doesn't force us to chose Him. He will hit us over the head with the truth. But He will not force us to accept it, even knowing we won't. Third and most important, there was a devil among the inner circle of the twelve walking and working with Jesus when he walked the earth as a human. How much more likely is there a devil among our churches, teachers, and pastors? Paul, the greatest theologian in scripture, warned not to accept anyone without question, not even himself or an angel. We should always question everyone and everything, comparing it to scripture like the Bereans. Be like the Bereans! |
| 71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him. | Scripture doesn't tell us the reaction of the twelve to the previous verse, leaving it up to our imagination. It merely clarifies that Jesus was referring to the betrayal in the Garden of Gethsemane by Judas. It must have been humbling to realize they weren't special in the sense that the Pharisees thought of themselves as special. |
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.