AJ (Author of John) has forced us to consider one basic question, over and over, throughout his gospel. Who is Jesus? What AJ claims-- and Jesus claims-- is that Jesus is from above-- from God. Jesus' Father sent him into the world to save the world-- to be God's lamb (John 1:35), to free the world from its sin, to give it life. And this life that Jesus gives is not just spiritual healing; it's physical healing as well. Life, is life. And Jesus came to make people whole.
Now, how can you make a decision about whether or not you will trust Jesus? How do you know that Jesus is, who he says he is? How do you know that Jesus has authority to give life to whoever he wishes, and judge whoever he wishes?
Last week, in John 5:31-47, Jesus pointed to five witnesses in his defense. He did this, not because he needed witnesses, or because he needed someone to tell him who he is. He pointed to these five witnesses for your benefit, so that you would find it easier to give your allegiance to Jesus.
Who were the five witnesses?:
(1) John the Baptist, the lamp, the one sent by God to point to Jesus.
(2) The signs/works that God the Father gave Jesus to do.
(3) God the Father himself.
(4) The OT.
(5) Moses.
Let's pick up this week, by rereading about the last of the five witnesses, Moses. John 5:45-57:
(45) Don't think that I will accuse you before the Father.
The one accusing you is Moses, toward whom you have put your hope.
For if you "believed/gave allegiance" toward Moses, you would believe/give allegiance toward me.
For about me, that one wrote.
(47) Now, if in/to that one's writings you don't believe/give allegiance, how in/to my words will you believe/give allegiance?
When did Moses write about Jesus? When did he witness about Jesus? That's something that hasn't really been explained so far in the gospel of John. But the answer is a passage we've looked at once already. Let's turn to Deuteronomy 18:13-21, where we find Moses addressing Israel at the edge of the promised land:
(13) Blameless you shall/must be with Yahweh your Elohim/God,
because these nations that you are dispossessing/driving out, to soothsayers and to diviners they listen,
while you, He has not in the same way given to you-- Yahweh your Elohim/God.
(15) A prophet from your midst-- from your brothers-- like me-- Yahweh your God will raise up.
To him you shall/must listen
(16) in accordance with all that you have asked from Yahweh your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, saying,
"I shall no longer listen to the voice of Yahweh my God,
while this great fire I shall no longer see,
and [so] I shall not die,"
(17) and Yahweh my God said,
"They have done well in what they have spoken."
(18) A prophet I shall/will raise up for them from the midst of their brothers like you,
and I will give/set my words in his mouth,
and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him,
(19) and then, the man who doesn't listen to my words that he has spoken in my name, I shall hold him accountable.
(20) However, the prophet who acts presumptuously by speaking a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, and that he speaks in the name of other elohim/gods, that prophet shall die,
(21) and if you say in your hearts,
"How can we know the word that Yahweh hasn't spoken to him--
what the prophet is saying in the name of Yahweh, the thing shall not happen, and it shall not come.
That is the thing that Yahweh hasn't spoken to him.
In presumptuousness the prophet has spoken it.
Don't be afraid of him.
Throughout Israelite history, there was only ever one Moses. No one rose up after Moses who was like him. None of the great prophets of the OT were his equal.
But God is a promise-keeper. If God said he would raise up another prophet like Moses, then that's what He would someday do. And every Judean at the time of Christ, looked forward to the day when God would raise up the prophet from their midst. Some wondered if John the Baptist was that prophet (John 1:21), but he wasn't.
In today's passage, Jesus will show himself to be the prophet. He is more than this, for sure. But Jesus is this.
In verses 1-4, AJ creates a picture for you to visualize. If this was Sunday school, this would be the background flannel board, that everything else happens against:
(1) After these things, Jesus departed to the other side of the sea of Galilee, of Tiberias.
(2) Now, a large crowd was following him,
because they were observing the signs that he was doing on the sick/weak.
(3) Now, he went up toward the mountain-- Jesus--,
and there he sat with his disciples.
(4) Now, the Passover was near-- the feast of the Judeans.
By the time we are done reading these first four verses, we are supposed to find ourselves thinking about the Exodus. We hear three echoes of it-- (1) the Passover, when the angel "passed over" the Israelites' houses-- because they had the blood of a lamb on their door-- and spared their firstborns; (2) we have "the" mountain, which makes us think about Mt. Sinai; (3) and we have huge crowds following a single man.
Continuing, in verse 4:
Then, lifting his eyes-- Jesus-- , and seeing that a large crowd is coming toward him, he says to Philip,
"From where shall we buy bread/loaves,
in order that these ones shall eat?"
Jesus wants to feed the people. And so he asks the question, "From where shall we buy bread from?"
What's interesting about this, is that Jesus is echoing a question Moses asked. Let's turn to Numbers 11:13 (H/T Francis Moloney):
"From where is there for me, meat to give to all this people,
because they are weeping before me, saying,
"Give to us meat, so that we can eat."
Jesus sounds like Moses, almost exactly.
Turning back to John 6:6:
(6) Now, this he was saying,
testing him.
For he knew what he was about to do.
Jesus, unlike Moses, has a solution to this problem. And Jesus' question, unlike Moses', is rhetorical-- it's designed to test his disciples' faith. Jesus wants to know if his disciples have progressed in their understanding of who Jesus is, and what is able to do. [And throughout the Bible, whenever God wants to know something like this, He finds out through testing.]
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Whitacre, John, pg. 144: "God's children continue to be tested in this same way today. We who have the benefit of the revelation of the New Testament and the witness of the Spirit still find ourselves in situations that challenge us to think and act in keeping with our recognition of God as the ultimate reality in every situation, even situations of great fear or grief . . . Such testing is not comfortable, but it is part of God's graciousness, for it achieves a deepening of our faith by revealing our own weakness and God's all-sufficiency."
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Verses 7-8:
(7) Philip replied to him,
"Two hundred denarii of bread/loaves isn't enough for them,
in order that each one, a little something, would receive.
(8) One of his disciples says to him-- Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter--
"A boy is here, who has five bread/loaves of barley and two fish,
but these, what are they for so many people?
Philip and Andrew both hear Jesus' question about "from where" they can buy bread, and all they can think about is "how" (H/T Rodney Whitacre). They both approach this problem from a lower, earthly, human level. They think in terms of limits, and of "reality." And they do this, despite following Jesus from the beginning. They've seen Jesus turn water into a vast quantity of wine. They've seen Jesus do great signs for the sick and weak. And they've heard Jesus say that he has a source of bread that they don't know about (John 4:32).
Like the disciples, we've been following Jesus since the beginning of the gospel. And, possibly, you find yourself thinking unkind thoughts about the disciples here. You hear their words, and you shake your head, and you think, "How could they view this situation from a lower, earthly, human level? How can they conclude that this is hopeless? Where is their faith, that Jesus can do great things?
But the truth is, that all of us have limits on our faith. We look at some situations, and we think, "This is too big. It's too hard. It's too much." A family friend of ours is missing half of one leg. It's a birth defect of some type, I think. And I look at her, and I think, God could heal her. There is power in the name of Jesus, for her healing.
It's one thing to know that, intellectually. It's another to have the faith to risk our friendship with that family, and ask if I could pray for her. And to have the kind of faith, that God will answer. And I'm not sure that I have that kind of faith.
There's a dog on my route that's missing a leg. It's a nice puppy, that chased a car on the county road and caught it. And one day when I was at that house, I thought, maybe I can try to do a test run on the dog. I know that God cares about dogs. I know that He's very good at healing dogs who are injured by big cars. But there are limits to my faith. And that dog still has three legs. [Although I do check, every time I'm there. Sometimes healings come slower than we expect, and I've thought about how cool it'd be to smile at the homeowner one day, and ask, "Didn't your dog used to have three legs?"]
The disciples, at this point in the gospel, know that Jesus can do signs and wonders. They know he can heal the sick-- that Jesus gives life. If you came to the disciples with a fever, or a broken leg, or covid, they'd bring you straight to Jesus, and say, "Here is one who can help you."
But all they can see is 5,000 people, and 5 loaves of bread. The gap is too much. And so they fail the test. They find themselves in a situation, where they are scraping the upper limits of their faith. And they can't make that final hurdle. But let's not criticize them, or think nasty things about them. Let's read their words, as though they all too often our words. And let's read their words, as a challenge to us. Understand that the limitations for healings, and signs, and wonders, are on our end-- not Jesus.'
And so, with the disciples' words, our scene is set. Maybe we will again see heaven opened, and angels ascending with Jesus' prayer, and descending toward Jesus with help (John 1:51).
Verse 10:
(10) Jesus said,
"Make the people lie down."
Now, there was a lot of grass in the place.
Then, the people lied down, roughly 5,000 in number.
If you read verse 10, and think about it for long enough, you may eventually find yourself thinking about a psalm (Psalm 23).
Yahweh, My Shepherd is;
I shall not lack.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me toward waters of rest;
He restores my soul.
Jesus here, is about to do what He sees his Father in heaven do-- he leads people to a place where they can rest, and eat, and drink, and be restored. [And I think this is a deliberate echo-- why else would the grass be talked about?].
(11) Then, Jesus received the bread/loaves,
and, giving thanks, he distributed it to the ones lying down-- likewise also from the fish, as much as they desired.
(12) Now, when they were filled/satisfied, he says to his disciples,
"Gather the remaining fragments,
in order that not one is lost/perishes.
When Jesus is your shepherd, you shall not lack. There is a filling, and abundance, to what Jesus offers.
And when you come to Jesus, the only question is, how full do you want to be? How much life do you want? If you want spiritual life, Jesus can give you that. If you want physical life, Jesus can give you that as well.
So I can read the first part of verse 12, and it makes sense to me. I know that there is a higher level of meaning here that I'm supposed to look for. And Jesus satisfying the crowd's hunger, is like him satisfying the thirst of the Samaritans. Jesus can give you all that you want. The bread Jesus offers, isn't the kind that leaves you hungry and unsatisfied an hour later.
But why does Jesus command the disciples to gather the remaining fragments?
Let's add on verse 13:
(13) Then, they gathered,
and they filled twelve baskets of pieces from the five loaves/breads of barley,
which abounded by the ones having eaten.
When Moses fed the people in the wilderness, he commanded the people NOT to store the leftovers. Every day, manna fell from the heavens. Every day, the people understood that they live because God provides for them.
And every day, they had to walk in faith, trusting that the God who provided for them today, will provide for them tomorrow. And if they struggled with that, and sought security in manna left over from the day before, it turned to maggots (Exodus 16:20). So you learn, pretty quickly, that God is good, and that God will give you today, the bread you need for today.
But in this story, Jesus, unlike Moses, commanded that his bread be stored. It must not be lost, or perish.
Why?
Everyone reading this, understands that there's a reason for this. Jesus isn't just being thrifty. He's not like a parent, telling his children they need to clean their plates, or it will end up being stored for breakfast (although Jewish rabbis apparently stressed the importance of cleaning your plate, and not being wasteful; cf. Moloney).
When Jesus commands this, and his disciples obey him, there is a higher level of meaning here. And we are supposed to read into the passage, and reach for that higher level. Some of you maybe won't be convinced by my explanation, which is fine. But I think the higher level of meaning, goes something like this:
The manna Moses offered is gone forever. When the people reached the promised land, the manna ceased (Joshua 5:12). Moses can't provide for you any longer. His days of giving you life are done.
But Jesus' bread is still available. Jesus made sure that his disciples stored his bread, so that it's available for them later. [And it's only the bread that's important here-- the fish have dropped out completely.]
If this bread is still available, how do we receive it? Again, you may disagree, but I think the answer is in the Eucharist-- the Lord's Supper. We "receive" the bread that Jesus offers, and "give thanks," and "eat." Every time we celebrate the Lord's supper, those are the three verbs we do. We praise God for the bread Jesus offers.
Verse 14:
(14) Then, the people, seeing what sign he did, were saying that this one is truly the prophet-- the one coming into the world."
At this point, the people realize that Jesus has done a sign. He has revealed himself to be one "like Moses." He is the prophet that Moses promised. And in realizing this, they do well here. They have seen the sign, and taken a step of faith toward Jesus. But there is a problem here. Something is off.
Verse 15:
(15) Then, Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him in order that they would make him king, withdrew again to the mountain-- he alone.
Jesus is the prophet-king. But he is more than this. And it's the "more than this" that leads Jesus to withdraw. The crowd wants to glorify Jesus, and lift him up, and make him king. And we will see, eventually, that Jesus will be lifted up, and exalted as king. But it won't be like this, through a raw demonstration of power. Jesus will be lifted up in a different way (John 3:14). Jesus is the lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He will be lifted up on the cross. And this will happen on God's timing, when it's God's will. Not now.
So we see the crowds here partially understanding who Jesus is. If you put their understanding into words, it sounds almost right. But when you put their understanding into action, it's dangerous, and fatally flawed. And Jesus will have no part in that.
So now we know, at least at this point in the story, who the crowds think Jesus is. Jesus is the prophet-king who is "like" Moses. And, in some ways, Jesus is like Moses. Like Moses, Jesus finds himself on "the" mountain with the people. Like Moses, Jesus gives the people bread to eat in the wilderness.
Now, if Jesus is "like" Moses, is he equal to Moses? Is he slightly less than Moses-- like a poor imitation?
Let's keep reading. Our Bibles all have a new heading here, and white space, but what follows is closely connected. Verse 16-18:
(16) Now, when it became evening, his disciples went down to the sea,
and, getting into the boat, they were going to the other side of the sea to Capernaum,
and dark already it had become,
and not yet Jesus had come toward them,
and the sea, because a strong wind is blowing, is stirring up--
(19) then, having rowed about three or four miles, they see Jesus,
walking upon the sea,
and near to the boat coming,
and they feared.
(20) Now, he says to them,
"I am.
Don't fear."
(21) Then, they were wanting to receive him into the boat,
and immediately, the boat came to the land to which they were going.
Jesus walks on the sea-- rough water, for three or four miles. How is this possible? Who can do that? The Sea, throughout the Bible, is a place of evil, and of chaos. In Genesis 1, God created the world out of this chaos. In Genesis 6-8, at the time of Noah, God returned the world to chaos. The Sea is an enemy to God, and to people.
Let's read from Job 38:1-18, to get a feel for this (ESV for now at least). For 35 chapters, Job has been challenging God, demanding an explanation for why his life has been ruined. Here, finally, God speaks in response:
38 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
9 when I made clouds its garment
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed limits for it
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be shaken out of it?
14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
15 From the wicked their light is withheld,
and their uplifted arm is broken.
16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
God asks Job, have you showed your mastery over the Sea? Did you put limits on it, so it could only go so far? Have you walked on the Sea? And we know, the answer is "no." Walking on the sea, and controlling the Sea, is something that only God can do.
Except, there's a wrinkle here. What about the exodus? What about Moses?
Let's turn to Exodus 14:10-22:
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
15 The LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Who, here, shows mastery over the Sea? In verse 15, Moses cries out to God for help, and God asks, "Why are you crying out to me? Raise your staff, and split it." Then, in verse 21, which describes the actual action, Moses stretches out his hand, and God splits it.
So, is it Moses who had power over the Sea? Or God? Or both? It's a little complicated, maybe. God gave Moses authority, and power, to do that. And when Moses acted in faith, God split the Sea.
When we read about Jesus walking on the water, we are supposed to read it with these OT echoes in the background. Jesus is the prophet like Moses, who has control over the Sea. But what Jesus does, in walking upon the Sea, is different. God is the only one who walks on the Sea.
Let's reread John 6:20:
(20) Now, he says to them,
"I am.
Don't fear."
Jesus says to his disciples, "I am." When Jesus says "I am," he is calling himself God. The name by which God is known in the OT is "I am." And Jesus demonstrates his nature to his disciples by walking on the Sea. Jesus is doing God things, and calls himself God.
So who is Jesus? The crowds have come to believe that Jesus is the promised prophet-king, the one like Moses. But Jesus is more than this. Jesus is a different king of king. And Jesus is God.
With this, we come to verse 21. And we are supposed to read into this verse a little:
(21) Then, they were wanting to receive him into the boat,
and immediately, the boat came to the land to which they were going.
After Jesus reveals himself to his disciples, they want to "receive" him into the boat. Why is this detail important? Why would AJ include this? We are supposed to hear an echo of John 1:12 here:
"Now, as many as received him, he gave to them authority, children of God to become."
"Receiving Jesus" is discipleship language. It (apparently? Is this where John 1:12 gets sort of explained?) means accepting that Jesus is who he says he is, and receiving him as he truly is.
So at this point in John 6, we've seen two very different responses to Jesus' self-revelation. When Jesus reveals himself to the crowd, they only partially understand who Jesus is. They think he is the prophet "like" Moses. They try to seize him and make him king. And Jesus will have no part in that. Jesus is "like" Moses, but not only partially. And not in the way they expect and demand. What Jesus does, in response, is withdraw from them.
In contrast, when Jesus reveals himself to his disciples, they overcome their fear, and they "receive" him. And when they do this, they become God's children.
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Technically, we are supposed to read all of chapter 6 at once. All of it works together to make one big point: Jesus is superior to Moses.
In many ways, at this point, they seem similar. And maybe even, possibly, equals. Jesus and Moses both find themselves on "the" mountain. They both give bread to the people. They both show their power over the Sea. Looking at Jesus, he is "like" Moses. Moses is the obvious point of comparison, especially since Moses promised the people that God would send another prophet after him, like him (Deuteronomy 18:18).
Now, whenever you find yourself comparing two things, or two people, you find yourself trying to decide, which is more important. Here's Jesus, and here's Moses. Out of these two, who is more important? Maybe, this sounds like a stupid question-- like the kind of question you get asked sometimes in church, that no one wants to answer. It's too obvious.
But in the first century, that's THE question. Christians claimed that Jesus is superior to Moses, and that Jesus offered a greater grace, in place of the Mosaic grace (John 1:16).
Judeans would maybe willing to say that Jesus is like Moses, in some ways. They will grant you that. But to say that Jesus is greater than Moses, is claiming too much. That's a giant stumbling block.
As Christians, you want to say, and believe, that Jesus is superior to Moses. You want to say that Jesus offers you a better grace, in place of the grace through Moses (John 1:16). But how do you know that?
Our passage today doesn't completely answer this question, of who is more important. But this is the question to keep in mind, as we continue next week... Is Jesus superior to Moses? Are we right? Or are we Christians making a terrible mistake?
Translation:
(1) After these things, Jesus departed to the other side of the sea of Galilee, of Tiberias.
(2) Now, a large crowd was following him,
because they were observing the signs that he was doing on the sick/weak.
(3) Now, he went up toward the mountain-- Jesus--,
and there he sat with his disciples.
(4) Now, the Passover was near-- the feast of the Judeans.
Then, lifting his eyes-- Jesus--, and seeing that a large crowd is coming toward him, he says to Philip,
"From where shall we buy bread/loaves,
in order that these ones shall eat?"
(6) Now, this he was saying,
testing him.
For he knew what he was about to do.
(7) Philip replied to him,
"Two hundred denarii of bread/loaves isn't enough for them,
in order that each one, a little something, would receive.
(8) One of his disciples says to him-- Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter--
"A boy is here, who has five bread/loaves of barley and two fish,
but these, what are they for so many people?
(10) Jesus said,
"Make the people lie down."
Now, there was a lot of grass in the place.
Then, the men lied down, roughly 5,000 in number.
(11) Then, Jesus received the bread/loaves,
and, giving thanks, he distributed it to the ones lying down-- likewise also from the fish, as much as they desired.
(12) Now, when they were filled/satisfied, he says to his disciples,
"Gather the remaining fragments,
in order that not one is lost/perishes.
(13) Then, they gathered,
and they filled twelve baskets of pieces from the five loaves/breads of barley,
which abounded by the ones having eaten.
(14) Then, the people, seeing what sign he did, were saying that this one is truly the prophet-- the one coming into the world."
(15) Then, Jesus, knowing that they were about to come and seize him in order that they would make him king, withdrew again to the mountain-- he alone.
(16) Now, when it became evening, his disciples went down to the sea,
and, getting into the boat, were going to the other side of the sea to Capernaum,
and dark already it had become,
and not yet Jesus had come toward them,
and the sea, because a strong wind is blowing, is stirring up--
(19) then, having rowed about three or four miles, they see Jesus,
walking upon the sea,
and near to the boat coming,
and they were afraid.
(20) Now, he says to them,
"I am.
Don't be afraid."
(21) Then, they were wanting to receive him into the boat,
and immediately, the boat came to the land to which they were going.
