The Gospel of John III

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Jesus as the Bread of Life

John 6:1-71

1.   THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND (John 6:1-15)

   1. The Compassion of Jesus for the Multitudes (John 6:1-5; Mark 6:32-34)

      1. Their location (John 6:1, 3)

         1. Over the sea of Galilee

            1. The sea of Tiberias

            2. The lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1)

         2. A desert place (Matthew 14:13)

         3. Up into a mountain (John 6:3)

      2. The multitude (John 6:2)

         1. Five thousand men plus women and children (Matthew 14:21)I.

         2. Seeking a miracle-worker (John 6:2)

         3. Weary (Mark 6:32-33)

         4. Hungry (Matthew 14:15)

         5. Lost (Mark 6:34) – “as sheep not having a shepherd”

      3. The time – near the time of the Passover (John 6:4)

      4. The compassion of Jesus and its power to move (John 6:5)

         1. Moved to pray (Matthew 9:36-38)

         2. Moved to heal (Matthew 14:14)

         3. Moved to teach (Mark 6:34)

         4. Moved to feed (Mark 8:2)

         5. Moved to raise the dead (Luke 7:12-15)

   2. The Conference of Jesus with His Disciples (John 6:6-9)

      1. He taught them their obligation to the multitude (John 6:5-6).

         1. Their debt (Romans 1:14-16)

         2. Their necessity (1Corinthians 9:16)

         3. Their enemy (2Corinthians 4:3-4)

         4. Note: The proving of Philip by Christ is a common practice of God with His people (Exodus 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:1-3; Deuteronomy 13:1-3; Hebrews 11:17)

      2. He taught them their true helplessness (John 6:7-9).

         1. Their need (John 6:7)

            1. More than 200 pennyworth of food

            2. The value of a penny (Matthew 20:1-2)

         2. Their resources (John 6:8-9)

            1. The lunch of a lad

            2. Five loaves and two fish

         3. Their incapability (John 6:9; John 15:5)

            1. His command (Luke 9:13)

            2. Their complaint (Luke 9:13)

      3. He taught them the sufficiency of the Lord – “he himself knew what he would do” (John 6:6).

         1. The source of our sufficiency (2Corinthians 3:1-5)

         2. The splendor of our sufficiency (2Corinthians 4:6-7)

         3. The supply of our sufficiency (2Corinthians 9:8)

   3. The Completion of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes (John 6:10-13)

      1. The work of the disciples (John 6:10)

         1. To seat the men in the grass

         2. To organize the people into companies and ranks (Mark 6:39-40; 1Corinthians 14:40); by hundreds and by fifties (see Exodus 18:21)

      2. The work of the Lord (John 6:11)

         1. He began with existing material (Exodus 4:2-4).

         2. He broke the bread (Luke 9:16).

         3. He distributed to the disciples (1Corinthians 15:3).

         4. The miracle of multiplication

            1. Old Testament illustration (Exodus 16:4, 14-15)

            2. Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 132:13-15)

      3. The further work of the disciples (John 6:12-13)

         1. To gather the fragments so that “nothing be lost”

         2. They filled twelve baskets – one for each of the disciples.

   4. The Confidence of the People in Christ (John 6:14-15)

      1. They recognized Him as that Prophet  (John 6:14).

         1. Old Testament teaching (Deuteronomy 18:15, 18)

         2. New Testament denial (John 1:21)

         3. New Testament fulfillment (Acts 3:20-22)

      2. They desired to make Him king (John 6:15).

         1. Ready to take Him by force

         2. He departed to a mountain alone.

2. THE CALMING OF THE STORM (John 6:16-21)

   1. The Strategy of the Lord (John 6:16-17)

      1. He sent the disciples across the sea (Matthew 14:22).

      2. He dismissed the multitudes (Matthew 14:23).

      3. He retired to a mountain (John6:15).

         1. Away from the multitudes (John 6:3; Mark 6:31-32)

         2. To spend some time alone (Matthew 14:23; Genesis 32:24)

         3. For the purpose of prayer (Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Proverbs 18:1)

   2. The Struggles of the Disciples (John 6:16-18)

      1. They had to go down (John 6:16; Psalm 107:23-31).

      2. They were in darkness (John 6:17; Matthew 14:25) – the fourth watch (3-6AM).

      3. They were in a storm (John 6:18-19).

         1. A great wind (John 6:18)

         2. Tossed with waves (Matthew 14:24)

         3. Three or four miles out from land (John 6:19); one furlong is about one-eighth of a mile.

      4. They toiled and struggled in vain (Mark 6:48).

         1. Against the wind (Mark 6:48)

         2. A type of the Spirit (John 3:8; Ezekiel 37:9, 14)

            1. Cannot be seen

            2. Presence can be felt

            3. Cannot be controlled by man

            4. Sent by God

            5. Has tremendous power

            6. Supplies our breath

            7. Necessary for life

   3. The Stilling of the Storm (John 6:19-21)

      1. The frightened disciples (John 6:19)

         1. Troubled by the storm

         2. Troubled by the appearance of Christ (Matthew 14:25-26)

            1. Walking on the water

            2. Supposed to be a spirit (compare Acts 12:13-15)

      2. The assuring Saviour (John 6:20)

         1. He calmed them by His words

         2. He assured them of His identity

      3. The received Christ (John 6:21)

         1. The wind ceased (Mark 6:51)

         2. The disciples responded.

            1. They wondered (Mark 6:51-52)

            2. They worshipped (Matthew 14:33)

         3. The ship landed (John 6:21)

   4. The Application of the Miracle

      1. Christ sends us on our journey of life

      2. Darkness and emptiness is all around us

      3. We sometimes travel through great storms

      4. We try to succeed by our own struggles

      5. Often we strive contrary to God’s Spirit

      6. Despite our efforts nothing is accomplished

      7. Yet Christ never takes His eyes off of us (Mark 6:47-48)

      8. He is always there when we need Him

      9. When we take Christ on board the storm ceases

      10. With Christ we will arrive where He wants us to be

3. SEEKING FOR THE SAVIOUR (John 6:22-32)

   1. Their Discovery (John 6:22-25)

      1. On the one side of the sea (John 6:22-23)

         1. No other boat except that of the disciples (John 6:22)

         2. No Jesus on the boat of the disciples (John 6:22)

         3. Only some boats from Tiberius (John 6:23); this note is given to take care of the comments that would have been made by the critics. John 6:22 states that there were no other boats save that taken by the disciples. John 6:24 states that the Jews went shipping (by boats) to Capernaum looking for Jesus. Where did the boats come from? John 6:23 tells us that after the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, boats had come from Tiberias. This provided the boats that took the people to Capernaum. This protects this passage from the false accusation of contradiction. It also demonstrates why we sometimes see contradictions where there are none.

      2. On the other side of the sea (John 6:24-25)

         1. No Jesus to be found on the original side of the sea (John 6:24)

         2. Ships taken to Capernaum to seek Jesus (John 6:24)

         3. Jesus discovered on this side of the sea (John 6:25)

         4. Jesus questioned concerning His coming to the other side (John 6:25)