John 6:1-21 (NRSV)
After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the
John 6:1-15 shows Jesus at the Passover and the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves. The story raises an interesting question. For what are we hungry? Many of the things with which our society feeds us encourage us to think that our hungers are primarily economic and psychological. Even there, many of the “solutions” seem like learning the tricks of the trade. We learn enough that might get us through most of the everyday challenges of life. We become satisfied with the crumbs our society offers. However, God has not left us without a witness, for God has created us in the image of God. We will have that nagging suspicion that something more is “out there.” We know we cannot give it to ourselves. We cannot stir up the resources from within. Rather, we must turn our gaze outward, toward God, if we are to find genuine satisfaction.
1After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a familiar geographical location, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. John identifies the desire for miracles as the motive of their presence, similar to the concerns of the synoptics. A “sign”[1] signifies the character of Jesus. However, the crowd will fail to understand the true purpose of the sign they behold this day. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. In the accounts of the feeding of Matthew 14:14 and Luke 9:11, Jesus sees the crowds, has pity on them, and heals the sick. In fact, what is most missing from John's version of this feeding miracle is any reference to Jesus' compassion for the crowd or any direct mention of the crowd's plight (they are hungry, far away from any town, etc.). John omits any mention of Jesus' emotional reasons for performing this miracle. The focus is not on the crowd but on the disciples and their attempt to deal with the situation facing them and their master. Jesus seems to withdraw from the crowds by going to the mountain. Divine and human conversations occur on the mountains in the Bible. Since this story will focus upon the provision of bread, John is inviting us to think of another occasion when the people needed bread, and God provided through Moses. His seated posture may indicate that he intends to engage in instruction. Thus, unlike the synoptics, John now records a dialogue between Jesus and his disciple, further emphasizing the heuristic or teaching "feel" John gives this scene. Jesus views this as a teachable moment with the disciples. In Jewish tradition, the great rabbis sat to teach their disciples. By gathering his disciples together and then sitting down in their midst, Jesus is in effect calling his class to order. 4 Now, the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. The synoptics imply the Passover setting, but John makes it explicit. The temporal reference clarifies the relationship between the miracle and the Lord’s Supper. The monologue by Jesus about bread from heaven in 6:26-65 will make this identification clear.[2] 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” In contrast to the synoptics, Philip and Andrew will play a significant role. Christians in Asia Minor revered these disciples. The question is unique to John.[3] 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Jesus asks a question of Philip, not out of any sense of loss of what to do, but to teach Philip and the rest of the disciples a lesson. Jesus had a plan in mind. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” The correct answer to Jesus’ test would have been some sort of expression of trust in Jesus’ ability to address the problem. Instead, Philip points to the significant cash outlay it would take (200 denarii, the equivalent of a day’s wage for 200 laborers) to feed such a crowd (6:7), a detail that is found in Mark’s account (6:37) but not in Matthew or Luke. 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy (not present in synoptics) here who has five barley (not identified as such in the synoptics) loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Andrew shows a bit more initiative by finding a child who has a morsel of food to share, but he dismisses his own efforts as futile. At this point, Jesus the teacher takes full charge of the classroom. 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down (ἀναπεσεῖν, to recline, as at the Last Supper in 13:23, 25).” Now, there was a great deal of grass in the place, so they sat down, about five thousand in all. The account of the miracle is in one verse. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves (as he did at the Lord’s Supper), and when he had given thanks (as he did at the Lord’s Supper), he distributed them (as he did at the Lord’s Supper) to those who were seated (ἀνακειμένοις, to those reclining); so also the fish, as much as they wanted. The synoptics also generally relate this miracle to the Eucharist. In fact, if one reads the whole account in John 6, one can see that John has related this miracle in such a deep way to the Last Supper that he was comfortable substituting the washing of the feet of the disciples as the sacramental act rather than the words of institution at the meal.[4] John now attends to the "cleaning up" that follows ‑‑ again under Jesus' strict supervision. Time given to such collecting of leftovers was a traditional Jewish custom. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. These leftovers are consequential "fragments." They signify the true abundance of Jesus' provisions and God's providence. Another part of the teachable moment is that the disciples physically experience the superabundance of the gift of bread Jesus offers this day. The surplus will remain with the crowd after Jesus departs. Clearly, this message of an abiding presence, one that cannot be lost for those who remain faithful, is a critical lesson for the disciples.[5] 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”Moses is a likely candidate to this reference, as suggested by the concluding discussion regarding bread from heaven later in the chapter.[6] Thus, the crowd has a response to the sign they have witnessed. 15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. John provides a reason for Jesus' dismissal of the crowd. Though they want to make him king, the next day they doubt him. The political focus here is consistent with Mark 6. Drawing large crowds could be reason for Herod to be suspicious. Here it is clear that the people have misunderstood the sign. Rather than responding to the sign by listening to Jesus in obedience and understanding the nature and purpose of his mission as he himself articulates it, the crowd instead falls back on the assumption that Jesus has positioned himself as the earthly messianic king who could lead Israel to military victory over its overlords and enemies. Jesus, however, rejects this commonly held vision of messiahship, holding out until the end that his kingdom is “not from this world” (18:36). We have another example of the misunderstanding the people have and the attempt of Jesus to bring people to deeper and higher perception of who Jesus is.
John discloses the motives of the crowd. Preachers would like to think that the crowds come to Jesus because they have a concern for truth. Yet, the crowds as described by John are a lot like us. We can also come to Jesus and the church and ask something like this. Will it work for me?[7] Frankly, many of us today prefer entertainment, even if the specific activity is school, work, or sports. We need settings in which the point is not just to get attention. Such a mentality can undercut our ability to grow morally, intellectually, or spiritually. We really need settings where we can learn, evaluate, and assess. We need content-centered settings.[8] Thus, finding a need and filling it is an important bit of wisdom that can help us discover our unique gifts and passions. It can get us out of ourselves and considering the needs of others. At the same time, we need to be careful. Sometimes, the perception of the crowd of what it needs is misguided. They may not perceive their true need. Thus, we cannot appeal to selfish perceptions of what others think they need and end up with unselfish disciples.[9] Along with finding a need and filling it, we need to ask what makes us come alive, and then, go and do it. What the world needs are people who have come alive.[10]
Is Jesus merely a “buffet of blessing”? When studying this story, it is tempting to use it as an excuse to paint an attractive but dangerously inaccurate picture of Jesus. The temptation is to see Jesus in the same way the crowd seemed to do. He can do miracles, healings, and feed my stomach. Let us make him king. He has the power. We are his fans. He is our short order Savior, a nonstop buffet of blessing, here to quench our earthly craving.
I think I would like to make a connection of this passage with another powerful part of the story of Jesus. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, Satan tempted him in the wilderness. Satan met Jesus and offered him this world and heaven too. "Make stones into bread," said Satan. Jesus refused, not because bread is bad, but because we have another craving, a craving only God can address.
If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that many of us first approach Jesus with this attitude. We have concerns for things such as financial security, physical well-being and peaceful relationships. We enlist the help of pop-psychology (Dr. Phil and Oprah come to mind), we try the secrets to satisfaction touted on magazine covers and we devour the latest self-help tome, hoping it will provide the healing we hunger for. In a comparable way that we shop for food, we shop for meaning, purpose, and fulfillment. We think the solution is “out there.” We load up the cart with a picture-perfect family, a nice retirement, and a long, healthy life. We might even make our way to Jesus. We throw him into the cart. We anoint him as the means to fulfill our shallow, earthly ends. In the process, even Jesus becomes just another ingredient in a game we play where the goal is simply to get what we want. This journey is unfulfilling. Yet, many people have discovered that the search for temporal deliverance is an empty well. As Bono and U2 put it:
“I have climbed highest mountain,
I have run through the fields …
I have run, I have crawled,
I have scaled these city walls. …
But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
I suggest to you that Jesus came to become the food we need. Jesus knew the danger the crowd presented to him. In distinguishing himself from the crowd, Jesus has shown us the way as well. Be who you are before God, and not what the crowd wants you to be. In any case, the danger he faced forced him to retreat until the mass made its way home. What Jesus knew was that while the people marveled at his miracles, they misunderstood the message. Jesus did not come to help people get what they want. No, he came to be what we need. He did not come to be a sort of “short-order savior,” there simply to crank out whatever it is that would satisfy our earthly needs. He came to be the food upon which we feast. This, in fact, summarizes the message of this lengthy chapter.
The problem we may well have with the church and with gospel is this. We come, weighted down with a burden, thinking we know what our problem is. Yet, the message of the gospel is that we are sinners. In a sense, the burden may need to become heavier, before it can become lighter.
When we fill ourselves with Jesus, and we receive what we need, other cravings begin to lessen. We can now begin seeing our lives from the light of eternity.
I offer a prayer for your consideration. O God, we are hungry, but not always for the right things. We are hungry for attention. We are hungry for recognition. We are hungry for vengeance. We are hungry for love. We are hungry for experiences. We are hungry for life. In fact, we who gather here have so many needs. Some of us are sick. Some of us have tough decisions to make, and we need help making them. We see the struggle in our families, and we need help. Our needs, our hungers today, are so many. Yet, are we hungry for you? We have one great need, and that is, to be near to you, and thereby to know your will and to love as we ought. Great God of heaven feed us with the bread of life. Teach us to hunger for you. Do we hunger and thirst for your righteousness? Do we hunger for your presence? Do we hunger for your glory? Will we take you at your Word? O Great God, reveal yourself to us. Feed us with your bread of life and teach us to hunger for you. Amen.
John 6:16-21 continues the setting of Jesus at Passover, this time the miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee. When the tests and trials of life come, we need to know that what sustains our hope, faith, joy, and love is something strong.
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 However, he said to them, “It is I (Ἐγώ εἰμι); do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The point of this story is that the Lord triumphs over the forces of chaos and death, analogous to Old Testament statements about God. It emphasizes the protecting presence of Jesus, rescue from distress, and reaching the goal. The focus is divine majesty in Ἐγώ εἰμι, the theme of the gospel. Jesus is more than a king or prophet, but one experienced in the divine name. We might better understand this scene as an epiphany scene.
[1] The crowds saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. A “sign” is the particular way in which the author of the Fourth Gospel refers to the miracles of Jesus. For instance, the changing of water into wine at Cana is called a sign (2:11), as is Jesus’ healing of the official’s son (4:54). These signs are more than mere miracles; in the context of the first 12 chapters of the gospel, it is clear that John intends to point beyond themselves and “signify” something about Jesus’ character. More specifically, the purpose of a sign is to induce faith in the one who witnesses it. Thus in 12:37 the evangelist laments that although the people had seen Jesus perform “so many signs,” they had failed to believe in him. As is apparent from 6:26, the crowd on hand for the “sign” represented by the feeding of the five thousand (6:14) will also ultimately fail to understand the true purpose of the sign they have beheld.
[2] In fact, in John we do not find an account of the Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples (in its place is the foot-washing episode in 13:1-17). This omission has led many interpreters, ancient and modern, to believe that the author intended the feeding of the five thousand in 6:1-15 and Jesus’ long monologue about the bread from heaven in 6:26-65 as a substitute for the traditional account of the Last Supper. The reference to the Passover alerts us to the following events that will connect with the meaning of the death of Jesus.
[3] In the synoptics, Jesus responds to the disciples’ concerns about the masses of hungry people by charging them to give the people “something to eat” (Matthew 14:15-16; Mark 6:35-37; Luke 9:12-13).
[4] This vocabulary very clearly will be echoed by the words of Jesus at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:26; Mark 14:22; Luke 22:19) which were retained in the early church’s liturgy of the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-24). It is noted the fish was distributed in the same way.
[5] (For more on this, see L. Th. Witkamp, "Some Specific Johannine Features in John 6:1‑21," Journal for the Study of the New Testament 40 [1990], 43‑59.
[6] As Jesus and the people argue about the meaning of “the bread from heaven” later in this same chapter, Jesus draws a number of comparisons between himself and Moses (6:30 ff.; for other references to Jesus as a “prophet” in John, see 1:21, 4:19, 7:40, and 9:17).
[7] The great theologian, Karl Barth, said people come to church asking, "Is it true?" Tom Long, fellow writer for Pulpit Resource, feels that today, most people in the pew are simply asking themselves, "Will it work for me?"
[8] William Kilpatrick, Why Johnny Can't Tell Right from Wrong - Moral Illiteracy and the Case for Character Education [New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992].)
[9] I heard William Sloane Coffin say that he did not know how you attracted people to the gospel by appealing to their essentially selfish needs and then ended up offering them the unselfish gospel of Jesus.
[10] Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” —Howard Thurman.
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