John 6 Pt. 1

Feeding the Five Thousand
v1-15

At this point there is a large crowd that is following Jesus.  Jesus feeds this crowd of five thousand people using the five loaves and the two fish of a young boy.  This is no small task since we read that it would've costed two hundred denarii to buy enough bread for everyone to only eat a little.  Jesus wasn't rich, so he certainly didn't have the money to buy all that bread.  What he did was certainly a miracle that no ordinary person could perform.

Crowd Reaction
v14-25

When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

John 6:14-15

Initially, the crowd is amazed and say great things about him.  In fact, they are so amazed that they want to make Jesus king.  This is not what Jesus wants, so he manages to get away by himself.  What's more is that it seems like Jesus goes out of his way to further dodge the crowd.  The Disciples go across the sea in a boat without Jesus, but then Jesus walks on water and catches up with them.  So Jesus makes the crowd think that he's still on one side of the sea without a way to cross but ends up on the other side somehow.  As a result, the crowd was fooled.

The crowd can't seem to find Jesus whom they so desperately want to find.  So, they decide to cross the sea and they finally catch up with Jesus.  My question is this: if Jesus knew that they'd find him in the end, why did he bother trying to dodge the crowd?  What was the purpose of that whole ordeal?  Couldn't have Jesus just skipped that and jumped straight into what he was going to say next?  Perhaps this was to show their desire to seek Jesus even after he had been evading them.

The Wrong Reason
v26

The crowd obviously really wants to find Jesus and so they finally do find him.  This begs the question: "why?"  If you remember from the beginning of the chapter, we read why they are following Jesus.

And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.

John 6:2

They were following him because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.  However, it seems as though there has been a change in their reasons for seeking Jesus.  Jesus plainly gives an answer.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

John 6:26

They didn't care about the signs.  Instead, they cared about the food.  They only cared that Jesus could feed them.  Sure, feeding people is certainly a good thing.  They might even be commended if they wanted Jesus to solve world hunger.  However, they totally missed the point and were only thinking with their stomach.

The Work of God
v27-29

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

John 6:27-29

Okay, if the crowd got it wrong, what should they be doing instead?  Well, they should "work for food that endures to eternal life" and not for "food that perishes".  They were only caring about filling their stomachs when they should've sought eternal things.  The satisfaction from eating the bread wouldn't last because eventually they would get hungry again.  Though they should care about eating because that's a basic necessity of life, they should care more about food that would endure to eternal life.

The crowd even asks Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”  Jesus simply tells them that they need to believe in him.  Jesus is the answer and Jesus is the key.  He is the one in whom they should put their hope in, not the physical food that fed five thousand.

Conclusion

Jesus is the answer.  Jesus in the one in whom you should believe.  Unfortunately, the crowd was interested in Jesus for the wrong reason and cared only for filling their stomachs. In the same way, we should beware of seeking Jesus for the wrong reasons and simply believe in him.

John 5:30-47

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.  If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true.  There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.  You sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth.  Not that the testimony that I receive is from man, but I say these things so that you may be saved.  He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.  But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me.  And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen,  and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.  You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,  yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.  I do not receive glory from people.  But I know that you do not have the love of God within you.  I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If another comes in his own name, you will receive him.  How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?  Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope.  For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”

John 5;30-47

Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath, which upset the Jews.  What was more upsetting than that was the fact that Jesus called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.  Jesus provides three testimonies to back up his claims: John the Baptist, works and the Father himself.  However, the main thrust of this passage is the judgment that Jesus lays down on the Jews.

Judgment is the focus because Jesus begins the passage in verse 30 by telling them that he judges based on what he hears from God the Father.  More importantly, Jesus explains that this judgment is just because he is carrying out God's will and not his own.  We can also see the setup to this when we look back at verses 19 to 29 where Jesus tells them that he has authority to judge.  And so, Jesus begins his judgment.

Judgment 1: The Father
v37-38

Immediately following his description of the testimony of the Father, Jesus plainly tells the Jews that they do not know the Father.

And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent.

John 5:37-38

Jesus tells them that they don't know or have never experienced the Father.  They apparently have never heard him nor seen him nor have his word in them.  How is it that the Jews did not in fact know God?  The Jews prided themselves in their religiosity.  They devoted their lives to God, studying the Scriptures and keeping their religious practices.  They boasted in their spiritual heritage and in their nationality.  However, Jesus' words were harsh and offensive to these people.  Can you imagine devoting your life to someone or something only to have someone tell you that you were wrong all along?  What if after spending your entire life devoted to your spouse who you love, someone tells you that you really do not know them?  Or perhaps imagine if you worked as an electrician all your life and prided yourself in your work and someone told you that you don't know a single thing about being an electrician?  These people were met with a startling reality whether they chose to believe it or not.  Perhaps it was understandable the way they reacted, even if it was still wrong.

Whether it was hurtful or not, the question is: was it true?  Words don't mean anything unless there's something to back it up.  And so, Jesus gives them the reason why they actually didn't know the Father.  The reason is because they didn't believe the one he has sent.  The test is simple: if you really knew the Father, then you would believe his messenger.  Since they didn't believe Jesus, it was apparent that they actually didn't know the Father.

Judgment 2: The Scriptures
v39-40

The second judgment that Jesus gives is about The Scriptures.  Not only did the Jews not know the Father, but they actually didn't know The Scriptures.  These are the same writings that they spent so much time studying and memorizing.  How could someone spend their entire life studying something and still get it wrong?  Apparently, it can happen and did happen for these Jews.

Their first problem was that they thought that it was in The Scriptures that they could find/attain eternal life.  Unfortunately, this wasn't actually the case.  They thought that through their studying and obeying what it said that they could live forever.  This may seem ridiculous but this happens to all kinds of people.  Here's a simple test: ask someone whether or not they believe they are going to heaven.  Most people think that they are going to heaven.  When you ask them way, the most common response is that they are a "good person".  They may talk about their moral character or even their religious beliefs; however, they ultimately believe that their "goodness" is getting them to heaven.  Even people who are religious and even people who are confessing Christians may actually be acting like their good deeds merit their salvation.  However, all of this is completely wrong because no one is good (Romans 3:10-18, 23), and because salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (not by works) (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Many people live their lives in such a way that they think they're meriting salvation, but they actually have it all wrong.  The Jews were no different and they got The Scriptures wrong.

The second problem that the Jews had with The Scriptures was that they didn't understand that The Scriptures actually bear witness about Jesus.  The Jews spent so much of their time and energy to the study and obeying what they thought The Scriptures were saying.  However, studying The Scriptures and obeying what it says does not merit salvation and that wasn't it's purpose.  The Scriptures were meant to testify and point to Jesus, but the Jews missed that.  Since they missed the main point of The Scriptures, they obviously didn't know The Scriptures.  It's like someone who read all of the Harry Potter books and didn't know that Harry Potter was the main character (as ridiculous as that sounds).  Even with all of the energy that they had devoted to The Scriptures, the Jews totally missed it.

It may not be obvious, but there is a similar test that we can do to tell whether or not the Jews understood The Scriptures or not.  If they really understood the Scriptures, they would come to Jesus.  The Scriptures point to Jesus and so following The Scriptures should naturally lead someone to Jesus.  Can you imagine someone following a map to a desired location and totally missing it even when they're standing right in front of it?  The Scriptures point to Jesus and the Jews were staring right at Jesus and missed him entirely.

Judgment 3: Name
v41-44

Jesus came in his father's name but the Jews did not receive him.  However, the Jews would gladly receive  someone coming in their own name.  Why is it that one coming in the name of The Father is not received but one coming in his own name is received?  This is a serious contradiction coming from people who claim to be about the things of God.

This concerning behavior of the Jews is actually very telling, as Jesus puts it plainly in verse 44.

How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?

John 5:44

In fact, NLT puts it this way: "No wonder you can’t believe!"  Their actions actually show why they don't believe in Jesus.

Judgment 4: Moses
v45-47

Of the many characters in the Old Testament, there are a few that stand out above the rest.  Abraham was certainly an important character, regarded as the first patriarch of the Jewish people.  Adam was another, being the first man.  Moses is another one and he is highlighted here by Jesus.  Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament is the one who now does the accusing (or judging).

Moses is apparently one whom the Jews have set their hope on.  He was God's instrument for saving the Israelites out of slavery and God instructed him to write down the Ten Commandments.  Yet Jesus uses Moses to show them their error.  This same Moses on whom they have set their hope is the same one who actually wrote about Jesus.  Here is yet another reason why it is evident that the Jews do not believe in Jesus.  If they didn't believe what Moses wrote, how could they believe Jesus?  Actually, it goes the other way around.  The fact that they don't believe in Jesus shows that they actually don't believe what Moses wrote.  If you can imagine, what Jesus says is quite shocking to the Jews.  Whether they belive what Jesus said is a different story.

Conclusion

Though Jesus has laid down many reasons for the Jews to believe in him, they still did not.  As a result, Jesus laid down four judgments upon them because they did not believe in him.  The did not know The Father, they did not know the Scriptures, they did not accept one coming in the name of The Father and they did not believe Moses who wrote about Jesus.  Though it is true that these are four judgments, you could also see them as four barriers to belief in Jesus.  Do you believe in Jesus?  What is stopping you from believing in him?

Now before you boldly declare that do in fact believe in Jesus and are not like the Jews described here, you should stop and consider whether you truly are different from them.  Jesus tells them that they did not know The Father and did not know the Scriptures, but they would say otherwise.  They were deceived into thinking that they truly knew The Father and The Scriptures.  How do you know that you're not deceived?  How do you know that you didn't get Jesus wrong?  The Jews thought they knew what to look for when The Messiah was to come, but they totally missed it when Jesus came.  Examine yourself and make sure that you are not deceived.

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!

2 Corinthians 13:5