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After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filed twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world."Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
- John 6:1-15
In yesterday's reading, Jesus was still speaking to the temple authorities: "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He was the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light. But I have a greater witness than John's; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish -- the very works I do -- bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at anytime, nor seen His form. But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. I do not receive honor from men. But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you -- Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"
After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. My study bible says that this chapter of John (ch. 6) parallels the story of Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in many important ways. In this passage, the multitudes follow Christ because of His signs, and this too takes place at Passover.
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" My study bible says that Christ tests Philip to increase his faith, for Philip needed help in understanding Him (14:8-10). Two hundred denarii corresponds to over six months' wages for a laborer. It notes that Andrew has greater faith than Philip: "Knowing the prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (4 Kings 4:42-44), he offers the food brought by a certain lad. Nevertheless, Andrew is still weak in faith, questioning what a mere five loaves could do for the number of people there (v. 9)."
Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filed twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. My study bible says, "Though Jesus had performed greater signs than this, these crowds were so desirous of an earthly Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deut. 18:15-19) only when they were filled with earthly things (see v. 26). Because of this misunderstanding, Jesus departed from them."
Today's feeding of the multitude is the fourth sign in John's Gospel. Here, Jesus meets the wide public on a large scale. There is no way that talk of this specific miracle will not reach the ears of the "multitudes." Not only was it a miraculous kind of feeding, it was also a kind of largesse that people would wish for from kings, civil leaders. It tells us something about the nature of gifts, these signs that Jesus is giving in His ministry. There are two ways to take them; either we look at the feeding as a sign pointing beyond itself to God and the nature of God, and it increases our faith -- or we take the sign as a kind of material gain, something added to our books, and eagerly look for more, or how we can get more. In this case, making Jesus king seems to be the way to make certain this type of feeding remains a part of people's lives. But Jesus will have no part of it. Instead, He withdraws to the mountaintop, where He is again with the Father. One presumes that on that mountaintop alone He is in prayer, in consultation, if you will, with the Father regarding His mission and ministry. How do we look at signs and gifts in our lives? Jesus' whole ministry seems to fall on this particular turning point. Are the people after a kind of king who will provide them with miraculous food and things to eat? Or are they willing to follow Him in faith, in a kind of love and recognition sparked by the love of the Father? These are crucial questions that have a lot to do with our faith, and how we approach our lives. Do we have a sense of gratitude that elevates our understanding of life through recognition of what is beyond what we see? Or is what we see a kind of limited commodity, something for which we must grasp what we can, without our faith having anything to do with it? This sign speaks of God's love, God's abundance, God's life. But, as we'll find, it's not just about the "bread which perishes." Either people understand it one way, or they understand it the other way. But, seemingly, it is not possible for a purely material-minded perspective to understand what is beyond the sign, and the love that it points to -- nor the love that is in Christ. That perspective would teach that there is only one motive for Christ, too, and that would be to be made king. Can we understand His perspective, His withdrawal to that mountain top? His focus on mission is all about withdrawal from things that confuse His mission with purely power-driven concerns; instead He works in the name of a higher kind of power, one that works in love. But love demands from us a care for all that is good and true and beautiful. Love doesn't merely indulge our material desires, what we think we need. Love teaches us also about a different kind of bread, what other needs we have in a broader perspective. Can we receive that, too?
After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. My study bible says that this chapter of John (ch. 6) parallels the story of Passover and Exodus of Israel from Egypt in many important ways. In this passage, the multitudes follow Christ because of His signs, and this too takes place at Passover.
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?" My study bible says that Christ tests Philip to increase his faith, for Philip needed help in understanding Him (14:8-10). Two hundred denarii corresponds to over six months' wages for a laborer. It notes that Andrew has greater faith than Philip: "Knowing the prophet Elisha had multiplied bread for 100 men (4 Kings 4:42-44), he offers the food brought by a certain lad. Nevertheless, Andrew is still weak in faith, questioning what a mere five loaves could do for the number of people there (v. 9)."
Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filed twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. My study bible says, "Though Jesus had performed greater signs than this, these crowds were so desirous of an earthly Messiah that they declared Jesus to be the expected Prophet (Deut. 18:15-19) only when they were filled with earthly things (see v. 26). Because of this misunderstanding, Jesus departed from them."
Today's feeding of the multitude is the fourth sign in John's Gospel. Here, Jesus meets the wide public on a large scale. There is no way that talk of this specific miracle will not reach the ears of the "multitudes." Not only was it a miraculous kind of feeding, it was also a kind of largesse that people would wish for from kings, civil leaders. It tells us something about the nature of gifts, these signs that Jesus is giving in His ministry. There are two ways to take them; either we look at the feeding as a sign pointing beyond itself to God and the nature of God, and it increases our faith -- or we take the sign as a kind of material gain, something added to our books, and eagerly look for more, or how we can get more. In this case, making Jesus king seems to be the way to make certain this type of feeding remains a part of people's lives. But Jesus will have no part of it. Instead, He withdraws to the mountaintop, where He is again with the Father. One presumes that on that mountaintop alone He is in prayer, in consultation, if you will, with the Father regarding His mission and ministry. How do we look at signs and gifts in our lives? Jesus' whole ministry seems to fall on this particular turning point. Are the people after a kind of king who will provide them with miraculous food and things to eat? Or are they willing to follow Him in faith, in a kind of love and recognition sparked by the love of the Father? These are crucial questions that have a lot to do with our faith, and how we approach our lives. Do we have a sense of gratitude that elevates our understanding of life through recognition of what is beyond what we see? Or is what we see a kind of limited commodity, something for which we must grasp what we can, without our faith having anything to do with it? This sign speaks of God's love, God's abundance, God's life. But, as we'll find, it's not just about the "bread which perishes." Either people understand it one way, or they understand it the other way. But, seemingly, it is not possible for a purely material-minded perspective to understand what is beyond the sign, and the love that it points to -- nor the love that is in Christ. That perspective would teach that there is only one motive for Christ, too, and that would be to be made king. Can we understand His perspective, His withdrawal to that mountain top? His focus on mission is all about withdrawal from things that confuse His mission with purely power-driven concerns; instead He works in the name of a higher kind of power, one that works in love. But love demands from us a care for all that is good and true and beautiful. Love doesn't merely indulge our material desires, what we think we need. Love teaches us also about a different kind of bread, what other needs we have in a broader perspective. Can we receive that, too?
