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John Segment 8

All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Before beginning this study, I suggest you pray and ask God to guide you through this study. I also suggest that you do you own study of this material in order to ensure its accuracy.
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This chapter of John could be nicknamed the "Bread Chapter." Its 71 verses are devoted to the theme of spiritual bread. Jesus used this theme to teach how He was to fulfill the Old Testament theme of spiritual bread and manna from heaven

In the last chapter, Jesus was at the temple in Jerusalem. He had just healed the man at Bethesda. It is not certain how long "after these things" this event (the feeding of the 5000) took place. It was probably not immediately for it is implied that the healing at Bethesda took place at Pentecost, which is fifty days after Passover. The feeding of the 5000 probably took place at the next Passover because of what is stated in verse 4. That would make this miracle almost a year later than the healing at Bethesda.

There is another uncertainty about this verse. The words, "the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias" could literally read "the sea the Galilee the Tiberias", but is uncertain how to translate it. J.P. Green's literal translation renders it: "the sea of Galilee of Tiberias". It would seem that John meant to say that the sea of Galilee is also known as the sea of Tiberias. That is the current Arab name for the lake, Bahr Tabariyeh. It seems obvious that this is what John meant except when we read verse 23: "(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)" Since the city of Tiberias was nearby, it is possible that John meant that Jesus went across the Sea of Galilee to a location near Tiberias. It really matters not, but it is an interesting point. They indeed went across the sea of Galilee to a spot near the city of Tiberias.

Please don't miss this. The multitude followed Him not because they believed He was the Messiah, though no doubt many ddid, but because of the "miracles" he performed. There are two words rendered miracle. The unassociated Greek words are dunamis (1411) and semeion (4592). The actual word here is semeia (shmeia) from semeion (shmeion). Semeion is used most often to show a sing, mark, or token. This is a sign of Divine power and authority. It can be used as a sign or mark of identification, or the sign or token of demonic activity, or of the future. The Jews were looking for a temporal sign of earthly power to defeat their enemies. Their concept of Messiah was a conquering hero. The multitude followed Him to see the next sign He would perform. They were not willing to take up their cross and follow Him. They were only interested in the signs. We can see that from verses 53-60 of this very chapter.

The words for "great multitude" are ochlos (3793) polus (4183) (ocloV poluV). Polus simply means a large amount. Ochlos is a word for multitude that means a multitude of common people as opposed to the leaders, the rich, the notorious, or the body politic, which would be demos. Among this crowd of commoners would be those who were genuinely interested in following Jesus for Whom He was, that is the Messiah. But many, if not most, simply were there to see the show. Many of them wanted to be there when He called for arms, led a great army, and defeated the Romans. In fact, when He fed the 5000, and then sent His disciples on across the Sea while He went up in the mountains, He did so to stop the crowd from pressing (or at least attempting to press) Him into service in just such an adventure. We see that in verse 15 of this chapter.

We do not follow Jesus because of the signs and wonders He did. We follow Him because He is the Messiah and He died for our sins and was raised on the third day. We follow Him because we have eternal life through Him. That is the ultimate sign-His raising us from the dead to eternal life.

When a teacher went up on a rise to teach his disciples, this meant that the teacher was teaching the revelation of God. It was the custom of the Jewish teachers to find a high spot like a hill, parapet or mountain to sit upon and teach. Jesus found a high spot that made teaching the multitude convenient to Him and the crowd. It was easier for Him to speak to then when he was above them, and the crowds found it easier to see and hear Him. Jesus was compassionate on the crowds and in addition to teaching a lesson from the scriptures, He taught the disciples a practical lesson.

See note on verse 1 above. This dates this occurrence in the Spring of the year. The weather was probably conducive to teaching out in the open.

John 6:5-6 "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? {6} And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do."

Jesus used this setting to teach a great practical lesson.

What does bread mean? First, it means food, and that is the obvious meaning here. It also means simply bread-the food made of baked ground grain such as wheat, barley, corn, oats, etc. Bread also represents the Word of God and Jesus is the Bread of Life (Deut 8:3, Mat 4:4, Luke 4:4, John 6:38). Jesus is going to show Himself as the Bread of Life. This was apropos because the Passover was near. At the Last Supper, at Passover, Jesus said the broken bread was His body, broken for all. The crowd was hungry and needed sustenance. In this case the meaning was food of any type.

The word rendered penny is actually a denarius. A denarius was the basic unit of money and it represented the minimum wage, one denarius for one day's work. Of course, there were smaller denomination coins. The denarius was broken down into sixteen copper coins or sixty four kodrantes or 128 mites. The original penny in England was the identical unit of money, one penny for one day's work. Two hundred pence today is equal to £2.00 (two Pounds Sterling). The new Pound is a metric one. The new Pound Sterling is made up of 100 pence. Shillings are no longer used. In fact, a shilling coin is equal to five new pence. The old shilling was equal to 12 pence. That works out to be about $4.00 U.S., depending on the exchange rate.

Philip was not saying that 200 denarius was equal to $4.00. Today, the minimum wage is $5.15 per hour or $41.20 per day. Philip was saying that it would take about six month's (200 days') pay at minimum wage to provide enough food for all the people. In today's money that would be about $8240.00 or 412,000 pence (British), which is about £4120.00 to feed them all. (That is some inflation!). But realistically, that would still not be enough money to feed 5000 men. Conservatively speaking, it would take at least three dollars per man, so it would take at least $15,000.00 to feed them. Like Philip said, two hundred pennyworth of bread was not sufficient to feed them.

The significance here is that what the world can provide is never enough, but what God provides is always sufficient. It would take in inordinate amount of money and effort to feed these people indicating that the world could not provide for them, but Jesus was able to do so without effort. Jesus, the Bread of Life, is sufficient for life. We have our life through Him and by Him and with Him, we have eternal life.

It appears that at least Andrew had some inkling of what Jesus might do. John is the only Gospel that tells us about Andrew and the lad. The other Gospel accounts simply say that the disciples had five loaves and two fishes. Obviously the lad happily allowed the disciples to take his food since it is doubtful they forced the lad to give up his food.

John 6:10-11 "And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. {11} And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would."

Now we are not told if there were women and children present, but since there was a lad there with his lunch it would be an educated guess that women and children were present. If so, then there were more than 5000 fed that day.

This miracle happened like this. As Jesus distributed the bread and fish, more and more were supernaturally created in Jesus' hands until all were fed and filled. It is the act of creation. As the food was distributed, Jesus created more as needed.

Remember, bread also has symbolic meanings. One is that bread is the Word of God. The other is the Body of Christ, broken for the world. The homily here is that the Word of God is sufficient for all, and that Jesus is able to supply salvation to all who desire it, and still have some left over. Just as Jesus gave thanks, so we should give thanks for our resources, no matter how meager.

John 6:12-13 "When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. {13} Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten."

There are two things evident here. The twelve baskets of left over food were ample proof that a miracle was performed there that day. Of much greater significance is God is able to more that take care of our needs. The number twelve, indicating governmental perfection is symbolic of the twelve tribes of Israel and the old order of things. The old order, with its animal sacrifices and ordinances and holy days, was not sufficient to justify sinners once for all, but had to be repeated over and over again for the sins of the people. Here, Jesus shows that in the new order, in which Jesus is the Bread of Life, twelve is much more than sufficient. The twelve baskets were leftovers, over and above that which was sufficient for all, as opposed to the old order of not quite sufficient. The blessings of God are always much more than we expect.

According to Jewish law at that time, food was not to be wasted and the leftovers became the property of those serving the food. This food became the property of the disciples by law.

Note also that Jesus said to gather the fragments so that nothing would be lost. This is very similar to His statement that none of those God gave Him would be lost, as we see in John 17:12. I think that Jesus had the greater meaning in mind when He said this, that nothing of His would be lost.

Another point we should consider is that Jesus came "to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." (Isaiah 61:1-3). The meek, the brokenhearted, the captives, the poor, the dejected, the outcasts, etc., are all leftovers. Society has moved along its juggernaut path casting aside all that do not fit into the world's mold. These, like the fragments, are leftovers. Jesus said to gather up the leftovers so that none would be lost. It is not the rich, powerful, well known, or the beautiful that Jesus came to save. Like the rich young ruler, most of them cannot part with their possessions or their notoriety and follow Jesus. It is the rejects that Jesus came for. The fragments, if you will. Not that the rich, famous, powerful, and beautiful cannot be saved-they can, but it is more difficult for them than the fragments. The fragments do not have all that the world says they must have so they have fewer encumbrances than the rich, famous, powerful, and beautiful. The latter have to give up far more (in their eyes) than do the fragments. Consider the rich young ruler who went away sadly when Jesus told him, "sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me." He could not give up his possessions, which were more important to him than his soul.

Who do we want in our churches? Let us be honest. If we are honest, we probably want those who dress well, tithe well (this is the most important to far to many church members), look good, smell good, are interesting, are fairly well educated, etc. We are looking for all the same things the world looks for. We don't want the dirty, uneducated, the smelly, the poorly dressed, the poor who have more needs and less ability to give. We don't want those from the other side of the tracks, or the wrong part of society. I am painting a fairly bleak picture of the state of the church in America, but unfortunately, it is fairly accurate. The point is that Jesus did not seek those types of people. He sought out the poor, the meek, the brokenhearted, the sick, the needy, the poorly dressed, the less fortunate, and the powerless. He sought the leftovers, the rejects, in other words, the fragments.

Jesus would not have come to most of our churches because he would have had trouble finding those He came for there. This is indeed a sad commentary. It is time to stop playing church and really seek out those whom the Lord sought. It is time for us to gather up the fragments.

The Prophet that was to come into this world was the Messiah they expected, the One that would throw off the Roman oppressor. This miracle of creating enough food for 5000+ folks from five loaves and two fishes made them believe He was this conquering hero. They wished to make Him their King on that spot, that is, on condition that if they made Him king that He would then go after the Romans. They wanted Him to be their King and were not prepared to take no for an answer. Though Jesus could have easily prevented this, He went away from the crowd in order to foil their plans. He avoided them at that point, but they caught up with again at a later time.

The scripture tells us that the Prophet mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 would be like Moses in several ways.

Though they expected the Messiah to come as a great military leader and throw off the yoke of Rome, their oppressors, Jesus would have no part of this. When He does come with power and might, it will not be to throw off the yoke of that petty little Rome, it will be to destroy Satan and his whole world system. Rome was just a little part of that system that is no longer viable.

It is a good bet that the disciples did not try to discourage the crowd from drafting Jesus to be their new king. They would more than likely have applauded the plan. Mark tells us that Jesus sent them away to Capernaum (Mark 6:45-46); He may have wanted to move them away from the crowd so that they would not join the crowd in proclaiming Jesus king.

They were expecting Jesus to come, but when He didn't they started for Capernaum. He had sent them to the ship to go to Capernaum, but they evidently decided to wait a while to see if He would come. It was dark and a tempest arose. Being a boater, I will tell you that it gets very dark on the water. Today we have lighted buoys and there are electric lights dotting the shores. The boats have electric running lights and powerful beacons. But even with all of those, it can be very dark upon the sea at night. Add a storm and that is a recipe for terror. The sea can be very terrifying, so let us not get smug about their distress. Had we been there we would have been distressed too. The Sea of Galilee is but a lake, but it is a large lake. Lakes can have devastating tempests. Many a ship has been lost at sea in a storm on a large lake. The waves reverberate against the shores and each other making them very powerful.

They struggled to row three miles (20 -30 furlongs is 2.5 - 3.75 miles) in the tempest when Jesus came to them walking upon the water. Mark tells us that they thought Jesus was a wraith. The belief in ghosts was very strong in that day and age (as it is today). Mark also tells us that Jesus saw them struggling in the wind and seas before He walked on the water. He would have had to have seen them supernaturally. To see three miles out on a lake at night during a storm would have been impossible with human eyes. Matthew tells us that as soon as they recognized Him, Peter got out of the boat and walked upon the water for a short distance himself. But perceiving he was doing the impossible, his faith wavered and he sank into the waves. Jesus reached out and took his hand saving him.

John 6:20-21 "But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. {21} Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went."

They had probably almost reached their destination (they had rowed 3-4 miles already) when Jesus got into the boat, meaning that Jesus walked the entire distance across the sea from Tiberias to Capernaum. The storm ceased when He entered the boat. Some say they were already near land when Jesus arrived and their nearness to land explains away the miracle that He walked on the water. They claim He walked to the boat in shallow water appearing to walk on the water. But, having been out in a boat in the bay in rough weather, I know that the wave action even in very shallow water would have made it evident he was not walking on the water if He was truly not walking on the water. In order for Him to seem like He was walking on water, even in shallow water, He would have to be actually doing it. The point is that He walked on the water all the way from Tiberias to near Capernaum. Of course, Jesus could have walked from Tiberias up the coast to Capernaum, but it is mountainous, hilly country and would have taken some time. Mark (6:47-48) says that He saw them floundering and at about 3:00 AM and went right out to help them. The truth is, Jesus walked across the sea to the boat just as the scripture says.

As for the ship being immediately at the destination when Jesus was received into the ship, there are two possibilities. The first one is that the ship was so close to its destination that by the time Jesus boarded the ship they were already at land.

The second is that John considered this to be a miraculous event, that is, that supernaturally they were transported a mile further on their journey the moment Jesus boarded the ship. John seems to regard this as a miraculous event. Either scenario would fit. I think I will opt for the miraculous.

This is a difficult passage to unravel in the King James Version. It basically states, "The next morning the multitude that remained standing on the other side of the sea [near the place where they ate bread] saw that there had been no other small boats there except the one the disciples had come in. That boat was now gone. They noted that the disciples had gone back in the boat without Jesus. While they were standing there, near where they ate the bread, other boats arrived from Tiberias. When the multitude realized neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they hired the boats from Tiberias and traveled to Capernaum where Jesus and His disciples were."

The same crowd went looking for Jesus the next day, but could not find Him or the disciples. When some boats came over from Tiberias, they may have gotten news (though the Bible does not say this) that Jesus was at Capernaum. So they hired those boats and went to Capernaum to find Him. It would seem that either there were no longer five thousand of them, or there were quite a few boats. Their reaction to Jesus words in the next verse proves they were thrill seekers.

John 6:25-26 "And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? {26} Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled."

They seem to have been looking for another free meal. Jesus performed the miracles as a witness to who He was (5:36), and not for the convenience of the recipients of the miracles. Jesus knew they were not seeking after Him to be saved, just to be entertained with signs and miracles and maybe to be fed more earthly food. They also wanted a conquering hero to be their king and they thought Jesus was perhaps that hero.

John 6:27 "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

This is a similar statement that He made to the woman at Jacob's well about living water. He told her that she would thirst again after drinking the water from he well, but He would give her living water that would spring up into eternal life. Here, he tells them to seek not the bread of the world, rather seek bread that the Messiah (the Son of man) would give them that brings eternal life. That bread is the fact that He gave His life for the sins of the world. Of course Jesus told us that the bread was His body broken for us. This is spiritual bread that would lead to forgiveness of sins and to eternal life. It is the work Jesus did at Calvary.

The Father has sealed Jesus as the bread of life, the living water, and the meat that endures to everasting life. That is, the Father has certified that Jesus is that person. He certified it in several ways. The most remembered way was when the Spirit as a dove alighted upon Jesus at His baptism. The mount of transfiguration was another proof that Christ had the seal of God.

John 6:28-29 "Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? {29} Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."

They wanted to know how to labor for the meat that endures unto eternal life. That was simple to answer. It is John 3:16 again, believe in Jesus the Christ and be saved. The work of God is for us to believe in the Son. Other than that, there is no labor for us to do. Any work at all without Jesus as our Savior, is not good work. It is work that God regards as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only after we are saved can our works be righteous. That is because the righteousness of God is credited to us after we are saved.(Romans 4:22-24)

Wasn't the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand sign enough? How many signs did Jesus need to give before they would believe? To a hardened heart, no amount of signs would be enough for, as the prophet said, "Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. {10} Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed." (Isaiah 6:9-10) Jesus said that is why He spoke in parables. They would hear but not perceive and see but not understand. If they did, they would inherit eternal life. Jesus told the religious leaders that the only sign they would be given was the sign of Jonah. Just like Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, so would the Messiah be in the grave three days and three nights and then He would rise again. Jesus was a bit more patient with the people then He was with the religious leaders. He took the time to explain things to them. The religious leaders should have been familiar with the scriptures. When they did not seem to know the scriptures, Jesus was not so patient with them.

There would be no sign, no matter how spectacular, that would soften their hearts so that they might believe. Their hearts were not right for salvation. They were simply looking for the sensational.

Yes, and those that ate manna were still not satisfied. They wanted meat, leeks, onions, and spices. There were never satisfied. But that has not changed. The world is never satisfied. We Christians are not exceptions to dissatisfaction. When it rains, we complain that we want sunshine. When the sun shines we complain that we need rain. When the weather is cool we want it to be warm. When it is warm, we want cool weather. God can never win. It is human nature to complain. But as Christians we have a new nature. That new nature should overcome the old human nature. It will if we allow it to.

No, those in the wilderness were not satisfied with the miracle of manna and the multitude would not be satisfied with more signs. They were looking for thrills. The manna had stopped after the first Passover celebrated by Joshua when the children of Israel entered the Promised Land.

It was a rabbinic tradition during the time of Christ that manna was still being made but it was being hidden in Heaven and would resume when the Messiah came. Perhaps the people are referring to this tradition.

John 6:32 "Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven."

The manna was not provided by Moses, but God, Who also gives the true bread, that is the Messiah, from heaven. Jesus was saying that this manna, or bread from heaven, was a type of the true bread that God had sent just at the time that Jesus spoke these very words. He was the true bread from Heaven. He was nourishment for the eternal soul and the manna was only nourishment for the body. His body, broken for us, was the bread of eternal life. His Word, His doctrine, the Gospel is the bread of life. He is not the bread that gives sustenance; rather He is the Bread that gives eternal life:

John 6:33 "For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world."

The bread of God is Jesus who is the Christ or the Messiah and the Bread of Life coming down from Heaven. (see v. 41)

This is very much the same response from the woman at Jacob's well: "The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw." (John 4:15) The multitude was looking for some miraculous bread that was to be consumed by mouth, and somehow magically gave eternal life. The woman was thinking the same about the spiritual water. They wanted some temporal thing they could see, hear, or touch that would give eternal life. They did not understand that it was Jesus Himself they were seeking.

John 6:35 "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."

Shall never hunger or thirst for life, that is. In other words, life would never end. (Of course, in the imperishable, immortal body, hunger and thirst are moot points). Here Jesus spells it out completely. He leaves no uncertainty. He said what they did not understand. He is the bread of life, not manna, not loaves and fishes, not works, and not signs; He alone is the Bread of Life. He came from Heaven and if they (and we) would believe on Him, they would receive that Bread of Life.

John 6:36 "But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not."

They had seen and heard Him. They had seen His signs. They had heard His words. They had eaten the bread. Yet they did not believe. Their hearts were hard. They always wanted another sign. The Messiah was right there among them and they did not know it. They were spiritually blind and their hearts were hardened. A little child has a humble heart and that is the only way anyone will believe, to have a child-like heart.

John 6:37 "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."

Luckily for them, some of them had been given to Christ. Some would be saved. Some probably before, some after the resurrection. All who have been given to Him down through he ages, will be saved. Does this verse teach predestination? No. Verse 44 clarifies this. Those that yield to the drawing of the Spirit will be saved. God wishes that no person be lost. His will is for all to come to Him. The offer of salvation is to all, but only those who yield to the will of God will be saved.

John 6:39-40 "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. {40} And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." 

His people go to be with Him immediately upon the death of the body, but the last day of the age is the time for the first resurrection and that is what Jesus is talking about here: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6) Notice that in two adjoining sentences Jesus seems to say that only certain people can be saved and that all people can be saved. But a close look reveals that He is saying that all have the opportunity to be saved. He said He would lose none of those that are given Him. He explains that by saying that God's will is for everyone to be saved. All have the opportunity to believe on Him. But only those who do believe are the ones given to the Son by the Father. Jesus will loose none of those who believe and they will be raised upon the last day.

John 6:41 "The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven."

They asked him to give them the bread that leads to eternal life. But when He said that He was that Bread, they rejected Him and mumbled to themselves about His claim that He was the Bread of Life. This just proves that they were looking for another meal and another miracle. They were not looking for Jesus because He is the Messiah, but only because of the sensationalism of the miracles.

To the Jewish leadership, manna was the bread that came from Heaven (Ps 105:40). That bread came from God and Jesus is claiming that He, too, came down from God. He is claiming attributes that belong to God. That is blasphemy unless it is true, which it is here.

Bread is also the word of God in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 8:3: "And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live."

The Divine Logos was well known by those in the Old Testament Period. They called a physical appearance of the LORD to man a visitation of the Living Word of God, which they called the memra. Memra is Aramaic for Word. When God spoke to Adam in the Garden, it was the Memra (Word) who spoke to Adam. When Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel, it was the Memra with which he wrestled. The Jewish leaders of Jesus' day were fully aware of the memra. Jesus was not only claiming to be the Bread of Life, but the Divine Word (or memra) of God as well. No wonder the Jewish leaders and people murmured among themselves.

John 6:42 "And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?"

The Jews that murmured knew Jesus and His family. They did not believe Him to be the Son of God. They simply could not bring themselves to believe that this Jesus who was the carpenter's son, was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Bread of Life. They thought that there was no way that this man they had known as a boy could be the Messiah. After all, why would God choose one so lowly? Surely the Son of God would have been a person of their self-perceived caliber.

When those who are "very bad" sinners come to Christ, it is not unusual for those closest to them to not believe that their salvation experience is genuine. That is my experience. Only after I had matured considerably in Christ did those closest to me believe that I was truly saved. Since the Jews mentioned here had been so close to the family of Joseph that same principle applied to Jesus.

John 6:43-44 "Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. {44} No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day."

Did you realize that murmuring is a sin? To murmur means grumble, grudge or mutter epithets under one's breath. God destroyed the generation of the children of Israel that murmured against Him in the wilderness: (Numbers 14:27-29) "How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. {28} Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: {29} Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me," That entire generation that murmured against God died in the wilderness and never entered into the land of Promise.

Jesus told them why they did not accept that He was the Messiah. It was because they were not drawn to Him by the Father. It is not that the Father did not attempt to draw them; it is that they did not yield to His drawing. From further passages we learn that it is the Holy Spirit that draws men to Christ (Rom 8:14, 1 Cor 2:10, Eph 4:30, 1 John 5:6).

John 6:45 "It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me."

Jesus quotes Isaiah 54:13: "And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children." The prophets also wrote that God would write His law on their hearts and He would be their God and they would be His people. (e.g. Jer 31:33) That happened when Jesus was revealed. The mystery of God was that His Son would be executed for our sins. When that happened, the Holy Spirit came upon us and revealed the Son to us. Those to whom the Spirit did not reveal Christ did not understand or believe that Jesus was the Christ. Obviously their hardened hearts quenched the Spirit and did not allow the Spirit to reveal Jesus to them.

Anyone who truly hears and perceives the teaching of God, that is, those who are really taught of God and have truly learned of God, will go to the Son. If we really have the truth of God in our hearts, we will automatically find Jesus. Anyone who does not really have the truth of God will not go to Christ. They will reject Him. So it follows that those reject Jesus have not the truth of God in them. Anyone who says he believes in God, but is not a Christian, is a liar, for if he believes in God he will necessarily be a Christian.

John 6:46 "Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father."

The prophets told us that there would be those who have been taught of God. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to teach us of God. No one must see God in order to be taught of Him. The Spirit does that.

In case you did not get it, Jesus is the "He" Who hath seen the Father. It is He which is of God. He is the only One. Jesus is claiming to be equal with the Father. To the Jews that was blasphemy.

John 6:47 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

Verily, verily means "Of a truth of a truth!" or "Amen amen!" It is true beyond doubt: all that believe on Jesus have everlasting life. This double positive makes it unchangeable. Jesus is telling these unbelievers who knew him as Joseph's son that He is the way to salvation!

John 6:48 "I am that bread of life."

It cannot be stated more plainly than this. Jesus is the true Bread. Bread as food is required for human life. It sustains the flesh. But after we eat food, we hunger again, and again in perpetuity (or at least until death). Jesus is the food or bread that gives eternal life. One who receives this Bread will never hunger again. Jesus gave His body to be broken like bread for our justification. Partaking of Jesus, the Bread of Life, gives us eternal life.

John 6:49 "Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead."

Like I said, food that sustains the flesh does so only temporarily. Their fathers ate angel's food from heaven but still died. Only Jesus sustains for eternity.

John 6:50-51 "This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. {51} I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world."

Jesus explains Himself. His flesh, which was to be scourged and killed for our redemption, is the Bread of Life. We do not actually eat His flesh, but our belief in Him is how we consume the Bread of Life. Our belief in Jesus Christ is symbolized as our consumption of His flesh. By our belief we partake of His flesh, which is the Bread of Life, for our salvation.

They did not understand. Don't make the same mistake. Again, it is our belief in Jesus that symbolizes our consumption of His flesh. We do not really eat His flesh, but we believe in Him as Savior, which is symbolized as the eating of His flesh.

John 6:53-56 "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. {54} Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. {55} For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. {56} He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him."

Once again, this is symbolic. Jesus is not saying that we should cannibalize Him, rather that we should believe on Him. Our belief in His broken Body and shed Blood is what is in view here, not the literal consumption of His flesh and blood.

John 6:57-58 "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. {58} This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever."

Jesus repeats that He is the bread of Life and that eating that bread (believing on Him) provides eternal life. One can also make the case living by Jesus means striving to be like Him and striving to follow His teachings.

We are told in a later verse that many turned away from the faith at this moment. They were like the seed that fell on stony ground in Matthew 13:20-21 "But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; {21} Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."

John 6:62-63 "What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? {63} It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

This parable has a spiritual meaning and not a physical one. Those who believe that the elements of the Eucharist actually change into the body and blood of Christ while keeping the appearance of bread and wine (which is known as Transubstantiation) are wrong. Transubstantiation is a myth and is unnecessary. These verses prove it (especially the phrase "they are spirit"). There is spiritual meaning but not physical happening. Spiritually it is our belief in the blood and body of Christ that saves us, not the actual eating and drinking of them.

John 6:64-66 "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. {65} And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. {66} From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

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