John 6 - The Reformation Heritage KJV Study Bible

6:1 went over the sea. To the eastern side of the sea of Galilee (Tiberias).

6:1–15 The feeding of the five thousand occurred at the close of Christ’s great Galilean ministry. It is the only miracle of Christ narrated in all four Gospels (Matt. 14:15–21; Mark 6:35–44; Luke 9:12–17).

6:3 went up into a mountain. Perhaps a comparison with Moses (v. 15; see Ex. 19:2–3,20; 24:15).

6:4 passover. A feast celebrating Israel’s salvation from Egypt (Ex. 12:1–51), generally commemorated around our month of April. nigh. Near.

6:6 prove. Test.

6:7 Two hundred pennyworth. Two hundred denarii, about eight months of wages for a laborer.

6:10 men . . . five thousand. In addition there were women and children (Matt. 14:21).

6:14 that prophet that should come. They recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise of Moses (Deut. 18:15; Acts 3:22; 7:37).

6:15 make him a king. They intended to use Christ’s power to save them from their earthly problems and satisfy their earthly desires, rather than to trust Christ to save them from sin and satisfy them with God (v. 27). he departed. Christ refused a kingdom of this world in order that He might instead build a spiritual kingdom upon the truth (18:36–37).

6:16 even. Evening.

6:17 over the sea toward Capernaum. Back to the western shore.

6:19 five and twenty or thirty furlongs. Twenty-five or thirty stadia, about three or three and one-half miles. drawing nigh. Coming near. Christ’s miracle of walking on the sea shows His Lordship and alludes to Old Testament statements about the glory and mystery of God (Job 9:8; Ps. 77:19; Isa. 43:16).

6:21 immediately . . . at the land. This itself was a supernatural event, though not typically considered one of John’s seven recorded miracles. whither. To which.

6:23 Howbeit. But. nigh. Near.

6:24 took shipping. Set sail.

6:25 hither. Here, to this place.

6:26–27 Verily, verily. See note at 1:51. Son of man. The heavenly King (vv. 53,62; see note at 1:51). Christ did not answer their question but rebuked them because their interest in Him arose from their having been well fed with earthly food, not from a hunger for God and His righteousness (Matt. 5:6).

6:28–29 work the works of God. If men are to serve God, their first calling is to believe in Christ as Savior.

6:31 manna . . . bread from heaven. Believing that Christ might be the prophet like Moses (v. 14), they asked Jesus to work miracles similar to those Israel had seen in the desert (Ex. 16; Pss. 78:24; 105:40).

6:32–35 I am. One of the several “I am” declarations of Christ, linking His deity (Ex. 3:14) to His sufficiency to meet every need (vv. 48,51). true bread from heaven . . . bread of life. The manna in the wilderness was a type or representation of Christ being the life of His people in a lifeless world. Thus Jesus is far greater than Moses. never hunger . . . never thirst. See note at 4:14.

6:37 All that the Father giveth me. Those persons whom God chose in eternity for the Son to save and whom He calls to the Son (v. 39; 10:29; 17:2,6,9,11–12,24; 18:9; cf. 15:16) by the Word and Spirit (v. 63). shall come to me. God’s election and calling produce faith in Christ (1:12–13). I will in no wise cast out. Christ will never reject any sinner coming to Him in faith (Matt. 11:28).

6:38 came down . . . to do . . . the will of him that sent me. Christ’s saving mission comes from the love and sovereign decree of the Father (3:16). The essence of Christ’s work is to obey His Father’s will (4:34; 5:30; 10:18; 12:49; 17:4; Gal. 1:4; Phil. 2:8), again showing the order of persons within the Trinity (5:19).

6:39 lose nothing. Not one person chosen, redeemed, and called in Christ will perish, but all will be saved through faith (8:30). the last day. The end of this age, with the resurrection and the judgment (5:28–29).

6:41 murmured. Even as the crowds demanded that Christ give them manna as Moses had (vv. 30–31), they acted like unbelieving Israel in the wilderness (Ex. 15:24; 16:2,7–9).

6:44 No man can come to me. God’s grace is necessary in order to produce faith (v. 37) because sinners are spiritually unable to trust in Christ on their own accord (v. 65; 3:3–6,19–20; Eph. 2:1,5). draw. The verb, meaning to powerfully and effectively pull (21:11; Acts 16:19; 21:30), is here applied to God’s effectual call of sinners to Christ (12:32).

6:45 all taught of God. Citing Isa. 54:13.

6:46 save. Except.

6:51 eat of this bread . . . my flesh. By eating his flesh, Christ does not here refer to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper but to the importance of having faith in Him (v. 35). The Lord’s Supper was not instituted until the night before He died, and so an allusion to it here would have been meaningless to His hearers.

6:52 strove. Fought.

6:53 drink his blood. The law of Moses prohibited consumption of the blood of animals (Lev. 7:26–27)—and much more so the blood of man—showing that this should not be taken literally.

6:57 living Father . . . I live by the Father. The living God.

6:59 The above discourse was not conducted in the open air by the sea (v. 25) but inside the synagogue at Capernaum.

6:60 disciples. Those impressed by Christ’s teaching and His miracles and who followed Him for a time, not just the twelve apostles (v. 67).

6:63 the spirit that quickeneth. Literally, “the Spirit is the Life-giver.” Man’s fallen nature (flesh) is unable to produce saving faith (vv. 44,65; 3:6), so God the Holy Spirit creates it through the Word that He inspired (the words . . . are spirit, and . . . life).

6:65 no man can come . . . given unto him of my Father. See notes at vv. 37,44. The same work of overcoming man’s hostility and drawing him to Christ is ascribed to the Father and to the Holy Spirit (v. 63), for the works of the Trinity are undivided (5:19).

6:68–69 Peter, by a clear profession of faith, shows that he is a genuine disciple of Christ. words of eternal life. True and enduring disciples look to Jesus not primarily for earthly power and provision but for the truths that lead to communion with God and heavenly glory in the age to come.

6:70–71 chosen you twelve. Appointed them as apostles; not a reference to election to or to salvation. one of you is a devil. In His divine knowledge of the human heart, the Lord Jesus already knew that Judas remained in Satan’s kingdom and would betray Him (13:2), a statement that must have startled them and should have provoked self-examination (Matt. 26:22).

Thoughts for Personal/Family Worship: Chapter 6

1. The crowds were attracted by Christ’s miracles, but not by His power to save souls. In the same way the “health and wealth” gospel attracts many but does not stress the need for true conversion. Only when men are converted do they put spiritual and heavenly values first in life. When Jesus challenged the crowds, He lost much of His visible following. Why must churches be willing to challenge men’s worldliness, even if doing so may reduce their numbers?
2. None can come to Christ for salvation but those whom God Himself draws. The truths of the gospel will always be offensive to those who are unconverted. The preacher is not at liberty to alter the truth in order to gain the favor of unbelieving sinners, as our Lord Himself here shows by His perfect example. Instead, the church must rely on the Spirit of God to do what no man can. How does this call us to fervent and regular prayer for the preaching of the Word?