John 6 - CSB Disciple’s Study Bible
6:1-15 JESUS CHRIST, King—See Mt 14:13-21; Mk 6:32-44; Lk 9:10-17. This sign led the crowds to try to manipulate Jesus’s power for their political ambitions. Jesus sought faith, not national fanaticism. He refused to adopt their strategy or be manipulated.
6:2 MIRACLE, Vocabulary—See note on 2:1-11.
6:3-15 MIRACLE, Christ—Miracles are “signs” pointing to God, but they must be correctly interpreted. When the crowd saw the “sign,” they confessed Jesus as “the Prophet.” They were correct, but they misinterpreted “Prophet” as political ruler. The serious situation caused Jesus to withdraw from the crowd because he saw that they were about to “take him by force to make him king.” We need more than miraculous signs that we can use to support our false theology. We also need Jesus’s teaching, especially about having faith in him as Savior. See note on Mt 14:13-21. John’s unique emphases include the timing at “the Passover Feast,” the “testing” of Philip, the presence of the lad with the lunch, and the response of the satisfied crowd.
6:11 PRAYER, Thanksgiving—See note on Mt 14:19.
6:14 JESUS CHRIST, Prophet—In the OT prophets were those who spoke a word on behalf of God. They spoke what they had heard and described what they had seen. The prophets represented God to the people. They foretold the message God gave them and called for social justice and practical application of the will of God for their day. Moses was the great prophet and represented the people to God as well as God to the people. Moses left a promise that a prophet like him would come again to lead God’s people (Dt 18:15). Early Christians saw the coming of Jesus as a fulfillment of this prophecy (Ac 3:22; 7:37). In the latter history of Israel, the Jews felt the Spirit of prophecy had left Israel and would return in the Messianic Age (Jl 2:28-32). See Ac 2. This belief was heightened in the period between the Testaments so that one of the characteristics of the expected Messiah was that he would bring the Spirit and restore prophecy. Jews also expected the return of Elijah (Mal 4:5). Jesus designated John as this prophetic forerunner to the great eschatological Prophet (Mt 17:10-13). Two types of references to Jesus as prophet appear in the NT. People impressed by his works put him in the general class of prophets (9:17; Lk 7:16). People of faith saw that Jesus was the last, great eschatological Prophet (Jn 6:14) like Moses.
6:15 PRAYER, Jesus’s Example—See Mt 14:23; Mk 6:45-46. Jesus went alone to pray. The Greek text emphasizes solitariness by the use of the phrase, “he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” Jesus wanted fellowship with his Father more than with people seeking purposes opposed to the Father’s.
6:16-34 MIRACLE, Christ—People may benefit from Christ’s miracles but never see the “sign” pointing them to believe in Jesus. Jesus knew the crowds were attracted to his signs more than to his truth. They ate the miraculous meal; yet they asked for more signs. They wanted to see something like Moses did in providing the manna. They failed to see that he himself was the bread of life. See note on Mt 14:22-33.
6:16-24 JESUS CHRIST, Miracles—This sign pointed to Jesus as divine. “It is I” translates the linguistic allusion to the divine name (Gk egō eimi). See note on Mk 14:53–15:15. His divine nature is shown by his authority over the natural world. “Don’t be afraid” reflects OT prophetic language promising salvation.
6:25-59 JESUS CHRIST, Bread of Life—Signs did not lead the crowds to faith as they should have. See note on 2:1-11. The people sought food and power, not faith, thus acquiring new hunger rather than eternal life. They needed to look beyond religious observances like Passover and beyond miracles like the manna in the wilderness (Ex 16) to God’s new sign—Jesus, the provider of eternal life. Believers partake of the bread of life through faith and strengthen their faith through partaking of the elements of the Lord’s Supper. As the “Bread of Life,” Jesus came down from heaven and is eternal in contrast to manna, which perished. See note on 3:13-15.
6:26-27 SALVATION, Acceptance—Acceptance of Christ means accepting him as the bread of life. It is accepting the Father’s declaration that he is the Son of Man and is able to provide life’s greatest need—eternal life.
6:27-57 GOD, Sovereignty—Jesus declared that his ministry was the work of God through him. God is in charge, working in his world, working through his Son. This is not to say that God is simply manipulating people to accept or reject his Son. God is the ultimate cause of what is happening. He works in people in ways that respect their individual freedom. He draws a favorable response from them, rather than coercing them to make a certain response to Jesus. This is another indication of the closeness of the Trinitarian relationship; specifically, the work of the Father and the work of the Son are virtually identical. The Father and the Son cannot be truly separated. God is one.
6:27-68 SALVATION, Eternal Life—Jesus Christ is heaven’s bread that satisfies the hunger for God. Those who trust in him have eternal life now and forever. To eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man is simply to trust him. This saying is neither meant literally nor sacramentally.
6:29 REVELATION, Jesus Christ—The greatest test of belief in God’s revelation is whether or not we accept his greatest revelation: Jesus Christ. God sent the Son to reveal the fullness of the Father (1:14). God is the Author of all good things and reveals himself throughout history in his lovingkindness. He, not Moses, gave bread in the wilderness, and he gives the everlasting food from heaven, Jesus Christ as Savior. Revelation leads us to look beyond the human agent to God, the true Source of life.
6:33 JESUS CHRIST, Preexistent—Jesus’s claim to have come from heaven implies his preexistence with God in heaven.
6:35-70 ELECTION, God’s Initiative—The human-centered approach to salvation says persons approach God on the basis of effort and excellence. It reasons that just as human beings make scientific discoveries so they also discover God as they use a multiplicity of approaches. Jesus taught that God draws persons to himself. The saving faith persons have in Jesus Christ is a gift from the Almighty God. The mystery of election is in the hands of a loving God who desires that none should perish. He guarantees salvation for those who fully trust him and his way. His way of election is to provide spiritual nourishment and hope through Jesus. People must choose God’s way in faith without seeing their faith as a human achievement meriting rewards.
6:38-40 JESUS CHRIST, Mission—Doing God’s will, providing eternal security for believers, and bringing resurrection to eternal life for his followers was God’s mission, which Jesus fulfilled.
6:39-54 LAST THINGS, Believers’ Resurrection—The possession of eternal life through looking to and believing in Jesus carries with it the additional promise of resurrection at the last day. The response to the drawing of the Father, an inclining of the heart at the initiation of divine impulses, brings one to the hope of bodily resurrection at the last day.
6:47-51 HUMANITY, Death—Even God’s love and provision does not exempt his people from the normal experiences of life, including physical death. Belief in Christ brings hope of resurrection from the grave and eternal life.
6:57 GOD, Living—For Jesus, God is not an impersonal, immobile, uncaring, distant God. He is a living God, very much aware of what is going on, very much in control of his world, very much present and active in pursuit of his purposes. As the living God, he is the source of true life for all. See notes on Ex 3:12-16; Nm 14:21,28.
6:58 HUMANITY, Death—See note on 6:47-51.
6:62 JESUS CHRIST, Preexistent—The Son of Man not only came down to bring the eternal kingdom (Dn 7:13-14). He ascended back to the Father. Early in his ministry Jesus prepared the disciples for his resurrection and ascension.
6:69 JESUS CHRIST, Sinless—Faith sees the holiness, the moral purity of Christ, a purity characteristic of God alone. (Is 6:3). See note on Mk 1:23-24.
6:70 CHURCH LEADERS, The Twelve—Jesus created the circle of twelve disciples to serve his special purposes, not the purposes of the disciples. Like the Twelve, we are to serve Jesus’s purposes, not those of our own invention.
6:70-71 EVIL AND SUFFERING, Satan—Close relationship to God’s people and their activities does not guarantee salvation. Even one of Christ’s closest followers proved dedicated to Satan rather than to God. See note on Lk 22:3.
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