Logistics

Lesson #100

Before we move ahead to the next section defined by John 6:22 – 26, we need to go back to the previous day when Jesus fed the 5,000. Realizing that the people were about to come and take Jesus by force to make him king, Jesus went with the disciples to the shore of the sea and sent then off in a boat to Capernaum (Mark 6:46). Jesus then withdrew to the mountain to be by himself. “On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone” (John 6:22 ESV). The crowd had no idea what happened during the night as the disciples tried to cross the sea during the storm. Since there was only one boat at the shore and the disciples took it, the crowd supposed that Jesus was still there with them.

After the disciples left, “Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks” (John 6:23 ESV). The people searched for Jesus, but “when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus” (John 6:24 ESV). They assumed that Jesus must have used one of those boats and gone to the other side so they went to find him. “When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here”? (John 6:25).” They seemed to be interested in when he crossed the sea, but Jesus does not answer their question. He responds with “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 ESV).

In the past the crowds were seeking him because of the signs Jesus was doing, but now the bar has been raised. Jesus is now providing food to meet a basic need for life. With the power Jesus has and now the ability to feed an army, what a king he would make! They do not yet have a clue about what Jesus is trying to do. They are focused on the physical and they know that Jesus can meet their physical needs. Being spiritually dead they are unable to even imagine anything outside their living experience. Without faith only the physical realm is possible in their understanding.

Because of signs the people who followed Jesus saw they believed he was the Messiah, but they followed him not for who he was, but what he could provide for them. This is being grossly selfish to replace the deserved worship of the Messiah with seeking him to enhance their physical existence on earth. Let’s be honest; do we come to Jesus to lift him up in worship or do we seek him supposing he will add to our earthly happiness or provide escape from suffering? Is our focus on the bread and fishes or is it to honor God and seek the good of his kingdom? Our answer may determine if we are Christian or not.

Prayer

Father, I struggle with how to live in this western culture as an alien or as a stranger. How do I live to glorify you to where I am seen as being different because my life demonstrates something of true value that attracts those with spiritual needs to the Lord Jesus? Believers facing the loss of everything, who stand against their persecutors with love and forgiveness truly demonstrate this value. How should I stand so others see a value in me that draws them to Jesus?

Jesus Walks on Water

Lesson #99

With this lesson we begin the next section of chapter 6, in which Jesus walks on the water. This section is defined by John 6:16 – 21; “When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going” (ESV). There is much more here than first meets the eye. Since chapter 6 is primarily about bread, why did John insert this episode of Jesus walking on the water? How does it fit in with the context of the chapter on bread?

We are not told why the disciples went down to the sea when evening came and got into the boat without Jesus and started across the sea to Capernaum. The mystery deepens when we read that it was now dark and Jesus still had not come to him. How were they expecting Jesus to come to them? In the boat, in the darkness without Jesus, the sea becomes rough because of a strong wind and the disciples find themselves in a dangerous situation. I think the connection to bread is right here. In the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus provided physical bread for the people; Jesus was able to meet a physical need that if not met for a long enough time would lead to physical death. Here in the boat the disciples were in danger of losing their lives to the wind and waves. I believe Jesus wanted them to be there so that by his power he could calm the storm and begin to prepare them to understand that he not only has the power to produce bread but that he is the bread from heaven. The next challenge for Jesus is to convince the disciples and the people that he is the bread from heaven that provides spiritual eternal life.

After the disciples had rowed about three or four miles in worsening storm conditions they became very frightened when they saw Jesus walking on the water coming toward the boat. Jesus knew they were afraid and called out to them saying, “It is I; do not be afraid.” In this account John only tells us that “they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” We don’t see the disciples going to Jesus, but instead we see Jesus coming to the disciples in their time of need and identifying himself. The disciples were glad to see him and they desired to have him come into the boat with them.

After the feeding of the 5,000 Jesus had the disciples pick up the leftovers, which amounted to twelve baskets full; one basket full for each disciple. By this Jesus indicates that after ministering to the needs of the people, he would provide the resources to feed them, but he wanted to further show them that he is their bread. Jesus arranges for the disciples to be in a boat on a dark stormy night and amidst the storm he comes to them and when they take him into the boat with them they in a short time will arrive at the desired haven. Jesus is showing them that he does not just give bread, but that he is the bread of life. He does not just make the wind stop and the waves die down, but he gets into the boat with them and takes them to their destination. Think about this when you found yourself in the storm of life and Jesus came to you and you invited him into your life as the bread of life. In time he will take you to heaven as your destination. Jesus has shown that he can provide physical bread to sustain physical life, but he is the living bread from heaven that is needed to sustain spiritual life.

Prayer

Father, how exciting it is to experience how John unfolds who Jesus is. Each lesson takes me further in my understanding and my excitement of being with him for an eternal adventure. As I learn about and experiences the resources Jesus provides me, my concern grows when I realize the horror of eternal separation from the kindness of your grace for those who do not believe. 

This Certainly Is the Prophet

Lesson #98

In this lesson we will focus on verses 14 – 15 found in the section defined by John 6:1 – 15: “Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone” (John 6:14 – 15 NET). Here we have another example where Jesus does or says something in the natural realm as a way of pointing to the spiritual realm and the people simply do not get it. We have covered three examples of this: The temple (the building – his body) John 2:18 – 22; Born again (physically – spiritually) John 3:1 – 8; Water (physical water – living water) John 4:7 – 15.

This crowd of people just experienced a great sign by being fed from five loaves of bread and two fish and conclude that Jesus is the Prophet. The problem is their understanding of the Prophet. They see him as a king to lead them against Rome not as one who gives his life as a ransom for sinners to provide eternal life as the living bread. This prophet is the one Moses spoke of in Deuteronomy 18:15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen, you shall listen to him” (NASB). Moses heard God speak to him from the burning bush on the side of the mountain and these people are with the Prophet that Moses spoke of, also on the side of the mountain. Jesus as the Prophet was raised up from among them and as Moses listened to God these people are to listen to Jesus. Unfortunately, the people were not willing to listen and learn what God wanted then to know, but instead desired him as a king to meet their physical wants. Are we not like that today, asking God to meet our request and not willing to be quiet before him and listen.

In future lessons we will consider the bread God gave the people through Moses and see how that connects to what Jesus says about him being the true Bread from heaven. However, in the meantime, Jesus knowing that the crowd was going to come and seize him by force to make him king, somehow withdrew further up the mountainside away from the crowd. Do you suppose when our approach to Jesus is for the wrong reason that he might withdraw from us?

Prayer

Lord, this lesson causes me to think about my relationship with you; to think about the balance between listening to what you want to say to me and what I want to say to you. As I further think about what I say to you I think about the balance between thanking and praising you and my request for you to do something for me. Lord, I am learning that life is learning to surrender to your Lordship and to abide more deeply in you.

Feeding the Five Thousand

Lesson #97

In this lesson we will focus on verses 11 – 13 found in the section defined by John 6:1 – 15: “Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.  And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten” (John 6:11 – 13 ESV). Notice that Jesus did not create the food from nothing, but used the boy’s five barley loaves and two fish as seed. From that seed Jesus produced a harvest that the people were to enjoy. But we are getting ahead of the story.

Jesus took the five loaves and gave thanks and distributed them to those who were seated. We are not told how the loaves were distributed or at what point the loaves multiplied, but multiply they did because there was enough for everyone to eat his fill and when the leftovers were collected there were twelve baskets full. In like manner the two fish multiplied as they were distributed to the people. What would you think if you were in the crowd and saw what was happening? How would this affect your relationship with Jesus? What kind of emotions would you experience considering your sinful nature? Would this experience encourage you to humble yourself before him in worship and service or would you desire to obtain more from him to enhance your position in life? What will be the response of this crowd now that they have been fed?

Before we consider the response of the crowd, I want to ask a question about gathering up the leftover fragments of food. Why do you think he did that when he has the power to create more fresh food if needed? I believe Jesus is teaching us through this example that we are not to waste that which God provides. People all over the world are starving to death, but here in America we waste so much because we have the means to buy more. All that we have is a gift from God and any surplus should not be wasted, but used to help those in need. Jesus gave a gift of food to these people and saved the leftovers to be used later. Will the crowd overlook this and seek more from him to enhance their lives?

Next time we will see what the people did when they saw the sign that he had done.

Prayer

Father, thank you for all that you have given me. I am sure there are many gifts that I didn’t appreciate, or didn’t properly use, or even wasted. Forgive me for my lack of appreciation and misuse of your provision. I pray that I would be a better steward of your gifts.

Seat the Crowd

Lesson #96

In this lesson we will focus on verses 5 – 10 found in the section defined by John 6:1 – 15: “Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number” (John 6:5 – 10 ESV).

The private time Jesus wanted with his disciples isn’t going to happen because Jesus looks up and sees a large crowd coming toward him. Imagine being there with the disciples and seeing the crowd coming you realize that private time with Jesus is going to be replaced with the demands of those in the crowd. I can imagine Philip being the spokesman for the disciples asking Jesus to send them away, but instead Jesus creates a more intense environment by asking him where they might find food to feed all these people. Stop here and think for a minute. Why does Jesus want to feed all these people? Is it simply to meet their hunger or is there a purpose in performing another miracle? Creating bread to feed these people would be another demonstration of his power and would intensify the desire of the crowd for him to deliver them from the bondage of Rome. As Jesus meets their physical needs with bread he has the challenge to bring their understanding that he is the bread from heaven that they need. Keep this challenge in mind as we continue.

Philip realized that the two hundred denarii they had would not be enough to provide even a little bread for everyone. Andrew then indicates another resource. He says, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” He sure had that right; they could see no way out of this situation; what were they going to do?

Jesus steps up and tells Phillip to have the people sit down. This is like having the people come into a great banquet hall and take a seat at a table. Imagine a convention hall large enough with tables and chairs to seat about 5000 men plus their wives and several children each. If each family averaged six members in size that would be 30,000 people. Imagine how much food would be needed and how many to serve the food. Now that you have that western view in mind, remove the building, the tables and chairs and the servers leaving the mass of people setting on the grass wondering what is going to happen next. What do you think the disciples are thinking at this point? What impossible thing is Jesus going to ask of them next? Have you ever felt like God put you into a situation that you could see no way out? Think about our brothers and sisters under persecution facing the loss of everything for owning a Bible or simply being a Christian. Life has some real challenges and now before these disciples are maybe 30,000 or so people they need to get seated and bring to order. Please try to get your mind around that scene on the side of the mountain as you wait for the next lesson.

Prayer

Father, I realize how often you allow me to get into a situation where I don’t know what to do next. I can remember how that used to create terrible stress in my life as I tried to overcome the difficulty. I eventually began to realize that you were trying to get me to rely more and more on you and as I did I began to experience joy in place of stress. It is difficult for the flesh to stop and pray and wait for your direction and your provision. Truly there is spiritual growth and maturity with the passing of time and the presence of a struggle. Thank you for your patience as you work with me to teach me the lessons of life.

From Jerusalem to a Mountain Desert

Lesson #95

With this lesson we begin the sixth chapter of John. The first section, defined by John 6:1 – 15, is about the feeding of the five thousand. Reading through the section reveals several smaller sections defined by verses 1 – 4, 5 – 10, 11 – 13, and 14 – 15, which will be covered in four lessons, respectively.

After the events described in chapter 5, which took place in Jerusalem, “Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand” (John 6:1 – 4 ESV). Going from Jerusalem to the shore of the Sea of Galilee involved time and activities not described by John. Jesus and his disciples crossed over leaving the large crowd to find a way to follow.

As Jesus performed miracles the crowds grew because they saw that he had power to supply their wants. Why do we follow Jesus? Do we follow him to learn from him and to behold his glory or do we follow him because we have needs and desires we want met? Are we obedient servants desiring to serve with him in building his kingdom or do we want his help to build our own kingdom? Do we want to work to produce fruit and bring glory to him or are we looking for his help to bring more glory to self? We need to pay close attention to those making up the crowd. We need to learn what motivates them to follow Jesus and then see what happens when their desires are not met. We also need to evaluate our hearts.

Once across the Sea of Galilee, Jesus and the disciples went up on the mountain to find a place away from the crowd and rest until the time of the feast of the Passover. Jesus wanted time alone with his disciples, but yet he was willing to be led by God from this place of solitude to the open area where the crowd was growing. Jesus was on earth for a purpose just as we are. In 1 Peter 1:1 – 3 we learn that we were chosen and caused to be born again for the purpose of obeying Jesus. In Ephesians 2:8 – 18 we learn that our salvation was a gift and resulted in a new creation, created for good works, which God prepared before we were ever born. In the flesh we may want to execute our agenda, but God clearly has an agenda for us. While we are on earth there will always be tension between these two agendas just as there was with Jesus.

Prayer

Father, this tension is real for me, but my prayer has been for the Holy Spirit to keep me properly focused. There was tension when the call came to minister over an eight year period in China. The blessing of walking on the edge of persecution and be used to touch so many lives, the lives of some that I am still involved with today was special. Thank you for the work you assigned to me to do, the resources to do it, and the motivation to keep going. Life has been a real adventure with you. Thank you.

The Witness of Scripture

Lesson #94

In this lesson we will look at the last of four witnesses given in John 5:33 – 47. These four witnesses are the witness of John the Baptist, the witness of works, the witness of the Father, and the witness of Scripture. For the witness of Scripture we will look at John 5:39 – 47: “³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; ⁴⁰ and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life. ⁴¹ I do not receive glory from men; ⁴² but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in yourselves. ⁴³ 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. ⁴⁴ How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the one and only God? ⁴⁵ Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. ⁴⁶ For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (NASB).

Jesus understands that the Jews were diligently or anxiously searching the Scriptures. This is something that all people should do, but there is a caution. The Jews thought that by studying the Scriptures they would obtain eternal life, but instead they should have found the way to the source of eternal life. Those Scriptures the Jews studied so diligently testified about a coming Messiah that would suffer and die to purchase them from sin. The Scriptures spoke of a coming Son of God, but when Jesus arrived he was not what they expected and so they rejected him as a fraud. Since they were unwilling to come to him and accept him, they were unable to obtain eternal life. Those Scriptures they so diligently studied predicted his coming and the manner of his life and death, but they could not accept that kind of a Messiah.

Verses 41 through 44 deal with the problem of pride; a problem that each sinful person has to deal with in their daily life. Jesus makes it clear that pride is not a problem for him because what he is telling them is not for the purpose of obtaining glory from others, but to make clear to them the way of salvation. Jesus then associates humility with ones love for God. Because of their pride, the Jews do not have the love of God within them. Jesus told them that he has come in his Father’s name, but because of their pride they are unable to accept him. To accept Jesus and what he taught one had to submit to him and let go of their value of pride. The Jews were willing to listen to others who came in their own name because there was no demand to submit to them. In their state of pride, these Jews are willing to listen to one another and receive glory from one another, but they are not willing to seek glory that is from God. As a result they are unable to believe the truth of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish.

Jesus made it clear that they didn’t believe what Moses said about the coming Messiah. There is so much said in the Old Testament about a coming suffering Messiah, now standing before them as Jesus, but they were unable or unwilling to believe. Since the Jews would not believe the Scriptures they could not believe Jesus. In their pride they looked for a powerful world leader that would deliver them from the bondage of Rome, not the bondage of their sin. What affect does your pride have on your relationship with God and with Jesus Christ?

Prayer

Father, as you know pride has been an area of struggle in my life and has made life more difficult for me. Continue to work in my heart that I would become more and more humble and meek like Jesus. Thank you for the promise that you will conform me into the image of your Son.