Lesson for June 1, 2025

The Book of John

Lesson 17

Chapter 6:1-15

Jesus Feeds the Multitude

John 6:1-15, “After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd was following Him, because they were watching the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. But Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. So, Jesus, after raising His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?’ But He was saying this only to test him, for He Himself knew what He intended to do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough for them, for each to receive just a little!” One of Hs 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 these for so many people?’ Jesus said, “Have the people recline to eat.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were reclining; likewise, also of the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost. So, they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore, when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’”

This is the only miracle, apart from the Resurrection, recorded in all four Gospels. Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:31-44, and Luke 9:12-19 all record the same event with additional details that they observed and recorded, giving us a complete story!

The purpose of miracles was not to primarily alleviate suffering, though they did. The primary purpose of miracles was to focus attention upon the Person and the work of Jesus. The miracles announced to Israel that Jesus was their Messiah, and these miracles authenticated His message of salvation. The disciples had been listening to the messages of Jesus asserting His deity. Now they are going to be tested to see if they have learned anything.

Verses 1-4

“After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd was following Him, because they were watching the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. But Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.”

After these things refers to the events of the previous chapter, the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath, and the assertion of His deity to the Pharisees. Jesus had quickly become popular because people loved the “entertainment” of miracles (because they were watching the signs). This crowd was not following Jesus to hear the Gospel, they simply wanted to be entertained. Knowing this, Jesus went up on a steep hill to temporarily get away from the thrill-seekers. He would later perform a miracle and preach the message of the Gospel to those who had followed Him.

Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. This is parenthetical, explaining why Jesus was not in Jerusalem. The Passover spoke of Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross and the religious leaders in Jerusalem had rejected Christ. Therefore, He would not attend a feast about Himself that had no meaning to those who practiced it. It was Jesus’ way of teaching His disciples not to engage in ritual without reality. Jesus would become the reality of the ritual of Passover, as the “sacrificial Lamb of God,” by dying on the Cross, as the payment for mankind’s sin.

Verse 5-9

 ^“So, Jesus, after raising His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?’ But He was saying this only to test him, for He Himself knew what He intended to do. Philip answered Him, ‘Two hundred denarii (200 days wages) worth of bread is not enough for them, for each to receive just 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 these for so many people?’”

While Jesus was relaxing with His disciples, the crowd began to come up the hill to be with Him. When Jesus looked down and saw them coming up to Him, He saw an opportunity to test His disciples. As it got late, the disciples told Jesus to send the crowd away to get their own food, but Jesus had a better plan.

Jesus asked Philip this question as a test to see how he would respond, ‘Where are we to buy bread so that these people may eat?’ On the surface, it was a silly question, since there was no place to buy food for this crowd. Philip responded with human viewpoint, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough for them, for each to receive just a little!’” Philip had recently observed Jesus perform miracles, so the divine viewpoint response should have been “Lord, are you going to perform another miracle?” The answer would have been yes!

Andrew then joined in with his perspective, ‘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 these for so many people?’ Like Philip, Andrew was viewing the problem from human viewpoint. Jesus was the miracle-worker Who they had been with and observed. Instead of viewing the problem from what Jesus had already taught them by performing miracles, they went to human solutions.

Verses 10-14

^“Jesus said, ‘Have the people recline to eat.’ Now there was plenty of grass in the place. So, the men reclined, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and after giving thanks He distributed them to those who were reclining; likewise, also of the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, He said to His disciples, ‘Gather up the leftover pieces so that nothing will be lost.’ So, they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with pieces from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore, when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet Who is to come into the world.’”

There were 5000 men, plus women and children, totaling between 15-20 thousand people, by many Bible scholars’ estimate. So Jesus took what was available from a boy and multiplied it into enough to feed everyone, with food left over!!!

Notice that it was the disciples doing the work of serving and gathering the leftovers. Jesus could have spoken the words, and the food would have been distributed immediately without the help of His disciples. Instead, He took the opportunity to teach a lesson to His disciples, and to us. The lesson is that Jesus uses dedicated believers to accomplish His work, but it is always done by His power. The other lesson is that God always provides our needs, like He did in this story.

This is truly the Prophet Who is to come into the world. All they saw was someone who could perform a miracle. They thought He could probably get rid of the Romans and establish a Jewish nation again. They wanted the Millennium, failing to realize why Jesus had come to earth as a human being.

The Prophet referred to a passage in Deuteronomy 18:15-22, which was a prophesy about the coming Messiah. So, some people in this crowd believed Jesus was the promised Messiah, but they did not understand His purpose for coming to earth as a human being. The crowd missed the purpose of the miracle, just like the religious leaders did in Jerusalem. These people wanted the political solution, not the spiritual solution, to their oppression by Rome.

Verse 15

^“So, Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone.”

This verse confirms that the crowd wanted a political leader to deliver them from the oppression of the Roman Empire. Jesus discerned this was the case and removed Himself from the situation. Jesus was already a king, though not in the earthly sense. He was the King of kings and the Lord of lords and was also the King of Israel!

There are important principles for us to learn from this story. First, we should always rely on divine viewpoint thinking, not human viewpoint thinking. Second, we should always be confident that God will provide our every need, as He did for the crowd that gathered before Him. Third, sometimes it is necessary to withdraw from certain situations or people, so that we won’t be part of a situation that goes against the will of God.

The Principle of Separation

Separation is the application of Bible doctrine by which believers disassociate themselves with anyone or anything that is a hindrance to their spiritual lives. Separation should be applied to both believers and unbelievers who seek to influence you in a negative way toward God or His Word. However, separation can be either physical separation or mental separation.

II Thessalonians 3:6,14-15, “Now we command you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away (separate) from every brother or sister who leads a disorderly life and not one in accordance with the tradition which you received from us. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person so as not to associate with him, so that he will be put to shame. And yet do not regard that person as an enemy but admonish that one as a brother or sister.”

Physical separation means avoiding personal contact with a person who you deem to be a threat to your relationship with God and your spiritual life. This may be a difficult decision because it normally involves a family member or a close friend. However, your relationship with God is more important than any relationship with a family member or a friend. (Matthew 10:34-38)

II Timothy 3:1-6, “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these.”

Mental separation means that a believer must always maintain the correct mental attitude even when they are being negatively influenced by someone they love. This is the time when the application of impersonal love will supersede personal love. Mental separation avoids the influence of others on our mental attitude. (I John 2:15-17) 

II Corinthians 6:14-15, ^“Do not be mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? Or what harmony does Christ have with Belial (Satan), or what does a believer share with an unbeliever?”