The feast of the five thousand is a sign that Jesus is the prophet who is to come, it is a sign that Jesus is the God who has come—and it is, in turn, an invitation for us to come to him
Ads for Christ
Like it or not, you cannot escape advertising. The advertisement—or the “ad,” for short—comes at you from everywhere. Just on the way to church by foot or by car or by train, you would have already passed a near impossible-to-number amount of advertisements, most of which you probably ignored. Sometimes, ads can be annoying if you don’t want to see them and of course, there are some ads that are not even worth seeing! But as much as we complain about advertisements, advertisements can be very helpful. Without advertisements, I wouldn’t know where to get my car or my computer fixed. A little closer to church, without advertisements, people wouldn’t know when the Missions conference is and people wouldn’t know what Sunday Schools are being offered if the little sheet of paper that advertises the Sunday Schools is not put out. Advertisements have always been with us and they will always be needed.
But why am I talking about advertisements in connection with the Scripture we’ve just read? Well, if you think about it, Jesus’ miracles are, in a way, just like advertisements. They by telling us about him, they direct us to him. This miracle that we are going to see today, serves precisely just this function.
This morning, we are continuing with our study of the Gospel of John, looking now at the sixth chapter. For those of you who are new to Christianity, the Gospel of John is the fourth book of the collection of books we call the New Testament. And the New Testament is the second half of the book we call the Holy Bible or the Scriptures. But why is the Gospel of John called a Gospel? While the word “Gospel” can simply mean “good news,” it can be used in a more special sense: It can refer to the good news of Jesus Christ. And because it is what it is, the main figure in the Gospel of John is obviously Jesus Christ. The Gospel of John was written by the disciple John to tell us about Jesus Christ, about who he is, and what he has done for us.
John 6:1-14
Setting the Scene (6:1-4)
John 6:1-14
Setting the Scene (6:1-4)
Let us now look at our passage together. “After this,” verse 1 says, “Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.” The words “After this” simply tell us that some time has passed. They do not tell us exactly how much time has passed. They simply indicate that what is happening in chapter 6 occurs after Jesus’ time in Jerusalem; his healing of the paraplegic, and the lengthy defense of his own work and relationship with God—in other words, after everything that happened in chapter 5. So after all these things had happened, Jesus departed and journeyed north from Jerusalem to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
For those of you who are interested in some history, the name “Tiberias” refers to the new city on the west shore of the sea of Galilee that Herod Antipas founded in AD 26. Herod Antipas was the regional ruler of Galilee and also one of the five sons of Herod the Great, the king who tried to locate and kill Jesus when he was a baby in Matthew 2:16-18.[1]
Now, as Jesus was moving, we are told that “a large crowd was following him.”[2] And the reason they were following Jesus was “because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.” They were curious about Jesus. They saw his miracles and they wanted to know more about him.
Now, as Jesus was moving, we are told that “a large crowd was following him.”[2] And the reason they were following Jesus was “because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.” They were curious about Jesus. They saw his miracles and they wanted to know more about him.
So the crowd follows him and I imagine that when “Jesus went up the mountain,” as verse 3 tells us, they must have followed him as well. The word “mountain” here probably does not refer to a specific mountain but may simply refer to the hill country east of the Sea of Galilee, the area which is what we now call the Golan Heights.[3] “And there,” we are told, “he sat down with his disciples.”
At this time, while all this was happening, verse 4 tells us that “the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.” The term “at hand” is of course a vague term. It simply means “near,” or “close.” So all that is happening now occurred around the time of the Passover. But as to how near the Passover was, we do not know.
Now, before going on, I would like to pause and remind us of what exactly the Passover is. The Passover is an important Israelite festival, celebrated once a year during the spring, to commemorate the day when God passed through the land of Egypt and struck the Egyptians but spared the houses of the Israelites. While there is more that we can say, this is the precise explanation given to us in Exodus 12:27. Early in the book of Exodus, we learn that the people of Israel were slaves to the King of Egypt in his land. But as it turns out, God had other plans for the Israelites. He wanted them to be his people, his servants. And you remember what God did? He sent ten powerful and miraculous acts of divine judgment—what Exodus 7:3 calls “signs and wonders”—to force the Egyptian king to release Israel from his land. Now, the last of these ten judgments is the event in which God passed over the land to kill every firstborn child. It is this last judgment that served as the occasion of the celebration of the Passover.
But why would John want to even mention the Passover? Okay, so the Passover is near, but really, so what? This is where we must try to understand why this background information can help us understand the story. The mention of the Passover in this part of the Gospel is very helpful for at least two reasons. The first reason for why mention of the Passover is helpful is because it gives us a sense of the timeline of the Gospel of John. If Passover is celebrated once a year in the spring (around March and April), then this would mean that at least one year had already passed since the last Passover that was mentioned in John 2:13 and 23. So between the cleansing of the temple which took place in chapter 2 and this event which we will now see in chapter 6, at least one year had passed. But there is a second and perhaps more important reason for why mention of the Passover is helpful. It is helpful because it allows us to see what Jesus is trying to tell us in his own very subtle way. You notice that Jesus seems to show his power on special occasions. And so far, Jesus has revealed his glory on at least three special occasions. First, there was a wedding in 2:1 where Jesus transformed the water that was used for religious cleansing into wine for drinking. Second, there was the Passover in 2:13-25 on which it is said that Jesus performed many signs. And of course, again, let me remind us that the term “signs and wonders” was used in Exodus 7:3 to describe the acts of judgment that God brought on Egypt. Third, there was an unnamed feast of the Jews in 5:1 as well as a Sabbath on which he healed the paraplegic. Now, Jesus will of course perform miracles anytime of the week. But the question is this: Why is John emphasizing the miracles that occurred during those special times? There could be many answers. But I suspect that John is trying to show us how Jesus is taking up the elements of the Jewish religion—the cleansing water, the Passover, the festival, the Sabbath—and he is using them as a means to explain who he really is. He is using those festivals, or at least some of those elements from those festivals, to teach people about who he is. In so doing, what is Jesus up to? He is showing that the Jewish religion and the religious calendar is really all about him. As I might have said before in another sermon on from John’s Gospel, Jesus is placing himself right in the heart of Israel’s religious life. He wants people to look to him.
A Problem (6:5-9)
So, let’s return to the story itself. Jesus had gone to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd was following him up into the mountains. It turns out, however, that there is a problem. There is no food! And chances are that these people have been following Jesus on foot for days and now, they were more than likely, very hungry! At this point, our text tells us, Jesus lifted his eyes. He must have been sitting down and he lifts up his eyes. And “lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip [who was one of his disciples], ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat’” (6:5)?
Now, before going on, I would like to pause and remind us of what exactly the Passover is. The Passover is an important Israelite festival, celebrated once a year during the spring, to commemorate the day when God passed through the land of Egypt and struck the Egyptians but spared the houses of the Israelites. While there is more that we can say, this is the precise explanation given to us in Exodus 12:27. Early in the book of Exodus, we learn that the people of Israel were slaves to the King of Egypt in his land. But as it turns out, God had other plans for the Israelites. He wanted them to be his people, his servants. And you remember what God did? He sent ten powerful and miraculous acts of divine judgment—what Exodus 7:3 calls “signs and wonders”—to force the Egyptian king to release Israel from his land. Now, the last of these ten judgments is the event in which God passed over the land to kill every firstborn child. It is this last judgment that served as the occasion of the celebration of the Passover.
But why would John want to even mention the Passover? Okay, so the Passover is near, but really, so what? This is where we must try to understand why this background information can help us understand the story. The mention of the Passover in this part of the Gospel is very helpful for at least two reasons. The first reason for why mention of the Passover is helpful is because it gives us a sense of the timeline of the Gospel of John. If Passover is celebrated once a year in the spring (around March and April), then this would mean that at least one year had already passed since the last Passover that was mentioned in John 2:13 and 23. So between the cleansing of the temple which took place in chapter 2 and this event which we will now see in chapter 6, at least one year had passed. But there is a second and perhaps more important reason for why mention of the Passover is helpful. It is helpful because it allows us to see what Jesus is trying to tell us in his own very subtle way. You notice that Jesus seems to show his power on special occasions. And so far, Jesus has revealed his glory on at least three special occasions. First, there was a wedding in 2:1 where Jesus transformed the water that was used for religious cleansing into wine for drinking. Second, there was the Passover in 2:13-25 on which it is said that Jesus performed many signs. And of course, again, let me remind us that the term “signs and wonders” was used in Exodus 7:3 to describe the acts of judgment that God brought on Egypt. Third, there was an unnamed feast of the Jews in 5:1 as well as a Sabbath on which he healed the paraplegic. Now, Jesus will of course perform miracles anytime of the week. But the question is this: Why is John emphasizing the miracles that occurred during those special times? There could be many answers. But I suspect that John is trying to show us how Jesus is taking up the elements of the Jewish religion—the cleansing water, the Passover, the festival, the Sabbath—and he is using them as a means to explain who he really is. He is using those festivals, or at least some of those elements from those festivals, to teach people about who he is. In so doing, what is Jesus up to? He is showing that the Jewish religion and the religious calendar is really all about him. As I might have said before in another sermon on from John’s Gospel, Jesus is placing himself right in the heart of Israel’s religious life. He wants people to look to him.
A Problem (6:5-9)
So, let’s return to the story itself. Jesus had gone to the other side of the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd was following him up into the mountains. It turns out, however, that there is a problem. There is no food! And chances are that these people have been following Jesus on foot for days and now, they were more than likely, very hungry! At this point, our text tells us, Jesus lifted his eyes. He must have been sitting down and he lifts up his eyes. And “lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip [who was one of his disciples], ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat’” (6:5)?
There is, of course, a reason why Jesus asked Philip this question. Verse 6 tells us that “He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” So, Jesus was not asking Philip because Jesus needed to be told what to do. Jesus already knew what he would do. Instead, he was asking to test Philip. But the question is, test Philip about what? Well, the Scripture does not tell us. He might have been testing Philip to see how Philip would respond; to see if Philip would ask Jesus to take charge of the situation. But in the end, you see, Jesus remains the master of the situation. He is not intimidated by what is happening. In fact, everything is happening as planned.
So now, how does Philip answer Jesus? Does he say, “Well, Lord, I am sure you can think of something”? No. Does he say, “Teacher, in light of all the miraculous works that you have done, there is a high probability that you can provide bread out of thin air”? No. Instead, the answer Philip gives is a very practical but extremely unimaginative answer: “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little” (v.7). A denarius was pretty much a day’s wage for a laborer. Philip was just being, what we would call, realistic.
Then, at this point, Andrew, brother to Simon Peter, who is another disciple to Jesus, decides to chip in: “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” Again, this is another practical and realistic answer. Both of them do not have the slightest idea about what the Lord can do.
The Lord Takes Charge (6:10-13)
Having heard the ideas (or rather, lack of ideas) that his disciples had to give, Jesus steps in. And the first thing he says is, “Have the people sit down” (6:10). Verse 10 continues to tell us, “Now, there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number” (6:10). Friends, we have here a massive crowd here. Notice that five thousand refers only the “the men,” who were most likely the heads of the households. What about the women and the children and the youth? There are a lot of people. Five thousand is only an estimate! We can only wonder about the amount of coordination that went into just getting the people to sit down in groups (Mk.6:40). The disciples must have been running up and down and passing instructions and seeing that instructions get properly passed. And of course, we can imagine that a number of people wanted to ask questions. What is going on? Why are we sitting down in groups? What is the teacher planning to do? Sir, when is the teaching going to begin? And the funny thing is that the disciples must have told the people that they were as just as clueless and ignorant as they were. I seriously doubt that even one person had the slightest idea about what would happen.
But then, when everyone was seated, and the air was thick with anticipation, something happens:
"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” (vv.11-13)
For a lack of a better word, this is astounding. At the beginning, the people had nothing. The disciples had nothing. There were only five loaves and two fish. But when Jesus took charge of the situation, they had more than enough. On that day, on the Golan Heights, on the mountains, the Son of God prepared a feast for all who had come.
“The Prophet Has Come” (6:14)
For a lack of a better word, this is astounding. At the beginning, the people had nothing. The disciples had nothing. There were only five loaves and two fish. But when Jesus took charge of the situation, they had more than enough. On that day, on the Golan Heights, on the mountains, the Son of God prepared a feast for all who had come.
“The Prophet Has Come” (6:14)
Needless to say, the crowd realized what had happened. They followed Jesus because of his healings but they had witnessed something that they probably never expected to see. They had witnessed something straight out of the ancient past itself, something that happened only when the great prophets were around. Once upon a time, many centuries ago, the Israelites who were coming out from Egypt complained about the absence of the Egyptian cuisine that they had become so fond of (Ex.16:3). What does God do in response? He provides bread from heaven.[4] This was in Exodus 16. Then in Numbers 11:1-22, something very similar happens. This time, the Israelites were complaining about the bread God had provided for them. They wanted the meat and the fish that they had in Egypt (11:4, 5). And God responds by instructing Moses to tell his people that he will give them meat to eat.[5] But then we also cannot forget the story in 2 Kings 4:42-44. The prophet Elisha feeds a hundred men with 20 barley loaves. After feeding the men, we are told that there was food left over. Now, imagine that you were one of these Israelites sitting around being fed by Jesus. In your mind, all these wonderful stories from Israel’s past are now coming together, being recreated before your very eyes. All the stories you heard when you were a child, now being manifested in front of you! And once they saw Jesus recreate the food miracles that were associated with Moses and Elisha, there was only one question in their minds: Is this the one who will succeed Moses and Elisha? Is this our new leader?[6]
And apparently the people do reach an agreement. Realization dawned on them. After all these years of eager anticipation; after all these centuries of waiting, God’s chosen leader has finally come. And so with one voice, they say, “‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world’” (6:14).[7]
The Prophet—and More
Now, having read and listened to this portion of Scripture, it does not take long to see why it is one of the most cherished and beloved accounts from the life of Jesus.[8] We see it in Matthew 14:13-21; in Mark 6:30-44, and in Luke 9:10-17. And while it may be that all these are separate accounts that give slightly different details, they all deal with the same event. And perhaps the reason why this event was so well remembered was because of what it tells us about our Savior. It shows us that Jesus cares for our needs and not only does he care, he can actually provide for each and every one of us—with more to spare. But still, we must ask: Why does the Gospel of John record the facts that it does? More specifically, why does John tell us that the people called Jesus “the Prophet who is to come into the world”? Well, there might not just be one reason for this. But I think John includes this detail because John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, wants to make a point about who Jesus really is. If you look back to John 1:17, 18, you will realize that one of John’s central purposes is precisely to show that Jesus has come to succeed Moses and by implication, he has come to succeed all the other prophets of the Old Testament. And by performing this sign, this miracle of the feeding of 5,000, Jesus reveals that he is indeed the prophet to come—and yet, he is also revealing much, much more than that.
The Prophet Who Has Come
Now, when the people realized what Jesus did, they were absolutely right to say what they said. After all, he is the Prophet, the divine messenger, who is to come into the world. But how did they even know to come up with such an idea in their heads? Well, because long before Jesus walked the earth as a human, the great prophet Moses, the greatest of God’s messengers to Israel, gave a prophecy, a prediction of events to come. He said, “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen” (Dt.18:15). And interestingly enough, when we get to Acts 3:22, we find the apostle Peter applying this same prophecy to Jesus. So it is clear that the people were right. Jesus is the successor of Moses. He is the one who will continue where Moses left off. And is the one who will bring God’s word to his people and all God’s people must obey him.
But at this point, you might be wondering: What does all this have to do with those of us who are not Jews? After all, God spoke to Israel; he did not speak to the Asians or the Europeans, right? But in response to that, I want to point us to what Jesus says in John 8:12: He says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Or how about John 14:6? Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” These are very broad statements! They leave us no doubt that Jesus intended to speak to the whole world. Jesus is God’s prophet to the Nigerians. He is God’s envoy to the Japanese. He is God’s representative to the Chinese. He is God’s ambassador to the Americans. And friends, if Jesus is God’s prophet, then the right and most logical thing to do is to pay careful attention to him. This would mean, in turn, that it is not the philosophers, or the scientists, or the economists—or even the theologians—who have the final word: Because Jesus alone is the prophet who is to come into the world. If you want to know what is right or wrong; if you want to know what is honorable or shameful; what is beautiful or ugly, and what is good or evil, then you must listen to Jesus Christ.[9]
The God Who Has Come
But even if Jesus is the Great Prophet, that is not all he is. As we shall see in the next few weeks, even the idea that Jesus is the greatest of prophets is not enough. There is more to this miracle than the people even realize.[10] To help us look deeper and beyond the shallow and superficial theology of the people, I want to remind us of what we already know about Jesus at this point. John 1:18, which has to be one of the most profound passages of Scripture, says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” Jesus is God the Son who has come to reveal God the Father. Jesus is the very projection of God himself. Now, I want to also point us to a passage that is quite telling. Many centuries before Christ, a prophet named Isaiah saw a vision. Listen now to Isaiah 25:6-8 and try to think about how it applies to what we have just seen in John 6:[11]
"On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all the nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken."
Friends, what Isaiah saw was the end of days. What Isaiah saw was the Lord God destroying death and preparing a feast for the nations. And what the people saw in John 6 was a sign that the end of days is coming in Jesus Christ. Now, I am not saying that the events in John 6 are the same events in Isaiah 25. After all, there was no rich food or wine in John 6; there was only fish and bread. But because we know that Jesus is God, we see that when Jesus fed the five thousand, he is not simply interested in recreating or repeating old miracles from the past. He is doing more than that: He is hinting at who he actually is. Jesus is not simply saying that he is Moses’ successor; he is saying that he is Moses’ God. The people think that the great prophet has come; they do not realize that it is God himself who has arrived to take his people for himself.
Coming to the Prophet God
So, you see, the feeding of the five thousand is a sign, a divinely created advertisement. The feast of the five thousand is a sign that Jesus is the prophet who is to come, it is a sign that Jesus is the Lord God who has come—and in turn, it is a signal for us to come to him. It is a signal for us to come and listen to what he wants to say to us. It is a signal for us to come and let him teach us what he wants us to learn. This is the lesson of the feast that the Holy Spirit wants us to grasp.
And when we come to Jesus, we will discover that he has a lot to teach us. He will teach us how to live. He will teach us how to think. He will even teach us how to interpret the Scriptures. But most of all, he will teach us that everything that we have been longing for and everything that we have been hungering after, can actually be found in him. Perhaps you are looking for a new beginning to your life. Well, Jesus will forgive your sins. Perhaps you are looking for wisdom. Jesus will give you more wisdom than even all your teachers have. Perhaps you are seeking for love. Jesus will love you with an intensity and loyalty that only God can give. You see, by feeding the five thousand, Jesus was not trying to advertise for a new restaurant that was opening under his management—rather, Jesus was advertising for himself. Jesus was saying, “Now that you have tasted what I can do, come to me.” Unfortunately of course, that is not how some people will interpret this miracle. In 6:26, we will see that many followed Jesus only because they wanted more food. But how disappointed they will be to learn that Jesus had no intention of repeating that miracle on a daily basis. Instead, Jesus had every intention of calling people to follow him because he himself is the goal! Or if I can say it in such a way as to prepare us for what we will see later, Jesus had every intention of calling people to follow him because he himself is the food (Jn.6:33)! So, the miracle dinner is simply a sign of something deeper. In fact, that is the reason for why Jesus performs any miracles at all—because he wants us to come to him, lay hold of him, and receive eternal life from him. This is not arrogance on Jesus’ part. This is love--love that cares enough to point us to himself.
Bibliography
Burge, Gary. John. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000.
Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. The Pillar New Testament Commentary Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991.
Köstenberger, Andreas. John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2004.
Ridderbos, Herman. The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary. Trans. John Vriend. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 1997.
[1] Gary Burge, John (NIVAC; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000), 191.
[2] At this point, it would also be helpful to understand what else the other Gospels say about this event. Apparently, we are told in Matthew 14 that Herod had also recently killed John the Baptist. When Jesus heard about this, he withdrew to a desolate place by himself. But being the famous healer that he had become, a large crowd followed him.
[3] Andreas Köstenberger, John (BECNT; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2004), 200.
[4] What is also interesting is that God did this to “test them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (Ex.16:4).
[5] In response, Moses asks God a very interesting question: “‘Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them’” (11:22)? While Moses and Philip and Andrew were all asking different questions for different reasons, their questions are remarkably similar. This coincidence is, of course, incredible. But it indicates that God has brought events together in such a way that this miracle that Jesus performed will remind people of all the other portions of Israel’s history.
[6] Burge, John, 194.
[7] This Christological assertion that the people make remind us of the one made by the Samaritan woman in John 4:25: “‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.’”
[8] Burge, John, 193.
[9] This might seem arrogant. After all, one of the guiding principles of a multicultural society is respect and tolerance for all kinds of opinion and culture. But as Christians, we don’t disagree with this. We certainly need to respect—and not just respect, but actually love—those with whom we disagree. Jesus does not teach us to insult or injure or hate those who disagree with him. Yet, if the Prophet Jesus says that he has the right word, then it automatically means that every other wisdom or cultural custom that does not conform to his word is wrong. This is the most basic logic in the universe. The question then, is this: Whose word will you listen? Whose wisdom will you follow? As prophet, Jesus brings the true word of God and as prophet he also brings the true interpretation of God’s word.
[10] In fact, when we look at Luke 9:18-20 (which is the passage which immediately follows Luke’s own account of this same feeding event), we see Jesus asking his disciples about who the people thought he was. The disciples reported that some thought Jesus was John the Baptist, or Elijah, or “one of the prophets of old” who had come back from the dead (Lk.9:19). Even the people were not at all clear about which prophet Jesus was.
[11] See also Isaiah 49:9-11. cf. Herman N. Ridderbos, The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1997), 213.
