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Please feel free to comment on any aspect of what you find on this website using the e-mail address: martin_margaret3@yahoo.co.uk We would be pleased to hear from you.John Chapter Six

JOHN 6

Introduction to the chapter
Some indication of the importance of the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand as described in this chapter is gained by noticing four things at the outset:

First, it is the only miracle that is found in all four gospels. Each of the gospel writers has his own agenda, and presents to us a fresh aspect of the person of Christ, but all four unite in telling of this miracle. This gives us an indication of the supreme importance of the truths expressed through it.

Second, it is the only miracle John records that is found in the other three gospels, for the others he records are not found in either Matthew, Mark or Luke. John’s gospel was probably the last of the four to be written, so he knew the others had all given the record of it; nevertheless he still included it, no doubt because he alone of the evangelists records the discourse of the Lord Jesus based on the miracle.

Third, as just stated, it is the only miracle whose significance is expounded by the Lord Jesus.

Fourth, it is the miracle that deals with that most basic of needs, bread itself, the staff of life. The main lesson to come out of the miracle is that we should never underestimate the importance of the word of God, for just as bread is food for the body, the word of God is food for the soul and spirit.

When God made man, He made him in His own image. This means that man has rationality, and is able to think and reason. Man also has morality, and is therefore able to distinguish between good and evil. Man has spirituality, for he is not just a body, but has a non-corporeal dimension, enabling him to appreciate God. Man was also made with personality, with the ability to express and represent God.

All these abilities, however, depended for their maintenance on obedience to the word of God. If man distances himself from God by not listening to His word, then he is no longer a complete person, nor can he fulfil the purpose for which God made him. So it was that continued communion with God depended on response to His word in obedience, reverence and love. When Adam and his wife were in the garden, God tested them in the matter of food, and the matter of His word. He instructed them not to eat of a certain tree; that was His word to them. But sadly, when Satan tempted the man and his wife, (and he did this by questioning God’s word by saying, “Hath God said?” Genesis 3:1), they united in preferring the lie of Satan to the truth of God’s word. As soon as they had done this, we read of the voice of the Lord God as He walked in the garden to confront the guilty pair, Genesis 3:8. They had rejected His words, so it was His voice they must hear again.

Centuries later, God took His people Israel into the wilderness and allowed them to know hunger for a short period, and then gave them bread from heaven in the form of the manna. His purpose for doing this was stated by Moses in Deuteronomy 8:3, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live”.

When the Lord Jesus was in a wilderness to be tested, He refused to make a stone out of bread because no word from His Father had come to Him to allow that. He based His refusal on those very words from Deuteronomy 8:3. He gloriously triumphed where Adam and Israel had disastrously failed. In John 6 some of the people are in a desert again, and they are given the opportunity to triumph as well, by obeying His word. Sadly, most of them walked away, as we learn from verse 66.

Structure of the chapter

Section 1	Verses 1-15	Supply for the five thousand
Section 2	Verses 16-21	The storm on the lake
Section 3	Verses 22-33	Seeking the True Bread
Section 4	Verses 34-46	Seeing the Son
Section 5	Verses 47-59	Sustained by the flesh of the Son of Man
Section 6	Verses 60-71	Standing firm or going back

Section 1  Verses 1-15
Supply for the five thousand

6:1
After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

After these things- John begins the chapter as he begins both chapters five and seven. Several weeks or months may separate the chapters, but he wants us to know that there is a connection between the incidents he records. In chapter five the emphasis was on the sabbath day, so John does not tell us what feast was being celebrated at that time. In chapter seven it is the time of the feast of tabernacles, but in this chapter it is passover time.

Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias- John deliberately tells us that the sea that the Lord Jesus crossed immediately prior to the miracle, was not only called the sea of Galilee, but was also called the sea of Tiberias. In this way he reminds us that the nation was under the domination of Rome, for the lake that was normally called Galilee, was also called Tiberias, after one of the Roman Emperors. As we shall see, the Lord walked on the waters of this lake during the night, thus showing symbolically that He was superior to the power of the world. It was that hostile world to which the disciples would take the word of God, but they would be encouraged by the fact that He could “walk on the water”, being totally in control.

6:2
And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.

And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased- Luke in his account assures us that these miracles were healing miracles, reminding us that immediately after leaving Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel were assured that their God was Jehovah Ropheca, meaning “Jehovah thine Healer”. The promise was given to them that if they kept God’s commandments, He would not put any of the diseases of Egypt upon them, Exodus 15:26,27. So there the blessing was conditional on them keeping the law. In this chapter, however, the healing was done without any such condition, emphasising that Christ had come in grace.

John mentions why the crowd followed; it was the same as in verse 2. It is no surprise then to find that many of them would turn away at the end of the chapter. They were not following for the right reason.

6:3
And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.

And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples- soon after coming out of Egypt, the children of Israel had assembled at the foot of Mount Sinai, to hear God speaking to them. Already in His ministry on another mountain, as found in Matthew chapters five to seven, the Lord Jesus has shown that He had not come to destroy the law given at Sinai, but rather had come to fill out its meaning, and to point out that motives as well as actions were important. Here, on another mountain, He instructs both the people and His disciples, as Mark and Luke record.

6:4
And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.

And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh- at such a season the feelings of the nation would be highly charged, as they remembered the dramatic way in which God had delivered them in a past day. We see evidence of this in the fact they tried to make Him their king in verse 15. Moses had been described as “king in Jeshurun”, another name for Israel, Deuteronomy 33:5, and they see in Christ another Moses.

We notice again that John calls this feast a feast of the Jews, whereas in Leviticus 23 the festivals were called the feasts of Jehovah. The nation had displaced God from His central place in their hearts and lives. Christianity has no religious festivals, but there is the injunction for believers to do everything as unto the Lord, and to His glory, 1 Corinthians 10:31. Sadly, the Corinthians had made the same mistake in principle as Israel, for they had turned the Lord’s Supper into their own supper, 1 Corinthians 11:20,21. By both His miracle and His teaching in this chapter, the Lord Jesus will restore God to His rightful place in the hearts of those who respond to His word. Peter shows that He has this rightful place in his heart when he makes his confession in verse 69.

By saying that the feast was nigh, John is safeguarding the honour of His Saviour, lest some should suggest that He failed to obey the command of God to be present at the feast. The word “nigh” is the same as is used in 7:2, where the feast of tabernacles was “at hand”. This meant it was about to happen, and the same is true in our chapter.

6:5
When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him- a great multitude of Israelites had been brought into a wilderness by Moses, and it became clear that some believed, and some did not, as Jude points out, Jude 5. Now another multitude is found in the wilderness, but this time with Christ. God had brought Israel into the wilderness of old time to test them, and now this company is also to be put to the test. But first, the disciples must be tested.

He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? When the people had asked the question, “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” Psalm 78:19, God had responded by raining bread from heaven for them, Exodus 16:4. The situation is the same in principle here, but with the difference that it is the disciples who express doubt, for they see no alternative than to send the people away unfed, as the records in Matthew and Mark show.

In John’s account, however, it is Philip that is the focus of attention, and the Lord asks him a question to prove him, as the next verse says. But why Philip? And why are Andrew and Simon Peter mentioned in verse 8? We know that by this time the twelve apostles had been chosen, so why are these three singled out? On other occasions it was Peter, James and John who were specially favoured, as in Matthew 26:37; Luke 8:51; 9:28.

The answer may lie in the fact that these three were amongst the first to follow the Lord, and therefore were with Christ at the marriage in Cana. Because of this, they knew that He was able to turn water into wine. They had seen His glory and believed in Him, John 2:11. They should have appreciated that if He was competent in the matter of wine, He would be competent also in the matter of bread.

6:6
And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.

And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do- John is quick to point out that Christ’s question was not one of enquiry, nor was it one of slight doubt, but a question that gave Philip the opportunity to answer in faith.

Alas, Philip, when proved, did not pass the test, but fell into the mistake of limiting God, and thinking in terms of human resources, as the next verse indicates. Not only Philip, but ten of his fellow-apostles are being prepared for the great task of feeding the souls of men with the word of God, as they went into all the world after Pentecost. They would be fortified by the thought that, although they were not sufficient for the task, as the apostle Paul confessed, (“And who is sufficient for these things?” 2 Corinthians 2:16), yet Christ was fully able to meet the need.

6:7
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little- instead of drawing on his experience at Cana, and also his knowledge of God’s dealings with Israel in the wilderness, Philip can only think in terms of man’s currency, pennies, and man’s products, baker’s loaves.

A penny was a day’s wages for a labourer in those times, as we learn from Matthew 20:2, and so is equivalent to about £100 today. 200 pennyworth would therefore equate to £20,000, and therefore was a considerable sum, indicating the vast crowd of people that were gathered.

Clearly, Philip is thinking of the fact that the need was far greater than they could supply. And even if they had such resources, only a little bread could be made available, certainly not enough to fill the hungry people and have a surplus. But once again the lesson is going to be taught that God is not outwitted by any circumstance, and He is fully able to meet the need of the moment.

6:8
One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him,

One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him- Andrew also manifests a lack of faith in the Lord’s abilities, and shows he is overawed by the great need that confronts them, but at least he makes a suggestion, even if it is on the level of a natural one.

6:9
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? Notice that the loaves are barley loaves, the food of the poor, and the fishes are small. How appropriate that the one who “became poor”, 2 Corinthians 8:9, and who “humbled himself”, Philippians 2:8 should use these things, not only to feed the multitude, but also to show that He had come from heaven in grace and humility to nourish the souls of men. When the manna came in the wilderness it was “small”, Exodus 16:14. The Lord not only became poor, but He so acted that those who believe “might be rich”, 2 Corinthians 8:9 again. Not only would there be a rich feast of bread and fish for them all, they could come the next day for a better feast, as he expounded the truth of His person to them as the Bread of God. A banquet indeed!

We note the willingness of the lad to give up his lunch, in order that the work of God may be furthered. The Lord could very easily have made loaves out of nothing, but in grace He used a little lad’s provision. We ought to ask ourselves whether we are prepared to give anything up for God’s cause. In a very real sense, the lad did what Philip did not, even “give them to eat”. No matter how young in the faith we may be, we may do what the Lord calls us to do. Who knows what far-reaching consequences there might be? The lad did not lose out by giving up his meal, for he had the great privilege of eating a meal miraculously supplied.

On two occasions we read of fish after the Lord’s resurrection. In Luke 24:42 He ate a piece of broiled fish, (that is, “fish prepared by fire”), and a piece of honeycomb. In John 21:9-13 He Himself prepared a meal of cooked fish and bread for His cold and hungry disciples. In both of these instances it was to manifest Himself as a risen man. In Luke it was to prove He was not simply a spirit, for He could eat and digest food. In the other it was to show that He was the same one as had fed the five thousand with loaves and fishes. On that occasion, another had supplied the bread and fish, but now He provides it Himself.

When he was showing how available Christ is to men, the apostle Paul pointed out that men do not need to ascend into heaven to bring Christ down in incarnation, nor do they need to descend into the deep to bring Christ up from the dead in resurrection, Romans 10:6,7. The fact is that Christ, like the manna, has already come down from heaven, and like the fishes, has already been brought up from the abyss, the depths of the sea. The bread and the fishes remind us of these twin facts.

6:10
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.

And Jesus said, Make the men sit down- this does not mean that the women and children ate standing up, but the headship of the man is recognised, and the wife and family gathered round their menfolk, also sitting on the green grass.

Now there was much grass in the place- the particular spot where this miracle is said to have taken place was noted for its relatively fertile soil. Despite being classed as a desert, there would be grass here, for the people’s comfort.

As to the location, we are told in Luke 9:10 that it was “a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida”. There are two possibilities here. We know from previous incidents in the gospel records that the journey was taken from the Capernaum side of the lake, and the return journey was to that area too, for the discourse on the bread was given, in part at least, in the synagogue in Capernaum. So either the Bethsaida mentioned by Luke is Bethsaida Julias, a town on the north west shore of Galilee, or the emphasis is on the expression “a desert place belonging to”, which would indicate land on the east side of the lake which was allotted to the town of Bethsaida, (which was on the west side), where fishermen, if stranded by storms, could shelter if need be. All this serves to highlight the fact that the Lord deliberately arranged for the miracle to be performed where normal supplies were unavailable, thus casting them on Divine resources, as Israel were cast in old time. After He had performed the miracle, He immediately returned to the other side of the lake, suggesting that the miracle was performed on the east side.

So the men sat down, in number about five thousand- Mark tells us that the men were made to sit down “in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties”, Mark 6:40. This may simply mean that there were two sizes of company, those of fifty people and those of one hundred. This raises the question why this should be. Alternatively, Mark is telling us that the companies were all of fifty, and there were one hundred of them, amounting to the number five thousand mentioned in the narrative. Luke definitely tells us in his account that the command to the disciples was to make the men sit down by fifties in a company, Luke 9:14. This suggests a further link with the first passover, for when Israel came out of Egypt, they marched “harnessed”, or, as this may be translated, “by fifties”. As they sat waiting for the bread to be distributed to them, many may have made this connection, for it was a further reminder of what happened to their forefathers in the wilderness. (A similar thing happened with Joseph’s brothers, for as they were sitting down to eat with him, they realised that they were sitting round the table in the order of their birth, showing he knew who they were, Genesis 43:33). Whatever the precise meaning of the fifties, the thought is that the meal was conducted in an orderly way, for God is the God of order, not confusion, 1 Corinthians 14:33, and God manifest in flesh is showing this. The apostle Paul exhorted, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40.

6:11
And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks- the practice of giving thanks for food is here endorsed by the Son of God, who, as a dependant man, is thankful for His Father’s provision for the need. See 1 Timothy 4:5, where food is said to be sanctified by the word of God and prayer. The word of God in question is that found in Genesis 1:29, where God said, “Behold I have given you every herb…and every tree…to you it shall be for meat”, and in Genesis 9:3, “every thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things”. Food is also sanctified by prayer, as thanks is given to God for His kind provision.

The fact that the Lord gave thanks for the five loaves shows that He did not create extra bread, or else there would be need to give thanks for that as well. He brake the existing loaves, and kept on breaking; therein lay the miracle. When it was a question of turning water into wine, the Lord hastened the process that was already in place whereby rainwater turned after many months into grape juice, and then, after many years, into wine. The Creator stepped in an accomplished all this in an instant. So in the case of the loaves. When the grains of corn are in the ear they constantly divide and grow until they have reached the stage of ripeness and can be harvested. Then, just as grape juice needs to ferment, so flour needs to also, and another process takes place, and eventually a loaf is produced. Again, the Creator steps in, and He takes a portion of bread, and under His hand it multiplies and grows, until a multitude is filled.

And when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples- John’s account makes no mention of the loaves being broken, but simply that the loaves were distributed. Is this another way in which John carefully distinguishes between this meal, and the Lord’s Supper, at which bread is broken? John does not record that breaking of bread, even though he was present. The giving of thanks must have deeply affected John, for he mentions it again in verse 23.

And the disciples to them that were set down- note that the disciples have no part in the miracle, (any more than the servants at the marriage in Cana had part in the turning of water to wine), but are simply handed a seemingly endless supply of fragments of loaves and fishes. The Lord does not make bread, but breaks bread, Mark 8:19, miraculously turning a limited supply into an abundant one. Just as He had turned water into wine, so here He takes the basic foodstuff and it becomes a plentiful harvest.

There is a difference however. The water was changed to wine, for the emphasis is on Christ as Transformer, the one who changes a lack into plenty; concern into contentment; embarrassment into ease of mind. By working the miracle of the loaves, however, the Lord showed He is Sustainer. He took what was available, and distributed it far and wide, for the bread is a figure of His body, given in sacrifice, and the blessing of that sacrifice is available to the whole world.

The disciples are learning to serve on one level, so that eventually they will be fitted to serve by feeding the souls of men, and thus fulfil the Lord’s original command to them, “Give ye them to eat”, Matthew 14:16. See Acts 6:1-4, with its two ways of serving, either material needs, or spiritual. The word for serve is the same for both, meaning deacon service. How important it is to ensure that the word of God is available to men, so that they may “eat and live”. There is no substitute for the accurate teaching of the truth of God as found in the scriptures to sinner and saint alike. As the apostle Paul exhorted Timothy in the light of the Lord’s coming, “Preach the word”, 2 Timothy 4:2.

And likewise of the fishes as much as they would- whilst the fishes were small, they were considered a delicacy, so the basic need of bread was met, with the extra supplied for their enjoyment. Perhaps not all liked fish, so it is “as much as they would”. The Israelites gathered the manna “every man according to his eating”, Exodus 16:18, so even a hearty appetite was satisfied; and so it is here.

6:12
When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.

When they were filled- the apostle Paul described God as one who “left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness”, Acts 14:17. Christ is demonstrating once again that He, God manifest in flesh, is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He filled with food in this chapter, and filled with gladness at the marriage in Cana.

He said unto his disciples- Philip had only thought of every one taking a little, verse 7, so the exercise of gathering up so much that was not needed was a powerful lesson to him and his fellow apostles, and to us.

Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost- we should not think of the fragments remaining as being crumbs dropped on the ground. These fragments would be pieces of bread that the Lord had broken off, which were over and above what was needed to satisfy the multitude, as the next verse will make clear. There was an abundant supply, with “bread enough and to spare”, Luke 15:17.

The idea of not being lost comes up again in the chapter, for the Lord guarantees that of that company that God has given Him, (meaning believers), He will lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day, verse 39. This work of gathering up “that which remains” of the believers, namely their bodies in the grave, He will carry out Himself; it cannot be delegated to apostles, or even to angels. He will also gather to Himself those that remain on the earth, (meaning those believers who are still alive), when He comes, 1 Thessalonians 4:15. So those who have died, and remain in the grave, and those who are alive, and live still upon the earth, will both be gathered up, and nothing will be lost. We should remember that the price Christ paid to redeem His people is enough to secure the redemption of their bodies, as well as their souls, Romans 8:23.

6:13
Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten- the Lord knew the need of His disciples, not only because they had waited upon thousands of people, but also because they were about to try to row across the lake. They would each have a basketful of bread to reward them for their efforts, and energise them for the task ahead. The Lord always sustains His servants if they are doing what He has commanded them to do. The apostle Paul testified that he was able to do all things, because Christ strengthened him, Philippians 4:13. Mark tells us that they gathered up the fragments of the fishes as well, so the disciples did not just have bread, but a little luxury as well in the form of the little fish, considered a delicacy. As the apostle Paul wrote, “He giveth us richly all things to enjoy”, 1 Timothy 6:17.

Sadly, it seems from Mark’s account of what happened later that the disciples failed to realise the meaning of the miracle, and their lack of understanding and hardness of heart had to be rebuked, Mark 8:14-21. They seemed to doubt whether He could supply their need. Those who claim to serve Christ must have a proper sense of His ability to supply every need as it arises.

Some of the lessons believers may learn from this miracle are as follows:

1. They should have a strong sense of the greatness of Christ, remembering we serve “the Lord Christ”, Colossians 3:24.

2. They should serve men out of compassion, seeing them in their deep need and seeking to meet that need, Matthew 14:14.

3. They should serve in faith, not daunted by the greatness of the need, but confident that the Lord can supply the need, Mark 8:14-21.

4. They should learn to put what they have at the disposal of the Lord, as the lad did.

5. They should be careful to pass on only what the Lord passes to us, and neither take away from it, nor add to it.

6. They should be aware that there is an abundance with Christ, and we shall never exhaust the supply He makes available.

7. They should remember that the Lord always recompenses fully all effort put in to His work, for there was a basketful of bread for each of the apostles when the work was done.

6:14
Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did- just as the manna had been given to prove the children of Israel, to see whether they would respond to God, so here. Unhappily, the response of the people is one of mere political fervour, seeing in Christ only a person who can meet their desire for deliverance from Roman occupation, and meet their daily needs. They are still looking on Him simply as a wonder-worker, and are not prepared to own Him as the Son of God, despite the miracle just performed to prove it.

Said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world- their reference to the prophet is in line with Deuteronomy 18:18, but it is not clear that they equated this prophet with the Messiah, as they should have done. The Samaritan woman had called the Lord a prophet, (and according to her understanding as a Samaritan there was only one prophet after Moses), and then described Him as the Christ, or Messiah, John 4:19,29.

Later in the chapter they will compare Christ to Moses, to whom they mistakenly attribute the giving of the manna, the bread from heaven, verses 31,32. The promise in Deuteronomy was of a prophet like unto Moses, and they declare that He is that prophet, but only because of the miracles He did. The prophet God promised them was one who would speak to them the true words of God. They will be put to the test the next day, as He gives a lengthy exposition of the meaning of the bread He had supplied them. Unhappily, they would largely reject this testimony.

6:15
When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king- Isaiah foretold that the Messiah would “not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears”, Isaiah 11:3. This means that He has no need to physically see something to know its significance; nor does He need others to bear testimony to Him orally either. He has Divine insight into every situation.

Since the people were likening Him to Moses in their minds, it is possible they are remembering that Moses was called “king in Jeshurun”, with Jeshurun being another name for the nation of Israel, Deuteronomy 33:5; 32:15.

He departed again into a mountain himself alone- He shows that He is not subject to the whims of the people, for He will only accept the throne of Israel from his Father. The angel Gabriel told Mary that “the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David”, Luke 1:32. He had been offered the kingdoms of the world by the Devil, but had rejected such an offer with the contempt it deserved, Luke 4:5-8. It is worth remembering that the title King of Israel is a Divine title, Isaiah 44:6.

He had gone up into a mountain with His disciples at the start of the day, verse 3; then He “went forth” when the crowds came, Matthew 14:14; He fed them, not on the sea-shore, but on a grassy place, and now He returns to a mountain to signal to the people that the events of the day are over. He sent the multitudes away in an orderly fashion, a necessary step in view of the many thousands, (perhaps twenty), who were there.

Section 2   Verses 16-21
The storm on the lake

6:16
And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea,

And when even was now come, his disciples went down unto the sea- He had “constrained” His disciples to get into a ship, Matthew 14:22, which suggests that they were reluctant to leave Him, perhaps because they had some sympathy with the multitudes who wanted to make Him king. They seem to have lingered, for they did not leave in the boat until even. After having sent the multitudes away, indicating to them that He had no more to say to them that day, the Lord had remained in the mountain to pray. We know from Matthew 14:25 that He eventually went to the disciples in the fourth watch of the night.

6:17
And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.

And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum- obeying the Lord’s command to go before Him by boat to the other side, Matthew 14:22, the disciples begin their journey across the lake without Him, perhaps thinking He would walk along the shore and they could pick Him up if they sailed close to the shore.

And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them- we read of two evenings in Matthew’s account of these events. In Matthew 14:15 he tells us it was evening, and in verse 23, after the Lord had fed the five thousand, he tells us that, “when the evening was come Jesus was alone on the mountain”. The explanation of this apparent discrepancy is simple. The Jewish day was reckoned to have two evenings. The first was when the sun began to decline at about 3pm. The second evening was when it was almost dark, and three stars could be seen. This was at 6pm. So we now have a time-line of the events of the day. So “And it was now dark” is equivalent to saying, “after 6pm”. The Jewish night watch began at that time. This circumstance would increase the anxiety of the disciples, for they were not only alone, and the Lord had not met up with them, but they were now in the dark. But worse was to come.

We have in the events of this chapter a preview of the future. The multiplied loaves speak of the Lord’s flesh, which He would give for the life of the world, verse 51, speaking of Calvary. Then the fish, as we shall see, speak of His resurrection. Then His disciples are sent into storm conditions which represent the troubles the Lord’s people experience in this present age. Whilst they are on the lake toiling, the Lord retires to the mountain to intercede, picture of His present ministry in heaven. But He came again to the disciples in a way that was superior to nature, and rescued them from their distress and brought them safe home to their destination. Once the trials of this present age are complete, Christ is coming again to take His people to glory, for once the Lord and His disciples were reunited, “immediately the ship was at the land whither they went”, verse 21.

We know the way the Lord came to them eventually was by walking on the sea, but the disciples do not know that yet, so they probably sailed along the coast expecting to see Him appear. But He plans to come to them in an unnatural way, to demonstrate His power over all opposing forces, and also to prefigure the way He will come for His own at the Rapture. He who walked on the sea can descend from heaven for His own.

6:18
And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew.

And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew- we should not confuse this incident with the storm on the lake, when the Lord was present in the boat. Here the disciples are being taught that even though He was not in the vessel, He was still in control. The wind was contrary, according to Matthew 14:24, and it is evident that the disciples had been forced to row, rather than sail. It is to their credit that they do not turn back. Their Lord had instructed them to go before Him to the other side, Matthew 14:22, and they were resolved to obey, despite the difficulties. Do difficulties stop us obeying? The apostle Paul warns us against the winds of evil doctrine that blow in the world, and that if we are not established in the truth we shall be tossed to and fro by them, Ephesians 4:14.

6:19
So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.

So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs- Galilee is approximately 11 kilometres wide. This means that 25-30 furlongs is in the middle of the lake, (Matthew tells us they were in the midst of the sea when the Lord came to them), so they have no easy route to escape the storm. Christ comes to the rescue when we have come to an end of ourselves. He makes a way of escape when we think there can be none.

Very likely they had begun the journey by sailing close to the shore, ready to take Christ on board if He appeared, but now they have had to furl their sails, and row. Despite their best efforts, they have been driven by the wind into the middle of the lake.

They see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship- to walk on the sea is to show total control over that which man cannot even partially control. The Egyptian hieroglyphic for the word “impossible” was a picture of two feet over wavy lines representing the sea. With God all things are possible, and God manifest in flesh is demonstrating this fact. As we have noted, Matthew makes us aware that they are far from the shore, Matthew 14:24, so the “walking on the water” was not walking on sand banks in shallow water, as some infidels suggest.

Not only is the Lord walking on the sea, but Mark tells us that He “would have passed by them”, so He was walking faster than they were rowing. Even though He had started out later than they had, He had now reached them, and was about to overtake them, Mark 6:48. Clearly the contrary winds and the rising sea present no problem to Him. It is said of God that His way is in the sea, Psalm 77:19, the reference there being to the passage made for the Israelites to cross the sea. Now He is showing that He does not need a passage made for Him to walk through, for He walks on the sea as if it is dry land, leaving no impress on the sea bottom, with the result that “His footsteps are not known”, as the psalm said.

And they were afraid- their nerves were already in shreds because of the danger they were in, but worse still, they thought they saw a spirit moving across the water towards them, Mark 6:49. John only uses the word spirit either of the Holy Spirit, or the spirits of men, or spirit in the abstract; he never mentions evil spirits.

6:20
But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid.

But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid- the “but” is in answer to the unspoken fear of the disciples. They now learn that they need fear no situation, for He is in control of all things, whether it be wind, waves, darkness, or fear of spirits.

It is possible that Judas would have deduced from such an incident that the Lord was able to escape from any difficult situation, and that even if he betrayed Him He would be able to escape.

6:21
Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.

Then they willingly received him into the ship- they had been reluctant before, since they were not absolutely sure who or what it was that came across the water to them, but now His word of calm makes them willing to welcome Him into the ship. When verse 19 says “they saw Jesus”, we are to understand, “they saw the one John now knows to have been Jesus as he wrote the gospel”.

Matthew tells us that the wind ceased when He entered into the ship. It is as if the forces of evil realise that they have been outclassed and outwitted. The Lord does not even have to rebuke the wind and the raging of the water as in the storm on the lake recorded in Luke 8:22-25. John tells us nothing about the attempt that Peter made to walk on the water, Matthew 14:28-31. Luke does not even mention the crossing of the lake.

By this incident the disciples have been prepared for the sort of situation that will confront them as they are sent forth into the world to feed the souls of men after Christ’s ascension. They now know that the Lord will always be interceding for them, and will always intervene in an appropriate way for them.

Paul himself learned that in his most difficult experiences, he could count on the Lord being with him. When no man stood with him to plead his cause before Nero, he was conscious that the Lord stood by him, 2 Timothy 4:16-18. (We have noted that John calls the Sea of Galilee the Sea of Tiberias, to emphasise that when He walks on that sea the power of Rome is under His control). He could remind Timothy that the Lord is at hand, or at our elbow, Philippians 4:5. No matter how dark the hour, or how contrary the opposing forces, our Lord and Saviour is superior to all, for He is Lord of all, Acts 10:36. This truth would be a great encouragement to Peter as the whole Gentile world, (represented by Cornelius), opened out before him.

And immediately the ship was at the land whither they went- instead of toiling in rowing, the disciples find that the presence of Christ solves every difficulty. There is a complete reversal here, for the wind that drove them to the middle of the sea has ceased, but now the superior force of Christ’s presence carries them speedily to their destination. It was not simply that they arrived somewhere on the shore, but that they reached where they had set out for. So it shall be with believers at the end of this age, for the promise of Christ to His own is, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also”, John 14:3.

The psalmist described the experience of sailors in a storm like this: “They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.” Psalm 107:23-30.

Section 3   Verses 22-33
Seeking the True Bread

Survey of the section
We now come to the discourse given by the Lord Jesus when the people came to Him on the other side of the lake the day after they were miraculously fed. We shall notice as we proceed that just as there were three main actions on the part of the people when the manna was given, so there are these same three actions expected in this chapter. In Exodus 16:4 we read, “the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day”. Then they were told, “and in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord”, verse 7. Then in verse 18 “they gathered every man according to his eating”. So the three main actions expected were seeking, seeing, and eating. And this is how we may divide John 6:22-59.

Structure of Section 3

(a)	Verses 22-24	The energy of the flesh
(b)	Verses 25-26	The exposure of failure
(c)	Verses 27-29	The energy of faith
(d)	Verses 30-33	The explanation of the Father’s gift

(a) Verses 22-24
The energy of the flesh

6:22
The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto His disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;

The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered- John gives elaborate details as to the way in which the people at last discovered the Lord on the other side of the sea. There are three relevant facts here. First, the people, after they had been sent away by Christ after He had fed them, realised that there were no boats to take them across the sea. After all, it was a desert place, and it was getting dark. They presumably went into the nearby villages to lodge for the night, as the disciples had suggested previously, Luke 9:12.

And that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone- second, they realise that the Lord did not get into the boat with the disciples, so they probably guessed that He intended to walk around the shore on His own.

6:23
(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:).

(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:) This is John’s preparation for what he will tell us in verse 24, and is the third aspect of the situation. We might ask how the people can take shipping if there are no boats, and the answer is that other boats came the next morning. Perhaps word had reached Tiberias about thousands of people stranded without boats, and some enterprising boatmen filled the need.

John does not tell us when these boats came, for “after that the Lord had given thanks” refers to the eating of the bread. So it is not that the boats came late in the evening, for John has just told us there were no boats there then.

6:24
When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.

When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus- the last phrase looks very promising; sadly, however, this was all a display of carnal energy, as is revealed by the exposure of the thoughts of their hearts by the Lord Jesus in verse 26.

(b)  Verses 25-26
The exposure of failure

6:25
And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?

And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? They know nothing of His walk across the water, and the Lord does not tell them. They are only thinking of timing, and have no idea that He can walk on water. If they had suspected this, they would have said, “How”, and not “when”. They do not really appreciate a miracle they saw with their own eyes in daylight, so how would they believe something which took place in the dark? The Lord never satisfies idle curiosity, yet is ever ready to reveal Himself to an earnest seeker. They call Him Rabbi, but will they progress to a confession like Peter’s in verse 69?

6:26
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.

Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you- by prefacing His response with these words, the Lord indicates that He is going to impart some truth to them that will be fresh to them, even if it is to their rebuke. He immediately shows that He knows the thoughts of their hearts.

Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled- there are three levels on which the miracles of the Lord Jesus may be thought of. The first and lowest level is simply the realisation that a miracle has been performed. Then there may be wonder at the effect the miracle had. Then there was the third level, and the one on which the miracle should ideally be appreciated, namely, the understanding of the truth expressed by it. The Lord shows by His word that the people in general are not even on the first level, for all they are seeking is another meal. It is difficult to see how people can be so shallow in their thinking, but so it is.

Note the double affirmative, “Verily, verily”, meaning “Truly, truly”. This is found only in John’s gospel, and asserts four things. First, that there is a new development in the teaching of Christ, and fresh truth is about to be spoken. Second, that the truth about to be expressed is definite. Third, that the word expressed may be difficult to take in, yet nonetheless is true. And fourthly, that even though it may be doubted or denied, it is indeed true, being doubly sure. The statement refers not so much to their feeble reason for seeking Him, but the truth contained in His exhortation in verse 27. The word miracles is in the plural because, as Luke tells us, the Lord had healed those who had need of healing before He fed them with bread that day, Luke 9:11.

(c)  Verses 27-29
The energy of faith

6:27
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Labour not for the meat which perisheth- note the important truth that even miraculously provided bread perished. So with the manna; if left it bred worms and stank, Exodus 16:20. The bread which perisheth is all the people saw in the loaves He had fed them with, and they had now expended much energy on labouring to acquire a further supply. This the Lord rebukes.

But for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you- the word meat is used here in the sense of food. The pot of manna which was laid up in the Tabernacle to commemorate the giving of the manna did not perish, giving a hint that there was meat that did not perish, Exodus 16:32-34. This the Lord exhorts them to strive for. As Son of Man He is available to men, having come down to where we are, just as the manna fell round about the camp of Israel. He is also available to all, not just Israel.

For him hath God the Father sealed- this shows us, remarkably, that it is the Son of Man in relation to the Father here, indicating that He has lost nothing of His eternal relationship with the Father by coming to earth.

He is sent, sealed, and special. Bakers put their own mark on the loaves they wish to be identified with. So the Father bore witness to His Son at His baptism. He was also marked out by the miracles He performed, for Peter described Him as “a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him”, Acts 2:22. If they would have this Divinely-approved food, then they must go to Christ for it, for He is not only the one God approves of as to His person, but He is the one approved of as provider of spiritual food. When men lacked bread in Egypt, the word was “Go unto Joseph”, Genesis 41:55. Now God is directing men to Christ, the greater than Joseph.

6:28
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?

Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we may work the works of God? To their credit, they show a certain amount of respect for His opinion on the matter of working for God, but this was a low view. They must learn that He speaks with authority from God, and does not merely offer opinions. He had said “labour”, and “God the Father”, so they appear keen to do what He said when they say “What shall we do?”, but are not prepared for His answer. They wanted to do works, and clearly were thinking of legal works by which they also might be sealed, or approved by God. They must learn to rest in Christ, not labour for themselves. It is significant that the sabbath, instituted by God in creation week, was not mentioned in the scriptures for two thousand and six hundred years until the manna was given, Exodus 16:23. Sadly, some of the people transgressed over the matter of the sabbath when they went out to collect manna on the seventh day. These people are in danger of doing the same in a spiritual sense; that is, working when God said rest.

6:29
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent- by their use of the words “what shall we do that we may work the works of God” they were thinking in terms of what effort they could put in. The Lord directs them to the act of faith. Believing is not a work in the sense that it gains merit, or earns a reward, but it is something a person does, and as such may be described as a work. After all, He had exhorted them to “labour…for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life”, verse 27. The Israelites could not gain the benefit of the manna if they did not stir out of their tents to go and gather it. Moreover, it is the work of God. Clearly this does not mean it is a work God does personally, but rather is a work He moves to bring about in men’s hearts, as verses 44 and 45 will explain, and also a work He is able to associate with, for it involves recognition of His Son.

(d)  Verses 30-33
Explanation of the Father’s gift

6:30
They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work?

They said therefore unto Him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe Thee? What dost thou work? He has told them they should believe on Him, so now they want proof that He is authentic, and worthy of their faith. The Jews require a sign, 1 Corinthians 1:22, and refuse to believe unless one is given. But they had seen a sign relevant to the subject in hand, and yet seem not to have believed. Why then would they believe another sign if they believed not the first?

6:31
Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Our fathers did eat manna in the wilderness- the implication of their words, (to which they give an appearance of spirituality by alluding to scripture), is that the manna had lasted for forty years, and had fed millions of people for all that time.

As it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat- they are claiming that Moses did a far greater work than feed a small crowd with one meal. They ask for a second sign in order to be convinced that He is superior to Moses, whom they revered, and whom they here mistakenly credit with giving the manna. This is a classic case of unbelievers trying to expound scripture. They cannot do this, for only those in touch with God can do so. We should not be surprised if infidels criticize the Bible, for they are ignorant of the truth. Nor should we be anxious about their reasonings, for they have no capacity to understand. As the Lord Jesus will say a few months later, “If any man will to do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself”, John 7:17. Unbelievers who find fault with scripture do so because they have no intention of doing God’s will.

6:32
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven- the Lord is asserting His authority here as the One sealed by the Father. They have misinterpreted the psalm they quoted, for the psalmist lists many of the works of God in connection with Israel, including “he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out”, Psalm 78:20. Now it is certainly true that it was Moses that smote the rock, but he did so in the presence of God, (for it was God who stood before Moses on the rock), and at His command, as Exodus 17:6 makes clear, so it is God who smote the rock through the agency of Moses. When the psalmist goes on to write, “he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat”, verses 23,24, he was referring to an act of God, not Moses. The Lord corrects their error by declaring that it was God that the psalmist referred to as “he”, and not Moses. Notice that He does not enter into a discussion about the matter, but speaks a word of authority. This should have gone some way to correct their notion that He was inferior to Moses, which is what they implied by their statement.

But my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven- the same God who sent the manna was His Father, and He, as the Son, shares every attribute of God, being equal in nature. This means He has insight into Divine things, and can speak with authority about the giving of the manna and its meaning. It is not that the manna was false, but that the bread from heaven being offered to them by the Father was the reality of which the manna was an illustration and an indication. The manna had come from the skies, whereas the true bread came from the very presence of the Father in heaven.

We may compare and contrast the manna and Christ as follows:

Comparison:

The manna was from heaven, the sky.
Christ was from heaven, the presence of His Father.

The manna was small in size.
Christ was humble, and refused to be made king, 6:15.

The manna was round in shape, symbolic of eternity.
Christ is eternal in His being, 6:62.

The manna fell round about the camp of Israel.
Christ, as Son of Man, 6:27, 53, was accessible.

The manna was freely given.
Christ is given by the Father to those who believe.

The manna was a test of obedience, Exodus 16:4.
Response to Christ is the supreme test-“Will ye also go away?” 6:67.

The manna was given in abundant supply.
Christ has life for the world.

Contrast:

The manna was only bread.
Christ is a living person.

The manna was like ordinary bread.
Christ is spiritual bread.

The Israelites ate the manna, but still died.
Those who believe in Christ, eat, and live for ever, 6:51.

The manna bred worms and stank.
Christ is meat that endureth.

The manna was supplied for forty years, then stopped.
When Christ is eaten, there is no more hunger for ever.

The manna was given to Israel alone.
Christ is available to the world.

The manna supported natural life.
Christ gives and supports spiritual life.

6:33
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world.

For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven- the expression “bread of God” indicates at least four things:

1. It is used of the sacrifices offered on Israel’s altar, Leviticus 21:6,8,17,21, so the Lord is preparing His hearers for the idea that He can only become available to them through His sacrificial death.

2. It signifies that Christ was entirely satisfying to God.

3. It indicates that He was approved of God, for “Him hath God the Father sealed”, 6:27, a reference to bakers stamping their loaves with their name.

4. In the context of the verse, it shows that He is the one who is able to give life from God. He is the bread that God uses to supply the needs of the hungry soul.

The manna in the wilderness was a material object, whereas the bread of God is “he that came down from heaven”, a real person, the Son of God incarnate.

And giveth life unto the world- the bread supplied on the previous day was for a large crowd that day. The manna in the wilderness was for a nation for forty years, but the bread of God knows no limits, and is available to the world at any time. We should not understand this to mean that the whole world has been given life. The Lord is speaking of the potential that is found in the bread of God; that it gives life to the world is its character.

Section 4  Verses 34-46
The sight of the Son

Structure of the passage

(a)	Verses 34-36	Seeing and not believing, (verse 36)
(b)	Verses 37-40	Seeing and believing, (verse 40)
(c)	Verses 41-42	Seeing naturally, (verse 42)
(d)	Verses 43-46	Seeing the Father through the Son, (verse 46)

6:34
Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread- they reason that just as the manna only supplied the need of a day, and had to be given again the next day, so Christ needs to give and give again. They plead with Him to continue for ever giving them this bread. They seem not to have captured the significance of “the bread of God is he”. The bread is not external to Himself, hence the “I am” expressions that follow in verses 35,48 and 51 are needed to make the point. The woman of Samaria made this same mistake at first, for she said, “Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw”, John 4:15. To her credit, she soon learns that the water is spiritual, and springs up constantly from within.

6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life- so He Himself is the bread. The “I” is emphatic, meaning “I, and no other, not even Moses”. He is the bread of life in that the one who comes to Him shall be given eternal life. In verse 48 there is a development, for He there assures us that He sustains the eternal life He gives. He is the bread that gives life, and the bread that sustains that life constantly.

He that cometh to me shall never hunger- everlasting life is not only life that goes on for ever, but life which lasts, or retains its force, for ever, too. They will not need to come in initial faith again if they have come once, for they will not hunger again.

The fact that “cometh” is exchanged for “believeth” in the next clause shows what it means to come. The people had taken a lot of trouble to come to Him physically, as John has explained at length in verses 22-25, but the question is whether they are coming in faith. Only those who come to Him in the right way, (that is, by faith and not in the energy of the flesh), have everlasting life.

And he that believeth on me shall never thirst- as already noticed, the psalmist had referred to the water brought from the rock just before he spoke of the bread from heaven. The people had just referred to that psalm, so they will hopefully make the connection.

As the Lord said to the woman at the well, “whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst”, 4:14. The reason being that the water becomes a well of water springing up, so the supply is within. Just as there was, no doubt, a spring at the bottom of Jacob’s well that supplied the cistern, so the believer has the water, (which is a figure of the Holy Spirit), deep within his innermost being.

So the Lord gives eternal life as the Bread of Life, but that does not make the believer self-sufficient, (as if there is laid up a store of bread within him), for there needs to be the living power of the Spirit, (which is what the water symbolises), to energise the believer to “lay hold on eternal life”, 1 Timothy 6:19, meaning to grasp the truth as to the person of Christ, and the way He manifests God to the believing mind.

This would explain why the Lord seems to change the subject when He speaks of thirsting. Just as the bread and the water are both needed, so men need the bread of life, (Christ), and the living water, (the Holy Spirit), for the latter ensures that we constantly enjoy the former.

6:36
But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not.- the word “but” indicates that they had not really come in faith. They had made a physical journey to Him, travelling many miles across the lake and were now able to physically see Him again. But just as when the Israelites physically saw the bread from heaven they did not know what it was, so they called it “manna”, which means, “What is it?” Exodus 16:15, so these did not have spiritual insight into who He really is.

Note the verb “said” is in the past, and would refer to the statement of verse 26, “Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles”. They had seen the miracles He had performed, and therefore had seen Him as a miracle-worker, but He indicates to them in that verse that they had not seen Him in the way that the sign indicated, that He was the Son of God, the true bread from heaven. The next section tells us how men may come to the point where they see Him in the right way.

(b)  Verses 37-40
Seeing and believing

6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

All that the Father giveth me shall come to me- despite the fact that thousands of people had seen Him, had eaten of the miraculously-provided loaves, and yet did not believe, God’s purpose was not frustrated. He would sovereignly work to ensure that many did come. The present tense, “giveth”, shows it to be a present work, not a matter of predestination in eternity. The way in which they came, and thus were given by the Father to the Son, is detailed in verses 39-41. This is an encouragement to any in the crowd who were genuinely seeking Him, but who might have felt rebuffed by what He had just said.

Note that it is “all that”, (neuter singular), and not “all whom”. In other words, the Lord is referring to a company, considered as one whole thing, and of which no individual would ever be lost, verse 39. Every time a person comes to the Father with the genuine desire to be taught about Christ, (see verse 45), that person is a gift from the Father to the Son. That the giving happens when the person believes is seen in that “giveth” is in the present tense; it is not “who has been given”. That process will continue until the whole company has come.

And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out- having listened to what the Father has to say about His Son, the enquiring soul comes in faith to Christ for the gift of eternal life. He gives the assurance that all who come in this way will be received because He is determined to lose nothing that the Father gives Him. We cannot conceive that the Son would reject part of the Father’s love-gift to Him.

“Him that cometh” means no restriction. “In no wise” means no reason. “Not cast out” means no refusal. All that the Father gives to Christ shall come, and all that come will be received. The reason for this is given in the next verses. In verse 35 the coming is not physical; in verse 36 it is not natural; in verse 37 it is not accidental; and in verse 37 again it is not impersonal.

6:38
For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me- this is one of the reasons why He does not cast out those that come, for He is on a mission from heaven, and is governed only by His Father’s will. What that will is becomes clear in the next verse.

When He came into manhood, the Lord Jesus willingly subjected Himself to the headship of God, for that is part of what it means to be a man. As the apostle Paul wrote, “the head of Christ is God”, 1 Corinthians 11:3. That being the case, He voluntarily accepted that His Father’s will would control Him. This works out in many ways, but here it results in the security of those who believe.

6:39
And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me- we are now told what that will, to which He is subject, actually is in this context.

That of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing- since He is committed to the will of Him that sent Him, having subjected His own will to His Father’s, and since it is His Father’s will that He should safeguard all who come to Him, then it is certain that they will be preserved.

But should raise it up again at the last day- this preservation involves both the soul and the body, for He not only preserves His people now, but will also raise their bodies from the graves at the last day. The Jews divided time into “the age before the Messiah”, and “the age of the Messiah”. The present age, which comes between those two, is a matter of revelation, not being disclosed in Old Testament times, as Ephesians 3:1-12 makes clear.

The last day refers to the last day of twenty-four hours of the particular age in question. As far as Old Testament saints are concerned, the last day, when they shall be raised, is the last day of the “age before the Messiah”, at the moment when Christ comes to earth to reign, as Revelation 11:18 states. This was the expectation of Martha with regard to her brother, John 11:24. She learned, however, that since Christ is the Resurrection and the Life, He could intervene before that last day if He chose to do so. He intervened immediately in the case of Lazarus, and will intervene at the end of this present age of grace as far as church believers are concerned.

So it is that on the last day of this present church age the Lord Jesus shall come into the air to receive His own, (“all that one thing”), to Himself. At that moment the bodies of saints who have died shall be raised in a form fit for heaven, and all who remain alive upon the earth shall be changed also. So just as Christ instructed the disciples that not a tiny fragment of the loaves should be lost, verse 12, He will also personally ensure that the bodies of His people are not lost.

So the Father’s will has a negative and a positive side. On the one hand it is His will that nothing be lost. On the other hand, it is His will that everything be raised.

6:40
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me- this verse begins in almost the same way as the previous one. There however, the idea was of all believers considered as one whole thing, the whole of the company who believe, hence the expressions like “all which”, “nothing”, “raise it”. Here the emphasis is on individual responsibility to believe, and so it is more personal, “every one”, “raise him”. Before, the thought was of resurrection life, whereas here it is eternal life. The life is the same in each case, but eternal life is life as God has it, whereas resurrection life is that same life enjoyed by a man who is beyond the reach of death. In the previous verse the emphasis was on the will of the Father, but now it is the will of the Son in view, always remembering, of course, that their wills always perfectly coincide.

That every one that seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life- so the Father’s will involves three things here; giving believers to the Son, ensuring that they are not lost, and granting them the gift of eternal life.

The mention of everlasting life in connection with the resurrection would remind us that the bodies of believers are going to be transformed, so that the full effects of having eternal life may be appreciated and expressed for all eternity. So verse 39 has to do with resurrection as the consummation of the Father’s will, and verse 40 links resurrection with coming to Christ, for those that are in the grave shall come forth in response to His word, just as they responded to His word in salvation. The two are mentioned one after the other in John 5:24 and 25. The apostle Paul spoke of mortality, (meaning that which characterises the present body as it moves on to death), being swallowed up of life, 2 Corinthians 5:4.

The fact that Christ will raise at the last day implies that He Himself will already have risen from the dead. Note that a stronger word is used here for seeing. It signifies to contemplate, giving the idea of an interested look, rather than a look which may be casual.

(c)  Verses 41-42
Seeing naturally

6:41
The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

The Jews then murmured at him- in John’s gospel it is the rulers who are called the Jews. These are different, then, to those in the crowd who spoke in verse 34. (John makes clear in 7:11-13 that there is a distinction between the Jews and the people). There is a great multitude present, and John is giving us different reactions to Christ’s teaching. This group is still occupied with what He said in verse 33. Verses 34-40 have no meaning if verse 33 is not understood and acted upon. They were like the Israelites who, when confronted with the manna, said, “It is manna”, for “they wist not what it was”, Exodus 16:15. The Hebrew word “man” or “min” is very common, and simply means “what?”

Because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven- these Jews are those who claimed to be theologians, as opposed to the common people, (who misinterpreted a psalm in verse 31), and they are interested in the doctrinal statement about coming down from heaven. They see it as a claim to be more than man. They would be aware that Moses said to the people the day before the manna first fell, “And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord”, Exodus 16:7. Interestingly, Moses went on to speak of the murmuring of the people against the Lord, which is exactly what the Jews are doing here.

6:42
And they said, is not this Jesus, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith he came down from heaven?

And they said, is not this Jesus, whose father and mother we know? Both the “we” and the “He” are emphatic, “we know…he saith”. They are setting their knowledge against His.

It is usually thought that Mary’s husband Joseph had died by the time the Lord began His public ministry. The literal order of the words is “Of whom we know the father and mother”. In other words, they could know the identity of his father without actually personally knowing him.

In any event, they deny His relation with God as His Father, and this is the cause of all their other difficulties. Once a person has accepted the truth of the Deity of Christ, everything else falls into place. In 8:19 the Lord tells them that they neither know Him nor His Father. If they had known Him, it would mean they knew the Father also.

How is it then that he saith he came down from heaven? They assume, wrongly, that because they know Joseph and Mary, then He must be an ordinary man, and not a being from heaven. They are not suggesting that He is an angel in the disguise of a man, or else the matter of His parentage would not come up. So unwittingly they bear testimony to the reality of His manhood, but all the time deny the reality of His Godhood.

Luke tells us that Mary pondered the circumstances of the birth of Christ “in her heart”, Luke 2:19, and after the incident in the temple when He was twelve years old, and He declared that He must be about His Father’s business, (distinguishing between His Father and Joseph), Mary again “kept all these sayings in her heart”, 2:51. It was not then the time to declare that He was more than man, but was, in fact “God manifest in the flesh”, 1 Timothy 3:16. Now the time has come.

(d)  Verse 43-46
Seeing the Father through the Son

6:43
Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves- the crowds had wanted to make Him king the day before, but will they be prepared to obey when He asserts His authority? He shows that He knows what they discuss among themselves, even though they have not addressed their remarks directly to Him. They would have done far better if they had enquired humbly of Him, rather than assert themselves as knowledgeable on this matter. The Israelites had been marked by murmuring in the wilderness, Numbers 14:26,27. In fact they had murmured about the lack of bread in the wilderness, after which God gave them the manna. So here, despite their murmurings, God manifest in flesh is willing to continue to teach them about Himself, the bread from heaven.

6:44
No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him- the only way for them to see that their opinions about Him were wrong, and to gain right thoughts about His person, was to be drawn by the Father. He draws as one who sent His Son, thus assuring us of His deep interest in introducing us to Him. None who earnestly seek the truth shall be left without light. On the other hand, those who rely on their own reasonings shall not arrive at the truth. It is the Father who draws, not the rabbis.

And I will raise him up at the last day- note the united interest on the part of Father and Son in the souls of men; the Father draws to the Son, then the Son raises and takes to the Father in heaven. How the Father draws is explained in the next verse.

6:45
It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God- they claimed to be experts in the Old Testament scriptures, but they had missed the teaching of the prophets as found on this matter in Isaiah 54:13. In that chapter Isaiah speaks of the coming kingdom, of which they should have been reminded by the Lord’s references to the last day. Those who are in the good of the New Covenant, which involves knowing God, (“they shall all know me”, Jeremiah 31:34), will only know Him because they have been taught of God.

Thus the Lord establishes from the Old Testament prophets the principle He is setting out for them. The specific quotation is just the words “taught of God”, whereas “they shall all be” is the Lord’s adaptation of the previous words, which read, “and all thy children”. He has authority to quote in this way. The people had mishandled the psalmist’s words in verse 31, and by so doing only showed their ignorance. He shows His insight by interpreting the meaning they had missed in the passage in Isaiah.

Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me- the Father sees to it that those who show an interest in the truth about the person of Christ, are taught through the scriptures. If they respond to this, they are sure to come in faith to Christ. He Himself said “He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life”, John 5:24. By “my word”, He means the word or topic of His Deity, the theme He was expounding at that time. But even as He did this, it was as if the Father was teaching them, for to hear the Son was to believe the Father.

We in this age are in a better position than the men of Old Testament times, for we have the New Testament as well as the Old. And since the words of the Lord Jesus were words given Him by His Father to speak, then men have available this teaching, and have no excuse. Sadly, many have closed their ears to the truth He brought, and closed their eyes to the significance of the miracles He wrought, see Matthew 13:10-17.

6:46
Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father- these men were used either to teaching others or being taught. In both cases the teachers were visible. Those who are taught of the Father do not see Him in that fashion. But the Son has eternal and infinite insight into the nature of the Father. He said later on, “I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father”, John 8:38.

All others must rely on the revelation He gives of Himself through the One who is most fitted to give it, even the Son. Here the Lord claims exclusive rights to the truth concerning Himself and the Father, for the “He” is emphatic, meaning “He, and He only”.

There is no doubt an allusion here to the experience Moses had. After the people of Israel had transgressed God’s law at the foot of Sinai, he had besought the Lord to show him His glory, and the Lord promised to do this by passing before him and declaring the name of the Lord, Exodus 33:18,19. Then He added, “Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me and live”, verse 20. When we come to John’s prologue, we find this truth repeated, for he writes, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” John 1:17,18. God declared His glorious name in terms of grace and truth when His glory passed by Moses. But Moses was hidden in the clift of the rock and covered by God’s hand when this happened. But now grace and truth in their fulness are found in Jesus Christ, and the apostle can say “we beheld his glory”, and “of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace”, John 1:14,16. So what was partial for Moses, and limited only to him, is now complete and full, and known by all who believe.

The reason why this revelation through the Son is authentic is because He is in full harmony with the Father, and sees Him with perfect insight, and has done so eternally. When Moses came down from Sinai after seeing the glory of God, his face shone. So much so, he had to veil his face while he talked with the people, Exodus 34:29-35. Things are different now under grace, for men were able to see Christ face to face physically, and if they took in His teaching, they would see the glory that Moses saw, but this time in the unveiled face of Jesus Christ as he talked with the people, 2 Corinthians 4:6. Now that He is back in heaven we see Him through the scriptures.

As we come to the end of this important section, we may summarise the truth of it under three headings as follows:

(a) The passage explains what men must realize if they are to see Christ in the right way.

1. That He can assess their motives, verse 26.

2. That He provided bread in the same way as Jehovah did in the desert. They spoke as if He only copied Moses, and misquoted scripture to support that idea.

3. That the Father has sealed Him, and thereby marked Him out as approved.

4. That He came down from heaven from the Father, and does not owe His manhood to Joseph.

(b) What the Father and the Son do so that they may see in the right way:

1. Show that the Son knows that they murmur in unbelief.

2. Make clear that the Father does draw to Christ.

3. Stand by the promises under the New Covenant.

(c) What the response of the Father and the Son is to those who come to Him:

1. The Father gives the whole company of believers to Christ as they come to Him one by one in faith.

2. The Son promises not to reject any who come.

3. The Son promises them resurrection, because this is His Father’s will.

4. The Son promises eternal life to all who come.

In verses 26-31 the emphasis is on coming. In verses 32-42 on believing. In verses 47-52 on eating. In verses 53-58 on digesting.

Section 5   Verses 47-59
The significance of the flesh of the Son of Man

Structure of the section

(a)	Verses 47-50	Eating and living
(b)	Verses 51-55	Eating and assimilating
(c)	Verse 56	Eating and abiding
(d)	Verses 57-58	Eating and depending

(a)  Verses 47-50
Eating and living

6:47
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life- the “Verily, verily” alerts us to a fresh aspect of doctrine, namely how those who are said in this verse to have everlasting life are maintained. That this fresh doctrine is difficult is evident from verse 52, where the Jewish experts strive among themselves about it.

This verse is a short summary of the main teaching so far, and serves as a bridge to a further development of truth. We are about to learn the following things about the life Christ gives:

Verse 47	A given life, not earned
Verse 48	A sustained life, for Christ is the “bread” of the life He gives
Verse 50	A superior life, unaffected by the death of the body
Verse 51	A displayed life, expressed in Christ down here on earth
Verse 53	An indispensable life, apart from Him there is no life
Verse 54	An eternal life, the life of God Himself, fit for His presence
Verse 55	A real life, for His flesh is bread truly, genuinely
Verse 56	A secure life, for the one who has it is in Christ, and He in him
Verse 57	A supported life, sustained by faith

6:48
I am that bread of life.

I am that bread of life- this is a repeat of the statement of verse 35, but now in connection with those who have come to Him in faith. He is not only the bread which satisfies hunger, but He is the bread which sustains the everlasting life He gives. Those who have everlasting life long to know God and His Son better. After all, that is the purpose of eternal life, according to John 17:3. That is why that verse seems to separate Jesus Christ from God, for it is as we gain a knowledge of Him as the revealer of God, that we get to know the only true God.

6:49
Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead- this introduces a great contrast between the bread from heaven in Moses’ day, and bread from heaven now. Whilst the manna sustained physical life, it did not deliver from death. Neither did it sustain for more than a day. These are major reasons why Christ the bread of life is superior to the manna. They had appealed to the giving of the manna as a superior act by Moses. They are being shown that their reasoning is faulty.

6:50
This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die- because He is eternal life personified, (see 1 John 1:2), then to “eat” Him, that is, to take into the mind the truth of His person, is to have a life within which can no more be successfully overwhelmed by death than His life can. It is not simply that a man is sustained until he dies. Such is the over-riding superiority of life eternal, that death is as nothing in its presence. Elsewhere, the Lord said, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death”, John 8:51, and also “He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die”, John 11:26. He came down from heaven, the place where death cannot come, in order that He might take believers to that deathless place.

(b)  Verses 51-55
Eating and assimilating

Special note on the words for eat
In verses 49-53, and verse 58, the word for eat is the initial act of putting into the mouth, whereas in verses 54-57 the word used has more the idea of chewing. Also, in verses 50-53, the tense of the word eat suggests a deliberate action complete in itself, whereas in verses 54-57 the idea is that the one eating has the character of an eater; it is something he does habitually.

6:51
I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

I am the living bread which came down from heaven- He did not begin to live at His birth, but is “that eternal life, which was with the Father”, 1 John 1:2. He comes to share that life with those who believe.

If any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever- so the contrast is not between their fathers dying, and the believer living a long time. The fathers died, but the believer does not die.

And the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world- we come now to the revelation which justified the use of the “verily, verily” formula of verse 47. Life eternal is available to men, but not if they are in a state of sin. That would have been the same situation as if the tree of life had not been guarded by the cherubim. God said, “Behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and eat, and live for ever”, Genesis 3:22. The sentence is not finished, as if God could not bear to explain the consequence of living for ever in a state of sin. In the mercy of God, (for in wrath He remembers mercy, Habakkuk 3:2), Adam and his wife were prevented from eating of the tree of life and being preserved in sin for ever.

Having introduced the subject by the use of the expression “bread of God”, the way in which the bread becomes available to the world is now set out. Belief in His person involves belief in what He did at Calvary. There He gave all that He was as one who had lived on the earth well-pleasing to His Father, and He did this “in view of” the life of the world.

It is interesting to note that when God is detailing the duties of the priests, He describes them as offering “the bread of their God”, Leviticus 21:6. A later verse is even more specific, for it reads, “No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God”, verse 21. The Jews would be familiar with the phrase, therefore, hence the Lord does not need to be more explicit and explain that He means His sacrificial death.

Note that it is a question of what is made available by His death; potentially the whole world could have life if every individual came to Christ in faith, such is the magnitude of the provision. This is symbolised by the twelve baskets of bread that were left over and above what the people ate. There was an abundant supply, over and above the need to be met.

6:52
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

The Jews therefore strove among themselves- their forefathers had murmured against Moses and Aaron before the manna was given, at the beginning of the wilderness journey, Exodus 16:2, and they went further, and strove with the Lord at the end of the wilderness journey, Numbers 20:13. These are doing the same, for they murmured at the Lord in verse 41, and now they are striving.

Saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? The fact that it was passover time should have reminded them that they ate the flesh of the lamb. Had they forgotten that John the Baptist had announced Christ to be the Lamb of God? For all their religion, they failed to think of things in spiritual terms, but interpreted the Lord’s words on a purely natural, physical level. Later, He will emphasise the fact that His words are spirit and life. They are not to be taken in a physical, but a spiritual sense.

6:53
Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you- the “verily, verily” formula comes here because of the development with regard to the drinking of blood. This verse presents the situation when the flesh is not eaten and the blood is not drunk, whereas in the next verse they are eaten and drunk. In the one case if they do not eat and drink, it is a sign they have no spiritual life. In the other case, eating and drinking is the sign they do have life. The scenario is presented negatively and positively.

Far from going back on His words, the Lord makes them even harder to understand by speaking of the drinking of blood. This should have shown them that He was speaking metaphorically, for the drinking of literal blood was forbidden by God, Leviticus 3:17; 7:26,27. That this command is not revoked is seen from Acts 15:29, where the apostles commanded the believers to “abstain…from blood”. We are forced to the conclusion that these words must not be understood in a physical sense. The Jews were perplexed about eating flesh, but now they are told that unless they do, they will not possess eternal life.

To a Jew, eternal life was the “life of the age”, that is, it fitted a person to share in the Kingdom Age under the Messiah. Here the Lord indicates that the means of becoming fit to enter the kingdom in any of its forms, is to eat His flesh and drink His blood. Note how these men misunderstood the Lord’s words at every stage, but He does not seek to modify or dilute His teaching. They must accept what He says by faith, even if they do not understand perfectly.

Special note on eating flesh and drinking blood
To eat the flesh of the Son of Man means to take in to the soul those doctrines that relate to Him as a man living on the earth, including the fact that He is God manifest in flesh. To drink His blood means to take in the truths relative to His sacrificial death. By means of His person and work, Christ makes Himself available to faith. Note that it is not body and blood, but flesh and blood. This extends the meaning to include all that the Lord Jesus was as one living on the earth; His whole person, not just the physical part of His person.

6:54
Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life- the tense now changes from an event complete in itself, as verse 53, to an ongoing habit, that of constantly eating. So also the word for eat is now the one that emphasizes the chewing of food, the means of gaining the most benefit from it. This sort of eating is the customary occupation of those who have eternal life, and is one of their distinguishing features. Eternal life is the present possession of those who thus eat, for the one they feed their souls upon is eternal life personified, and is the bread of life. It is not possible for unbelievers to really eat the living bread, for it is a spiritual exercise, so if a person does do so, it is a sure sign they are genuine.

And I will raise him up at the last day- note again the promise to raise up at the last day, the confirmation that eternal life will be enjoyed the other side of death. There is a double promise; to give eternal life and to give a part in resurrection.

6:55
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is blood indeed.

For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is blood indeed- indeed means truly, corresponding to the ideal. So the flesh of the Son of Man constitutes real and genuine food, and His blood genuine drink. They will not be superseded by other things, as the manna had been superseded by the old corn of the land, Joshua 5:12. This also indicates that His flesh and blood give true and lasting satisfaction to the soul.

In normal circumstances to eat human blood and drink blood is grossly offensive. The Lord is assuring us that, in the sense He means it, it is perfectly permissible to eat His flesh and drink His blood. It is indeed vital.

(c)  Verse 56
Eating and abiding

6:56
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him- now we have some of the consequences of this eating and drinking. The one who shows himself to be a genuine believer by having a desire for real spiritual food, can be said to dwell in Christ. This shows that to dwell or abide in Christ is not a further advance on believing in Him, but is rather the outcome of believing in Him. The true believer has a settled place in Christ, for believing in Him has dealt with those sinful things that render a person unfit for this position.

But there is more, for Christ dwells within the believer too. This is further explained in John 14, where the Lord Jesus sets out the truth regarding the coming of the Holy Spirit. In verse 17 of that chapter the promise is “he shall be in you”, then in verse 20, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you”. “That day” means the present period now that the Spirit of God has come on the day of Pentecost. By the illumination of the indwelling Spirit, believers know that the Son is in them, on the basis of the teaching of Scripture. In Romans 8:9,10 the apostle strongly implies that to have the Spirit within is to have Christ within, for he writes, “If so be the Spirit of God dwell in you…and if Christ be in you”.

(d)  Verses 57-58
Eating and depending

6:57
As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

As the living Father hath sent me- the Son has been given to have life in Himself, John 5:26, in order that He might be the readily-available source of eternal life for those who desire it. And the living Father, who shares His life with men when they believe on His Son, has sent that Son into the world on just that mission, for He said, “I am come that they might have life”, John 10:10.

And I live by the Father- as a dependant man here upon the earth, the Son of God lived by the Father; He did not live an independent life. This is seen in the wilderness temptation, when the Devil tempted Him to make stones into bread to satisfy His hunger. He refused, with the words, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”, Matthew 4:4. And this was characteristic of His whole life.

So he that eateth me, even he shall live by me- as those who are in Christ, associated with Him and sharing His nature, and as those who possess the same Spirit as moved Him, believers, too, live by the same principle. They live by means of Him who is the food for their souls. In this way His life of dependence and faith is reproduced in His people. This is a high honour, even to feed upon that which Christ feeds upon.

6:58
This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.

This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever- these words are a summary of the discourse, and serve to re-affirm the teaching given. “Bread which came down from heaven” re-affirms verses 32-46. “Not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead” re-affirms 47-52. “He that eateth of this bread shall live for ever” re-affirms verses 53-57. These sections all begin with “Verily, verily”, so each represents an advance on the truth.

Special note on transubstantiation
This is the name given by the Roman Catholic system to their belief that the bread and wine of the Catholic Mass are changed into the real body and blood of Christ. The language of Pope Pius the 10th is as follows:

“The sacrifice of the Mass is substantially that of the cross, in as far as the same Jesus Christ who offered Himself on the cross is He who offers Himself by the hands of the priests His ministers on our altars”.

It is painful to quote these words, for they are wicked blasphemy.

The following facts should be borne in mind in this connection:

1. We should remember that the Lord Jesus held the loaf that He described as His body in His hands as He spoke the words “this is my body”, Matthew 26:26. We should also remember that He described the cup of wine as the fruit of the vine after He had said that it was the new covenant in His blood, Matthew 26:28,29. If, on the night of the institution of the Supper, and with the Lord Jesus officiating, the bread and wine did not change, why should it be thought they change when mere mortals officiate?

2. There is a grammar rule in the Greek language to indicate whether a statement is to be taken literally or figuratively. The rule is as follows: “When a pronoun is used instead of one of the nouns, and the two nouns are of different genders, (Greek words are either masculine, feminine, or neuter), the pronoun is always made to agree with that noun to which it is carried, and not to the noun from which it is carried, and to which it properly belongs”.

The nouns in this instance are “bread” and “body”, and “this” replaces the noun “bread”. The pronoun “this” is neuter. The noun “bread” is masculine. The noun “body” is neuter. If the statement were literal, then the pronoun would be masculine. As the pronoun is neuter, and agrees with the word body, which is neuter, then the statement is figurative and not literal.

3. “Labour not for the meat that perisheth”, verse 27.

This is a reference to the loaves He had miraculously multiplied the day before, (although it has a general lesson as well). Even they did not endure, nor did they give eternal life to those who ate them, since at the end of the chapter the majority walked away, showing they were not believers. No literal bread, even if miraculously provided by the Son of God, can give eternal life.

4. “Labour not…but labour for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life…this is the work of God, that ye believe…”, verse 27-29.

It is not a religious ritual, but living faith in Christ which gives eternal life.

5. “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me”, verse 57.

The way the Lord Jesus lived by means of His Father, was not by eating literal bread, but by nourishing His soul on what the Father was, as expressed in what He said in His word. See Matthew 4:4. In like manner the true believer nourishes his soul on the truth of Christ’s person.

6. “The words I speak that unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”, verse 63.

In other words, they should be understood on a spiritual level, not on the level of sense and feeling.

The remainder of the chapter re-opens the question as to whether the people will seek the true bread by faith, or whether they will say as their fathers did, “our soul loatheth this light bread”, Numbers 21:5. This had been the theme of the first section, verses 26-31, again with its “Verily, verily”. The ideal response to the Lord’s teaching in this discourse is that of Peter, who said, when asked by the Lord if he was going away, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”, verses 68,69.

Section 6   Verses 60-71
Steadfastness

Summary of the section
The last verses of the chapter show us the various responses which it is possible to make to the words of Christ. There are either expressions and actions which indicate unbelief, in verses 60-66, or those which speak of true faith in Him, verses 67-71.

Structure of the section

Marks of unbelief in verses 60-66

Verses 60	Unbelief blames the message
Verses 61,62	Unbelief only believes when it can see
Verse 63	Unbelief is as a result of the natural man’s inability
Verse 64	Unbelief is known to Christ
Verses 65,66	Unbelief prefers its own opinions

Marks of faith in verses 67-71

Verses 67,68	Faith knows there is no alternative to Christ
Verse 69	Faith rests on the person and work of Christ
Verses 70,71	Faith is resolute amidst unbelief

Verses 59,60
Unbelief blames the message

6:59
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.

These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum- it is not clear at what point the synagogue was reached. It was possibly at the moment John mentions the Jews, in verse 41, although the passage does read like a continuous discourse from verse 26, interspersed with murmuring in verse 41 and striving among themselves in verse 52. Alternatively, perhaps the “these things” of this verse relates only to verses 53-58, with the beginning of the discourse spoken to a larger audience before the synagogue was entered.

6:60
Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it?

Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? What they heard was the whole discourse, not just the last few sentences. The word saying is “logos”, meaning, in this context, theme or topic. Being disciples they had listened to the whole address.

In effect they were saying “What is it?” again, (as their forefathers had done when they saw the manna), being unable to understand because they were resisting the teaching from God that Christ was giving them.

Verses 61,62
Unbelief only believes when it can see

6:61
When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?

When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it- the unbelief of men deeply affected the sensitive heart of Christ. He could read their hearts, “for he knew what was in man”, as John has told us, John 2:25. This is one of the marks of the Messiah, that He will not need men to bear witness to Him, even about themselves, Isaiah 11:3. This is a further development, for it is not the Jewish experts who are murmuring and striving, but those who considered themselves to be His disciples. The word disciple has to do with being a learner. Sadly, some of them were like those the apostle Paul referred to who were “Ever learning, and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:7.

He said unto them, Doth this offend you? They were offended, or stumbled, because the pathway they were treading was interrupted by His teaching, for they were on the wrong road. It was in their best spiritual interests that the word of Christ should rebuke them, for if they responded they could begin to walk the right path. They were on a pathway which led to the Messiah being a glorious king, whereas Christ had come to die first, and then enter His kingdom, Luke 24:26. They perhaps realised the meaning of the eating of the flesh and the drinking of the blood, and the giving of His flesh for the life of the world, involved His death, and this troubled them. Possibly they began to wonder whether He was in fact the Messiah if He was going to die and not reign. They further realised that if they did in fact eat and drink, then it meant they had become associated with Him in His sufferings and death in some way, and this they were not prepared to do.

6:62
What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?

What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? If when He was visible to them they did not believe in Him, how would it be when He was absent? They had been offended by His refusal to allow them to make Him king the day before, what would they say if He went back to heaven without ascending the throne of Israel?

This is the second time the Lord has referred to His ascension. John does not record the actual event, but he does give, in the words of the Lord Jesus Himself, the implications of that event. In John 3:13 the emphasis is on the fact that the Lord is in touch with heaven, even whilst upon the earth. He is in heaven, knowing His Father’s thoughts. To ascend back to heaven is simply the logical outcome of this, and when He has ascended, He will introduce His people to the things of heaven.

In John 20:17 the idea is of Him going back to heaven to maintain the relationship His people will have with His Father and His God. Here, however, the point is that He is returning to heaven without starting His reign, and this they are concerned about, even to the point of thinking that He is not the Messiah after all. But all that the Lord had said about His person is confirmed by the fact that He was in heaven before He came. This can be said of no other man, and establishes His uniqueness as the Son of God. The wonder is, that He will return to heaven as Son of Man. By doing this, He becomes the counterpart of the hidden manna, the pot of manna laid up in the tabernacle to be a memorial of the provision God made for His people as they passed through the wilderness, Exodus 16:32-36.

The pot contained an ephah of manna, a person’s portion for one day, and Christ is in heaven, the portion of His people for the Day of God, the endless eternity to come. The manna in the pot was not eaten, but the true hidden manna, Christ Himself, is held out to the overcomer as a reward, Revelation 2:17. What a privilege to delight in the same one in whom the Father delights! What a reward that will be!

One of the consequences of Him ascending up to be with the Father would be the giving of the Holy Spirit, and this helps us to understand the next verse.

Verse 63
Unbelief is as a result of the natural man’s inability

6:63
It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

It is the Spirit that quickeneth- the reason why this discourse offended them was that they were not able to rise to the level necessary to understand it. Only as they left their fleshly thoughts and prejudices behind, (such as the idea that He had come to immediately set up His kingdom), would they be responsive to the Spirit as He made Christ’s words live to them. Those who have eternal life have been born of the Spirit, and are indwelt by the Spirit, and this gives the ability to appreciate spiritual truths.

The flesh profiteth nothing- the flesh, the self that is governed by sin, can never bring us to the position where we understand the thoughts of God, which is the most profitable thing of all.

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life- the words He spoke were on the level at which the Spirit operates, and when they were acted upon, (such as when a person eats His flesh and drinks His blood), they sustain the spiritual life of the true believer. Confusion results if we take the words of Christ, (especially His words about eating His flesh and drinking His blood), on a natural level.

Verse 64
Unbelief is known to Christ

6:64
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.

But there are some of you that believe not- being content with carnal expectations, they refused to receive His word. This showed they were unbelievers, even though disciples, and had not the capacity to understand spiritual things. The apostle Paul wrote, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14.

For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him- as one who knows what is in the hearts of men, He knew from the start of His ministry that some were gathering around Him who were not genuine believers. He knew what was in man, and did not need someone to testify to Him about them so that He found out, for He knew all along. See John 2:24,25. He also knew where that unbelief would lead Judas. He represents all that is worst about the nation, so that Stephen accused the nation of becoming the betrayers of Christ, Acts 7:52, for the act of Judas had been but the expression of their attitude.

We should remember that the Lord chose His apostles after a night of prayer, Luke 6:12-16. There are those who suggest, in infidel fashion, that the Lord deliberately chose Judas so that scripture could be fulfilled in the matter of His betrayal. Leaving aside the fact that there are other prophecies that He could not manipulate, (His birth in Bethlehem for instance), the Lord made many attempts to bring Judas back from the brink of his horrible deed. Even in these verses we find the Lord calling one of the apostles a devil, indicating to Judas that He knew who would betray Him. This was a stern warning to him. The prophecies about the betrayer could have been fulfilled other than by Judas, for he was not named in the Old Testament. When John writes “who should betray him”, he does not mean “who ought to betray him”, but rather, “who it is who shall betray him”.

It is possible that the events of the previous evening had been the reason why Judas was labelled the traitor here. The people had wanted to make Christ their king, but He had refused. There may have been some support from the apostles for that move, for we know from Matthew’s account that they had to be constrained to leave the area, and they did not get on board the boat until the evening had come, suggesting they were reluctant to go. Could it be that they, and Judas in particular, were in favour of the idea of making Him king? After all, they had become His followers because they believed He was the promised Messiah, and that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. Judas may have become disillusioned at this point, and began to wonder whether Jesus was the expected king. If He was making false claims, Judas may have thought he was serving God by betraying Jesus, to make way for the rightful Messiah. Then when He walked on the water, Judas became convinced that He could overcome anything, so if he betrayed Him for money, (remember, Judas was a thief), He would be able to deliver Himself, go into an ignominious retirement, and Judas could make off with the money. He only realised his mistake when he saw the Lord being taken, bound, from the high priest’s palace to be questioned by Pilate. He makes no attempt to free Himself to escape death. It was at that point that Matthew records the suicide of Judas, as if he had been overcome by despair when he saw his plan had failed, Matthew 27:1-10.

Matthew is also recording Judas’ suicide at that stage of his account to associate together Judas’ betrayal of Christ, and the betrayal of Christ by the nation, as they handed Him over to the Gentiles. This was national suicide. As the Lord exclaimed, “O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself”, but He went on to say “but in me is thine help. I will be thy king”, Hosea 13:9,10. So a Divine king is waiting to save a self-destroyed nation in the future.

Verses 65, 66
Unbelief prefers its own opinions

6:65
And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father.

And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father- this is the implication of His teaching in verses 44 and 45, where He had emphasised that it was necessary for the Father to draw men through the teaching of the scriptures if they are to have life from Him. Only as men respond to the teaching of the Father will they be given to the Son.

There is no other way a man can come to the Son for eternal life than through the teaching the Father gives him, for “they shall be all taught of God”. Man is unable of His own ability to understand, (the flesh profiteth nothing, verse 63), but must submit himself to the word of God, if he is to know eternal life through Christ.

It is a great privilege to believe in God’s Son, and this is granted by God, (“given unto him of my Father”), to those who accept His word. The apostle Paul put it like this, “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.” Philippians 1:29. By embracing wrong thoughts about Christ, Judas showed he had not been taught of the Father, but had listened to the Devil, the slanderer and deceiver.

6:66
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.

From that time many of his disciples went back- when the Lord Jesus refused to compromise, or dilute His teaching to accommodate the opinions of men, then there were those who parted company from Him. They showed by this that they preferred their own opinions, and were still in the state of mind expressed in verse 42, where what they knew was set against what He said. To go back means to go to the things behind. The manna had been given to see if the people would walk in God’s law or not, Exodus 16:4. Many did not thus walk in that day, and it is the same with many in John 6. They went back to the things behind, these being their old thoughts about what sort of Messiah was coming. So to follow as disciples, enthusiastic for the setting up of the Kingdom is not enough. They must believe, and so be part of that company that God gives to the Son. None of that company shall turn back. As the writer to the Hebrews says about believers, “But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Hebrews 10:39.

And walked no more with him- when Adam refused the word of God, and rebelled against it, the scripture says he heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, Genesis 3:8. He was immediately rebuked, for he was no longer walking in line with the word of God, and his conscience made him hide. The people of this chapter distance themselves from Christ in like manner. It is solemn to think that at the end of His ministry, Christ hid Himself from them, for that is what they wanted. See John 12:36; Isaiah 53:3.

Verses 67,68
Faith knows there is no alternative to Christ

6:67
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? This is an appeal to Judas to draw back from his purpose, for the question is put to all twelve of them, including Judas. It is also an opportunity for the other eleven to declare that they are not influenced by the worldly enthusiasm of the people the previous evening.

Notice the full range of names given to the Lord in these verses. “Jesus”, “Lord”, “Christ”, and “Son of the living God”. The only name that Judas is recorded as giving to Christ is “Master”, and he used this name when he betrayed Him.

6:68
Then Simon Peter answered, him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.

Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? The full name Simon Peter denotes one who, though born and named Simon, is now Peter, a follower of Christ. The question is, will his initial faith stand this test? Simon means “hearing”, and Peter means “rock”. Will what he has heard from the Father, which resulted in him coming to Christ, (and being renamed Cephas, or Peter, John 1:42), remain steadfast, rock-like, or will he turn away? He is decisive in his answer, stating that there is no alternative to Christ.

Thou hast the words of eternal life- this is why there is no alternative. Only one who is the Son of God, and who therefore shares the life of God, can possibly give that life to others. Peter has learned that “as the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself”, John 5:26. So in the purpose of God it is to the Son we must go for eternal life, for He is the one who dispenses it to those who believe on Him. The words of eternal life are the teachings Christ gave as to His person. He said, when discoursing on the subject of His Deity, “He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath everlasting life”, John 5:24.

6:69
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.

And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ- so Peter was rock-like, and was convinced that, despite what had happened the night before when their hopes of a near setting up of the kingdom were raised, and then dashed, the one they had followed was indeed “that Christ”. In other words, “that Christ the prophets foretold would come, and about whom the Father had taught them from those prophets, verse 45”. A similar form of expression is found in John 1:21, where the authorities ask John if he is “that prophet”, meaning “that prophet Moses told us would come in Deuteronomy 18:18”.

The Son of the living God- so Peter’s understanding of the Messiah was not merely that He was an earthly deliverer, but one who came from heaven. God is the living God, and has purposed to give His life to others when they believe on His Son. He was “that Christ” the Old Testament had said would come. He is the “Son of God” that the New Testament says has come. “To him give all the prophets witness”, Acts 10:43.

When Christ sits upon the throne of David it will be the throne of the Lord in reality, just as it was this in anticipation when Solomon sat upon it,. We read that “Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king”, 1 Chronicles 29:23, but we must understand that statement in the light of a previous one when David says, “the Lord…hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel”, 28:5. So Solomon only sat on the throne of the Lord in the sense that it was the throne of the kingdom of the Lord. But when Christ sits upon it, then it will be said, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever”, Hebrews 1:8.

Peter wrote two epistles, and deals in the first with those who genuinely believe, and then in the second with those who are not genuine. There were those who had appeared to believe, but they were not sure, or convinced, that Christ was the true Messiah, and the Son of God. Peter distances himself from this spurious faith. Whilst some were doubting, as when the people of Israel said “What is it”, Peter is like those who saw that same manna and saw the glory of the Lord, Exodus 16:7. He could say with John, “we beheld his glory”, John 1:14. As the Christ, the Lord Jesus stood in relation to Israel and the world, and as Son of God, He stood in relationship with heaven, and His Father.

Special note on confessions of faith
There are four major confessions of faith in the gospel records. The first is from Nathaniel, who exclaimed, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God: thou art the King of Israel”, John 1:49. Nathaniel represents the nation of Israel who will turn from their national unbelief and scepticism about Christ, to openly confess His Deity and His consequent right to be their King. Like Nathaniel, they will doubt that any good thing can come out of Nazareth, let alone their glorious King-Messiah, but they will change their minds, as Nathaniel did.

The second is in the chapter we are considering. Exclaims Peter, “And we believe and are sure that thou at that Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:69. Many of the disciples are turning away, but Peter represents those in the nation who are steadfast, and refuse to move in their personal commitment to Christ. They believe He is the Christ, or Messiah, and therefore has a total claim upon their allegiance. They believe He is much more than “Jesus, the son of Joseph”, verse 42, and is indeed the one who came down from heaven, sent by His Father, the very Son of God.

The third declaration of faith is made also by Peter, but this time on a representative level, for he is about to be given special responsibilities in regard to the church. In response to the question, “But whom say ye that I am?” Peter answers, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Matthew 16:16. this is the firm basis on which the church is built, that Jesus is the Christ of Old Testament prediction, and the Son of the living God of New Testament revelation.

The fourth declaration is made by Thomas, after the Lord’s resurrection. He had doubted the word of the apostles that Christ was risen, yet when he saw the wound marks in His hands and side, he cried out “My Lord and my God”, John 20:28. There were two other men in Jerusalem with pierced hands at that time, but only one with pierced hands and side. This marked Christ out as having risen from the dead, establishing His Lordship, for, as the apostle Paul wrote, “For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.” Romans 14:9. He has conquered death by rising from the grave, and this is a powerful declaration of His Sonship, for the apostle also tells us that He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”, Romans 1:4. Thomas realises this, and makes his firm declaration of Christ’s Lordship and Sonship, both shown by His resurrection.

Verses 70,71
Faith is resolute amidst unbelief

6:70
Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? Peter had answered for the twelve, and is the first individual in John’s gospel to call Jesus Lord when addressing Him. But the Lord knows that one of them is not true to Him, and does not recognise Him as Lord. Judas never called Jesus Lord, just as the Devil would not use the title Lord of God in Genesis 3. Later on, Peter will be given the gift of discerning of spirits, to enable him to assess the hearts of men, Acts 8:23.

6:71
He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.

He spake of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon- how remarkable that the true Messiah, whose judgment is perfect, Isaiah 11:1-3, and who, being the Son of God, knows the hearts of men, John 2:24,25; Jeremiah 17:9,10, should choose a man so held by Satan that he is indistinguishable from a devil, and who would betray Him. He made this choice after a night of prayer to God, Luke 6:12-16. so this is the Father’s will, and the Son goes along with it. It says much for the obedience of the Son to His Father’s will that He did so, for He knew that Judas’ betrayal of Him would result in Him being crucified.

For he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve- Peter has spoken as if the twelve are in agreement, yet the Lord knew otherwise, and made it known, lest the faith of the eleven should be shaken when the betrayal took place. He did this again in the upper room, for having foretold that Judas would betray Him, He said, “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he”, John 13:19. The fact that He knew beforehand would confirm their belief that He was who He claimed to be, the all-knowing Son of God.

Note that John speaks of the betrayal twice over, verses 64 and 71. He is writing later on in life, and now knows who the betrayer was, whereas at the time he did not. Does he mention the betrayal twice over because looking back, he realises that something had recently happened to make Judas turn traitor?