NLT Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 35
page 1809
6:5
John 1:43
6:8
John 1:40
6:9
2 Kgs 4:43
John 21:9, 13
6:14
Deut 18:15, 18
Acts 3:22; 7:37
6:19
Job 9:8
6:20
Matt 14:27
6:23
John 6:11
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J ohn
6
5Jesus
soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he
asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” 6He was testing Philip, for
he already knew what he was going to do.
7Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money* to
feed them!”
8Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. 9“There’s a young boy here with five
barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”
10“Tell everyone to sit down,” J
esus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes.
(The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God,
and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they
all ate as much as they wanted. 12After everyone was full, J esus told his disciples, “Now
gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13So they picked up the pieces and filled
twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
14When the people saw him* do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is
the Prophet we have been expecting!”* 15When Jesus saw that they were ready to force
him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
Jesus Walks on Water (97/Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52)
16That evening Jesus’ disciples went down to the shore to wait for him. 17But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the
lake toward Capernaum. 18Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very
rough. 19They had rowed three or four miles* when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on
the water toward the boat. They were terrified, 20but he called out to them, “Don’t be
afraid. I am here!*” 21Then they were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they
arrived at their destination!
Jesus Is the True Bread from Heaven (99)
22The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had
taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23Several boats from
Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had
eaten. 24So when the crowd saw that neither J esus nor his disciples were there, they got
into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25They found him on the
other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
6:7 Greek Two hundred denarii would not be enough. A denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s full day’s wage.
6:14a Some manuscripts read Jesus.
6:14b See Deut 18:15, 18; Mal 4:5-6. 6:19 Greek 25 or 30 stadia [4.6 or
5.5 kilometers].
6:20 Or The ‘I Am’ is here; Greek reads I am. See Exod 3:14.
6:5-7 When Jesus asked Philip where they could buy a great amount of
bread, Philip started assessing the probable cost. Jesus wanted to teach
him that financial resources are not the most important ones. We can
limit what God does in us by assuming we know what he can and cannot
do. Is there some seemingly impossible task that you believe God wants
you to do? Don’t let your estimate of what can’t be done keep you from
taking on the task. God can do the miraculous; trust him to provide the
resources when he gives you a mission.
6:5 If anyone knew where to get food, it would have been Philip because he was from Bethsaida, a town about nine miles away (1:44). Jesus
was testing Philip to strengthen his faith. By asking for a human solution
(knowing none existed), Jesus highlighted the powerful and miraculous
act that he was about to perform.
6:8-9 John contrasts the young boy, who brought what he had, with
the confused disciples. They certainly had more resources than the boy,
but they knew they didn’t have enough, so they didn’t give anything at
all. The boy gave what little he had, and it made all the difference. If we
offer nothing to God, he will have nothing from us to use. But if we give
it to him, he can take what little we have and turn it into something great.
6:8-9 In performing his miracles, Jesus usually preferred to work
through people. Here he took what a young boy offered and used it
to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the
Gospels. Jesus recognizes no barriers. Never think you are too young
or too old or too anything to be of service to him.
6:13 There is a lesson in the leftovers. God gives in abundance. He takes
whatever we can offer him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies
its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations. If you take the first
step in making yourself available to God, he will show you how greatly
you can be used to advance the work of his Kingdom.
6:14-15 “The Prophet” is the one prophesied by Moses (Deuteronomy
18:15). The crowd had experienced such great power in Jesus that their
hopes rose, and they were ready to try to force him to be king.
6:18-19 The disciples, terrified, probably thought they were seeing a
ghost or apparition (Mark 6:49). But if they had thought about all they
had already seen Jesus do, they should not have been surprised by this
miracle. They were frightened—they didn’t expect Jesus to come this
way, and they weren’t prepared for his help. Jesus said to his disciples,
“I am here” (John 6:20). His words are possibly an allusion to the name
for God that God gave to Moses (Exodus 3:14). Jesus was revealing
his identity to the disciples again. When we believe, we have a mind-
set that expects God to act. When we act on this expectation, we can
overcome our fears.
6:18 The Sea of Galilee is 690 feet below sea level, 150 feet deep,
and surrounded by hills. These physical features make it subject to
sudden windstorms that cause extremely high waves. Such storms
would have been expected on this lake, but they were nevertheless
frightening. When Jesus came to the disciples during a storm, walking
on the water (three and a half miles from shore), he told them not to
be afraid. We often face spiritual and emotional gales and rough waves
and feel tossed about like a small boat on a big lake. Despite terrifying
circumstances, if we trust our lives to Jesus for his safekeeping, he will
give us peace in any storm.
