NLT Study Bible - Gospel of John - Flipbook - Page 19
John 5:34
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to listen to John the Baptist, and his tes
timony about me was true. 34Of course, I
have no need of human witnesses, but I say
these things so you might be saved. 35John
was like a burning and shining lamp, and
you were excited for a while about his mes
sage. 36But I have a greater witness than
John—my teachings and my miracles. The
Father gave me these works to accomplish,
and they prove that he sent me. 37And the
Father who sent me has testified about me
himself. You have never heard his voice or
seen him face to face, 38and you do not have
his message in your hearts, because you do
not believe me—the one he sent to you.
39“You search the Script ures because
you think they give you eternal life. But the
Scriptures point to me! 40Yet you refuse to
come to me to receive this life.
41“Your approval means nothing to me,
42because I know you don’t have God’s dlove
within you. 43For I have come to you in my
Father’s name, and you have rejected me.
Yet if others come in their own name, you
gladly welcome them. 44No wonder you
can’t believe! For you gladly honor each
other, but you don’t care about the honor
that comes from the one who alone is God.
45“Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you be
fore the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes,
Moses, in whom you put your hopes. 46If
you really believed Moses, you would be
lieve me, because he wrote about me. 47But
since you don’t believe what he wrote, how
will you believe what I say?”
5:33-35 Jesus’ second witness was John
the Baptist, who pointed to Jesus as
Messiah (1:29-34).
5:36 Jesus’ third witness, his teachings
and miracles, were signs that unveiled
his true identity and pointed to the
Father who sent him.
5:39-40 Jesus’ fourth witness was the
Scriptures. The OT pointed to the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled its prophecies
(see Luke 24:25-27).
5:41-47 Jewish trials sought to discover
the truth. Falsely accused defendants
could not only prove their innocence
but also prosecute their accusers, which
Jesus did here.
5:42 Jesus charged that the Jewish leaders did not have God’s love within them.
Without God’s love, it was impossible
for them to understand the things he
was doing.
5:44 The Jewish leaders pursued
honor and prestige from each other.
They loved religious life, but they had
forgotten to love God. This hypocrisy
Jesus and Passover (6:1-71)
Jesus Feeds Five Thousand
John 6:1-15 // Matt 14:13-21 // Mark 6:32-44 // Luke
9:10b-17
6
After this, Jesus crossed over to the far
side of the Sea of Galilee, also known
as the Sea of Tiberias. 2A huge crowd kept
following him wherever he went, because
they saw his miraculous signs as he healed
the sick. 3Then Jesus climbed a hill and sat
down with his disciples around him. 4(It
was nearly time for the Jewish Passover cel
ebration.) 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 go
ing 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,” Jesus 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. Af
terward he did the same with the fish. And
they all ate as much as they wanted. 12After
everyone was full, Jesus 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
made them liable to judgment (5:4546). from the one who alone is God:
Some manuscripts read from the only
One.
5:45-46 Jesus’ fifth and final witness
was Moses, the founding father of Judaism. John had already compared Jesus
with Moses (1:17; see also 6:14-15). The
Jewish leaders were ignoring Moses’
clear words about the Messiah (e.g.,
Deut 18:15).
6:1-71 Each story in this chapter uses
the setting of the Passover Festival (6:4) to communicate a deeper
meaning.
6:1-15 Jesus’ feeding the 5,000 recalls
the great OT miracle of bread when
Israel was in the wilderness (Exod 16:136). The rabbis of Jesus’ day expected
the coming Messiah to “rain down food
from heaven” once again (Exod 16:4),
and he did.
6:5 Where can we buy bread: When
the Israelites left Egypt following the
first Passover and entered the desert,
5:36
John 10:25, 38; 14:11;
15:24
1 Jn 5:9
5:37
Deut 4:12
John 1:18; 8:18
1 Tim 1:17
5:38
1 Jn 2:14
5:39
Luke 24:27, 44
Acts 13:27
Rom 2:17-20
5:41
John 12:43
5:42
dagape (0026)
John 15:9
5:45
John 9:28
Rom 2:17
5:46
Gen 3:15
Deut 18:15, 18
Luke 24:27, 44
Acts 26:22-23
5:47
Luke 16:31
6:1-13
//Matt 14:13-21
//Mark 6:32-44
//Luke 9:10-17
6:4
John 11:55
6:5
John 1:43
6:8
John 1:40
6:9
2 Kgs 4:43
John 21:9, 13
finding food and water was also their
first concern (Exod 15:22–16:3).
6:7 Even if we worked for months, we
wouldn’t have enough money: Literally
200 denarii would not be enough. A
denarius was equivalent to a laborer’s
full day’s wage.
6:9 Barley was the grain of the poor.
The loaves were similar to pita bread.
The two fish would have been salted,
and with the five loaves of bread would
make one meal.
6:10 The headcount of about 5,000
reflected the men alone (Matt 14:21),
as social custom dictated. With women
and children included, the total number was far greater.
6:11 The modest meal provided
the crowd with as much as they
wanted, echoing the miraculous
provision of manna in the wilderness
(Exod 16:35). Moses had first supplied
Israel with heavenly bread; Jesus
was the new supplier (see note on
6:1-15).
