Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? (John 6a)*

John 6:1-26 “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"

Introduction

While looking at a large crowd coming up to him, Jesus asked, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” This question was a forward expression of his will and compassion for the crowd. Two disciples answered his question; their reply can help us to better understand the true reality of this situation. Yet, his disciples failed to capture the full meaning of Jesus’ question. Eventually, Jesus answered his own question by his own actions, feeding more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Through this miracle, he expressed his will and compassion for this particular crowd who came to recognize him as the Prophet of whom Moses wrote.

I pray that, as we go through this passage, we may get a firm grasp on this will and compassion he showed toward the crowd, who sought after him to meet their needs. Before we get into this passage, it’s good to place this event in the correct place and time within Jesus’ ministry. John’s focus was to connect key events with particular themes, and many of Jesus’ works that he accomplished in Galilee were not recorded.

Since the events of today’s passage marked the peak of Jesus’ popularity among the Jewish people, it is also good for us to consider what happened prior to these events, in order to understand the context of today’s events better. While reviewing Mark 2:1-6:29, these things happened before Mark’s account of this miraculous feeding: conflicts with the Scribes and Pharisees (2:1-3:6) (i.e. forgiveness of sins, fasting, and observance of the Sabbath), Jesus’ calling and sending his twelve disciples on a mission journey (3:13-19; 6:6-13), his performing many miracles (healing, exorcising a demon-possessed man (4:35-5:43)). In other words, the general public, including this crowd, knew about the conflicts between Jesus and the religious leaders, particularly in regards to key issues (the Sabbath, authority to give, the power to drive out demons, and the acceptance of sinners). At the same time, the disciples had experienced healing and driving out demons firsthand while on their missionary journey. The story of today’s passage is far above and beyond all of the other miracles and teachings Jesus had done up until this point. Today’s event must be seen and viewed as the culmination over and above the miracles he had accomplished leading up to this particular juncture of his ministry. This is evidenced by the fact that a) all of the previous miraculous works were personal or individual, while the feeding of the five thousand was for a community as a whole, and b) in the Synoptic Gospels as well as in John (6:68), the feeding of five thousand men was soon followed by Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Son of God, the promised Messiah. All of these miracles indicate that this event served as a turning point in Jesus’ ministry.

1.                   Jesus wanted to buy food for the crowd (1-15)

A crowd in great need (1-5)

Sometime later refers to a particular occasion that occurred after all of these experiences. Jesus went to a place where he had never been before. He went from Bethsaida, a seashore town near the Sea of Galilee, to the other side, i.e. the east side of the Sea of Galilee (Tiberias), by boat with his disciples (Mark 6:31-32). That side had a very short strip of land along the shore backed by stiff hills. It was virtually a barren wilderness until it reached the top of the hill and formed a large plateau (part of the Golan Height). Surprisingly, a large crowd followed him, not by boat, but on foot, walking along the seashore. When Jesus and his disciples got to the other side, the enthusiastic crowd was already there to welcome them. It is likely that, in order for this crowd to get that far, they had walked for quite a few hours. Also, the number of people in this crowd was not small, like a few hundred; it was a large crowd (a great multitude NASB), amounting even to ten thousand. John noted that they came because they saw the signs Jesus had performed.

Why did Jesus go to this place? According to Mark, he went there in order to have a quiet time with his disciples, because they had not had time to rest at all. His intention was clear: to get away from the large crowd. However, why did so many come to follow Jesus? John said that they came because they saw the many signs he had performed. As we noted earlier, they saw him drive out demonic forces, heal many sick people, his compassion for sinners; they also heard all the arguments raised by the Pharisees and Sadducees, and Jesus’ rebuttals against their teachings and arguments. Notwithstanding all these opposing forces, they considered the signs they had seen to be great, reliable, and trustworthy enough to pursue Jesus for their needs. Their needs were great, and they felt that Jesus was able to meet those needs, whatever they might be, because he had demonstrated such an ability and will to do so through the events that they had seen and experienced. When there is a strong need, one is willing to pay anything to have it quenched.

There was a young lady, who bought a one bedroom condo soon after she got her first job after graduation. She was desperately in need of a house of her own because she wanted to get out of her parents’ house; she wanted to be free from her parents, because they infringed on her freedom so much that she could no longer endure it. After a careful search, she bought one. It was a very wise decision at the time, but, after six years, the condo had become a great burden, because the price had gone down to half of what she paid for it; she had to put up cash every month for nothing. In addition, she had to worry about and the condo’s care and upkeep. All of these things were very annoying. So, after seven years, she wanted to get rid of that condo. For a short period of time, it had met her need, but, now, it robbed her of her joy and peace; she needed to get rid of the condo for her own peace of mind. Therefore, she dared to lose over seventy thousand dollars, which she had accumulated over the last five years and sold it. Her need for peace and comfort was so desperate, that she was willing to pay at a loss, amounting to seventy thousand dollars, for her need was greater than the money.

Do we have needs in our life? There is a need for money, things, love, truth, security, eternal hope, success, and satisfaction in life. What is your need right now? What is your primary and most important need?

This crowd needed something, even though they did not know exactly what they were. They also felt that Jesus could meet that need because he had demonstrated his will and power to meet all of the needs of life. This was why this group of people decided to follow Jesus. When they saw him getting on a boat to go to the east side of the Lake, they went after him on foot, because there were so many of them that a few small boats would never be able to carry them over to follow him. It was a few or even several miles. Amazingly, they arrived on the other side even before Jesus arrived by boat. From this, we can see how enthusiastic this crowd was to follow Jesus. Jesus’ purpose for coming to this remote area was to have private time with his disciples. When he got there, he found the large crowd that he had just left behind, waiting for him. So, he moved on, further up on the mountainside. We do not know how high Jesus went; only John notes that there was plenty of grass at that place, possibly indicating a plain or a Golan height. The lowest of the Golan Heights is about one thousand five hundred feet above the shores of the lake of Galilee. The place was ‘desolate’ (Mark 6:35) and had plenty of grass (10), suggesting a spacious area. As Jesus sat down with his disciples in private, he saw something remarkable:

“When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him” (John 6:5a).

Who were this crowd? In this remote place, traveling from Bethsaida and the other side of the lake, and even further up the mountain, more than one thousand feet would surely discourage many people who were not as enthusiastic about Jesus. Also, their efforts to follow Jesus this far tells of their firm will for and belief in him. It is very unlikely that any dispatchers from Jerusalem joined to this crowd. These people were in great need and were very enthusiastic about having that need met, which they believed only Jesus could do. In this respect, this crowd was the most committed and believing people among many who knew him. They made an effort and had the will to pursue him. Though far more than five thousand people had seen Jesus’ miracles and heard his teachings, some had not shown such will to follow and seek after him in their need.

This crowd sought after Jesus because they believed and loved him. In this way, all of those who were halfhearted in their thinking toward Jesus were all weeded out, because such people would not make such extraordinary efforts to follow him. As soon as Jesus saw the crowd coming, he said to Philip:

“he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"” (John 6:5b).

I want to buy food for them, but do you know where we can buy enough for them all (5b-9)?

As soon as Jesus saw the crowd, he raised an interesting question, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" This question is interesting for several reasons.

First, why did Jesus decide to feed these people as they were just showing up? It was because of his deep understanding of this crowd. This crowd had come upon this mountain to follow him from at least several miles away. They were tired, hungry, and in need of food and refreshment for their tired bodies. Jesus noted their need first and took the initiative to serve and fulfill it.

Second, it is interesting, because he was asking about a place where they could buy enough food for such a large crowd. This was not a question on how they could feed them or whether or not they would be able to feed them, but rather about a place where they could find a large quantity of food, enough for more than ten thousand people.

Third, it is interesting, because Jesus seemed to indicate that there was a particular place where they should buy the food for this crowd, a place they were supposed to find.

Fourth, Jesus wanted to buy food. By this, he was implying that he had enough money to buy the food and the will to pay for enough to feed such a large crowd. What does this tell us about Jesus? This was surely more than ordinary compassion. In this, we can see Jesus’ life-giving love for this crowd.

Lastly, it must be noted that Jesus said this to Philip, not Peter, Andrew, or John. Yet Jesus asked him to think, including not only the other disciples but himself as well, i.e. ‘we’, in this question. Jesus already had in mind what to do, but he asked this to test Philip, as well as all of his other disciples. What was the subject of this test?

After all, this was also an absurd question, because, on this mountain, there were no houses, shops, or farms. Virtually, there wasn’t any place to find enough food, even if they cleaned out all of the stores in the entire region of Galilee. This would have forced them to think something beyond the ordinary limits of their thinking.

“He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.” (John 6:6).

Jesus knew Philip’s prowess in mathematics, which was demonstrated in his answer:

“Philip answered him, "It would take more than half a year's wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"” (John 6:7).

He was sharp in his assessment of the amount of food needed, the number of people, and the money needed to buy food. None of the disciples came from affluent families and may have never handled such a large sum of money before. In today’s terms, considering the median personal income in the United States is about $40,000, that means that they would have had to have at least $20,000 on hand. This was impossible because no one had so much money.

Then, why was Philip’s mind hung up on their need for and lack of money? Jesus did not ask how much money they had or how they might find enough money to buy food; instead, his question was on where to buy bread. The issue was about a particular place. If we are here in College Park, MD, we might answer that we could buy food at the Whole Food store or Costco. Even at such mega food stores, I am not sure if they would have enough food for about ten thousand people. So, this was truly a test for Philip, because there was no answer for this question to be found in ordinary thinking. His answer was good in order to find out how much was needed, yet he failed to answer the issue of ‘where’. In addition, his answer betrayed what was in the depths of his heart - a serious concern and care for money. Was it just Philip who thought this way? Highly unlikely. There were twelve disciples, and it is likely that quite a number of them joined in with Philip’s way of thinking and his concerns. However, there was one whose mind was not on money, but rather on something else. Andrew had a different understanding of Jesus’ question; he brought a boy with five loaves of bread and two fishes. He found something but realized that what he had found did not amount to much at all in regards to such a large crowd. He addressed this issue in his proposal:

““But how far will they go among so many?”” (John 6:9b).

Andrew shared Jesus’ compassion for the crowd. This was good. He searched and found where they could get food - from a boy with five barley loaves and two fish. There was no other food among the crowd. It was obvious that the boy with five loaves of bread and two fish was not going to be enough, and that there was no other place where the disciples could find such a great amount of food, as far as they knew. Furthermore, through these two answers, it became clear that they neither had enough money to buy food nor enough food among them. In his search, Andrew, the one who shared Jesus’ compassion for these people, asked him,

““But how far will they go among so many?””

He dumped this question back to Jesus, amply suggesting that he might be the source or place to find food.

Without compassion, one’s mind is set on the cold facts and cannot move an inch beyond what they can see; however, compassion for the needy drives one’s mind to see beyond what they already have. In other words, the mind that is filled with compassion is enabled to see beyond numbers and facts, for he shares God’s heart and love for men. What did Jesus do in response to Andrew’s question? Here, in front of them, thousands of people were coming to Jesus. They had traveled a long distance and climbed a mountain, walking for hours, in order to quench their thirst for life. How do you see them? Do you share Jesus’ compassion to give and serve?

The satisfied and happy crowd saw the Prophet’s role fulfilled in Jesus (10-14)

While Andrew’s main question remained unanswered, Jesus told his disciples this:

“Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." (John 6:10).

Only John’s account notes that there was plenty of grass in that place, where all of the people (about five thousand men) could sit down and enjoy their food. It is my view that they went up on the plain of Golan Height, which was not mountainous terrain, but rather a flat field, reminiscent of the places where Israel had camped while they were roaming through the desert. It was a calmest and peaceful scene. Under these peaceful conditions, Jesus prayed over the five loaves of bread and two fishes. The disciples distributed them to the groups of people. Amazingly, the food increased more and more; it never seemed to run out. As the disciples carried the bread in their arms to each group, one after another, they worried whether it would run out. However, whenever they returned to get more bread for the next group, there was always more bread waiting for them to pick up. They did this ten times, twenty times, and yet the bread still did not run out! Some groups asked for more after finishing the first round of supplies. They went back to see if there was more bread; yes, there was still an abundance of bread. Likewise, to some groups, they brought them bread three or even four times. They also gave out the fish, for the fish did not run out either. What was the result?

“When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.”” (John 6:12-13).

As Jesus directed, they counted the leftovers, and there were twelve baskets of barley bread and fish left. It had all started with five loaves of bread and two fish. When Jesus prayed, more than ten thousand people ate, and there was still quite an amount left. There was an abundance that went far above and beyond these people’s need. If the five loaves of bread and two fish could meet the needs of so many, then how far could the twelve basketfuls of bread and fish go? They could feed an unlimited number of people!

What did this reveal about Jesus?

First, regarding the disciples. When Jesus questioned Philip, “where shall we buy food for these people?”, John’s account said that Jesus knew what he was going to do (“He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do” (John 6:6)). Then, what was the answer to Jesus’ question? There were no stores nearby or large storage barns of food anywhere among the nearby cities; actually, there was no place where they could find enough food to feed so many. So, the answer was not a certain place on the earth, but rather Jesus himself, the Son of the God who had given them this bread and fish through His Son’s prayer to feed such a large crowd. In this way, Jesus proved that he was in God the Father, and as such, was the source of life, just as God was at the time of Israel’s journey in the desert. Likewise, Jesus answered the question that he had raised to his disciples; they must buy food in only one place, that is, through him. Jesus clearly demonstrated that God was with him and that He was the source of their food. At the same time, this miracle speaks of one thing - Jesus had the authority and power to meet the needs of all people to their satisfaction. In addition to this, though the disciples did not have anything with them, Jesus wanted them to abide by his compassion and will to serve these people food. In this, Andrew did a wonderful thing, the thing that Jesus expected all of his disciples to do. In the process of distributing the bread and fish, they came to experience how amazing his power was. Eventually, the disciples were to carry on feeding many.

What about the crowd? Let’s think about the scene from the crowd’s perspective; in the middle were Jesus and his disciples and an abundance of bread and fish, and large groups of fifty or a hundred people spreading over several acres of green pasture. It was a big camp of ten thousand people, about one or two hundred groups of fifty to a hundred people each, spread over several acres of green pasture. It looked similar to the Old Testament scene of the Israelite camp when they were roaming in the desert; during this time, Balaam, a pagan sorcerer, saw the camp and said this:

“When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him and he spoke his message: "The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: "How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!” (Numbers 24:2-5 NIV).

How about the people’s feeling? Until this time, they had followed Jesus, because they either saw his power to heal or had been healed by Jesus. Such care and power spoke of God’s power exhibited in Jesus. Also, they had seen and heard the discord between the religious leaders and Jesus. Many were not sure what to make of those accusations from the leaders. Even so, this crowd chose to follow Jesus, because his love and care were personal and, no matter what the leaders said, their trust and feeling was positive towards Jesus, who was right and truly a man of God. Now they found themselves in a much larger group, of more than ten thousand people. Jesus was among them, and he fed them all with bread and fish. They all became so happy and rode with the feeling of the Psalmist (Psalm 78).  

“He rained meat down on them like dust, birds like sand on the seashore. He made them come down inside their camp, all around their tents. They ate till they were gorged -- he had given them what they craved.” (Psalm 78:27-29).

This miracle spoke about God’s power and grace. Likewise, Jesus gave the people as much bread and fish as they wanted or needed; they ate so much that no one asked for more. A peace and joy pervaded the minds of this crowd. Not only the scene and setting where this miracle occurred but also the crowd’s minds and feelings were filled with such joy. They had such an intense need, and they spent hours to go up on the mountain to have their needs fulfilled. There was a great shift in their feelings - from experiencing the intense need to be fully satisfied with rest, peace, and joy. This was truly worth following Jesus, and they felt confident in their choice and their efforts. There also came a great shift in their understanding of Jesus, as the God-sent provider of joy, peace, and comfort. Their perspective moved from that of experiencing Jesus through their personal context alone, to realizing the context of his presence in regards to the nation of Israel as a whole. “God sent Jesus for the nation.” Then, “Who is Jesus?” They rethought this question and one thing came to their mind;

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." (John 6:14).

The disciples knew what went on between Jesus and Philip and Andrew, but almost all of this large crowd might not have any idea of the conversation they had had. One thing they knew was that Jesus prayed to God over a few loaves of bread and two fish, and they all ate to their full satisfaction. Seeing and experiencing this miracle, the people came to realize that Jesus was like Moses. To Moses, God promised to one day send a prophet like Moses, who would be Israel’s Messiah. Therefore, they said to each other, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world."

In order to find out the full significance of this, let’s look at the details surrounding the promise of the coming Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Here, the Prophet is the prophet that Moses mentioned in his last teaching, just before Israel entered the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 18:15,19). Next, we will take a glance at the circumstances under which this prophecy was given. The last section (16:18-18:22) in Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 4:44-26:19) is about Israel’s leaders, and what they had to do; the first of this list were the duties of their judges and officials, and those of the kings, priests, Levites, and lastly, the prophets. The first three leaders were ‘standing’ leaders for the nation so that Israel might maintain a lifestyle vigilant of keeping the Law in the land of God’s promise. The prophets were not about standing leaders. God would send prophets occasionally to help His people, according to their need. The role of a prophet was to protect Israel from pagan beliefs, so the primary message or function of all prophets was to defend God’s people from apostasy and syncretic beliefs generated from pagan influences. Prophets also were the last on the list of Israel’s leaders, the most important of which was the national officials. Among the prophets, the Prophet would be unique, above all other prophets. To him or through him, God said what He would do:

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18).

Jesus was unique because he would be like Moses. There were sixteen books written by prophets, and there were prophets who did not leave any writings. However, there was none like Moses, through whom God’s power was most vivid and prominent. Among them, the most powerful prophet who displayed God’s power might have been Elijah or Elisha, during the time of Israel’s apostasy under King Ahab and his wife, Jezebel. These men of God divided the water and raised the dead to life, yet they did not do such a miracle as this - feeding almost ten thousand people. Jesus was definitely like Moses, or even might be more than Moses, because he did not call for God’s direct mediation; instead, Jesus just prayed and God heard his prayer. Also, all of Jesus’ teachings were profoundly based on God’s truth, confirming the prophecy’s truthfulness; “I will put my words in his mouth.” Moses’ teaching ends with the promise of the coming Prophet. So, the Prophet would be the last or final figure to lead Israel. He would defend them against all spiritual invasions from pagan nations in order to establish God’s kingdom. A crowd of the most devoted people came to realize and confess that Jesus was the Prophet. This confession bore enormous importance for Jesus’ ministry; he had served the nation of Israel with many miracles and teachings, so as to reveal who he was. This crowd represented those who were most committed to him, and they correctly identified and accepted that he was the Prophet, a title equal to that of the Messiah, the final eschatological figure in Israel’s history. On this foundation, Jesus could move forward with his redemptive work.

What does this tell us? When Jesus saw the crowding coming up to him, after having climbed over a 1500 foot mountain, he showed his compassion, long before doing any teaching or healing. This total love and compassion for these people’s needs marked the first stage of Jesus’ ministry. There were many arguments, discord, and complaints. Jesus endured them all and simply served them with love and compassion. Feeding five thousand men was the epitome of that spirit of power and grace. In other words, Jesus’ life-giving love was very well reflected in what he said, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” We must begin to endure and persevere with the same life-giving love, until the ones we serve come to see Jesus as the Prophet.

2.       Misapprehended faith must be discerned and served more (15-26).

Jesus cut himself off from the crowd’s misapprehended faith (15-17a).

Out of their conviction came the crowd’s desire to make Jesus the King of Israel. Jesus perceived this and took the following action:

“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:15).

While the Gospels of Mark and Matthew emphasized the fact that Jesus dismissed the crowd immediately and sent his disciples away simultaneously, without telling why John noted the reason more specifically for why Jesus did this; it was because they wanted to make him their king by force. It was natural for them to have such a desire out of their strong conviction that he was the Prophet. This was good in the sense that they recognized him as the Prophet, the Messiah, for that’s what he was and this was what he wanted his people to know. Nevertheless, it posed a serious problem because Jesus would not be the kind of king that they expected.  His mind was explicitly revealed when some Greeks came to see him in support of his lordship. He said this to his disciples;

“Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” (John 12:23-26).

Jesus acted decisively to avoid such an attempt. He dismissed the crowd immediately and told his disciples at the same time to go back to Capernaum/Bethsaida (Mark 6:45-46). He did not want his disciples to ride along with such aspirations as had ignited amongst the crowd. Jesus’ swift action provided a very clear message that any activity to support such kingship would not be accepted. Also, this served as a turning point in his ministry. After this, Jesus turned the focus of his ministry less on the crowd, and more on his disciples, less on revealing who he was, and more on what the Messiah must do. So, from this point on, his teaching focused on revealing the way of the Messiah and protecting his disciples from wrong ideas concerning the Messiah’s role (John 6:68-69). Such a shift is also seen in Mark 6:30-8:38, the parallel account to John 6:1-70.

This teaches us an important lesson on how to go about mission work. Many ministries focus on getting more people or at least the attention of more people while lacking genuine disciples of Jesus. When a ministry has many members, it is viewed to be of good quality; however, more often than not, where genuine belief in the cross of Jesus is absent, faith is weak will entertain a false gospel and be unable to sustain itself. On the other hand, it is more valuable to have twelve disciples committed to Jesus than to make an effort to retain ten thousand followers, each immersed in their own causes. In this regard, though many of us struggle to raise one man of God, this is so precious and valuable in God’s eyes.

What else does this tell us? There are 2.3 billion professed Christians (Wikipedia). What do they believe about Jesus? Many of them might believe like this crowd. Such faith is a step toward genuine, biblical faith; yet such faith does not fully recognize the truth, because their expectations and hope are so misplaced. Again, faith based on miracles falls short and must be supplemented with the truth of life. This miracle was just a sign that pointed toward who Jesus was, as John repeatedly said. So, here, feeding five thousand men was so meaningful and embodied the truth of life. Jesus’ intentions and his affection for this crowd was captured in his disciples' statement: “Where shall we buy food for the crowd?” (John 6:5b). This is a strong display of his compassion and will to serve them and give them the kind of food that would lead them to eternal life in God. The food that they ate was a sign for them to see Jesus and God, who was behind him as the source of life. This faith is the beginning of salvation but must move forward to see and believe in Jesus as the one who was crucified. He wanted to give his life as their spiritual food for eternal life. This is what Jesus meant by “where shall we buy food for the crowd?”

Facing a critical turning point of his ministry, Jesus separated himself from the crowd who supported and trusted him more than ever before, and from his disciples for whom he cared so much. This created an inevitable feeling of separation, distance, and void in these two relationships.

Wrongful or untruthful expectations and beliefs will surely fracture or compromise one’s relationships in God’s truth. This is true among us as well. In Jesus’ mind, one thing stood out: God’s will and truth could not be compromised. False truth and false relationships must be corrected and rectified so that God might be in and among us.

This crowd and his disciples were his core supporters. This relationship must be restored in truth. What did he decide to do and how did he move forward, not only to mend these relationships but also to correct the misapprehension of the Messiah’s will and purpose? He prayed and prayed; it seems like he prayed from late at night until early in the morning (the third watch of the night), a minimum of four or five hours. What decision came out of his prayers?

The disciples (17b-21)

While Jesus withdrew himself to a lonely place to pray, his disciples got onto a boat to go back to Capernaum. It was dark and the disciples were rowing across the lake alone; soon, a strong wind blew and the waters grew rough, making it difficult for them to row. Even after only a few hours of struggling on the water, they had moved only three or four miles, about halfway to the other shore (Bethsaida). What might have gone through their minds while they were struggling for hours against the rough water? Once before, Jesus had been with them in a boat, sleeping. A sudden squall came up and the boat was about to be capsized. At that time, Jesus woke up and commanded the water to die down immediately (Mark 4:35-41). Surely, they thought that if Jesus was with them, they wouldn’t have to struggle like this! However, while they were struggling for hours, Jesus was praying on a mountain. In their minds, they never expected Jesus to come or show up to help them.

“When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.” (John 4:19).

When they saw Jesus walking on the water, they were frightened. Mark noted their reaction in more detail.

“but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out because they all saw him and were terrified.” (Mark 6:49-50)

They clearly saw that it was a man, and, from his appearance, it was undoubtedly Jesus. Mark records this:

“Shortly before dawn, he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them.” (Mark 6:48b).

Nevertheless, they had never seen such a thing - a man walking on the water - and they had never imagined that Jesus could or would walk on the water. They doubted what they saw, because, in their thoughts, it was impossible for any man to walk on the water. Then Jesus said:

“But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." (John 4:20).

The voice was a very familiar one, the voice of Jesus, their Lord. As they heard and confirmed that it was him, their anxiety was turned into joy and amazement. They were not seeing a ghost, but the real Jesus. This was the same Jesus they had left behind on the mountain; he was coming to meet them, walking on the water. Before thinking anything else, their fear was gone, and they were so comforted in his peace and joy because he calmed the storm. They had thought that they were struggling all by themselves, but they were wrong; Jesus knew what they were going through and came to help them. How did Jesus know that they needed help? John does not say anything on this matter, but Mark notes this:

“He saw the disciples straining at the oars because the wind was against them.” (Mark 6:48a).

Jesus saw the trouble against which his disciples were struggling. Here, ‘saw’ most likely doesn’t mean that he saw them with his eyes, because he was alone praying and was also miles away. Additionally, it was night; a full moon might be in the sky because it was near the Passover. This understanding is further supported by the fact that Jesus was about to pass by (Mark 6:48b). Mark wanted to give his readers the impression that Jesus was with them, in order to give them peace of mind. What did Jesus teach his disciples through this event? That, even though Jesus was not with them, he was still as good as with them. He wanted them to know that he, “I am”, was with them, even if he was far away (Here, “I AM” denotes I (Jesus) am with you always. The disciples saw this and realized a totally different dimension of Jesus’ power and even the essence of his being. Even though he had flesh like one of them, he was not bound by fleshly limitations with which they were confined.

However, they were about to experience even more of Jesus’ power.

“They were willing therefore to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.” (John 4:21).

They were struggling for hours to row against the waging water and wind, but they had made it only halfway to Bethsaida. As soon as they met Jesus, they immediately found that the boat had landed at their destination. As Jesus was walking on the water, he exerted his power to move them with the boat to the other side of the shore. He had a power that transcends space, not just for himself but also for his disciples as well. In him, ‘all things are possible.’

In addition to this, as soon as Jesus got on board, the boat immediately reached the shore. The disciples had been struggling for hours to row against the wind, without much success; however, as Jesus came along with them, the headwind was suddenly gone and their journey was over. They had seen many examples of Jesus’ miraculous power. They themselves had gone out under his power and healed many people by driving out demonic forces. However, this experience with Jesus walking on the water was all too new for them. Who was he? It is one thing to give bread and fish for more than five thousand people; it is another to see him walking on the water. Simply, there were no boundaries on Jesus’ power and authority. Through this event, he spoke one message clearly to his disciples: “I am with you in power, even when I am not with you physically.” In this way, Jesus planted his love and trust far deeper inside of them than ever before.

Who else could he be, except the Son of God? Who else could they trust but him? Their feelings of separation and emptiness were gone, and their hearts were filled with joy and peace, along with awe and amazement; this experience was the most important and critical for them, in order that they may believe in Jesus against all of the accusations from the Jewish leaders.

The crowd (22-26)

What about the crowd? The day before, they were quickly dismissed and had seen Jesus’ disciples go back to Bethsaida, all by themselves. Therefore, they expected to find Jesus had remained on the eastern shore; however, they could not find him. Though a boat had arrived from Bethsaida to take people across, neither Jesus nor his disciples got on board. It was apparent that none of Jesus’ followers were there. They were wondering what had happened to him, so they went to Capernaum to look for him. They had had a great time with Jesus because he had fed them to their full satisfaction. Their needs were fully met, and they had such joy for the first time in a long time; they did not want to lose that joy, so they intensely searched for Jesus everywhere. What does this tell us? The joy one finds with Jesus is very powerful and memorable. They wanted to have this joy in their lives. Finally, they found Jesus at Capernaum (the west side); they were curious how he got there. They asked:

 "Rabbi, when did You get here?"(John 4:25b).

They made an extra effort to follow Jesus up to the top of the mountain. There, they came to realize that he was the Prophet. This gave them great comfort and peace of mind, but suddenly he disappeared and they could not find him. There was a void, a sense of loss, and feelings of uneasiness in their minds, which could not be filled unless they found him again. Why were they so eager to find Jesus? Why did Jesus leave them? He saw their inner motives in seeking and following him:

“Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.” (John 4:26).

They saw the signs he performed, but did not recognize what the sign indicated or the truth behind the signs’ meanings; their primary concern was not seeking a life of truth, but rather finding a secure source of food. We are all born with the desire to secure our lives on earth. This is built into our natures and we often refuse to accept this. Nevertheless, Jesus becomes real for many through his provision for their earthly needs; once these are met, they are more likely to begin to open their hearts towards him. Jesus speaks even now by feeding many through his grace and mighty power. If one pursues this love in grace only for the sake of food that spoils, then it will be a great loss. Jesus has food that endures to eternal life; they must turn their hearts toward the eternal food obtained by following him.