June 28, 2015 John 6:14 – 33
Download discussion questions: John 6_14-33 bread of heaven
To avoid the political desires of the crowd (to make Him king) Jesus went further up the mountain where the feeding of 5,000 took place (vs. 3) to be alone. One member of our discussion commented on the model Jesus provided here (and in other Gospel accounts, how we often need to get away from others whose influence on our lives is not God’s plan for us.
The next part of the passage was perplexing to most of our group: What were the disciples thinking, leaving Jesus behind? Did they forget Him? Were they eager to get back to Capernaum, maybe seeing the storm that was building up? Did they think they didn’t need Him? Were they indifferent to Him? Did they decide that He could take care of Himself without them? The passage makes clear that they waited until after dark, then they started “across the sea to Capernaum,” a trip of about seven or eight miles north-north-east from Tiberias. (You can download the discussion question handout that has a small map.)
Whatever the motivation of the disciples they probably soon reconsidered their decision when the storm arrived as they were about halfway into the crossing. Then Jesus came to them walking on the water. A considerable part of our discussion time considered the question of this event, and whether or not it is the same event recorded in Matthew 14:22-23, where not only Jesus but also Peter walks on the water (briefly). If this was the same incident, why did John not mention the dramatic phenomenon about Peter? Someone commented that the event seemed to be the same, just after feeding 5,000, when the disciples left without Him. So why no mention of one of his fellow-disciples walking on water? Perhaps John’s choice (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit) was to focus on the amazing act of Jesus walking on the water without the part Peter played. Maybe John omitted what was a potentially embarrassing report about Peter’s failure of faith. Or as it seems in other passages, John is reporting the ministry of Jesus with particular emphasis on events absent from the three other Gospel accounts (for example, the story of Nathanael, the wedding wine, the conversation with Nicodemus, the woman at the well, and numerous others). Likewise, John may have reported on some incidents included in one or more of the other Gospels, but to highlight them without including every detail (such as Peter’s walk).
The topic provided for an interesting discussion, but also raised two other points about inductive Bible study. First, we can easily spend time speculating about what a writer didn’t say (why John didn’t mention Peter). Our time is probably better spent thinking and talking about what the writer did say, at least at first. Then we can come back for the interesting speculation about what was left out and why. As always, the text in front of us should take first priority. The second point was not part of our discussion but something I discovered while writing this essay. I wanted to look up the reference about Peter on the water (the Matthew passage cited above). As we have stressed in our discussion, cross-references (like footnotes and commentaries and other valuable resources) should be secondary, used after we have spent considerable time in the text under study. This is an example where looking at the cross-reference after over an hour of discussion in the group did prove beneficial, specifically about the question regarding the disciples’ departure. Matthew 14:22 provides an unambiguous answer: “Immediately He made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.” End of discussion. The disciples left because Jesus told them to, another detail that John decided to skip. Does that mean our discussion about the disciples was a waste of time? Would we have been better off to start looking at cross-references to begin with. No, and, no. Anything that stimulates our discussion and observation about the text is not a waste of time. As we pore over the text to see if there is an answer, we are further engaging God’s Word, always a good thing. The fact that there was no clear-cut resolution of the question in our passage is a good reason to check the cross reference, but (to say one more time) after studying the text in front of us.
Another question was asked: Why does the passage say that the people followed Jesus because they saw the sign He performed (v. 14), but Jesus says they were seeking Him not because they saw signs, but for the food (v. 26)? What do we do when we see what might be a discrepancy or a contradiction in the Bible? (The word “contradiction” was not brought up in our discussion, but that might be the implication.) Another opportunity to practice good inductive study methods. The first phase, “What does it say?” is always crucial. A closer look at the text solves the problem, defensive reactions will not. Always look at the text first to attempt to resolve confusion or problems. In this case a subtle difference in wording is important. The text does not say that that crowds were following Jesus because of the sign: “When the people saw the sign …” (v. 14). John simply reports the fact that they saw the sign. Later in the passage (v. 26) Jesus accurately discerned their motives: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.” The apparent discrepancy disappears when we read the text carefully. Interestingly, the crowd originally did follow Him “because they saw the signs He was performing on those who were sick” (v. 2). Jesus recognized the shift in their motives, from seeing His works to filling their own stomachs. He used that detail to shift the focus of the conversation past the earthly to the eternal, “the food which endures to eternal life.”
That part of the passage turned our discussion to the relationship between works of compassion and evangelism. Must all such acts of mercy (feeding people, caring for the sick) serve as a launching point for an explicit presentation of the Gospel? The passage makes it clear that Jesus provided very practical help for their basic need for food. Then He withdrew for some time alone and eventually left the area with no further interaction with the crowd. They followed Him in a small fleet of fishing boats from Tiberias to Caperaum. They approached Him, they initiated the conversation that opened the way for Jesus to point them from the satisfaction of their physical needs to the lasting satisfaction of their ultimate needs. This was no artificial, forced Gospel presentation. This was Jesus showing compassion and then answering the questions His acts provoked. I was reminded of a book I recently finished, Joy for the World. The point of the book is how our joy as Christians should be having much more impact on the world around us (and the implication that our lack of impact is due to our lack of deep joy). The author (Greg Forster) is describing the difference between the explicit Gospel, sharing what Christ has done and how we join into that joy, with the implicit Gospel, the overflow of that joy from our own lives:
When we drag things back to an explicit connection to God in an unnatural way, our neighbors feel like we view them only as potential converts, not as people. They feel dehumanized by this, and they’re right to feel that way. Our relationships with them become hollowed out, because all the implicit human interactions are suddenly overridden. Peter helping Mrs. Jennings fix a porch rail, sending the implicit message “I enjoy blessing you,” suddenly becomes CHRISTIAN EVANGELIZING A HEATHEN.[1]
We should always be prepared for both, the implicit Gospel through our works of compassion, and the explicit Gospel of the work of Jesus. A key is the authenticity of both. Jesus’ authentic compassion resulted in questions (even if the questions were for the wrong reason!). He responded clearly and directly. We need that same authenticity that will prompt questions. Then we can depend on the Holy Spirit within us to guide us into the responses that others need to hear. As Christian writer Larry Crabb suggests, “Never answer a question that your life has not provoked the person to ask.” The overflowing joy of our lives in love and compassion for others should, like the model of Jesus, be provoking lots of questions from those around us.
[1] Greg Forster, Joy for the World (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2014), 280; emphasis his.