Avoiding the Inevitable: John 6:1-15 - Reflective Bible Study Gospel Adventure

Focus Passage: John 6:1-15 (NASB)

¹ After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). ² A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. ³ Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. ⁴ Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. ⁵ Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *This word is present tense in the Greek, but it has been translated as past tense to conform to modern usage.said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” ⁶ This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. ⁷ Philip answered Him, “Two hundred *The denarius was equivalent to a day’s wagesdenarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” ⁸ One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *This word is present tense in the Greek, but it has been translated as past tense to conform to modern usage.said to Him, ⁹ “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” ¹⁰ Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. ¹² When they were filled, He *This word is present tense in the Greek, but it has been translated as past tense to conform to modern usage.said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” ¹³ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵ So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Read John 6:1-15 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!

Of all the events in the gospels to make Jesus famous, one stands apart in the minds of those present in the first century as solidifying Jesus as being more than just Someone special who God sent to them with a message. This event is so famous it actually holds a very exclusive status as being one of the few events that all four gospel writers include.

However, at the end of John’s version of this event, we see both the shift in the mind of the crowd and we see how Jesus responds. Following the crowd having finished eating the meal and the twelve baskets of leftovers being gathered, we read “Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” (v. 14)

With satisfied stomachs, the mood of the crowd had changed from hunger to honor. The crowd saw the significance in this miracle, and they didn’t want to let the opportunity escape them. Jesus was able to supply all their needs, and therefore, Jesus would be the perfect king.

However, Jesus knew what was happening, and He thought differently. The next verse shifts our perspective by saying, “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” (v. 15)

It seems that whenever the emotions of those present were going to get out of control, Jesus disbands the crowd. When the crowds were beginning to get the wrong idea of Jesus’ mission, He sends them away. This event even impacted the disciples along with the crowd, and we see Jesus sending them away in a boat so that He could be alone.

This tells me that the more Jesus was in the spotlight, the more He valued His alone time. This is also true for each of us. The more visible to others we are, the greater our need for alone, quiet time with God.

While Jesus was the most famous man to ever walk the earth, He is also our example for how to live a truly successful life – and that is by living one that is connected to God over being based on fame, status, or wealth. Jesus could have had all the earthly measures of success, but instead He chose to focus on His relationship to the Father above everything else.

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!

Subscribe to this blog and never miss an insight.