Father God, let this book of John touch someone’s heart today. Bless them and watch over them in all they go through in Jesus Precious Name Amen.
In this summary: John knew Jesus better than anyone. The gospel of John was written by the disciple John, decades later than the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The author assumes that a reader is already familiar with the content of these other works. So, John presents a different perspective, with a greater emphasis on meaning. John uses seven miracles, which he calls “signs”, in order to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in all of the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in “John 3:16 -For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life.” John chapter 6 occurs some months after the events of chapter 5, bringing the narrative to about one year prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. As with the rest of the Gospel of John, the purpose is not to repeat information from the other three Gospels, but to focus on Jesus’ status as God incarnate. This chapter continues to expand the list of Jesus’ miraculous signs and the witnesses to His divine nature. Here, Jesus also gives the first of seven ”I AM” statements found in this Gospel. John 6:35-59 is the central part of a series of conversations between Jesus and various others that follow the miracles of the feeding of the multitude (6:1-13) and walking on water (6:16-21). John tells the story of the miraculous feeding of the five thousand. Jesus and his disciples were being followed by great crowds, and Jesus perceived that the crowds were following him because he had given them food, and they had eaten their fill. John chapter 6 packs 🙂 several crucial moments into one narrative. The passage states that the events occur “after” the narrative of chapter 5, which turns out to be several months later. This chapter describes the high point of Jesus’ worldly popularity. Capernaum (“Nahum’s village”) was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Biblical Meaning: The name Capernaum is a Biblical baby name. In Biblical the meaning of the name Capernaum is: The field of repentance, City of comfort. Explaining that Jesus’s ministry is essentially spiritual, not material, Jesus alienates most of those who had been eager to follow Him. This, of course, only goes to prove Jesus’ accusation: that the people were not there to learn or to receive truth, but rather to once again be given free food (John 6:26). During the time of Jesus Capernaum was a city in the far north along the northwestern shores of the Sea of Galilee, near the Jordan River that flowed into it. It was the home of Andrew and Peter (Mk 1:29; And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.) who were fishermen. It is interesting that although Jesus was raised in Nazareth, the Bible calls Capernaum his home (“Matthew 4:13; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the seacoast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:”) (“Mark 2:1; And again, he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. ).
{Jesus came to Capernaum after he had a confrontation in his synagogue in Nazareth, his boyhood home. Since he was rejected in Nazareth, Jesus Christ decided to relocate his ministry to Capernaum. It was an ideal spot for Jesus to deliver his messianic message; it was a larger town than Nazareth and was on the main Damascus Highway.}
Let’s read John 6:25-59
And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. Labor not for the meat which perished, but for that meat which endured unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. Then said they unto him, what shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, this is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. They said therefore unto him, what sign show thou then, that we may see, and believe there? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, that ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which sees the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he, which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eats of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so, he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
{Let’s Pray}
Father God, I thank You and praise You that Jesus not only has life in Himself. but is the Giver of life to all who trust in Him as Savior. Thank You that He is living Bread, who came down from heaven as our “Bread of Life” and gave His Life as a ransom for many. Jesus came into the world to be broken for me on the cross. and to shed His lifeblood, so that by grace and faith I might live and be imparted with Jesus’ eternal, resurrected life. I thank You and praise You that I am part of that new creation In-Christ simply by partaking of the Living Bread by faith. Guide me as I shine Yur light through myself to others. I thank You, praise You and give You all the glory in Your Precious Name Jesus Amen.
{Power Verse}
I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find Me. Psalm 8:17
"Only Life Changes" 