John 6:16-31 (CLICK HERE FOR BIBLE VERSES)
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is John 6:16-31. I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below. Let’s go!
John 6:16-21 (NIV)
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
17 where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
18 A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
19 When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
20 But he said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid.”
21 Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
On verses 16-21: Notice that fear kept the disciples from letting Jesus into the boat, but the moment they heard Jesus’ words, their fear subsided and they were willing to let him aboard. Like the disciples, don’t be afraid of Jesus, but be “willing to take him into the boat” (v21) with you.
Also, notice that the disciples spent all night rowing 3 or 3.5 miles but were caught in the storm and were getting nowhere. Yet the moment Jesus entered the boat, the boat “immediately” reached the shore where the disciples were heading. We will go through storms in life. When we try to get through those storms on our own strength, we often end up frustrated and nowhere fast. But when you have Jesus with you, you don’t need to be afraid and can rest assured that even through the storm He will lead you to safety, to where you need to go.
John 6:22-27 (NIV)
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.
23 Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”
26 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.
27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
On verses 22-27: The more I read these verses, the more I get the sense that this crowd was trying to use Jesus to get another free lunch. They were not that interested in salvation or forgiveness for their sins. As Jesus suspects in verse 26, what the crowd wanted was something much more immediate and physical: they wanted more bread and fish that they didn’t have to work for. Just as the Israelites under Moses’ leadership received daily manna from heaven, this crowd following Jesus saw Jesus as their free meal ticket (see also verses 30-31). Now Jesus is not opposed to feeding the hungry. After all, He was the one who initiated the miraculous feeding of the 5,000. Yet Jesus tells the crowd not to work for food that spoils but for food that endures to eternal life (v27). That is because Jesus didn’t come only to be a free meal service that fed people temporarily. He came to save souls for eternity.
Don’t shortchange yourself by looking to Jesus for someone much more short-term and temporary than what Jesus came to give you. We do that when we pray for Jesus to bless our career, our health, and our home or to give us peace and circumstances that we think we need, but don’t look to him for help when it comes to our eternal destiny or the eternal destiny of those around us. Like Jesus, be focused on the long-term, on eternity, more than on the short-term and the immediate.
John 6:28-29 (NIV)
28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
On verses 28-29: The crowd that was following Jesus believed that there was something they had to do in order to earn God’s approval. Jesus responds in verse 29 by saying that “the ‘work’ God requires of you is to believe in me”. In other words, there is nothing we can do to merit God’s approval or to earn our way to heaven. When we could not reach God, God reached for us by sending the One, Jesus Christ, who would die to pay the penalty for our sins. Instead of trying unsuccessfully to work our way to God, God simply asks that we trust in His Son, the one He has sent, not in ourselves.
John 6:30-31 (NIV)
30 So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?
31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”
On verses 30-31: This confirms that the people here were not interested in believing in Jesus for anything eternal, that they really just wanted another free lunch from Jesus. Jesus had already performed an amazing miracle by feeding them the day before. Now they’re asking him for another sign “that we may see it and believe you” (v30) and the sign they’re asking for is more bread. They even quote Scripture to justify their very short-sighted request. It is in this context that Jesus will utter some of his most famous words about who he is in the verses that follow.
Jesus, thank You that when I’m in a storm, Your words bring me peace. Thank You that in You I find bread not just for my body but for my soul. Instead of trusting in myself, my smarts, my experience and my performance, may I trust in You today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
Copyright © 2021 Justin Lim. All rights reserved.
