NIV Life Application Study Bible, Third Edition - Flipbook - Page 34
J ohn 5 : 4 5
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page 1810
45“But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, i on
whom your hopes are set. j 46If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote
about me. k 47But since you do not believe what he w
rote, how are you going to believe
what I say?” l
esus Feeds Five Thousand
J
(96/Matthew 14:13–21; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17 )
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far s hore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the
Sea of Tiberias), 2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the
signs m he had performed by healing the sick. 3Then Jesus went up on a mountainside n
and sat down with his disciples. 4The Jewish Passover Festival o was near.
5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, p
“Where shall we buy b
read for these people to eat?” 6He asked this only to test him, for
he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages a to buy enough
bread for each one to have a bite!”
8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, q spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy
with five small barley l oaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” r
10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and
they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11Jesus then took the loaves, gave
thanks, s and distributed to t hose who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the
same with the fish.
12 When they had all had e
nough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that
are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets
with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
14 After the people saw the sign t Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the
Prophet who is to come into the world.” u 15Jesus, knowing that they intended to come
and make him king v by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself. w
6
a
5:45
iJn 9:28
jRo 2:17
5:46
kGe 3:15;
Lk 24:27,44;
Ac 26:22
5:47
lLk 16:29,31
6:2
mJn
2:11
6:3
nver 15
6:4
oJn 2:13; 11:55
6:5
pJn 1:43
6:8
qJn 1:40
6:9
r2Ki 4:43
6:11
sver
23; Mt 14:19
6:14
2:11
18:15,18; Mt 11:3;
21:11
tJn
uDt
6:15
18:36
14:23; Mk 6:46
vJn
wMt
7 Greek take two hundred denarii
5:45-47 The Pharisees prided themselves on being the true followers
6:5-7 When Jesus asked Philip where they could buy a great amount of
of their ancestor Moses. They were trying to follow every one of his
laws to the letter, and they even added some of their own in an effort
to clarify what they thought Moses meant. Jesus’ warning that Moses
would accuse them stung them to fury. Moses wrote about Jesus (Genesis 3:15; Numbers 21:9; 24:17; Deuteronomy 18:15), yet the religious
leaders refused to believe Jesus when he came. Even spiritual leaders
can be spiritually blind.
bread, Philip started assessing the probable cost. Jesus wanted to teach
him that financial resources are not the most important ones. We can
limit what God does in us by assuming we know what he can and cannot
do. Is there some seemingly impossible task that you believe God wants
you to do? Don’t let your estimate of what can’t be done keep you from
taking on the task. God can do the miraculous; trust him to provide the
resources when he gives you a mission.
6:5 If anyone knew where to get food, it would have been Philip because he was from Bethsaida, a town about nine miles away (1:44). Jesus
was testing Philip to strengthen his faith. By asking for a human solution
(knowing none existed), Jesus highlighted the powerful and miraculous
act that he was about to perform.
6:8-9 John contrasts the young boy, who brought what he had,
with the confused disciples. They certainly had more resources than
the boy, but they knew they didn’t have enough, so they didn’t give
anything at all. The boy gave what little he had, and it made all the
difference. If we offer nothing to God, he will have nothing from us
to use. But if we give it to him, he can take what little we have and
turn it into something great.
6:8-9 In performing his miracles, Jesus usually preferred to work
through people. Here he took what a young boy offered and used it
to accomplish one of the most spectacular miracles recorded in the
Gospels. Jesus recognizes no barriers. Never think you are too young
or too old or too anything to be of service to him.
6:13 There is a lesson in the leftovers. God gives in abundance. He takes
whatever we can offer him in time, ability, or resources and multiplies
its effectiveness beyond our wildest expectations. If you take the first
step in making yourself available to God, he will show you how greatly
you can be used to advance the work of his kingdom.
6:14-15 “The Prophet” is the one prophesied by Moses (Deuteronomy
18:15). The crowd had experienced such great power in Jesus that their
hopes rose, and they were ready to try to force him to be king.
Mediterranean
Sea
Capernaum Bethsaida
Gennesaret
Sea of
Galilee
GALILEE
SAMARIA
Jerusalem
JUDEA
IDUMEA
River
N
Jordan
JESUS WALKS
ON THE WATER
Jesus fed the 5,000
on a hill near the
Sea of Galilee at
Bethsaida. That
night, the disciples
set out across
the sea toward
Capernaum. But
they encountered
a storm—and Jesus
came walking to
them on the water!
Their boat landed
at Gennesaret
(Mark 6:53), and
from there they
went back to
Capernaum.
PE
RE
A
Dead
Sea
0
0
20 mi
20 km