John 6:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.

NIV: Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

NASB: Jesus answered them and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate some of the loaves and were filled.

CSB: Jesus answered, "Truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.

NLT: Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.

This summarizes the remainder of chapter 6. The people are seeking free food, not spiritual truth. As soon as Jesus begins to explain that His miracles are only meant to teach, they lose interest. Prior to this statement, Jesus' worldly popularity has been growing. His healing miracles attracted a crowd (John 6:2). His feeding of thousands (John 6:9–14) inspired an entire mob to come looking for Him in Capernaum (John 6:22–24). With this first line of dialogue, however, Jesus will bring that surge of enthusiasm to a sudden halt. Christ will describe how material things fade away, but His real purpose is to give people eternal life. This message not only stalls the crowd, but it also makes them angry, and as a result almost all of them will turn their backs on Jesus.

John uses the term signs in reference to Jesus' miracles. A sign is something which delivers a message. It points people in a certain direction. The people's reaction to Jesus' miracles, however, is based on a wrong understanding of that message. Rather than grasping the spiritual importance and trusting in Jesus' authority, the people are attracted to the material aspects. They are seeing the miracle but missing the meaning. This is like running towards a colorful metal shape along the side of the road because it is pretty, without bothering to read it. We're going to miss the danger it is meant to warn us of. Ironically, the same people who seek Jesus due to His miraculous signs will demand even more proof once His claims interfere with their preferences (John 6:30).

Christ's actions here also send an important message to modern churches: we should not attempt to "keep" attendees with entertainment and hand-outs. If such things are used at all, they should be a means to introduce the gospel, and then let them decide how they want to respond to Christ. Jesus may have attracted people with bread, but He made no effort to keep them that way.

John 6:22–40 describes the initial aftermath of Jesus' feeding of thousands the previous day. The crowd's actual desire is for another supernatural spectacle and more free food. In this passage, Christ begins to explain the true meaning behind His miracle and His ministry. This includes the first of seven ''I am'' statements in the gospel of John—moments where Jesus declares His own divinity. Jesus clarifies that physical things such as bread are symbols of a spiritual truth. In the following segment, the crowd will stop seeking and start complaining.

In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small meal, leaving more left over than He had to begin with. At first, the crowd is amazed and they enthusiastically praise Jesus. After sending the disciples across the Sea of Galilee and rescuing them from a storm by walking on the water, Jesus once again addresses the crowd. This time, He emphasizes the spiritual lesson behind His prior miracle. In response, most of those who had been praising Jesus turn away in disappointment.

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. Chapter 7 will once again skip ahead to a major public step in Jesus' path to the cross.

The disciple John wrote the gospel of John decades after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke were written. 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"— to prove that Jesus is, in fact, God incarnate. Some of the most well-known verses in the Bible are found here. None is more famous than the one-sentence summary of the gospel found in John 3:16.