John 6:46 - Printer Friendly

ESV: not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.

NIV: No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.

NASB: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father.

CSB: not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God. He has seen the Father.

NLT: (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)

KJV: Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

NKJV: Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father.

The purpose of Jesus' earthly ministry was to become the link between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5). Nature and everyday experience point towards a Creator (Romans 1:18–20; Psalm 19:1). The written Word of God provides knowledge about Him (John 5:39), as well. But the ultimate experience of God only comes through Christ Himself (John 5:40; 6:29). The general theme of this passage has been drawing lines between earthly, material things and heavenly, eternal things. Jesus' miraculous feeding of thousands (John 6:9–14), like Moses' provision of manna (Exodus 16), was only a sign meant to point towards a greater truth. In this case, it is that God sends the Bread of Life, in the form of a person. Those who accept this Messiah, by believing in Him, are guaranteed eternal life (John 3:16–18; 6:29).

Here Jesus also repeats an important aspect of His ministry. Jesus has already claimed to have come from heaven (John 6:38). He will often claim the title of Son of Man, echoing Daniel's Old Testament prophecy (Daniel 7:13–14). As such, Jesus has knowledge which only He can possess. There are things about which He alone can speak, since only He has seen them. No other human being has experienced those heavenly things. This, among other reasons, is why Jesus alone is the sole legitimate authority for spiritual truth.

John 6:41–51 uncovers the true motivation of the crowd following Jesus: selfishness. This passage is part of a long dialogue where Christ clarifies the meaning of His miracles. Jesus has just explained that He, Himself, is the ''Bread of Life'' which people are meant to seek. In response, the people complain amongst themselves. Jesus will give further explanation of what He means by claiming to be the ''Bread of Life.'' This will make the crowd even more agitated, as the people move from seeking, to complaining, to outright argument.

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.