John 6:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

NIV: Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias),

NASB: After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee ( or Tiberias).

CSB: After this, Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias).

NLT: After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.

KJV: After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias.

NKJV: After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias.

Scripture was originally written without chapter and verse divisions as used in modern translations. Even so, there is a definite break between the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6. Based on events listed here and in the other Gospels, at least five or six months have passed since Jesus' healing at the Pool of Bethesda. So, the phrase "after this" is something of an understatement.

The gospel of John is framed around proof that Jesus is the Son of God. To do this, John focuses on seven particular miracles, which he refers to as "signs." These are events meant to send a particular message, or to elicit a certain response. According to the next few verses, Jesus' ministry is gaining significant public notice. The miracles Jesus has been doing, according to verse 2, are the primary reason He is now drawing a crowd.

Unfortunately, as the events of this chapter will explain, the crowd's interest in Jesus' miracles is misplaced. Rather than seeking truth, these people are only seeking excitement and handouts. When Christ explains the meaning of His miracles, and the importance of His ministry, most of these same people will turn and walk away (John 6:66).

John 6:1–15 describes Jesus' feeding thousands of people—the fourth of the gospel of John's seven ''signs'' of Christ's divinity. This is the only miracle recorded in all four of the gospel accounts. When the crowd complains of hunger, the disciples who are mentioned each react in unique ways. Starting with only a tiny lunch of bread and fish, Jesus miraculously divides the food, filling everyone, and leaving more left over than they had to begin with. The people are astounded by this, and immediately react by proclaiming Jesus as ''the Prophet'' who has been promised. Jesus, however, is not yet ready to be publicly announced. He also knows the true motivations of this crowd and will attempt to explain the real importance of the miracle to them the following day.

In chapter 6, Jesus feeds thousands of people who had been following Him. He does this by miraculously dividing the contents of a small lunch, 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 from Him 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 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.