Day 274 – Jesus’ Boat to Capernaum

• The feeding of the 5,000 is recorded in all four gospels. Check out Luke’s account at Luke 9:10-17 if you want to complete the reading set.
• Have you noticed the progression of Jesus’ increasing fame, and popularity, and interest? Jesus wasn’t speaking to small crowds and individuals here – there were crowds and crowds! What do you think the disciples’ job might have been during this period?
• The disciple’s mention of 200 denarii would have been about eight months’ wages. They were suggesting the only logical (it seemed) thing to do: asking Jesus to tell the crowd to leave and find their own food and shelter. It’s worth also mentioning that the 5,000 referred only to the number of men (did you spot that in Matthew?). With the women and children it may well have been closer to 20,000.
• Jesus performed a miracle by feeding a large number of people in the “wilderness”. What does this remind you of? In fact, there are a number of parallels between John 6 and the account of God’s provision of the manna in Numbers 11. What more can you find?
• Jesus is recorded as walking on water as he went towards the boat. Of the readings we look at today, only Matthew mentions the incident with Peter. When Jesus walked to the boat, Mark and John mention that Jesus meant to “pass by” the boat – to give the disciples another piece of evidence about who He was. Notice that when He spoke to the disciples, Jesus reassured them with the words “Take heart, it is I”. It’s not obvious in the English translations, but this echoes another Old Testament passage – Exodus 3:14. It’s a passage we’ve referenced before. Look it up and see how Jesus’ reference to Himself is like that of His Father. Why do you think He chose these words specifically?
• Like the water at the wellnthat we read about a few weeks ago, physical nourishment can only provide temporary effects. Jesus calls on people to see Him not just a giver of bread, but as the bread itself. John 6:22 onwards shows this in detail. What is Jesus saying about the “bread of life”? Verse 35 is a good one to focus on. You may know it well already.
• Jesus had just performed two miracles. Despite this, there is a record of people grumbling (which also reminds us of the Old Testament time in the wilderness!). Jesus answer to their grumbling in John 6:44 is interesting. What does it mean?
• Some of the people who heard Jesus’ words became discouraged and turned away from him (John 6:66). Why do you think they turned away when Jesus stopped doing miracles and started giving hard teaching? Do you think that happens now when people start to overlook Jesus’ promise of salvation and get discouraged at the cost of following Him? How can you avoid thinking and acting like this yourself? Use John 6:68 to find out what encouraged Simon Peter.

Have you known people to follow God when there are blessings in their life, but turn away when the challenges come, or the teaching from Jesus becomes too hard?

Perhaps you’ve struggled with this. Perhaps you still are, and this reading plan is something you’re doing to try and battle those feelings of discouragement?

Whenever Jesus’ teachings become tough for me to swallow, I try to consider two things: 1) the wisdom of the teaching in the grander view (rather than my own self-absorbed view of what is good for me or not), and 2) the fact that the promises that we have been given by God of eternal life outweigh by a million-to-one the difficulties we might face by following Him. Jesus is worthy of our love and it is a privilege to be a disciple. Might considering these thoughts, and others you may have, help when considering whether to live out the tough teaching of Jesus?