What is the message of Jesus?

Jesus performed many miracles that John did not include in his Gospel, but he recounts miracles so that we might believe that Jesus is the Messiah and trust him: “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Joh 20,30-31).

The miracle of feeding the great crowd pointed to a spiritual truth. This is also why Jesus wanted Philip to reflect on it: “When Jesus looked up and saw the crowds coming to him, he asked Philip, ‘Where can we buy bread for all these people?’ He asked this to see if Philip trusted him, because he already knew how he would feed them.” (Joh 6,5-6).

Jesus is the bread that came down from heaven to give life to the world. Just as bread is nourishment for our physical lives, so Jesus is the source of spiritual life and spiritual energy. When did Jesus feed a large crowd, as John recounts: “It was just before the Passover, the Jewish festival.” (Joh 6,4)Bread is an important element during Passover, but Jesus reveals that salvation does not come from physical bread, but from Jesus himself. Philip's response shows that he had not grasped this challenge: "Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for everyone to have even a little." (Joh 6,7).

Andreas didn't speculate about the price, but he must have been good with children, as he had befriended a boy: "There's a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what is that for so many?" (Joh 6,9)Perhaps he hoped that there were more people in the crowd who, in good foresight, had brought their own lunch. Jesus instructed his disciples to make sure the people sat down. About five thousand men sat down on the meadow. Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people, as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. Everyone ate as much as they wanted.

“When the people saw the sign that Jesus performed, they said, ‘This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” (Joh 6,14-15)They thought that Jesus was the prophet whom Moses had foretold: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he will speak to them everything I command him.” (5. Mo 18,18)They were not willing to listen to Jesus. They wanted to make him king by force, to fit his idea of ​​what a Messiah should be, instead of allowing Jesus to do what God had sent him to do. When everyone had eaten their fill, Jesus said to the disciples, “Gather up what’s left over, so that nothing is wasted.” (Joh 6,12)Why would Jesus want to gather all the leftovers? Why not leave these extras for the people? The disciples gathered twelve baskets of leftovers, John tells us. He writes nothing about what happened to these half-eaten loaves. What is there in the spiritual realm that, according to Jesus' will, should not go to waste? John gives us a hint about this later in this chapter.

Walk on the water

Towards evening his disciples went down to the shore of the lake. They got into their boat and set off to cross the lake towards Capernaum. It was already pitch black and Jesus had not yet come down from the mountain. They left Jesus alone because it was not uncommon for Jesus to want to be alone more often at certain times. Jesus was in no hurry. He could have waited for a boat like other people did. But he walked on water, apparently to teach a spiritual lesson.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the spiritual lesson is faith. John says nothing about how Peter walks on water, sinks, and is saved by Jesus. What John tells us is this: "They were about to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were going." (Joh 6,21)This is the element of the story that John wants to convey to us. The story tells us that Jesus is not limited by physical circumstances. Once we accept Jesus, we have reached our spiritual goal.

The Bread of Life

The people found Jesus again, looking for another free meal. Jesus encouraged them to seek spiritual food instead: “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that lasts to eternal life. This is what the Son of Man will give you, for he has the seal of God the Father.” (Joh 6,27).

Then they asked him, “What must we do to be accepted by God?” Jesus answered them that one thing was entirely sufficient: “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (Joh 6,29).

Don't try to earn your way into the Kingdom of God—just trust Jesus, and you will be in. They demanded proof, as if the feeding of the five thousand hadn't been enough! They expected something extraordinary, like when Moses gave their ancestors manna (bread from heaven) to eat in the desert. Jesus responded that the true bread from heaven doesn't just feed the Israelites—it gives life to the whole world: "For this is the bread of God, which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (Joh 6,33).

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Joh 6,35)Jesus explained that he is the bread from heaven, the source of eternal life in the world. People had seen Jesus perform miracles, yet they still didn't believe him because he didn't meet their criteria for a Messiah. Why did some believe and others not? Jesus explained it as the work of the Father: "No one can come to me unless the Father brings them." (Joh 6,65).

What does Jesus do after the Father has done this? He shows us his role when he says: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.” (Joh 6,37)Perhaps they can leave him of their own accord, but Jesus will never cast them out. Jesus wants to do the Father's will, and it is the Father's will that Jesus should lose none of those whom the Father has given him: "For this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day." (Joh 6,39)Since Jesus loses not a single one, he promises to raise them up on Judgment Day.

eat his meat?

Jesus challenged them even further: “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” (Joh 6,53)Just as Jesus wasn't referring to the product made from wheat when he called himself the true bread, Jesus didn't mean that we should actually eat his flesh. In the Gospel of John, it's often a mistake to understand Jesus' words literally. The story shows that Jesus meant something spiritual.

Jesus himself provides the explanation: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are spirit and life.” (Joh 6,63)Jesus isn't referring to his muscle tissue here—he's speaking about his words and teachings. His disciples seem to understand the point. When Jesus asks them if they want to leave, Peter replies, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God." (Joh 6,68-69)Peter wasn't concerned with having access to the flesh of Jesus—he focused on Jesus' words. The consistent message of the New Testament is that holiness comes from faith, not from special food or drink.

From heaven

The reason people should believe in Jesus is that he came down from heaven. Jesus repeats this important statement several times in this chapter. Jesus is absolutely trustworthy because he not only has a message from heaven, but because he himself is from heaven. The Jewish leaders did not like his teaching: “Then the Jews grumbled against him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven.’” (Joh 6,41).

Even some of Jesus' disciples could not accept them—even after Jesus had made it clear that he was not speaking of his literal flesh, but that his words themselves were the source of eternal life. They were troubled by Jesus' claim to be from heaven—and therefore more than human. Peter knew he had nowhere else to go, for only Jesus possessed the words of eternal life: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” (Joh 6,68)Why did Peter know that only Jesus had these words? Peter trusted Jesus and was convinced that Jesus was the Holy One of God.

What is the message of Jesus. He is the message itself! That is why Jesus' words are trustworthy; that is why his words are spirit and life. We believe in Jesus not just because of his words, but because of who he is. We don't accept him for his words - we accept his words for who he is. Since Jesus is the Holy One of God, you can trust Him to do what He promised: He will not lose anyone, but will raise you up, dear reader, on Judgment Day. Jesus had all the bread gathered into twelve baskets so that nothing would perish. That is the will of the Father and that is something worth pondering.

by Joseph Tkach