John 6: 1-15

Signs: The Gospel of John, John 6:1-15

In chapter 6, John records one of the more famous miracles of Jesus. This is the only miracle that is mentioned in all four of the Gospels. In fact, this is probably one of the most well-known miracles of Jesus outside of the Church itself. On its surface, and as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), it appears a simple story of another miracle of Jesus; a story that has been taught for years as an emphasis of faith for the believer and the faithfulness of God. Most Sunday sermons and Sunday School lessons on this story focus on the idea that “if we are willing to give even a little, Jesus can bless it and make it go a long way,” or—“little is much when it’s given to Jesus.” While these are not wrong lessons to infer, there is definitely an issue of faith here, they don’t tell the whole story. While all four Gospels record the miracle, only John expands on the purpose of this “sign” that Jesus performs—pointing to this “sign” as a setup for Jesus teaching on a deeper and more important truth: Jesus is the bread of life—he didn’t come into the world to simply give bread, but to be the bread of life. John spends almost 4/5th of this chapter recording Jesus’ explanation of the miracle and its purpose: to point to himself and the necessity of believing in Him and the One who sent Him. The feeding of the 5,000 is a setup for a deeper spiritual truth.