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Key Associated Verses (All dates are from Scofield Study Bible)
Matthew 1:23-25 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (4 B.C.)
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Note: 1:23 virgin. Scholars sometimes dispute whether the Hebrew term in Is. 7:14 means “virgin” or “maiden.” Matthew is quoting here from the LXX which uses the unambiguous Gr. term for “virgin” (see note on Is. 7:14). Thus Matthew, writing under the Spirit’s inspiration, ends all doubt about the meaning of the word in Is. 7:14. Immanuel. Cf. Is. 8:8, 10. (Mac Arthur Study Bible note)
Isaiah 7:14 New American Standard Bible (NASB) 742 B.C.
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 8:8 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (742 B.C.)
8 “Then it will sweep on into Judah, it will overflow and pass through, It will reach even to the neck; And the spread of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.
Isaiah 8:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (742 B.C.)
10 “Devise a plan, but it will be thwarted; State a proposal, but it will not stand, For God is with us.”
John 14:9 New American Standard Bible (NASB) (33 A.D.)
9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
The following verses of scripture are taken from BibleGateway.com
Gospel Of John, Chapter 6, New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Five Thousand Fed
1 After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” 6 This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. 7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” 8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, *said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. 12 When they were filled, He *said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Jesus Walks on the Water
15 So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.
16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. 19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. 20 But He *said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.
22 The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. 23 There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. 25 When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
Words to the People
26 Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 30 So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them,“Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33 For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” 34 Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
Words to the Jews
41 Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” 42 They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say,‘I have come down out of heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered and said to them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
52 Then the Jews began to argue with one another, saying, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. 58 This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.”
Words to the Disciples
59 These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.
60 Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?” 61 But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? 62 What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who it was that would betray Him. 65 And He was saying, “For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father.”
Peter’s Confession of Faith
66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I Myself not choose you,the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil?” 71 Now He meant Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray Him.
Commentary on key verses is provided by Dr. R.C. Sproul, and is taken from the Reformation Study Bible which he edited, and contains the English Standard Version (ESV). (Everyone should own a Reformation Study Bible)
6:1–71 This chapter is a major turning point in chs. 2–12. It reveals the identity of Jesus as One sent from the Father (vv. 38,44, 46, 50, 51, 57); it graphically distinguishes belief and unbelief through the illustration of eating Jesus’ flesh and blood (vv. 53–58); and it chronicles the growing rejection, motivated by unbelief, that confronted Jesus (vv. 41, 42, 60–66). The signs in this chapter call to mind corresponding saving events in the history of Israel. They indicate that Jesus fulfills the typology of the Passover, the Exodus, and the provision of food in the wilderness.
6:1–4 Jesus leaves Jerusalem and travels to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, around the time of the Passover. This feast was established in Ex. 12:43–51 to commemorate how God “passed over” the Israelites and killed the Egyptians. The Old Testament passages read during the Passover in Jesus’ time probably included Gen. 1–8, Ex. 11–16, and Num. 6–14. There are strong similarities between these texts and Jesus’ comments in this discourse.
6:1 Sea of Tiberias. Another name for the Sea of Galilee, in honor of the town of Tiberias, built by Herod between a.d. 20–30.
6:2 signs. John has reported only one healing in Galilee, of the official’s son (4:46–54). Jesus must have done other such miracles as well (cf. 21:25).
6:3 Jesus went up on the mountain. This detail may be intended to suggest a comparison of Jesus and Moses, who went up on Mount Sinai (v. 14 note).
6:5–15 The feeding of the five thousand. Jesus brings food to a multitude, as Moses did in the wilderness (Num. 11).
6:5 that these people may eat. Reminiscent of Num. 11:13, where Moses asks God a similar question.
6:7 Two hundred denarii. A denarius was about one day’s wage (Matt. 20:2).
6:10 five thousand. The figure does not include women and children (Matt. 14:21; cf. 2 Kin. 4:42–44).
6:14 the Prophet. That is, the Prophet like Moses (Deut. 18:15).
6:15 to make him king. The kingship of the Messiah was to be spiritual, not political. While accepting the title “King of Israel” (1:49), Jesus refused the offer of Satan (Matt. 4:8, 9; Luke 4:5,6) and the misguided efforts of the people.
6:16–21 This miracle is recorded in Matt. 14:22–33 and in Mark 6:47–51. It should not be confused with the calming of the storm found in Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:36–41; and Luke 8:22–25.
6:21 immediately. Some understand this to be an additional miracle; others take it to mean that after Jesus’ entrance into the boat, no further difficulties were encountered.
6:26 not because you saw signs. Although they saw the miracle of the loaves and fishes, they did not recognize it as a sign identifying Jesus as the Messiah. It was merely as an opportunity for a meal to them.
6:27 Jesus points to the spiritual meaning of the miracle, which is to set God’s seal of approval on His ministry and to identify Him as the Son of Man, the promised Messiah.
6:31 They expected that the coming of the Messiah would be marked by a miracle as great as or greater than the giving of the manna in the desert.
6:32 the true bread from heaven. The word “true” has a special meaning. Jesus refers to what is everlasting, as opposed to something merely representative. The bread God provided through Moses (Ex. 16; Num. 11) was only material and temporary, not spiritual and eternal. See note at 4:24.
6:33 he who comes down from heaven. This is Jesus Christ, whose incarnation is described as “coming down” (vv. 38, 41, 42,50, 51, 58; 3:13, 31; Eph. 4:9–10).
gives life to the world. Christ provides eternal life to those who are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1). They are chosen not only from the Jews but from the whole world. Jesus does not here teach universal salvation, but the universal relevance and appeal of His saving work (3:16 note).
6:34 give us this bread. They misinterpreted Jesus’ statement by taking it on a purely physical level, as Nicodemus (3:4) and the Samaritan woman (4:15) had done.
6:35 I am the bread of life. This is the first of seven such “I am” sayings in 6:38 not to do my own will. The will of the Son and the will of the Father agree; there is no competition or disagreement. Jesus’ submission to the Father shows this agreement.this Gospel (8:12; 9:5; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6;15:1, 5). The expression looks back to Ex. 3:14 and is an implicit claim to deity (8:58, 59 and notes).
6:37 All that the Father gives me. God leads to faith all whom He plans to redeem. The redemption of the elect is certain. The Son promises acceptance to anyone who truly believes.
6:38 not to do my own will. The will of the Son and the will of the Father agree; there is no competition or disagreement. Jesus’ submission to the Father shows this agreement.
6:39 lose nothing . . . but raise. The Father’s will is more than that Jesus should make an offer to lost sinners. He will at last raise up all who are given Him by the Father and lose not one from that group. God graciously perseveres with true believers, ensuring their final salvation. See “Perseverance of the Saints” at Rom. 8:30.
6:41 the Jews grumbled about him. This response is similar to that of the Israelites in the wilderness, who complained against Moses and Aaron (Ex. 16:7; 17:3; Num. 11:1).
came down from heaven. Jesus’ origin establishes His identity as Messiah and Son of God (vv. 29, 33, 38; 1:1, 2, 14, 18, 45, 46; 3:2, 13, 17, 31; 5:36–38). Those confronted with this revelation must respond either in belief or in rejection. There is no middle ground.
6:44 unless the Father who sent me draws him. Jesus teaches that no one can respond positively to His warning and invitation apart from the Father’s work of drawing the individual to Jesus. The heart is naturally hard and will not accept God’s invitation, unless a special work of God’s grace takes place (v. 65). See “Effectual Calling and Conversion” at 2 Thess. 2:14.
6:45 they will all be taught by God. In its original context Is. 54:13 is a promise of final redemption. Jesus indicates in the next sentence that those who participate in this redemption are those who come to Him, thereby identifying Himself as the One in whom that final redemption comes.
Everyone who has heard . . . comes to me. Whoever wishes may come, and they come because they have “learned from the Father,” who draws them (v. 44)
.
6:51–58 Jesus’ hearers continue to misunderstand His statements, taking them on a purely physical level (cf. v. 34). Understood literally, what Jesus said would be highly objectionable since it would involve cannibalism and a use of blood that was strictly forbidden in the Law (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 7:26,27; 17:10–14; Deut. 12:23, 24). Jesus uses the language of eating and drinking to illustrate the intimacy of the union between Christ and the believer. This spiritual union, by which Christ imparts new life to the believer, is portrayed later in the Gospel as the union of a vine and its branches (15:1–8). It is sometimes called the “mystical union,” and is a recurrent topic in Paul’s letters (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:3–14).
Though some see here a reference to the Lord’s Supper, a mention of that sacrament at this point would have been incomprehensible to Jesus’ listeners. This passage is best understood as pointing to the spiritual reality the Lord’s Supper also signifies—union with Christ and all the benefits of salvation received through Him.
6:51 the living bread. See note on v. 32.
the world. See note 4:42.
6:53 unless you eat . . . and drink. Apart from personal union with the Savior there is no salvation. See “The Lord’s Supper” at1 Cor. 11:23.
6:60 many of his disciples. These disciples took offense at Jesus’ words, refused to listen to Jesus’ explanation, and were unwilling to accept the message of salvation by grace.
6:61, 64, 70. Three examples of supernatural knowledge (cf.2:24, 25).
6:62 see the Son of Man ascending. Like “lifted up” (3:14 note), “ascend” here probably refers to the events beginning with Christ’s being “lifted up” on the cross and climaxing in His exaltation at the right hand of the Father. If many of His disciples grumbled at the hard sayings of vv. 53–58, what would their response be to the scandal of the crucifixion? See “The Ascension of Jesus” at Luke 24:51.
where he was before. A reference to the eternal pre-existence of the living Word (1:1–3).
6:63 the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. This makes it plain that a merely physical understanding of Jesus’ words was utterly mistaken. Note the close cooperation of the Father (vv. 37–40, 44–46, 57, 65), the Son, and the Holy Spirit (v. 63) shown in this passage.
6:65 no one can come to me unless. It is impossible for anyone to come to Christ without the enabling call of God. The sinner’s moral inability to choose Christ must be overcome by the gracious and sovereign power of the Spirit (3:5–21).
6:66–71 A crucial turning point in this Gospel. Many disciples, together with the crowds, reject Christ in unbelief, while His remaining disciples (as exemplified by Peter’s confession) deepen their faith in Him.
6:67 Do you . . . go away. Jesus’ question elicits the firm confession of Peter as the spokesman for the Twelve. A parallel situation is found in Matt. 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–29; Luke 9:18–20.
John Chapter 6 – Narration
Eternity 