Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vols. 13–63

Verses 1-5. After these things Jesus went over the sea of Galilee, which is the sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed Him, because they saw His miracles which He did on them that were diseased. And Jesus went up into a mountain, and there He sat with His disciples. And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him. They had been hearing Him all day and He had withdrawn a little from them, but they pursued Him up the hill—and I doubt not that as they toiled up the hill, they showed their faintness and their weariness which led the Savior to see how much they needed refreshment.

5-7. He said unto Philip, Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this He said toprove him: for He, Himself, knew what He would do. Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. Men's calculations concerning Divine things generally terminate in a deficit. Two hundred pennyworth is not sufficient. But Christ's calculations always terminate in a credit balance, as we shall see. "Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing may be lost." We, at our best, fall short of the mark. Our blessed Master not only does enough, but in His House there is bread enough and to spare!

8-10. One ofHis disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said unto Him, There is a ladhere, who has five barley loaves: and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down—Or lie down, as it is, for they were accustomed to do that at feasts, and Christ would have them take their ease as well as enjoy their refreshment. "Make the men recline."

10. Now there was much grass in the place. So it was a splendid dining room! It was luxuriously carpeted! We learn from this that it was the Eastern spring time, for there is not much grass otherwise. And there was, therefore, in Christ's banqueting hall, a blue ceiling and a floor of green grass! What more could they need except the food?

10-11. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves—Common, coarse loaves of barley, not much esteemed, even then, as food.

11. And when He had given thanks. Though out of doors and "in the rough," as we say, He did not forget that! I know some that fall to their meals like so many swine—and have not as much grace as chickens, that are sure to lift their heads whenever they take a drink, as if to bless God for every drop they receive! This gracious habit is going out of fashion among them.

11. He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down—Or reclining.

11. And likewise of the fishes as much as they would. That is always one of the rules of Christ's feasting—as much as they would. According to your appetite, according to your will, according to your faith, so be it unto you!

12. When they were filled—Had all they could desire.

12. He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Economy in the midst of bounty! However much we have, we are never warranted in wasting a single crumb! They had as much as they would, but they were not allowed to throw away the fragments.

13-14. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments ofthe five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that Prophet that should come into the world. Men are often convinced by the argument of selfishness. They had been fed and now they believed. But faith that depends upon a full stomach will despair when they get hungry again! Always beware of that religion which is in dependence upon loaves and fishes. You know how it was with the children of Israel—

"Now they believed the Word, While rocks with rivers flow, Then with their sins they grieved the Lord, And He did bring them low."

Oh, but we must not have a faith that depends upon what it can see, and upon what it can eat, and what it can drink! Oh, for the confidence in the blessed Person of the Lord, and in the spiritual riches which He can communicate!

15. When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make Him a king, He departed again into a mountain, Himself, alone. What? Could He not have used His kingship for the best of purposes? Might He not easily have routed the Romans, restored Israel to all her glory, conquered the Gentiles, subdued the world and set up a glorious Church and state with Himself for the King, and Himself as the Head of the Church? Ah, that has been the idol of a great many and, like a will-o'-the-wisp, it has led many of the true people of God into bogs and sloughs where they were likely to be lost. But our Master knew better than this and was not to be tempted away from the true method by which His Church is to be set up in the world. Therefore, "He departed again into a mountain, Himself, alone."

16-17. And when evening was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea and entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was dark, and Jesus was not come to them. That is a sentence that I should think some very gloomy people might hang upon—and about which they might groan in unison, "It was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." Have you never been in that condition? Dark, dark, dark, as to circumstances and as to feelings, and Jesus was not come to them. Now, something comes beside that.

18. And the sea arose by reason of a great wind that blew. Misfortunes never come alone. An absent Savior, a roaring sea and a bellowing wind! What will they do now?

19. So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus. Here He is! Here is the first of their blessings. The first mischief is removed and the rest will soon go. They see Jesus!

19. Walking on the sea. Oh, what a sight! A grander sight than to see Him on the land! And it is a more glorious sight to see Christ in the time of trouble than it is in the time of prosperity. He is always sweet, but He is more marvelous when they see Jesus walking on the sea.

19. And drawing near unto the ship: and they were afraid. Afraid of their best Friend—trembling at their Deliverer!

20. But He said to them, It is I. Do not be afraid

21. Then they willingly received Him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land where they went. The sea and the winds knew how not only to spare the vessel, but to carry it instantaneously to the place where they wished to be! But how often have you and I been rowing about, 25 or 30 furlongs, and we did not seem to be getting out of the storm at all? But the moment Christ has come, we have been where we wished to be! Oh, glory be to His name—there is no difficulty that you can be in, dear Friends, but Christ can get you out of it in a moment and bring you where you should be!

22-24. The following day, when thepeople which stood on the other side ofthe sea saw that there was no other boat there, save that one where into His disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples were gone away alone (Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias near unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks). When the people therefore sa w that Jesus was not there, neither His disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. Was not that a pleasant sight? So it seemed, but it was not. "Seeking for Jesus." That is a good description of a man—seeking for Jesus. Yes, but they were only seeking for more bread! They looked at Him as a bread giver—and they were after Him for that.

25. And when they had found Him on the other side ofthe sea, they said unto Him, Rabbi, when did You come here? They could not understand how He could have got there. Jesus answered them and did not answer them. Some of Christ's answers are evidently no answers at all. That is very often the best answer you can give.

26. Jesus answered them and said— What? Did He explain to them how 'He got there? No, He would not gratify their curiosity. He came not for that end. He therefore gave them a home stroke and said—

26. Verily, verily, I say unto you, You seek Me not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves, and were filled. You are loafers—loaf-hunters. You seek not Me, but Mine. It is not for the good that I can give your souls, but it is that you may have another meal, that you are here. Yours is cupboard love. You come after what you can get.

27. Labor not for the meat which perished, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you: for Him has God the Father sealed. Now, do you understand what Jesus meant? Seek after that which will feed your souls. Do not hunt so much after bread for the body. Yet the Savior puts it very curiously. This is a double-shotted perplexity—a singular, curious kind of word. You are not to labor for that which you cannot get without labor and you are to labor for that which you cannot get by labor! The Savior liked to put things in that sententious way, so that they might remember what He said. If they misunderstood Him, it was their own fault, for it is plain enough. God grant us Grace to practice the meaning of these words! Why are you so eager to get a bit of barley bread and a fish? Oh, that you were half as eager to come and get the Bread which comes from Heaven which will make a man live forever and which will be food to him as long as he lives!

28. 29. Then said they unto Him, What shall we do, that we might work the works ofGod? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work ofGod—The chief work, the greatest work which you can do!

29. That you believe on Him whom He has sent. This is the point. You would like Me to work miracles. You would be glad to have a very wonderful, mysterious experience, but this is the thing you ought to seek after—the grandest, greatest thing that you can have—"that you believe on Him whom He has sent."

30. They said therefore unto Him, What sign show You, then, that we may see and believe You? What do You work? Are you not wonderfully struck with the patience of Jesus? These people had seen His miracles and they had eaten loaves and fishes, and yet they say to Him, "What sign show You, then, that we may see and believe You?" Oh, the matchless patience of the Lord and the marvelous provocations of men!

31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from Heaven to eat. They plainly hinted that they wanted more food.

32-34. Then Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from Heaven; but My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from Heaven, and gives life unto the world. Then they said unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. Not understanding Him and praying still for bread, but not far Grace.

35-37. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread oflife. He that comes to Me shall never hunger. And he that believes on Me shall never thirst. But I say unto you, That you also have seen Me, but believe not. All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me and him that comes to Me, I will in no wise cast out. What a striking Truth of God that was, with which to reply to them! You only come after Me for bread, but you do not come after spiritual things. You do not believe in Me. But, even if you do not, I shall not be disappointed, and My work will not fail. God has an election of Grace and that election shall be carried out. "All that the Father gives Me shall come to Me." And then, as if to cheer them up again, He says, "Him that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out."

38-41. For I came down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. And this is the Father's will which has sent Me, that of all which He has given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that everyone which sees the Son, and believes on Him, may have everlasting fife: and I will raise him up at the last day. The Jews then murmured at Him, because He said, I am the bread which came down from Heaven. And there you see Christ has got no farther with them but to leave them murmuring! And I believe that often the true minister of God must expect to see no other result come of faithful testimony than for the people to murmur at him. But what if it is so? Will his Master blame him? No. No more than He blamed the Only-Begotten. It must be so that there may be a separation between the precious and the vile—that God's chosen may be drawn out! While such as believe not shall be judged and, in their own consciences, shall be condemned.