 Okay, so we will go to chapter six from the book of John. So welcome once again everyone. We will continue like we have completed chapter five. So chapter six is what we need to look at today. We'd like to request somebody to please pray and then we will go forward. So one first, please lead and pray. Okay, Dave, could you please lead us? Okay, Ma'am. Yeah. Heavenly Father, we thank you that you have given us this wonderful and beautiful day, Lord Jesus. We thank you that you are so wonderful and we thank you that you have been so faithful to us, Lord Jesus, to give us this time and this opportunity to be in this class, Lord Jesus, as we learn from your word, Lord Jesus. I pray that your word must speak to each one of us, Lord Jesus. As we are joining in our classes, Lord God, that they may know any hindrances, but let each one of us learn from your word so that you won't have to learn Lord Jesus and help each one of us to understand completely Lord Jesus so that we can use your word when we need to Lord Jesus. Thank you. Make a spirit be with us, Nancy, and make a spirit be with each one of us for the first part of the year, which is in the class. I pray in the name of Jesus, amen. Amen, thank you, thank you, Dave. Okay, so let's get into today's chapter, chapter six. So here we can see a couple of things so far Jesus has done miracles. We saw in the last chapter, chapter five, how he heals the man at the pool of bed set up and how people, because of their religious spirit, their questions were such that they did not question how marvelous, they did not have questions in all God, but rather they had questions to keep up their traditions and their rituals, so we saw how the religious spirit interfered with their trust in God. Then we went on to see that Jesus encourages them, he tells them, come on, you need to put your faith. Even if you don't believe the words that I'm speaking, put your trust in what you are seeing, okay? And he had just healed a man who was paralyzed for 38 years, but we see the hard heartedness of the people, okay? So that's what we observed. So far, now let's see what Jesus is up to in chapter six. So John is recording all of these incidents in Jesus's life, and if you recall in the episodes of John, we saw how he says that whatever we have seen, whatever we have felt, we have touched, we have observed. So he is writing as an eyewitness for the people to understand that these are the events that took place. This is the manner in which the Lord Jesus lived his life with power, blessing the people, moving about in the supernatural, you know, the power of God. So these are eyewitness accounts, okay? And it's meant to help us put our trust into who the Lord Jesus is as the word of God as the Son of God. So let's continue. So we are here at John chapter six, and here we see that after whatever we have seen in chapter five, Jesus went over to the Sea of Galilee, okay? And over here, a great multitude followed him because they had seen the signs which he had performed on those who were diseased. So that is, you know, what typical thing of the people, they just follow wherever they observe miracles, wherever they observe, you know, the works of God, they follow because each one wants to receive from it. And we had seen the healing in the previous chapter. So the people are following him wherever he's going. So he goes to the Sea of Galilee, people are also following him. And he goes up to the mountain and he sat with his disciples and says, now, what happened is Jesus, even though we don't read that he was ministering to the crowds, teaching them and things like that, it's probable that he was spending time with the crowds. He was, you know, imparting food into their hearts, maybe about the kingdom of God, which was his common theme that he preached at all times. He was speaking to them and imparting into them. And as a leader, okay, someone who is serving the people spiritually, it's only natural for that leader to think of the physical needs of the people. So here we look at Jesus and it says, verse five, he lifted up his eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward him. He said to Philip, so Jesus is not just concerned about the spiritual fulfillment of the people, but as a human being, he understood the people had been with him long. So they must have been hungry by that point in time. And it is probable that the place where they were, food was not available. And that is why he calls out to Philip and it is likely that it was Philip's area, you know, that region, maybe among all the disciples, Philip was the one who knew things about that particular place. So he asks Philip, where shall we buy bread that these may eat? So Jesus is concerned even about the natural needs of the people. Just imagine, you know, what a mighty God we serve. He's concerned about all things. Otherwise Jesus could have just said, okay, the Lord bless you and keep you go. You don't do your own thing. But in this particular situation, looks like the people have been with Jesus listening to him and his heart was moved with compassion for them. Physical need, which is the need for food. So he tries to figure out whether he and the disciples can provide. So that's why he's asking Philip, okay. Now, as the son of God, we know that he was fully manned, but Jesus had faith. Jesus had, he also moved with the power of the Holy Spirit. So he knew what is possible and what is probable in this kind of a situation. So we see here in verse six, we're told that he was only testing the disciples. Till now, they had seen what Jesus could do. So he was wondering whether they will have the same kind of faith which he is carrying. If they would just, Jattapal say that, oh Jesus, we know that you can provide. It's not a problem if we don't find food around here. But we see that that was not the response which he got from the disciples, especially Philip. So what does Philip say? Like any one of us who are logical and rational people, we will do a calculation and we'll say, okay, how many people are there? Okay, 200 people. If 200 people are there and they have to be fed lunch, basic lunch will cost something like 80 rupees. Okay, so let's do the calculation, 18 to 200. Okay, Jesus, this is how much it's gonna cost. So how are we gonna get this money? How are we going to take care of the people? So Philip went into that board as a logical individual. He says, 200 denari, worth of bread is not sufficient for them. Now it's also a fact that Philip was referring to the amount which they had. So there was a limit. So imagine if we have a certain amount of money, we would say, okay, 1600, okay, fine, it's possible. We can feed the people, but what if? There was very little money with us. Then we would look at the money in our hands and say, come on, whatever, I just have 500 rupees. How can I even think of providing for these people? So basically he's just doing his calculation and figuring out that it's not possible. It's not sufficient, the money which they had. So on the disciples, it seems like Andrew, I don't know what they thought of Jesus, but he said, you know what Jesus, there is one boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many? Now we don't understand what Andrew was thinking. So maybe he had to fit that with something little Jesus can multiply and make much more out of it, but Andrew tells Jesus about this meal that a small boy had and those days barley loaves, these are small cakes made out of barley and people who were very poor, they were the ones who would have things like, they would eat barley and it was not considered very sort of rich food, something very, very basic. So this boy had a basic lunch with him. Now Jesus understood that he has found the little which he needs to multiply, okay? And it's like, you know, in this situation, we can judge the disciples and say, how come they didn't have faith? Jesus was with them, they could have believed that their needs would be met, but Philip was calculating Andrew, he sought, he seemed to have faith to tell Jesus, there is a boy with lunch, but then he thinks it's too, Jesus can do something about it, but even that is too little. I wish there was something more that we could offer Jesus to multiply. Jesus, taking all these things into account, he's also a very orderly person. So he tells the people to sit down, okay? On the grass which is available. Now in the way Jesus used to work, you can see, he is very clear, okay, this is how I'm gonna do it. This is how we'll do it in an orderly fashion, make the people sit down. So just the men alone who sat down, they read the diva, 5,000 of them. It's a huge situation, huge, huge, huge. How is the food going to come for them? And you see what Jesus did, he takes those barley loaves, which are a tiny provision at that point, and it says that he gave thanks. And that was Jesus' practice at all times, he gave thanks. So again, he gives thanks with the food that he has, and what does he do? You know, he distributes, he breaks the bread, he distributes that to the disciples who are disciples to give it to the people who are sitting down. So they go ahead and they distribute it off. And what we see is, when the people are filled, in fact excess food, so fragments that remain, they were also collected. So, you know, the work is done in such an organized way. And you see the miracle of God, where the people are provided for, what do we understand when we see that there is remaining fragments? God, as he gave the covenant name of Jehovah Jaira to his people, you know, he is a God who can provide fully. He can provide until we are satisfied. So, when do we leave excess food during our meals? Generally, when we are full. And in this case, the disciples picked up extra fragments. So that shows us that God was able to multiply the food, the miracle of multiplication was possible to the extent that the people were completely satisfied. And 12 baskets, it says, at those days, these baskets, you know, the theologians say, these were huge, these were big baskets. They were not just, you know, some random small baskets in which you collected, but for carrying fish, generally, to store fish. They had huge baskets. And those were probably the kind of baskets which were being used to gather the remaining food. So, Jesus did this as a sign and a wonder. And he met the needs of the people. Now, when people observe this, what did they say? We are told that now they are telling Jesus was voting. Truly the prophet who has come into the world earlier, when he healed the lame man, there were questions. Some believed, but not everyone believed. But in this situation, when people's hunger is satisfied, when their need is met, they are ready to say that this is a prophet. They probably related this to the way the children of Israel were led through the wilderness. You remember, God provided manna from heaven when they were hungry. So, similar to that, they see Jesus as a man, giving them, you know, it's like manna, right? Supernatural. And I don't know if the people realized, people were watching and they just knew that this is supernatural. How is it that this man and his disciples are able to provide food for so many people? Because they knew it was supernatural and they decided that this person, he's not normal. He seems to be somebody like Moses. So, he is a prophet who has come into the world. So, this is a sign that Jesus performed. Now, when the people saw that Jesus is able to do these miracles, they thought that they found a representative whom they can appoint as a leader. And, you know, they probably had grievances against the Roman government at that time. So, they thought, okay, if we have a leader who is strong and somebody who can do signs like this, we can overthrow the government. So, they looked at Jesus and they wanted to force him to become a king. But, you know, it says, scripture says, it was 15, he departed again to the mountain by himself alone, okay? So, you know, earlier we saw how Jesus did not take the praises of the people. So, he did not live for the applause and the appreciation of the people. Instead, he wanted to live for the father and the appreciation of the father because doing the works of the father is what gave him that satisfaction and fulfillment. Now, when the people are excited and they want to make him king, you know, if it was you and me, we would have been very happy that we are getting an opportunity. We are getting a position where, you know, we will be well respected and all of that. But Jesus was not at all impressed by the appreciation that the people were showering on him. Instead, we read here that he departed to the mountain. Okay? So, what does this tell us about Jesus? You know, spending time in popularity and in fame. That should not be the driving force for us as God's people. Jesus's driving force was the presence of the father. So, he chose, you know, popularity was available, opportunity was available. And in the quietness of him and the father, the presence of the father, the words of the father was also available to him. So, Jesus was quite clear. He said, look, I don't, I'm not doing this for popularity. I'm not doing this for position, but I want the father. I want to know the father's heart. So, the reader was 15, that he departed again to the mountain by himself alone. So, why is he departing alone by himself? Any idea? Have you seen Jesus do this earlier? And why is he going alone? Okay, any thoughts? I'm sure you already know. Okay. David says to spend time with the father. Okay, good. What about the others? Okay, are you all there? Class? Just now you are here. Okay, okay. So, why do you think he went alone? It's clear. It's easily, you can understand. Getting that material. Yeah, but still I'm asking, like he could have taken the disciples with him, but why is it that he's going alone? He's spending a time alone with the father to pray. Even we have a gathering prayer also. We need intimate personal relationship with the father that shows the lifestyle of Jesus. Yeah, yeah, true, true Thomas. So, what I want us to see here is the fact that, see, Jesus is doing all these miracles. And he wants to serve God, fulfill his purpose. But he realizes that the source is in the presence of the father. He never compromised on that alone type with the father. Even the disciples, right? He never even took the disciples with him because the private time with God was the empowering time that he needed. And so he never, he kind of doesn't think about it. He just makes that a priority. The crowds don't matter. The disciples don't matter anymore. No other task matters. But he figures out a place where he can be alone with God and he goes and he spends time. Now, this is very, very important. This is very important even for us. And I think it was your batch, I'm not able to recall. But I talked about burnout, isn't it? Was it your batch? But I said that, oh, yeah, correct your batch. Let me study at 13. And we said that the people were ministering unto God and that the Holy Spirit spoke to them. Ministering unto God is the place of power. It's the place of strength. It's the place where we commune with the father closely and Jesus knew the value of that. So just look at this, you know, it's kingdom perspective. If we don't have kingdom perspective, if we don't have spiritual perspective, we will look at the world around us especially because you're all for ministry and you will be serving God in one way or the other. The world, its appreciation, the crowds and the fame, you know, all these things can actually get to us if we are not careful. But in life of Jesus, we realize that he knew the value of ministering to God. And so he's not worried about anything, anyone, he just departs again to the mountain by himself, okay? And that is valuable. And each one of us as ministers of God, we have to make it a priority. I've heard somebody say this, come apart, else you will come apart, okay? I might take a moment for you to get that. I'll put it in the chat here. Okay, so that is an encouragement to spend time with God, moving on. When evening had come. So Jesus went, he did what he needed to do, the main thing, just spending time with God and evening time, he's coming back. So it's not like he's abandoning the disciples, but the disciples probably knew that this is the pattern. Jesus's daily schedule looks like this. Okay, great. Now, evening, the disciples, they went down to the sea. We know that some of them were fishermen, so they were familiar with the sea. They got into a boat and went towards Cape Town. And it was already dark, okay? And at this time, they don't have Jesus in the boat. You know, earlier once when they had a stop, Jesus was very much in the boat. But this time, Jesus is not in the boat, but there is a stop. Apparently the Sea of Galilee was a place where, you know, storms could break out suddenly. So the disciples were familiar with it. And they, I don't know whether they got scared or, you know, they had a calm at that time, but one thing disturbed them. They suddenly saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. And that made them afraid. You can imagine, it's a stormy time. It's already scary. And then there is somebody approaching you who's walking on the water, but when they were afraid, right? To be the supernatural sort of an event unfold before there, Jesus comforts them and he tells them, it is I do not be afraid that they willingly received him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. So Jesus got back and he joined them, you know, for the rest of the schedule. But the way he did it, I think at every point, the disciples are understanding that something about this person is, you know, different. He is demonstrating the supernatural power of God at all times. Now, if you and I had the opportunity to see Jesus come on the water, what do you think that would do to us? What would it do to you? How would it affect you? Yeah, it's okay, Kiran. Okay, would your faith rise or not? Means by seeing Jesus walking on the water? Yeah, correct. Right, faith will increase. Of course. So that's what I'm thinking, you know, that being with Jesus and, you know, being with Jesus for like about three, three and a half years and seeing all these things, how is it that the disciples, when he was being crucified, they divide him, you know, and they did not really stack up for the faith. But, you know, I'm just thinking to myself, all these supernatural events reveal to you that, wow, this Jesus, there's something amazing about him. He is also able to, in this case, it's like your own natural laws. You remember, in the Old Testament, we read about the thing where acts start floating, right? Acts start floating, but it's not natural because acts supposed to sink. I can't hear anything. Lag is there. Okay, sorry, but at last my one integral connection failed. So I joined the other one. It should be okay. So yeah, I was just saying that, you know, this miracle overrides natural law and can God's miracles override natural law? They can, but it does not happen every day. So we don't read that, you know, Jesus walked on the water every day and got back to the disciples. So we can't tell God that, God, you know, you, the natural things are there. Like just for example, you know, I jokingly say, every day we have to clean our home, okay? But supernaturally, can we expect that everything will go back in its own place and arrange itself? I don't know, maybe it can happen once. So, you know, if at all God thinks it's necessary, a miracle like that can happen. But otherwise, the normal process is the natural process. So every day we have to clean, every day we have to organize. So in this case, we are observing that Jesus was also able to override natural laws. Now, when people are seeing all these things, their faith must have been rising. What about the outsiders? They also, they're encouraged, you know, to kind of see these miracles, which they have not seen other people do. Especially the miracle of providing food was something that the people were very impressed with. So now, what happens is the people who had experienced the miracle of the breaking of prayer, they started following Jesus, okay? The disciples and Jesus, they had already moved away. Now, these people, they came in search of Jesus and the disciples so that they could be with Jesus. So they come to him and they say, they find him on the other side of the sea and they say, Rabbi, when did you come here? And Jesus, he understands. Why are these people? See, there's always the motivation of the heart, you know, which is very, very important. So Jesus realizes, these people are not here to put their faith and trust in me, but they are the kind of people who only want the benefits of the power of God. So Jesus answers them and he tells them, most assuredly, I say to you, you seek me not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and the filth. Okay, how unfortunate. The people, they are not receiving the deeper things, okay, the deeper spiritual things, but just a little bit to satisfy their physical longing is sufficient for them. They're not willing to pay the price to follow Jesus and Jesus tells them, come on, don't live for this world. So he goes about sharing this truth with them. He says, don't labor for the food which perishes. Meaning, this world is temporary. You're following me because of the food? But you know what? It's temporary. The things of this world are temporary. But he says, but you must labor for the food which endures to everlasting life. So he's saying that, you know, there are greater things in the kingdom of God. So look for those things. And then he says, the son of man will give you because God, the father has sent his seal on him. So one more thing we realize here is, first of all, he's directing their attention to spiritual things. And he's saying, you feel that the miracle of breaking the bread is what confirms the son of God as the son of God. But actually, yes, the miracles testify of who he is, but more than that, the father has sent the seal on him. Meaning, the father himself has approved him. And that is the greatest reason why one must put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. So not just for the temporary earthly things. Then they ask him, okay, Jesus, fight. You're talking about all these spiritual things. Now you tell us, what shall we do to work the works of God? And Jesus tells them, look, the works of God, right? If you want to really do God's work, what is it that God is calling us to step out with? It's always faith. So God is looking for a life of faith. So Jesus tells them, this is the work of God that you believe, that you believe in him who he sent. So if you want to please God, it starts with faith. And it starts with putting our faith in the son of God himself. So Jesus is inviting the people to put their trust in him as the son of God, because the father himself has sent him. So basically he's saying, be born again. Remember, he spoke to Nicodemus, what did he want? He wanted Nicodemus to be born again. And every other miracle that he did, he wanted people to believe in him. The woman at the well, what was the ultimate result? Put her faith in Jesus and all the people in some area to put their faith in Jesus. So again, he's inviting these people and he's saying, don't live for the miracles, but put your faith in God, that is what is important. Then look at the attitude of the people. You know, it's so rigid. We saw the religious spirit. Now, these people, when he's saying, believe in me, they're asking him, what sign will you perform? Then that we may see it and believe you. It's actually quite funny because just now, Jesus had done the miracle of breaking the bread, you know, the previous day. And that is not sufficient. Again, they are asking for another sign. So among the Jews, they had this common way of looking at spiritual things. They used to look for signs, right? They used to look for signs, wonders. So that's exactly how they are responding to Jesus again. And they're saying, okay, show us one more miracle. You show us what will you do, you know? In the desert, we know that God provided manna and he did a miracle. Now, basically what they wanted is, their needs should be met. Yesterday, Jesus gave food, today also let him give food, tomorrow let him give food. You know, we are happy with that. So they were in that mode, and they thought that if they questioned Jesus like this, their physical needs would be met. But look at Jesus. He says, still you people have a worldly way of thinking. I'm calling you to think about spiritual things. Don't live for the food of this world. He's telling them there's another world. There's another kingdom, a spiritual kingdom of God. Think about that kingdom that is more important. But again, their question is a natural question. So Jesus says, look, most assuredly, Moses, he did not give you the bread from heaven, but who gave it? My father, okay? He is the one who was able to give you the true bread from heaven. When you're talking about a miracle that took place through Moses. But suppose it was not Moses who gave you that food. Now, the second thing is, why are you running after a food that will perish? How about, you know, I give you something that will last forever. So he said, true bread, true bread from heaven. You know, it's like, suppose you are thirsty and there is a water source close by where you can get fresh, clean drinking water. And I'll give you a glass of water, okay? And if you keep on asking me, I want some more water, I want some more water, better than giving you the, you know, a glass of water. I can just show you the source of water and say, this will last for a long time. Why don't you bring from the source itself? So Jesus is drawing them to the spiritual source who is he himself, the son of God, who is the true bread from heaven. So he's introducing himself. And he's saying that this bread is what you actually need for the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. So now he's moving the conversation from the natural food to the spiritual food, which is the Lord Jesus. And he says that he is that bread which the people actually need. So, you know, looking at the people, Jesus sees their physical need, but he knows that the greatest need which they have is their spiritual need. So he directs them to himself and he says, come on, why don't you eat of me? Because I will satisfy you. And then he goes on to describing himself. He says, I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger. And he who believes in me shall never thirst. So he's saying that he is that eternal source of satisfaction. He is the eternal source of fulfillment. Okay? He is the eternal source of nourishment. So why look for earthly bread? You depend on me. Then again he calls them to believe. He says that, you know, it's me that you must put your faith in. All that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one who comes to me, I will by no means cast out. So he's saying, you come to me, you receive me. And I will not, you know, leave you out. And also he uses a way of speaking where he says the Father that you come to me through the Father. Okay? For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And you know, basically, like when you read this passage, I won't read the entire thing. You can go back and read it. So he's saying that in him there is eternal life and the people can have eternal life. So he's talking about a life which is greater than this normal natural life that the people are living. And he also says that the Father is the one who draws people. Okay? To receive this eternal life. Now by this, we must not confuse and think that, you know, the concept of predestination where it's only God who decides or chooses the people who will have salvation. It's not like that. You know, salvation is open to everyone. Even though scriptures say that, you know, the Father will bring or the Father will draw people to him. It's also the response of the people. The invitation is open to everyone but the people who make the choice are the ones who are able to receive salvation and experience this everlasting life that Jesus is introducing. And through who do we have eternal life? Everlasting life. We have it only through the Son of God and the way he spoke to Nicodemus, you know, he speaks about himself and he is calling the people to come to himself. Then what happens when Jesus is sharing and inviting people to himself? We are told that the Jews complained about him because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. See, they are unable to receive spiritual truth. That is the challenge with the Jews. So when Jesus is making such a beautiful offer, they are rejecting it. And they were equating Jesus based on their natural information and they said, this is Jesus. He is just the Son of Joseph. And why is he saying that he has come down from heaven? They were also concerned that Jesus is equating himself with God. Like he's calling God as Father. He, now he's saying he's come down from heaven. He is the bread who has come down from heaven. So these were all things that they could not accept. Moving forward, again, he explains himself more as the bread of life. And he says, was 48, he says, I am the bread of life. This is the bread which comes down from heaven that one may eat of it and not die. So is Jesus threatened? Because the people are not accepting that he is the bread of life? Not at all. He sticks to the truth and he continues to reveal the truth and tells the people, I am the bread of life. So you are thrilled about the food which Moses gave in the wilderness but the people who ate of it, they died. But I am telling you that I have come down from heaven. I am the bread of life. If you eat me, then you will live forever. So he is offering them salvation. And even at this point, when he says, if you eat me or he uses the term inverse 51, eat my flesh. And the Jews did not like it. They did not like the fact that he was inviting them to consume for himself. So Jesus makes statements like verse 54, whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up at the last day. So Jesus continues to reveal to them that he is that Passover lamb who has come to fulfill the purpose of the Father. What does it mean, eat my flesh, drink my blood? He's talking about the work which is going to do on the cross shortly. And he's inviting the people to salvation. And those who receive salvation, he reveals to them that there is going to be resurrection. I will raise him up, right? Raise him up, talking about resurrection. So the Lord Jesus is inviting the people to trust him and put their faith in him because he is the eternal source. He is the very bread of life. So when Jesus is turning the hearts of the people from natural aspects to the spiritual aspects, what happens? We expect that people will respond positively but how unfortunate? Verse 60, therefore many of his disciples when they heard this said, this is a hard saying who can understand it? So because they could not receive what Jesus was saying there were people of his own disciples who left him. Okay? And it's nothing new, you know, today we might find similar crowds of people who are not able to receive what God's word is speaking to their hearts and they turn away, but it happened even to Jesus. These people left him and they said, we cannot follow this man. He's asking us to put our faith in things which is very difficult for us. We just want normal, you know? Do miracles, feed us. Tell us something easy to do. We manage with that, but his teachings are hard. So at this point, let's just go for a break. We will come back and cover the remaining things that take place and the teachings that Jesus imparts to the people around him, okay? So 10 minutes from now, it's 9.50. Let's come back at 10 o'clock and we will continue. Thank you.