The disciples did not find the sea tranquil, but stormy; so they also found the nations in turmoil when they were sent out to preach Matthew 10:6,Waiting for response for Matthew 10:6 this being represented by the sea and waves roaring as a result of wars and persecution. “And Jesus did not come to them”;v.17Waiting for response for John 6:17 so for centuries the disciples have waited among the nations for him to return. This is the night time of the world’s history and the world is in the darkness of ignorance but in the middle of the night and in the midst of the storm Jesus came to his disciples, walking on the sea.v.19Waiting for response for John 6:19 Likewise Jesus will suddenly descend from heaven and come to his disciples to save them from all their distresses. He walked on the sea to represent the fact that all peoples will be placed under his feet when he comes. His disciples will then receive him willingly, and he will take them immediately to the promised land.v.21Waiting for response for John 6:21
The multitudes followed Jesus to Capernaum, seeking more food for which they need not work, but Jesus taught them they needed to feed on the word of God. Jesus himself provided that word as “the bread of life”,v.35Waiting for response for John 6:35 but he sometimes expressed his teaching in “hard sayings” v.60Waiting for response for John 6:60 which many found difficult to receive. He said, for example, they had to eat his flesh and drink his blood.v.53Waiting for response for John 6:53 They took this literally and found it revolting, but we understand Jesus was expressing metaphorically the necessity of feeding upon his teaching. He did not then make it easy for them but, because they murmured,v.61Waiting for response for John 6:61 said something even more difficult: “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?” v.62Waiting for response for John 6:62
The Son of man did not literally descend from heaven, but was begotten by God’s Spirit which came from heaven and descended upon Mary, so Jesus explained: “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life”.v.63Waiting for response for John 6:63 It is the Spirit that produced and anointed Jesus, that inspired men to write the scriptures, and that will raise the saints from the dead and give them eternal life. However, many disciples found this too much to accept and deserted Jesus,v.66Waiting for response for John 6:66 and many people have misunderstood and misconstrued his hard sayings ever since. He even tested the loyalty of the apostles,v.67Waiting for response for John 6:67 knowing that one of them, being a “devil”, a false accuser, would betray him,vs.70-71Waiting for response for John 6:70-71 but Peter expressed the certain fact that there is no other saviour: “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”.vs.68-69Waiting for response for John 6:68-69
The two miraculous signs in this chapter - the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus walking on the water - represent in marvellous outline the consequences of his teaching. The discussion which followed the miracles shows that the bread represented Jesus’ doctrine, and he fed the starving multitude in the desert to show that his word saves men and women from perishing. Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples to feed the multitude; and he sent these same apostles to feed Israel with his teaching. Matthew 10:6Waiting for response for Matthew 10:6 Afterwards they collected fragments of the bread into twelve baskets and Jesus sent them on a ship into the sea, to represent them going forth into the sea of nations to preach the gospel to the Gentiles. Jesus did not go with them but ascended a mountain to pray, to represent his presence in heaven, praying to God on their behalf as they preached the gospel.