Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 6:30
They said therefore unto him, What sign showest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
30. What sign shewest thou then ] ‘Thou’ is emphatic: ‘what dost Thou on Thy part?’ They quite understand that in the words ‘Him whom He hath sent’ Jesus is claiming to be the Messiah; but they want a proof. Their enthusiasm had cooled, their curiosity had increased, during the night. After all, the feeding of the 5000 was less marvellous than the manna, and Moses was not the Messiah. Note that whereas He uses the strong form, ‘believe on Him,’ they use the weak one, ‘believe Thee.’ See last note on Joh 1:12.
what dost thou work ] They purposely choose the very word that He had used in Joh 6:29. The emphasis is on ‘what.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
What sign showest thou? – On the word sign, compare the notes at Isa 7:14. What miracle dost thou work to prove that thou art the Messiah? They had just seen the miracle of the loaves in the desert, which was sufficient to show that he was the Messiah, and it would seem from the preceding narrative that those who crossed the lake to see him supposed that he was the Christ. It seems wonderful that they should so soon ask for further evidence that he was sent from God; but it is not improbable that this question was put by other Jews, rulers of the synagogue, who happened to be present, and who had not witnessed his miracles. Those men were continually asking for signs and proofs that he was the Messiah. See Mat 12:38-39; Mar 8:11; Luk 11:29. As Jesus claimed the right of teaching them, and as it was manifest that he would teach them differently from what they supposed Moses to teach, it was natural to ask him by what authority he claimed the right to be heard.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joh 6:30-33
What sign showest Thou then that we may see and believe
Christ the Christians food
Hewitson writes: I think I know more of Jesus Christ than of any earthly friend.
Hence one who knew Him well remarked, One thing struck me in Mr. Hewitson. He seemed to have no gaps, no intervals in his communion with God. I used to feel, when with him, that it was being with one who was a vine watered every moment.
Christ is the true manna
Christ is heavenly meat and drink. My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven (Joh 6:32). Other meat and drink is terrene and earthly. Your bread grows out of the bowels of the earth. Your wine is the blood of an earthly grape. The flesh you eat is fed of the tender grass that springs out of the earth. If the earth should prove barren, you would soon feel a famine!, The king himself is served by the field (Ecc 5:9). It is true, the blessing comes from heaven, but all the materials of meat and drink are earthly. But Jesus Christ is the Bread of heaven and the Wine of heaven. The manna came from the clouds only; but Christ from the beautiful heaven, even from the bosom of the Father. (Ralph Robinson.)
Christ the gift of God to all men
When the Rev. Ebenezer Erskines doctrine was impugned, and his discourses complained of before the ecclesiastical courts, he was enabled to vindicate himself with great dignity and courage; and expressions sometimes fell from his lips which, for a time, overawed and confounded his enemies. On one occasion, at a meeting of the synod of Fife, according to the account of a respectable witness, when some members were denying the Fathers gift of our Lord Jesus to sinners of mankind, he rose and said, Moderator, our Lord Jesus says of Himself, My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. This He uttered to a promiscuous multitude; and let me see the man who dares to affirm that He said wrong? This short speech, aided by the solemnity and energy with which it was delivered, made an uncommon impression on the synod, and on all that were present.
Christ gives life
Christ is such meat and drink as preserves from death. Other meat and drink cannot keep man from the grave. That rich man that fared deliciously every day was not made immortal. The rich man died and was buried (Luk 16:22). All that generation that fed on manna, and drank the water out of the rock, died (Joh 6:49). But Christ preserves the soul from death (Joh 6:50). This is the bread of God that came down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die. It immortalizes the soul that feeds on it. He that believeth on Him hath eternal life (Joh 6:51). Other meat and drink cannot preserve a living body from death, much less can it give life, and restore breath to a dead body. Put the most delicate meat, the strongest drink, into the mouth of a dead man, and they will not give him life if the soul be quite departed. They may recover from a swoon, they cannot from death. But the flesh and blood of Christ quicken the dead. Christ, by putting His flesh and blood into the mouth of the dead soul, conveys life into it. His flesh and blood make the lips of the dead to speak. As the Father raiseth the dead and quickeneth them, so the Son quickeneth whom He will (Joh 5:21). If thou hast any spiritual life in thee, thou didst receive it from the enlivening virtue of Christs flesh and blood communicated to thee by the Spirit of life. (Ralph Robinson.)
Christ, like the manna, is an abundant supply
I recollect when I was able to journey through the country preaching, I for some years stayed occasionally with a fine old English farmer. He used to have a piece of beef upon the table, I do not know how many pounds it weighed, but it was enormous. I said to him one day, Why is it that whenever I come here you have such immense joints? Do you think that I can eat like a giant? If so, it is a great mistake. Look at that joint, there, I said; if I were to take it home, it might last me a month. Well, he said, if I could get a bigger bit I would, for I am so glad to see you; and if you could eat it all, you should be heartily welcome. I want everybody that comes here to-day to feel that I will do my very best for you. He did not measure my necessities to the half-ounce, but he provided on a lavish scale. I quote this homely instance of giving heartily to show you how, on a divine scale, the Lord makes ready for His guests. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The mistakes of the Galileans
I. THE SECONDARY FOR THE PRIMARY (Joh 6:31-32). Confounding the instrument with the agent; Moses with Jehovah.
1. The man of science falls into this mistake when he talks about forces and laws otherwise than as expressions of the Divine power and will.
2. The Christian does the same when he ascribes conversion to the eloquence of a preacher instead of to the quickening influence of the Spirit Zec 4:6; Joh 6:63; Eph 2:1).
3. Every person similarly errs who forgets that every good and perfect gift comes from God (Jam 1:17).
II. THE SHADOWY FOR THE SUBSTANTIAL (verse 33). This tendency followed the Jews all through their career, and there is a like tendency when religion is made a thing of forms and ceremonies.
III. THE IMPERSONAL FOR THE PERSONAL (verse 35). The Jews imagined the bread of life to be a better sort of manna (see Joh 4:15; the samemistake). Plainly as Christ indicated this bread to be a Person they continued thinking of a thing. So do those who suppose that education, moral culture, social refinement, etc., is the bread of life.
IV. THE TRANSIENT FOR THE ETERNAL (verse 49).
1. The manna was a temporary gift; even when the Israelites ate of it they died. The bread of life on the contrary
(1) Endures into everlasting life (verse 27), and
(2) Will satisfy every want of the soul.
Lessons:
1. The men who err most in life and religion are those who walk by sight and not by faith.
2. Christ is a greater sign than any of His miracles.
3. His best recommendation is the satisfaction He imparts.
4. Men may have a desire after Christ without faith.
5. None who come to Christ in sincerity, will depart from Him in sorrow. (T. Whitelaw, D. D.)
The manna a type of Christ
I. MIRACULOUS IN THEIR ORIGIN: came down from heaven.
II. COVERED WITH NEW (2Co 4:3).
III. APPARENTLY INSIGNIFICANT (Isa 53:2).
IV. MYSTERIOUS (Isa 53:8).
V. DAILY (Exo 16:21). Give us this day is founded on this repeated miracle. Christs grace must be used continually.
VI. GATHERED BY MAN BUT GROWN BY GOD. Human and Divine meet in conversion (Joh 4:44), and Divine bounty never supersedes mans industry.
VII. ALL GATHERING HAD ENOUGH. Sincerity not the degree of faith avails Exo 16:18).
VIII. GRATUITOUS (Isa 55:1).
IX. SUFFICIENT FOR ALL.
X. OFFERED TO MURMURERS (Rom 5:8).
XI. Manna for a season the ONLY food (Act 4:12).
XII. FURNISHED IS THE WILDERNESS (Psa 78:19; Heb 6:8). (W. H. Van Doren, D. D.)
Christ the bread of life
I. Christ Is the bread of God in His personal Divine life (Joh 6:32-40).
1. The typical and the true bread of God (Joh 6:32-33).
2. The false and the true appetite for this bread (Joh 6:34-38).
3. The liberating and quickening operation of this bread (Joh 6:39-40).
II. Christ GIVES the bread of life in His giving up of His flesh in His atoning death (Joh 6:41-51).
1. He gives it not to murmurers, but to those who are drawn and taught of the Father (Joh 6:41-47).
2. He gives it with the full partaking of eternal life (Joh 6:48-50).
3. He gives it in giving Himself (Joh 6:51).
4. He gives it in giving His flesh for the life of the world (Joh 6:51).
III. Christ INSTITUTES the meal of life in making His flesh and blood a feast of thank-offering to the world (Joh 6:52-59).
1. The offence at the words concerning the flesh of Christ (Joh 6:52).
2. The heightening of the offence by the fourfold assertion concerning the flesh and blood of Christ (Joh 6:53-56).
3. The ground of this assertion; the life of Christ is in the Father (Joh 6:57).
4. The conclusion of this assertion (Joh 6:58-59).
IV. Christ TRANSFIGURES the meal of life into a meal of the Spirit (verse 60-65)
1. By His exaltation (Joh 6:62).
2. By His sending the spirit (Joh 6:63).
3. By His word (Joh 6:63).
4. By the excision of unbelievers (Joh 6:64). (J. P. Lange, D. D.)
The bread of life contrasted with manna
1. The manna could not detain for one moment the fleeting spirit of man; but the bread of life, like the tree of life, imparted immortality.
2. That was from the air; this from the real heaven of heavens.
3. That nourished the decaying body; this the never dying soul.
4. That left the multitude, after a few hours, hungry still; he who eats of this will never hunger. (W. H. Van Doren, D. D.)
Come down from heaven
I. WE HAVE A DIVINE LIFE IN CHRIST, because He has come from God to be the author of life for us.
II. THIS LIFE IS NEAR (Deu 30:12-13; Rom 10:6-8). No man could ascend up, therefore Christ came down. (John Calvin.)
I. WHAT IS IT TO LIVE.
Life in Christ
1. Anything lives when it fills up the capacity of its being. Animal life does not consist in material force but in organic vitality. In man, however, we see the added element of spiritual existence.
2. Here comes up the everlasting fact that man is not like the brute satisfied with meat and drink, but yearns for what is beyond. And as there is harmony in the universe there must be something more than the material for man.
II. THE HIGHER NATURE MUST HAVE ITS FOOD, OR IT DIES. Christ saw the spiritual nature of man in all its priceless capacity and quenchless immortality, and to that He addressed Himself when He bade His hearers eat of His flesh and drink of His blood.
III. EACH KIND OR NATURE IN THE UNIVERSE IS LINKED IN ITS OWN CHAIN OF DEPENDENCIES. The body depends on things material; but the moment we look on the spirit of man we must ascribe it to some higher source than matter. The affection of the human heart; the yearning for the beautiful and the good; the intellect; the sense of sin and moral freedom, whence came they? If you could take away every other proof of the existence of God, this spirit proves the Being of a moral and intelligent Source over and above the material world.
IV. EACH THING IS LINKED TO THINGS OF ITS OWN KIND.
1. The soul, living, intelligent, and morally conscious, is linked to an intelligent and moral God, and by Him, and in Him alone, can it live. It cannot link itself to mere sensation and matter.
2. Jesus brings men into communion with that infinite intelligence, love, and freedom by bringing mans soul into communion with Himself, so that living in Him we live in the Father, and as Christ becomes assimilated to our inner spiritual being, so we truly live.
V. WE NOT ONLY LIVE IN, BUT BY JESUS. This brings into view His essential personality. I am the Bread, the Way. He that believeth in ME, etc. No other teacher ever so spoke. Plato or Confucius may have said, Believe this truth, but never, I am the truth, believe in me. Christ saves us not merely by the truth He revealed, but by Himself.
VI. THIS LIFE IS A PRESENT EXPERIENCE. Not merely is going to live, but liveth. Religion is an end as well as a means. It is not simply something that helps us to live by and by, but something by which we live now. The great essential things are those we live by, not for. Bread, water, air–we do not live for them, but by them. So we live by religion, heaven, Christ, not for them. Conclusion:
1. See what an argument this is for the truth of the religion of Jesus, because it shows us how we truly live. We live by Jesus now because
(1) He fills up our higher faculties;
(2) draws out our best affections;
(3) gives us the truth of our higher being.
2. Have you ever really lived? (E. H. Chapin, D. D.)
Jewish traditions connecting the manna with the Messiah
There was a tradition that as the first Redeemer caused the manna to fall from heaven, even so should the second Redeemer cause the manna to fall. For this sign, then, or one like it, the people looked from Him whom they were ready to regard as Messiah (cf. Mat 16:1; Mar 8:11)
. Philo says, When the people sought what it is which feeds the soul, for they did not, as Moses says, know what it was, they discovered by learning that it is the utterance of God and the Divine Loges from which all forms of instruction and wisdom flow in a perennial stream. And this is the heavenly food which is indicated in the sacred records under the person of the First Cause, saying, Behold I rain on you bread out of heaven! (Exo 14:4). For in very truth God distils from above the supernal wisdom on noble and contemplative minds, and they, when they see and taste, in great joy, know what they experience, but do not know the power which dispenses the gift. Wherefore they ask, What is this that is sweeter than honey and whiter than snow? But they shall all be taught by the prophet that this is the Bread which the Lord gave them to eat (Exo 16:15). (Bp. Westcott.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 30. What sign] , What miracle; so the word is evidently used, Joh 2:11; Joh 2:23, and in many other places.
That we may see, and believe thee] That, having seen the miracle, we may believe thee to be the promised Messiah. They had already seen the miracle of the five loaves, and did not believe; and it was impossible for them to see any thing more descriptive of unlimited power and goodness. Even miracles themselves are lost on persons whose hearts are fixed on the perishing things of the world, and whose minds are filled with prejudice against the truth.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
They thought it reasonable, that he who brought forth a new doctrine into the world (such as faith in him was, they having never heard any such thing from their doctors the Pharisees) should confirm his mission by some miraculous operation. But this was a strange stupidity, considering the sign he had so lately showed them, of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. So it was manifest they sought for a sign, not to promote or confirm their faith, but merely to feed their curiosity; and what our Saviour said, Mat 12:39, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, was truly applicable to them; and those words,
believe thee, eminently confirm it; for the aforesaid miracle speaking in him a creative power, and being such as was never wrought by any creature, they were obliged to believe him, without any further sign. God ought to be believed upon his bare word.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
30. What sign showest thou,c.But how could they ask “a sign,” when many of themscarce a day before had witnessed such a “sign” as hadnever till then been vouchsafed to men when after witnessing it, theycould hardly be restrained from making Him a king; when they followedHim from the one side of the lake to the other; and when, in theopening words of this very discourse, He had chided them for seekingHim, “not because they saw the signs,” but for theloaves? The truth seems to be that they were confounded by the novelclaims which our Lord had just advanced. In proposing to make Hima king, it was for far other purposes than dispensing to the worldthe bread of an everlasting life; and when He seemed to raise Hisclaims even higher still, by representing it as the grand “workof God,” that they should believe on Himself as His SentOne, they saw very clearly that He was making a demand upon thembeyond anything they were prepared to accord to Him, and beyond allthat man had ever before made. Hence their question, “What dostThou work?“
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They said therefore unto him,…. Seeing he proposed believing in him as the grand work of God to be done, and what is most acceptable in his sight:
what sign showest thou then, that we may see and believe thee? The people of the Jews were always requiring signs and wonders, and when they had one and another shown them, they still sought for more, and were never satisfied; see Mt 12:39. These men had lately seen various signs and miracles of Christ, as healing the sick, and feeding live thousand of them, and more, with five loaves, and two fishes; and though, for the time present, these had some influence upon them, and they were ready to believe he was that prophet; yet now, at least some of them, begin to retract, and signify, that unless some other, and greater signs were shown, they should not believe in him as the Messiah:
what dost thou work? more than others, or Moses. They seem to make light of the miracle of the loaves, or at least require some greater sign and miracle, to engage their belief in him as the Messiah; and as they were lovers of their bellies, and expected dainties in the times of the Messiah, they seem to move for, and desire miracles of that kind to be wrought; and which sense the following words confirm.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
For a sign (). Predicate accusative, as a sign, with (what). As if the sign of the day before was without value. Jesus had said that they did not understand his signs (verse 26).
That we may see, and believe thee ( ). Purpose clause with and the second aorist (ingressive) active subjunctive of and the first aorist (ingressive) active subjunctive of , “that we may come to see and come to have faith in thee.” It is hard to have patience with this superficial and almost sneering mob.
What workest thou? ( ;). They not simply depreciate the miracle of the day before, but set up a standard for Jesus.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Therefore. Since He had claimed to be the One sent of God.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “They said therefore unto him,” (eipon oun auto) “They therefore said directly to him,” after He had directly answered their question about how they might work the works of God, Joh 6:28.
2) “What sign shewest thou then,” (ti oun poieis su semeion) “What sign (kind of sign) do you do,” or are you willing to do for us, to show us, as certain of their more formal scribes, and Pharisees, and Sadducees had done, Mat 12:38; Mat 16:1; 1Co 1:22. For “the Jews require a sign,” see?
3) “That we may see, and believe thee?” (hina idomen kai pisteusomen soi) “In order that we may perceive and believe you?” You see He had already done many miraculous works, inclusive of the recent one of feeding a mass of near 15,000 of them with five loaves and two little fish, after which they considered forcibly taking and crowning Him as king. Now a few hours, or days at the most, later, they wanted another sign, that they might believe; they were sign seekers rather than seekers of a Savior or Redeemer.
4) “What dost thou work?” (ti ergaze) “What do you work?” Our Lord had already done numerous things to fulfill prophecy (prophetic signs) verifying that He was the Messiah such as:
1) By His virgin birth, Isa 7:14; Mat 1:18-23.
2) By the tribe and family of His birth, Gen 49:10; Mic 5:2; as well as the place here described, Luk 2:1-11.
3) By His flight into Egypt, Mat 2:15.
4) By His return to Nazareth, Mat 2:23.
5) By His baptism by John the Baptist and the testimony of the Holy Spirit and John the Baptist, Mat 3:1-8; Mat 3:15-17; Joh 1:30-34.
6) And by the miracles He had already done, Joh 2:11; Joh 3:2; Joh 20:30-31.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
30. What sign doest thou? This wickedness abundantly proves how truly it is said elsewhere, This wicked generation seeketh a sign, (Mat 12:39.) They had been at first drawn to Christ by the admiration of his miracles or signs, and afterwards, through amazement at a new sign, they acknowledged Christ to be the Messiah, and, with that conviction, wished to make him a king; but now they demand a sign from him, as if he were a man unknown to them. Whence came such sudden forgetfulness, but because they are ungrateful to God, and, through their own malice, are blind to his power, which is before their eyes? Nor can it be doubted that they treat disdainfully all the miracles which they had already beheld, because Christ does not comply with their wishes, and because they do not find him to be what they imagined him to be. If he had given them expectation of earthly happiness, he would have been highly applauded by them; they would undoubtedly have hailed him as a Prophet, and the Messiah, and the Son of God; but now, because he blames them for being too much addicted to the flesh, they think that they ought not to listen to him any more. And in the present day, how many are there who resemble them! At first, because they promise to themselves that Christ will flatter their vices, they eagerly embrace the gospel, and call for no proof of it; but when they are called to deny the flesh and to bear the cross, then do they begin to renounce Christ and ask whence the gospel came. In short, as soon as Christ does not grant their prayers, he is no longer their Master.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
THE BREAD OF LIFE, I
Text 6:30-40
30
They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou?
31
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.
32
Jesus therefore said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, It was not Moses that gave you the bread out of heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread out of heaven.
33
For the bread of God is that which cometh down out of heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
34
They said therefore unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
35
Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall not hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
36
But I said unto you, that ye have seen me, and yet believe not.
37
All that which the Father giveth me shall come unto me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38
For I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39
And this is the will of him that sent me, that of all that which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40
For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Queries
a.
How could they have the audacity to ask Jesus to work a sign?
b.
What is the contrast between manna and the true bread out of heaven?
c.
Does Joh. 6:37-39 teach eternal security?
Paraphrase
Therefore they said to Him, What wonder do You perform that we may see it and believe in You? What can You do to compare with what our forefathers saw? They ate the heaven-sent manna, as the Scripture says, He gave them bread out of heaven to eat. Jesus then said to them, I tell you most solemnly, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, nor was the manna the genuine Bread from heaven. My Father gives you the genuine Bread out of heaven, for the genuine Bread of God is He Who comes down out of heaven and gives Life unto the world. They replied, Lord, give us this Bread forever more! Jesus answered them, I am the Bread of Life. He who surrenders and follows Me will never be hungry for spiritual sustenance, and he who trusts and obeys Me will never thirst for righteousness. But as I told you before, although you have seen me manifest the works of God, still you do not trust and obey Me. All whom My Father draws to Me will come unto Me and I will never refuse nor reject one of them who comes to Me because I have come down from heaven not to do My Own will, but to do the will of Him Who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should not lose, through inability, any of those whom God has drawn unto Me. For this is also the will of My Father, that every one who continues to behold the Son with a trusting and obedient recognition should have eternal life; and that I should raise him up at the last day.
Summary
Jesus introduces Himself as the Bread of Life. He makes several claims to deity in answer to their misguided requests for a carnal sign. He further promises not to lose, through powerlessness or refusal, anyone drawn unto Him by the Father.
Comment
Why did the crowd ask for a sign? Had He not just given them one in the loaves and fishes? They seem to demand a sign directly from heaven. This is evident from Jesus answer. The crowd did not mention any comparison with Moses, but Jesus read their thoughts. He had claimed to be greater than Moses, yet He had not caused manna to rain from heaven. His sign had been merely to take bread and fish already supplied and make more bread and more fish. Moses gave us bread direct from heaven if You are greater than Moses, show us a sign directly from heaven,
In Joh. 6:32-33, their evaluation is shown to be faulty. In the first place, it was not Moses who gave them the manna, but God through Moses. Secondly, the manna was perishable bread, feeding only the physical hunger, while the genuine Bread of God is the Son of God. He satisfies the hunger of the soul. He gives Life with a capital L to the world. The manna fed only the Jewish nation, and for only a limited time. The Bread of God feeds everyone who comes to Him for all eternity.
Joh. 6:34 betrays these Galileans as being so eager to fulfill their materialistic desires that they do not sense the divine mysteriousness of Jesus answer, and they hastily interpret Him to mean literal bread.
The multitude is eager to get something from Christ, and He offers them Himself. This (Joh. 6:35) is one of the great I am claims of Jesus. He has also said:
a.
I am the Light of the world (Joh. 8:12)
b.
I am the Door (Joh. 10:7; Joh. 10:9)
c.
I am the Good Shepherd (Joh. 10:11; Joh. 10:14)
d.
I am the Resurrection and the Life (Joh. 11:25)
e.
I am the Way, the Truth and the Life (Joh. 14:6)
f.
I am the true Vine (Joh. 15:1; Joh. 15:5)
Christ claims to be, as the Bread of Life, the sustainer of all heavenly life. He communicates life to all who partake of Him. Compare all the other life-sustaining elements spoken of in the Scriptures:
a.
The Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9; Gen. 3:22; Gen. 3:24; Pro. 3:18; Rev. 2:7; Rev. 22:2)
b.
The Water of Life (Joh. 4:14; Joh. 7:38-39; Rev. 21:6; Rev. 22:1)
c.
Word of Life (1Jn. 1:1; Joh. 6:63; Joh. 6:68)
Notice the parallelism of coming to me and believing on me. To come to Jesus is to follow Him in trust and obedience. Jesus only introduces Himself as the Bread of Life here the process of assimilation is explained later.
In Joh. 6:36 Jesus refers His listeners to His previous soul-searching statement in Joh. 6:26. Although they had seen the miracle and its evident sign that He was deity, they would not surrender to His spiritual kingdom and His rule over their hearts, Their spiritual understanding had been darkened by materialism. They had seen Him work many miracles in Galilee, even to the raising of the widows dead son (cf. Map No. 3, page 170).
But the unbelief of the multitudes, both in Judea and now here in Galilee, will not bring disaster and loss to those few who do trust and obey Him. His cause will not suffer ruin, neither will His followers be defeated. They will conquer through His victory. He and His are not dependent upon public favor or support, but are supplied with divinely eternal Power.
Joh. 6:37 also considers the question, How does God give anyone to Jesus?
a.
He draws them to Himself and His Son by His love which has been shed abroad in our hearts (cf. Rom. 5:5; Joh. 3:16).
b.
He gives them to the Son through His drawing, and their own free choice. That the freedom of choice is mans prerogative is evident from all other Scripture and this context. Man exercises this prerogative until the end of his life on earth. Even after having become a member of the body of Christ (the church) he continually chooses to remain in the fold, or is consequently lost. In exercising this choice, man must continually show his faith by his works (cf. Jas. 2:18).
Jesus will never refuse or reject any who come to Him and abide in Him (cf. Joh. 15:1-10). Mans rejection by God is caused by mans rejection of God.
The reason Jesus will not cast any out is that He has come to be baptized (immersed) in the will of the Father. Not only so, but He has also sacrificed the glories of heaven, and has come down to earth to accomplish the Fathers will.
In Joh. 6:39-40 Jesus explains the will of the Father more fully. God foreknows who will believe and who will reject, in the sense of foreknowing what men will do. He sees all time as present. He foreknows who will be faithful and, by grace, gives the faithful to Jesus. But these verses are far from teaching any such notions as once in grace, always in grace. Quite to the contrary, the emphasis here is upon Jesus ability and willingness to save that soul, which of its own free will continues committed to Him. The emphasis is not upon an irresistible grace. Jesus is able to save to the uttermost all those that abide in Him of their own volition. There definitely is the possibility of falling from grace and being eternally lost even after having come into covenant relationship with God through Jesus (cf. Joh. 17:12; Act. 8:14-24; Gal. 5:4). If there is no possibility of the elect ever falling from grace, why were all of the epistles of the New Testament written to warn the elect from falling from grace?! Such doctrines as irresistible salvation and eternal security are not taught in the New Testament!
The true interpretation of this particular passage can only mean that Jesus keeps only those who remain faithful, from being lost. The Greek participles theoron and pisteuon (beholding and believing) are in the present tense and can only mean continuing action. One must continue to behold and obey in order that Jesus may keep him from being lost.
Quiz
1.
Why did the multitudes ask for a sign in order that they might believe? What did they think about the sign He had just given them?
2.
Name five I am claims of Jesus.
3.
What is another way of saying, he that cometh to me?
4.
How does God give men to Jesus?
5.
Does Joh. 6:39 teach once saved, never lost?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(30) What dost thou work?They feel that His words are an assertion that He is the Messiah, and they demand of Him Messianic signs and works. Do they demand a sign who had seen the thousands fed, and would then have made Him a king? It was but yesterday that He was obliged to withdraw from the enthusiasm of the multitude. Do they today need a further proof? The answer is to be found partly in the fact that a feeling soon quickened is soon cooled, and that even the disciples had not learnt the true meaning of the earlier sign (Joh. 6:19); and partly in the fact that He Himself had taught them since, that the work of life was spiritual and eternal, and that He too could give them that food. This seems to them a claim to a power in the world of spirit analogous to that which He had exercised in the world of matter. They demand proof of this power. Where is the sign of it? What is the work that He Himself does answering to the work of faith which He demands from them?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
30. What sign Here they propose to negotiate. Can you, like Moses, furnish us a free maintenance for life from the skies? The bountiful rural repast he has already furnished induces them to think that he can. The reality of that sign they do not propose to question but to waive; and this proposal of a sign is simply an opening the way for a consent on his part, that the sign of Moses shall be accorded them, namely, manna for their future living. Let that come and he shall be their crowned Messiah. The perplexity of a Strauss, how these men should ask for a sign when they had just seen and tasted so great a sign as the miraculous bread, manifests a comprehension not much higher than theirs.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘They said therefore to him, “What then will you do for a sign that we may see and believe you? What work are you going to do? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written ‘He gave them bread from Heaven to eat’.”
They at last caught on, or so they thought. Like Moses what Jesus was demanding was full obedience to Himself. And they recognised what a stupendous claim it was. Well, so be it. They were quite happy with that idea. In fact that is what they had had in mind. Let Him just prove Himself by continually giving them miraculous food and they would do whatever He wanted. (They conveniently forget how faithless their ancestors had been to the Moses who provided the bread from Heaven).
‘He gave them bread (food) from Heaven to eat’. See Neh 9:15 where the manna, and possibly the quails, are described in this way as ‘bread from Heaven’. Consider also Psa 78:24; Psa 105:40.
They had already seen what may be thought of as almost His greatest sign. They had witnessed a miracle of supply. But instead of being filled with wonder and concentrating on Who this showed Jesus to be, and on what He had come to teach them they thought only of what was in it for them. They wanted not spiritual fulfilment but physical satisfaction. So they were basically saying ‘prove Who you are by giving us a sign and feeding us miraculously at this difficult time, just as Moses fed the people of Israel on their journey to the Promised Land’ (Joh 6:30-31). Moses had given their ancestors bread from Heaven to eat. Let Jesus do the same. They overlooked the fact that their ancestors had taken it for granted and had continued in disobedience because they had not got their hearts right. Their minds were still on physical bread as a reward for obedience. But they had totally missed the point.
It is an interesting psychological study. The Pharisees saw Moses as supremely the Lawgiver, and that is what they taught the people. But the people saw Moses as the miraculous Provider. The laws were but a means to an end. In this the Pharisees were their superiors, for they primarily at least outwardly wanted to fulfil God’s requirements. Yet in the end all lacked the one essential element. They were all out for what they could get, and ignored the need for personal response to God Himself. (Consider the Pharisee who ‘prayed to himself’ (Luk 18:11)).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Bread from heaven:
v. 30. They said therefore unto Him, What sign showest Thou, then, that we may see, and believe Thee? What dost Thou work?
v. 31. Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
v. 32. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but My Father giveth you the true Bread from heaven.
v. 33. For the Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world.
v. 34. Then said they unto Him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. That Jesus demanded faith in Himself as a condition of their obtaining salvation, this the Jews now understood. They therefore demanded proof of His ambassadorship and of His ministry, which, as He claimed, elevated Him to the divine rank. It is a most peculiar thing that they did not yet understand the relation between the miracles of Jesus and His divine mission, His deity. They challenge Him to produce some extraordinary sign which would convince them beyond question, which would oblige them to believe. They put the matter so as to make Him responsible for their faith or unbelief. They expect a sign from Him something like that of Moses, who produced manna for the Israelites in the wilderness. They refer to a passage from Scripture, Psa 78:24-25, which speaks of this wonderful feeding with bread from heaven. In a way, the expression “bread from heaven” could stand, since the manna had fallen down from the sky with the dew, but at best this was merely a figurative expression. Jesus therefore declares, with great emphasis: Not Moses gave you bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true Bread from heaven. Even in the desert it was not Moses that gave the children of Israel the manna, and so, at best, Moses can be spoken of in this connection by courtesy only; he had nothing to do with the miracle. But here matters are different; here is the true Bread from heaven given to all men by the Father. He that comes down from heaven with the purpose of giving life to the world, He is the Bread of God, Jesus the Savior. He is the Bread from heaven in deed and in truth, and by His work of giving salvation He establishes that fact beyond doubt. This saying impressed the Jews very deeply; they had but a faint conception of what the Lord might mean in speaking of this wonderful Bread, something like the woman of Samaria. They begged Jesus that He would always, at all times, give them that bread. Their understanding was still not clear, but they have caught enough of His earnestness and enthusiasm, and desire plain information. Note: A great deal has been gained if we can get the unbelievers to ask questions concerning Jesus and His salvation, perhaps persuade them of the fact that Christianity in itself is worthwhile, invite them to come to church.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Joh 6:30-31 . ] What doest thou, therefore, as a sign ? for they knew well enough that by . He meant Himself , and that, too, as Messiah. Hence also the emphatic , thou, on thy part . The question itself does not imply that it is asked by those who had not seen the miraculous feeding the day before (Grotius), or by prominent Jews in the synagogue (Kuinoel, Klee). Moreover, this demand for a sign after the miracle of the feeding must not be regarded as contradictory and unhistorical (Kern, B. Bauer, Weisse), nor as a proof of the non-Johannine origin (Schweizer), or non-miraculous procedure (Schenkel), in the account of the feeding. For the questioners, in their (Chrysostom), indicate at once (Joh 6:31 ), that having been miraculously fed with earthly food, they, in their desire for miracles, require something higher to warrant their putting the required faith in Him, and expect a sign from heaven, heavenly bread, such as God had given by Moses. Thus they explain their own question, which would be strange only if Joh 6:31 did not immediately follow . Their eagerness for Messianic miraculous attestation (Joh 6:14-15 ) had grown during the night. This also against De Wette, who, with Weisse, concludes that this discourse was not originally connected with the miraculous feeding; see, on the contrary, Brckner.
] a sarcastic retorting of the form of the requirement given, Joh 6:27 ; Joh 6:29 . Not to be explained as if it were . (De Wette), but what dost thou perform (as )?
.] a free quotation of Psa 78:24 ; comp. Psa 105:40 , Exo 16:4 , where the subject of is God, but by the medium of Moses , this being taken for granted as known (Joh 6:32 ). The Jews regarded the dispensing of the manna as the greatest miracle (see Lampe). As they now regarded Moses as in general a type of Christ (Schoettgen, Hor . II. p. 475), they also hoped in particular, “Redemtor prior descendere fecit pro iis manna; sic et redemtor posterior descendere faciet manna.” Midrash Coheleth , f. 86. 4.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
30 They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
Ver. 30. What sign showest thou? ] sc. From heaven; such as manna was See Trapp on “ Mat 12:38 “ for otherwise, they lacked no signs. But Christ’s doctrine discontented them: and hence these peevish questions, or cavils rather, all to slip collar. In the kingdom of Congo, in Africa, the Portuguese, at their first arrival, finding the people to be heathens and without God, did induce them to a profession of Christ, and to be baptized in great abundance, allowing for the principles of religion; until such time as the priests pressed them to lead their lives according to their profession; which the most part of them in no case enduring, they returned back again to their gentilism, forgetting also soon after the very names they received when they were baptized.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
30, 31. ] This answers to ch. Joh 4:12 , ‘ Art thou greater than our father Jacob ,’ &c. It is spoken in unbelief and opposition; not, as many have supposed, as a request for the Bread of Life, meaning it by the sign, but in the ordinary sign seeking spirit of the Jews. Stier says well, “They have been hesitating between better and worse thoughts, till at last unbelief prevails.” The here demanded is the sign from heaven , the proof of the sealing by God; such a proof would be, in their estimation, compared with His present miracles, as the manna (bread from heaven ) was, compared to the multiplied loaves and fishes.
The manna was extolled by the Jews as the greatest miracle of Moses. Josephus calls it : see also Wis 16:20-21 . “They forgot that their fathers disbelieved Moses almost from the time when they began to eat the manna; and that the Psalm from which they quote most strongly sets forth this; that they despised the manna, and preferred ordinary meat to it.” Stier.
Observe our Lord’s . and their . . The former, the casting their whole hopes and faith on Him, is what He requires: but they will not even give the latter, common credence, to Him.
Their ; Meyer remarks, is a retort of our Lord’s command, Joh 6:27 . There is no expressed, but the stress is on the .
therefore. In consequence of the Lord’s claim.
What sign, &c. The emphasis is on “Thou”. sign See note on Joh 2:18.
believe Thee. See App-150. , and note on Joh 1:7.
what . . . ? = what [sign], &c. ?
30, 31.] This answers to ch. Joh 4:12, Art thou greater than our father Jacob, &c. It is spoken in unbelief and opposition; not, as many have supposed, as a request for the Bread of Life, meaning it by the sign, but in the ordinary sign seeking spirit of the Jews. Stier says well, They have been hesitating between better and worse thoughts, till at last unbelief prevails. The here demanded is the sign from heaven, the proof of the sealing by God; such a proof would be, in their estimation, compared with His present miracles, as the manna (bread from heaven) was, compared to the multiplied loaves and fishes.
The manna was extolled by the Jews as the greatest miracle of Moses. Josephus calls it : see also Wis 16:20-21. They forgot that their fathers disbelieved Moses almost from the time when they began to eat the manna; and that the Psalm from which they quote most strongly sets forth this;-that they despised the manna, and preferred ordinary meat to it. Stier.
Observe our Lords . and their . . The former, the casting their whole hopes and faith on Him, is what He requires: but they will not even give the latter, common credence, to Him.
Their ; Meyer remarks, is a retort of our Lords command, Joh 6:27. There is no expressed, but the stress is on the .
Joh 6:30-32. They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work? Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat. Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.
Jesus did not say to them, I gave that bread to your fathers in the wilderness, as he might truly have said. It was not Moses who fed their fathers in the wilderness, it was God who had fed them, and if they would but think, they would clearly see that it was so. But the Master took them on to another tack, and led their thoughts to a higher topic.
Joh 6:33-34. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.
Not knowing the meaning of their own request.
Joh 6:35-39. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Fathers will
Many want to pry between the closed leaves of Gods secret purposes, to see what his will is. Now this is it: This is the Fathers will
Joh 6:39-44. Which hath sent me, that of all which he hath 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 every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: 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 they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know! how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven; Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him:
Note how that doctrine of sovereign grace is used by Christ. He seems to wave it, like a lighted torch, in the faces of his adversaries, as if he said to them, I did not expect you to understand me; I did not expect you to receive me. Do not think that you surprise me by your action. Imagine not that you frustrate my eternal purposes by rejecting me. I knew that you would not receive me; and that, as you are, you could not come to me, for no man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him.
Joh 6:44-45. And I will raise him up at the last day. It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
May we so hear, and so learn of the Father, that we may come to Jesus Christ!
This exposition consisted of readings from Joh 6:1-14; Joh 6:30-45.
Joh 6:30. , Thou) So they speak in antithesis to Moses, who gave them the manna, and had this sign [to show in proof of his mission]; and they demand from Jesus something greater and more immediately from heaven; which they do not think can be given by Him, nor do they recognise Jesus as one greater than Moses.-, sign) The seal, which is mentioned at verse 27, Him hath God the Father sealed, they do not recognise.-, we may see) that Thou hast been sent by God. And yet they had seen, Joh 6:14, They had seen the miracle that Jesus did [the feeding of the 5000]; 26, 36, Ye also have seen Me, and believe not.-, Thee) Jesus had said, Joh 6:29, That ye believe on Him whom God hath sent, [i.e.] on Me. It is often all the same to say, I believe in Thee, and I believe Thee: but here the Jews lower the sentiment of the Lord.[127]- , what dost Thou work) They reply to the Lord, retorting His own word, to work [, Joh 6:27]. Thou desirest us, say they, to work [labour, Joh 6:27]: what then dost Thou work Thyself?
[127] Impair it by using the less forcible , instead of .-E. and T.
Joh 6:30
Joh 6:30
They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou for a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? what workest thou?-They understood that he meant they were to believe in him as the Son of God. If we are to believe on you, what sign, or miracle, do you give as evidence on which our faith in you may rest? It was rather singular to ask this question when they had just seen the loaves and the fishes increased to feed the thousands and they had eaten of it. They ask again, What workest thou? What miracle, or sign, do you work that we may believe on you? This was demanding testimony while refusing to believe that already given.
the Fathers Will Jesus Law of Life
Joh 6:30-40
On the day following, our Lord had to encounter, first the demand of the people for a continuation of the miracle of the preceding night, Joh 6:25-40; second, the murmur of the Jews, that is, their religious leaders, Joh 6:41-51; third, the growing heat of His opponents, Joh 6:52-59; and lastly, the failure of many of His disciples, Joh 6:60-71. But His mountain prayer had prepared Him, Joh 6:15.
The manna was only a type of His mission to meet the hunger of the human spirit for truth, and love, and hope. He is the true bread from heaven, Gods best gift (of the reality of which all material substances are but emblems), not only satisfying passing hunger but imparting life, and only waiting to be appropriated by any that will. Let us come to Him, turning from all else. To come is to cease to hunger, to trust is to lose our thirst. Jesus suffices for heaven; shall he not suffice also for earth? Note the identical clauses of Joh 6:37. All whom the Father gives to Christ come to Him; and all who come to Him prove that they are included in the Fathers gift, bestowed before the worlds were made. See Joh 10:28-29; Joh 17:6.
What: Joh 2:18, Joh 4:8, Exo 4:8, 1Ki 13:3, 1Ki 13:5, Isa 7:11-14, Mat 12:38, Mat 12:39, Mat 16:1-4, Mar 8:11, Luk 11:29, Luk 11:30, Act 4:30, 1Co 1:22, Heb 2:4
see: Joh 6:36, Joh 10:38, Joh 12:37, Joh 20:25-29, Isa 5:19, Mar 15:32
Reciprocal: Exo 7:9 – Show Exo 16:35 – forty years Luk 11:16 – General
0
These Jews were still thinking of literal food, and were somewhat confused about how any improvement could be made over what God had provided for them in the wilderness. They called for some evidence that Jesus had anything better for them.
Joh 6:30. They said therefore unto him, What then doest thou as a sign, that we may see, and believe thee? What dost thou work? The words of Jesus had now become too plain to be misunderstood. It was clear that He would turn them away from such works as they had had in view, and fix all thought upon Himself; while at the same time His words breathed no spirit of mere self-assertion, but claimed to be an expression of the Divine will. Such a claim no other prophet had ever made; such a claim can only be justified by some special sign which no one can challenge or mistake; and the sign must correspond with the claim. The day before Jesus had been with them as a Teacher only: the miracle had constrained them to acknowledge Him as the Prophet who should come. But the words He has just used can only suit One who is higher even than Moses. Before they can believe Him when He thus speaks (note the significant change from believe in Him, Joh 6:29, to believe thee, i.e. accept thy claims) some sign equal to the greatest wrought by Moses, or even some greater sign, must be displayed.
Here the Jews tell our Saviour, that, before they will believe in him, they must see some sign from him, to confirm his doctrine, and prove him to be the Messias; they acknowledge Christ had wrought a great miracle in feeding five thousand persons with five barley loaves; but Moses fed their fathers in the wilderness, who were no less than six hundred thousand persons, with excellent manna from heaven, and this for forty years together; from whence they would seem to conclude, that they had more reason to believe Moses than Christ: not considering that Moses was but an instrument to obtain, by prayer the manna at the hands of God: but Christ was an agent, and that, by a creating power inherent in himself, he multiplied the five loaves to the feeding of five thousand.
Note, here, From the Jews requring a sign before they would believe, that he who publishes a new doctrine to the world, ought to confirm his mission by some miraculous operation.
2. That God honoured moses, his messenger, very much, and Christ his minister much more, in that both of them wrought great and special miracles for the confirmation of their mission.
3. That the Jews not believing Christ to be the true Messias, upon so many attestations, and after his divine mission was confirmed by such miraculous operations, rendered their infidelity inexcusable, and their obstinacy invincible.
Joh 6:30-31. They said, What sign showest thou What miracle dost thou work; that we may see and believe thee? Since thou requirest us to give thee credit, and to regard thee as invested with a higher character than has been claimed by any one before, produce thy credentials; give some evidence of a superior kind to what has been done by others. Thus these unreasonable men speak, though they had just before seen the astonishing miracle of the loaves and fishes, one of the most extraordinary displays of creating power that could well be conceived, and though several of them lived in the neighbourhood of Capernaum, where he had long multiplied his wonders! But the greatest miracles are lost on persons who are blinded by prejudice, and whose minds are earthly, sensual, and devilish! The views and opinions, however, of those that speak to Christ in this discourse, are so various, (compare Joh 6:34; Joh 6:41-42,) and the evangelist so expressly declares that there was a debate between some and others of them, (Joh 6:52,) that it would be wrong to imagine these to have been the perverse and ungrateful sentiments of the whole multitude, who had followed him with so much eagerness from place to place, for several days. Our fathers did eat manna By extolling the miracle of the manna, and by calling it bread from heaven, and by insinuating that it was Mosess miracle, the Jews endeavoured to disparage both Christs mission and his miracle of the loaves, which they affected to despise, as no miracle in comparison. It was only a single meal of terrestrial food, at which nine or ten thousand had been fed: whereas Moses with celestial food, fed the whole Jewish nation, in number upward of two millions, and that not for a day, but during the space of forty years in the wilderness.
3. Vv. 30-33. The way to reach faith.
Vv. 30, 31. Then they said to Him: What sign doest thou then, that we may see, and believe in thee? What work dost thou do? 31. Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, according as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.
It is difficult to imagine these words on the lips of people who had been present the day before at the multiplying of the loaves. B. Bauer saw herein a proof of the non-authenticity of the narrative. Schweizer concluded from it that the whole preceding passage was interpolated. Grotius and others think that these interlocutors who speak thus had not been present at the scene of the preceding day. De Wette and Weiss suppose that this part of the conversation is located here out of its true place. Lucke, Luthardt, Meyer find here the proof of the psychological truth that the natural man is insatiable in respect to wonders. Riggenbach, and up to a certain point Weiss, recall the scarcely apparent way in which the multiplying of the loaves had been accomplished. The creative operation had not been seen. Others think that Jesus’ hearers contrast this quite ordinary bread which Jesus had given them with the manna, manifestly falling every morning from heaven, which Moses gave to their fathers, and that they find the first of these miracles far inferior to the second. But, however true these remarks may be, it must be confessed that they do not yet explain such questions as these: What sign doest Thou? What workest Thou? addressed to a man who had just done such a miracle and presented by people who had, the day before, wished to proclaim Him King.
It is necessary, I think, to take account of a circumstance strongly brought out by Weiss and Keil: the dissatisfaction felt by this multitude in consequence of the absolute refusal of Jesus to consent to the great Messianic demonstration which they had planned. And, strange fact! while refusing to be proclaimed King and Messiah, He yet claimed to be recognized as the supreme messenger of God, as the object of faith, of a faith which dispensed with all the works prescribed by the law and even with every work; as the one who brought from heaven to men an imperishable life. Was the miracle wrought on the level with such pretensions? No, it did not even raise Jesus to the height of Moses, above whom He seemed nevertheless to place Himself by arrogating such a part to Himself! It is not therefore altogether without reason that they bring out the contrast between the scarcely apparent miracle of the day before and the magnificent display of power of which Moses had been the instrument before the people during forty years. Redemptor prior descendere fecit pro iis manna; sic et Redemptor posterior descendere faciet manna, said the Rabbis (see Lightfoot and Wetstein). This, at least, is what would have been expected of Him to justify pretensions such as His! The words quoted by the Jews are found in Psa 78:24-25. Comp. Exo 16:4; Exo 16:15. The verb has given has for its subject God. The expression from heaven denotes, in their mouth, only the miraculous origin of the divine gift, while Jesus, in His answer, thinks above all of its essence.
Verse 30
They said; they and others of the people of Capernaum, who, perhaps, had not witnessed the miracle of feeding the five thousand.
6:30 {6} They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?
(6) The spiritual virtue of Christ is condemned by those that desire earthly miracles.
Jesus had told the people what work they needed to do to obtain eternal life. Now they asked Him what work He would do to prove that He was God’s authorized representative as He claimed to be (cf. 1Co 1:22). They suggested that producing bread from heaven as Moses did might convince them. Their unwillingness to believe the sign that Jesus had given them the previous day shows the hardness of their hearts. No matter what Jesus did the unbelievers always demanded more.
Probably Jesus’ provision of bread for thousands of people the previous day led them to ask for this greater miracle. Some of them had concluded that Jesus might be the Prophet that Moses had predicted (Joh 6:14). If He was, He ought to be able to do greater miracles than Moses did. The manna that Moses produced spoiled if left uneaten overnight, but Jesus seemed to be promising bread that would not spoil.
The source of the people’s loose quotation is probably Psa 78:24. However there are also similarities to Neh 9:15; Exo 16:4; Exo 16:15; and Psa 105:40.
"This section of the discourse is to be understood against the background of a Jewish expectation that, when the Messiah came, he would renew the miracle of the manna." [Note: Morris, p. 320.]
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)