Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 6:24
When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
24. they also took shipping ] More literally, they themselves entered into the boats, i.e. the boats that had come from Tiberias, driven in very possibly by the gale which had delayed the Apostles: ‘also’ is not genuine. Of course there is no reason to suppose that all who had been miraculously fed crossed over; but a sufficient number of them to be called a ‘multitude.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Took shipping – Went into the boats.
Came to Capernaum – This was the ordinary place of the residence of Jesus, and they therefore expected to find him there.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Joh 6:24-25
When the people saw that Jesus was not there they took Shipping, and came to Capurnaum
Abuse of the miracle of the loaves and fishes
I.
A COMMENDABLE PURSUIT (Joh 6:24).
1. Where they sought Him. At Capernaum. Probably His abode. He has His house on earth still, and should be sought in His own ordinances.
2. How they sought Him. They lost no time and spared no trouble.
3. Why they sought Him.
(1) Not because they were anxious for instruction.
(2) Nor because, conscious of their spiritual necessities, they longed for the bread of life.
II. A REPREHENSIBLE MOTIVE (Joh 6:25-26). Not that self.regard is always improper, but here it was unjustifiable. Three things are shown here.
1. Our Lords knowledge.
2. His faithfulness.
3. His requirement: sincerity of purpose.
III. AN IMPORTANT EXHORTATION.
1. What it forbids.
2. What it enjoins. These words contain
(1) A striking contrast.
(2) An encouraging assurance.
(3) A decisive pledge. (Miracles of the Lord Jesus.)
Seeking for Jesus
I. THE CHARACTER OF THE STATE DESCRIBED.
1. It has a large amount of hopefulness in it.
(1) Indifference is gone.
(2) Some kind of faith is implied.
(3) The face is turned in the right direction.
2. There is much that is doubtful, The seeker disobeys the great command of the gospel, which is to believe, for Christ is not far from any one of us.
II. THE PERPLEXITIES OF THIS STATE. First seekers are very often perplexed.
1. As the result of their ignorance of the way of salvation, which is to take God at His word, and to believe that Jesus is what He is–the Atonement for sin.
2. To increase their perplexity, they are often distracted with fear. Persons in a panic act generally in the worst manner for their own safety. So the sinner, conscious of guilt and Gods anger, scarce knows where to flee.
3. The mind is usually harassed with a thousand questions–about doctrine, about Satans suggestions.
4. It is also much grieved to find that it cannot even now cease from sin, as though this could be before pardon.
III. THE DANGERS OF THIS STATE.
1. Present peace and comfort is lost.
2. There is the peril of despair.
3. Seeking may die out in indifference.
4. Something short of Christ may be taken up.
IV. DIRECTIONS FOR SEEKERS.
1. Give attention to the object of faith. Christ as presented in the gospel.
2. Clear away everything that would hinder your believing.
(1) Cherished sin.
(2) Evil company.
3. Remember that, till you have believed, your danger is of the most imminent kind. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Seeking for Jesus
Hear, dear friend, your true position. It is the case of a soldier on the battlefield, wounded, bleeding, life oozing away from him. He is perishing; but he is sufficiently sensible to know it and to call for help. The surgeon is on the field within hearing; the sufferer pleads for relief with many cries and entreaties. So far well; but I pray you remember that crying and weeping will not of them- selves heal the sick man; the surgeon must actually come and bind up his wounds. So remember that your prayers and seekings of themselves cannot save you. Jesus must come to you, and it is madness for you to refuse Him by your unbelief. (C. H.Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 24. They also took shipping] That is, as many of them as could get accommodated with boats took them and thus got to Capernaum; but many others doubtless went thither on foot, as it is not at all likely that five or six thousand persons could get boats enow to carry them.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
22-24. These verses are a littleinvolved, from the Evangelist’s desire to mention every circumstance,however minute, that might call up the scene as vividly to the readeras it stood before his own view.
The day followingthemiracle of the loaves, and the stormy night; the day on which theylanded at Capernaum.
the people which stood on theother side of the seanot the whole multitude that had beenfed, but only such of them as remained over night about the shore,that is, on the east side of the lake; for we are supposed tohave come, with Jesus and His disciples in the ship, to the westside, to Capernaum.
saw that there was none otherboat there, c.The meaning is, the people had observed thatthere had been only one boat on the east side where they were namely,the one in which the disciples had crossed at night to the other, thewest side, and they had also observed that Jesus had not gone onboard that boat, but His disciples had put off without Him:
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there,…. At the sea side, at the usual place of taking boat; and having reason to think he was not on that side of the lake, but was gone from thence:
neither his disciples; when they found that there were neither of them there, but both were gone, and considering that it was to no purpose for them to stay there:
they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus; they might observe, that the disciples steered their course towards this place; and they knew that was a place of general resort with Christ and his disciples; therefore they took boat and came directly thither, and sought for him in the synagogue, it being on a day in which the people used to go thither; and where Christ, as often as he had opportunity, attended.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the multitude therefore saw ( ). Resumption and clarification of the complicated statements of verse 22.
That Jesus was not there ( ). Present indicative retained in indirect discourse. They still did not understand how Jesus had crossed over, but they acted on the basis of the plain fact.
They themselves got into ( ). Second aorist active indicative of followed by (both and together as often in N.T.).
Seeking Jesus ( ). Present active participle of . They had a double motive apart from the curiosity explained in verse 22. They had clearly not given up the impulse of the evening before to make Jesus king (6:15) and they had hopes of still another bountiful repast at the hands of Jesus as he said (6:26).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) “When the people therefore saw,” (hote oun eiden ho ochlos) “Therefore when the crowd realized,” the crowd Jesus had fed the evening before, who had evidently spent the night in the open air, near where Jesus had performed the mighty miracle.
2) “That Jesus was not there,” (hoti leosus ouk estin ekei) “That Jesus was not out there,” anywhere around where the fishing boat had left with the disciples, the evening before.
3) “Neither his disciples,” (oude hoi mathetai autou) “Nor his disciples,” either, those who had boarded the lone boat the previous afternoon, to spend a storm tossed night at sea while crossing to the other side; they seemed to have expected the disciples to return for Jesus that morning.
4) “They also took shipping,” (enebesan autoi eis ta ploiaria) “‘They embarked (went on board) the boats,” fishing boats from Tiberias, that had evidently been driven ashore by the storm of the night, Joh 6:23, that had arrived from and were returning to the other side of the sea, near where Jesus and the disciples had gone ashore.
5) “And came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.” (kai elthon eis Kaparnaoum zetountes ton lesoun) “And came into the city of Capernaum seeking Jesus.” How many of the crowd took these boats to Capernaum seeking Jesus is not known, Joh 6:23-24 seem to refer to the people who had followed Jesus across the sea that following day. You see the sea did not turn back earnest seekers, those who sought Him with all their heart, Jer 29:13, Isa 55:6-7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(24) When the people.Better, the multitude, as before. It is not necessary to suppose that the whole 5,000 crossed over. The crowd came probably in part from the eastern side, and many would continue their journey to Jerusalem (comp. Joh. 6:2). If indeed we press the words of Joh. 6:22, the multitude which (still) stood on the other side of the sea, they would include the remnant only.
Therefore saw.Resuming Joh. 6:22. The sentence is long and involved, and this has been, as we may expect, followed by some variations in the text. Saw, in Joh. 6:22, should be interpreted of the previous evening, and the same word here of the day of their own embarking. They knew there was only one boat, and that the disciples had gone away in it, but Jesus had not. They expected therefore to find Him among themselves, but did not. Meanwhile, other boats had come across from Tiberias. From these they may have learnt that He was not there.
They also took shipping.Better, they themselves entered into the boats.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
24. The people Not the whole five thousand, but a section of them who still stood on the other side of the sea. (Joh 6:22.) These were mostly of Capernaum, probably, and its near towns, as appears by Joh 6:42. This section was doubtless a small one. The great body either returned to their homes, or continued on their way to the Passover, or prosecuted their preparations for the journey.
Seeking for Jesus How happy if they were seeking for Jesus as a true Saviour!
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
24 When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
Ver. 24. Seeking for Jesus ] But not for Jesus’ sake. See Joh 6:26 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
they = themselves. Emphatic.
took shipping = entered into (Greek. eis, v. 3) the boats (ploia), but all the texts read ploiaria.
to = unto. Greek. eis, as in Joh 6:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Joh 6:24. , themselves) In antithesis to Jesus, whose route the people observed directly; that of the disciples indirectly.[125]-, ships) These same just before the apostle termed, , small vessels [boats, Joh 6:23]. Both appellations are true.-, Capernaum) Joh 6:17 [whither the disciples had sailed].
[125] i.e. Their immediate object of search was Jesus.-E. and T.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 6:24
Joh 6:24
when the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.-The people, knowing that Jesus did not go with the disciples and having no other means of going, took the boats that were there and came to Capernaum seeking him.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
they also: Joh 6:17, Joh 6:23
seeking: Joh 7:11, Joh 18:4, Joh 18:5, Joh 20:15, Mar 1:37, Luk 8:40
Reciprocal: Mat 4:13 – Capernaum Mar 6:53 – the land Luk 4:42 – and the Luk 14:25 – General Joh 6:59 – in the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
4
Seeing that neither Jesus or his disciples were at that spot, they made use of these boats that had just come, and went across the sea to Ca-pernaum, seeking for Jesus. They had no direct information that Jesus would be in Capernaum, but went to that city as the place most likely to find him, that being his residence.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
[They also took shipping.] They had gone afoot from Capernaum to the desert of Bethsaida, Mar 6:33; by the bridge of Chammath, near Tiberias. But they sail back in ships, partly that they might follow Jesus with the greater speed; and perhaps that they might reach time enough at the synagogue: for that was the day in which they assembled in their synagogues.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Joh 6:24. When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they themselves got into the little boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus. If Jesus was neither on the eastern shore nor at Tiberias, He might be sought near Capernaum, in the direction of which town the disciples had sailed. Johns words clearly imply that there was an eager and diligent search for Jesus on the part of the multitude before they left the spot where they had witnessed His power. The prominence given to the thought of Jesus in these verses is very marked. What is said of the disciples has no independent value: their movements are described solely that light may be thrown upon those of their Master. When convinced that it was vain further to prosecute the search in that region, the multitude obtained possession of the smaller boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus.