The Christological And Eschatological Significance Of Jesus’ Passover Signs In John 6

By Stephen S. Kim

[Stephen S. Kim is Associate Professor of Bible, Multnomah Biblical Seminary, Portland, Oregon.]

The literary structure of the Fourth Gospel makes it one of the most carefully crafted pieces of literature in the Bible. The Evangelist wrote in his “purpose statement” (20:30–31) that he aimed to present Jesus as the promised Messiah (“the Christ”) of the Old Testament and the Son of God. And his primary means of revealing Jesus’ identity is the seven sign-miracles (σημεία) and their attendant contexts of teaching, all of which are recorded in chapters 2–12, commonly referred to as the “Book of Signs.”[1] Jesus’ first two sign-miracles are strategically placed in chapters 2–4, called the “Cana Cycle”[2] because of two miracles that were performed in Cana of Galilee.[3] The remaining sign-miracles of Jesus are also purposefully placed throughout the following chapters of this section. Chapters 5–12 are frequently called the “Festival Cycle,”[4] because the sign-miracles and their attendant narratives and discourses are set in the context of Jewish festivals.[5] This cycle begins with an “unnamed feast” (chap. 5; see v. 1), and then records a year of festivals, including Passover (chap. 6; see v. 4), Tabernacles (7:1–10:21; see 7:2), Dedication or Hanukkah (10:22–42; see v. 22), and then another Passover (12:1).[6]

The literary structure of the Fourth Gospel is skillfully interwoven with its profound theology. Whereas the “Cana Cycle” reveals Jesus as the Messiah who grants life and emphasizes the importance of believing in Him to receive that life, the “Festival Cycle” develops the theme of increasing opposition by the Jewish leaders to the One who grants life.[7] As Songer explains, “Two related motifs are woven carefully together in John 5–12—the steady insistence that Jesus is God’s Son come to grant life and the steadily increasing hostility of the Jews toward Jesus.”[8] Tenney characterizes these chapters as periods of controversy (chaps. 5–6), conflict (chaps. 7–11), and crisis (chap. 12).[9] As Jesus performed His miracles and delivered His accompanying discourses in the context of the Jewish feasts, He was demonstrating that He is the One who fulfills the hopes and joys of the festivals. The opposition of the religious establishment to Jesus’ messianic claims fulfills the words in 1:11, “He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.” “In the Cana Cycle the theme of believing seems to be center stage. In the Festival Cycle the themes of conflict and rejection seem to occupy that position.”[10]

These themes of conflict and rejection in the Festival Cycle are first introduced in John 5, which records Jesus’ healing of the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda. This sign-miracle and its context reveal Jesus as the Son of God who has the power to heal a man who had been physically lame for thirty-eight years. His ability to heal physical paralysis has a far deeper significance, however. Jesus has the authority to forgive sin and grant eternal life to those who believe in Him. Furthermore He also has authority to judge in the eschatological judgment. Thus as both Life-giver and Judge, the Son has the right to grant life to those who believe in Him or to dispense judgment to those who reject His offer of life. In addition, while this miracle primarily demonstrates Jesus’ divine Sonship, it also reveals Jesus as the promised Messiah. His healing the paralytic man provides another aspect of the Messiah’s work. By healing him on the Sabbath, Jesus was demonstrating to Israel that He is the promised One who will inaugurate the kingdom and provide Sabbath rest for the nation. However, the promised eschatological rest can be experienced through belief in Him here and now.

Although five sign-miracles are recorded in the “Festival Cycle,” this article focuses on Jesus’ two Passover signs in John 6 and their attendant narrative and discourse.

The Passover Sign Of Jesus Feeding The Five Thousand (6:1–15)

The opening words of chapter 6, “After these things” (μετὰ ταῦτα), indicate a shift in the setting of the Gospel narrative as well as the obvious temporal change (v. 1). John used this phrase often in his Gospel to inform his readers that a change was taking place in the story (cf. 2:12; 3:22; 4:43; 5:1). Moloney points out that in 6:1 the expression introduces a new place of setting (the Sea of Galilee), a new set of characters (a multitude and the disciples), and a change in time (the Passover).[11] This setting remains the same throughout the entire chapter, including the feeding of five thousand, the immediately subsequent miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee (vv. 16–21), and the accompanying discourse of Jesus on His miracle of feeding the five thousand (vv. 22–71). All three occasions occurred on or around the Sea of Galilee, all three occasions involved both the multitude and the disciples, and all three occasions took place near the time of the Passover.[12] In fact the Passover Feast ties the three pericopes together in this chapter, both literarily and thematically. Literarily the “Festival Cycle” (5:1–10:42) now moves into the second stage, following the third sign-miracle that took place on the Sabbath in chapter 5.[13] Thematically all three pericopes in chapter 6 reveal the person of Jesus as the Messiah from the background of the Passover and the Exodus.[14] Borchert explains this overarching theme of the chapter this way.

In this context reminiscent of Israel’s first generation, the crossing of the sea (6:1) and the coming of the crowd out to a lonely arid mountain region (6:3) formed a picture-perfect setting for considering how Jesus could be related to the stories of the exodus. Therefore it should be no surprise that the stories of Jesus in this chapter deal with a miraculous feeding and the control of the sea. Moses had been mentioned as a witness in the concluding arguments of the last chapter (5:45–46). Now the evangelist introduces the New Moses in the wilderness.. .. Passover epitomizes God’s claiming and releasing of his people as well as his preservation of the people by supplying them with food and rescuing them from the threatening sea. Passover is a multifaceted identifying celebration, and the evangelist knew it well.[15]

Thus the Evangelist’s references to the Passover Feast are more than just time indicators. The two sign-miracles in chapter 6—Jesus feeding the five thousand and His walking on the water—contribute significantly to John’s aim to present Jesus as the promised Messiah and the Son of God.

The Setting

The setting of this miracle, described in verses 1–4, answers the questions of who (Jesus, the disciples, and a multitude of people), where (on a mountainside[16] by the Sea of Galilee), when (the Passover Feast, which was approaching), and why (“because they saw the signs He was performing on those who were sick,” v. 2).[17] This Passover Feast was just one year before Jesus’ crucifixion and thus near the beginning of His third year of ministry. In His final year Jesus’ ministry was no longer for the nation primarily but more for the benefit of His disciples, in order to prepare them for ministry in His absence. Although Jesus continued to perform miracles in His final year, He did so in the midst of much opposition and unbelief. This miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand is a case in point.

The Sign

While this miracle was performed to satisfy the physical hunger of the crowd, Jesus was also instructing the Twelve about the nature of the ministry they would eventually face.[18] This is evident by the exchanges that took place between Jesus and His disciples before He performed the miracle (vv. 5–9). Jesus first asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” (v. 5).[19] The Evangelist informed the reader, however, that Jesus asked the question to test Philip’s faith (v. 6). Jesus already knew what He would do. Philip’s answer, along with Andrew’s response, revealed, however, that the disciples could not see the situation beyond the natural possibilities (vv. 7–9). In His omniscience Jesus created the perfect scenario in which to demonstrate His omnipotence.

The miracle is described in verses 10–13. Having instructed the disciples to seat the multitude, Jesus provided the bread, and the people ate as much as they wanted. There were about five thousand “men” (οἱ ἄνδρες), which means there were considerably more people (women and children) who benefited from Jesus’ provision (Matt. 14:21). “The fourth sign-miracle, the multiplication of the bread (6:1–15), brings the reader face-to-face with the supernatural again, but this time on a far ‘grander’ scale than the changing of water into wine at Cana, the healing of the nobleman’s son at Cana, or the cure of the paralytic at Bethesda in Jerusalem.”[20] The people ate until they were “filled” (ἐνεπλήσθησαν, “completely satisfied”). Laney humorously yet correctly points out, “No one was left thinking, Another piece of bread would be nice.”[21]

Moloney suggests that this miracle was an occasion when Psalm 23:1 was experienced. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”[22] The point of the miracle was that Jesus provides abundantly. This is attested by the fact that twelve full baskets were left over (John 6:12–13), apparently a significant fact in that all four Gospel writers mentioned it (Matt. 14:20; Mark 6:43; Luke 9:17; John 6:12–13). Carson suggests that the twelve baskets signify that “the Lord has enough to supply the needs of the twelve tribes of Israel.”[23] While this is certainly possible, it is more likely that Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples that as the Messiah He was able to provide for their needs abundantly.[24] In addition the ministry of “feeding” the people would characterize the disciples’ ministry after Jesus ascended. Pentecost explains the principle as follows.

Jesus was primarily instructing the Twelve concerning the nature of the ministry for which they were being prepared. They would face multitudes who were shepherdless sheep and starved spiritually. It would be their responsibility to “give them something to eat.” The followers of Christ do not have the ability of themselves to meet the spiritual need of the people, but when they make available what they have to the Lord, the Lord can take it and multiply it and use them to minister to the multitudes. The ministry belongs to the Lord, but it is carried on through His disciples as His agents. It is not what the disciples have that makes them good shepherds. Rather, it is what they give of themselves to the Lord that He can use to meet people’s needs. To discharge the ministry entrusted to them, disciples must depend on Him and make themselves available to Him. Only in this way can they be shepherds to the hungry sheep.[25]

Tenney concurs in saying, “Quietly but effectively Jesus enlisted the aid of the disciples in the enterprise so that they might realize the full extent of His powers.”[26]

Although Jesus taught His disciples an invaluable lesson through this “field-trip” miracle, the response of the multitude was a different matter (vv. 14–15). The witness of the miracle led people to affirm, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world” (v. 14). This was probably a reference to the eschatological figure of a Moses-like prophet (Deut. 18:15–19), although Jewish messianic expectations in the first-century were diverse.[27] Surely Jesus’ provision of bread in the wilderness area prompted the Jewish crowd to think of Moses’ role in providing manna.[28] The people must have reasoned that since Moses had fed the people in the wilderness and also delivered them out of Egyptian bondage, Jesus could also lead the nation out of their Roman bondage, since He also fed the people.[29] In addition Jews in the first century expected that the Messiah would renew the miracle of manna to mark the opening of the messianic era. “And it will happen at that time the treasury of manna will come down again from on high, and they will eat of it in those years because these are they who will have arrived at the consummation of time” (2 Baruch 29:8).

The crowd may even have had Psalm 132:15 in mind: “I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her needy with bread.”[30] This miracle, which the Jews clearly perceived as messianic, ignited in the crowd the hope of deliverance from oppression.

The Roman domination of Palestine in the first century kindled strong nationalistic hopes among the Jews. Although there was no consistent concept of “the anointed one” at the time of Jesus, the Jews of His day longed for a dynamic and powerful figure who could lead them in their political struggle against Rome. Suffering so long under Roman rule, the Jewish people must have been eager for an anointed king from their own ranks. Jesus had the qualities and credentials that commended Him to leadership, and the people decided to “make Him king by force.” By popular demand they intended to force kingship upon Him.[31]

However, Jesus rejected this superficial offer of kingship (John 6:15). “Jesus’ gift of bread has led to the arousal of a messianic expectation that he is not prepared to accept.”[32] Moloney says elsewhere, “Jesus is not prepared to accept their acclamation or their desire to impose their messianic criteria on him.”[33] Besides, it was clear to Jesus that the crowd was interested only in their physical benefit (v. 26). As John wrote, “A large crowd of people followed Him, because they saw the signs which he was performing on those who were sick” (v. 2).

The Significance

This miracle shows that Jesus is the Creator who is capable of commanding into existence whatever He wills through His authoritative word. This miracle validates John’s earlier assertion made in the prologue that Jesus is the Creator: “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (1:3; cf. Col. 1:16). As Jesus was able to command into existence the best quality wine from water to satisfy all the guests at a wedding in Cana (John 2:1–11), here Jesus was able to satisfy the hunger of five thousand men, possibly even up to fifteen thousand people. This demonstrated His deity and His ability to provide for people’s needs.

The accompanying Bread of Life discourse (6:22–71) illustrates, however, that Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand has a far deeper Christological significance. Like the other sign-miracles in the Gospel of John, this miracle was intended to reveal who Jesus is. The people who witnessed Jesus’ miracle did not comprehend its meaning beyond the physical realm. After the miracle, when the multitude came looking for Jesus on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, He rebuked them, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26). As Borchert points out, “They failed to recognize the sign in the miracle. The meaning of ‘sign’ in this Gospel is that it points beyond the physical, concrete reality to the reality of revelation.”[34] The familiar phrase “Truly, truly, I say to you” (ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν) is a formula Jesus frequently used to announce a crucial idea in view of the misunderstanding of truth on the part of His audience (e.g., 1:51; 3:3; 5:19, 24–25). Instead of following Jesus because He provided physical food, the people should have followed Him because He offered food that endures, namely, eternal life (6:27).[35]

In Jesus’ discourse the theme of “eternal life” (ζωὴν αἰώνιον) once again takes center stage as evidenced by the fact that the words “life” (ζωὴν), “living” (ζών), or “will live” (ζήσει) occur numerous times in this pericope (vv. 22–71). As the “bread of God” (ὁ ἄρτος τοῦ θεοῦ) who “comes down out of heaven,” Jesus offers eternal life to the world (v. 33). This verb “comes down” (καταβαίνων) is also common in this discourse and is used in 3:13 in reference to the incarnation of Jesus.[36] As the “bread of life” (ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς, v. 35), Jesus is the life-giving Son of God who grants eternal life to those who believe in Him.[37] Jesus is the Giver and Sustainer of eternal life, similar to the “living water” imagery in John 4.[38]

Jesus promised to raise up on the last day those who have believed in Him, a promise that is mentioned three other times in Jesus’ discourse (vv. 40, 44, 54). As a result of Jesus’ “coming down” from heaven and becoming the sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world, He is able to grant eternal life to those who believe in Him, and He will also raise them up at the last day (v. 40).[39]

The Passover background behind Jesus’ miracle of feeding the thousands and His subsequent discourse is similar to Israel’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses’ leadership.[40]

Moses was the most important miracle-working prophet in Israel’s history. There had been no one like him “for all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt” (Deut 34:11). Moses’ “signs” included miraculous demonstrations of divine authority (Exod 4:8–9, 28–31) and the plagues inflicted on the Egyptians (7:3; 8:23; 10:1–2). The last and greatest of these “signs” (11:9–10, LXX) was the slaying of the firstborn of every household in Egypt, which was commemorated each year at Passover, when unleavened bread was eaten (12:17). Moses also worked wonders in the wilderness. When the people murmured because they had nothing to eat, God told Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you” (16:4).. .. This “bread from heaven” continued to appear throughout the forty years Israel wandered in the desert. After entering the promised land, they celebrated the Passover on the plains of Jericho. The next day the manna ceased, “and the people of Israel had manna no more, but ate the fruit of the land of Canaan that year” (Josh 5:12).[41]

By performing His miracle of feeding the five thousand, Jesus clearly intended to reveal His messianic identity, for there are indications in the Scriptures that the messianic age would be accompanied by signs like those of the Mosaic period.[42] As the Hebrew prophets declared, God’s deliverance for Israel at the Messiah’s advent will be characterized by signs and wonders, as in the days of Moses (Isa. 48:20–21). Micah 7:15 records God’s promise of future deliverance of His people in the eschatological kingdom. “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles.” Judging from the fact that the multitude designated Jesus as a Moses-like prophet and tried to make Him king by force, they apparently did make this connection.

Jesus’ revelation of His own messianic identity went beyond what the multitude could understand, however. While the people could not see beyond a political Messiah who could bring them physical relief and provide for their physical needs, Jesus was addressing their spiritual need for eternal life. Tenney describes how people could not relate to Jesus’ miracle and His message.

The discourse on the Bread of Life spoke of spiritual not material sustenance, and His emphasis on the resurrection at the last day (John 6:54) must have seemed totally irrelevant to them. Furthermore, His declaration, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves” (6:53), mystified them. Even many of His disciples left Him because they could not understand the meaning of His words. The interpretation of the sign which had been given to demonstrate His sufficiency for human need proved to be an insurmountable obstacle to their faith.[43]

The multitude expected Jesus to establish His kingdom by overthrowing the Romans and providing for their physical needs, but He was not proclaiming a materialistic kingdom. “Although the Messianic Kingdom would be a literal kingdom, its basis was a spiritual revolution in which men’s hearts would first be changed and in which perfect righteousness would prevail (cf. John 3:3).”[44]

The Passover Sign Of Jesus Walking On The Sea Of Galilee (6:16–21)

The Setting

Jesus’ walking on the water occurred the night after He fed the multitude. Knowing that the people intended to make Him a political king by force for their self-serving interests, He withdrew to a mountain by Himself (vv. 14–15). Going there to pray (Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:46), He instructed the disciples to get into a boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (Matt. 14:22; Mark 6:45). Only Mark added that as the disciples crossed the lake, the sun went down and the wind picked up, and Jesus saw them in their toil against the wind (vv. 45–48). Laney describes the dangerous situation in which the disciples found themselves. “The Sea of Galilee is usually a very calm body of water during the morning hours. In the afternoon, however, the lake is often stirred up by the Mediterranean winds that funnel through the valleys of Galilee and swoop down upon the placid water. Particularly stormy weather can make the Sea of Galilee look like a boiling cauldron. Such were the conditions as the disciples rowed against the wind toward Capernaum.”[45]

It was “evening” (ὀψία, Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:47; John 6:16), it was “dark” (σκοτία), and Jesus “had not yet come to them” (v. 17). While mention of darkness indicates the absence of light on a literal level, John’s affinity for double meanings in his Gospel suggests that he intended to communicate a deeper symbolic meaning (cf. 3:2; 13:30). Carson points out that there is a link between the darkness of night and the absence of Jesus.[46] Jesus created yet another perfect opportunity to reveal His identity to His disciples who were to carry on His ministry in His absence, even in the midst of fierce opposition from the world.

The Sign

The sign of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee was the most “private” of the Johannine sign-miracles, in that it was witnessed by only His disciples. This miracle is sandwiched between the previous miracle of Jesus feeding the five thousand (6:1–15) and His Bread of Life discourse (vv. 22–71). The fearful situation the disciples were in symbolizes not only the turmoil and disillusionment they must have been feeling in their hearts, but also the hostile reality they would soon face. “The miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee was intended as an encouragement to the disciples, who had just seen Jesus reject an offer of kingship. Recognition of His royal, messianic Person by the Jews was what they had been working for. But Jesus had refused the offer. The Twelve may have been wondering, Have we been mistaken? Have we put our faith in the wrong person? Jesus answered such questions and strengthened their faith through the miraculous sign that followed.”[47] The disciples also needed to be prepared for the turbulent times that lay ahead of them in the Lord’s absence.

Tenney describes why Jesus needed to teach His disciples this invaluable object lesson. “Ahead of them loomed greater dangers than the storm: the rising enmity of the Jewish hierarchy; the doubts and fears engendered by misunderstanding; the collapse of their expectations of an immediate kingdom; and the bewilderment that would accompany Jesus’ departure from them. He wanted them to learn that He was Master of the forces of nature and that He could avert what seemed to be inevitable peril. His presence would be the permanent guarantee of their safety.”[48]

The disciples’ ministry of feeding the people by offering the words of life would meet opposition and hardship from the world of darkness. Whereas the miracle of feeding the five thousand revealed that Jesus is able to multiply whatever the disciples offered Him, this miracle revealed that in the midst of terrifying situations Jesus’ presence would strengthen and guide them. As Blum correctly concludes, “The two signs on the land and lake reveal Jesus as the Provider of ‘bread’ which gives life and as the Savior who intercedes for and protects his own. He intervenes in their times of trouble and brings them to safety.”[49] Pentecost summarizes Jesus’ lesson for the disciples from this miracle. “This incident was designed to reveal to these men that obedience to Christ does not remove all obstacles to the completion of His will. When the obstacles come, even though disciples may do their utmost, they cannot overcome the obstacles themselves. But Christ is cognizant of all difficulties. He is present with His own in their problems. Trials must be born in faith. The faith that first prompted a disciple to obedience must persist throughout the course of events involved in obedience to the will of God.”[50] The strength and comfort the disciples would enjoy in terrifying situations, however, would depend on their understanding of who Jesus is.

The Significance

While many have characterized this sign as a nature miracle because of the Synoptic accounts’ emphasis on Jesus calming the storm, it should be observed that John did not mention this, though it is certainly implied.[51] The main focus of the miracle is the divine name by which Jesus identified Himself to the disciples, namely, as the “I am” (ἐγώ εἰμι, v. 20). Some interpret this expression as a mere statement of His self-identification, “It is I” (NASB; NIV). However, Jesus’ several “I am” expressions throughout this Gospel suggest it is possible that the expression reveals His deity.[52]

Given the Passover background and the Exodus motif throughout this chapter, possibly Jesus was identifying Himself as the very God who revealed Himself to Moses (cf. Exod. 3:14, LXX). Harris believes this miracle occurred between Jesus’ miraculous feeding (John 6:1–15) and His Bread of Life discourse (vv. 22–71) in order to prepare readers for the fact that Jesus is the One who bears the divine name. Soon after walking on the water Jesus identified Himself as the “bread of life” by using the expression “I am” four times (vv. 35, 41, 48, 51).[53]

The command “Do not be afraid” (μὴ φοβεῖσθε, v. 20) that accompanied Jesus’ expression of His divine name may have alerted the disciples that they were witnessing a theophany. In the Old Testament the expression “Do not be afraid” (“or “Do not fear”) often accompanied the appearance of the Angel of the Lord (Gen. 15:1; 26:24; 46:3; Isa. 41:13–14; 43:1, 3). Also the disciples were aware from the Old Testament that Yahweh has unique authority over the terror of the sea (Exod. 14–15; Job 9:8; 38:16; Pss. 29:3; 65:7; 77:19; 89:9; 93:3–4; Isa. 43:1–5; 51:9–10).[54] “This was a miracle that gave expression to the majesty of Jesus, not unlike the Transfiguration.”[55]

The divine name “I Am” also has significant messianic implications. It is the covenant name by which Yahweh revealed Himself repeatedly to Abraham and his descendants, to remind them that God would fulfill the promise He had made to their ancestor. God said to Isaac, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, for the sake of My servant Abraham” (Gen. 26:24). This reassurance was also given to Jacob in his dream at Bethel. “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” (28:13–15). Thus in using the words “I am” to identify Himself to the disciples Jesus was claiming to be the very God who had revealed Himself to the patriarchs, and in whom all the patriarchal promises will ultimately be fulfilled in His eschatological kingdom. Interestingly Matthew recorded the fact that when Jesus got in the disciples’ boat the wind stopped, and they “worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son’ ” (Matt. 14:33).

This miracle of Jesus walking on the water prepared His disciples for the kind of ministry that lay ahead of them, a ministry in which they would face hardships, like the turbulence of the sea. Though at times the disciples would be terrified, this miracle demonstrated to the disciples that Jesus, who as God wields authority over the forces of nature, controls the very circumstances surrounding the disciples. His divine presence would be with them even during His earthly absence because He is the great “I am.”

Conclusion

The Passover feast provided the backdrop for Jesus’ two sign-miracles in John 6 and His Bread of Life discourse. In feeding the five thousand (vv. 1–15) during the Passover Jesus was comparable to another “sign” worker, Moses, who predicted that a prophet like him would arise (Deut. 18:15). People reasoned that since Moses had fed the Israelites in the wilderness and also delivered them out of Egyptian bondage, Jesus could also lead the nation out of their Roman bondage, since He too fed the people. The Passover background of this miracle was unmistakably associated with Israel’s deliverance from Egypt under Moses’ leadership.

Moses, as the prophet of God, also worked sign-miracles to demonstrate divine authority (Deut. 34:10–12). Besides the signs he performed in Egypt, he also performed great signs in the wilderness for the benefit of the nation. Throughout the wilderness wanderings Israel received “bread from heaven” (manna) that fed the nation. Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand was a “sign” to reveal His messianic identity, for the messianic age would be accompanied by signs like those of the Mosaic period. The feeding of the multitudes thus anticipated the day when God will abundantly provide for His people in the eschatological banquet.

The miracle of Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee (John 6:16–21) revealed another aspect of His identity: He is the promised Messiah and the unique Son of God. This miracle parallels in some respects God’s leading His people through the Red Sea and exhibiting His control over nature. As Jesus spoke to the disciples on the sea, He used the divine name “I am,” which Yahweh had used in revealing Himself to Moses on Mount Sinai (John 6:20; cf. Exod. 3:14). Thus Jesus was claiming to be the very God who had revealed Himself in the Old Testament and in whom all the patriarchal promises will be fulfilled in His eschatological kingdom.

Notes

1. Although the term “Book of Signs” is now widely used by Johannine scholars in outlining the book, it is generally associated with C. H. Dodd, The Interpretation of the Fourth Gospel (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1953), x; and Raymond E. Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII), Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1966), cxxxviii. John 1–12 records Jesus’ public ministry, and the remaining chapters record His private farewell discourse with His disciples (chaps. 13–17) and the Passion narrative (chaps. 18–20). Dodd calls this latter section the “Book of Passion,” while Brown calls it the “Book of Glory.”
2. Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1996), 151–222.
3. Chapters 2–4 form a literary unit not only because they are bounded geographically by the Cana miracles but also because thematically they present Jesus as the life-giving Messiah who grants eternal life to those who believe. See also F. J. Moloney’s, “From Cana to Cana (John 2:1–4:54) and the Fourth Evangelist’s Concept of Correct Faith,” in Studia Biblica 1978 II: Papers on the Gospels: Sixth International Congress on Biblical Studies, Oxford, 3–7 April 1978, ed. E. A. Livingston (Sheffield: JSOT, 1980), 185–213.
4. See Francis J. Moloney, Signs and Shadows: Reading John 5–12 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996).
5. R. Alan Culpepper, The Gospel and the Letters of John, Interpreting Biblical Texts (Nashville: Abingdon, 1998), 148–49. Aileen Guilding has attempted to interpret the whole Gospel on the basis of the feasts, proposing that the Fourth Gospel developed as a set of festival lectionary readings in ancient Palestine synagogues (The Fourth Gospel and Jewish Worship: A Study of the Relation of St. John’s Gospel to the Ancient Jewish Lectionary System [Oxford: Oxford Clarendon, 1960]). Although this thesis has found little general acceptance, her emphasis has alerted students of the Fourth Gospel to the importance of the Jewish feasts to the background of the Gospel. As Francis J. Moloney thus concludes in his critique of Guilding’s work, “It is better to allow the context to determine the use of the feasts rather than vice-versa” (The Gospel of John [Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1998], 165).
6. Gerald L. Borchert, “The Passover and the Narrative Cycles in John,” in Perspectives on John: Method and Interpretation in the Fourth Gospel, ed. Robert B. Sloan and Mikeal C. Parsons (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 1993), 308–9. However, commentators who designate this section as the “Festival Cycle” outline these chapters differently. While some writers outline the section to include all of chapters 5–12, others prefer to include only chapters 5–10. The latter group views chapters 11–12 as developing the theme of Jesus’ movement toward His death and glory and setting the stage for His sacrifice as the Passover lamb. Brown thus designates chapters 11–12 as “Jesus Moves toward the Hour of Death and Glory” (The Gospel according to John (I-XII), 419–98). Gary M. Burge similarly calls John 11–12 “foreshadowings of Jesus’ death and resurrection” (Interpreting the Gospel of John [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992], 76–77).
7. The “Festival Cycle” (chaps. 5–12) begins with Jesus’ healing of the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. The opposition and increasing hostility of the Jewish religious leaders toward Jesus are introduced by the words, “The Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath” (5:16). Verse 18 adds, “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” These two verses introduce and foreshadow the role of the Jewish leaders in the rest of the Gospel. Following the raising of Lazarus from the dead in chapter 11, this section closes in chapter 12 with the Jewish authorities plotting to kill Jesus. Thus these chapters are distinctly marked with vehement opposition and hostility by the Jewish leaders to the One who rightly claimed to be the promised Messiah.
8. Harold S. Songer, “John 5–12: Opposition to the Giving of True Life,” Review and Expositor 85 (summer 1988): 459–71.
9. Merrill C. Tenney, John: The Gospel of Belief (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948). Tenney comments on the increasing hostility of the Jewish religious leaders toward Jesus, climaxing with their decision to kill Him.
10. Borchert, John 1–11, 227.
11. Moloney, Signs and Shadows, 30.
12. The only exception to this common setting is that the miracle of Jesus walking on the sea involved only the disciples and not the multitude of people. The Sea of Galilee was also called the Sea of Tiberias by John’s time, named after a city created on its shores in A.D. 26 (Darrell L. Bock, Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002], 446–47).
13. Borchert, John 1–11, 249.
14. Borchert, “The Passover and the Narrative Cycles in John,” 309.
15. Borchert, John 1–11, 249.
16. Moloney also suggests that the use of the definite article “the mountain” (τὸ ὄρος) may be a first hint that Jesus was adopting a position parallel to Moses who received the Law on a mountain (The Gospel of John, 195).
17. Ibid.
18. Andreas J. Köstenberger, Encountering John (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1999), 99.
19. Moloney suggests that Jesus’ question is meant to parallel the question Moses asked God in the desert (Num. 11:13), “Where am I to get meat to give to all this people?” (The Gospel of John, 197).
20. W. Hall Harris, “A Theology of John’s Writings,” in A Biblical Theology of the New Testament, ed. Roy B. Zuck (Chicago: Moody, 1994), 177.
21. J. Carl Laney, John, Moody Gospel Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 106 (italics his).
22. Moloney, The Gospel of John, 198. Moloney also points out that the Evangelist’s mention of the grass recalls Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
23. D. A. Carson, The Gospel according to John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 271.
24. As Craig Keener notes, the number twelve simply underlines afresh the abundance of the miracle and that there is no need to allegorize the baskets. Twelve, he says, is simply the maximum number of baskets these disciples could have carried (The Gospel of John: A Commentary [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003], 1:669).
25. Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 233.
26. Merrill C. Tenney, “Topics from the Gospel of John; Part II: The Meaning of the Signs,” Bibliotheca Sacra 132 (April–June 1975): 149.
27. George R. Beasley-Murray, John, Word Biblical Commentary (Waco, TX: Word, 1987), 88–89. For the diversity of opinion on Jewish messianic expectations see Wayne A. Meeks, The Prophet-King: Moses Traditions and the Johannine Christology, Supplements to Novum Testamentum (Leiden: Brill, 1967), 91–98.
28. Carson, The Gospel according to John, 271.
29. Meeks, The Prophet-King, 1–2.
30. This messianic psalm anticipates the eschatological kingdom of the Messiah in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12–16).
31. Laney, John, 123.
32. Moloney, Signs and Shadows, 37.
33. Moloney, The Gospel of John, 199.
34. Borchert, John 1–11, 262.
35. C. K. Barrett says the discourse is summarized in verses 26 and 27. “The main theme is simply given out. Men are foolishly concerned not with the truth, but with food for their bodies. They must learn that there is bread which conveys not earthly but eternal life, and earn it; yet they will not earn it, for it is the gift of the Son of man, whom God has avouched. The whole discourse is summarized here. Jesus is the Son of man, and it is in communion with him that men have eternal life” (The Gospel according to St. John: An Introduction with Commentary and Notes on the Greek Text, 2nd ed. [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978], 282).
36. The words “comes [or ‘came’] out of heaven” is used seven times in this discourse (6:33, 38, 41–42, 50–51, 58) and is probably one of John’s many double meanings in his Gospel, referring to both the bread that came down during the wilderness experience and Jesus’ incarnation.
37. Jesus’ declaration “I am the bread of life” (Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς) in verse 35 is the first of seven “I am” statements in John. The other six are “I am the Light of the world” (8:12), “I am the door” (10:7, 9), “I am the good shepherd” (10:11, 14), “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6), and “I am the true vine” (15:1, 5).
38. Harris, “A Theology of John’s Writings,” 177.
39. Interestingly Jesus’ “coming down” (καταβαίνων) to grant eternal life will be followed by His “raising up” (ἀναστήσω) those who believe in Him.
40. For the significance of the Passover Feast behind this miracle see Borchert, John 1–11, 249–50; and idem, “The Passover and the Narrative Cycles in John,” 303–16.
41. Craig R. Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995), 90–91. Andreas J. Köstenberger asserts that in keeping with Jewish expectation “Jesus is presented as the antitype to Moses: he is not merely used by God to provide bread for his people, but is himself sent by God as the life-giving ‘bread’ who gives life for the world” (John, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004], 196).
42. Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, 91.
43. Tenney, “Topics from the Gospel of John; Part II: The Meaning of the Signs,” 149.
44. Homer A. Kent Jr., Light in the Darkness: Studies in the Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974), 102.
45. Laney, John, 124–25.
46. Carson, The Gospel according to John, 274.
47. Laney, John, 124 (italics his).
48. Tenney, “Topics from the Gospel of John; Part II: The Meaning of the Signs,” 150.
49. Edwin A. Blum, “John,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, ed. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1983; reprint, Colorado Springs: Cook Communications Ministries, 1996), 294.
50. Pentecost, The Words and Works of Jesus Christ, 235.
51. Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII), 254.
52. Barrett, however, believes that the expression “I am” is a statement of self-identification. “In this passage it is probable that ἐγώ εἰμι means simply ‘It is I’ ” (The Gospel according to St. John, 281). See also Carson, The Gospel according John, 275.
53. Harris, “A Theology of John’s Writings,” 177.
54. Moloney, Signs and Shadows, 39. See also Colin Brown, “Miracle,” in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, rev. ed., ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 3:371–81. Brown believes that God’s provisions for Israel in leading them through the Red Sea and then providing food and drink for them also exhibits His control over nature.
55. Brown, The Gospel according to John (I–XII), 254–55.