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JOHN CHAPTER 6
CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY
(v. 1) "Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias)
(v. 2) and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
(v. 3) Then Jesus went up on a mountain side and sat down with his disciples.
(v. 4) The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
(v. 5) When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'
(v. 6) He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do."
(vv. 1-2)
(v. 1) "Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias)
(v. 2) and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick."
Jesus, after some unspecified amount of time from an unspecified location, was reported as having crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is the Sea of Tiberias), where a great crowd of people followed because of the miracles He had performed on the sick.
The previous verses and other passages from John and other books may shed some light on where our Lord was and how long ago before he crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee and how these accounts are related. This we can do later, after first observance of the text of the entire chapter is completed - so that we are not swayed by information from elsewhere until we can get a handle on the passage at hand. Notice that author John provides a motivation for the crowd's following Jesus.
(v. 3) "Then Jesus went up on a mountain side and sat down with his disciples."
"anElthen de ..eis .....to ..oros .........iEsous"
"went up ..and into ..the mountain Jesus" =
Notice that the Greek text indicates that Jesus went up and into the mountain. We can thus observe from this that He did not go to the top, but to a side of the mountain. Certainly He did not dig into the side of the mountain to go under the earth. Hence the best rendering is mountainside in English. We can observe that He positioned Himself, the transportation mode not being stipulated, on the side of the mountain - a good place for addressing a large crowd.
So Jesus went up and into a mountain indicating that he went onto a mountain side with His disciples - as opposed to a mountain top. Verse 23 indicates that a boat landing on the sea shore was in close proximity to the mountain side.
(v. 4) The Jewish Passover Feast was close to beginning.
We can investigate what the significance of the Passover is to this account later as we take a look at parallel passages and the previous chapter 5.
(vv. 5-6)
(v. 5) When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'
(v. 6) He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do."
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?' (He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.)
So we can expect more details of our Lord's plans for the crowd as the passage unfolds in view of what we have investigated so far. And we can observe that the passage infers that our Lord presumed that the crowd was seeking Him and would be hungry and without sufficient provisions to satisfy that hunger. We also see that the author John is inputting his own personal comments on the motivation of our Lord, this time, the reason for His question to Philip which was to test him for some particular reason.
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY
1) PARALLEL PASSAGES IN MATTHEW, MARK & LUKE
(Additional pieces of information are italicized)
(v. 13) "When Jesus heard what had happened, [the beheading of John the Baptist, (vv. 6-12)], He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns.
(v. 14) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
(v. 15) As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food."
(v. 16) Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.' "
(v. 30) "The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.
(v. 31) Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.'
(v. 32) So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.' "
(v. 33) But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them.
(v. 34) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
[BKC, op. cit., p. 130]:
"6:32-34. These verses are a transition from the successful mission of the Twelve to the resultant presence of a large crowd in a remote place. Two phrases in the fulfillment of Jesus' directive provide the connecting links: by themselves (kat' idian, Gr. idiom meaning 'privately'), a phrase Mark used for Jesus' private instruction of individuals (cf. 4:34a; 6:31-32; 7:33; 9:2, 28; 13:3); and to a solitary (erEmon, 'remote') place (cf. 1:3-4, 12-13, 35, 45; 6:31-32, 35). The place where they sailed, though unnamed by Mark, was near Bethsaida Julias, a city across the Jordan River on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee (cf. Luke 9:10).
Many people anticipated their destination and arrived there on foot... ahead of them. Their planned rest was interrupted by people in need.
When Jesus...saw the large crowd, He felt compassion (not annoyance) toward them. This inner emotion moved Him to help them (cf., e.g., Mark 6:39-44). He viewed them as sheep without a shepherd, lost and helpless, without guidance, nourishment, or protection. In several Old Testament passages (Num 27:17; 1 Kings 22:17; Ezek 34:5, 23-25) the sheep/shepherd image is associated with the 'wilderness' (erEmos; cf. Mark 6:31-32). This crowd, representing the nation of Israel, received compassion, extensive teaching concerning God's kingdom (cf. Luke 9:11), and the provision of their needs (Mark 6:35-44) from Jesus, the true Shepherd (cf. John 10:1-21)."
(v. 35) By this time it was late in the day, so His disciples came to him.
'This is a remote place,' they said, 'and it's already very late.
(v. 36) Send the people away so they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.'
(v. 37) But He answered, 'You give them something to eat.' They said to him, 'That would take eight months of a man's wages! Are we to go and spend that much on bread and give it to them to eat?' "
[BKC, op. cit., p. 130]:
"6:35-38. These verses present a significant dialogue between Jesus and the Twelve after He had taught the crowd all day. Since it was late (after 3 P.M. Jewish time) and they were in a remote (erEmos; cf. vv. 31-32) place, the disciples asked Jesus to dismiss the people...so they could buy food in surrounding...villages before sunset.
Unexpectedly, Jesus told them to feed the crowd. He emphasized the word you (hymeis). The disciples' caustic reply showed the inadequacy of their resources and the impossibility of meeting His demand. According to their calculations, to feed such a crowd would take, literally, 200 denarii (NIV marg.). The denarii was roughly equivalent to eight months of a man's wages, a sum beyond the disciples' means.
Jesus insisted they find out what bread was available, probably back at the boat and also in the crowd. The disciples returned with the answer: a mere five loaves of bread and two fish (salted and dried or roasted)."
(v. 10) "When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then He took them with Him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,
(v. 11) but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.
(v. 12) Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, 'Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.' "
[BKC, op. cit., p. 229]:
"9:12-17. The people who had gathered were apparently not local people for the disciples wanted Jesus to send the crowd away so that they could find food and lodging. This would not have been necessary if the people had lived nearby and could have returned to their homes."
(v. 13a) He replied, 'You give them something to eat.' "
2) THE TIME FRAME FROM CHAPTERS 5 TO 6 IS ABOUT 6 MONTHS JUST AFTER JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS BEHEADED
"Some time after this" = There is much that occurred during our Lord’s ministry which took place between the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6, (ref. the period between Mt 4:12 and 14:12). Consider that chapter 5 refers to the time when Jesus healed the invalid at the pool of Bethsaida, (vv. 1-15); after which He claimed equality with the Father which caused the Jews to seek to kill Him, (vv. 16-24); and after this He spoke of two resurrections, one for the condemned and one for those who will rise to live, (vv. 25-29); then He indicated those who verified His testimony of Who He was, (John the Baptist, Jesus’ own words, the Father Himself, Scripture).
(v. 9) "The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request [to behead John the Baptist, (v. 8)] be granted.
(v. 10) and had John beheaded in the prison.
(v. 11) His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.
(v. 12) John’s disciples came and took his body and buried it. Then they went and told Jesus.
(v. 13) When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns,
(v. 14 ) When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick.
(v. 15) As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, 'This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.’
(v. 16) Jesus replied, 'They do not need to go away, You give them something to eat.’
(v. 17) 'We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,' they answered."
[After this follows Matthew’s account of the feeding of the 5,000]
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Walvoord & Zuck, Eds., Victor Books, 1981, p. 293]:
"6:1-2. Though some time after this is indefinite, it can be learned from the Synoptics that Herod Antipas had killed John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-29; cr. John 3:24), the disciples had preached throughout Galilee (Mark 6:7-13, 30-31), multitudes of people were curious about Jesus, and Herod Antipas was seeking Jesus (Luke 9:7-9). So the time between the events in John 5 and 6 was probably six months. From verses 1-2 it seems that Jesus had gone to the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee with His disciples for rest. This lake was also called the Sea of Tiberias (cf. 21:1), named for a town on the lake’s west shore built by Herod Antipas. But a crowd gathered even in this 'solitary’ (cf. Mat 14:13; Mark 6:32) and 'remote place' (Matt 14:15)."
"The Jewish Passover Feast was close to beginning" =
There were a number of Passovers recorded in the gospel of John which were concurrent with our Lord's 3 year ministry, (2:13, 23; 6:4 and 11:55, 13:1), the last Passover coinciding with His crucifixion, (v. 13:1).
[Scofield NIV Study Bible, op cit., p. 77]:
"The Passover, a type of Christ our Redeemer (Ex 12:1-28; Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:6-7; 1 Pet 1:18-19):
(1) The Lamb must be without blemish, and to test this it was kept for four days (Ex 12:5-6). So our Lord's public life, under hostile scrutiny, was the testing which proved His holiness (Lk 11:53-54; Jn 8:46; 18:38).
(2) The lamb thus tested must be slain (Ex 12:6; Jn 12:24; Heb 9:22).
(3) The blood must be applied (Ex 12:7). This answers to appropriation by personal faith, and refutes universalism (Jn 3:36).
(4) The blood thus applied of itself, without anything in addition, constituted a perfect protection from judgment (Ex 12:13; Heb 10:10, 14; 1 Jn 1:7).
(5) And the feast typified Christ the Bread of life, answering to the memorial supper (Mt 26:26-28; 1 Cor 11:23-26). To observe the feast was a duty and privilege but not a condition of safety. The believer in Christ is saved by the blood of 'the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world' (Rev 13:8), and is strengthening daily by feasting on the Word - the living Word, Christ, and the written Word, the Scriptures."
[BKC, op. cit., p. 293]:
"Since this was the second Passover John mentioned, (cf. 2:13, 23), and since he mentioned at least one other Passover (13:1 [5:1 refers to an unnamed feast of the Jews]), Jesus' ministry extended for about three years. The events in chapter 6, then, took place about one year before He was crucified."
I) [Jn 6:1-6 cont.]:
(v. 1) "Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias)
(v. 2) and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick.
(v. 3) Then Jesus went up on a mountain side and sat down with his disciples.
(v. 4) The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
(v. 5) When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, 'Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?'
(v. 6) He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do."
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY, cont.
4) JESUS' QUESTION TO PHILIP WAS NOT FOR INFORMATION BUT TESTING HIM FOR INSTRUCTION PURPOSES
"Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?"
[BKC, op. cit., p. 293]:
"Jesus' question to Philip - Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" was not for information but was part of His program of educating the disciples. Philip was from Bethsaida (1:44) which was the closest town, and he would know the local resources. The answer to Jesus' question was that it was impossible, humanly speaking, for thousands of people to get bread late in the day from the little neighboring villages. John wrote, as he thought back on the incident, that Jesus was asking this to test Philip. God tests people to refine their faith, never to tempt them to do evil (cf. Gen 22:1-18; James 1:2, 13-15; 1 Peter 1:7)."
(v. 2) "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
(v. 3) because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
(v. 4) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
(v. 12) "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him."
(v. 7) "Philip answered him, 'Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!'
(v. 8) Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,
(v. 9) 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?'
(v. 10) Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
(v. 11) Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.
(v. 12) When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, 'Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.'
(v. 13) So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."
(vv. 7-9)
(v. 7) "Philip answered him, 'Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!'
(v. 8) Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up,
(v. 9) 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?' "
So Philip answers Jesus' test question that not even eight months wages would be enough to provide bread so that each one in the crowd could have even one bite of bread. And another of our Lord's disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, observed out loud that there was a boy in the crowd with five small barley loves and two small fish but reflected that so little food would not go to feed so many. So the point is made by two disciples that there was not going to be enough food for the crowd to eat by a huge margin.
This demonstrates that the disciples did not look to Jesus' capacity to provide supernatural solutions.
Having heard this, Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.'
Author John then provides his observation that 'there was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.'
It is interesting to note that men are reported as having sat down. Women and children are not mentioned in this observation - but this does not exclude them of course - especially considering the little boy mentioned in verse 9 who was part of the crowd.
(v. 11) "Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish."
(v. 11 NKJV) And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.
Notice that there were thousands who were seated and they all received as much bread and fish as they wanted. The context indicates that all of this food came from the original supply of the boy's five small barley loaves and two small fish. Jesus demonstrated His capacity and readiness to meet the needs of a large crowd supernaturally relative to hunger.
Manuscript evidence points to the disciples not being mentioned in verse 11, but the context and Mark 6:41 point to their participation in the distribution of the loaves and fish.
(v. 13) "So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten."
When the thousands had all had enough to eat, Jesus told His disciples to gather the left overs, and 'let nothing be wasted'. Whereupon the disciples gathered twelve baskets of bread pieces left over from those who had eaten which it is directly stated came from the original five barley loaves and from those who had eaten.
Notice that a miracle is implied here as thousands were fed from 5 small barley loaves with twelve baskets of pieces left over from those who had eaten. So no other source of the food can be interpreted except those original 5 loaves and 2 small fish.
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY
1) PARALLEL PASSAGES IN MATTHEW, MARK & LUKE
(Additional pieces of information are italicized)
a) [Mt 14:17-21 cf Mk 6:37-44; Lk 9:12-17]:
(v. 17) " 'We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,' " they answered.
(v. 18) 'Bring them here to me,' he said.
(v. 19) And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
[Notice that these three passages confirm specifically that the disciples participated in the distribution of the loaves and fish, which context of Jn 6:11 implies]
(v. 20) They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
(v. 21) The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children."
[Notice that the crowd numbered 5,000 men plus the number of women and children]
(v. 14) "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.'
(v. 15) Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
(v. 16) When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
(v. 17) where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
(v. 18) A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
(v. 19) When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
(v. 20) But he said to them, 'It is I; don't be afraid.'
(v. 21) Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."
(v. 14) "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.' "
Once more the people saw a miraculous sign that Jesus did and they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet Who is to come into the world.'
Notice that this is confirmation that our Lord indeed did miraculously feed the crowd on the mountain side, for if nothing miraculous occurred then there would be no reason to remark that Jesus was the expected Prophet.
Notice also that the people referred to a Prophet Who they apparently heard of Who is to come into the world and that Prophet was Jesus in their estimation. This statement bears further investigation from other passages in Scripture and related writings.
(v. 15) "Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself."
Then comes a startling revelation from author John: Jesus knew that the crowd intended to force Him to declare Himself and become King.
This testifies to a supernatural quality which only God can have or provide one with omniscience. Thus the crowd indeed concluded by what Jesus said and did that He was this Prophet that they spoke of and that He had come into the world as Jesus in their time. They viewed this Prophet as One Who would take over a worldly kingdom when He came. And they intended to force Him to become King. The extent and description of this kingdom is not stipulated here but bears further investigation also from other passages in Scripture as well as related writings.
So Jesus withdrew Himself from the crowd to a mountain by Himself.
From this account we may conclude that Jesus was not expecting to be King over an earthly kingdom at this time. We can also conclude that He was either God or enabled by God to be omniscient.
(vv. 16-17)
(v. 16) "When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
(v. 17) where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them."
Then when evening came, presumably the evening of that day, Jesus' disciples went down to the Lake [literally, sea] where they got into a boat and set off across the sea for Capernaum, hence continuing this literal historical narrative in a consecutive time sequence account. At that time it was dark and Jesus had not joined them by the time they had disembarked. The account indicates that there was an expectation that Jesus would join them.
(vv. 18-20)
(v. 18) "A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
(v. 19) When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
(v. 20) But he said to them, 'It is I; don't be afraid.' "
A strong wind was blowing that night on the Sea and the waters grew rough. The disciples had departed without Jesus and had rowed out approximately 3 to 3 1/2 miles in the rough seas at night when they saw something on the water approaching them that terrified them. What they saw they did not immediately recognize. It was Jesus walking on the water toward them, for He said, 'It is I, don't be afraid', which verifies that they did not know what it was that made them so frightened.
Notice that the original Greek has "peripatouva epi tes thalasses" = "walking upon the sea", indicating a supernatural event. This is corroborated by the frightened reaction of the disciples.
(v. 21) Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."
Then when Jesus spoke to them, the disciples were willing to take Him into the boat. Immediately after that the boat reached the shore where they were heading.
The word "immediately" appears at the beginning of the phrase in verse 21b for emphasis which indicates a supernatural end to their trip the moment Jesus entered the boat rather than a normal sequence of events.
B) CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY
1) PARALLEL PASSAGES IN MATTHEW AND MARK
(Additional pieces of information are italicized)
(v. 22) "Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
(v. 23) After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,
(v. 24) but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
(v. 25) During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
(v. 26) When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. 'It's a ghost,' they said, and cried out in fear.
(v. 27) But Jesus immediately said to them: 'Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.'
(v. 28) 'Lord, if it's you,' Peter replied, 'tell me to come to you on the water.'
(v. 29) 'Come,' he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
(v. 30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me!'
[Notice that if this were shallow water & Peter was walking on the bottom, then it could be said that there was no miracle of Jesus & Peter walking on water. But Peter did sink as a result of his lack of faith not as a result of a sudden drop in the depth. So there were miraculous events portrayed here]
(v. 31) Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. 'You of little faith,' he said, 'why did you doubt?'
(v. 32) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
(v. 33) Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'
(v. 34) When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret."
(v. 45) "Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd.
(v. 46) After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.
(v. 47) When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land.
(v. 48) He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them,
(v. 49) but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out,
(v. 50) because they all saw him and were terrified. Immediately he spoke to them and said, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
(v. 51) Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed,
(v. 52) for they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened."
III cont.) [Jn 6:14-21 cont.]:
(v. 14) "After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.'
(v. 15) Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
(v. 16) When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake,
(v. 17) where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Capernaum. By now it was dark, and Jesus had not yet joined them.
(v. 18) A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.
(v. 19) When they had rowed three or three and a half miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were terrified.
(v. 20) But he said to them, 'It is I; don't be afraid.'
(v. 21) Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading."
B) CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY, cont.
2) PASSAGES & COMMENTS ON THE PROPHET WHO IS TO COME INTO THE WORLD
(v. 8) "Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you.
(v. 9) You are a lion's cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?
(v. 10) The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.
(v. 11) He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.
(v. 12) His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk."
Note that the final (eternal) Ruler of Israel will be a member of the tribe of Judah.
[BKC, op. cit., p. 98]:
"In this oracle Jacob predicted a fierce lion like dominance of Judah over his enemies and over his brothers who would praise him. A wordplay was made here on the name Judah which means 'praise' (cr. 29:35, NIV marg.). The oracle pivots on the word until (49:10b). When the Promised One who will rule the nations appears, the scene will become an earthly paradise. These verses anticipate the kingship in Judah culminating in the reign of Messiah (cf. the tribe of Judah, Rev 5:5), in which nations will obey Him."
(v. 15) "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to him."
(v. 18) "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him."
(v. 40) "On hearing his words, some of the people said, 'Surely this man is the Prophet.'
(v. 41) "Others said, 'He is the Christ.' Still others asked, 'How can the Christ come from Galilee?
(v. 42) Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?' "
[BKC, op. cit., p. 302]:
"7:40-41. The crowd continued to debate Jesus' identity. Some saw Him as the Prophet mentioned by Moses (Deut. 18:15, 18). He would speak God's words to people but not in the awesome display of Mount Sinai from which Moses spoke. Jesus is indeed that predicted Prophet (Acts 3:22), but many rejected Him as such. Some said Jesus is the Christ, that is, the Messiah, but others rejected that idea because He came from Galilee (cf. John 7:52).
7:42. According to Samuel and Isaiah (2 Sam 7:16; Isa 11:1) the Messiah was to be born into a Davidic family. Micah predicted that He would be born in Bethlehem...David's hometown (Micah 5:2). Jesus is from a Davidic family (Matt 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38; Rom 1:3) and was born in Bethlehem (Matt 2:1-6), but the crowd ignorantly overlooked those facts."
(v. 6) "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(v. 7) Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."
(v. 22) "The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake [Capernaum, (v. 16)] realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with His disciples, but that they had gone away alone.
(v. 23) Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread [vv. 1-15 = miracle of feeding the 5,000] after the Lord had given thanks.
(v. 24) Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
(v. 25) When they [a crowd of people, (v. 22)] found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?' "
(v. 22) "The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone."
The next day [notice a continuation of a literal historical narrative with the phrase, 'the next day'] the crowd, which had stayed on the opposite shore of the Sea from where Jesus was now, realized that only one of the two boats which Jesus & His disciples were using remained there overnight.
The context indicates here that this observation included information gathered from the previous night. Furthermore, the crowd that stayed observed that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples when they left shore; but that they had gone away without Him. They also observed that the second boat which Jesus and His group were using remained on the shore. Hence they wondered how and when Jesus came to be on the opposite shore because they did not observe how and when He had left to cross over the sea in a rather rough night on the water.
Notice that all of this indicates how closely the crowd followed Jesus' movements to the extent that they observed the boats and individuals He traveled with and where they thought He might go.
(vv. 23-25)
(v. 23) "Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
(v. 24) Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.
(v. 25) When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?' "
So when some boats from Tiberias landed near where the people had eaten the bread and not finding Jesus or His disciples there, the crowd got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Him. When they got to the other side of the sea at Capernaum they found Jesus and immediately asked Him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?'
Notice the word 'Rabbi' which means Teacher of the Scriptures - one with such authority was a highly respected individual in Jewish society. It is evident that they were persistent in their pursuit of Jesus but Jesus remarked that it was for all the wrong reasons:
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY
1) THE CROWD SEEKS OUT THE LORD AFTER MIRACULOUSLY FEEDING THOUSANDS
[The Bible Knowledge Commentary, N.T., Walvoord & Zuck, Editors, Victor Books, USA, 1988, pp. 294-295]:
"The crowd who had been fed were still on the eastern shore of the sea. They saw Jesus compel His disciples to get into the one boat which was there. But since Jesus did not get into the boat, the crowd supposed that He had stayed in the area. After some time they realized He was no longer there. Some boats from Tiberias landed, so the people decided to seek Jesus in the Capernaum region and got into the boats. The people's question, When did You get here? introduces His long discourse in Capernaum (v. 59). Jesus did not explain how or when He crossed the lake, for His walking on the water was a private sign for the disciples only [vv. 16-21]"
(v. 25) "When they [a crowd of people, (v. 22)] found Him on the other side of the lake, they asked Him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?'
(v. 26) Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.' "
(v. 25 cont.) When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?' "
So when some boats from Tiberias landed near where the people had eaten the bread and not finding Jesus or His disciples there, the crowd got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Him. When they got to the other side of the sea at Capernaum they found Jesus and immediately asked Him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?'
Notice the word 'Rabbi' which means Teacher of the Scriptures - one with such authority was a highly respected individual in Jewish society. It is evident that they were persistent in their pursuit of Jesus but Jesus remarked that it was for all the wrong reasons:
(v. 26) "Jesus answered, 'I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.' "
Jesus answered their question in an attempt to give them a perspective of what He came for:
"I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw miraculous signs...
Notice that Jesus says specifically that He was performing miracles.
...not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill."
Notice that Jesus is rebuking those in the crowd because their perspective is their stomachs = the temporal, materialistic.
B) CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY
The crowd sought out our Lord and even used the term, "Rabbi", a term of great respect, meaning "Teacher" to address Him; but they fell short of accepting Who He was and what was of greatest importance in His message to them. They willfully missed the significance of His miraculous signs that pointed to Him as "the Son of Man", upon Whom God had "placed His seal of approval, (v. 27)". They were motivated solely by temporal things, the physical, such as the bread and fish which His last miracle provided to them. But man does not live by bread alone:
"Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' "
[Bible Knowledge Commentary, op. cit., p. 296]:
"Jesus began with the solemn words, 'I tell you the truth'...Jesus spoke these words four times in this discourse (6:26, 32, 47, 53). This drew attention to the importance of what He was about to teach. He rebuked them for their materialistic motivation and their lack of spiritual perception. They 'saw miraculous signs,' but to them it was only an easy meal. They failed to see what it signified."
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval."
Jesus continues to say, 'Do not work for food that spoils [the temporal] but for the Food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. Oh Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.'
Notice that Jesus rebukes the crowd for focusing on the temporal instead of the eternal which evidently is what is most relevant to His mission and message. Recall in verse 15 that the crowd 'intended to come and make Him king by force' which indicates their viewpoint was of an immediate earthly kingdom which was to give them a worldly & temporal benefit without consideration for their own problem of falling short of eternal kingdom life. So Jesus compares the temporal nature of eating physical food which satisfies for only a short while and has to be repeated to the eternal result of working for the Food that once received endures to eternal life, this Food not needing to be repeatedly received.
Notice that the Son of Man is depicted as having the authority and power to give eternal life when one 'works for the Food that endures to eternal life'. Jesus refers to 'the Son of Man' in such a way that within the context of this passage it points to Himself and His mission. The term 'the Son of Man' connotes a unique Man considering the definite article and singular context - meeting the seal of approval of God the Father and granting eternal life to men. The term 'Son of Man' thus denotes here 'the One Who uniquely has the qualities of' humanity, Who is eternal & thus can give eternal life to fellow man & perform miracles.
Furthermore, considering that the only One Who is capable of giving eternal life to anyone is God Himself Who alone is eternal, then the Son of Man is God and the Son of Man is the unique Man Who Jesus said 'on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval'. This is the One who gives eternal life - fully human in a uniquely superlative way and fully God in His capacity to be omniscient, (v. 15), and give eternal life, (v. 27).
Other passages are to be investigated relative to the term 'the Son of Man' in order to corroborate this.
B) CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY
(v. 13) "In my [Daniel's, (v. 2)] vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man [therefore He is Man], coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days [God the Father, (v. 9)] and was led into His presence.
(v. 14) He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped Him. [Therefore He is God]. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed, [Therefore He is Messiah, the Chosen One of God]."
(v. 24) "The Jews gathered around Him, saying, 'How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ [= the 'Anointed One', the One chosen of God], tell us plainly.'
(v. 25) Jesus answered, 'I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in My Father's name speak for Me.' "
[Notice that Jesus answers in the affirmative here and below]:
(v. 25) "The [Samaritan] woman said, 'I know that the Messiah' (called Christ) 'is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.'
(v. 26) Then Jesus declared, 'I Who speak to you am He.' " (cf. Jn 8:24)
(v. 35) "Jesus heard that they had put him ["him" = the blind man who was healed by Jesus]
(v. 35 cont.) "Jesus heard that they had put him out [of the Temple]; and finding him, He said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?
(v. 36) He answered and said, 'And Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?
(v. 37) Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him, and He is the One Who is talking with you.'
VI cont.) [Jn 6:27 cont.]:
"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval."
B) CORROBORATION AND FURTHER COMMENTARY, cont.
Notice that our Lord told the crowd to seek the kind of food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man Himself will give to them. Thus the kind of food for eternal life is pictured as some special kind of food which will be given to one by our Lord, the Son of Man; and, looking ahead to verse 29, this will be done when an individual believes on Him for eternal life.
[BKC, op. cit., p. 295]:
"When Jesus said, 'Do not work for food that spoils', He was not condoning laziness. Rather He was saying that people should expend their efforts for what will last forever. 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God' (Matt. 4:4). Physical 'food' is short-lived but spiritual 'food' leads 'to eternal life. The Son of Man' (Who has access to heaven [John 3:13]) will give' people this spiritual food, which is ultimately Christ Himself (6:53) [spiritually not physically]. 'God the Father' Himself authenticated Jesus' claim that He is true heavenly [i.e., spiritual] 'food' "
(v. 28) "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' "
So the crowd is now focused on and recognizes the possible authority of Jesus from God to declare what a man must do to have eternal life - especially considering His past miracles. In essence they are recognizing His possible authority from God, potentially even the Prophet they spoke of, the One they intended to force to be King, (v. 14).
So when Jesus stipulated that a man must 'work... for the Food that endures to eternal life' and when that was satisfied the Son of Man would give one eternal life, the crowd then asked for clarification of what this means when they asked, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?'
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY
1) THE PEOPLE BELIEVED THAT THERE WERE CERTAIN WORKS ONE MUST DO IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ETERNAL LIFE
[BKC, op. cit., p. 295]:
"The people recognized that Jesus was saying God had a requirement for them. They would do God's requirement if He would inform them what it was. They believed that they could please God and thus obtain eternal life by doing good works (cf. Rom 10:2-4)."
(v. 2) "For I [author Paul] can testify about them that they [the Israelites, (v. 1)] are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.
(v. 3) Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.
(v. 4) Christ is the end of law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."
Notice that the Jews were committed to doing works in order to obtain eternal life. But the truth of the matter is that God's righteousness is not through man's works but through "everyone who believes" in the Son of Man: "Christ is the end of law" = "law" without the definite article = works in general.
"Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.' "
So Jesus then answered, 'The work of God [to receive the Food which endures to eternal life] is this: to believe in the One He has sent'
The original Greek with the English below looks like this:
apekrithE iEsous kai eipen autois .....touto esti to ..ergon
Answered Jesus ..and said ..to them, 'This ..is ...the work
tou .......Theou hina pisteusEte ..............eis hon apesteilen
of [the] God ....that .you should believe in .the One Whom sent
ekeinos
that One [or best rendered believe in the One He has sent].'
Notice that the English translation which describes the work one must do to have eternal life, "to believe", is literally in the Greek, "that you should believe". This phrase is in the present tense in the subjunctive mood without qualifiers, (such as 'continuously believing').
Recall the contrast Jesus makes in verse 27 between continually working for physical food that does not endure and only satisfies ones physical hunger for the moment and has to be taken over & over again as compared to the once for all time Food received as a result of a single moment of believing in Jesus, (as opposed to continual believing), that endures to eternal life, (v. 29). This includes one single moment of spiritual indwelling of Jesus Christ Who endures in one forever.
The present tense "that you should believe" signifies that a present moment of believing is the sole condition required in order to receive the benefit of the Food that endures to eternal life. Furthermore, the passage lacks any stipulations other than "to believe" in order to receive the benefit of the Food that endures to eternal life. This rules out continual actions such as a lifestyle of faithful works, constantly taking the Mass or Lord's Supper, continually going to church, etc. Such activities as water baptism, confession, etc. are similarly ruled out for the lack of anything else stipulated in the passage as a requirement.
3) A ONCE FOR ALL TIME RECEPTION OF ETERNAL LIFE WHEN ONE BELIEVES IS IN VIEW
Notice that the Food which endures to eternal life is received internally within the individual by a belief in the One God has sent to save one and not via food which must be physically ingested and which spoils and must be eaten over and over again, (v. 27). Thus eternal life is portrayed as a once for all time reception of the Food not by physical ingestion but by simply believing; and it endures unto eternal life. It won't have to be taken over and over again by repeated moments of believing because of its enduring quality once this Food is received the first time!
Notice that the phrase 'the work of God is this' in verse 29 refers to the work of God one must do for the Food that endures to eternal life per verse 27. And the sentence that follows 'the work of God is this' in verse 29 stipulates what is necessary to accomplish the reception of the Food which endures to eternal life:
All Jesus asks of anyone in order to receive the Food which endures to eternal life according to this sentence is to believe in the One God the Father has sent into the world, meaning Himself, Who would then endure in one unto one's eternal life because one would be receiving Jesus Himself.
At this point one might have indeed asked what is the Food that endures to eternal life. What is inferred here is that it is Jesus Christ Himself Who is and provides eternal life. For the reception of Food here pictures the Food being incorporated into oneself. Since the eternal food is Jesus Himself then the one who believes incorporates Jesus into oneself . This connotes a figurative and spiritual meaning which later verses in this passage and elsewhere in Scripture will corroborate. So it is Jesus Himself Who is the Food that endures to eternal life within the believer.
So a present moment of believing = present tense, 2nd person, plural verb 'hina pisteusEte' = 'that you should believe' results in the reception of the Food Jesus Christ Who endures to eternal life. When Jesus is received He endures in one unto eternal life. He is received in the present moment that believing in Him began, i.e., in an instant of time. There is nothing in the context to indicate that it is more than that. Just as one can say that one receives possession of 'return-to-fellowship-with-God forgiveness of sins the instant one meets God's qualification to confess them to Him, (1 Jn 1:4-9), so one can say that one receives possession of the Food that endures to eternal life the moment one meets God's qualification of believing in the One He has sent into the world.
Notice that believing in the 'One God has sent' is the 'work...for the Food that endures unto eternal life'. Therefore it is the 'work' of a moment of believing once for all time which provides the 'Food which endures to eternal life'.
So an enduring faith is not in view but the 'Food', Jesus Christ, which endures in the believer unto eternal life is:
[Compare Jn 6:27 Greek/English interlinear]:
Reference: http://www.olivetree.com/bible/Frames/GreekNewTestament.htm
"Ergazesthe mE tEn .......brOsin tEn apollumenEn ..alla .tEn
"Do work ...not .for the .food.......the .one perishing but ..for the
....V_PMD2P
brOsin tEn ......menousan eis zOEn aiOnion hEn ....ho huios
Food....the one enduring...to .life.....eternal...which the Son
N_ASF ...RA_ASF V_PAPASF
V_PAPASF = Verb_Pres,Active Voice,Participle,Accusative,Singular,Feminine
tou .......anthrOpou humin dOsei .....touton ...........gar
of [the] man ............to you will give .upon this one for
ho .PatEr ..esphragisen ......ho Theos."
the Father has set His seal .the God."
[Notice the noun:
"the Food" (ASF) = Accusative, Singular, Feminine
matches up with the participle:
"enduring" = (ASF) = Accusative, Singular, Feminine
and not with the verb "work" which is plural:
"work" [= V_PMD2P] = Plural
So the phrase "which endures" [lit. "the one enduring"] is not describing working 'enduringly' as 'enduring' would have to be an adverb and be plural, but it is a participle serving as an adjective modifying the noun, 'the Food', i.e., modifying the result of believing: 'the Food enduring unto eternal life'. So the Food which endures unto eternal life is received by simply believing in the Son of Man to save you.
The identity of the Food which endures to eternal life is inferred here and clearly stipulated in this passage as Jesus Himself, (v. 35).
In view of the present tense "to believe", one could no more conclude that continual faith is required any more than if water baptism were the work one must do to receive the Food which endures to eternal life, which would have to be a continuously wet experience.
Recall the contrast Jesus makes in verse 27 between continually working for physical food that does not endure and only satisfies ones physical hunger for the moment and has to be taken over & over again as compared to the once for all time Food received as a result of a single moment of believing in Jesus, (as opposed to continual believing), that endures to eternal life, (v. 29). This includes one single moment of spiritual indwelling of Jesus Christ Who endures in one forever.
According to Scripture, a continuous and perfect state of believing in Christ is not possible with mortal man which would necessitate sinless perfection. For any sin a believer commits reflects a degree of unbelief and no one can claim to be without sin, nor maintain a perfect state of continuous faith in this mortal life:
CORROBORATION
(v. 8) "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
(v. 10) If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
No believer can claim to maintain a perfect, uninterrupted record of faith in Christ as he is bound to commit acts of unbelief throughout his life.
(v. 7) "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.
Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
(v. 8) Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
[Notice that "whoever does not love does not know God" in the sense of being out of fellowship with Him for the moment, acting as one who does not know God, an unbeliever. Since sin is an act of not loving, and since all believers sin, then at those moments they do sin, they do 'not know God', i.e., their faith in Him is imperfect]
OBSERVATIONS, (cont.)
Can an individual express saving faith in Christ as Savior continuously - without any interruption all his life even during moments when he is asleep - completely in unconscious sleep?
Suppose while in a deep sleep with your active mind unconscious, you no longer are continuously maintaining faith in Christ as Savior, you die in your sleep and then because of this unconscious lapse, wake up in Hell - after a long life of faithful service to God!!!!
Can an individual maintain perfect, uninterrupted saving faith in Christ as Savior throughout his waking day? Consider an accountant who is in deep concentration, keying in figures on a spread sheet making sure of his accuracy. Can he also be maintaining a deep concentration on trusting in Christ as Savior without interruption?
Have you ever lost your salvation during the moment when you are considering what to have for lunch instead of continuing to believe in Christ to save you - as your thoughts are not for the moment on Jesus Christ but on the Tuna Melt sandwich on the menu?
What do you then need to do to get it back? Is it really eternal life if you keep losing it every time your mind wanders to some other subject? Wouldn't it be better to call it 'For the Moment Life' rather than eternal life? And how do you get eternal life back after your momentary lapse?
"Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.' " =
Present tense signifies action in present time for the duration of whatever the context indicates. The Greek present tense by itself does not automatically convey continuous action - nor does the English equivalent. It may or may not be continuous - depending upon the context and/or the presence of qualifying words. Present tense action in the absence of qualifiers demands a singular action in the present moment without requiring that it be continuous throughout the present. No first century Greek reader or hearer was likely to get a meaning such as 'continue to believe' on order to have eternal life without the necessary additional qualifiers to the present tense.
CORROBORATION
"Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name."
"anapherOmen ..thusian .aineseOs diapantos"
"we should offer sacrifice of praise continually"
Notice that "anapherOmen" = "we should offer" is present tense. Yet in order to emphasize continual action the word "diapantos" = "continually" must be inserted.
Since the present tense in English is not always continuous and since we have no major or even minor translation of the bible in English that includes an adverb modifier of believes such as continually believes, then we can conclude that the Greek most likely does not demand continual action either.
"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe. "
"hEmeis eucharistoumen tO theO .....adialeiptOs" =
"we .......give thanks .............to God ..unceasingly"
Notice that "eucharistoumen" = "give thanks" is present tense, indicative mood. Yet in order to emphasize unceasing activity the word "adialeiptOs" = "unceasingly" must be inserted to picture unceasing action.
(v. 16) "Be joyful always;
(v. 17) pray unceasingly;
(v. 18) give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
"adialeiptOs proseuchesthe" =
"unceasingly pray"
Notice that "proseuchesthe" = "pray" is present tense, imperative mood. Yet in order to emphasize unceasing activity the word "adialeiptOs" = "unceasingly" must be inserted to picture unceasing action.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
"whoever believes in Him" = "pas ho pisteuon" = lit, whoever [is] the believer, nominative particple, i.e., a noun
"should have eternal life" = "all echE zOEn aiOnion" = present tense verb (echE)
If the present tense were the verb in the original Greek text of John 3:16, "whoever believes" - and it is not, it is the noun, 'pas ho pisteuon' = whoever [is] the believer', then a special context and/or additional words such as "diapantos" = continually and the future tense 'will have eternal life' instead of 'have eternal life', must be inserted into the text in order to convey the idea of continuous believing in order to have eternal life.
If the present tense were the verb in the original Greek text of John 3:16, "whoever believes" - and it is not, it is the noun, 'pas ho pisteuon' = whoever [is] the believer', then a special context and/or additional words such as "diapantos" = continually and the future tense 'will have eternal life' instead of present tense 'have eternal life', must be inserted into the text in order to convey the idea of continuous believing in order to eventually secure eternal life. If possession of eternal life is secured in the present moment of believing, (and it is), then it is secured forever, being eternal by definition.
OBSERVATIONS, cont.
If I were to say, "In the morning I get on a bus, pay my fare with a bus pass, and get off where I work;" does the phrase 'pay my fare' mean I continually pay the fare until the ride ends, or is it in a moment of present time until the end is achieved, i.e., about 1 second to swipe the pass through the slot on top of the fare box? Same with 'I get on the bus' is not continual nor is 'get off'. Present tense is simply a present moment of action until the context determines when the action ceases. This is true in the koine Greek also.
CORROBORATION
Consider the individuals who are found guilty of various offenses before a magistrate in a court in the times of the ancient Roman Empire - New Testament times. The magistrate declares before the group of guilty people in koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, in a statement that directly parallels the second half of Jn 3:16, 'Whoever pays his fine shall not perish in jail, but have freedom to go, with his life.' Does the present tense of 'Whoever pays' demand continuous - uninterrupted payment of the fine in order for an individual to "have freedom to go, with his life?" The answer is obvious, the present tense does not always demand continuous uninterrupted action in the present.
Just as the payment of the Magistrate's fine was done once in present time such that it results in freedom - the payment not having to be continuous;
so the believing in Christ as Savior, when it begins in present time, immediately results in the aorist completed action of never perishing and the present tense reception of eternal life such that the believing need not continue in order to keep the result of never perishing and possession of eternal life continuous because the never perishing is a completed action and the eternal life by its very nature once received is continuously eternal.
In addition to this, the appeal to force the simple present tense to mean continuous action would lead to havoc in many passages in the New Testament. For example, 1 John 1:8 reads, "If we [born again believers] say that we have no sin [="ouk echomen" = present tense] we deceive ourselves". If this verse is rendered in the continuous mode, it would be read, "If we say that we do not continuously have sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." This indicates that in spite of becoming born again believers there is no time in the believer's life that he can claim not to be living a lifestyle of continuous, unadulterated sin - no time for anything else!!!
OBSERVATIONS, cont.
Furthermore, since eternal life is everlasting by definition, then the first present tense moment of believing which is the 'work' stipulated in verse 29 which provides the 'Food' that endures to eternal life begins the reception of that life which will last forever. It cannot ever be lost because eternal life cannot end once it has begun, otherwise it wouldn't be called eternal, i.e., unending life.
One must consider according to this verse that believing in Jesus, the Son of Man, to give one the Food enduring unto eternal life is all the work that is required because no more than this is stipulated in the verse and the result stipulated in that same verse is eternal life when one believes.
In answer to those who say you cannot take just one verse to determine what it takes to be saved, like Jn 6:29, i.e., that other verses add more to what is required:
If anything else besides faith is stipulated in other verses as necessary in order to gain eternal life, then this particular verse is in error. No matter what the case, this particular verse, (29), within its context cannot be changed to include anything more than what is says: a moment of faith alone in Christ alone as necessary to gain eternal life. Furthermore, Jesus being the Son of God cannot be wrong in what He said, leaving something out. Finally, the other passages which people cite which supposedly add more to what it takes to have eternal life have been incorrectly interpreted. There is no contradiction in Scripture here.
Consider that to believe in Jesus to save one is actually no work at all. Since a work is something one does to merit a result; and since believing in someone to provide eternal life is not meritorious for one is not portrayed as providing the eternal life for oneself; then it is Jesus Who is the One doing all the work.
b) FAITH & WORKS ARE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE
Thus the second 'work' in verse 29 is a figure of speech, a play on words. The false interpretation that makes faith a work produces the absurdity of equating the mutually exclusive terms faith and works. On the other hand, v. 29 by the normative rules of language is a figure of speech called catachresis. A cathachresis occurs when one is using a word to denote something radically different from its normal meaning. It pictures the contrast of the first actual 'work' for physical food that spoils which work has to be repeated over and over with the second 'work' for the Food that endures to eternal life by a completed action moment of believing in Jesus, which needs no repetition and is no work at all for you and me.
The dictionary defines the two words faith and works in such a way that they are mutually exclusive especially relative to the reception of eternal life. Scripture corroborates this - as already established above.
Furthermore, James chapter two indicates that faith and works are separate concepts which are supposed to be coordinated with one another. Hence it clearly implies that a work is not faith and faith is not a work, otherwise the verse, "Faith without works is dead", (v. 17), does not make sense, nor the rest of the chapter.
Furthermore, if faith is a work, then how can you have faith without works?? Impossible!!! Let’s take flowers and daisies for example. Since daises are a flower can you contrast daisies vs. Flowers. Ans. No, because daisies are flowers. Can you have daisies without flowers??? Ans. No again, because daisies are flowers.
(v. 4) "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation."
(v. 5) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
Ro 4:4-5 implies that faith and works are different concepts - one [faith] results in being credited as righteousness and the other [works] does not. Faith and works can exist without the other and are thus mutually exclusive, especially relative to the reception of eternal life. One, [faith] provides eternal life, the other [works] do not. There is no dictionary that lists faith and works as synonyms.
Just as a father can answer his precocious under aged young son's question using the word 'drive' in a non literal fashion as follows: " 'Which car can I drive to class, Dad?', the son said to his father."
And the father answered, 'I'll tell you which car you can drive. You can drive [i.e., take] the school bus."
In the same way our Lord uses the word work in a figurative fashion when He says, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent' which is no work at all.
B) CORROBORATION & FURTHER COMMENTARY
In John 6:29, our Lord explicitly states that the work that one must do for eternal life is exclusively a matter of faith in the One God had sent, Himself - which is no work at all. There is no mention of anything else but that moment of faith in the "One He [God] has sent" resulting in eternal life.
[Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, G & C Merriam Co, Springfield, Ma, 1980]:
"activity in which one exerts strength of faculties to do or perform something...
something produced or accomplished by effort, exertion or exercise of skill... creative talent .."
[Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary]: ftp://ftp.uga.edu/pub/misc/webster/ faith \Faith n]
1. Belief; the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting solely and implicitly on his authority and veracity; reliance on testimony.
2. The assent of the mind to the statement or proposition of another, on the ground of the manifest truth of what he utters; firm and earnest belief, on probable evidence of any kind, especially in regard to important moral truth. Faith, that is, fidelity, -- the fealty of the finite will and understanding to the reason.