When Jesus’ brothers encouraged him to attend the Jewish celebration of the Feast of the Tabernacles in Jerusalem, they did so for the wrong reasons. Their hope was that Jesus would make a name for himself and become some kind of celebrity figure. However, when Jesus attended the Feast, he did so on the quiet, yet continued to teach about himself quite openly. This led to a division among the crowds. Some thought him a madman, others said he was a good man. Varieties of opinions about Jesus continue to cause confusion today. In the midst of this uncertainty Jesus made his identity clear and remained determined to do the will of God and not the will of man.

When the crowds began to walk away from Jesus because of a hard saying, the Twelve were asked if they would also like to leave him. It was a watershed moment for the disciples. Peter replied that they had found something unique in Jesus – that His words had eternal quality – and that they could never leave him. Jesus, however, pointed out that one of the Twelve (Judas) was a traitor. Some who heard Jesus dismissed his words. Others hung on to them as life itself. Judas heard but did not believe. In which group do you belong?

After Jesus declared that he was the ‘bread of life’ many who heard this claim rejected him and his message. There are a number of reasons why. Not all the people who heard him had heard the full story about him. Others had difficulty with some of his words and claims. However Jesus was not fazed by their rejection of Him. He knew their hearts were hard. His words and claims remain. The one who fully explores them and trusts Him will find much more than mere words, but life itself.

After Jesus fed the 5,000, many people followed him with the intent of receiving more free food. To these people, Jesus said that he was the ‘bread of life’, and by doing so he highlighted the emptiness of life without him and the satisfaction that comes to those who believe in Him. Those who believe in him receive daily spiritual sustenance and best of all, eternal life!

John 6:16-21 concerns the day Jesus walked on water to his disciples out in a boat. After the feeding of the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, John records this miracle as further proof of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and to show the concern Jesus had for his disciples. He not only prayed for them, but came to them and the water before him was no obstacle. The believer who grasps on to this and hears His voice saying, ‘It is I, do not be afraid’ whenever they face suffering and trial, will find this a great comfort.

John 6:1-15 concerns the feeding of the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves of bread. John records this miracle as further proof of Jesus’ claim to be the Son of God and shows how the disciples could only think of solving the problem of a hungry crowd in an earthly way. However, when a meagre amount of food was offered, Jesus had no trouble in multiplying the amount and providing more than enough for all. What we bring to Jesus, no matter how small, can also be multiplied into large amount of blessings that can satisfy all who come to him in faith.

John 5:31-47 continues the words of Jesus to the Jews defending his strong claims that he was the Son of God, by referring to the testimony of many witnesses. Among those he mentioned included the testimony of John the Baptist, the words of God the Father, the writings of Moses and his own miraculous signs. These all agree and testify to the truth he proclaimed about himself.  It is not a lack of evidence that keeps people from believing, but a hardness of heart.

The text of John 5:16-30 records that after Jesus healed the paralysed man, he ran into immediate trouble with the Jews who had trouble with his claims and his actions. In this text, Jesus defended himself against accusations of fraud and claimed to be the Son of God with power to grant life and eternal life. As no-one else offers what Jesus offers, He is our only hope in the face of an uncertain world and our eventual death.

In this text Jesus healed a paralyzed man at Bethesda. The miracle serves to remind us of the effect of sin upon all mankind, our inability to save ourselves and the grace and mercy of Jesus the Saviour who proved to be worth more than many friends or much money. Our faith is to be in Him and is wrongly placed if it is in ourselves or any other.

Here Jesus is met by a royal official whose son is dying. His riches and status cannot protect him and his family from hardship and death. His faith may have only been enough for him to seek Jesus in a time of need but Jesus’ response shows that his power has no bounds – not even distance. The official’s faith grows and he trusts Jesus at his word, leaving to go home and find his son healed. John writes so that we can be encouraged to have faith even without sight just like the official and all generations since.