“A Miraculous Provision of Bread”—title of that Watchtower article studied via congregation Q&A. Theme scripture: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not get hungry at all.” John 6:35

The Watchtower Study was a commentary on much of John 6. Maybe the rest of the chapter will be covered next week.

When the crowds finally tracked Jesus down, they said: “Rabbi, when did you get here?” (John 6:25)

Jesus answered them: “Most truly I say to you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate from the loaves and were satisfied. (6:26)

Translation: “Don’t hand me this ‘Rabbi’ line! You guys are just here because you want free food!”

I sort of liked this statement from paragraph 11: “They even failed to press Jesus for clarification when he next spoke of “the true bread from heaven,” which was like life-giving manna from heaven. (John 6:32) They were so focused on their physical needs that they ignored the spiritual truths that Jesus . . .”

I can picture that happening, as in: “Yes, yes, ‘bread from heaven,’ yada yada.” And then following up like the child from the Buick commercial: “Where’s the pizza?”

He wants them to develop some spirituality. The crowds only care about physical bread. They’d gotten plenty of it the day before:

“Jesus said: “Have the people sit down.” As there was a lot of grass in that place, the men sat down there, about 5,000 in number. Jesus took the bread, and after giving thanks, he distributed it to those who were sitting there; he did likewise with the small fish, and they had as much as they wanted. But when they had eaten their fill, he said to his disciples: “Gather together the fragments left over, so that nothing is wasted.” So they gathered them together and filled 12 baskets with fragments left over by those who had eaten from the five barley loaves.” (v 10-13)

He was just being practical. There they were in the middle of nowhere, having gathered to hear him, and he didn’t want them to give out on the road home. It was not like his intention was: “Now, I’m going to dazzle-dazzle them with a MIRACLE!!”

When he went off into the hills to escape the ones wanting to make him king—if you see someone feed the masses like he did, then you take whoever is already ruling, throw him out on his keister, and install this one instead—his disciples sailed off the other way. Later, he wanted to join them:

“When evening fell, his disciples went down to the sea, and boarding a boat, they set out across the sea for Ca·perʹna·um. By now it had grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. Also, the sea was getting rough because a strong wind was blowing. However, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and getting near the boat, and they became fearful. But he said to them: “It is I; do not be afraid!” (16-20)

Again, it doesn’t look like his motive was to perform a MIRACLE!!” He’s just being practical. Walking straight across the sea is the easiest way to get where he wants to go. He’s not even paying attention, apparently! Mark 6:48 says “he was inclined to pass them by.” Maybe he figured they would have already arrived on the other shore.

As to Jesus’ theme: “Work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for everlasting life,” the article refers back to another time that food was provided from heaven after endless bellyaching from those who cared about only that. Israelites complained so much about the crummy manna that God got fed up and said, ‘I’ll drown you in quail!’ When he did, they saw no spiritual significance whatsoever, did not take it as a rebuke, but simply gorged themselves:

“Then a wind from Jehovah sprang up and began driving quail from the sea and causing them to fall around the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and they were about two cubits deep on the ground. So all that day and all night and all the next day, the people stayed up and gathered the quail. No one gathered less than ten hoʹmers, and they kept spreading them all around the camp for themselves. But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it could be chewed, Jehovah’s anger blazed against the people, and Jehovah began striking the people with a very great slaughter.” (Numbers 11:30-33)

Whoa! I can see from where people get the idea that the God of the New Testament is nice but the God of the Old Testament is a hothead! But, I like to keep in mind that they’re really the same. “I and the father are one,” said Jesus. Jehovah’s attributes are fully reflected in the Son. Maybe Jesus is just more of a soft touch now because people are so much more pieces of work than they were back then. Or maybe he thought of the Israelites, “Look, they don’t have perpetual whiners on Reddit! They’re all one people! If they’re going to be so shallow, then maybe I’ll take their gift of life away!”

And, I do admit to a certain frustration with those who read over the account of John 6 and say, “Well—the important thing is that I’m saved.”

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