Joh 6:1-4 | Clarke | STEP | Jesus passes the sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude follow him, . He feeds five thousand with five loaves, and two fishes, . They acknowledge him to be the prophet that should come into the world, . They purpose to force him to become their king; and he withdraws from the multitude, . The disciples take ship, and go towards Capernaum, and are overtaken with a storm, . Christ comes to them, walking upon the water, . The people take boats and follow him, . He reproves their fleshly motives, . They profess a desire to be instructed, . Christ preaches to them, and shows them that he is the bread of life, and that they who reject him are without excuse, . They are offended, and cavil, , . He asserts and illustrates his foregoing discourse, . They again cavil, and Christ gives farther explanations, . Several of the disciples are stumbled at his assertion, that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they could not have life, . He shows them that his words are to be spiritually understood, . Several of them withdraw from him, . He questions the twelve, whether they also were disposed to forsake him, and Peter answers for the whole, . Christ exposes the perfidy of Judas, , . Verse 1 After these things - This is a sort of indefinite expression, from which me can gather nothing relative to the time in which these things happened. It refers no doubt to transactions in the preceding year. Jesus went over the sea of Galilee - Or, as some translate the words, by the side of the sea of Galilee. From Luke, , we learn that this was a desert place in the vicinity of Bethsaida. The sea of Galilee, Genesaret, and Tiberias, are the same in the New Testament with the sea of Cinnereth in the Old. Tiberias was a city in Galilee, situated on the western side of the lake. See on (note).

John 6:1-4

Introduction

Jesus passes the sea of Tiberias, and a great multitude follow him, Joh 6:1-4. He feeds five thousand with five loaves, and two fishes, Joh 6:5-13. They acknowledge him to be the prophet that should come into the world, Joh 6:14. They purpose to force him to become their king; and he withdraws from the multitude, Joh 6:15. The disciples take ship, and go towards Capernaum, and are overtaken with a storm, Joh 6:16-18. Christ comes to them, walking upon the water, Joh 6:19-21. The people take boats and follow him, Joh 6:22-24. He reproves their fleshly motives, Joh 6:25-27. They profess a desire to be instructed, Joh 6:28. Christ preaches to them, and shows them that he is the bread of life, and that they who reject him are without excuse, Joh 6:29-40. They are offended, and cavil, Joh 6:41, Joh 6:42. He asserts and illustrates his foregoing discourse, Joh 6:43-51. They again cavil, and Christ gives farther explanations, Joh 6:52-59. Several of the disciples are stumbled at his assertion, that unless they ate his flesh and drank his blood they could not have life, Joh 6:60. He shows them that his words are to be spiritually understood, Joh 6:61-65. Several of them withdraw from him, Joh 6:66. He questions the twelve, whether they also were disposed to forsake him, and Peter answers for the whole, Joh 6:67-69. Christ exposes the perfidy of Judas, Joh 6:70, Joh 6:71.

Verse 1

After these things - This is a sort of indefinite expression, from which me can gather nothing relative to the time in which these things happened. It refers no doubt to transactions in the preceding year.

Jesus went over the sea of Galilee - Or, as some translate the words, by the side of the sea of Galilee. From Luke, Luk 9:10, we learn that this was a desert place in the vicinity of Bethsaida. The sea of Galilee, Genesaret, and Tiberias, are the same in the New Testament with the sea of Cinnereth in the Old. Tiberias was a city in Galilee, situated on the western side of the lake. See on Joh 6:22 (note). Verse 2

They saw his miracles which he did - John does not mention these miracles; but Matthew details them, Matthew 12:2-14:13. John seems more intent on supplying the deficiencies of the other evangelists than in writing a connected history himself. Verse 3

Went up into a mountain - This mountain must have been in the desert of Bethsaida, in the territories of Philip, tetrarch of Galilee. Our Lord withdrew to this place for a little rest; for he and his disciples had been so thronged with the multitudes, continually coming and going, that they had not time to take necessary food. See Mar 6:31. Verse 4

And the passover - was nigh - This happened about ten or twelve days before the third passover which Christ celebrated after his baptism. Calmet. For a particular account of our Lord's four passovers see the note on Joh 2:13.

For thirty days before the Passover there were great preparations made by the Jews, but especially in the last nineteen days, in order to celebrate the feast with due solemnity. Lightfoot supposes that what is here related happened within the last fifteen days. See Calmet's opinion above.