Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Thursday, February 13, 2014 Read John 6:22-34 The location where Jesus multiplied the loaves is not given by John. Neither Mark nor Matthew provides a location either – just that it was a deserted place. Only Luke provides a place where the multiplication took place and he says it was at Bethsaida – which is the destination of the disciples in the boat provided by Mark and Matthew following the multiplication. In Mark and Matthew, Jesus winds up on the other side of the lake at Gennesaret. John tells us that when the people realize that Jesus is no longer with them and that they had seen Jesus’ disciples leave in a boat without Jesus they leave for Capernaum hoping to find Jesus there. In John’s gospel, when they find Jesus at Capernaum, a conversation begins. It is a conversation similar to many in John’s gospel marked with misunderstanding. The initial question of the crowd is avoided by Jesus. Once again the formula, “Very truly I say to you,” is used alerting the reader that what is about to be said is very important. Jesus gets at the motive for why the crowd has come looking for him – they have had their fill of bread and they want more. Jesus refers to the multiplication of the bread as a sign. The sign should have produced belief but it has not. Once again the ambiguous nature of signs is at the heart of this discussion. Jesus tells his hearers not to work for food that perishes, but to do the work of God that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. The crowd does not understand. They ask Jesus what that work might be, and then they make a request that seems far beyond reason – they ask Jesus to give them a sign so that they might believe in him. Jesus has just given them a powerful sign – he multiplied the bread. Irony plays an important role in the story. The crowd claims that their ancestors ate manna in the wilderness and quote from scripture – “He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” Likely this scripture quotation is from Psalm 78:24 which in turn recalls the story in Exodus 16 which tells of God providing his complaining people with manna. Even though the crowd does not specifically say that it was Moses who gave their ancestors the bread, Jesus makes it clear that it was not Moses but his Father who gives the true bread from heaven. It is significant that John changes the tenses of the verbs in the middle of the sentence – “it was not Moses who gave… it is my Father who gives.” We have noticed before how John plays down Moses over against Jesus. Jesus is greater than Moses. And we should not miss the clear statement that the God who gave the bread in the wilderness and the God who now gives the bread of life is the Father of Jesus – Jesus is the Son of God, God the Son. The bread that Jesus gives comes down from heaven and gives life. The crowd responds by asking Jesus to give them this bread. Their statement is a lot like the Samaritan woman who asked Jesus to give her the water that wells up to eternal life. Perhaps the crowd is on the right track. We’ll have to wait and see.