A Study of John 6:22–27

“On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

“John 6:22–27

Definitions of the original language in the context of this passage:

-Jesus: “Ἰησοῦς”, “Iēsous”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine | proper name — Jesus, Jehoshua; Jesus = “Yahweh is salvation”; Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind, God incarnate.

-Disciples: “μαθηταὶ”, “mathētai”; noun, nominative, plural, masculine | subject — learner, pupil.

-Alone: “μόνοι”, “monoi”; adjective, nominative, plural, masculine | attributive adjective — only, alone, without a companion.

-Tiberias: “Τιβεριάδος”, “Tiberiados”; noun, genitive, singular, feminine | proper name — Tiberias = “from the Tiber (as river-god)”; a city of Galilee near the Lake of Gennesaret (also called Sea of Galilee), which Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, greatly enlarged and beautified, and named Tiberias in honor of Tiberias Caesar.

-The Lord: “τοῦ κυρίου”, “tou kyriou”; noun, genitive, singular, masculine | subject of the dependent clause — Lord, master; is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master; this title is given to: God, the Messiah.

-After [The Lord] Had Given thanks: “εὐχαριστήσαντος”, “eucharistēsantos”; verb, aorist, active, participle, singular, genitive, masculine | antecedent participle — give thanks, be grateful; especially where the giving of thanks customary at the beginning of a feast, or in general before eating, is spoken of.

-Capernaum: “Καφαρναούμ”, “Kapharnaoum”; noun, accusative, singular, feminine | proper name — Capernaum = “village of comfort”; a flourishing city of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee or Lake of Gennesaret, near the place where the Jordan flows into the lake.

-Rabbi: “Ῥαββί”, “Rhabbi”; noun, vocative, singular, masculine | vocative — authoritative religious teacher; rabbi, teacher, my great one, my honorable sir; a title used by the Jews to address their teachers (and also honor them when not addressing them).

-Truly, truly: “Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν”, “Amēn, amēn”; indeclinable, foreign | emphatic particle — truly, amen, at the beginning of a discourse — surely, truly, of a truth.

-Signs: “σημεῖα”, “sēmeia”; noun, accusative, plural, neuter | direct object of the dependent clause — a sign, miracle, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature; of miracles and wonders by which God authenticates the men sent by him, or by which men prove that the cause they are pleading is God’s.

-Perishes: “ἀπολλυμένην”, “apollymenēn”; verb, present, middle, participle, singular, accusative, feminine | attributive participle — destroy, perish, lose; of things; to be blotted out, to vanish away.

-Endures: “μένουσαν”, “menousan”; verb, present, active, participle, singular, accusative, feminine | attributive participle — remain, stay, reside, abide, not to depart, to continue to be.

-Eternal: “αἰώνιον”, “aiōnion”; adjective, accusative, singular, feminine | attributive adjective — eternal, without end, never to cease, everlasting.

-Life: “ζωὴν”, “zōēn”; noun, accusative, singular, feminine | prepositional object — life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever.

-Son of Man: “Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου”, “Huios anthrōpou”; noun, nominative, singular, masculine — used by Christ himself, doubtless in order that he might intimate his Messiahship and also that he might designate himself as the head of the human family, the man, the one who both furnished the pattern of the perfect man and acted on behalf of all mankind. Christ seems to have preferred this to the other Messianic titles, because by its lowliness it was least suited to foster the expectation of an earthly Messiah in royal splendor.

-Has Set His Seal: “ἐσφράγισεν”, “esphragisen”; verb, aorist, active, indicative, third person, singular | finite verb — to confirm, authenticate, place beyond doubt; to prove by one’s testimony to a person that he is what he professes to be.

Observation/Summary (short explanation of what the passage says in your own words):

The day after Jesus miraculously fed a crowd of over 5,000 people, walked on water and helped His disciples to safely cross the Sea of Galilee in a storm, the people came to the shoreline to see if Jesus was still there. They had not seen Him get into the boat with His disciples the previous day, so they thought He must still be nearby. However, boats from Tiberias came to them and they discovered Jesus had crossed the sea somehow, so they got into boats themselves and crossed over to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found Jesus, they asked Him when and how He got there. But Jesus responded by telling them they only wanted to find Him because they had eaten their fill of the miraculously provided bread the previous day. They were not even looking for Him because of the other miracles they had seen Him perform. Then, Jesus cautioned them not to work only for earthly food that decays or perishes, but instead to seek “the food that endures to eternal life” that He would give to them. The reason Jesus provides for why and how He will give this is because God the Father has set His seal on Him.

Implication (what does this mean to us):

This section of the passage takes place the day after Jesus fed 5,000 men plus women and children with only 5 barley loaves and 2 fish. After the meal Jesus saw that the crowd would try to make Him king by force, so He immediately sent His disciples across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, and He dismissed the crowds. As He went up on a mountain to pray, He also watched His disciples struggle as they sailed and then rowed into a storm for hours as they made little progress. In the middle of the night though, Jesus walked to them on the water, and when He got into the boat with them, they immediately arrived at the shore.

The next day, the crowd returned to where the miracle had taken place. They had only seen Jesus’ disciples get into the boat the previous day, so they thought Jesus would still be nearby. As they looked around for Him, boats from Tiberias, a major city located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, arrived near them. It is unclear whether these boats were there because they had been blown by the storm, or if they had come to ferry some people across the lake. The storm explanation makes sense, because the disciples were rowing into the wind, which means it would have been pushing boats to the shore they had set sail from. Whatever the case was, by this time it became clear to the people that Jesus was not there anymore, and He had likely crossed over to Capernaum with His disciples somehow.

So, as verse 24 says, the people crossed over to Capernaum to look for Jesus. It is doubtful there were enough boats to ferry everyone across the sea, so while some sailed across, others would have been able to travel around the sea on foot. This was a longer journey but still a walkable one. In addition to the fact that they had seen Jesus’ disciples set sail for Capernaum the previous day, there were other reasons that made this a likely destination for Jesus. While He was raised in Nazareth, by this time Capernaum had become the hometown of Jesus and his family, and the conversation that takes place in the rest of John chapter 6 takes place in the synagogue in Capernaum (John 6:59).

In verse 25, when the people found Jesus they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”. They had not seen a natural explanation for how Jesus could have crossed the sea, and they also called Him “rabbi,” which conveys the meaning of an authoritative religious teacher. There is some tension in their use of the word rabbi though. The previous day they had been ready to make Him king by force, and even though they call Him rabbi, in the ensuing verses they will dispute His teaching. And they also don’t seem to understand His teaching, or else they would not have desired to make Him their king by force. In addition to the common people in the crowd, Matthew 15 tells us Jewish leaders from Jerusalem were also present. So, as this crowd full of people with various reasons for looking for Him asks about how and when He got there, Jesus does not answer their question.

Instead of telling them how and when He got there, Jesus tells them why they came looking for Him. In verse 26 He says they were not looking for Him because they had seen Him perform miracles, but because they had eaten their fill of the barley loaves the previous day. Jesus is not denying that they saw Him perform miraculous signs. He is saying they had failed to understand the significance of the miracle He performed the previous day. They did not seek Jesus with sincere faith. They were not following Him because they recognized Him to be the Son of God, but rather because they wanted a miracle working king who would perform miracles for them and overthrow the Romans. Their ears were deaf to the true meaning of His teaching and their eyes were blind to the beauty of His works. They were unable to see past their temporal wants. They came to Jesus for what they could get from Him, not because they wanted Him. And Mark 6:52 makes it clear that even the 12 disciples did not properly understand the meaning of the miracle of the loaves. This type of superficial enthusiasm is something Jesus wanted to set straight and this is part of what He will speak to in the following discourse at the synagogue.

As we read this we should consider what our reasons are for asking God questions or making requests of Him. Do we want the gifts more than the Giver Himself? No one wants to be loved for what they possess, and it is the same with Jesus. How would you feel if you were a few weeks away from getting married, and then after suffering a financial catastrophe your fiance broke off the marriage? You would feel awful because that would mean they only loved you for what you could give them. They did not love you for who you are. It is the same with Jesus. He does give good gifts to His followers, but He wants us to love Him, not His gifts. He wants to be loved for who He is just like we all do. So we must ask ourselves what our reasons are for coming to Jesus. Do we desire Him or only what He can give us?

Lastly for this study, in verse 27 we see the beginning of Jesus’ discourse after He answers a question the people didn’t ask. But He is answering the question they should have asked, “What were their reasons for following Him, and what should their reasons be for following Him?”. Jesus says to them, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” The people went through a lot of effort to follow Him around the lake, but Jesus was saying they came after Him for purely material reasons. They wanted more food and an earthly king. This is true of all humanity. A sign that offers free food or money will almost always draw a larger crowd than a sign that offers spiritual satisfaction and eternal life. It’s not that humanity is not interested in the spiritual at all, but generally speaking, we all have a hard time prioritizing spiritual, eternal things over temporary material things. We oftentimes feel the hunger in our stomachs much more strongly than the depravity in our souls.

Similar to how Jesus told the woman at the well that He could give her living water of which after drinking she would never thirst again (John 4:13–14), He now tells these people not to work only for physical bread that perishes, but rather, for “the food that endures to eternal life.” It is right and good for us to work to provide for ourselves and families in this world materially, but Jesus is saying there is something infinitely more important than that. This is the radical kind of thinking that leads one to conclude that it would be infinitely better to starve righteously than to prosper wickedly.

We are so often too short sighted, but Jesus is trying to give us an eternal perspective. This is why He also says things like, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). What good will a full stomach today, that was filled by selfish or evil means, do for us when we stand before God after we die? We must work to earn an honest living to the best of our abilities, but there is something even more important for us to think about. What happens after we die? Have we found a solution to the sin we are enslaved to that will lead only to death and eternal suffering? The stuff or prosperity we might enjoy now is a good gift from God, but the gift of the forgiveness of sin and eternal, prosperous life by grace through faith in Jesus is an infinitely greater gift than the food He gives us to eat today. Both are good, but one is infinitely better, and it is vital that we understand this.

It is also vitally important for us to understand this food which “endures to eternal life” only comes from Jesus, “the Son of Man.” Jesus is the one and only way, truth and life. No one attains eternal life except through faith in Him. It is interesting that Jesus uses the title “Son of Man” for Himself here instead of something like “Messiah.” This term can simply refer to a human, but it can also mean more than that. It is a title used in Daniel 7:13–14 to describe a certain Son of Man who the “Ancient of Days (Yahweh)” would give authority and dominion over all peoples and nations. So, Jesus does use it to communicate His humanity, but it is also a way of identifying Himself as the Messiah without stirring up the nationalistic fervor of the people that He had been subduing since the previous day when He perceived they would try to make Him king by force.

After saying this food that endures to eternal life can only be obtained from Him, the Son of Man, Jesus, adds that God the Father has set His seal on Him. But what does Jesus mean by the word “seal?” To help us understand what this means, we can also think of it as God the Father’s “seal of approval.” Additionally, according to John D. Barry, as cited in the Faithlife Study Bible, “seals have been used throughout history as indicators of authority, identity, and approval. The earliest known seals date from the fourth millennium bc. They often took the form of necklaces or rings and were closely guarded. The seals were impressed upon wet clay or hot wax. The images on each seal were unique to their owners and served to identify property, safeguard against fraudulent transactions, and ratify official documents and rulings.” So, by saying God the Father had set His seal on Him, Jesus is communicating that we can have confidence in what He says because God the Father has guaranteed that He was truly sent by Him.

And John the gospel writer already recorded Jesus listing many examples of different things that prove He was sent by God the Father in John 5:30–47, such as the many miraculous signs He performed; and His baptism when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove and the voice of God the Father was heard by all who saw it saying, “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased.” In addition to these signs which many people had witnessed, Jesus also cited the testimony of John the Baptist, and the Old Testament Scriptures that told of His coming. The proofs that God the Father truly sent Jesus and “set His seal on Him” are many and diverse. In other words, the evidence that Jesus is Yahweh incarnate, the Son of God, are as varied as they are abundant. From these various means, God the Father made it clear that Jesus and only Jesus can give people this food that endures to eternal life, or as He told the woman at the well, this living water of which when one drinks they will never be thirsty again.

This gift of eternal life and forgiveness of sin is available to everyone, everywhere who calls on the name of Jesus. If you want this living water and food that endures to eternal life, come to Jesus and trust in Him as your one and only Lord God, and Savior. But you must leave all other gods behind, and surrender your life to Him. The Lord Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Most High and the One True God. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9–10).

Response (How does this change how I think, act and pray?):

This passage should cause us to consider what our reasons for seeking Jesus are. Do we seek Him because He is our Creator God who loves us and cares for us? Do we seek Him because we love and adore Him, and we want to be with Him forever in the close, personal and intimate relationship He desires to have with us? Or do we come to Him as a lord comes to their servant; making demands and requiring that He give us what we want, when we want it, instead of coming as a grateful child and humble servant comes to their Father and Master? We should consider our motivations and confess to God where we see our motivations are wrong. He will not despise our confession, but rather, He will wrap us in His loving arms and create a clean heart for us along with a renewed, righteous motivation day by day as we cling to Him and surrender our hearts to Him anew.

We should also recognize that Jesus is the only One who can and does give the “food that endures to eternal life.” Forgiveness of sin and deliverance from death and the eternal punishment we rightly deserve is only available by grace God’s grace through sincere faith in Jesus Christ. He is the “Son of Man,” to whom the Ancient of Days has given all authority and power over all peoples and lands, seen and unseen (Daniel 7:13–14, Colossians 1:15–23). He is eternally glorious and He has paid the debt we owe for our sin. And He has made forgiveness of sin and salvation from death and hell freely available to every man, woman and child who calls upon His name.

This knowledge should cause us to take action by calling upon Him for salvation, and then to follow His loving command to make disciples of all nations. We who have been saved have also been sent to proclaim the love and grace of Jesus to everyone around us in both word and deed. And most of all, we should never neglect praying to Jesus daily to thank Him for His mercy and grace, and to ask Him to lead us in graciously proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God in which access is granted to all who call on Him.

Self Reflection:

1. What are my reasons for following Jesus and making requests of Him? Do I want the gifts more than the Giver Himself?
2. Will I remain faithful to Jesus and trust that He knows best even when I don’t get what I want when I want it? Is He worthy of my trust in circumstances that don’t make sense according to my incredibly finite perspective?
3. Do I understand that Jesus Himself is the greatest gift? He is the God of the universe who descended in fullness of Deity and humanity to pay my debt for sin and restore me to a loving, personal relationship with Him. With Him I truly lack for nothing. I must internalize and hold tightly to this beautiful truth.