Lessons from John 6: When Life Gets Hard
Let me ask you: What do you do when life gets hard? What is your reaction when things don’t seem to be going your way or as you expected them to?
In today’s lesson we learn that no matter what comes our way, no matter what difficulties, trials, or temptations we may face Jesus is all-sufficient in every situation.
There are three main divisions in John 6:
Jesus:
Now, since John does not give us the whole picture of what is happening here, we must turn to the other gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They help give us a complete understanding of what is going on here.
We begin this chapter with the words, “Sometime after this.” This lets us know that there had been a lapse of time. If you look at verse 4, John helps point us to the fact that the Passover was near. It clues us in to the fact that this is the second Passover feast since Jesus’ public ministry began.
It also helps us know that this event took place a little over a year prior to Jesus’ crucifixion. So we might be able to conclude that there was about 7-10 months between the events of John 5 and the healing of the paralytic man and chapter 6 and the feeding of the 5,000.
Yet in between this lapse of time, several things had taken place. If you were to line up all four gospels you would see that Jesus had already given the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5-7. Also, Mark 6:6 tells us that Jesus had gone around teaching from village to village.
Calling the 12 to Him, He then sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. This was along with numerous other miracles that had taken place. And sadly enough, it was during this time that John the Baptist had been killed by Herod.
Remember, John the Baptist was not only Jesus’ cousin, he was also the one sent by God as the forerunner to prepare the way (meaning the people) for Jesus to come. John the Baptist had given his whole life to the purposes of God and he had shared a sweet fellowship with Jesus as a close family member.
He also carried out his mission, which was to preach and teach the people that Jesus was the Messiah.
And because Herod desired the praise of man more than the will of God, he got caught up in a wretched scheme. He granted that John the Baptist’s head be cut off and delivered to Herodias. Herodias, who had not only involved Herod in this evil plot, but also her daughter. You can find that in Matthew 14.
Now as they were all coming back together, they must have been eager to share their own experiences with the others. They were probably equally excited to hear about the others’ experiences while they had been apart. They were also grieving the loss of their fellow brother in Christ, John the Baptist. He had given his life fully to the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
So we can only imagine how tired and worn out these men were, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. They had poured themselves out for the message and glory of God, day after day, for over a period of 7-10 months.
How would you respond in a similar situation?
Terri Hamman
Faith & Fitness Coach