As Jesus’ popularity grew in Galilee the people began to flock to him. The miraculous signs he was doing told people that he was someone special. They wanted to be near him. This led to Jesus and his disciples not having any time to rest.

“Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing those who were ill. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Festival was near.” (John 6:1-4 NIV)

No matter where Jesus went the people found out where he was going and followed. This time they ended up in a deserted area. Jesus ended up feeding the crowd with a boy’s lunch: five small barley loaves and two small fish, multiplying this lunch so that everyone had “as much as they wanted” (John 6:11).

Despite being pressed by the people, Jesus still took time for them. When they found him he not only taught them but took pity on them when they had no food. Who was this teacher who could do such great things?

“After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’ Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:14-15)

Anyone who could do all the things that Jesus was doing must be a prophet of God – but not just a prophet, the Prophet who was to come. God had told Moses, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18). Here was Jesus, obviously from God because of the healing and other miracles he was doing, and also a teacher. Did he not fit the description God had given Moses?

If Jesus was the Prophet, then why not make him king and allow him to deal with the Romans? The truth was that Jesus was the Prophet but being forced to rule as a king was not why he had come. Yes, he was a king and had a kingdom, but it was not of this world (John 18:36). So Jesus withdrew from the people to be alone.

That evening the disciples sailed away heading to Capernaum. It was dark, the wind was blowing, and the water became rough. That was when they saw Jesus – he was approaching their boat walking on the water! That scared them! Wouldn’t we be scared if in the pitch black night we suddenly saw someone approach our boat walking on the water? The other accounts of this event record that the disciples thought Jesus was a ghost (Matthew 14:26). After Jesus saved Peter from sinking in the water they realised that Jesus truly was someone different.

“And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” (Matthew 14:32-33).

When Jesus taught the crowds the next day they grew disillusioned with him because of his teaching that he was the bread of life. They went from acknowledging him as the Prophet and wanting to make him king one day to turning their backs on him the next. They were grappling with the question that people still struggle with: who is Jesus?

They had the evidence in front of them: the miraculous signs and the teaching. They rightly concluded he was the Prophet. Their problem was that they had expectations of who this Prophet would be – they wanted an earthly ruler. Jesus’ disciples saw the same evidence and arrived at a better conclusion: Jesus was the son of God.

The evidence is recorded for us. What is our conclusion? Who is Jesus?

Image by Jon Galloway: storm on the Sea of Galilee.

Readings for next week: John 4-8