19  Characteristics of True and  False Disciples  (John 6:16–29)

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate 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 small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (6:16–29)

One of Hawaii’s most famous landmarks is Diamond Head, an extinct volcano on the island of Oahu. Early Western explorers gave it that name not because of its shape, but because of the shining rocks they saw embedded in its slopes. Observing those rocks from a distance, the excited sailors imagined that they had discovered diamonds. But, to their disappointment, closer examination revealed that the “diamonds” were actually just worthless calcite crystals.

In a similar sense, there are many who look from a distance like they are Christ’s disciples, but closer investigation shows them to be something other than what they claim. Such people shine outwardly like brilliant diamonds, but inside they are nothing more than worthless rock. The New Testament describes them as tares among the wheat (Matt. 13:25–30); bad fish that are thrown away (13:48); goats condemned to eternal punishment (25:33, 41); those left standing outside when the head of the house shuts the door (Luke 13:25–27); foolish virgins shut out of the wedding feast (Matt. 25:1–12); and useless slaves who bury their master’s talent in the ground (25:24–30). They are apostates who eventually leave the fellowship of believers (1 John 2:19), manifest an evil, unbelieving heart by abandoning the living God (Heb. 3:12), continue to sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth (Heb. 10:26), and fall away from the truth to everlasting destruction (v. 39). Although they may even think they are on their way to heaven, they are actually on the broad path leading to hell (Matt. 7:13–14).

In light of the serious danger of being deceived, the Bible stresses the cost of being a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ. When a would-be follower said to Him, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father” (Matt. 8:21)—a figure of speech meaning, “Wait until I receive my inheritance”—Jesus replied, “Follow Me, and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead” (v. 22). When another told Him, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home” (Luke 9:61), Jesus replied, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (v. 62). Luke 14:27–35 records the Lord’s sobering warning to count carefully the cost of following Him:

To be His disciple, Jesus warned, means to love Him above all else—even one’s own family:

It also means to love Him more than life. In Luke 9:23–24 Jesus “was saying to them all, ‘If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it’” (cf. Matt. 10:38–39; Luke 14:27; 17:33; John 12:25; 1 Cor. 15:31). Jesus was not speaking about the general trials of life when He referenced the cross on this occasion. Nor was He referring to Calvary, since He had not yet suffered there. His hearers understood His point perfectly—the cross meant death. Only true disciples are willing to submit to Christ’s lordship in everything—even if it means persecution and execution. No price is too high for the gift of eternal life.

In contrast, false disciples fall apart when the going gets tough. When “affliction or persecution arises because of the word,” or “the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word” (Matt. 13:21–22), they show their true colors. As we will see later in chapter 6, after hearing the Lord teach that He is the Bread of Life, “many of His disciples, when they heard this said, ‘This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?’… As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore” (John 6:60, 66). Such false disciples do not come to Christ to bow before Him as Lord and Savior; rather they come seeking their own personal gain. When their selfish desires do not materialize, they forsake Him altogether.

This chapter shows that not all “disciples” are true believers (v. 66), but all believers are “disciples”—devoted followers of Jesus Christ. It should be noted that “disciples” are not a special class of Christians who are actively pursuing sanctification, as opposed to “believers,” who have merely believed in Christ and been justified. The Bible makes it clear that all Christians are true disciples (“disciple” becomes a synonym for “believer” throughout the book of Acts; e.g., 6:1–2, 7; 9:1, 19, 26, 36, 38; 11:26, 29; 13:52; 15:10; 18:23, 27; 19:9, 30; 20:1; 21:4, 16), and that all true Christians pursue sanctification (1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 2:10; James 2:14–26; cf. 1 Cor. 6:11). (For a further discussion of this issue, see my book The Gospel According to Jesus [Rev. ed., Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994].)

Verses 16–29 comprise two passages that set the stage for Jesus’ discourse on the Bread of Life. They also portray the stark contrast between true and false disciples. The first account describes Jesus walking on the water to the Twelve, who were caught in a storm on the Sea of Galilee. It illustrates the response that true disciples have toward Christ. The second story, in which the crowd that Jesus had just fed (6:1–15) sought Him for another free meal, reveals how false disciples respond to the Lord. For both groups Jesus performed a supernatural sign. Yet the subsequent responses in each case were entirely different.

THE RESPONSE OF TRUE DISCIPLES

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (6:16–21)

Jesus’ walking on the water (cf. the accounts of this miracle in Matt. 14:24–33; Mark 6:47–52) is the fifth (cf. John 2:11; 4:54; 5:1–17; 6:1–15) miraculous sign John recorded in his gospel (20:30–31). In keeping with John’s purpose, it demonstrates Christ’s deity by revealing His power over the laws of nature. And, in contrast to the false disciples of vv. 22–29, it exposes the reverent response of Jesus’ true followers.

THE SUPERNATURAL SIGN

Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat; and they were frightened. (6:16–19)

When He dismissed the crowd (thus thwarting their attempt to make Him king by force; 6:14–15), Jesus also sent the disciples away (Matt. 14:22). They were no doubt excited by the crowd’s response. It must have seemed that their Master was finally getting the honor He was due. Jesus had taught them to pray for God’s kingdom to come (Matt. 6:10), and it might have looked like that prayer was about to be answered. Knowing their hearts and not wanting them to be swept up in the crowd’s superficial enthusiasm, the Lord removed the disciples from the situation. They probably did not fully understand why Jesus sent them away, but they obeyed Him nonetheless.

According to Mark 6:45, their initial destination was Bethsaida, not far from where the thousands were fed. Apparently, they were planning to meet Jesus there before crossing the lake to the western shore (Matt. 14:34; Mark 6:53). When evening came, the disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. Evening here refers to the second evening (cf. Ex. 12:6 where “at twilight” lit. reads “between the two evenings”), from sunset to dark. They waited at Bethsaida until it had already become dark. Then, since Jesus had not yet come to them, the disciples reluctantly returned to their boat and took their voyage to Capernaum, on the northwest shore.

The Sea of Galilee lies nearly 700 feet below sea level in the Jordan Rift, while the surrounding hills rise abruptly to about 2,000 feet above sea level. The sharp drop of nearly 3,000 feet from the tops of the hills to the surface of the lake creates ideal conditions for the sudden, violent storms for which the Sea of Galilee is notorious (cf. Matt. 8:23–27). The cooler air rushes down the slopes and strikes the surface of the lake with great force, churning the water into whitecaps and creating dangerous conditions for small boats.

As they sailed across the lake toward Capernaum, the disciples found themselves caught in one of those sudden squalls. John recalled that the sea began to be stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. The wind was so powerful that it blew the disciples’ little boat off course, pushing it “a long distance from the land” (Matt. 14:24) toward “the middle of the sea” (Mark 6:47). Despite being “battered by the waves” (Matt. 14:24), the disciples continued “straining at the oars” (Mark 6:48), desperately trying to reach the safety of the western shore. (Even if their boat had been equipped with a sail, it would have done the disciples little good, since they were heading into the wind [Matt. 14:24].) But their progress was painfully slow. The disciples had left for Capernaum sometime between 6:00 and 9:00 P.M. (John 6:16), and according to Matthew 14:25 and Mark 6:48 it was now the fourth watch of the night (3:00 to 6:00 A.M.). During those long, dark, exhausting, stressful hours, they had rowed only about three or four miles.

Meanwhile, Jesus was alone on the mountain praying (6:15; Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:46). Ever the faithful Shepherd (John 10:11–14), however, He had not forgotten the disciples. In His infinite wisdom, He planned to help them according to His perfect timing. Divine sovereignty, omnipotence, and omniscience are never in a hurry. Of course, the disciples could never have imagined what form that help would take.

Suddenly, through the darkness, swirling wind, stinging spray, and raging waves, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat. They had struggled for hours, making little headway. He, however, was walking effortlessly into the teeth of the gale. In fact, Jesus was moving so rapidly that it looked to the disciples as if He would pass right by them (Mark 6:48). Because of the darkness, and the wind-whipped mist and spray, the disciples did not recognize the mysterious figure who came walking toward their boat.

Many (perhaps as many as seven) of the disciples were fishermen by trade, and were used to being on the lake at night and in rough weather (cf. 21:3; Luke 5:5). Though no doubt concerned (cf. Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:36–41; Luke 8:22–25), because the waves threatened to swamp their boat (Mark 4:37; Luke 8:23), they were familiar with these types of storms. But they were certainly not accustomed to seeing human figures walking on the water. Not surprisingly, they were frightened, and cried out in terror, “It is a ghost!”(Matt. 14:26; Mark 6:49).

Some unbelieving skeptics have suggested that Jesus was actually walking along the shore, and that the terrified disciples mistakenly thought He was walking on the water. But the disciples’ boat was much too far from the land (Matt. 14:24 literally reads “many stadia”; a stadion was about an eighth of a mile) for them to have seen through the stormy darkness a person walking on the shore. The idea that these experienced fishermen thought someone walking on the shore was walking on the water is merely a desperate attempt to deny what the gospels clearly portray as supernatural. Like all His miracles, the Lord’s walking on the water was not a frivolous magic trick. By suspending the law of gravity He gave His disciples dramatic, visible proof that He is the Creator and controller of the physical universe (1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2).

THE SUBSEQUENT RESPONSE

But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” So they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. (6:20–21)

As noted above, and as would be expected, the Twelve responded to Jesus’ miraculous appearance with sheer terror. There was no natural explanation for what they had seen. Adding to their fear, the disciples did not initially recognize Jesus as He approached. But the Lord calmed His panic-stricken disciples, telling them, “Take courage [Matt. 14:27; Mark 6:50]; it is I; do not be afraid.” Recognizing Jesus at last, the disciples were willing and glad to receive Him into the boat.

The Twelve, like all true disciples of Jesus Christ, longed for His presence. They had been reluctant to leave when He dismissed them along with the crowd (the verb translated “He made” in Matt. 14:22 and Mark 6:45 literally means “to compel,” or “to force” people to do something they do not want to do; cf. its use in Luke 14:23; Acts 26:11; 28:19; 2 Cor. 12:11; Gal. 2:3, 14; 6:12). They no doubt were disappointed when Jesus did not meet them before they started their voyage across the lake (vv. 16–17). Now, to their astonishment and relief, He had returned to them in a most unexpected way, and they were overjoyed.

Bold and impetuous as ever, Peter could not wait for the Lord to get in the boat. He was so eager to be near Jesus that he leaped overboard to get to Him sooner:

The story of Christ’s walking on the water actually includes not one miracle, but four. Not only did Jesus walk on the water, but so also did Peter (at least for a few moments). Matthew and Mark record a third miracle. When Jesus (along with a soaking wet and thoroughly chastened Peter) got into the boat, the wind immediately stopped (Matt. 14:32; Mark 6:51). Finally John records a fourth miracle: after Jesus got on board and calmed the storm, immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going. Miraculously, the boat instantly traversed the remaining distance to the western shore.

Utterly astonished (cf. Mark 4:41), “those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’” (Matt. 14:33). The only appropriate response to Jesus Christ is to fall before Him in worship, as did the wise men at His birth (Matt. 2:11), a Canaanite woman (15:25), a blind man whom Jesus healed (John 9:38), the women who came to the tomb after the resurrection (Matt. 28:9), Thomas (John 20:28), and the rest of the eleven disciples (Matt. 28:17; Luke 24:52). Although they were amazed by Jesus’ miracle, the Twelve responded as all true followers of Jesus Christ do—with adoration and worship.

THE RESPONSE OF FALSE DISCIPLES

The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate 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 small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (6:22–29)

John’s account continues by contrasting the response of the Twelve with the response of the crowd which Jesus had just fed. They too had witnessed His divine creative power. But, instead of responding with heartfelt worship, they responded with selfishness and greed.

THE SUPERNATURAL SIGN

The next day the crowd that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. There came other small boats from Tiberias near to the place where they ate 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 small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. (6:22–24)

With Jesus and the disciples having crossed the lake to the western shore during the night, the scene the next day shifted back to the east side of the lake. At least part of the crowd that had witnessed Jesus’ healings (v. 2) and been miraculously fed (vv. 3–13) stood the following morning on the other (eastern) side of the sea. They had spent the night there (Matt. 14:22; Mark 6:45), and in the morning they were looking for Him, hoping for another free meal (v. 26), and perhaps still intending to make Him king by force so He could be a permanent source of miraculous provision (v. 15).

Gradually, it dawned on them that something strange had happened. They remembered that there had been no other small boat there the previous day, except the one the disciples had used. They also knew that Jesus had not entered with His disciples into the boat, but that His disciples had gone away alone. The mystery, then, was where was Jesus, if He had not left with the disciples? The crowd, of course, could not know what had really happened; they had not witnessed Him walking on the water.

Verse 23 is a parenthesis, explaining where the small boats that transported the crowd back to Capernaum came from. Tiberias was an important city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (see the discussion of 6:1 in chapter 18 of this volume). Why the flotilla came to the place where the thousands ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks is not clear. Perhaps the owners of the boats had heard of the miraculous feeding and had come to investigate. Or they may have come to pick up their friends and loved ones, or to act as water taxis, seeking to cash in on the large numbers of people in need of transportation. Or they may have been forced to seek shelter from the same storm in which the disciples had been caught the night before.

After searching unsuccessfully for Him, the crowd finally realized that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples. Accordingly, they themselves got into the small boats, and came to Capernaum seeking Jesus. Capernaum, Jesus’ adopted home town (Matt. 4:13), was the logical place to look for Him. Some of the people may also have overheard the Lord telling the disciples to sail there (Matt. 14:22).

Though the crowd sought Jesus (v. 24), they did so for the wrong reasons. They followed Him for what they could get; they were not interested in either worshiping or obeying Him. The previous evening they had experienced His miraculous power and provision (of healing and feeding); they had all witnessed and personally benefited from that supernatural sign. But instead of responding with humble worship (like the Twelve), they wanted more from Him. They had no other interest in Jesus. They wanted Him to serve them. The superficial crowd is always an easy target for the false promise of personal prosperity.

THE SUBSEQUENT RESPONSE

When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” (6:25–29)

When they finally found Jesus in Capernaum, the people said to Him in amazement, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” As noted above, they knew He had not left in the disciples’ boat. Nor could He have walked (on land) to Capernaum without them having seen Him. Although they had found Him, the mystery of how Jesus came to Capernaum still remained.

Jesus purposely did not answer their question. Just the day before they had tried to make Him king by force after He miraculously fed them; telling them of another, even more spectacular miracle would only have fueled their misguided messianic fervor. Besides, the Lord did not commit Himself to thrill-seeking false disciples (2:24; cf. Ps. 25:14; Prov. 3:32; Matt. 13:11). He ignored their irrelevant and superficial question and addressed the deeper issue of their sinful motives.

As it does throughout John’s gospel (e.g., 1:51; 3:3, 5; 5:24; 6:47, 53; 8:51, 58; 13:21), the solemn affirmation amen, amen (truly, truly) introduces an important truth to which Jesus wanted His hearers to pay careful attention. The Lord’s rebuke, “you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled,” laid bare their selfish, materialistic hearts. So blinded were they by their superficial desire for food and miracles that they missed the true spiritual significance of Jesus’ person and mission. “They were moved not by full hearts, but by full bellies” (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 358). Though they had witnessed the miraculous signs Jesus had performed (v. 14), they failed to grasp the spiritual implications of those miracles. Amazingly, after the feeding of the crowd, even the Twelve “had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:52). They had failed to comprehend the full reality that God was in their midst, until He walked on water. Then they said, “You are certainly God’s Son!” (Matt. 14:33). When the Lord earlier calmed another storm on that same lake, they only asked the question, “What kind of a man is this?” (Matt. 8:27). Thus our Lord called them “men of little faith” (Matt. 8:26).

Jesus rebuked the crowd for their crass materialism. Instead of working for the food which perishes, the physical food they sought, Jesus exhorted them to pursue the food which endures to eternal life (Jesus Himself, the Bread of Life; vv. 35, 54). While He was certainly aware of their need for physical nourishment (cf. vv. 10–12), He was much more interested in their spiritual well-being. As He earlier had distinguished physical water from the “water springing up to eternal life” (4:14), Jesus here pointed His hearers away from literal food to Himself as the Bread of Life (vv. 33, 35, 48, 51). Rather than focusing on the decaying outer man (2 Cor. 4:16), they needed to seek the spiritual nourishment which only the Son of Man can give. After all, to gain the whole material world but forfeit one’s eternal soul profits nothing (Matt. 16:26; Luke 12:16–21). As the one on whom the Father, God, has set His seal of approval, Jesus has the authority to dispense the spiritual food that comes from God and satisfies the hunger for righteousness (Matt. 5:6).

In response to Jesus’ command in verse 27 to pursue the spiritual, nonperishing food of eternal life, the people said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” They filtered Jesus’ words through their own warped minds and thought He was saying they needed to do some works to earn eternal life. What was that work they should do, they wondered. Similarly, the rich young ruler asked Him, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16), and in Luke 10:25 “a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” It was a familiar matter for the Jews to pursue eternal life through their religion, so the question was common.

True salvation, of course, is not by works (Titus 3:5). Thus, Jesus answered their question by noting that the only work acceptable to God is to believe in Him whom He has sent. Salvation is by grace alone (Eph. 2:8–9) through faith alone (Rom 3:28) in Christ alone (Acts 4:12), “because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16). Salvation is the gift of God (John 4:10; Rom. 5:15; 6:23; Eph. 2:8). Jesus called faith a work, since

Thus, salvation does not come from human effort, achievement, or moral works, but from a faith that inevitably produces good works (Eph. 2:10; cf. Matt. 3:10; 7:16–20; 12:33; 13:23; Luke 6:43–46; Eph. 5:8–9; Col. 1:10). A “faith” that does not produce fruit is dead, meaning that it is not really biblical faith at all (James 2:14–26).

The rest of John chapter 6 develops Jesus’ teaching regarding the food which endures to eternal life. Pointing to Himself as the Bread of Life, Jesus offered Himself to His listeners as their eternal deliverer. The crowd, however, was ultimately not interested. They had been intrigued by His earlier healings, and they had been temporarily satisfied by His miraculous meal. But their initially enthusiastic response to those supernatural signs (v. 15) quickly faded when their superficial expectations went unmet. Unlike the Twelve, who responded to Jesus’ power with praise, the crowd responded first with curiosity, but unwilling to abandon their false righteousness and repent, they were left finally with rejection. Although they followed Christ for a little while, even sailing across the Sea of Galilee to find Him, they eventually demonstrated that they were not true followers at all.