Ark of the Covenant - Bible History Online
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Picture Study Bible with Maps and Background Information

John 6

1 - After these things, Jesus went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee, which is also called the Sea of Tiberias.
2 - A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.
3 - Jesus went up into the mountain, and he sat there with his disciples.
4 - Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.
5 - Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip,"Where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?"
6 - This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.
7 - Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may receive a little."
8 - One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him,
9 - "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?"
10 - Jesus said,"Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 - Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired.
12 - When they were filled, he said to his disciples,"Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost."
13 - So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.
14 - When therefore the people saw the sign which Jesus did, they said, "This is truly the prophet who comes into the world."
15 - Jesus therefore, perceiving that they were about to come and take him by force, to make him king, withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
16 - When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,
17 - and they entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them.
18 - The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing.
19 - When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea,see and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.Job 9:8
20 - But he said to them,"It is I.Don't be afraid."
21 - They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.
22 - On the next day, the multitude that stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except the one in which his disciples had embarked, and that Jesus hadn't entered with his disciples into the boat, but his disciples had gone away alone.
23 - However boats from Tiberias came near to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
24 - When the multitude therefore saw that Jesus wasn't there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats, and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25 - When they found him on the other side of the sea, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
26 - Jesus answered them,"Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.
27 - Don't work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him."
28 - They said therefore to him, "What must we do, that we may work the works of God?"
29 - Jesus answered them,"This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
30 - They said therefore to him, "What then do you do for a sign, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you do?
31 - Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness. As it is written, 'He gave them bread out of heaven to eat.'"Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:24-25
32 - Jesus therefore said to them,"Most certainly, I tell you, it wasn't Moses who gave you the bread out of heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread out of heaven.
33 - For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world."
34 - They said therefore to him, "Lord, always give us this bread."
35 - Jesus said to them,"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.
36 - But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don't believe.
37 - All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
38 - For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.
39 - This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day.
40 - This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
41 - The Jews therefore murmured concerning him, because he said,"I am the bread which came down out of heaven."
42 - They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say,'I have come down out of heaven?'"
43 - Therefore Jesus answered them,"Don't murmur among yourselves.
44 - No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up in the last day.
45 - It is written in the prophets, 'They will all be taught by God.'Isaiah 54:13Therefore everyone who hears from the Father, and has learned, comes to me.
46 - Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God. He has seen the Father.
47 - Most certainly, I tell you, he who believes in me has eternal life.
48 - I am the bread of life.
49 - Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.
50 - This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that anyone may eat of it and not die.
51 - I am the living bread which came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. Yes, the bread which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh."
52 - The Jews therefore contended with one another, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
53 - Jesus therefore said to them,"Most certainly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you don't have life in yourselves.
54 - He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 - For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
56 - He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I in him.
57 - As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he who feeds on me, he will also live because of me.
58 - This is the bread which came down out of heaven-not as our fathers ate the manna, and died. He who eats this bread will live forever."
59 - He said these things in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum.
60 - Therefore many of his disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying! Who can listen to it?"
61 - But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them,"Does this cause you to stumble?
62 - Then what if you would see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
63 - It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and are life.
64 - But there are some of you who don't believe." For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who didn't believe, and who it was who would betray him.
65 - He said,"For this cause I have said to you that no one can come to me, unless it is given to him by my Father."
66 - At this, many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 - Jesus said therefore to the twelve,"You don't also want to go away, do you?"
68 - SimonPeter answered him, "Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
69 - We have come to believe and know that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
70 - Jesus answered them,"Didn't I choose you, the twelve, and one of you is a devil?"
71 - Now he spoke of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, for it was he who would betray him, being one of the twelve.
John Images and Notes

The Book of John

John 1:14 - And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 20:31 - But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

John in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

St. John the Evangelist by Guido Reni
Painting of St. John the Evangelist by Reni - 1620

Introduction to The Gospel of John

The Word Gospel. The fourth book of the New Testament is the Gospel of John. John is the fourth of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of The Book of John

Brief Summary. Jesus was Jehovah God, the eternal Word made flesh. He came to His home, Israel, and He was rejected. He came to this world, and the world rejected Him, but anyone who  would believe and receive Him would have life through His name, and be given authority to call themselves a "son of god."

Purpose. John makes one thing clear in John 20:30, 31 - "these ( things) are written that ye may believe that Jesus is the Christ; and that believing ye may have life in his name." John sought to lead men to eternal life by first convincing them of His deity, the miracles were actually recorded as "signs" to confirm His deity, that He was Jehovah God, the incarnate Word made flesh. John called Jesus the bread of life, the light of the world, the good shepherd, the way the truth and the life, the true vine, all clearly pointing to the deity of Jesus. In fact John points to everything in His life and teachings as a sign that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Eternal Word of God who "became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth" (John 1: 14).

John Compared to the Other Gospel Accounts. The "Synoptic Gospels" - Matthew, Mark and Luke all have their unique perspective of the life of Jesus Christ, as well as John's approach. John is always emphasizing the deity of Jesus as well as His divine miracles. John also gives us a bit more information about Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem, where Matthew, Mark and Luke focus more on His Galilean ministry. There is also a difference regarding the chronology of the last week (Passion Week) of Christ's life. It is important to note that the Gospel accounts do not necessarily place their focus on chronology and orderly biography of the ministry of Jesus with names, places, and dates, but rather a full perspective of their unique portrayal of Jesus Christ.

Authorship. The author of the Gospel of John is identified in John 21:20 as "The disciple whom Jesus loved" who leaned on Jesus' breast. It is clear that John was that disciple and he did not wish to use his own name directly as the author, possibly for reasons of humility. Early church historical writings from early second century AD recognize the Gospel of John as a sacred book. Theophilus of Antioch (170 AD) was the first to write the name John as the author. Shortly after this Irenaeus identified John as the disciple who had leaned on Jesus' breast. This is especially important because Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who had known the man John personally. Clement of Alexandria mentions John as having composed a "spiritual gospel."

Critics of John as the Author. There is a statement that was made by Papias that there were actually two men named John in Ephesus at the same time, and John the Apostle was referred to as "John the Elder". Many opponents of the apostle John's authorship give credit to the other John as the writer of the fourth Gospel. Although the answer cannot be positively determined by history, tradition and internal evidence definitely point to John the apostle as the author.

Date. It is worthy to consider the words of the most famous archaeologist of all time that according to archaeological evidence there is "no longer any solid basis for dating any book of the New Testament after about A.D. 80." Most scholars conclude that the book of John was written around 85 or 90 AD probably before the exile to Patmos. It is also important to consider John 5:2 when it mentions "Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep [market] a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches." This verse would indicate that this existed at the current time that the Gospel of John was written. This would place the written work before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. There is also no evidence as to whether John wrote the Gospel before or after his return to Ephesus from the Island of Patmos.

The Man John. John's book attributes the work to "the disciple whom Jesus loved." This say a lot about the man John, and the fact that Jesus left his mother Mary in John's care, having spoken the words from the cross, is very significant. Another indicator of John's character is found in the book of 1 John, he continually talks about love, loving one another, and that God is love, etc. It is also safe to say that John was a Jew, this can be clearly seen by his accuracy about Jewish customs, Jewish way of thinking, and by his quotations from the Hebrew Old Testament. He knew the topography of the land of Israel from a Jewish perspective quite well. It is easy to see in his writings that he was a close disciple of Jesus, an eyewitness of the events surrounding Jesus' ministry. One can determine by process of elimination, that the author is not just any John but John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, who is prominently mentioned in the Gospel accounts.

John and Church History.  Church tradition records that John came to Ephesus after Paul's work was finished there. Later, during the reign of the Emperor Domitian, he was banished to the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelation. Shortly thereafter he was released and returned to the city of Ephesus.

Archaeology. The Rylands Papyrus Fragment was discovered in 1920 in Egypt containing a few verses from John 18 dating back to about 120-135 AD.

Outline of the Book of John

The Word of God - Chapter 1:1-51
His Public Ministry - Chapters 2:1-12:50
His Private Ministry - Chapters 13:1-17:26
His Death and Resurrection - Chapters 18:1-20:31
John's Conclusion - Chapter 21:1-25

Jesus written in Hebrew
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

John Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire