UNBLOCKING THE WELL OF THE LIVING WORD

John 6:1–24 

Focus verse: ‘When the people saw the sign … they said, “This is indeed the Prophet.”’ (John 6:14) 

Old Testament lens: ‘The Lord … will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you.’ (Deuteronomy 18:15) 

John’s Gospel ( 1) is like a detective story. There are lots of clues that point to important things where a deeper meaning is found. In this passage, John carefully notes that the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 happens near Passover, which points back to when God rescued Israel from Egypt, led them through the Red Sea, and fed them with manna in the wilderness. John wants us to make that connection. This is the second Passover mentioned in John’s Gospel. The first was when Jesus cleansed the Temple (John 2), and the final Passover will be at His crucifixion and resurrection. All three are key events tied to themes of freedom, provision, and God’s power to save. 

Like a skilled storyteller, John includes small but meaningful details. Jesus feeds the crowd in a wilderness-like place, away from towns , just like God fed the Israelites in the wilderness. The people are amazed and declare Jesus to be ‘the Prophet who is to come into the world’ (John 6:14), referring to Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses said God would raise up a prophet like him. But they misunderstand what this prophet would do. They hope for a political saviour, someone to lead a revolt against Rome. Jesus had come as a very different saviour. 

The second story in this passage, Jesus walking on water, continues the Exodus theme. After feeding the crowd, Jesus goes up a mountain to pray, while the disciples cross the lake by boat. The Sea of Galilee becomes rough, and they are struggling, frightened and in danger. Then they see Jesus walking on the water toward them, and they are terrified. But Jesus says, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ 

This scene mirrors Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14). In Exodus, the Israelites walked through parted waters on dry ground with walls of water on both sides. Here, Jesus walks on the water. He doesn’t need a path cleared. He commands the sea itself. This shows that Jesus has authority over the forces of chaos, which the sea often represented in Jewish thought. The sea was not just dangerous: it symbolised evil, fear, and disorder. Only God had power over it. 

The Early Church Fathers who inspired the Celtic Church 

St Martin of Tours (316–397), Gaul 

‘Mercy, not sacrifice, is what the Lord desires.’(2) 

St Martin of Tours is one of the most famous saints of early Christianity. There are many stories of miracles attributed to him, both during his lifetime and after his death. Much of what we know about these comes from his contemporary and admirer, Sulpicius Severus, who wrote The Life of St Martin (Vita Sancti Martini) around 397. 

Sulpicius records several instances of Martin raising people from the dead. In one case, he prayed over a catechumen who had died before baptism; after Martin prayed fervently, the man came back to life and was baptised. However, Sulpicius wrote in a hagiographic style (that is, a genre meant to inspire faith rather than record history objectively). Martin’s reputation for healing and holiness was widespread even in his own lifetime, which suggests that many contemporaries sincerely believed these miracles occurred. 

A number of miracles have been attributed to St Columba, but some are more legendary. He is said to have chased away a monster in Loch Ness by speaking, commanding it, and invoking God. The beast fled at his voice. 

However, Adomnán (abbot of Iona) is a serious source. He wrote Vita Columbae (3) between 697 and 704, about 100 years after Columba’s death. He was writing from a relatively close generation (though still a century later). The miracles are presented in hagiographic form, with theological and ecclesiastical motivations. So while they may have been believed by contemporaries and used as signs of sanctity, from a historian’s standpoint one treats them with care. But Vita Columbae is one of the best sources for early Christian miracle lore. 

REVIVAL

The works Jesus does , miracles, healings, signs , were real. They were not idealised pictures painting Jesus in a positive light. They testified to Jesus. John includes this story in John 6 , feeding the 5,000 and walking on water , to help us see Jesus as the fulfilment of the Exodus story, a new and greater Moses. Like Moses, He leads people to freedom, feeds them in the wilderness, and confronts evil powers. The Exodus story is the story of God breaking through. 

Barbara Yoder says, ‘breakthrough is something we cannot achieve on our own. It requires divine intervention’. The term, ‘breaker-through’ is foreign to most Christians. However, Barnes’ Notes says that ‘breaker-through’ is one of the titles given to Christ in Micah 2:13. He is a ‘breaker-through’ because ‘He is the only one who can overcome certain barriers when something immovable is in the way. God the Breaker crashes a gate to move people into an open space place where they’re no longer confined.’(4) If the Lord is going to take ground spiritually in a nation, He needs to establish a beachhead in a person through whom He can get His will done in a nation. 

Ezekiel 22:30 says, ‘And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.’ Are you a person through whom He can get His will done, as an intercessor? National revival requires that at least one person has broken through in a nation. Are you prepared to be that person for the British Isles? James Goll says, ‘it is time for the breakers to come forth for this generation, time to confront the darkness with the light, time for the gatekeepers to open up the way, so that the King of glory will pass before us.’

PRAYER

A prayer of James Goll … ‘I surrender to you my Master and Chief, consume me with your Holy Spirit. Take control of my life. Make me into a prophetic intercessor who helps to make history by coming before your throne. Put your breaker anointing upon my life, for your kingdom’s sake. Fill me anew and use me. Empower me for Christ’s sake. I choose by God’s grace to be a watchman on the walls for my family, my city, my nation and my generation. Like Simeon and Anna, I want to see the purposes of God birthed in my life, take possession of me in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen!’ (5)

Bread on the mountain, storm on the sea ( CLICK ON PICTURE BELOW TO LISTEN TO SONG)

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(1) Wright, N.T. John for everyone, SPCK, 72

(2) Martin of Tours Life of St Martin Vita Sancti Martini

(3) Adumnan Life of St Colomba, Penguin Classics (1995)

(4) Yoder, B. The Breaker anointing, Chosen books (2017), 23, 24

(5) Goll, J. Praying with God’s heart, Chosen books, (2018), 202, 203.