Page 59 - Gospel of John_teachers lesson_cp 1-10_Neat

John 6: 14- Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus
did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
John 6: 15- When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take
him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself
alone.

Lesson Notes:

(John 6:14-15) – The men, likely the heads of each family group, believed that Jesus was a
prophet. Affirming Him as a prophet is not the same as believing He is the Messiah. The men
referred to Him as: “that prophet that should come into the world”. There is a declaration in
Deuteronomy 18:18 that is associated with this response. God declares that He will raise up a
prophet among the brethren of the Hebrew tribes that will be like Moses with the ability to
represent God, hear Him directly, and to speak God’s people.
The men see Jesus, not as the son of God but as son of ancestral Hebrews, bringing to fruition
the declaration of that prophet that should come into the world.

TEACHERS NOTE: Prophet like Moses – Moses was not titled or considered as a prophet by
God. He was named as a God to Pharaoh, meaning that God was represented in person (the
flesh) by Moses. (Exodus 7:1) Aaron is the first prophet noted in scripture, but he is a prophet
to Moses not to the people of God in general, meaning that he speaks to the people on behalf
of Moses. Aaron does not speak to the people based upon receiving a message from God
directly through dreams or visions a trait that will later define the prophetic office. (Num 12:6)

Moses is clearly distinguished by God not as a prophet, hearing God through dreams and
visions but instead as divine representative of God, chosen to hear words directly from God’s
mouth. (Num. 12:7) The declaration in Deuteronomy 18:18 about raising up a prophet like
Moses, must be vetted by the fact that Moses did not stand in office of a prophet. The
declaration is a forecast of a descendant among the Hebrews that will come, titled as a prophet
(unto God), with ability to hear God directly like Moses; mouth to mouth and face to face.
(Deut. 34:10)

The interpretation of the identity by the men and household leaders among the multitude
motivated them to pursue making the son of God a King on earth. The elders accepted bread
they were fed but they are rejecting the bread giver. They refuse to accept His identity as the
son of God and choose instead to reduce His status to the office of a prophet. The kingdom
message He preached, broadcasting eternal life is compromised by their desire to assign Him to
be a king in this world with limited, local jurisdiction.

The son of God separates from those that demand to make him an earthly king and finds a
place in a nearby hillside to isolate Himself.

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