In the Fourth Gospel this expression generally indicates that some considerable period of time had elapsed since the events previously narrated, and does not necessarily mean that the incident about to be reported occurred immediately after those preceding it (cf.
chs. 5:1; 7:1; for the significance of a similar expression, in the singular, see on
ch. 2:12). The events of
ch. 6 occurred nearly a year after those of
ch. 5, if the unnamed feast of
ch. 5:1 was a Passover (see pp. 193, 247; see on
ch. 5:1). In fact, John here passes over the entire period of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee in silence. According to the chronology adopted by this commentary
ch. 6 is dated about Passover time (see
v. 4) of A.D. 30. The events of this chapter are the only ones within the period of Jesus’ Galilean ministry of which John takes note (see pp. 197, 198). The question may be raised as to why, in composing his narrative of seemingly unrelated incidents in Jesus’ life, John should have chosen to relate the miracle of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. It may be observed, first, that of the four Passovers of Jesus’ ministry, this is the only one He did not celebrate at Jerusalem. John, indeed, takes careful note of these feasts and mentions Jesus’ attendance at each of the others (see
chs. 2:13; 5:1; 12:1, 12). Perhaps, in part at least, he intended the narrative of
ch. 6 to mark this Passover season and to explain why Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem. Even more important, the events of
ch. 6 explain how the people of Galilee, once so eager to follow Jesus (see on
Mark 1:44, 45; 3:7-12; John 4:45), now turned against Him (see on
John 6:66) as, the year before, the leaders in Jerusalem had turned against Him (see on
ch. 5:1). As the one incident had brought His Judean ministry to a close, so the events of
ch. 6 mark the close of His public ministry in Galilee (see on
Matt. 15:21).