But He was asking this to test himIn this passage, Jesus is speaking to Philip, one of His disciples. The context is the feeding of the five thousand, a miracle that demonstrates Jesus' divine power and compassion. The "test" here is not a temptation to sin but a means to strengthen Philip's faith and understanding. Testing in the Bible often serves to reveal the heart and to prepare individuals for greater responsibilities (
James 1:2-4). Jesus frequently used questions to provoke thought and insight, as seen in His interactions throughout the Gospels. This method of teaching aligns with rabbinic traditions of the time, where questions were used to engage students deeply.
for He knew
This phrase highlights Jesus' omniscience, a key attribute of His divine nature. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus demonstrates knowledge that surpasses human understanding, such as knowing the thoughts of others (Matthew 9:4) and foreseeing future events (John 13:1). This foreknowledge is consistent with Old Testament depictions of God, who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). Jesus' knowledge here reassures believers of His sovereignty and control over all circumstances.
what He was about to do
Jesus' awareness of His impending actions underscores His intentionality and purpose. The miracle of feeding the five thousand is not a spontaneous act but a deliberate demonstration of His power and provision. This event foreshadows the Last Supper and the spiritual nourishment Jesus provides through His sacrifice (John 6:35). It also connects to Old Testament themes of God providing manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16), positioning Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promise to sustain His people. The phrase emphasizes that Jesus' miracles are signs pointing to His identity as the Messiah and the Son of God.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus- The central figure in this passage, Jesus is the one who poses the question to test Philip. His divine knowledge and purpose are highlighted here.
2.
Philip- One of Jesus' disciples, Philip is directly addressed by Jesus in this passage. His response to Jesus' question is part of the test.
3.
The Feeding of the Five Thousand- This event is the broader context of
John 6:6. It is a miraculous sign where Jesus feeds a large crowd with five loaves and two fish.
4.
The Sea of Galilee- The location where this event takes place, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.
5.
The Crowd- A large group of people following Jesus, eager to hear His teachings and witness His miracles.
Teaching Points
Divine TestingJesus tests Philip not to cause him to fail, but to strengthen his faith. In our lives, God may allow tests to refine and grow our trust in Him.
Foreknowledge and SovereigntyJesus knew what He was about to do, demonstrating His divine foreknowledge and control over the situation. We can trust in God's sovereignty in our lives.
Faith in ProvisionJust as Jesus provided for the crowd, He will provide for our needs. We are called to trust in His provision, even when the situation seems impossible.
Engagement with GodJesus engages Philip with a question, inviting him into a deeper understanding. We should be open to God's questions in our lives, which lead us to greater faith and insight.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 6:6?
2.How does John 6:6 demonstrate Jesus' foreknowledge and divine wisdom?
3.What can we learn about testing faith from John 6:6?
4.How does John 6:6 connect with other instances of testing in Scripture?
5.How can we apply Jesus' method of testing in our spiritual growth?
6.What does John 6:6 teach about trusting God's plan in uncertain situations?
7.Why did Jesus test Philip in John 6:6 if He already knew the answer?
8.How does John 6:6 challenge the concept of divine omniscience?
9.What is the significance of testing in the context of John 6:6?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 6?
11.Do you want to be healed?
12.Did Herod want to kill John the Baptist? Yes (Matthew 14:5) No. It was Herodias, the wife of Herod who wanted to kill him. But Herod knew that he was a righteous man and kept him safe (Mark 6:20)
13.John 6:5-13: How can the feeding of thousands with just five loaves and two fish be accepted without historical or scientific evidence for a large-scale miracle event?
14.Who was Philip in the Bible?What Does John 6:6 Mean
But He was asking this• Jesus initiates the conversation with Philip (John 6:5). He does not need information; He already sees the crowd and knows their need.
• Similar moments are found when God opens dialogue even though He knows all—“Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9) and “Where is your brother Abel?” (Genesis 4:9).
• These questions draw people into partnership with God’s work rather than leaving them as passive observers.
to test him• Scripture often presents tests as opportunities to strengthen genuine faith (James 1:3;1 Peter 1:6-7).
• Philip’s practical mindset (“Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not enough,”John 6:7) exposes human limitation, directing attention to Christ’s sufficiency.
• God’s testing never aims to trip us but to reveal what is in us and to refine it, echoing God’s purpose with Israel in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2).
for He knew• Jesus possesses full divine knowledge: “He Himself knew what was in a man” (John 2:25) and later, “Jesus knew that His hour had come” (John 13:1).
• His omniscience assures us that our circumstances never surprise Him; He governs every detail with perfect awareness (Psalm 139:1-4).
what He was about to do• Christ had already planned the miracle of feeding five thousand (John 6:10-13). The disciples would soon distribute food they could not provide on their own, learning firsthand that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
• Other times Jesus acts with clear foreknowledge include raising Lazarus (John 11:11-14) and arranging the Passover room (Luke 22:10-13).
• Knowing the outcome, He leads followers step-by-step so they can witness His power, trust His heart, and glorify His name (John 11:40).
summaryJohn 6:6 shows Jesus engaging Philip to expose need, deepen faith, and display divine sufficiency. The test is not for Jesus to learn anything—He already knows. It is for the disciple to shift focus from human resources to the Lord who multiplies them. Each test we face carries the same invitation: recognize our limits, rely on Christ’s limitless power, and watch Him accomplish what He already intends to do.
(6)
And this he said to prove him.--This gives us a glimpse into the educational method of the great Teacher. There is for Him no difficulty. He of Himself knows what He is about to do. But Philip had, we may think, been present at Cana of Galilee, and had seen the wine multiplied to supply the needs of all. Other signs had spoken to the eye, and a fuller teaching had spoken to the ear. How far had either spoken to the spirit? He had felt the Divine Presence in separate instances. Had he realised it as a law of life, holding for every need that could arise? The student has learnt individual facts, but has he laid hold of the principle which underlies them? The one is from without, and depends upon the teacher; the other is from within, and is the true education of the man himself. He has been taught; he is now to be examined.
Verse 6. -
This he said to test him; but it is doubtful whether more is involved than an endeavour to entice from Philip the answer of faith, such
e.g., as "Lord, all things are possible to thee." Philip of Bethsaida was, moreover, in all probability, present at the wedding feast at Cans, and might have anticipated some such sign of the resources of his Lord. The other hints of Philip's character are severally consistent with this. Philip had said in the first instance to Nathanael, "Come and see." "Seeing is believing;" and Philip, on the night of the Passion, after much hearing and seeing of Jesus, said, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us;" for he had even then not risen to the loftiness of the perception that the Father had been and was being revealed in Christ's own life (ch. 14.). Philip's personal acquaintance with the immediate vicinity is more likely to be the reason of his being put to this proof; while the tact of the inquiry as addressed to him is an undesigned note of the identity of the Johannine Christ with that portrayed by the synoptists. Bengel's suggestion, that Philip was entrusted with the commissariat of the twelve, is hardly consistent with the fact that Judas kept the common purse. We are expressly told that Jesus did not put the question in consequence of any deficiency of knowledge or resources on his own part, but to test the character and tone of Philip's mind.
He himself knew what he was about to do. Thus, by a slight touch, we see the blending of the distinctly human with the consciously Divine elements of that unique personality of his. There were to his Divine consciousness no gaps of reality, but he so threw himself into human conditions that he could ask the question and pass through the experience of a man. The whole
kenotic controversy is, of course, involved in the solution of the problem offered by this verse. Perhaps no greater difficulty is involved in imagining the union of the Divine and human in one personality, in which at times the Ego is the Son of God and at other times purely the Son of man, than there is in the blending of the flesh and spirit in the Divine life of our own experience. John saw this, felt this, when the question was addressed to Philip. He saw by intuitive glance, as on so many other occasions, what Christ "knew" absolutely (
ἤδει) or came to know by experience and observation (
John 4:1;
John 16:19). The "trial," not the "temptation," of Philip was obvious in the form and tone of the question. The use of the word
πειράζων shows that it frequently means "test," "prove," as well as "tempt." If God tempts, it is with the beneficent intention of encouraging the tempted one to succeed, to resist the allurement, to show and prove his power to bear a more serious assault. If the devil tempts (
πειράζει), it is with the hope of inducing the sufferer to yield and fail.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Butδὲ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.He was askingἔλεγεν(elegen)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036:Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.thisτοῦτο(touto)Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778:This; he, she, it.to testπειράζων(peirazōn)Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3985:To try, tempt, test. From peira; to test, i.e. Endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline.him,αὐτόν(auton)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.forγὰρ(gar)Conjunction
Strong's 1063:For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.Heαὐτὸς(autos)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846:He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.knewᾔδει(ēdei)Verb - Pluperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1492:To know, remember, appreciate.whatτί(ti)Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101:Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.He was aboutἔμελλεν(emellen)Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3195:A strengthened form of melo; to intend, i.e. Be about to be, do, or suffer something.to do.ποιεῖν(poiein)Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 4160:(a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.
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NT Gospels: John 6:6 This he said to test him (Jhn Jo Jn) 
