Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
- NASB So Jesus, aware that they intended to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself, alone.
- NLT When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Knowing they want to make Him king by force, Jesus withdraws alone to the mountain. He refuses a kingship on the crowd's terms, showing His kingdom is not of this world.
Overview
The crowd's plan would have made Jesus a political messiah, but His mission was the cross, not a throne seized by force (cf. 18:36). His withdrawal reveals both His self-awareness and His submission to the Father's plan. Jesus will indeed reign, but as the crucified and risen King, on God's terms and timing.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- John 18:36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
- John 7:3–4So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing.
- John 6:15–21Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.
- Luke 19:38“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
- Mark 11:9The ones who went ahead and those who followed were shouting: “Hosanna!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
- Mark 6:45–52Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.
- Matt 14:22–33Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.
- John 5:41I do not accept glory from men,
- John 2:24–25But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all.
- John 6:3Then Jesus went up on the mountain and sat down with His disciples.
- Heb 4:13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight; everything is uncovered and exposed before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
- John 12:12–15The next day the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem.
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 6:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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