Devotional

We can’t go where Jesus is going, but we can come and drink as we’ll learn today in John 7:37-39.

³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” ³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

So we know that Jesus is at the Feast of Booths, it’s the last day, which is also known as the great day.  (I’m guessing that the Feast of Booths is a series of festivals that builds up to a final day).  Jesus stood up and called out the people around him.  Remember, he’s been teaching them, the Jews have been muttering about him, there’s been an attempt to arrest him, but Jesus pays no never mind to that.  He has a ministry and will keep doing it.  

Ergo he calls out to them “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”

Oh… I so wish I could have been there.  I do.  

You see I have the benefit of hindsight.  I know what will happen at Pentecost.  All those flames of fire, all the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit.  I know what will await those who come to the Lord and I just want to see them come.  I DO.     I so wish that the confusion of the last couple of days was beyond the people and they now had a true thirst, a thirst to know of the Lord.

A thirst we should all share eh?   When Jesus calls…do you want to come?  To drink and be satisfied?   To believe in the one who minds you full well?  Don’t you just want to come?

If you do, dear reader, and you just don’t know how, shoot me an email, respond in a comment and I’ll guide you along the way.   But be heedful of that call and come.  Believe in him and out of you will flow living water. Wouldn’t that just be the greatest thing?

 

 

Today we’ll be learning from John 7:26-31. Yesterday we saw Jesus Go to the Festival of Booths.

²⁵ Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? ²⁶ And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? ²⁷ But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” ²⁸ So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” ³⁰ So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. ³¹ Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Do you remember that Jesus didn’t want to go to the Feast of Booths?  People wanted him dead!  Yet Jesus went anyways, without any fanfare, teaching in the temple.

He caused a bit of consternation there teaching the people. Reminding them to judge each other fairly not just going with how things appear.   Some of the people there said “hey, isn’t this the man they want to kill?   He’s here!  Why aren’t they doing anything about it?”   They wondered if the authorities really know that this is the Christ?

They were confused though.  From what they knew, no would really know Christ comes from when he does appear, yet they know that Jesus comes from Nazareth. So how could he possibly be the Christ? 

While they talked and wondered, Jesus continued to teach.   He also proclaimed “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. ²⁹ I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.”

Do you see what he did there?  He acknowledged that they do know him and where he’s from. It’s like he’s answering their confusion without being too direct eh?  He lets them know he didn’t come of his own doing but they don’t know the one who sent them to them.  That the one who sent him is true.  Jesus knows him because he was sent by him and he comes from him.   It’s like he’s saying .. Yes you know where I am coming from (Nazareth) but you don’t know where I am coming from (God). 

Jesus’ time to be captured hadn’t arrived yet, so when they wanted to arrest him they couldn’t. 

Despite all this confusion there were many people who believed him him, yet I wonder if they truly knew he was teh Christ because they wondered “when the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

It’s hard eh?   To truly understand Jesus the Christ.  I can see the confusion people would have had, trying to see the difference between the physical and the eternal.  Knowing a place, but not the personage sending.   Thinking as Jews that they did know God so not really understanding they they didn’t.

I SO get that.

I often feel like I don’t truly understand God and his ways and that I’m not even breaching a mole hill in my understanding of him.  I too am one of the confused.  Seeking to understand.   I need more understanding. 

Last time we met Simon Peter answered a question from Peter.  Today we learn from John 7:1-23.

After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews were seeking to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3 So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5 For not even his brothers believed in him. 6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to the feast. I am not going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9 After saying this, he remained in Galilee.
10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11 The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12 And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13 Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.
14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Jesus spent some time in Galilee.  He couldn’t go to Judea due to death threats from the Jews but his brothers wanted him to come to Judea because the Feast of Booths was at hand.  Here we see that his brothers didn’t believe in him.  As they said: “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4 For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.”  Jesus tells them plainly that he won’t go.  The world seeks to kill him (it hates him because he tells it of it’s evilness) but urges his brothers to go.  Jesus’ time had not yet come so he decided to stay in Galilee.

You know what I don’t see Jesus doing here?   I don’t see him recriminating his brothers.   He doesn’t challenge them or argue with them.  He just tells them the facts (take it or leave it) the world hates me and wants me dead ergo I’m not going there.  Not only that, he then urges them to go.  He doesn’t force them to stay behind with him, but lets them go off to the Feast of Booths. 

I find it interesting that after Jesus urged his brothers to go up to the Feast of Booths that he then decides that he will go.  Not publicly, but quietly.  He found that the Jews were looking for him and muttering quietly to each other “good man” or “leading people astray” but no one was very vocal about it, not wanting to draw attention to themselves.   I can’t blame them because if I lived in a day and age when life was expendable and I knew that someone was hated…I wouldn’t go around talking about them either.  Like anyone I’d be seeking to keep my life and that meant keeping my thoughts to myself!

I do wonder though what caused Jesus to change his mind.   Doesn’t matter I suppose, though I know he does nothing without it being his Father’s will.  I just find it curious. 

Nevertheless, it was a decision he made, to go privately, but then he makes himself known.  In the middle of the feast Jesus “went up into the temple and began teaching.”  And thus we get a series of questions and answers.

Question One: (the people) “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” It’s a fair question isn’t it?  Even today we like to know someone’s credentials.

Answer One: (Jesus) “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. And just like today, Jesus gave his credentials.   His credentials lay in God.  Doing God’s will.  He seeks the glory of God, and since that’s his end goal you know there is no lying being done.  Those who speak to their own authority just might be liars as part of what they do is to build themselves up.

Question Two: (Jesus) Why do you seek to kill me?” If I didn’t think Jesus already knew the answer I would wonder why he asked.   But if he asks the question, he makes people think about the answer.  Their answer surprised me.

Answer Two : (the people) “You have a demon! Why would they think this?  That Jesus is a demon!  He does good works, teaches the people well and heals them.  Why would a demon come into the picture.  This makes no sense to me.  Not one bit.

Question Three: (the people) Who is seeking to kill you?”  This is another odd ball response to me.  We had just read that people weren’t talking about him because they knew the Jews wanted him dead.  So why would the people wonder who sought his life?   Didn’t they know it was Jesus teaching them?  It just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. 

Answer Three (Jesus) “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22 Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23 If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”   I do like this passage though eh?   This call to mind what you are thinking and reasoning behind it.  If a part of a body can be removed to make a person whole before the Lord God (i.e. circumcision) then why should folk complain if he heals someone on the sabbath (healing the entire person not just a part).  See the dichotomy, think through the reasoning.   Faith is one of reason and thought you know?   If we take our time to think through why something bothers us, we may discover discrepancies in our thought processes.  This is what Jesus is calling them to notice today.  Don’t make snap judgements, think it all through carefully.

I started this passage last week from John 6:22-59 but couldn’t get through it all.   Today I thought I’d focus on the last few verses 41-59.

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

So Jesus is working his way through the responses people had to him, answering their questions and what not.  Their response before this question had been the following: 

Their response: “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

The response of the people, instead of being one of gladness and understanding was to grumble.  They focused on Jesus saying  “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” In stead of seeking to understand that, they stood around grumbling over it. I can almost see them doing it eh?   Bread of heaven?   Seriously???  We know his momma and papa, and he says God sent him from heaven?  Nah ah, I don’t think so. grumble, grumble.   

Jesus calls them on it though :“Do not grumble among yourselves.”  Stop moping and saying it can’t be so. Just stop grumbling, knowing this.  You can’t come to me unless God the Father wills it to be so. God draws people into him. 

But Jesus has been sent by God so he can raise up those who are drawn to God.. he will raise them up on the last day.  The prophets foretold it.  It is taught by God.   To be taught by God means you need to know the Son.  The son is Jesus.  You need to be taught by Him. He is eternal life, the living bread sent down from heaven.   So remember him.  Eat of the bread he offers (eternal life) and live forever. 

This led to an argument among the Jews so Jesus spoke to them.  He made it clear to them, they must eat of his flesh and drink his blood to have life within them, and the ability to be raised up on the last day.   Jesus’  flesh is true food, and his blood is true drink.  Jesus continued saying “Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”

All of this leads me to one question “do you want eternal life?   Have you choose to believe in his words?  Are you willing to parktake of the bread and blood of Christ in your search for true food and drink?  It’s not an easy road but the end is worthwhile you know?  Eternal life, being a child of God, being one of his chosen.  It’s a great thing indeed. 

 Do you remember how Jesus settled the disciples? Calming their fears after a busy day, showing them his power?   Today we start a long passage John 6:22-59, I doubt I’ll get through all 32 verses but time will tell eh?

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” 43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves. 44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 45 It is written in the Prophets, ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me— 46 not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father. 47 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
52 The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” 53 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” 59 Jesus said these things in the synagogue, as he taught at Capernaum.

HEAVENS!   But I am amazed at the persistence of people.

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.  They see that Jesus has left, and his disciples had taken the boat, so they used their deduction and decided they’d head off to Capernaum to find Jesus. 

And you know what Jesus did when they found him again?  He rewarded their persistence by giving them thinking food.  Words that are food to a brain, making them think.    He told them why they looked for him (cause he filled their bellies) but he wants them to look deeper. He wants them looking for food that will last forever that they can get from the Son of Man.  He uses the food metaphor as a bridge you know? A way to say, you filled your bellies last night, now search for a food that will fill you forever. You can find that food through the Son of Man.  God “set his seal” on the Son of Man.

That lines makes me think of a book I was shelving this week.  It had been embossed with a seal (I can’t remember what anymore) but it made the book more important you know?  It had been noticed by someone and marked.  It was therefore claimed as important by the one setting the seal.  That’s what God does for Jesus.  Jesus is the important one to find this food through. 

Let me just stop for a moment so I can get the questions and answers straight:

Question one:  “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
Jesus answered  “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Question Two:  “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?”
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Question three: “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
Jesus then said  “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Their response: “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Don’t you just love question and answer two?   Belief in God.  That’s what we must do.  That is our big work of God. Belief in him.   Easy enough eh?  And yet… hard. But the work we do is just to believe in him. 

And then in question three… Jesus points them back to God.  Yes Moses was the vehicle, but it was God who did the work.  Jesus helps them see God more clearly.  Isn’t that the best thing ever?  No.. not really, the best thing is that Jesus points out that God gives them the true bread from heaven. God’s bread is the one who came down from heaven giving life to the world.  (in other words Jesus) This is the best thing you know… being able to see the life that Jesus gives.  Knowing that belief is what is needed to attain it. 

Their response eh?   WE WANT IT!   Give it to us so it’s ours forever! 

I need to remuniate on the rest another time.  I have an antsy boy and have been sitting here long enough I think.  🙂  But Just think… Jesus, the bread of the world, showing us God at work, teaching us what our work is.. belief in God. It’s a good thing eh?

The last time we met we saw how Jesus fed the 5000 men with their families, and then, knowing the hearts of the people, quietly walked away afterwards.  Today we see him walking on the water in John 6:16-21. 

16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.

Sometimes I forget this aspect of the story in the feeding of the 5,000.  The crowds response to Jesus was they wanted to force him to be king, but Jesus’ response was to quietly leave. Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

I tend to assume, since Jesus went everywhere with his disciples, that they would have noticed his disappearance and headed off to be with him.  But that’s not what the passage says.  It says that he withdrew to the mountain by himself. Jesus left them (the disciples) behind.

He left them collecting the leftover food and that large crowd milling about.  The disciples are left to their own devices, therefore when evening came they knew what to do.  Not hang about on a mountain side all night, they decided to head back to the safety of Capernaum for the night.  They got a boat and headed across the sea.  

A strong wind came up making the sea rough.  They were experienced fishermen for the most part though, so I doubt that alarmed them over much.  As they rowed they got to about 3-4 miles out, and I don’t know how they noticed him, but they did.  They saw Jesus approaching them, walking on the water, and it kinda freaked them out. Admittedly I would have been freaked out too, seeing a guy I knew walking on the water.  Knowing there was nothing there except water.. they are almost four miles from land!  Not like there would be stepping stones out that far!   Jesus, oh, do you see how he settles them.  He just says “it is I, do not be afraid”.  

It’s makes me think to when my lad was young and something would alarm him and all I’d have to do is say “relax lad, I’m here.  Nothing is going to happen.” The most remarkable thing was … he settled every single time.  He didn’t stand and argue with me, he just settled. The disciples did the same thing.  He said Don’t be afraid, it’s just me and the disciples settled.  They welcomed him into their boat.

NOW GET THIS!  Jesus gets into their boat and “immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going.”  I have no idea of how many times I have read this passage and not really seen this line.  Can you imagine it?  The seas are rough, the men are rowing (and rowing a boat is not for the faint of heart). It’s hard work and when the seas are rough?  Even harder. Jesus gets into the boat and boom…they arrive.  Blows my mind.

Jesus gets into the boat and boom.. they arrive. Blows my mind. Share on X

Probably did for the disciples to.  Yet another thing to further their faith in him.  First they saw him feed this huge crowd of people, they notice him slip off not wanting to be a king, they see him walk on water, and now suddenly they at the shore line.  

Oh.. don’t you just want to be there?  to be able to ask questions of how they thought, to see their surprise and wonder?  I do.  It’s just an amazing thing to me.

I have a hard time you know, looking at my life and being able to point out the amazing things the Lord has done that strengthen my faith in him.   It’s not like I’ve ever seen him walk on water you know?  I have felt him move in the quietness of my heart, I’ve known what I call “God-moments” (when things happen just so you know it’s God at work), I’ve seen answers to prayer.   I suppose that’s why it’s called faith eh?  Cause I can’t always see God, but I know he’s there in the quietness.  He settles my spirit, telling me “it is I, do not be afraid”.  Isn’t it good to hear that?  To have him settle your spirit?   I find it amazing every time it does it.  🙂

The last time we met we discussed the problem, if people don’t believe what is written about Jesus, how will they ever believe the Words he says?    Today we will discuss a bunch of people fed in John 6:1-15.

After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

So people wanted to believe in Jesus because of the things they saw rather than because of the things they heard.  Jesus decided to withdraw from where he was, over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  BUT the crowd followed him.  They were enamoured of him because of what he was doing with the sick. Even when Jesus went up the mountain to sit with his disciples the people came on.

Jesus’ Reaction to the crowd

Jesus saw them coming, and he asked a question “where can we buy bread so we can feed these people”.  He knew the Passover was coming, these folks would need to eat.  He knew what his plans were but wanted to see what the disciples would do. 

Two options were presented to him.

1. Buy food, but a problem 200 denarii wouldn’t buy enough to feed them.
2. There’s a boy with five loaves and two fish, again a problem it’s not enough to feed the crowd. 

Do you see what happened?

The disciples found potential solutions immediately, but just as immediately found reasons to discount them. Not enough money, not enough food.  They didn’t though, say “HEY, it’s impossible.”  They looked for answers to the question posed to them.  Looked for answers before finding fault with their solutions.

What to do though, isn’t that still the question?

What Jesus Did.

Jesus didn’t question them, instead he instructed his disciples to have the crowd take a seat.  It was a grassy place, nice for sitting, so the people did as they were asked.  5,000 men sat down. 

Then Jesus took the loaves, and the fish, and gave thanks.   He then distributed them to the seated crowd. He was able to piece out the bread and fish so well that the people were able to eat their fill.  They were so full they had 12 baskets of food left over.   Can you imagine it?   Five loaves and two fish with 12 baskets leftover after feeding 5,000 men and their families.    The people were amazed  and said  “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”   They were so excited and happy about this that look what happened in v.15 “they were about to come and take him by force to make him king,“.   This wasn’t the plan was it? It wasn’t in Jesus’ purview to become a physical king of Israel.  So he left, withdrawing into the mountains. 

I can understand it you know?   The excitement of the people seeing this great miracle of a small meal becoming such a large satisfying one.  Having seen all the miracles Jesus had already performed.  Do you blame them for wanting Jesus to be their king?  They had been waiting for a Messiah for so long and here was this man doing miraculous things!

But I can also understand Jesus.  Knowing this wasn’t what he was called to.  Not making a fuss, just quietly disappearing.

I don’t know what to take out of this. I don’t.  I just feel like my understanding of the Lord has been deepened. Just by the simple fact of him not making a fuss and trying to explain, just going off by himself to let people calm down on their own.