ODJ: more than loaves
April 13, 2011
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs” (v.26).
READ: John 6:25-59
Isaac Penington, an early defender and promoter of the Quaker movement (founded in 17th-century England), said, “Thus has the Lord been teaching me to live upon Himself, not from anything received from Him but upon the Life itself.” The crowd in John 6 wanted to live off Jesus, not because their hearts were loyal to Him, but because their hearts were loyal to what they thought He could provide for them—food and deliverance from Roman oppression.
The provision of the loaves of bread (John 6:8-13) was, in their minds, a confirmation of this. So Jesus withdrew, showing His rejection of their perception of the kind of Messiah they desired (vv.14-15).
The next day the crowd looked for Him and found Him, suggesting a successful quest (vv.22,25). Again, they had followed Him because of what they thought He could provide for them. But Jesus turned the tables on them and identified Himself as the Bread of Life (v.35). He—rather than the law or anything else—was the source of eternal life (vv.33,48,51,58). Only those who believed in Jesus and internalized His words, ethics, pattern of thinking, and truth would find true fulfillment in life. This was so radically different from what the people had in mind that some of them stopped following Him (vv.60-66).
In our consumer-driven world, it’s easy to follow Jesus just for “the loaves.” But He alone can satisfy our deepest hunger for Himself. He will satisfy us when we stay connected to Him (see John 15) through reading and living out His words; when we stay connected to His body of believers, and when we serve others as He did.
Let’s follow Jesus, not simply because He can provide the loaves, but because He alone is God and—as we trust in Him—He provides all we need for life today and for all eternity. —Marvin Williams
Why do you follow Jesus? How has your perception of Him changed over the years? What has been surprising? Shocking? Reassuring?
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