Jesus had left the crowd in order to be alone after he had fed the 5,000 men near the Sea of Galilee. The crowd was in search for Jesus in hopes to see more miracles. John 6:25-27 states, “When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, “Truly, Truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you are your fill of the loaves. 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’”. How much more difficult would it be to see Christ on the cross and still believe that a good outcome could be produced in a physical sense. However spiritually it was necessary to save all of mankind and free them from sin.
This very story can be easily connected to all Christian as well as those who have seen a glimpse of God. A question arises, “Where does my faith stand?” In verse 25 the crowd began to follow Jesus and pursue him because they had a glimpse of his power. They saw with their own eyes the greatness of his miracle in making it possible to feed 5,000 men with only 5 barley loafs and 2 fish. To what else could they need to see that Jesus was truly the Messiah and the Son of God? In truth, the crowd would perhaps never believe that Jesus was truly the bread of life. It is easy to pursue God and test Him in order to get what we want. In the situation within Jesus’s death, how difficult it would be to believe that the person to whom the disciples have been witnesses of actually had eternal life to give. The truth stands that Jesus did indeed conquer death but up until the point of seeing Jesus’ resurrected body it would be very difficult to believe such a statement.
Jesus response in verse 26 shows greatly the true intent of the crowd. He states that they were not looking for him so that they may receive eternal life but rather they wanted to satisfy their stomachs. The crowd saw that Jesus was able to multiple food for themselves and through this “magic trick” they were pleased. Perhaps they thought to themselves, “If this man is able to multiple food then to what use should we work for ourselves. Instead, let us pursue this man so that he may satisfy our needs. Let us not work another day in our lives”. Here lies the problem, only the stomachs of the crowd were satisfied. What needed to be satisfied was not their stomachs but rather their soul. As Christians, we tend to focus greatly on what will satisfy our earthly needs. Again, sometimes we say, “Lord, my debts are greater than ever so please deliver me. If and when you do deliver me from the debts I will worship your name”. Once the debt would cease to exist the person who requested upon the deliverance would merely ask God for more and more and more… The unsatisfying need cannot be quenched through anything in the physical world but rather the need is found in verse 27. Within the same instance to view Christ’s death in a physical sense would be outrages to see what good could come of it. However upon switching the view from physical to spiritual it was necessary for Christ to die in order for the eternal debt of mankind to be paid and for eternal life to enter.
Jesus shows the crowd his glory by saying, “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”. The truth of the matter is that there is nothing in the physical world that will not perish (Rev. 21:1). Instead pursue what will quench the everlasting thirst and provide for the everlasting hunger within the soul. Jesus is the bread of life that gives such food that no one will perish. As Christians, it is sometimes hard to see farther than ourselves because we are plugged into the earth and bound by physical boundaries but our ultimate focus should be on Jesus who died on the cross to give such a gift. Just as the manna fell down from heaven in the wilderness to feed the Israelites over a long period of time, Jesus refers to himself as the bread of life. However instead of continually dying on the cross, Jesus paid the debt once and for all (1 Peter 3:18). In reality to all who have died with Christ are not of this world but rather their mission and goal is to continually seek the kingdom of God. How difficult it is to pursue such an unseen goal when mankind’s limitations are only limited by the world. However in the same sense that Jesus has overcome the world, all who follow Christ have the same strength to do so.
It seems as though life gets in the way of what is most important and as Christians it is hard to focus on God. Perhaps by continually bathing in the miracles of God and not looking any farther than that, it would be most hard for an individual to realize that God is just more than a miracle worker. For the same reason why I do not introduce myself as a missionary kid who has grown up in Japan, I do not want people to merely focus on where I grew up. Usually the general response upon hearing where my childhood was mostly spent is to please their curiosity by speaking Japanese or reciting their culture. The focus has completely shifted from who I am into a machine that tells about something unrelated to me. In the same way, Jesus did not come into the world to show off who he was but instead he came into the world to have a personal relationship with him. That is where the focus should lie, not on anything else but instead on Christ alone. At the same time, Jesus did revealed where he had come from and as such we are able to see the divinity of his origin. It was not that Jesus appeared out of nowhere to be thought of as a stranger but rather he revealed himself to show where his authority comes from. It would be difficult for an individual to reason Jesus’ authority for the world does not know of it but rather once realizing the spiritual application and meaning behind his background is one able to realize the significance of his power.
This task is most difficult for Christians because we realize that seeing with our hearts is not easily obtained but with faith in Jesus, that is truly seeing. To fully grasp the concept of faith is somewhat strange for how can one see or trust something/someone they are not able to view? It is not easy to seek God for who He is because no one has ever seen His face. However they have seen His works manifest by contrasting His characteristics and through that they receive a glimpse of who God is. It is not Jesus’ works that make him God but rather it is the works that shows who God is. Living a life where works is mostly based off of your worth in society can be quite unbearable but the truth is being a son and an heir with Christ makes our burdens light. God does not require anyone to do anything but rather have faith in Jesus and pursue a relationship with God. Perhaps when the disciples heard about their savior and teacher dying upon the cross their hearts were filled with sadness. This would be a difficult situation for all that they longed and believed for was now gone. However in truth, death was overcome and eternal life is now able to be given to those who believe in Jesus as their personal savior. Spiritual life is not something that comes to pass but rather it is an eternal state. Anything that is psychical will one day pass but the spiritual life given will never perish.
Conclusion on thoughts:
It is difficult to see farther than our own physical needs and perhaps the longer we provide for those needs the harder it is to see what is truly needed. Jesus did not come down to earth to become a magician and perform miracles for the sake of satisfying the physical needs. Rather, Jesus came down to earth in order to provide the satisfaction to the hole in everyone’s heart. It was not that Jesus gives in order to make sure they continue to live in a physical realm but rather he welcomes those who partake in him to live forever.
On a personal note, I am learning to become a carpenter in hopes that one day I will be enlisted on an international disaster relief team. For anyone who has lost their entire possessions due to fire, water, earthquakes or any other disasters, I hope to give back what they need in hope of spreading the gospel. I understand that it is noble to attempt to build their life back together when they have lost everything but to what good would it be if they had everything back yet not know Christ? I have sustained their physical body to live longer but I have not given them the knowledge that their soul can be satisfied as well. To think that physical needs will give peace and contentment is a lie for Jesus is the only giver of eternal life. It is hard to say to someone who has lost everything psychically to look towards the spiritual aspect of life however at the same time I believe that upon losing all it will be much easier to show what really matters in life. The most important detail in life is for one to know God in a personal relationship and pursue His will so that glory and praise may be given to Him in all that one does.
The struggle to keep such a focus on the spiritual side of life is quite difficult. It almost seems impossible because we have eyes to see. Just as John 9:39 states, “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind’”. To truly see what matters it is not that we must gut out our eyes to become blind but rather put our trust in Jesus alone in what we are not able to see. It is most difficult to walk blindly but faith is the key in having a relationship with Christ.
Only one of the fruit of the spirit is needed to be with my father and that is patience.
varysimplemind 