This Week's Study
Modern
Day Capernaum on The Sea Of Galilee
John 6:22-30
Following Jesus For the RIGHT reason
So Jesus has just finished the miracle of
the loaves and the fishes and followed up by walking on the
water to meet His disciples in a boat. As you can imagine
this caused quite a stir among the people and they
followed Jesus….but were they following Him for the right
reason?
22
On the following day, when the people who were standing on
the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat
there, except that one which His disciples had entered,
and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples,
but His disciples had gone away alone—
So there was but one boat and it left
without Jesus but Jesus was gone as well, for as we
know He just walked his way over the sea to get to
Capernaum.
23however,
other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they
ate bread after the Lord had given thanks—
24when
the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His
disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum,
seeking Jesus.
We’re talking 5000 people that were
fed….did they ALL get on boats from Tiberius?
(Probably not) But Jesus at this point had gained what we
might today call “Pop Star” status. People were coming from
all around wanting to see this miracle worker. And when they
found this new new sensation they even thought to call Him
by an appropriate title ” Rabbi”, but where were their
hearts?
25
And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they
said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”
And here comes Jesus
keeping it real.
26
Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you
ate of the loaves and were filled.
“Oh Jesus don’t be like that….we’re
having a party…..Let the good times roll” Some times the
truth can be the ultimate party pooper.
27
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food
which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will
give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”
This theme is repeated over and over in
the Gospels. Where are you invested? Is your interest
in this life, in gaining prosperity and fame, or recognition
in this life?
Matthew 6: 19 “Do not lay
up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust
destroy and where thieves break in and steal;
20 but lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
What IS our heart motivation….why are we
following Jesus? For the free meal? For the glitz and
the hype? For prosperity or “the blessings”. Is
this why we are supposed to follow Jesus? Or is our focus ,
our desire, our goal is to follow Jesus Christ in the giving
of himself to complete the will of God.
Back to John
28
Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work
the works of God?”
Still thinking in
worldly terms they thought what Jesus had as attainable at a
price, little did they know how simple, and yet how complex
that price was.
29
Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God,
that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
This one statement
illustrates both simplicity and the complexity of Faith In
Christ Jesus. All you have to do is believe. But
if you truly believe then a complete life change is in
order. Your priorities, your desires, your very life are all
sacrificed to that belief in the faith and the hope that the
life Jesus gives you in return will be much more complete
and eternal. This is a faith and a hope that will never be
in vain.
30
Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform
then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You
do?
31
Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written,
‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
“What sign will you preform then that we
may see and believe” Oh what dense group of people we are.
He fed these people with a boys lunch, He walked on the
water, and they want a sign so they will believe?
—-This is somewhat of a awkward breaking
point for the study, but this passage is so long that it
cover it in one setting would be ponderous. So for
today lets take with us the thought; “Why are we following
Jesus?” Are out motives straight? Are our hearts pure,
or are they muddled with selfishness and a desire to gain
from this relationship more than the due blessings of God?
Is God our tag along buddy on your pursuit of
self-gratification and self-aggrandizement? Or have we
bankrupted our “self” and sold out to Jesus in complete
submission, and thereby “storing up treasures in heaven?
Do we believe….truly?
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