Therefore, when Jesus perceived they were about to take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to a mountain by Himself alone.” John. 6:13
It’s truly amazing how one’s popularity can swing wildly in little more time than it takes to go from one side of the lake to the other. John 6 is a fascinating look into the scary business of dealing with the masses.
Following Jesus is not always a ‘feel good’ proposition. At some point it requires a deep, foundational transformation, not simply an emotional response. For that reason, our Lord was continually having to distance Himself from the expectations and demands of His followers, even his disciples.
Human beings are very prone to giving credibility and power to those who give them what they want. Even the promise of a desired outcome can win the devotion of the crowds. Consider our present society . . . .
“We’re going to attack income inequality!” We want to eliminate student debt!” “We’re going to make America great again!” “We going to make our streets and schools safe! Many citizens are easily moved by brash promises for the future, but, for example, if one were to spell out what is actually necessary to reduce our crippling debt or keep our entitlements from shortly going broke . . . . well, they’re not going to get much airtime or applause. People just being . . . . uh, people.
So, Jesus feeds 5000 souls with ‘five barley loaves and two small fish.’ (6:9) Now, this wasn’t a promise; Jesus delivered the goods! In fact, the men gathered up 12 baskets of partial loaves left over. It was clear to the disciples and quickly to most everyone else what had happened. “Oh man, this is what we’ve been looking for! This is our guy!
Well, before that movement got too much steam, Jesus slipped away from everyone and retreated into the hills and out of sight. His disciples wondered where He was, but the plan was evidently toward Capernaum, so they went to the sea and set sail around dusk.
We’ll skip over the mind-bending scenario of Jesus walking on the choppy waters, calming them as He entered their boat, and somehow propelling them safely to their destination. That curious series of events reminds us that we can’t predict how or when the Lord is going to appear, and sometimes, when He does, it might be in a most unnerving way! Stay in the boat!
Jesus distracted the crowds from their intent to make him a ‘king’ by showing up on the shore at Capernaum without having gotten into a boat on the other side. “So, how did you get here?” the crowds queried. Jesus didn’t answer the question.
“You’re here because you got fed,” Jesus said. Don’t work all your life for food which perishes, but for the food that produces eternal life, which I can give you.”
Ignoring His gracious offer, they pressed Him, “We want to be able to work the works of God like you! What shall we do?” “This is the work of God, that you believe in Me.” Jesus answered. “Well then, show us a sign that we may believe you. Show us what you’ve got!”
Aren’t the crowds amazing? First, Jesus miraculously feeds thousands of them, then offers them a key to eternal life, and all they can focus on is a ‘sign!’ They wanted a show, and something to debate about!
So, Jesus began to mess with their religious stuff, clearly stating what His presence among them meant, and how they should respond. “I am the bread of life; come to Me and you’ll never hunger or thirst. Of course, many of you don’t believe that, but the ones the Father has given Me will, and I will give them everlasting life.”
The Jews grumbled and fumed. “Who does He think He is? We know his father and mother! What nonsense that He says, ‘I’ve come down from heaven!’”
Now, somewhere in John’s narrative the crowd moved from the seaside to the synagogue, likely not a great distance, and Jesus continues to separate the hungry from the hypocrites and the haters.
“Stop your grumbling!” He chided them. “You won’t be able to get any of this unless God works on your hearts. Anyone who really knows God will recognize His voice in My words. I am the bread from heaven and if you take it in, you’ll live forever. In fact, this bread I give you is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world.”
Well, the Jewish leaders are having a fit now, arguing over what the words, ‘I give My flesh,’ could mean. They thrived on controversy, and that bold pledge was as good as it gets!
Jesus poured it on . . . . “I tell you the truth, unless you eat my flesh and drink My blood, you have no life in you! My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on Me will live because of it. Your Fathers ate manna in the wilderness and they’re dead. Whoever eats this bread will live forever!
Well, so much for the good times! Much of the crowd that wanted to make Him their king last evening by the sea were bailing out right and left after that declaration. “Aw man, this is too much for me! I don’t get any of it!”
Jesus realized that even his disciples and other faithful followers were struggling with those strange words. So, he spoke to them; “Are you offended? Don’t you remember anything I’ve been teaching? It’s the Spirit Who gives life; My human flesh doesn’t do that. My words are Spirit and life! Don’t be an unbeliever!”
Still, it was all too much for a great number of those following Jesus. “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” (6:66) Jesus turned to the Twelve; “Do you also want to go away?” Peter spoke up. “We have no choice. There’s nowhere else to go to find the words of eternal life. We’re convinced you’re the Christ, so here we are.”
Two things are apparent within this remarkable passage, and they represent precisely what we see repeated over and over among church folks.
- Give even sincere souls what they want, what appeals to their appetites, preferences, and comforts and you can keep a crowd. They’ll follow you, praise you, even crown you their ‘king.’ But when you begin to demand a certain amount of involvement and commitment to the heart of God’s redemptive process, both within themselves and others, they often have second thoughts. “This is just too hard!”
- Many believers in American Christianity have difficulty distinguishing between those exercises which are life-giving and those which are merely supplemental. Even good people can gravitate toward the religious stuff; rituals, ceremonies, meetings, etc., often to the neglect of the Word and the Spirit which are the only things which truly transform us.
This issue is at the heart of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect through the flesh? (Gal. 3:3) There’s always a battle in us between flesh and Spirit, isn’t there? (5:17)
We must all beware of allowing our loyalty to Jesus rest on the good things he does for us; the many times when he multiplied our ‘loaves and fishes’ or rescued us from a stormy sea. It’s not evil; it’s just our human nature.
Perhaps like you, I must continually, ritually, direct my attention and energies toward the Word and the Spirit to sustain the life God desires to flow out through us.
Never follow the crowd. Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra.