Jesus replied, “The truth is, you want to be with Me because I fed you, not because you saw the miraculous sign.” John 6:26 (NLT)
To what miraculous sign was Jesus referring when He spoke these words? The feeding of more than five thousand men, women, and children. He’d taken a little boy’s offering—five barley loaves and two fish— broken the food, blessed it, and then fed the masses. Everyone stuffed their tummies, and twelve baskets of leftovers remained. The crowds were amazed and exclaimed, “Surely, He is the prophet we’ve been expecting!”
The same crowds gathered on the shore the next morning to wait for Jesus. When He arrived, He wasted no time exposing their reason for being there. Their motive, He said, was merely to satisfy their physical appetite—they were hungry again and wanted Him to provide breakfast. Their spiritual appetite—their desire to be with Him simply because of who He was—sorely lacked.
I wonder if Jesus felt used, like a lottery winner suddenly surrounded by new “friends” hoping to benefit from His wealth and generosity but not truly interested in having an honest-to-goodness relationship. And I wonder what Jesus would say to you and me individually if we were part of that crowd.
Do we want a relationship with Jesus because we hope He’ll give us a coveted position at work, restore our marriage, or heal a loved one? Do we regard Him as our personal genie in a bottle Whose purpose is to grant our whims and wishes? Or do we follow Him because we truly believe He’s the Son of God and long for intimacy with Him? What would Jesus say to us about our reason for following Him?
Faith Step: Read this sentence and then fill in the blank: I follow Jesus because ____________________. Ask Him to give you an unquenchable desire for intimacy with Him.
