Consider the contrasts in John chapter six of people’s
desire for physical bread and Christ’s offer of the Bread of Life. The passage
begins by describing the people’s search for Jesus. They crossed the lake in
boats and noted that only the disciple’s boat was on shore. They found Him in
Capernaum, and came with the pretense of “seeking Him”.
The
next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been
there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had
gone away alone. Then some
boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people
had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. Once
the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got
into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side
of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when
did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate
the loaves and had your fill. – John 6:22-26
Jesus challenges them (26), illuminating their
spiritual unbelief even though they outwardly followed Him. They were failing
to grasp the nature of what it meant to be a disciple of Christ. Jesus urged
them to be more concerned with eternal life than mere food to keep them alive
physically, and so should we.
Desire the one and only true Bread of Life – Jesus!
Amen?
