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John 6 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
Jesus was not going to be defined by the people’s interpretation of who He should be. He came to do the Father’s will. Out of all the themes of this chapter, this one speaks loudest and the clearest, in my opinion. Consider for a moment the different variations of Jesus that people embrace today. If you go out on the street and ask people, you will find many versions of Jesus.
Genie in a Bottle
There’s the “American Dream Jesus.” The “Political Jesus” (which seems to get added on to every candidate’s resume during election years.) The “Good Person” Jesus. The “Good Teacher” Jesus. The “Legalistic” Jesus. The “Jesus-Is-My-Homeboy Jesus.” Fill in the blank. The crazy thing is you can actually twist Scripture just enough to make a valid argument for whatever kind of Jesus you want and people do it all the time. It’s called spiritual deception.
Why is this relevant? The religious leaders, the crowds, and even the disciples had created a different version of who Jesus should be. Case in point… after He generously fed them, they wanted to make Him their King.
Sounds great! This is exactly what Jesus wanted, right? The people even base their decision on Scripture. They say, “this is who the Prophet Moses talked about in Deuteronomy!” You would think Jesus would be happy they had this knowledge.
He isn’t. He quietly slips away, leaving them in the dust.
As we follow the story down through John 6, we get more answers. We have a short scene where Jesus goes away with His disciples, and there is the famous scene of Him walking on water. Right after Jesus walks on the water, He crosses over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
The Campaign and the Question
The same people running the “Jesus for King” campaign find out where He went and jump in their boats. How great would it be to have a King with an endless supply of fish and loaves? No famines, no farming, no problems, right? Seems logical. So, they sail across the water only to have their future King meet them with a harsh reality check. He knows exactly why they came over, and He wants them to dig deeper. They do.
“What can we do to perform the works of God?” they asked. 29 Jesus replied, “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.” 30 “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform?
John 6:28-30 HCSB
Are you kidding me? Are you tracking? Jesus just fed 5,000 (probably more like 15-20k with women and children) and the very next day they are asking Him to perform a Moses-caliber sign? It’s astounding! This is what happens when we view Jesus as a resource instead of a Savior! So, we have to ask ourselves, if you had nothing else except your faith in Christ, would that be enough for you?
I don’t know. I hope so. I would like to think that I could follow the example of Job who literally lost everything and still trusted God. But I also have days when losing my wallet sends me into a meltdown. Are we truly satisfied in Jesus? Do we love Him or do we love what He can give us? Jesus, open our hearts to the misconceptions we have about You!