False Disciples

John 6:22-40

John 6:22–40 ESV

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Introduction

The crowd was looking for Jesus. They crossed the sea to find him. They searched until they reached Capernaum. From the outside, their pursuit looked admirable. Even Jesus said, you are pursuing me… So it was clear that they were following after Jesus—but something was wrong.

Jesus doesn’t celebrate them. He does not rejoice that they went through all that work to find him! He tells that they have wrong motives and proceeds to offend them with the truth.

There are “disciples of Jesus” that look like disciples, do everything that disciples do and yet… they are false.

Jesus exposed them: they were seeking him for the wrong reason.They wanted Jesus—but they wanted him on their terms.

They wanted a Messiah who would fill their stomachs, improve their circumstances, defeat their enemies, and make life easier. They wanted the gifts of Jesus more than they wanted Jesus himself.

We are going to take a look at those people today so we can assess ourselves to see that we are in the faith.

Jesus did not come merely to give us bread. Jesus came to be our bread.

He didn’t just come to give us the stuff we need for our lives, he came to be our life.

1. They look like real disciples

John 6:22–24 ESV

22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

They appreciate Jesus. They love his miracles. They follow him around. They looked just like the 12 disciples.

The crowd was determined to find Jesus. They go the extra mile.

They eat and fellowship with the real disciples and no one could tell the difference.

They even crowned Jesus king!

You can pursue Jesus physically while remaining far from him spiritually.

You can attend church, pray, sing, give, and call his name—while your heart is still centred on what Jesus can do for you.

The question is not merely, “Are you seeking Jesus?”

The deeper question is, “Why are you seeking him?”

2. They are driven by their appetites

John 6:25–27 ESV

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers 1.7: St. Augustin: Homilies on the Gospel of John, Homilies on the First Epistle of John, Soliloquies Tractate XXV

How many seek Jesus for no other object

The crowd asks, “When did you come here?” Jesus does not answer their question. He addresses their hearts.

A sign points beyond itself.

They saw the gift but missed the Giver. They ate the bread but failed to recognise the Bread of Life.

“You are not seeking me because you understand who I am. You are seeking me because I filled your stomachs.”

This is the biggest sign of false disciples: they follow God for their own benefit

and they will get offended at God if he does not give them what they want

These disciples eventually leave Jesus. John 6:66 “66 After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.”

Jesus offers himself to all but to others, that is not enough. False disciples will eventually be offended at Jesus.

These false disciples:

They had found Jesus geographically, but they had not found him spiritually. The Jesus they found was not the Jesus they expected. They expected someone who would continue producing bread. Jesus offered them eternal life.

If Jesus could provide bread, what else could he provide? Could he end poverty? Could he defeat Rome? Could he restore Israel? Could he make their lives comfortable?

They were seeking the Messiah, but they had already decided what kind of Messiah they wanted.

They did not want a Lord to follow. They wanted a king they could use. That is the danger of seeking Jesus only because of what we hope to receive from him.

They wanted temporary relief. Jesus offered eternal salvation. They wanted their circumstances changed. Jesus wanted their hearts changed.

Jesus is not teaching that material needs are unimportant. He had compassion on the hungry crowd and fed them (the previous day).

Jesus calls us to seek the food that endures to eternal life…and that food is Jesus himself.

3. They can’t trust Him

John 6:28–31 ESV

28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

Jesus requires only one thing and he essentially tells them: trust me.

They say give us a sign so that we know we can actually trust you. Give us more bread.

To believe, they require the miraculous and even then, they still do not believe. They had already seen the miracle of the bread and fish. Miracles do not convince unbelievers (they merely look for a different explanation of the miracle).

After one miracle, they always require another. After God answers one prayer, they struggle to believe him for the next. They need everything in their hands before they can trust that God will do it.

These has happened throughout scripture:

Matthew 12:38 “38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.””

Matthew 16:1–4 “1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”

John 4:48 “48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.””

Luke 23:8 “8 When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him.”

1 Corinthians 1:22–23 “22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles,”

Matthew 24:24 “24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.”

2 Thessalonians 2:9–12 “9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

The work God requires is not self-salvation through works. It is faith in the Son.

It is to abandon confidence in yourself. It is to stop negotiating with God. It is to stop demanding that Jesus prove himself according to your expectations. It is to submit to him as Lord.

But the crowd still wants bread. They ask for another sign, even though they had just witnessed the feeding of thousands. They appeal to Moses and the manna.

They were not searching for reasons to believe. They were searching for reasons to demand more. Unbelief is never satisfied. It sees one miracle and asks for another. It receives one blessing and demands the next. It says, “Jesus, I will trust you when you do what I want.”

But true faith says, “Jesus, I trust you because of who you are.”

Jesus is the True Bread

John 6:32–35 ESV

32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

First, Moses was not the ultimate source of the manna. God was.

Second, the manna was not the true bread from heaven. It was only a temporary provision that pointed forward to something greater.

Third, the true bread is not merely something God gives. The true bread is a person.

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia Chapter 16

וַיִּרְא֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וַיֹּ֨אמְר֜וּ אִ֤ישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו֙

Exodus 16:15 “15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.”

The meaning of manna is a question “what is this?” And Jesus answers that question: I am the bread of life!

The crowd says, “Give us this bread always.” They still think Jesus is offering them a product.

Jesus does not merely give life. Jesus is life. He is not one supplier among many. He is not an optional addition to an already complete life. He is not merely useful when we are sick, poor, frightened, lonely, or in trouble.

He is what you need!

Are you ready for this Bread? Are you ready to come to him? Are you ready to believe in him? Are you ready to follow him…even when he refuses to become the Jesus you wanted him to be?

Are you sure you are ready for this bread? Are you sure you are ready to follow Jesus

Jesus Keeps His Own

John 6:36–40 ESV

36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. θεωρέω

to observe someth. with sustained attention, be a spectator, look at, observe, perceive

Everyone who looks upon the son with sustained attention and trusts him…

The tragedy of the crowd is that they saw Jesus but did not believe.

They saw the miracle. They ate the bread. They crossed the sea. They stood in front of Christ. Yet they still did not believe. Seeing is not the same as believing. Being near Jesus is not the same as belonging to Jesus.

But Christ gives a glorious promise:

“Whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”

Jesus does not turn away the sinner who truly comes to him. He does not say, “Clean yourself up first.” He does not say, “Prove yourself worthy.” He does not say, “Earn your place.”

He says, “Come.”

And the one who comes to Christ is not only received…he is kept.

Jesus says that he will lose none of those whom the Father has given him. He will preserve them.

Conclusion: Do You Want Jesus or Only His Bread?

The crowd shows exactly what false believers do!

They look like real disciples

They sought Jesus, but they sought him for the wrong reason.

They are driven by their appetites

They can’t trust him

They wanted bread without surrender. They wanted miracles without faith. They wanted a king without a cross. They wanted provision without discipleship. They wanted the benefits of Jesus without submitting to Jesus.

However God keeps offering only himself. If you choose today to trust him, he say he will never turn you away.

We must examine our own hearts.

Do we only pray when we need something?

Do we only worship when life is going well?

Do we become disappointed with Jesus when he does not give us the outcome we wanted? Would we still follow him if the money did not come? Would we still follow him if the healing did not come? Would we still follow him if the opportunity did not come? Would we still follow him if obedience became costly?

Jesus does care about our material needs. But he came to give us something far greater than temporary comfort. He came to give us himself.

Do not settle for the bread that perishes. Do not spend your life chasing things that cannot save you.

Look to the Son. Trust him. Come to him. Follow him.

Jesus did not come merely to fill your stomach. He came to save your soul. He did not come merely to improve your present life. He came to give you eternal life.

“We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all that is unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

Cairns, A. (2002) Dictionary of Theological Terms. Belfast; Greenville, SC: Ambassador Emerald International.