JOHN 6:22-26 | SEEKING FOR JESUS
Notes
Transcript
JOHN 6:22-26 | SEEKING FOR JESUS
JOHN 6:22-26 | SEEKING FOR JESUS
ME
ME
ILLUSTRATION: I had to be under 10 years old when I got it.
I don’t honestly remember where it came form or who got it for me.
All I know if for a few weeks I carried a real, genuine, rabbit’s foot in my pocket.
I remember it had a little chain that came off of it, and for a short period of time, I was convinced I had good luck because I had the severed hind foot of a rabbit in my pocket.
People do strange things in hope they can have good luck or find some kind of benefit.
I remember in high school, there were guys on the football team that refused to wash their practice jersey during the season in the name of “good luck”
On occasion, my kids will caution me to avoid stepping on the sidewalk cracks out of fear that it will “break my momma’s back”… and I sure wouldn’t want that.
Walking under ladders, salt over shoulder, knocking on wood, making a wish before you blow out a candle on your birthday… all in the name of good luck… some imaginary benefit.
Now these are all silly things and on the surface don’t really hurt anything.
But what feels harmless with a rabbit's foot becomes something else entirely when the thing you're using for good luck is a person.
If you treat your spouse that way, there’s going to be problems.
You see, if I’m married to Tressa because I like the benefit of a clean house and a meal on the table… that’s not a good motive for that relationship.
If I call someone a friend because of what they can do for me… that isn’t a good motive for that relationship.
And if I follow Christ, simply because I’m looking for benefits… well, that’s not a good motive for that relationship.
WE
WE
APPLICATION: It’s amazing how our religion with Christ spikes during times of need.
Many in this room can remember the explosion in attendance in the church house following the events of September 11, 2001.
Or maybe more recently the numerical growth we saw here in our own church following the murder of Charlie Kirk just a year ago.
For multiple weeks in a row, we couldn’t set up enough chairs to hold the crowds of people that came to church those Sundays immediately following
I’ve personally seen as my own extended family, myself included, has become overnight “prayer warriors” with the health needs of my cousin in Indiana.
Those times when we need God to work, or we need to sense His presence, and so in a very tangible way we come to Him, whether physically in a church building or on our knees in prayer.
Now, we aren’t saying it is wrong to turn to Jesus during those difficult times of life, in fact, that’s exactly where we are supposed to turn!
But if we are seeking Jesus for the benefits alone, we don’t have a relationship… we have religion.
And that’s exactly where we find ourselves in the story before us this morning here in John 6.
GOD
GOD
The day following, when the people which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was none other boat there, save that one whereinto his disciples were entered, and that Jesus went not with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples were gone away alone;
(Howbeit there came other boats from Tiberias nigh unto the place where they did eat bread, after that the Lord had given thanks:)
When the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, neither his disciples, they also took shipping, and came to Capernaum, seeking for Jesus.
And when they had found him on the other side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when camest thou hither?
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
EXPLANATION: Jesus had just done the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 the day before.
That night the disciples had been on the boat when the storm came and Jesus came to them walking on the water.
When Jesus gets on the boat, a miracle happens that is easy to miss, the Bible told us in v.21
Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.
The Bible gives evidence after evidence of exactly Who Jesus is, and sometimes it just gives glimpses of His power in passing verses.
The deity of Christ is sprinkled all throughout the Word of God… don’t miss it!
So now, they have reached the shore on the other side, and then John goes into details that the investigators on the other side of the lake went through.
In v.22-24, the people who had experienced the miracle the previous day were now working through the details of where Jesus had gone.
“His disciples had left, but He didn’t go with them. But now He’s gone too. There are other boats here where their boat had been, but no other boats have left.”
Finally the climb into their boats and head to the other side of the sea to Capernaum.
And the Bible says a very important thing at the end of v.24, they were “seeking for Jesus”
Now that’s a great thing!
We are supposed to be seeking for Jesus!
It’s a good thing to want to be close to Him
It’s a good thing to want to spend time with Him
I mean, I’m convinced that if I had lived back in the time of Christ, there would have had to have been 13 disciples instead of 12
And that’s how we all like to think of ourselves, right?
And the reality is, people begin their search for Jesus from all different places and for all different reasons.
The problem wasn’t that they were seeking for Jesus… that’s a good thing
The issue that Jesus had with them was that He knew their motive for seeking for Him.
It’s interesting in v.25, they find Jesus and the question they ask Him is… “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
After everything they had experienced… and now they are convinced Jesus found His way to the other side of the sea by some other means besides a boat.
And they ask Jesus… “When did you get here?”
Jesus’s answer gives insight into what was really taking place here:
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
Picture this seen, the crowd of people finds Jesus here in Capernaum.
Go with me for a minute, because we don’t know exactly what this scene looked like, but let me begin to paint a picture I have in my mind.
Jesus and His disciples have made their way into the Synagogue in Capernaum.
I’m guessing Jesus is likely teaching His disciples or maybe He’s giving insight from what happened the day before.
We don’t know.
But all of the sudden, this crowd of people comes walking into the synagogue and someone sees Jesus.
So they all quickly make their way over to where Jesus is there teaching, and here’s what I think happened.
I think they all kind of encircled Jesus and His disciples and I think they all just kind of stood there and looked at Him.
And no one said anything at first
Finally some bright guys speaks up, and he asks Jesus the questions… “So… when did you get here.”
And Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge their question, because He knew what they were really there for!
Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
He says, I know why you’re here… not because you are seeking Who I am… you’re here for the benefits.”
Now, you may think I’m reading between the lines… but I don’t think it’s too far off because that’s what you used to do when you were a kid and wanted something but didn’t want to ask.
You just kind of stand close by so they know that you’re there… and then after a while you would say something completely out of nowhere that has nothing do do with what you are actually wanting.
And then finally your parent would say, “We aren’t doing that right now… or you aren’t getting that.”
It’s the old distract and switch tactic.
ILLUSTRATION: Jaxon did this just the other day with Tressa.
He was buttering her up with just how much he loved her and she was his favorite…
And then two seconds later he was asking for something he wanted!
APPLICATION: And that’s what I picture here with the crowd around Jesus.
They weren’t there to find out how he fed 5000 men plus women and children
They weren’t there to find out how he turned those 5 loaves and 2 small fish into 12 baskets of fragments after He fed the multitude.
They weren’t there to find out how he got across the sea without a boat in the middle of a storm.
They weren’t there to say “thank you” or to worship Him.
They were there for one reason… What could they get from Him next.
And when Jesus answered them, He didn’t answer their question… He addressed their hearts.
Jesus knew, the only reason they were seeking Him, was for the benefits… not the relationship.
ILLUSTRATION: In Luke 17, there’s a story of 10 men.
Jesus is passing through Samaria and Galilee, and along the way there are 10 men who are a little ways off in the distance.
They were keeping away because the Bible tells us “they were lepers”
This wasn't just a skin condition.
It was a death sentence with a heartbeat still in it.
The moment a priest diagnosed you with leprosy, your life as you knew it was over.
Not eventually. Immediately.
You couldn't live in your house anymore.
You couldn't sleep under the same roof as your spouse, your children, your parents.
Leviticus 13 required you to live outside the camp, outside the city, away from everyone you loved.
If you saw someone walking toward you who didn't know your condition, the law required you to shout out a warning — "Unclean, unclean!" — so they could keep their distance.
Every human interaction you have for the rest of your life begins with you announcing your own contamination.
You couldn't go to the temple.
You couldn't worship with God's people.
You couldn't bring a sacrifice, sing a psalm in the assembly, or celebrate a single feast day with your community.
In the eyes of many, your disease wasn't just physical — it was a sign of God's judgment resting on you.
No wedding.
No funerals for your own family, unless it was your own.
No embrace from your children.
No hand held by your spouse.
Rabbis at the time had a saying — they compared curing leprosy to raising the dead.
Not because it was rare.
Because they believed it was impossible.
So when these ten lepers cry out from a distance in Luke 17 — because that's as close as the law allowed them to come — they are not asking Jesus for a minor inconvenience to be fixed.
They are asking Him to give them their lives back.
Their families back.
Their worship back.
Their names back, instead of just "unclean."
That's the weight sitting behind this story in Luke 17.
That's what's actually at stake
Jesus hear’s their cry and He answers them in Luke 17:14
And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
The impossible takes place!
They are healed of their leprosy.
In a moment, everything changed!
Jesus had given them so much more than just the healing from their leprosy!
And that's what makes what happens next so staggering.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Jesus had performed a miracle in all ten of these men’s lives…
All ten had cried out for His mercy, and all ten had received it.
But in a picture that echoes through the pages of Scripture to us today, only one came back to say, “Thank you.”
Only one came back to praise Him.
The rest had only sought Jesus for the benefits… not for a relationship.
YOU
YOU
APPLICATION: One preacher said, “there are many who follow Christ for the loaves, and would leave Him tomorrow if the bread stopped.”
Friend, if God never gave you another answered prayer for the rest of your life… but you still had Him, would that be enough?
What would it take in your life for you to walk away from Jesus?
Are you solely focused on what you can get from Jesus, and you don’t spend any time praising Jesus?
Is Jesus just your lucky rabbits foot?
For many Christians, your seeking of Jesus is dependent on the blessings and benefits from Jesus.
You are ready to cry out to Jesus when the leprous situations threaten the life you’ve built
But most never come back to say “thank you” and praise Him for His mercy that He gives… and it clarifies your motivation for why you seek Him.
Many Christians have a “fox hole” relationship Christ.
ILLUSTRATION: One of the preachers I grew up listening to, was a preacher by the name of Clarence Doyle.
Clarence Doyle was the father in law of my pastor, and I heard him tell his story many times.
He shared that while he was on the battlefield he found himself in a foxhole.
The bullets were flying around him and he knew the likelihood of surviving his situation was slim.
I remember him telling the story, that as he was hunkered over in that foxhole he cried out to God, and said, “God, if you get me out of here, I promise I’ll give my life to you.”
And God did get him out, and Clarence Doyle went on to become a preacher and founded the Christian camp there in Southern Indiana that had such a drastic impact in my life!
APPLICATION: It was an incredible story… but for so many, they live foxhole Christian lives.
Every situation in their life is met with the contingency that if God does what they want, then they will follow Him.
Friend, a foxhole Christian life isn’t the way the Christian life is supposed to be lived.
And seeking Jesus just for the benefits isn’t the only thing this Christian life is about.
We are called to seek Him because of Who He is… not just what He does for us!
And that’s what those standing before Jesus on that day in the Synagogue had missed.
And that is what so many Christians sitting in houses of worship are missing this morning.
What if this week you put a pause and asking Jesus for things, and instead this week you just thanked Him for all He’s already done?
What if this week you decided to just focus on Who Jesus is and praising Him for that!
Wednesday night we’ve been walking through the deity of Christ and we’ve been talking about His attributes, and there’s a lot to praise God for there!
Jesus is All-Powerful
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
There’s never been a situation that was out of His control
Jesus is All-Knowing
Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
Jesus knows everything about you… so you don’t have to try to hide things from Him… He knows you, loves you, and wants to conform you into His image.
He is Everywhere All the time
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; Even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; But the night shineth as the day: The darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
He’s everywhere and He promises He will never leave you or forsake you!
He is Unchanging
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Jesus never wakes up on the wrong side of the bed… He’s always the same!
He is Always Loving
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
You can mark it down that nothing in your life is allowed in that doesn’t first pass by the loving eyes of God!
And He promises whatever God allows you to face, it will never exhaust the grace and mercy He promises!
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
If you’re getting tired of hearing about these attributes of Christ, maybe it’s because you’re more interested in the benefits than you are in truly seeking Him!
WE
WE
APPLICATION: Friend, let’s not be a shallow group of Christ followers who are only interested in the benefits!
This morning, let’s climb out of the foxhole, take the rabbit foot out of the pocket, look at what Christ has done for you, and let’s come back to Him and praise Him for Who He is and what He’s already done!
Let’s purpose to be a real disciple of Christ.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Let’s change the question from “what can Christ do for me” to “What do I get to do for Christ, in light of all He’s already done!”
This morning, let’s seek Jesus for Who He is!
And let’s spend time thinking Him for all He’s done!
