Check Your Motivation: Why do you pursue Jesus? (6:25-34)

Why do you follow Jesus? Do you follow because he satisfies you or because he can provide what you believe satisfies you?

Why do you pursue Jesus? | Message 30 | | June 16, 2019

Why do you follow Jesus? Do you follow because he satisfies you or because he can provide what you believe satisfies you?

Purpose statement. True and lasting satisfaction is only found in Jesus not in the things Jesus provides.

I love the kids in our church. I don’t have very many points of contact with them, so I feel like I need to go out of my way a little bit to connect. My connection point has been by means of candy. As I’m sitting in my office, I love to see one of the kids peak their head in my office and just look at me. There is this expression of, “I don’t really want to have a conversation with you, but I would love to have some of the candy in your jar.” Some of them are able to get the words out, “can I have a piece of candy?”

The peer in. They smile. I tell them to just take one. And, the interaction is done. I’m not so naïve as to think that if I didn’t have candy in my office that any one of them would still come in just to see me and chat for a bit. Our relationship is likely entirely contingent on the presence of a full candy jar.

In we encounter a similar interaction. The massive crowd, like a large group of kids, simply peer at Jesus and follow him around because he can provide vast amounts of food. Just like my relationship with our church kids, Jesus knows that they are only following him because of the food he provides. Jesus tells them as much in , “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.”

Barnes. The miracles which Jesus wrought were proofs that he came from God. To seek him because they had seen them, and were convinced by them that he was the Messiah, would have been proper; but to follow him simply because their wants were supplied was mere selfishness of a gross kind. Yet, alas! many seek religion from no better motive than this. They suppose that it will add to their earthly happiness, or they seek only to escape from suffering or from the convictions of conscience, or they seek for heaven only as a place of enjoyment, and regard religion as valuable only for this. All this is mere selfishness. Religion does not forbid our regarding our own happiness, or seeking it in any proper way; but when this is the only or the prevailing motive, it is evident that we have never yet sought God aright. We are aiming at the loaves and fishes, and not at the honour of God and the good of his kingdom; and if this is the only or the main motive of our entering the church, we cannot be Christians.[1]

The setting. The Feeding of the multitude had happened the day before. Jesus had sent the disciples away and went off to pray. Jesus walks across the Sea of Galilee and meets the disciples along the way. As soon as Jesus enters the boat, the boat is immediately at the shore. Jesus and the disciples are on the north-west side of the Sea of Galilee.

The multitude of people, who had been present for the feeding, remain on the north-eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It’s morning and there is no Jesus and no disciples. The crowd wonders where Jesus and his disciples had gone. In the meantime, additional boats come from Tiberias. Some think that the storm the night before carried them there. More likely, these boats held additional people who had failed to arrive before the feeding. Either way, the crowd gets into these boats and goes across the sea looking for Jesus.

Sidenote. These people model well the passionate and zealous pursuit of Christ. Are we not to go to great lengths to find Jesus? Of course, but as has already been noted, the crowd did not want Jesus so much as they wanted the miracles and provisions He offered.

Seeking satisfaction in the physical and temporal.

The crowd’s failure. They find Jesus in Capernaum and they inquire, “Hey, where did you go? How long have you been here?” Jesus answered them and said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”

Jesus response to them unveils their motivation. Their experience the previous day did not result in a correct conclusion concerning the identity of Jesus. They experienced signs indicating that Jesus was the Messiah. They overlooked those signs because they focused on food and healings. Jesus was their “source.” He was their “supplier” for temporary satisfaction. They saw Him as a potential source for their needs. Nothing more.

We are told that they sought after Jesus because they had eaten and were filled. They had received a temporary and physical satisfaction and it drove them to want more. They had been stuffed full the day before, but it’s morning and time for another filling.

In observing the actions of these people, the lessons of Ecclesiastes may come to mind. A similar longing and desire for satisfaction characterized the author of Ecclesiastes. Solomon tried worldly wisdom, wealth, possessions, and sexual pleasure. His ability to acquire those things goes beyond everyone’s ability, and yet he comes to realize that nothing offers lasting satisfaction. He concludes that the only real and substantive satisfaction is found in one’s right relationship with God.

In , God physically stood amid the crowd, and they were more concerned about getting some food that would only last until their next meal than they were about Jesus who could bring them lasting satisfaction. They sat in front of Jesus and ate the food that He distributed to them and were so preoccupied with the food that they failed to realize what that food revealed about Jesus.

Would you agree that at times we can do this as well? We can look at Jesus simply as one who provides what we think will satisfy us not as the source of our satisfaction. We tend to think that satisfaction and happiness in life is found in our comfort or our wealth or our physical health or our relationships. So, we look to Jesus, God, perhaps religion, as an effective tool to provide our needs. As long as God keeps giving us good things, we keep coming to Him. We similarly fail to realize that the provisions don’t bring lasting satisfaction. Satisfaction is found in the one who provides those provisions.

Jesus’ response. Jesus responds to this erroneous thinking. “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” ().

They looked for satisfaction in temporary and physical arenas. Instead, they should have looked for that which eternally satisfies, and in this context that food is spiritual not physical. They could only find that satisfaction in the Son of Man, because God has set His seal upon Him. God has confirmed or certified that He is the source of eternal life. If they were going to consume anything that was going to give lasting life, Jesus embodied that source.

Misunderstanding the role of works

The crowd’s failure. Jesus said, “don’t work for food which perishes, but instead [work] for food which endures” (). “Oh, I see! You have to work for food? Food that endures to eternal life? I wonder what that kind of bread looks like. That must be a pretty large loaf.” They never get past the physical elements. Never.

They then ask a very natural question. “Alright. You say we must work for food that endures to eternal life. What work do I have to do? What works please God?” (). To a certain point, I don’t blame them and I understand why there were confused at this point. Their expectations of the Messiah have always been physical. The Messiah comes. Food is abundant. Wine flows freely. He physically reigns. Everything is great. So then, if Jesus is the Messiah, he should give us some food.

Jesus’ response. Likely Jesus’ response to them at this point is a bit confusing. Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (). Huh!? How exactly will my belief feed me? Maybe they concluded that if they believed in Jesus, then Jesus would continue to feed them.

Instead, Jesus communicates that no works can be done which give eternal life. They must only believe in Him. They must acknowledge who he truly is. They must be convinced of his deity. They must completely rest in him. There is no work, simply belief.

Fine then. The crowd temporarily accepts this mandate to believe in Jesus but demands that he prove or validate himself. Prove it! This is their third error.

Demanding proof

The crowd’s failure. “So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat’” ().

We acknowledge that you just fed us from some loaves of bread and a couple of fish. That’s nice. That was great. But our fathers, specifically Moses, fed hundreds of thousands of people every day for 40 years. So, what are you going to do?

Jesus had just fed tens of thousands of people with five barley loaves and two pickled fish, and yet they demand more from Jesus as proof. They would never be satisfied. The nature of their demand reveals that their motivated to simply use Jesus. The Son of God, who possesses all divine resources stands in their midst, and they can’t divert their minds from more food. They demand another miracle. “If you’re better than Moses, start proving it.”

People still demand ever unsatisfying proof. I’ll believe in Jesus when He can prove His existence to me. I’ll believe in Jesus if He lets me make a lot of money. I’ll believe in Jesus if he heals me or a loved one. I’ll believe in Jesus if . . . Come on “miracle boy” cater to my every wish!

Jesus’ response. “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. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” ().

First, you have the wrong provider. Moses did not give you that bread. “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not” (). Moses simply organized the collection of manna. In this feeding, the disciples parallel Moses. In similar fashion to Moses, the disciples dispersed the food. Moses never produced the food. In contrast, Jesus produced the food in this miracle.

Secondly, you have the wrong substance. The manna in the wilderness was not the true bread. It was simply a picture of the true bread. The true bread that comes out of heaven differs from the manna the Jewish people experienced.

Third, you have the wrong effect. The wilderness manna did not give life. That manna didn’t even last more than a day, except for on the Sabbath. No Jew ever experienced eternal life because they took of that bread.

Finally, you have the wrong group of people. God provided the manna just for Israel. In contrast, God provided the true bread for all the world. Manna was just for a brief time, for a specific group of people. The true bread is eternal and for the world.

For I came down from heaven. Throughout his gospel, John quotes Jesus saying that he came from God or heaven.

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ().

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, ().

I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” ().

For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. ().

Christ repeatedly claims to proceed directly from God. So, Christ in His reply, in effect, is saying "I am the One come from God bringing a bread of life that gives eternal soul-satisfaction."

Demanding ongoing provision

The crowd’s failure. They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” (). This short phrase by the crowd seems hardly enough for us to draw any solid conclusions as to their accurate understanding or their motives. This phrase, “sir, give us this bread always” shares a few similarities with the Samaritan woman at the well who said, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (). “Their use of “Sir” echoes hers, their phrase, “this bread,” echoes the woman’s reference to “this water,” and their imperative, “give us,” echoes her imperative, “give me.””[2] The final statement by the woman, referencing having to come back to draw water, reveals that she continues to think within the physical realm. The crowd in doesn’t include such a physically connected statement. Possibly, they had begun to realize that Jesus was referring to something other than physical bread. Potentially, they realized that Jesus was referring to something eternal and spiritual, not just physical. Yet, clearly, they do not understand what Jesus is referring to or how they are to receive this heavenly bread.

Jesus’ response. Christ is the only and complete source for spiritual needs. When we accept His spiritual bread, we will never be in spiritual need. Jesus shares a similar analogy in the Sermon on the Mount, when he says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” ().

A potentially nagging question for believers. Have you ever felt spiritual need since you were saved? Have you ever felt spiritually malnourished? Have you ever felt spiritually depleted? If Christ fills me and I will never hunger and thirst again, what does that mean during times of spiritual need and weakness and malnourishment? Did I not really believe? Did Christ not really satisfy?

To answer that we must first establish our foundation spiritual needs. We are separate from God. We need to be reconciled with God. Our sins reveal us to be unrighteous. We need to have our sins forgiven and be declared righteous. We need to be redeemed. We need to be sanctified and glorified.

Even though there may be times we feel spiritually malnourished, our feelings don’t change the reality that Christ has accomplished all those fundamental needs. Through belief in Christ all my spiritual needs are completely and forever filled. Do those spiritual realities change when I feel like something is missing?

When you come to the Father, through belief in Jesus Christ, you will never need to go anywhere else to have your spiritual needs met. In fact, there is nowhere else to go. Peter tells us this later on in the chapter.

many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” ().

We may not understand everything. We may still struggle spiritually at times, but we know that there is nowhere else to be. The only place in which our spiritual needs are going to be met is with Christ. So, we cling to him, even though we don’t know what that entirely means at times.

Position more than practice. This seems to deal more with your position than your practice. You have been declared holy, but at times you don’t feel holy. You have been declared righteous, but at times you don’t act righteously. You have been declared perfect in Christ, but there are many times when you don’t feel or act perfectly. The fact that you don’t feel those things at particular times throughout your spiritual walk does not mean that you are not in reality those things. Your spiritual hunger and thirst were, are and always will be completely satisfied in Christ, but at times you may feel spiritually malnourished. The reality of your position can at times confuse you when you analyze your present feelings or circumstances.

The Bible in Basic English offers a helpful translation. “And this was the answer of Jesus: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be in need of food, and he who has faith in me will never be in need of drink” ( BBE)

[1] Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Luke and John, 243–44.

[2] Michaels, The Gospel of John, 372.

[2] Michaels, The Gospel of John, 372.