"What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?
What will you do?Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written:
'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" John 6:30-31
Jesus had just fed over 10,000 people with the modern-day equivalent of a child's cheese and crackers Lunchables, walked on water filled with turbulent waves; and now His followers wanted to know what miracles would happen next.
Of course, I can't be so hard on them. If I'd grown up as an Israelite – hearing about the ways God provided for my ancestors – I would have probably thought of the daily "manna-feeding of the 5,000+", and I might have also wondered, "what's next?" So far, Jesus was pulling out all the same signs as Moses; and if I had my checklist, I'd be hoping for my own walk through the Sea of Galilee, and perhaps a Roman death or two for a finale. They were revealing – or "eating it up", literally)– that their rabbi was as impressive as Moses, but they were really missing Jesus and the will of God in the experience. It's easy to be impressed with the packaging and miss the goods, so to speak.
"For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "always give us this bread." John 6:25-59
I'm not sure my response would be any different.
"Seriously, Jesus, let's just do this easy provision thing
and call it good." (My paraphrase.)
In 1 Corinthians, Paul challenges the division in the church between the Jews seeking miracles and the Greeks seeking logic (1 Corinthians 1:22). They can't agree on which leader to follow; and each is looking for "signs" or "reasons". With the invention of the printing press, the telegraph, telephone, radio, television, and the internet; we have more communication and information at our forefingers and more formats to help us disagree. Most of us need constant confirmation that we're right. We have an insatiable craving for public displays of power and "mic-drop" level presentations of the unbelievable. We want a "Fun & Easy Jesus", and "Dare-You-to-Top-Him" proof that we aren't foolish. Paul continues:
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. 1 Corinthians 1:23-25
And so, Jesus is doing the wise will of His Father (John 6:38), and is pointing us – even today – to the real miracle. Jesus declares to his followers:
… "I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35
Is that enough? In a life marked with relative ease; what would it take to make me want Jesus? The other night I was sitting outside and wishing the patio lights were on so I had a bit more lighting. Not wanting to have to get up, I yelled to my son to "text Dad and tell him to turn on the lights." My husband was downtown Denver at an event and – after receiving the relayed request – pushed an "Alexa" app on his phone to turn on the "smart" lights on our patio. I use this example to highlight how I, too, could miss the "life" God is offering when the "miracles" are just too satisfying. I used to have to physically go to a bank to deposit a check, write a letter to a friend overseas to stay in touch, and painfully listen to hours of radio to finally hear my favorite song. Technology has been my own miracle of choice, and I can definitely relate to being eager for "what's next?"
Of course we aren't always in a "relaxing on the well-lit patio" type of season. Maybe that's you this week. You might be asking for proof that a God who "could"… "would." You might really need a "next" to keep your faith going. My prayer for all of us is that we would believe in His offer of life and His promise of "never"
… "I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me will never go hungry,
and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
For further encouragement listen to the song: "Never", by Tasha Layton.
by Kris Thulson
