Thursday, February 9, 2006
John 6:26-27 "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to ever-lasting life, which the Son of Man will give you."
REAL FOOD . . . REAL LIFE!
Sometimes those who consider the message of the Feeding of the 5,000 move past it so fast. They're so concerned about the deeper meaning that the miracle is hardly considered. No chance of that with those who were actually there. They can't get past Jesus' provision of bread and fish in abundance and go on to consider what this sign says about Him.
It's like a present day college student being told by a parent, "I am your father. I have much more to give you than just money.
I am much more to you. I am not just an ATM." And the kid responds, "Great, Dad. Whatever. Can I have a 20?"
The people gathered before Jesus the day after the miracle of the loaves keep flashing back to what happened on those grassy slopes across the lake. They keep seeing the disciples approaching them with mounds of bread and fish, broken off in chunks by their Master's hands.
That's all Jesus is to them -- a BFM -- a Bread and Fish Machine. So Jesus, in effect, says to them, "You're here for the wrong reasons. You have not understood the signs I have done, the signs that say I am the Christ, the Savior from sin and death. I have something much better to give you. 'Food' that gives eternal life. Stop focusing your efforts on food that doesn't last, that feeds only the body."
Now think about your "life focus". What do you work for above all? What do you pray about most?
We live in a materialistic society. The attitudes around us can't help but affect us. Jesus applies the message of the sign of the loaves particularly to people with this sort of mind-set. So Jesus adjusts our focus too. He does it with the good news that He Himself is the one true "soul food".
