Merciful Grace
Robert Orben once made an interesting observation. He noted that after all these years the formulas for making Coca-Cola and Kentucky Fried Chicken are still secrets. However, the recipe on how to make a hydrogen bomb can be found on the Internet.
People have always had secrets, and sometimes for good reason. It’s interesting that often after Jesus did something spectacular, like healing someone of a disease, he told them, “Don’t tell anybody.” I suspect that Jesus did this because he didn’t want people coming to him for the wrong reasons.
Our lesson for today comes immediately after Jesus has performed the remarkable miracle of feeding 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and two fish. The result of this miracle was that people started coming to him in droves. But for what? For more bread and fish.
Jesus did not come merely to provide food for the body. He did that. And that was a very important part of his work, as it is ours. But he also came to provide eternal spiritual food that flows from our relationship with God. So, the people who sought Jesus that day were missing the real miracle that he came to bring.
An extensive survey was conducted all across America recently with the key question: “What are you looking for most in life?” Most expected that the results would have material needs at the top of the list, but the top three things people wanted in life were love, joy and peace. This points to the fact that the deepest needs we have cannot be satisfied with material goods.
The people who sought Jesus out wanted a repeat of his feeding miracle. They were treating his ministry like a circus sideshow. “Do it again! Do it bigger!” But the food that he provided in his miracle was just a sign. What Jesus was really trying to communicate to them was the love that motivated the miracle. He was trying to tell them that he had so much more to offer than simply temporary security. Indeed, he was offering them himself. The real miracle of Jesus was the merciful grace that brings us salvation and offers us a chance at a whole new life. Christ is the bread of life and we should “not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life” (John 6:27).
Blessings, Tim Hobbs, Pastor