John 6 - Jesus Feeds the 5000
What are the greatest challenges that we face collectively as a culture? What are the things preventing us from achieving a world of peace, equality, and prosperity? What keeps us from seeing widespread happiness and satisfaction?
These questions assume that we all agree that our society has not reached a utopian ideal. They assume that we all recognize that our society, to one degree or another, has failed to deliver.
Now, although we may universally agree that our society is broken, we likely disagree on the chief cause of this brokenness.
Some might analyze our current state of affairs and conclude that our problems a primarily material. That is, our greatest need as a society is to eliminate the disparities between the rich and the poor. The cost of living is too high. The minimum wage is too low. Home ownership is out of reach for too many. If we just create a society where every household has a living wage, then our problems will be solved. After all, if we eliminate poverty, we eliminate a host of other social ills. Solving our material problems is what will bring true satisfaction.
Others might look across society and say, “No. Our problems are not primarily material but physical.” That is, there is human suffering all around us. Sickness, disease, addictions, mental health issues are our primarily problem. We must seek to eliminate physical suffering, then we will have arrived as a healthy culture. Solving our physical problems is what will bring true satisfaction.
Others still might consider our culture and say, “You know what? Our problems are not primarily material, or physical, but all of our problems can be traced back to the political.” For these, it is political ineptitude or potlical corruption that has caused all of our problems. It’s bad policy that has caused our economic problems. It’s political corruption that has caused so much disparity. It’s political meddling in our healthcare system that has caused so much suffering. The answer therefore is political change! Maybe even political revolution! Solving our political problems is what will bring true satisfaction.
We might picture someone else standing up and proclaiming that our problems are neither material, physical or political, but the source of all our problems is moral. After all, if we could recapture a sense of common morality then the material, physical and political realms would take care of themselves. A moral society would seek to eliminate economic disparities, would set right social injustices, would work to alleviate physical suffering and would root out political corruption. Solving our moral problems is what will bring true satisfaction.
Obviously this list could go on. The point is, although all might agree that our world is broken there exists fundamental disagreements as to the cause of that brokenness. And with disagreements over the cause, there naturally follows disagreements over what solutions should be hoped for, and worked towards.
If our problems are primarily material then the solutions are material. Therefore we should place our hope in a material solution. We should exert our efforts toward that solution. We should work towards eliminating poverty or if we can’t do it ourselves, hope that someone might come along who might.
Likewise, if our problems are primarily physical then we should put our time, money and effort into finding cures, and eliminating disease. For those who can’t actively work to this end, they might find themselves putting their hope and trust in others or in science in general. Science will save us.
If our problems are primarily political then the solutions are political and hope and our efforts should be directed towards political action. We should try to get the right people elected. If we vote properly, campaign enough, or at least try to do our small part by arguing on social media, then we might effect meaningful change.
If the immorality of our culture is the cause of our problems then we should hope for some sort of moral turnaround. We should put our efforts toward calling out the immorality of our culture. We should lobby our politicians, confront our school boards, boycott immoral corporations, and of course, take a brave stand on social media.
How we define our greatest challenges determines what we see as solutions and therefore drives where we put our hope, and place our efforts.
… or to make it personal …
We must properly define our problems if we are to determine the proper solutions and therefore properly decide where to put our hope and place our efforts.
Well, what we will see this morning is that within the crowds that followed Jesus there was a similar diversity of opinions regarding what were the greatest challenges facing their world, and consequently a diversity of opinions regarding how to solve those challenges. We will also see that despite their differences, many of them saw Jesus as the solution to their problems. Not because they had an accurate, scriptural understanding of Jesus as the Messiah but because they projected upon Jesus the profile of a Messiah who would solve all of their problems.
How is this relevant to us? Although most of us might be Christians this morning, we too can be guilty of misplacing the cause of our problems, and therefore misplacing our hope and our efforts. We too can be guilty of seeing Jesus, not for who he is, but for who we want him to be. Like the crowds in Jesus’ day we must accurately recognize our greatest needs and see Jesus as the perfect satisfaction of those needs, so that we might place all of our hope and trust in him alone.
John 6:1-15 ¶ After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” 15 ¶ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
John 6:24-40 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 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. 27 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.” 28 ¶ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 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. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. 37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Now notice in verse 2 that large crowds were following Jesus because “they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick.” These miracles stirred up incredible interest and led other sick people to follow him, hoping to be healed. Also, notice in verse 4 that this was at Passover time. The combination of his miracles and the Passover meant that the crowds gathering around Jesus would have been unusually large.
That it was Passover also meant that the crowds would have been in a mindset to think about God’s deliverance of his people. They would have been ripe to talk about the coming Messiah and the promised second Exodus that he would bring about.
So, the rumours of his miracles spread from the locals to those visiting for Passover and created a thick atmosphere of curiosity, and hope – among the locals and the visitors alike.
Now, represented within this massive crowd would have been men and women who had differences of opinions regarding the nature of the Messiah and just what sort of kingdom he would usher in. The differences among them could be seen in how each of them answered the question of how to respond to the problem of Roman rule.
The Jewish Sects and Roman Rule
The beginning of Roman rule in the region can be traced to events occurring 90 years earlier. In 63 BC, as part of Roman military campaigns in the region, the Roman general Pompey sieged and captured Jerusalem. During this conflict, he entered the Temple, including the Holy of Holies, and offered incense like a priest. After desecrating the temple he intervened in the on-going political unrest in Judea by appointing one of the warring brothers as ethnarch and High Priest.
Thus Roman rule in the region began, not only with a demand for political subjugation but with an act of utter disrespect for Jewish religion. The treatment of the Jews by subsequent Roman and Rome-appointed rulers varied between toleration and outright antagonism.
Burdensome taxation, ever-present Roman soldiers, the imposition of Roman law, the introduction of pagan temples, the spread of Greco-Roman culture, Roman appointment of high priests, and the pressure to participate in emperor worship, were but a few of the issues which contributed to an on-going atmosphere of tension and sometimes conflict, between the Jews and their Roman rulers.
As mentioned, the Jews were not a homogenous group politically or theologically. The pressures of Roman rule forced many of these differences to rise to the surface.
It’s not hard for us to imagine, how societal pressures can expose and even exacerbate differences among groups. Sometimes external pressures can cause even otherwise like-minded people to focus on their differences more than their common beliefs and goals. Such was the case of the first-century Jews. Although like-minded in so many ways, being governed by hostile forces exposed differences in opinion regarding how they should respond.
Among these groups were the Pharisees.
The Pharisees as a sect were known for their focus on scriptural interpretation and the meticulous keeping of the law, and their tradition. While generally not as politically motivated as other groups, they were not beyond fomenting crowds against Rome when their religious sensibilities were violated. For instance, attempts to compel emperor worship, the placement of idols in Jerusalem, and the immoral behaviour of rulers all served to anger the Pharisees.
To the Pharisees the greatest problems among the Jews were theological error and moral impurity. They looked forward to the day when the Messiah would come to restore pure worship and reward the faithful. Faithfulness to them being defined by a strict adherence to the letter of the law, and rigid obedience to their traditions. Of course, if such a restoration were to happen, it would require the removal of the immoral idolaters who were presently ruling over their nation from Rome. Since the Pharisees held the greatest influence over Jewish culture of the day, the crowds would have largely shared their views.
Another major group among the Jews were the Sadducees.
Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not have much direct influence upon the day-to-day lives of the average Jew. They were primarily associated with temple worship and the priestly offices. They were part of the social elite and aristocratic class. The Sadducees' disbelief in the afterlife or in coming rewards and judgment may be the reason why, unlike the Pharisees, they were so politically active and bent on maintaining their earthly power.
The Sadducees were less concerned with religious purity and more concerned with preserving their influence and position in society. They were more likely to cooperate with Rome, even if it meant compromising their religious purity. Maintaining the status quo was more important than religious principle.
The Sadducees’ willingness to cooperate with Rome also stemmed from their denial of a coming Messiah. They were not looking forward to the appearance of divine deliverer and were unhappy with the destabilizing effects of messianic movements. They were more concerned with losing the power meted out to them by the Romans than seeing God’s kingdom established on earth.
A third group in addition to the Pharisees and the Sadducees were the Essenes.
The Essenes looked upon the Pharisees and Sadducees as complicit in the corruption of Judaism and opposed the encroaching Hellenization. For these reasons they separated themselves from mainstream Judaism, Temple worship, and society in general. They chose instead to live communally in strict sectarian societies where they shared their resources, ate communal meals, and gave themselves to prayer and the study of scripture. The most well-known of these communities was the one situated by the Dead Sea, from which the Dead Sea Scrolls were collected.
The Essenes believed in the imminent arrival of a Messiah who would bring judgment, and establish the kingdom of God. The Messiah would institute a purified priesthood and sit on the throne of David. If there were Essenes in the crowds that followed Jesus, his frequent calling out of the Pharisees and Sadducees over their hypocrisy would have resonated with them.
The Zealots are one more group worth mentioning.
The Zealots were a political and religious movement bent on liberating Israel from foreign rule. They fervently believed that Israel was to be ruled by God alone and were willing to engage in armed resistance to make it happen. It’s their penchant for revolts and uprisings which would eventually lead to the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.
Besides these groups you had the average Jewish man or woman who didn’t put much stock in political movements but who were simply trying to live life day-to-day. For them, a coming Messiah would right injustices, advocate for the poor, heal diseases and overthrow oppression.
Back to the Text
Now, look in verse 5:
John 6:5-9 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”
According to verse 10, this massive crowd approaching Jesus consisted of about 5000 men. With women and children this could have been a crowd of 20,000. Seeing this crowd approaching, Jesus turned to Philip and asked him an intentionally absurd question, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?”
It’s an absurd question because there was no way they could cater an impromptu meal for 20,000 people, let alone afford it. Philip answers in verse 7 that it would that even if they spent 8 months of the average wage they wouldn’t even be able to buy enough bread for everyone to have a little. Then, look at what happens next in verse 8:
John 6:8-13 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten.
Jesus performed an amazing miracle with the five barley loaves and the two fish. Andrew asked, “what are they for so many?” It turns out, more than enough in the hands of Jesus.
Notice in verse 11 that they ate “as much as they wanted” and in verse 12, “they had eaten their fill.” Perhaps as many as 20,000 people fully satisfied by what Jesus provided for them, with twelve baskets left over.
Now remember that this was Passover time and so thoughts of Jewish history, God’s faithfulness and his miraculous provision for and deliverance of his people would be fresh on the minds of the crowds. This made Jesus’ miracle all the more poignant. Besides this, some in the crowd may have been reminded of an account back in the book of 2 Kings where God did a similar miracle through a prophet named Elisha.
In that instance, Elisha had twenty loaves of barley and some fresh grain to serve one hundred men. In 2 Kings 4:42,
[Elisha said to his servant], “Give to the men, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says Yahweh, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of Yahweh.
Perhaps some in the crowd, maybe among the Pharisees would recognize that Jesus just performed a similar miracle but on a far greater scale. In the very least they could conclude that Jesus was a prophet greater than Elisha and that the Lord was working through him to perform miracles.
We know for sure that some in the crowd responded to the miracle by thinking of another Old Testament passage and promise. Look in verse 14:
John 6:14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
Who is “the Prophet” that they were referring to here? This is a reference to a promise stretching all the way back to Moses. In Deuteronomy 18 Moses said:
Deuteronomy 18:15-19 ¶ “Yahweh your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of Yahweh your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of Yahweh my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And Yahweh said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19 And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.
The Jews were still waiting for this promised prophet like Moses who would speak the words of Yahweh. That prophet who God would require that all men obey or face his judgment. This became understood as a Messianic passage promising a coming ruler who all men would be required to obey.
We know this is what some in the crowd were thinking, because of verse 15:
John 6:15 ¶ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Recap
So, what do we have thus far?
We have people following Jesus because they saw in him the solution to their physical ills. He could heal!
We have people following Jesus because they saw in him the solution to their political woes. He is that prophet who all men must obey, and that includes the Romans!
What do we see next? Jump down to verse 24 where we find Jesus and his disciples after having crossed the Sea of Galilee.
John 6:24-26 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 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.
So now we have:
We have people following Jesus because they saw in him the solution to their physical ills. He could heal!
We have people following Jesus because they saw in him the solution to their political woes. He is that prophet who all men must obey, and that includes the Romans!
And…
We have people following Jesus because they saw in him the solution to their material needs. He can provide an endless supply of food!
I follow Jesus because he is the physical healer! I follow Jesus because he is the political ruler! I follow Jesus because he is the material provider! Look at Jesus’ response in verse 27:
John 6:27 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.”
Do you remember what we said in our introduction?
How we define our greatest challenges determines what we see as solutions and therefore drives where we put our hope, and place our efforts.
What Jesus is saying to the crowd is,
“You have a misunderstanding of your greatest need and are therefore misplacing your hope and your efforts. You are working for material things and placing your hope in me only for temporal provision. Instead, recognize that your greatest need is eternal life and your aim should be to believe in me as the only source of that life.”
John 6:28-29 ¶ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
This was true for those following Jesus for material things as much as it was for those looking for physical healing and those looking for an earthly leader to overthrow the Roman rulers.
All the Jews making up this massive crowd needed to understand that their greatest need was spiritual – not physical, not material and not political. No physical, material or political solution would bring satisfaction or cure the world’s ills. What they and all men, and all of us need is eternal life. Life which only comes through Jesus Christ.
It was this understanding that Jesus was setting the stage for when he fed the 5000.
Think of it, a massive crowd with diverse opinions about the cause of the world’s problems and equally diverse opinions regarding the solutions. A crowd of people who, on a personal level, all had different struggles, different needs and different desperations. A massive crowd of people who were longing for satisfaction of one sort or another. And what did Jesus do?
He had them all sit down together at a time when their needs aligned - they were all hungry. Jesus used that moment to illustrate that all people have a common need. Men, women, children. Pharisees, Sadduccees, Essenes, Zealots, and people of no political persuasion at all. They all had a common need, and Jesus was the one who could satisfy it. The object lesson was the need of hunger and the provision of bread and fish. The real message was that all were in need of eternal life and the provision was Jesus himself.
Through this miracle Jesus showed that he was the source of ultimate satisfaction, answering man’s greatest need, and that all people should therefore place their hope in him alone. Further, they should place their hope in him for the right reasons. Not because he was healer (which he is), not because he is provider (which he is), and not because he is the ultimate ruler (which he is), but because he is the one sent by the Father to give eternal life to all who believe in him.
Unfortunately however many of them did not get this. Look starting in verse 29 again:
John 6:29-31 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, “Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”
What’s going on here? They know that he is claiming to be the Son of Man. They know he is claiming to be sent by God. They know he is claiming to be the one attested to by the Father as the source of eternal life. Yet their minds are still stuck on the fact that Jesus has the power to provide physical bread.
They ask for a sign and then even suggest a sign. How about that bread? Moses gave our Father’s bread in the wilderness and you are “that prophet” that Moses said would be like him, right? So give us bread the way that Moses gave them bread. His response:
John 6:32-33 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. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
Here Jesus corrects them. They were comparing Jesus to Moses. Moses gave bread, so you give bread. The correction is this – Moses didn’t give you bread but the Father gave you bread. Likewise, it is still the Father who gives bread, and I am that bread.
Like the heaven-sent manna in the wilderness which saved the physical lives of the Jews, Jesus is the heaven-sent Son of Man who has come to give spiritual life to all who believe in him.
Their response in verse 34:
John 6:34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
They are still not getting it. He becomes more explicit in verse 35:
John 6:35-36 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. 36 But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
Jesus is the true source of satisfaction because he gives eternal life. It is him and him alone who is deserving of our hope and trust. When one believes in him they are finally made spiritually whole and will forever be spiritually satisfied.
Now remember, they said “give us this bread always” and now he’s saying, “I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.” In other words, “You are asking for what I’ve already offered! You want the bread that truly satisfies? Here I am! You want it for yourself? Believe that I have been sent by the Father and am the sole source of eternal life, which is your greatest need! Yet, despite this free and open offer, I know you do not believe.”
Jesus then, after rebuking them for their unbelief, ensures that no one can go away thinking that their unbelief has thwarted God’s plan to give eternal life to whomever he chooses. He says:
John 6:37-40 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. 38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. 39 And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. 40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
We will return to this passage in another sermon. For now it is enough to say that Jesus has offered himself as the sole source of all-satisfying eternal life to all who would believe in him, yet these have refused to believe.
The sad thing is, they were willing to believe in Jesus but only insofar as Jesus conformed to their hopes and desires. The problem with this is that their hopes and desires were misplaced. They had misdiagnosed their real problem and were only willing to believe in Jesus insofar as he would solve that problem.
Application
My question for you this morning is this. As you think about your own life, or even society at large, have you found yourself deceived into placing your hopes in something other than Jesus? Or, are you guilty of inventing a Jesus which solves all of your problems and then placing your trust in that Jesus?
Have you become caught up in materialism believing that if only you had a bit more, you would be happy? Have you convinced yourself that money and stuff is the pathway to satisfaction? Have you allowed your wrong thinking to affect the way you think about Jesus - Seeing him primarily as the provider of material stuff and prosperity instead of the source of spiritual life?
Matthew 6:19-21 ¶ “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus didn’t come so that we can accumulate stuff on earth. On the contrary, he came to break our grasp from earthly treasures and have us turn our gaze toward the spiritual. Our hearts ought to be set on the eternal, and not on the temporary.
Next question, have your frequent health struggles or the struggles of your loved ones caused you to lose sight of the fact that Jesus has come primarily as the spiritual healer? The one who gives what ultimately satisfies? Not the promise of physical healing but the absolute promise of resurrection on the last day? Look at our passage in verse 40:
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Although God can and does heal, we do not have the guarantee of earthly healing. However, there is the absolute guarantee of eternal life and future resurrection for all who believe in Jesus.
Next question, have you become convinced that the solution to our problems is primarily political? Do you find yourself placing your hope in the political system pegging your hopes on some future political ruler who will finally be able to turn our country around? Or, do you find yourself emotionally captive to the political conversations of our day? When you see the political direction of our country shifting towards “the other side” do you find yourself angry, or discouraged? If so, remember what Jesus said to Pilate:
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”
Yes we should advocate for righteousness. Yes, we should exercise our civic responsibilities. But no, we are not those who right to establish an earthly kingdom.
Last question. As you consider the state of our society, are you determined that our problems are primarily moral in nature? Have you become caught up in the battle over moral issues believing that pushing back against the moral slide of our culture is the answer to our problems? Consider what Peter said in 2 Peter 3:
2 Peter 3:13-14 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
According to Peter, we are to place our hope in the promised future kingdom in which righteousness will dominate. And what does he say we should do while we wait? “Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Don’t war. Don’t battle. Don’t be confrontational. But be at peace. And, be diligent in what? Cleaning up the moral life of your neighbour? No. “Be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish.” That is, take care of your own life and seeking to live in purity and obedience to Jesus.
So again,
How we define our greatest challenges determines what we see as solutions and therefore drives where we put our hope, and place our efforts.
At this point then we can fill that out and say:
Our greatest challenge is the need for eternal life, and Jesus is the solution. Therefore we should focus our attention and efforts upon him.
John 6:27-29 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.” 28 ¶ Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
The fact is, Jesus is healer, Jesus is provider, and Jesus is ruler but Jesus is to be believed upon as the one sent by the Father to satisfy man’s greatest need which is for eternal life.
This morning you need Jesus because you need eternal life. To look anywhere else for ultimate satisfaction is futile. To place your hope elsewhere, or to direct your efforts elsewhere is a waste. Jesus and Jesus alone has what your soul truly longs for.
Beyond us, Jesus is exactly what our entire world needs. Political revolution won’t solve our problems; moral reformation won’t do it; scientific breakthroughs can’t do it; economic abundance won’t deliver. Jesus and Jesus alone has the answer to man’s ultimate problem.
What we should long for is a day when all people, like the 20,000 in Galilee, might sit before Jesus, acknowledging their common need and receiving from his hand the true bread from heaven. We should long for the day when all might believe in Jesus.
