Jesus Feeds the Multitude

After feeding a multitude of five thousand men, the people wanted to make Jesus king by force. Sensing this, Jesus withdrew to a mountain where he could be alone (John 6:10-15). When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they went there to see Him (John 6:24-25).

When Jesus saw they had followed Him, He rebuked them, saying, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (John 6:26).

Following Jesus for the Wrong Reason

Jesus wants us to follow Him, so why did he rebuke the people? He understood they didn’t follow Him for the right reason.

Have you ever tried to point something out to a dog? The dog just stares at your finger and doesn’t look at what you’re pointing to. No matter how many times you point, the dog always misses it. The dog is always looking in the wrong direction.

Jesus was performing signs that pointed to who He was, but the people followed Him because of what He had given them. They didn’t look where the signs pointed.

A king was expected to provide for his people. Jesus provided them with food, and this was the connection they made. They thought that if they made Him king, Jesus would provide for their physical needs and they would have no more wants.

But Jesus came for something much more than that. He came to feed the soul, not the stomach.

The Way to a Man’s Heart is Through His Stomach

There is an old saying, “the way through a man’s heart is through his stomach.” This seems to have been true in Jesus’ time also, so Jesus used their appetites as an illustration to turn the tables on them. But it took some time.

First, He warned them, “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” (John 6:27). They didn’t understand what He was saying, so they asked Jesus what they must do. The answer is so simple that sometimes we still stumble over it today: “Believe in him whom He has sent” (John 6:29).

At this point the people asked for a sign (John 6:30). They had just seen Jesus miraculously feed thousands of people, and yet they were asking for another sign. They were asking Jesus to point again.

But Jesus didn’t point again. Instead, He brought His point home by turning the food analogy full circle.

The Bread of Life

Jesus explained to them that God provided manna, the bread from heaven, for His people when they wandered in the wilderness, and now “the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33). He was trying to tell them that God was providing for His people again.

They asked Jesus to give them some of this bread. They wanted the bread of life Jesus was offering, but they still didn’t understand what He meant. Jesus finally said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

He went on to explain that He came down from heaven (John 6:38) and that anyone who believes in Him will have eternal life (John 6:39-40). John tells us that at this point the people were grumbling, and eventually many of them stopped following Him (John 6:66).

Following Jesus For the Right Reason

On the other hand, we can look at the story of the first disciples. After teaching from a boat, Jesus told Simon Peter to cast his nets again. Simon thought it was futile because they had been fishing all night and caught nothing. But he obeyed Jesus and was rewarded with a catch so huge the nets couldn’t hold the fish.

Simon recognized something special had just happened and he bowed down in front of Jesus. This haul of fish would have provided for his future. But even with incomplete understanding, he left everything and followed Jesus in faith. There wasn’t a promise of comfort. Comfort lay in the bursting net Simon left behind, while Jesus didn’t even have a place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20).

Why Do You Follow Jesus?

We have to ask ourselves why we follow Jesus. Do we follow Jesus because we think it will help us prosper in this life? Do we think nothing bad will ever happen to us? Do we think we will never want or suffer?

Or do we follow Jesus because of who He is?

Scripture tells us to bring our cares and our concerns to God (1 Peter 5:7). That’s not what we’re discussing today. We’re looking at the misguided notion that if we follow Jesus we’ll never have any struggles or problems.

If that’s the reason we’re following Him, then we’re following Him for the wrong reason. Jesus never promised us it would be an easy road. He said the opposite. He promised us that the world would hate us on account of Him (Matthew 10:22, John 15:18). Tough times will still come, but Jesus will be there with us when they do.

Jesus offers us something much more meaningful than a few years of earthly comfort. It’s true that He will comfort us during those tough times, but He doesn’t promise the tough times won’t come.

Jesus offers us forgiveness for all of our sins, and the hope of eternal life in His presence. We shouldn’t follow Jesus for what we think He will give us in this life, but because of who He is. The people Jesus fed looked at Him and asked themselves, “What else can He give us?” Peter looked at Jesus and saw something more than what He could provide.

Jesus can offer us these things because of who He is. The signs He performed pointed to who He is, but the people were too busy looking at His finger while Peter began to look to where Jesus was pointing.

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