A Story about Bread
Feeding the five thousand is one of
the most well-known stories in the Bible. In fact, this is the only miracle
story written in all four gospels. Charles Spurgeon says that it’s in all four
gospels so that we won’t forget how much the Lord can do with little things
that are yielded to Him. This amazing
miracle, feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fish, is the fourth “sign,”
which points to the great reality, that is: Jesus
came into the world not just to give bread, but to be bread. That’s the
main point. But what does it mean by that?
Giving Bread
Jesus does care about bread. He
cares about our daily needs. When Jesus saw a large crowd, he was moved with
compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he
taught them, healed them, and fed them. He fed the 5,000. But that was not the
main reason he came. Jesus fed the 5,000, so
that they might see the sign and believe in him, and have life. But unfortunately,
the people missed the point. They believed Jesus as a materialistic Savior. They believed that Jesus would improve their
living situation, setting them free from the Roman oppression, giving them
peace and prosperity, making them healthy and wealthy. In short, they believed that
Jesus came to give bread. And they
wanted to use him for their own
purposes and agendas.
The crowd had a great passion for
Jesus. They tried to make him king by force, but without success. The next day
when they saw that Jesus was not there on the other side of the sea, they got
into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. But Jesus said to
them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw
signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves” (26). Jesus knew they were
seeking him and following him for the wrong reason. They were seeking Jesus, because
he was useful, not because he was precious. John Piper describes the crowd’s
mindset in this way:[1]
[Suppose] I’ve
always wanted to be wealthy and I’ve always sought it in the wrong places. My
hard work, or the lottery, or whatever. But now, I went to church, and I heard
there’s a way to have what I’ve always wanted, Jesus, is the way, and I sing,
and I sing, he’s the way to give me what I always wanted: money. That’s not new
birth… Or you might have always wanted to be healthy. Now, instead of going to
all the doctors, go to Jesus. I don’t want to suffer, so I’ll take Jesus… That’s
not new birth. The new birth is not loving the same meal and having a different
butler.
Being Bread
The crowd said to Jesus, “Lord, give us this bread always” (34). “Satisfy
our desires!” Jesus replied, “I am
the bread of life” (35). Here, Jesus was saying, “I didn’t come into the world
to meet your natural desires. I came to change
your desires, give you new desire so
that I would be your main desire, your precious one.”
Apparently, they didn’t understand it.
They began to complain about Jesus, saying, “I’ve come all the way out here to
see Jesus, hoping he might give me
what I always wanted. But what is he talking about? The bread of life? The
bread of heaven?” But Jesus stretched their faith even more, saying, “Unless
you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life in you” (53).
What does it mean to eat Jesus’
flesh? For Jesus, eating is believing.
Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (29). “I am the bread of life. Whoever
comes to me will never be hungry, and
whoever believes in me will never be
thirsty” (36). “Very truly, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the
bread of life” (47-48).
Eating Jesus’ flesh is believing in him. To be more specific,
it means to believe in Jesus’ death
on the cross as our only hope for eternal life. It means to believe that Jesus’ death pays in full the penalty
for our sin. That’s why Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, so that we would
not forget the very core of what we believe. In 1 Corinthians 11:26 Paul says, “For
as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.” Every
time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we proclaim why Jesus died. We proclaim our problem is not about bread, but
about sin. We proclaim we have the Savior who saves us from our sins (Matt
1:21). Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever eats this bread will have real life,
eternal life (John 6:58).
Taking Bread
Jesus
didn’t come into the world to give bread, but to be bread. He often takes bread out of our hands so that we
may trust him as the true bread. As Jesus was feeding the five thousand, four particular
verbs were used: take, bless, break, and give. Jesus took the bread, gave thanks, broke the bread and gave
it to his disciples. Yes, Jesus first takes
our bread. Then, he gives thanks and blesses over the bread. But then, he breaks our bread. Lastly, he gives back our bread. But it’s no longer
the old bread that we brought to him. In the meantime something happened. It’s
new creation, new bread that feeds thousands of people.
I like the way Juan Carlos Ortiz
tells the story of the pearl of great price. A man sees this pearl and says to
the merchant, “I want this pearl. How much is it?” The seller says, “It’s very
expensive. But everyone can buy it if he or she really wants it.” The man says,
“Well, how much?” “Everything you have,” says the seller. “All right, I’ll buy
it.” “Okay, what do you have?” “Well, I have $10,000 in the bank.” “Good,
$10,000. What else?” “That’s all I have.” “Nothing more?” “Well, I have a few
dollars more in my pocket.” “How much?” “Let’s see … $100.” “That’s mine, too.”
The seller asks, “Where do you live?” “In my house. Yes, I own a home.” The
seller writes down, “house.” “It’s mine.” “Where do you expect me to sleep – in
my car?” “Oh, you have a car? “That’s mine now.” “Look, you’ve taken my money,
my house, and my car. Where is my family going to live?” “So, you have a
family?” “Yes, I have a wife and three kids.” “They’re mine now.” Suddenly the
seller exclaims, “Oh, I almost forgot! You yourself, too! Everything
becomes mine – wife, children, house, money, car, and you, too.” Then he goes
on, “Now, listen, I will allow you to use all these things for the time being.
But don’t forget that they’re all mine, just as you are. And whenever I need
any of them, you must give them up, because I am now the owner.” [2]
Jesus takes bread out of our hands so that we may believe in him as the only
source of life, the bread of life. In today’s passage many of Jesus’
disciples thought their life would be ok with a little bit of help and improvement
here and there. But Jesus stripped their pride, self-confidence, self-sufficiency,
self-righteousness. He exposed their unbelief and darkness. He took bread out
of their hands so that they might come to him and believe in him. But instead,
they took offence, turned back, and no longer followed him.
No Turning Back
Let us examine ourselves today. Why are we following Jesus? Are we
following Jesus because he is useful?
Or are we following Jesus because he is precious?
In other words, are we following Jesus because he meets our desires? Or are we
following Jesus because he is our treasure over everything?
When the storms of life come, our
hearts will be revealed. A Christian hymn, “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus” is
based on the last words of a man in Assam, India. About 150 years ago, there
was a great revival in Wales. Some of the missionaries came to India to spread
the Good News of Jesus Christ. The tribes in Assam were well-known as aggressive
head-hunters. Somehow the missionaries were able to convert one family – a man,
his wife, and their two children. This man’s faith proved contagious and many
villagers began to accept Jesus. The village chief was angry and called the
family to renounce their faith in public or face execution. Moved by the Holy
Spirit, the man declared, “I have decided to follow Jesus.” His two children
were killed, and then his wife in front of his eyes. Then, he was executed
while singing, “The world behind me, The cross before me. No turning back, No
turning back.” This man followed Jesus, not because Jesus is useful, but because
Jesus is precious.
Let us eat Jesus’ flesh and drink
his blood. Let us come to Jesus and believe in him as the bread of life. May
the Lord Jesus Christ change our desires so that we may treasure him, make much
of him, rejoice in him, be satisfied in him alone. Amen.
[1] John
Piper, “Getting to the Bottom of Your Joy” (Passion 2011), https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/getting-to-the-bottom-of-your-joy
[2] Adapted
from The Disciple (Creation
House), 34-5.
No comments:
Post a Comment