QT 1 Aug 12, Why do we follow Jesus?

John 6:30-35, 41-44 (NIV) So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? 31 Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"

32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."

35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.

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41 At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."  42 They said, "Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"

43 "Stop grumbling among yourselves," Jesus answered.

NOTE: The people of Jesus day could not seem to get the proper focus. There were looking for bread to sustain their physical life. They wanted Jesus to make their life easier. They did not want to worry about where the next paycheck came from. They did not want to sweat and work hard to get food. They wanted what the Israelites of Moses' day got, free food. Of course, what is forgotten are three key aspects of the Exodus. The people who picked up the free food everyday, the manna, grumbled in the desert. They wished for the old days of slavery in Egypt where they could eat leeks, onions, and cabbage. Secondly, the free food did not help them to walk with God any better. They still grumbled about many different things, and when it came time to obey God and head into the promised land, they rebelled against God. Third, they received free food from heaven but still died in the desert. Ultimately free food did not provide for their greatest need, which was a spiritual need. And the latter point is Jesus' argument here. What the people need is not physical food, but spiritual food.

At this point, the crowd requests this food Jesus offers, only to grumble (like the Exodus crowd) at Jesus' statement that he was the true bread of life. There issue is that they know his parents, so how could he come down from heaven? But the real issue is that they are not interested in a food that feeds them spiritually. They wanted their physical lives to be better.

Many Christians do the same thing today. They follow Jesus but only for what they can get out of it: health, a good family, more money and things. It is called the health and wealth gospel and it is wrong. The want the "blessings," except that God's definition of blessings is much different from ours. Today, Jesus is still offering a new heart, a new life, and a promise of a future inheritance to those who will put their faith in God. There is no promise of physical blessings here on earth, but only future ones. Will we be satisfied with that promise, or must we like the people of Jesus' times demand earthly rewards in order to follow God?