From the desk of Pastor Ben.
The Response of False Disciples – Part 1

Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”             (John 6:26-27)

Jesus’ answer here actually bypassed the crowd’s irrelevant, superficial question concerning His arrival in Capernaum (vs. 25) and probed the real issue of the people’s sinful motives. Just the previous day they had wrongly attempted to make Him king after the miraculous feeding; telling them about the latest events on the lake would have only further incited their misguided messianic fervor. Jesus never did commit Himself to such thrill-seeking false disciples(Psalm 25:14; Matthew 13:11; John 2:24).

Jesus’ rebuke to the crowd for seeking Him merely because it enjoyed eating the bread and fish, exposed the people’s materialistic hearts. Although the people had seen the miraculous feeding of the large crowd (John 6:14), they did not understand the spiritual implications of that miracle or other signs.

Instead of pursuing perishable food as they did, Jesus urged them to seek “the food which endures to eternal life,” which was none other than the Messiah Himself, the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 54). He certainly knew that people needed physical nourishment, but He was much more interested in their spiritual welfare (John 4:14; Matthew 16:26; 2 Corinthians 4:16). As God’s beloved Son, only He has the authority and power to bestow genuine spiritual food from the Father that truly satisfies the hunger for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).

Ask Yourself:
What are some of the temporary delights you sometimes seek, mistakenly hoping they’ll be enough to keep you satisfied on a daily basis? What are they missing that only Jesus can provide? What does He give you that none of us can do without?