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. 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. (John 6:26-27) Have you ever asked yourself, why? As in, why do you follow Jesus? In this episode we find Jesus having fed five thousand, then he walked on water. Then, the disciples were surprised when they found Jesus on the other side of the lake. Clearly the disciples were waiting for Jesus and looking for him. But they weren’t looking for him because he was their friend or even because he was their savior. They had been looking for him, and Jesus knew this, because he was their meal ticket. It was in following Jesus that the disciples did not have to toil to earn a decent meal. It was in following Jesus that the worries they had in surviving day to day, became secondary. They had this teacher who took care of them and wherever he went, they went and he provided. The disciples had misconstrued motives. They didn’t focus on what was most important. In fact, they sought after the wrong reasons. For some people who claim to be Christ followers, we sometimes find ourselves following Christ because he is our meal ticket; not because he saves us or because he does supernatural things in our lives (like reconciliation between two or more people). I know some of us only follow Jesus by coming to church because there’s a free hot meal at the end of service, others only so they won’t feel lonely, and still others only come because football season didn’t start and there’s nothing better than using your “relationship” with Jesus as an excuse not to do chores and go to church. Whatever our motivation, if the purpose is not Jesus himself, then like all other things, the satisfaction of following Jesus will begin to fade and you will have nothing but pangs of hunger looming around. However, a relationship with Jesus, and I don’t mean one of those hi and bye relationships, but a real personal one, where Jesus gets seriously invested in your life because you allow him to settle in, will never leave you unfulfilled or disappointed. Ask yourself: will you trade bread for life?
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