“Truly, truly I say to you, you are seeking Me,
not because you saw signs,
but because you ate your fill of the loaves.”
– Jesus, to the crowd that had followed Him (John 6:26)
Jesus claimed that His miraculous feeding of five thousand people showed more than just His compassion. It was a sign! Just as God had provided manna from heaven for the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, now Jesus was also providing the Jews with the physical nourishment they needed.
The feeding of the five thousand signified that one greater than Moses and had arrived! Jesus used the symbolic action to show that the kingdom of God was more than just a heaven-based existence; it was also a present earth-shaking reality. The feeding revealed God’s loving provision for His people, especially through His Son.
Unfortunately, the people didn’t get it. The next day, they searched all over for Jesus hoping to obtain another meal. Jesus saw through their hypocrisy, and instead of explaining yesterday’s miracle and what it had represented, He exposed their real motivations for searching for Him: they wanted to have their bellies filled again! The people had seen the sign, but missed its significance. Physically, they had been fed; spiritually, they hadn’t grasped the bigger picture. Forget the Bread of Life – Jesus Himself! They wanted more food!
Today, we often fail to see the greater meaning behind the small wonders and answers to prayer we experience. Instead of seeing the signs for what they are, we go on seeking to have our own wishes fulfilled, as if Jesus were a magical Savior, conjuring up solutions to all our perceived needs.
Jesus sees through our sometimes fake motivations for seeking Him. He challenges us to see His intervention in our lives for what it really represents. He wants us to not only eat our fill of the loaves, but to then understand the significance of His work in our lives. We should desire Him, not just what He can do for us. May we be able to understand the signs and not only look past them to our future needs.
written by Trevin Wax © 2007 Kingdom People blog
