Difficult....

"On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" (John 6:60)

Acting in obedience to what God instructs is rarely ANYthing other than difficult.

 Making a decision to follow Christ seems only to make life more difficult. 

Choosing to do what HE says is right is much more difficult than just reacting to our life situations in whatever way we feel at the moment.

Often I have repeated this to Jesus. "This is hard !!"   "Who can do this?" (John 6:60)




"I can"....He whispers.





".....the Spirit of truth.......... you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you........

 I will not leave you...." (John 14:17-18)

Teach....

Continuing in John 6...I think about the crowd of Jews following this new Teacher Jesus. 

They had been fed......miraculously.
People had been healed....miraculously.



I feel sure I would have been right where they were.  Questioning. Drawing on my knowledge of scripture. I'm pretty sure I would not have recognized prophecy fulfilled in this carpenter from Nazareth.....no more than they did.

Why did so many not get it?  Why did they not recognize Him for Who He was...immediately?  They had so much knowledge of scripture, prophecy......




In John 6:45, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 54:13 and Jeremiah 31:31-34, telling the critical Jews who questioned His teaching that "...all will be taught by God.." (John 6:45)

To teach it to communicate to another the knowledge of that of which he was before ignorant. (Webster's definition)



I am struck this morning with that phrase, "taught by God". 

I can learn lots of information. I can replace any area of ignorance with facts and data. I can scrutinize and analyze....

But in matters of God and His Word, what He has said, what He IS saying, what He is doing....I do well to not teach myself.  I may accumulate some knowledge, but that knowledge will be useless unless it is brought to Life by The Holy Spirit of God. 

I purpose today to be taught by God. 

Endures....

Webster says "To last; to continue in the same state without perishing"

In John 6:27 Jesus says, "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life.."

What does that mean?  I echo the question of the crowd following Him that day. 

As I ponder on the situation recorded in scripture, I see a crowd of people following Jesus because of reasons like the free food and free medical help He was providing.

Why do I follow Him? 



I have learned that my greatest needs are not the immediate needs we all have.  While Jesus is indeed concerned with the needs of my flesh, (He knows about those....personally..), His desire is that I have my eternal needs met.

And those needs are needs that I am absolutely powerless to fill.....


How thankful I am that it is not my own work and labot, but the work of grace, that provides the eternal food that I would die without. 

Eternally....that is beyond a long time.

Recognize...

Webster says "To recollect or recover the knowledge of.."

I read (or heard) somewhere once, that you can't know what you don't know.  Duh..

While it is true that we can only know what we know....it is also true that we CAN know MORE than we know.


It may seem that I'm talking in circles or riddles.....but looking at the events of John 6, I see that Jesus' disciples did not 'recognize' Him.  I wonder...how often is it that I too, do not recognize Him?  

Did they not recognize Him because they did not expect Him to show up?

Or did they not recognize Him because He appeared in an unexpected way?

When the circumstances are stormy, am I frightened and unaware that it is Him approaching?

How do I expect Him to show up in my storm?

 And are those expectations broad enough to recognize Him in whatever way He chooses to show Himself to me in the middle of my own storm?

 "....they were terrified. But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."
Then they were willing to take him into the boat..."(John 6:19-21)



 I purpose to know more than I know now....I want to know Jesus so intimately, that in whatever frightful situation I face, I will recognize Him in it, that I will know His Presence even before I see with my eyes or understand with my mind.

How thankful I am that His character and nature is one of love and assurance, that even when I do not recognize Him, He calls out to me at just the right moment, comes on board with me in my situation, and comforts me with His Presence.

Hallelujah.

Force...

Jesus could have forced anything He chose.

He could have forced the crowd to leave Him alone to rest. But He chose to calm them, difuse the situation, and feed their bellies.

He did force His disciples into a boat and onto the Sea of Galilee at night.  He told them to go to Bathsaida, and He went back up the hill for the quiet time with God that He had wanted before the interruption of the crowd.

After such compelling instructions, the disciples did as they were told.  Well, maybe...scripture says they set off for Capernaum.  (John 6:17) The two cities are near each other.  Maybe close is good enough....  ?

As I read thru all the gospel accounts of this event, I see that Jesus sent them off, didn't go with them, but saw them from where He was.  "He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them...."(Mark 6:48)

Were the disciples rowing hard in the wrong direction, not headed exactly where they were sent?


I can't know, either way.  But I realize from pondering on this story,  that when I am not in complete obedience to God's instructions, very often I find myself straining against a strong and forceful wind in my own life.

Perhaps the wind was sent to maneuver them back on track in the right direction.  Perhaps not.
Does He send a force of 'wind' to encourage me to stop going in the wrong direction?  I think so.

I know this... My will is mine. God can and will not force me. My choices are mine to make.

But I do well to accept the truth that He is always, always, always right. Whether I like it, agree with it, or understand it....He is right.

I purpose in my heart to go exactly where He instructs, exactly when.....and know that He is watching, always aware of my situation, and will show up at exactly the right time.

He is always, and ONLY, good.














(Mark 6:44-51)

Multiplied....

We learn in the first few years of school what it is for a number to be multiplied.

We learn in Sunday school how God instructed creatures to multiply. Noah unloaded the ark on an earth that had been flooded, and again, God said "...multiply, and fill the earth.." (Genesis 1:22 and Genesis 9:1)

Jesus disciples must have wondered why He didn't cash in on the opportunity to multiply His followers. He was, after all, Messiah...why would He not take advantage of this situation and build up an army of men to help Him bring victory to Israel? Jesus could easily multiply the number of followers...many times over.

But instead of rallying people to that cause, He keeps them quieted and calm, seats them on the grassy field, and multiplies....

Fish. And bread.

"Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish." (John 6:11)



It was Passover season...and Jesus knew that He was the perfect Lamb of sacrifice. He knew what was ahead. He knew the time was getting short. There would soon be another Bread being broken and multiplied.

His Body.




I purpose today, to get involved in breaking that Bread of Life in the multiple opportunities He sets before me.

Jesus asked those with Him that day, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5)

He speaks to me this moment, thru scripture....."I Am the Bread of Life." (John 6:48)

And as He spoke to Peter, He speaks to me....

"Feed my sheep...." (John 21:17)

What I have is less than a fish and a hunk of bread.... But in whatever situation I face, whatever I have, placed in The Hands of Jesus....will be multiplied.

He will make it more than enough.

Hallelujah

But....

When you see that word, look out....you usually see an excuse next.

I continue in John 6:9 this morning...

After being disturbed by a crowd of hungry people, Jesus' asks the disciples where and how these needs could be met.

 "He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do." (John 6:6)
He knew the answer before He asked them...but they didn't know, they may not have even considered the needs of these people who had chased after them.

(I'm afraid I'd have been in that mindset...probably just annoyed at the interruption.)

But Jesus causes them to consider other people, so their thoughts begin to turn....and they see the limitations. 

Phillip thinks about the amount....and he thinks in the terms of money.  "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" (John 6:7)

Andrew thought about the amount...and he thinks in terms of quantity. "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" (John 6:9)

Both are valid trains of thought... EXCEPT when Jesus is involved.

It is frustrating to face a daunting task when we look at it from a human, practical viewpoint.

We do well to remember that our God is not human. 

I purpose to place my meager little fish in the Hands of Jesus, and trust Him to use what little I have.

No excuses.  No buts...