May the mumbling commence!
In the gospel according to John, we are given signposts. What are we expected to do with them? It is a question that follows the third sign – the feeding of the five-thousand. Read the third sign as recorded in chapter six of John:
Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the miraculous signs he had performed on the sick. Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. The Jewish Passover Feast was near.
When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!"
Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?"
Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. 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.
When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, "Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted." So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten.
After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world." (Verses 1-14)
This sign was primarily for the disciples. When doing the work of God, Jesus’ disciples could easily get overwhelmed. In fact, being overwhelmed is one sign that you are doing the work of God.
This sign calls us to look beyond our own meager resources to the boundless resources of God. Give thanks for our meager resources, hold onto them loosely, and distribute them generously. Then, prepare for the provision of God, and waste nothing.
The people who were fed sought out Jesus again, and Jesus pointed them to God. The people asked how they were to respond. Read the exchange below that happens later in John six:
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
So they asked him, "What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
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. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."
"Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread." (Verses 28-34)
The work that God requires is belief in the One He sent – Jesus the Christ. Who is Jesus? What defines him? Read from John chapter eight:
So Jesus said, "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him." (Verses 28-29)
Jesus is free to make a choice, and he chooses obedience to his Father’s will. Obedience alone pleases God. That is difficult to do when we think of things in human terms. The followers of Jesus got caught up in this very trap. Some were leaving Jesus. So, Jesus asked the Twelve – his closest disciples – a question in John chapter six:
From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." (Verses 66-69)
Indeed, there is no one else to go to find the truth, to find eternal life – even when the way seems foreign to us. Belief that transcends human reason is imperative when we seek the divine truth.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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