Jesus not after the crowd, but after the few (John 6)
Sang Won Sur
2and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the
miraculous signs he had performed on the sick
10Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in
that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
60On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching.
Who can accept it?"
61Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to
them, "Does this offend you?
66From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
(Read the entire chapter to get a better understanding of what
happened in this chapter)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%206&version=NIV
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If Jesus was leading a church as a pastor, there won't be a lot of
people -- only a few people would remain.
I bet He would attract the crowds, but only some would be faithful.
Many people come to church for personal reasons (personal
spirituality, duty, some to make business connections, some for
friends, etc).
And as Jesus did, the church (that's us!) ought to reach people
meeting their personal needs (just as Jesus did by healing sicknesses,
dealing with people's problems, and even feeding the 5000 men that
followed him)
However, that was not the end-goal for Jesus. He first reached for
them that they may reach for God back.
You see, Jesus could've built a bigger crowd -- heck, he could've even
been king (see v. 15). But that's not what He wanted -- He didn't want
a crowd, He wanted the few.
When the crowd gathered, Jesus gave a message that challenged all
those people that followed him (see v. 25-59). He said, "I am the
bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who
believes in me will never be thirsty" (v. 35). People had hard time
accepting Jesus as the way to God. No, their hearts were not after God
. . . they rather wanted Jesus to deal with more of their problems,
feed their hunger, and see more signs that can benefit THEM -- they
didn't care about a relationship nor even knowing God. They were
focused on their own needs/desires.
Jesus basically said, that's not the reason for which I came. I
want you to know God -- and you can do that by accepting me, the Bread
of Life. (the food that never spoils, the One that can provide for all
your needs).
This required faith, and it was not straight up logic -- how could
believing and trusting in someone take care of all my problems and
pains? (people were smart just like us -- they could tell this was not
a logical process)
Then many walked away -- they wanted more proof of how God can benefit
their lives, and Jesus wasn't giving any.
You see, Jesus was never after the crowd -- never after complacent
people who may join bigger churches because they can just go in and
come out -- Jesus was after the few that would believe in Him and
would form a relationship with God. Are you one of the crowd? The
other kind of crowd is also evident, people who are constantly seeking
for proof of His existence, even though God has touched and revealed
Himself to them, then saying God is not real -- then walking away.
(For those of you that are seeking right now, I encourage you to ask
God to reveal Himself to you and when you receive the response, stop
challenging God for more proof or benefit in your life -- now you
should believe and follow).
Are you the crowd, or the few?
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Applications:
1. How does Jesus relate to your everyday life?
2. When you study your patterns of prayers, do you tend to just ask
for "your" requests? (Do you find this to be similar to the crowd that
Jesus dismissed?)
3. If you're a church leader, do you find yourself constantly trying
to please the crowd? or are you truly giving the message from
Scriptures? (Are you challenging, even offending some of the members?)
4. I know many of us are intellectuals (yes, in the US, we all had
education and logic is highly favored) -- but faith is not something
that can be proved by science or fact (cf. Hebrews 11:1). Do you
believe in God who cannot be proven? Do you believe in Jesus, even
through the hard times when it feels like the desert? Do you believe
in the heavenly Father even though life at home (with family) hurts
you?
(v. 26-27) "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because
you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your
fill. 27Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to
eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the
Father has placed his seal of approval."
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Be the Few
-Sang