The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” (John 6:22-27 NLT).
John 6:22-27 is a follow-on conversation to the miracle of bread and fish in the wilderness. This happened near Tiberias, a place of convergence for many people. The discourse with the Lord raised the poser for every believer and this is the subject of our admonition this morning.
One can only imagine the distress the Lord was subject to because the people missed the real purpose for the miracle in a telling environment. If only the people saw Him fulfilling Deuteronomy 18:15-19 how much would their life be transformed!
Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’
“Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. (Deuteronomy 18:15-19 NLT)
How often is our coming to the Lord driven by our need to relieve temporal pressures? Deuteronomy 8:3 is reinforced by the preceding scripture.
Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3 NLT).
May the Lord open our hearts so we do not miss the speaking signs of the times; and that we may receive all His manifest counsel to walk in alignment with His will.
Pastor Afolabi Oladele
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