The Gospel of John - Outline Part 15 - Acting Like Children

TITLE

John 6:22-40 – Acting Like Children

EXPLANATION

Jesus had left the crowds the day before.  The disciples were observed getting into their boat without Him.  So, the people were not sure where He had gone.  Having had their materialistic needs met they were quite interested in continuing this beneficial association with Jesus.  Finally, the crowd located Him on the other side of the sea, and they inquired about how and when He had arrived.  Jesus, as usual perceiving the true thoughts and intentions of people, bluntly told them that they were only seeking Him for more food and miracles.  He encouraged them to stop working for material food that does not last.  Rather, He said they should work for eternal food that never fades.

Showing typical human dullness of mind, the people did not understand what Jesus was talking about.  Furthermore, they avoided the issue by asking what they should be doing in order to accomplish God’s will.  This was a ridiculous question for Jews, because they out of all nations in the world had access to an entire Torah where God had clearly outlined exactly what they should and should not be doing.  Jesus, knowing their hearts, did not bother to point this out, but He chose a line of reasoning that He knew would cause them to backpedal; namely, that they must believe in Him.

In what can only be described as a statement of sheer idiocy and blindness, the people responded by inquiring as to what sign or work Jesus was going to perform to prove that they should listen to Him.  This was coming from people who had just witnessed a clear demonstration of supernatural power the day before and had had their stomachs filled because of it.  The issue was not that they needed a sign.  The issue was that they did not want to believe, and therefore they stalled for time so as to not have to admit it.

Jesus of course knew all of this.  But He chose to, rather than directly confront the peoples’ stubbornness, instead keep drilling down on the point that they must believe in Him.  He layered the doctrine on thick here by telling them that He was the bread of life who gives life to the world, that those who come to Him will never hunger or thirst, that the Father will give people to Him and He will never cast them out, that He was there to accomplish the Father’s will by losing none of the people the Father would give to Him, and that the only way to have eternal life is to believe in Him.

APPLICATION

These people were clearly stubborn and thick headed.  They did not need any additional proofs of Jesus’s authority.  They had already been given plenty of evidence of His power at work.  And they had greatly benefited from it as well, with bellies full of food.  Yet, they stubbornly refused to acknowledge their basic need to believe. 

This reminds me of children.  When you catch a child in the act of wrongdoing, often they will try to avoid or shift blame.  Sometimes they go to such extremes that they flee from all rules of logic and reasonableness, pretending to misunderstand basic truths that their parents are confronting them with.  In these circumstances, it is sometimes better to postpone the conversation until the child is ready to talk sensibly.

The Jews in this account make me think of that scenario.  And I think they stand as a clear warning to us to avoid such infantile behavior.