Daily Devotion – September 2, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison
John 6:24-35
6:24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
6:25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”
6:26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
6:27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”
6:28 Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?”
6:29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”
6:30 So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?
6:31 Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'”
6:32 Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
6:33 For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
6:34 They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.
What does the crowd who seeks Jesus want? What are they asking for in these verses?
- They want to be able to do miracles.
Jesus tells them that the miracle would be if they believed in Jesus, whom God has sent.
- They want a proof sign so they can believe in Jesus, as Moses gave manna to the people.
Jesus tells them that Moses didn’t produce the manna, that God produced the manna, and that even in that present-day God has produced Jesus for them.
- They want the true bread from heaven
Jesus tells them clearly finally that he himself is the present-day bread from heaven and that God has sent him to give life to the world
The crowd implies they will believe if only Jesus will do just the right miracle, or maybe give the people power to do miracles. Maybe they even believe that they would believe under those circumstances. But Jesus understands that only a few will believe: his disciples and a few more in the crowd – that these people wouldn’t believe in manna even if they actually saw and ate it. They are in fact experiencing Jesus’s entire life and ministry and wanting more before they commit to believing in him.
Are these people like us today? Very slow to believe and trust in God? What is the cost to us and to the whole world of our slowness, our reluctance to trust God as a miracle-giving heavenly Father?
Gracious God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for being with us. Help us to commit each day to believing in your power and your generosity, and to live as though we believe. There is no telling what we might do if we lived that way.  Amen.
