The Ancient Word...

In John 6, the author treats two of Jesus' miraculous signs together -- namely, his feeding the 5000 and walking on water.

Throughout this chapter, John makes many subtle comparisons between Jesus and Moses. To illustrate: The Israelites saw Moses bring supernatural plagues on Egypt (Exodus 7-12) and the crowds saw Jesus miraculously heal the sick (John 6:2). Israel followed Moses across the Red Sea (Exodus 13-14) and the crowds followed Jesus across the Sea of Galilee (John 6:1-2). Moses ascended Mount Sinai (Exodus 24) and Jesus also climbed a mountain (John 6:3). Moses miraculously fed thousands of people with bread and quail from heaven (Exodus 16), and Jesus miraculously fed thousands with bread and fish (John 6:5-13).

Moses had promised Israel: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers" (Deuteronomy 18:15, NIV). The crowds apparently noted the similarities between Jesus and Moses. After seeing Jesus feed 5000, they began to say, "Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world" (John 6:14).

Later, the crowds urged Jesus to feed them again. After all, if Jesus was "the Prophet like Moses," then he should feed the people as Moses did (see John 6:30-31). Instead, Jesus showed them that the point of the miracle was not only food for the belly. Rather, the feeding of the 5000 was a "sign" (semeion) pointing beyond itself to a deeper truth about Jesus. The Lord explained,

"Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you" (v. 27).

"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" (v. 32).

Then Jesus declared, "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...For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day" (vv. 35, 40).

The miraculous bread that gave physical life served as a "sign" pointing to Jesus, the "Bread" who gives eternal life.

... for Today

We all love good food, though we may define "good" differently. Some folk enjoy a Mexican enchilada, while others savor Australian pies and pastries. A strong curry tempts one crowd, while a simple hamburger proves irresistible to another. But all foods share a common denominator: No matter how delightful the cuisine, just hours later we need more. A huge dinner tonight cannot sustain us for a week. It will barely last the night.

Jesus chose an appropriate metaphor when he described himself as food/bread.

Just as we need to eat meals each day, so our "feeding on him" today does not diminish our need to do the same tomorrow. The immense satisfaction we experience in a single encounter will not sustain us for months or years. It's not meant to do so.

The invitation to come to Christ does not suggest a single event but a repetitive one. "He who comes to me, and keeps on coming regularly, will never go hungry."

The spiritual hunger we occasionally feel -- that growling, gnawing emptiness of the soul that we sometimes sense -- may indicate that we have stopped "coming." Such coming demands neither extensive preparation nor exhaustive effort. Consistency is the key.

Hungry? "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life." Work for it? Yes. We work in the simple act of "coming."

Have you come to Christ...again...today?

Discuss...

1. Why are we sometimes so slow to "come" for spiritual food? What stops us?
   
2. Discuss specific ways in which we can "come to Christ." What works for you?

Publishers Note...

As we announced last week, all back issues of Bare Roots are now available for your use on our Archives website (http://www.hiu.edu/bareroots ). Many thanks to Zaya Tserendondov (Hope International University's Director of Web Development) for creating this resource. -- CD & DT

Chris Davis, PhD & David Timms, PhD
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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