John 6:14 After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Some things that happen in the world are very hard to explain in terms that a ‘rational’ person would accept. Some people dismiss anything that they can’t understand, or that can’t be explained in terms of purely material forces. For them, there is no possibility of a supernatural force that can enter our reality and do things. There certainly isn’t a love, all-powerful Being out there!
So when they hear about Jesus feeding 5000 people with a few small barley loaves and a few fish they scoff. And the theories they come up with for events like this vary widely, from mass hallucination to everyone taking out their hidden lunches and contributing to the feast, having selfishly hoarded for themselves.
But this idea that they simply grabbed their own lunches and shared doesn’t even match with the narrative. Why in the world would they be asking if Jesus was the Prophet if they themselves had created the miracle? Unless of course, the miracle they witnessed was the softening of their hard, selfish hearts by the character and teaching of Jesus.
Part of John’s account of this event is the fact that this took place near to the Passover Festival. And part of the Passover festival was the clearing of the house of any bread with yeast in it. Every observant Jew would remove all the bread prior to the commencement of that festival. There would be no extra bread around so as not to waste ingredients. Think inventory control!
Later in this same chapter, Jesus declares that He is the “Bread of Life.” If the miracle of the 5000 was about softening of hearts, how would this relate to Passover and to Jesus’ self-identification as the Bread of Life. Soggy heart leader, perhaps, but not Bread of Life.
Jesus isn’t wanting to tweak a religious system that is off course. He is here to fulfill it and radically restore it to its true roots. So He multiplies the bread and fish, satisfying the hunger of 5000 men, in order to demonstrate in a very tangible manner His claim that He is the Bread of Life.
He didn’t want to be identified as the Prophet. He is more than that. That is why he withdrew, heading to the mountains by himself. His disciples get into a boat and Jesus joins them, walking on the water. And immediately upon landing, Jesus continues to talk miraculous bread.
There is only one place where our spiritual hunger can be satisfied. It requires us to seek Him moment by moment. Just as bread, staple food of that day, is to be eaten daily, so we must feed on Jesus each day. His Word must become essential to our life, like food is essential.
How hungry are you for Jesus?
The Arnold Journey 