Why People Were Following Jesus
Text: John 6:22-40
I. The day after the Jesus walked on the water, people began to search for Jesus
A. The last that they had seen of him, he had gone into the mountains to pray
B. They knew he did not go with his disciples, and that only one boat was near where Jesus had left and it remained there.
C. People had come in boats from Tiberias, also searching for Jesus
1. The people used the boats to go to Capernaum, where Jesus often stayed to continue the search.
2. It was near here that they found Jesus, though they could not figure out how he arrived there.
II. It is here that we learn why the people were so anxious to find Jesus
A. Earlier, John had mentioned that they wanted to force Jesus to be king - John 6:15
B. Now we learn that their motive was their stomachs.
1. They weren’t interested in the miracles and what the miracles proved.
2. They wanted a source of free food.
C. Jesus tells them they should put as much effort into gaining eternal life.
D. They ask how to go about this task
1. Jesus tells them the first work they must do is to believe in God’s son
2. It is interesting that Jesus refers to faith as a work. It is something that you and I must do. It is also something that sometimes takes effort to accomplish.
E. Yet the people were not interested in working for God, because they immediately turn the subject back to food
1. “If you want us to believe, do some miracle.” In fact they hint as to the miracle they want.
a. God had feed the children of Israel for 40 years with manna.
b. They want food they did not have to work for.
2. Yet Jesus had performed several miracles, including the free food, and they did not accept it.
3. Would they have anymore faith if they were given more free food?
F. Jesus points out that their desire is wrongly placed
1. They looked for physical food, but that only sustains physical life
2. They needed spiritual food to bring them eternal life.
G. The people thought they were now getting somewhere. Jesus is offering them food that would not only feed them but allow them to live eternally!
1. “Give us this bread forever,” they cried!
III. The best bread
A. Jesus was the bread
1. They needed to come to him. (Willing to follow.)
2. They needed to believe on him.
3. Then they would no longer hunger and thirst – not physically, but spiritually. They would not longer hunger and thirst after righteousness.
B. Yet, Jesus points out that they were not capable of this.
1. They had seen the proof of God, the miracles of God, yet they did not believe.
C. Jesus is willing to give them what God had given to him. He would not reject them, (but nothing is said about their rejection of him).
D. Jesus did not come to feed a world, but to do the will of the Father in heaven.
1. Jesus was not his own person, but an obedient son.
2. God’s will is to give Jesus followers.
a. Jesus would lose none of his followers, even if they died because they would be resurrected in the last day.
3. God’s will is to grant eternal life to everyone who believes on Jesus.
a. Jesus said he would personally raise the believers on the last day by his power
b. This is another claim of Jesus to be God.
