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5 Loaves and 2 Fish (Part 2)

 Yet again, this week I heard another lesson on how the miracle of the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish shows that God is able to provide. 

The reading for this week comes from John 6: 22-59. To help facilitate the discussion, it would be helpful if you caught the first part of this devotional here. Although I will summarize the passage below, I strongly encourage you to crack open your Bible and read directly from it as it is God-breathed. 

The scene opens with other boats going back the next day to the same spot where the miracle happened. They didn't find Jesus, so they got in the boat and head to Capernaum, "SEEKING JESUS." (vs 24). 

At this point, we would applaud them. Perhaps some churches would even baptize them right there!

"They're seeking Jesus! Woohoo!!! Amen, praise God! 😁" *happy dance* 

Except Jesus doesn't share the same enthusiasm. His accusation is two-part:

1) "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs..."

He opens with a negative, "not because you saw signs." But wait. They literally are seeking Him because they saw signs though. What's going on here?

2) "...but because you ate your fill of loaves."

These seekers followed Jesus because they wanted what He was able to give them. He tells them not to work for food that perishes, but work for eternal food. What is this work?

"This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (vs 29). 

AH. This unlocks the grief He had against them. They sought Jesus, not because they saw the signs and believed that He is the one whom the Father has sent, but they ate their fill of loaves and wanted more from Him. 

This whole time, they were so fixated on the wonder that Jesus is able to provide food. They sought what He could give. Their question was, "How can this guy benefit me?" He directs them away from the food and points to Himself. 

They sought the loaves of bread and missed the Bread of Life. 

Oh, the irony of the situation. Let me remind you where Jesus was born: Bethlehem. It's the city where we read of Ruth gathering the grains under the mercy of Boaz. What were they doing with all that grain? They made bread. Literally, Bethlehem is broken down as Bet (house of) Lehem (bread). 

The Bread of Life came from the House of Bread. 

The crowd sought Jesus for what He gave and never sought Jesus for who He is. Going back to last week's devotional, this truth gripped my heart. We were thanking God for providing us a job. Surely, He deserves full credit! But if that's all we thank Him for, we are no different than the ones in John 6. Theo's fish/bread toys reminded us to put our joy in the person of Jesus and to seek Him first.

May we not pursue what God can give, but may we be like the true seekers in John 6:60-71. (covered in next week's devotional)

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