The Great Escape
John 6:15-27
Why did the people go out to see Jesus? Was it because of the bread?
Photo by the author, taken off the coast of Baja, Mexico
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 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. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 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. 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.” - John 6:15-27
Jesus slips away. It is not by boat with his disciples, but to the mountains to wait until evening, when he walked to the boat, already at sea.
They were watching the boats and didn’t see him leave. He didn’t get in the boat with his disciples.
He slipped away without notice.
We recall this story as the miracle of his walking on the water, but what it really amounts to is an escape plan they couldn’t have predicted.
He was about to be arrested, so he found a way to leave without being seen.
Now, when he gets to the other side, he is met by those who followed his disciples. When they arrived, they found him with them.
“When did you come here?” they asked.
What they are saying is that they didn’t see him leave. But why did they come? Why are they following him? Is it because they believe, or because they have something to gain from him?
I sometimes wonder how many of us are motivated by personal gain in life rather than by the desire to serve and love one another. It sounds like a judgment call on my part, but it is not. At least it is not meant to be for anyone but me.
When I was young, I went to church on Sunday and kept the commandments out of fear. We were told that God punishes those who break his laws, even the teeny tiny ones.
But fear is a lousy motivator. The moment you give up the fear, you drop your faith.
The reason we grew up with that view was that the church wasn’t teaching about Jesus and salvation. It was teaching about following the rules and being good Christians.
Even Jesus warns of the judgment when the wheat will be separated from the weeds, so it makes sense to be afraid of doing something wrong.
But fear stifles us. It stops us from taking risks and from being willing to step out to help others.
Life is a balancing act. We need to be like Jesus and escape the threats in life to be there for those in need, even when it is inconvenient. Yes, we will question the motivation of those who come looking for something from us, but that is the consequence of connecting with others.
We set an example, and we should expect people to emulate us, even admire us.
So, in this new year, when everyone is still reeling from uncertainty and basking in shared anger about all that is wrong with the world, let us take a moment to pause.
We can be the light in the darkness for someone. We don’t have to be there for everyone, just for one.
If we aim to connect with just one person each day, one person in need of an ear to hear or a hand to hold, we will change the world for the better one person at a time.
It is a new dawn. Make it count.
More to come...
I was just thinking this on my walk. We had a bishop come to visit our church marriage group. We were all in good spirits and full of love and he came in angry, angry about gay marriage and people not having enough children. It was so foreign to us. We just all felt very uncomfortable. It was so clear that this anger and fear was never going to be a motivator to anyone. It killed any sense of romance in the room. It’s so hard to know when to complain and when to refrain but I agree…it’s something we need to actively encourage out of each other…it so rarely does any good whatsoever.
Good title. And I agree, one person at a time; not only effective, but the "giver" is not overwhelmed.