After Jesus fed the five thousand, people the people who ate and had their fill followed him around. He was hidden and they sought him out. These were his words to the crowd:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves…”

This obviously isn’t seen as a good thing. Yet, there’s a whole chunk of the church that believes that having faith in Christ will ease their financial woes, resolve marital problems, bring home estranged children and right wrongs.

In subtle ways, even parts of the non-prosperity gospel church teach their congregations these things.

It’s even possible they might be true. But Jesus condemns this. He performed a great miracle in multiplying the food. A sign that he was the messiah and that salvation awaited those who would trust him for it. But although these people saw it, they ignored it and allowed their awe to be on their filled bellies.

I think this is a gut check. Not just for prosperity-Christians either. God has performed an outrageous miracle in producing new life in spiritually dead vessels. But I think that we sometimes have the tendency to focus on the perks associated with that over the miracle that points us to an all satisfying God.

Perhaps for overcome habits or destructive tendencies. More rewarding work or better friendships. But even though these may be amazing byproducts of a powerful miracle, they were never the point. God, in all his glory was.

John 6:63:

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

Jesus has just given his famed “I am the bread of life…” speech to the men and women who were following him. The scripture says that after this, many of them turned away because the saying was so hard to swallow. This is part of Jesus’ response to their unbelief.

He is saying that the words they’re hearing were spiritual words. They were words for those who’d been quickened to hear them.

This follows his words earlier saying that unless they’re “drawn” (from the Greek word, Helkuo, meaning literally ‘to drag’) by the father, they cannot come and that all that the Father gives him, he will not lose (v.39 and v.44).

Jesus is teaching that He alone is the source of Life and that all there are no paths to God found in the flesh, but that without the Spirit of God the flesh is worthless in this venture.

I take great comfort in remembering this. Because the human tendency is to search for God with his flesh. But I know from experience that my flesh doesn’t lead me to God. It never has and, according to this, it never will. So, although I am a consistent failure in flesh, God is a constant victor in his Spirit in me.

I never stopped to think much about the fact that Jesus commanded his disciples to gather up the leftover pieces of bread and fish after he’d multiplied them for the five thousand.

John 6:12:

“…Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.”

It seems like, if there were ever a time where wasting food didn’t matter, it would be this one. I mean, they started with some barley loaves and two fish and Jesus turned it into enough to feed thousands, then still had twelve baskets of food left over.

Jesus created food out of thin air, then determined that it was crucial that none be wasted.

I’m sure there’s a lot to think about here. But my own first thought was about stewardship. Especially as Americans. We really are, in some ways, in a kind of Jesus-feeding-the-five-thousand scenario. This little fledgling country in just a few hundred years exploded into one of the most powerful, prosperous countries on the planet.

But now, in so many ways (from portion sizes, to the number of cars on the road), as a nation we’re really not treating the prosperity with the kind of reverence that Jesus treated the miracle.

It really makes you think. Waste, even when it doesn’t hurt anyone, isn’t something to be proud of.

You know the old song:

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love
They will know we are Christians by our love

By today’s standards, song is definitely on the cheesier side of things, but the sentiment is unmistakably good. “They”, the unbelievers in the world, “will know”, without a doubt, “we are Christians”, our primary defining trait, “by our love”. Good, yes? Nearly all Christian churches acknowledge this. Most contemporary churches make extra efforts and go way out of the way to be loving toward outsiders. This is a good thing, don’t get me wrong.

However, while the sentiment in the song makes no mistake, for most communities, most of the point seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way.

The main thrust of the song comes from John 13:34-35:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

When Jesus says that people will know we are Christians by our love, there is no ambiguity in his meaning. He means that people of all kinds, will know a believer when they see one because of the love they show for other believers.

We hear many teachings about being the salt of the earth, not hiding our lights under a basket, and being a light set on a hill. Often, this idea is equated to loving unbelievers unashamedly—that’s good, and part of it. But Jesus makes clear that the real tell is in our love for each other. How does the church love its own? Do we betray, backstab, gossip, and abandon? Or, do you encourage, uphold, strengthen and support each other?

It seems that more often than not our communities are the former, rather than the latter. I think that I would like to see us become that change. That in our communities, the world would know we are disciples of Christ, not just because we pay for the cheeseburger or offer a ride home, because of the deep and unmistakable love we have for each other.

A few days ago I posted on the topic of being persecuted because of our own righteousness in Christ illuminating the self-righteousness, and thus unrighteousness, of the unbeliever. Today, I came across an interesting example of a similar idea.

John 12:10-11:

“the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.”

Lazarus was sick. Something Jesus knew about. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die so that he would have the opportunity to be undeniably glorified in the miracle of Lazarus’ life. Jesus called Lazarus from death into life and so Lazarus was a walking testimony to the Christ Jesus. For this, the Pharisees made plans to kill Lazarus as well. Why? Because of his association to our Lord and the powerful testimony he carried with him. The powerful testimony he actually was!

Truthfully, we are not much different. All of us were “dead” in our transgressions and apart from any power of our own, Jesus commanded us from death into life. Now, much like Lazarus, we are a walking testimony to the risen Christ who has given an everlasting righteousness. A righteousness that shows the world what its righteousness really is: filthy rags.

It seems that the point is the same, an unbeliever can never find truly be comfortable in the presence of a true believer. The Cross of Christ is offensive and those exposed to its light will be offended.

Reading this morning I came across this, 1 John 3:12-13:

We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you.

John cites the reason that Cain killed Abel was because Abel’s deeds were “righteous” while his own were wicked. I find this to be an idea abusive to the way most in our culture currently think about and “do” church.

Elsewhere in the same book, and throughout the rest of the New Testament, we find that those who are in Christ will definitely be growing in righteousness (1 John 1:5-10, Romans 8:13). So, by that rational we should have very little reason to believe that unbelievers coming among us will not exhibit some form of hostility or at the very least discomfort.

Yet, in spite of that, we find churches pouring outrageous resources into creating a comfortable environment for unbelievers. It seems that the reality would be, if unbelievers are able to come among us and find and truly find comfort in our presence, we may have to reevaluate our own lifestyles.

I’m reminded of a message delivered by Francis Chan a number of years back where he referenced Luke 6:26: “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you”. While it doesn’t fit the verse’s context perfectly, the point is clear:

The Cross of Christ, and our subsequent righteousness therein, is an offense to the unbeliever seeking is own vein righteousness and we should expect that they would respond as one who’s been offended.

What kind of ramifications does this have for the Church, it seems that it should drive it more deeply into conformity with the Word of God. Rather than consulting our intellect to determine how we should relate to this work, we ought to consult God in his Word.

Many of us say we do. Few really follow through. Just a thought.

Reading in John Piper’s Desiring God this afternoon, but made a startling connection that I’m not sure I’ve ever pieced so clearly together.

Piper is talking about prayer. He makes the point that lack of prayer in a believer’s life, is most likely evidence of a lack of familiarity with Jesus. My own struggle to remain consistent in my prayer life cause me first to respond quickly in disagreement. But his point is compelling.

Consider Jesus’ exchange with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:4-26).

Jesus walks up and strikes up this conversation with this woman by asking her to give him something to drink. The woman is taken back because Jesus is a Jew and a Jewish man would normally have nothing to do with a Samaritan, much less a Samaritan woman (It’s a cultural thing, go read about it).

Well, of course it typical Jesus-fashion, goes ahead and says something impossible to ignore. Here’s his reply to the woman’s shock:

"If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." John 4:10

"If you knew…. you would have asked…" Dang, for real.

Piper goes on with some other illustrations. He describes a Christian failing to pray to be something like a bus driving attempting to push his bus out of the mud all alone, simply because he doesn’t know that Clark Kent is on the bus.

Both biblically and logically, Piper has made some points that are, albeit not universal, still difficult to ignore. I intend not to ignore them.