Missing the forest for the trees
Verse 2 - and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.
Verse 7 - Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”
The crowd followed Jesus for the wrong reasons. They realized that Jesus was able to solve their temporary short-term needs. They thought that Jesus can set them free form the slavery of the Romans. He would solve the economic crisis and the social injustice. No wonder they wanted to make him king (verse 15). They did not see him as the Messiah or the savior of the world.
The sad reality today is that many follow Jesus for the wrong reasons too. To some he is their bread supplier, to others : someone to cling on to in difficult situations. For many, He is their vending machine. "Call him in times of trouble". Others follow out of tradition.
All these may be true but Jesus is looking for more than that. He wants to have a personal relationship with me. He wants to be the Lord of my life. He wants to be my father, my brother and my friend. He wants what is best for me. Not just here but in the life to come. And this sets Christ apart from other worldviews where a personal relationship is unheard off or a stark impossibility. Its sad to note that many people who attend church today do not have a personal relationship with God, do not know what it means to be born again. No wonder Jesus cried over Jerusalem in Luke 13:34 - you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. The crowds missed the eternal for the temporary.
So much said for those outside the kingdom. What about those within and claim to be the children of the most high. Philip's reply (verse 7) to Jesus' question about feeding the crowd only shows how we christian many times, instead of recognizing the "source" who is with us, tend to look for an out-source. Someone with "five loaves and two fishes". Worst, we seek the gifts more than the giver. If only Philip realized that the "Bread of Life" was in their presence, the outcome would have been different. "Just say the word and my servant would be healed" (Mat 8:8). Philip missed the giver for the gifts. If Jesus had not intervened, we would have lost a great miracle from the Bible. How many times we failed to achieve landmark events in our lives because we focused on the "no bread situation" and failed to see the "Bread of Life".
But Philip learnt his lesson. After the resurrection, Philip was a different man. Acts 8:5-8 - Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. He knew his Source. That made a whole lot of difference in his life.
All these may be true but Jesus is looking for more than that. He wants to have a personal relationship with me. He wants to be the Lord of my life. He wants to be my father, my brother and my friend. He wants what is best for me. Not just here but in the life to come. And this sets Christ apart from other worldviews where a personal relationship is unheard off or a stark impossibility. Its sad to note that many people who attend church today do not have a personal relationship with God, do not know what it means to be born again. No wonder Jesus cried over Jerusalem in Luke 13:34 - you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. The crowds missed the eternal for the temporary.
So much said for those outside the kingdom. What about those within and claim to be the children of the most high. Philip's reply (verse 7) to Jesus' question about feeding the crowd only shows how we christian many times, instead of recognizing the "source" who is with us, tend to look for an out-source. Someone with "five loaves and two fishes". Worst, we seek the gifts more than the giver. If only Philip realized that the "Bread of Life" was in their presence, the outcome would have been different. "Just say the word and my servant would be healed" (Mat 8:8). Philip missed the giver for the gifts. If Jesus had not intervened, we would have lost a great miracle from the Bible. How many times we failed to achieve landmark events in our lives because we focused on the "no bread situation" and failed to see the "Bread of Life".
But Philip learnt his lesson. After the resurrection, Philip was a different man. Acts 8:5-8 - Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. He knew his Source. That made a whole lot of difference in his life.
Are we missing the forest for the trees?
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