Miracles became the norm….around Jesus.
Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 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.
John 6:10-11 (ESV)
The idea of feeding five thousand men is incredible. Yet, Jesus not only fed them, but He also fed them all they wanted to eat.
This was a free meal to people who could eat as much as they wanted at a time where there was no refrigeration, no massive food distribution programs, and they were out in the wilderness.
The logistics are beyond imagination. The thought of bread and fish somehow reproducing as the disciples passed them out is mind-blowing.
This incident has become so commonplace to many other older Christians and me that we lose the complexity of the actual miracle. If I were there that day, I would think that I would be changed forever from this experience alone. Indeed, I would have never put Jesus on a cross, yet, we know how this story progresses.
Miracles became the norm around Jesus. People desired Jesus in their lives for the miracles He performed because He could feed them from nothing, heal them from disease, and make their lives better. They wanted Jesus for what they perceived they would get out of Him, not because of who He was.
A crowd who decides to follow Christ for a perceived benefit will abandon Him when they do not see the perception becoming a reality. One day, the crowd Jesus loved, fed, and healed, shouted, "Crucify Him."
How easily we forget who Jesus is.
John 6:10-11 (ESV)
The idea of feeding five thousand men is incredible. Yet, Jesus not only fed them, but He also fed them all they wanted to eat.
This was a free meal to people who could eat as much as they wanted at a time where there was no refrigeration, no massive food distribution programs, and they were out in the wilderness.
The logistics are beyond imagination. The thought of bread and fish somehow reproducing as the disciples passed them out is mind-blowing.
This incident has become so commonplace to many other older Christians and me that we lose the complexity of the actual miracle. If I were there that day, I would think that I would be changed forever from this experience alone. Indeed, I would have never put Jesus on a cross, yet, we know how this story progresses.
Miracles became the norm around Jesus. People desired Jesus in their lives for the miracles He performed because He could feed them from nothing, heal them from disease, and make their lives better. They wanted Jesus for what they perceived they would get out of Him, not because of who He was.
A crowd who decides to follow Christ for a perceived benefit will abandon Him when they do not see the perception becoming a reality. One day, the crowd Jesus loved, fed, and healed, shouted, "Crucify Him."
How easily we forget who Jesus is.
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