Uncomfortable silence fell as the unexpected statement hung in the air. He wasn’t wrong. Originally they had fallen over one another in a mad rush to follow Jesus because they had seen so many sick being healed. It was fantastic! Their wildest imaginations couldn’t have conjured up such a person. Everything about Him healed! Hands.Thoughts. Words. Simple verbiage they used every day, when uttered from His mouth, was enough to have the nobleman’s nearly dead son up playing ball, the lame man skipping down the road with his pallet under his arm, and the guests in Cana drinking wedding wine instead of water. Of course they followed Him to see more. Who wouldn’t?!
In fact, so distracted were they by the miraculous, they forgot the simplistic. In their rush to stay right on Jesus’ hemline, they forgot to eat lunch. Winding through the booths of food in the middle of town hadn’t reminded them. The sights and smells hadn’t invaded their single-minded focus. The heat of the sun high in the sky hadn’t set off their internal food alarm. So intent were they on witnessing more miracles, they forgot to grab a sandwich, a salad. Not even a croissant. Instead, they ended up ravenously hungry covering the hillside like a community of preschoolers waiting for their portion of the miracle menu to be handed out. Bread and fish for everyone. Seconds. Thirds. Leftovers. Lots of leftovers.
The moment probably should have been humiliating, would have been just so, if they hadn’t been so amazed. They hadn’t seen this kind of miracle before. Some kid pulled a couple of fish and a handful of rolls out of his pocket and handed them to Jesus. He’d taken the meager offering, blessed it like He was about to partake of Michelin star cuisine, and told His disciples to pass it out. Looking as skeptical as the guys seated in the back of the felt, they complied.
Walking among the rows of seated men, their hands never emptied. There was always more bread. The fish never ran out. No one was left hungry. And the leftovers? A lot. Twelve full baskets. Enough to feed another large crowd, the homeless, the marginalized, the destitute. Enough to flip the switch on an ingenious idea. If this man could miraculously feed the country, heal the sick, cast out demons, and make water taste like wine, they shouldn’t let Him out of their sight. He was the perfect candidate to be king.
It would be the greatest kingdom the world had ever known! Hunger would be eradicated. Illness would be eliminated. The effects of evil spirits would be annihilated. And maybe, just maybe, He’d come to all the weddings and serve the finest wine and most delicate hors d’oeuvres imaginable! There was so much He could do for them, so many ways He could improve their lives. Without a doubt, they had to keep Him there!
Except He was already gone. Hastily arranging search parties, they went out to bring Him back. One group went to the seashore. Another trekked back to the afternoon’s picnic area. Still others knocked on every door in town. It was all to no avail. He wasn’t on the mountain where a few people still milled about just waking from their after-dinner naps. He wasn’t in town passing out leftovers at the homeless camp. He wasn’t at the docks waiting to board a boat. He didn’t seem to be…anywhere. At least not anywhere they thought to look.
Desperately brainstorming among themselves, they realized the disciples who traveled with Him weren’t there either. Racing to the beach, they searched for the boat on which Jesus had arrived. It wasn’t there. He was already gone! Somehow He’d given them the slip and was likely headed to Capernaum. They had to follow. Had to stop Him from working miracles in another place. Had to keep His talents secret until they had secured His allegiance to them alone.
Commanding the small boats still in the harbor, they crammed tightly aboard and set sail across the sea. The conversation while crossing must have been eloquent. Accusations thrown about as to who allowed their king-elect to escape. Lamenting lost comforts should other people claim Him first. Sky castles of what He would do, give, award, allow the people under His reign. Dreams of a lavish lifestyle, a painless existence, every favor granted. They simply must crown Him their king!
Docking in Capernaum, they set out to find Jesus. It didn’t take long. He wasn’t hiding. Unsuccessfully attempting to conceal the fact they were chasing Him down, in feigned surprise they asked, “Jesus, when did you get here?” And Jesus answered. Not with the words they were hoping to hear. Not with an answer that was pleasant and palatable. With an answer that was true whether they liked it or not. “Your souls didn’t send you, your bellies did. You aren’t seeking me to find substance for eternal life, but sustenance for earthly life. Stop it. Stop following Me for what I can do to enhance your earthly existence. Follow me to secure your eternal existence. Seek Me to find eternal life that doesn’t fade, never erodes, and can’t be stolen away.” (John 6; Matthew 6:19-20; I Peter 1:3-4; Luke 12:21)
The silence was deafening. His obvious rebuke stung. But He wasn’t wrong. They were following Jesus for all the wrong reasons. Personal reasons. Selfish reasons. Reasons for which He’d never have come. He wouldn’t have left Heaven to be a personal physician, gourmet chef, or jack-of-all-trades. His words concerning their motives were true. So eager were they to enhance their earthly existence, they had made no preparation for their eternal existence. They weren’t following Jesus out of grave concern for their life after death options; they were only concerned with the ease of their life before death.
It is not a new story. Over and over through the centuries between then and now it has played like an old record player with the needle stuck in the same groove. People are still chasing Jesus down so He can do them a favor. Heal an illness. Grant a wish. Land a job. Fatten a bank account. Build a following. They are desperately seeking a genie in a bottle, a beck-and-call boy, a personal physician, a celebrity chef. They want the glamor without the gore. People want to follow Jesus, but only for the fringe benefits.
And that is where they follow Him, too. On the fringes, the outskirts, the edges. Close enough to hopefully get in on the miracles but far enough away to avoid submission. Surrender isn’t in their vocabulary. They have plans and dreams and goals. They want nothing to do with death to self and life in Christ. It doesn’t fit the brief. They aren’t interested in picking up a cross–daily or otherwise–and following His lead. It’s outside their scope. They want no part of fiery trials, tribulation, temptation, or persecution–even if it does lead to Heaven. None of those are in their life plans. They are simply interested in the list of favors, whims, wants, urges, and desires for which their hearts long, a magical genie not a majestic Savior. (James 4:7-10; Galatians 2:20; Luke 9:23; James 1:2; I Peter 4:12; John 16:33; Matthew 5:11)
Over the past week, I have posed this question to my family, “Why do you follow Jesus?” The answers were varied. I promised not to write them here. But I will tell you mine. After much contemplation, I realized my answer was simple. I believe. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only way to God and Heaven and eternal life. I believe that every account, every promise, every word spoken of and through Him is true. I believe that He is life. Not just eternal life in the future, but abundant life now. Every good and perfect gift comes not from my own goodness, but from Him alone. My life. My breath. My being. Without Him I am nothing. And I believe–yes, I do–that He is a rewarder of those who diligently, relentlessly, unselfishly seek Him. And because I believe, I follow. Not on the fringes. Not on the outskirts. Not on the edges. I follow closely. As close as I can. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. (John 14:6; John 10:10; James 1:17; Acts 17:28; Hebrews 11:6; Philippians 4:13)
So why do you follow Jesus? Do you know? Really know? Is it just the way you were raised, the influence of your social circle, the desire to cast yourself in a brighter light? Or is it something more, something real, something eternal? What are you hoping to gain from following? Something earthly like health, wealth, security, status? Or something eternal…like life? And where are you following? From the edge of the crowd or the fringes of His garment? Are you truly Jesus’ follower or simply hanging about hoping He’ll do you a favor?