I'd Rather Have Jesus

Scripture: John 6:24 - 35

Title: "I'd Rather Have Jesus"

Theme: Why do we want Jesus?

This sermon deals with the question - Why do we want Jesus? What is it we are looking for when we seek Him? What is it that we want Jesus to give us?

INTRO:

Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Savior and LORD who came to take away our sins!

Sometimes a meal is just is just so great that you can't wait to go back to that same restaurant or cafe. It was such a great experience that you want to try it at least another time or two. At least that what it seems to be happening after the 5,000 had some fish and chips at Cafe Jesus.

The next morning after Jesus had feed the 5,000 people started looking for Him. They knew that the disciples had left after the meal to go back across the Sea of Galilee. They also knew that Jesus had gone up to the mountain to spend some time in prayer. But as they looked for him that morning no one could find him. They knew that Jesus hadn't taken the one boat that was left behind and yet, he was nowhere to be seen.

Wondering what to do they decided to go back towards Capernaum. Perhaps Jesus had found some other way to get back home. While they were wondering about all of this some boats from Tiberias came by and welcomed to take them back across the Sea of Galilee.

Now, of course these boats would not have carried the whole 5,000. We can surmise that many of them went back to their homes in Chorazin and the other small towns along the way the night before after Jesus had dismissed the crowd after supper. Most likely it was the group that had set out from Capernaum from the beginning that had gotten on the boats.

Verse 25 tells us that when they got back home, sure enough there was Jesus walking around the streets. They couldn't figure out how Jesus had gotten back so quickly when they knew that the disciples had left him on the mountain to pray and he had not used the boat that had been left. What they didn't know at the time was that Jesus merely walked across the water and joined his disciples in their boat.

John tells us that these men warmly greeted Jesus as a great teacher. "Rabbi" was the honored word they used. It was the title that they had also given to John the Baptist. After eating Jesus' miracle meal they realized that Jesus was more than a mere carpenter turned preacher. They were approaching Jesus to ask a favor of Him. They wanted him to redo his miracle of feeding the 5,000 in Capernaum.

Why? Why did they want Jesus to redo this miracle?

Perhaps they were just hungry. It was morning and they hadn't had time to get home or to get breakfast. Perhaps it was nothing more than their stomach's growling and them knowing that Jesus could feed them. He had done it once so he could do it again.

Perhaps they just wanted to experience the miracle again. They wanted to once again feel the joy and relive the excitement that happened as the disciples passed out those baskets and people began to grab biscuit after biscuit and fish after fish. After all, it had to be electrifying. I can't imagine the joy and the celebration that went on but I can understand why they wanted it to happen again. Anytime we feel God's Holy Spirit move in a service we hunger for that experience to happen again repeatedly.

Perhaps they just wanted their families to experience what they had experienced. They knew that their wives, children and friends would doubt their story so if Jesus could just do it again it would be wonderful. Then all of Capernaum would know that they were telling the truth.

Perhaps they were thinking that if Jesus just did this miracle once again then all together - their family and friends could convince Jesus that he needed to raise an army, proclaim himself King and begin the process of freeing Israel first from King Herod Antipas and finally from Rome itself. I mean if a man can do the things that Jesus had already done what more could he do? Perhaps He was the One they had been looking for all these years.

Jesus knows all of this and makes a series of statements that cut to the heart -

"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."