Jesus or Maslow?
July 3, 2011 John 6
Intro:
How many of you learned Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs in some psychology course somewhere along the lines of your educational journey? Maslow was an American psychologist who studied human motivation, and boiled it all down into a hierarchy of needs, proposing that we need the bottom needs met before we can move on to the higher needs.
Sound familiar? Now, a more important question, do you buy it? It makes sense, but is it true? The answer is no, not really… at least not if you are a follower of Jesus.
Context:
Word has gotten out, there is a new man in town. Rumor has it he is something special – he caused a scene in Jerusalem lately, healing a paralyzed man and then getting into an argument with the religious leaders. Some say he even claimed to be the Son of God. Now he is back near his home, crowds are gathering, he is healing the sick, and more and more people are coming to see for themselves. Now they are all around, out on a hillside, probably 15 000 or so (enough to fill Rexall place), and they didn’t come prepared, they probably just got all caught up in the excitement and joined the massive crowd and ended up out in the countryside. Jesus could have sent them all home at dinner time, but He has a better idea. You know the story – a boy, 5 little barley buns and a couple small sardines, the prayer, and then they are passed around and everyone has enough to eat, with leftovers to spare (and note that Jesus is quick to send His disciples around to collect these, so that nothing is wasted (Jn 6:12). The result of this miracle? When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting! (Jn 6:14).
So how do you think Jesus and the disciples should follow up this incredible day? 15 000 (or so) eager people, having seen the miraculous power of God, ready to make Jesus their King? Nowadays, we’d knuckle down and get to work, organizing these people and trying to find ways to capitalize on their enthusiasm, leverage this momentum, draw them in and keep it going, plan the next big gathering to keep it going and growing. Well, if you are Jesus, you get confrontational, you get confusing, you talk about cannibalism, and you offend.
Confrontational Jesus: Jn 6
22 The next day the crowd that had stayed on the far shore saw that the disciples had taken the only boat, and they realized Jesus had not gone with them. 23 Several boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the Lord had blessed the bread and the people had eaten. 24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went across to Capernaum to look for him. 25 They found him on the other side of the lake and asked, Rabbi, when did you get here?
26 Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.
I don’t think Miss Manners would approve. The crowd just begins a conversation, when did you get here?, and Jesus ignores the question and confronts their motives. They have come a long way, they have searched for him, they have left behind other things that they could have been doing, and Jesus immediately confronts their motivation for following Him.
There is a confrontation here for us as well. Why do you follow Jesus? Is it for what He can do for you? Is it because you think that following Jesus will make your life better? Jesus response begins, You want to be with me because…, and it begs the question for us today. Why do we want to be with Jesus; is it because of what He can do for us? If so, we stand with the crowd and are confronted. Jesus says, spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. The crowd, and perhaps us, have been seeking something else – some need or desire for today, some part of our lives right now that we want Jesus to fix or to feed. We go back to Maslow’s hierarchy, identify our need today, and expect that Jesus’ job is to meet that need so we can have a great life.
The crowd, surely taken aback, is not yet ready to take off. They experienced something good, and are prepared to pursue this a little further, and so they start with some common ground:
28 They replied, We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?
29 Jesus told them, This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.
This should work, should get the conversation back on track: ask for the road map. There must be some work they can do for God, some tangible ways to earn God’s favor and thus be worthy and able to work. But Jesus confronts this also, and says the only work is to believe in Him. The crowd senses danger, they still need to know what is in it for them. They still want some assurances that this new guy can really take care of them, keep the bread flowing and the miracles coming.
30 They answered, Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.
32 Jesus said, I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.
Now, first of all, isn’t it ironic that the same people yesterday who experienced the miraculous feeding of the 5000+women and children are now asking for a miraculous sign? Yet isn’t it also true of us. How often are we looking at what we want God to do for us next instead of trusting Him because of who we know Him to be because of what He has already done?
But next notice Jesus’ response: My Father… offers you the true bread from heaven. Of course Jesus goes further and explains that this true bread is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world, but it appears the crowd only hears the bread part:
34 Sir, they said, give us that bread every day.
35 Jesus replied, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. 36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. 37 However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.
Keep in mind that the crowd was still talking about bread: basic, human nourishment. Like the stuff they ate yesterday, like the manna from heaven in Moses’ day. They are talking about the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy. But now Jesus is talking about something else, He says I am the bread of life. Huh?
Confusing Jesus
We are used to the metaphor, the crowd was not. They were confused – this makes no sense. Yesterday they got fed, their sick were healed, and it was looking really promising for this miracle worker to take charge, then they would never have any more needs. This guy can heal the sick and make food out of nowhere – what a great kingdom to be part of! They wouldn’t have to work, and they wouldn’t have to worry. It would all just be handed to them. So now what is He talking about?? It doesn’t make sense.
Now, the teacher in me sees this as a great opportunity – He has their attention, He has them thinking and wondering and trying to figure it out, now is the time to make it all really simple and lead them to understanding. But Jesus makes it more confusing:
41 Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, I am the bread that came down from heaven. 42 They said, Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, I came down from heaven?
43 But Jesus replied, Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, They will all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.)
47 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.
52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. How can this man give us his flesh to eat? they asked.
53 So Jesus said again, I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.
Who is this Jesus?
Studying this conversation challenges our perceptions of Jesus. We tend to see Him mostly as the gentle teacher, the kind guy who invites children to sit on His knee, the humble silent lamb led to the slaughter, the one who welcomes the questions of the crowds and answers them clearly. This Jesus starts talking about cannibalism: unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day.
Now, of course we now understand Jesus was not talking about cannibalism, He was talking about the symbolism which we now embrace through communion and which finds its full expression in the sacrifice of Jesus’ body and blood on the cross, but this crowd had no way of knowing that. So why would Jesus talk like this? Especially when here is the result:
59 He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
60 Many of his disciples said, This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me. (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him.
Why would Jesus say things that confront, confuse, offend, and drive people away? There are several possibilities, but let me suggest only one: being a follower of Jesus means we do it on His terms. It is not about what we get out of it, like the crowd looking for another meal and hopefully a world full of easy meals and victory over disease; or like a free pass for our sins and an assurance of happiness, material security (and abundance for our luxury), and emotional wholeness. Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t mean that He will start at the bottom of Maslow’s pyramid and work His way up the ladder, meeting all our needs along the way. Jesus has a different pyramid.
Conclusion:
Now, of course I am not suggesting that none of the other things on Maslow’s list matter. But Jesus puts an entirely different perspective on our needs, and says He is all we need. And being a follower of this Jesus means that we embrace Jesus, and we revolve our lives around Jesus, we spend our energies on Jesus. We don’t worry about our physical needs, our safety needs, our love/belonging needs, our esteem needs, or our self-actualization needs – we only worry about keeping our eyes focused on Jesus. It doesn’t have to make sense to us, because we don’t set ourselves up as the ones who decide, we choose instead to trust and to follow.
So it boils down to this: why have you followed Jesus across the lake – was it to get the next thing from Jesus, like the crowd? And when confronted with the motivation of your heart, or with confusion, with circumstances of life that aren’t the way you think they should be, or even with things from Jesus’ mouth that sound offensive, will you also turn away? The story ends on a tender, vulnerable, poignant note:
66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, Are you also going to leave?
68 Simon Peter replied, Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.
