Wednesday, January 22, 2025

😎🐫🎤 Christ’s peace and presence be with you.  John 6:1-15 tells us about Jesus feeding the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 small fish.  I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m from Ohio and we have THE Ohio State University, that in John 6:14 the word “the” caught my eye.  I went to multiple copies of Bibles that we have, to compare the words that were used.

John 6:14

The New Catholic Answer Bible: ‘When the people saw the sign he had done, they said, “This is truly the Prophet, the one who is to come into the world.”’

NIV: ‘After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”’

New King James: ‘Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”’

Revised Standard Version: ‘When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!”’

“The Prophet”, not “a” prophet, “The Prophet”.  They seemed to be acknowledging that Jesus was the one true Prophet that they were promised and waiting and longing for. 

The next day, this same crowd of people loaded on boats to cross the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to track Jesus down.  They wanted more of what He had to offer.

John 6:25-31

‘And when they found Him across the sea they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”  Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate the loaves and were filled.  Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  For on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”  So they said to Him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the One He sent.”  So they said to Him, “What sign can You do, that we may see and believe in You?  What can You do?  Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”

24 hours or less after they ate their fill of bread and fish and said Jesus is “The Prophet” that they’ve been waiting for, they are now saying, Yeah, we really don’t quite believe You.  You need to give us more signs.  Come on, Moses gave our ancestors manna every day for 40 years.  Jesus goes on to correct them by saying it was God, not Moses that gave them the manna.

All too often, we are just like this crowd.  God shows us a miraculous sign.  We ooh and awe over it for about a minute and then we’re asking, “What can you do for me now?  I want more.”   It’s rather sad that we do that, but it doesn’t always have to be that way. 

Even if just once a day, each of us asked God, “What can I do for You today?” 

First of all, I think it would put a smile on God’s face. 

Second, if you listen after you ask the question, He will answer you. 

And third, when you act upon His answer, you will be abundantly blessed. 

1) Let’s stop constantly asking for signs.

2) Let’s partner with God to make His presence be known.

3) Let’s send some thanksgiving and praise back to Him.

Bless others and be blessed.

Shelly  :0)

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