Instant Jesus

 


The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, 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, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”


Over the past fifteen years I have conducted hundreds — if not thousands — of retreats worldwide, and while most of the people who attend them are people genuinely hungry for God’s word, there are a great many who come only for what I call the quick fix: instant healing, or instant deliverance, or instant blessings. As though Jesus is like instant coffee!


It isn’t surprising really, because a great many preachers have built their ministries promising this instant fix. A great many pastors have grown their churches promising the same. They have turned Jesus into a vending machine. Put your cash in (oh, please put your cash in!) and take out what you want. And if you don’t get what you want in one church, jump to the next. The vending machine might be better there. So little wonder when someone who attends your retreat comes to you asking: So when is the healing session?


Jesus answers that in today’s passage. People have literally tracked him down to Capernaum, and when they find him, they ask, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” The actual question was, “How did you get here without us knowing?” In typical fashion, Jesus doesn’t bother answering the question, going straight to the root of the problem.


“You’re not here for me. You’re here for what you can get out of me. You search for bread to fill your bellies for one day, when I can give you bread that can fill your souls for eternity. I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you can’t see that, can you?” I can only shake my head along with Jesus sorrowfully at what we are missing by focussing on the wrong things. 


I am preaching my next retreat in Bandra, Mumbai next month. It’s specially for the youth between ages 13-30. Tell the youngsters you know to come, not for instant blessings, but to get a taste of heaven. And once they have that, all they will want to do is live in it. The membership fee is discipleship. It’s not difficult; not when you are following Jesus. 


Let them come and see.

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