There is an ancient adage that reminds us that: “We are what we eat.”  This saying is in fact true.  What we consume physically becomes what we become physically.  People who study such things tell us that the human body reproduces itself (totally replaces itself) approximately every eight years.  Science also tells us that the quality of what we consume physically determines the quality of the physical body.  Eating healthy food normally produces a healthy body.  However, such thigs as accidents, disease, lack of physical activity, etc. can cause damage to the body.  But under normal circumstances the quality of what is consumed dictates the quality of the end product.

The rules of consumption concerning man’s physical life also apply to his spiritual life.  In a spiritual sense, what man consumes spiritually dictates what he becomes spiritually.  Scripturally this consumption formula is often stated in terms such as bread, meat, and in the case of the woman at the well–water.  In the case of Adam and Eve, the type of fruit they consumed determined their spiritual condition.  The Bible writers used common every-day terms symbolically so that the people of their day could understand what was said and written by the prophets and apostles.  The vast majority of ancient Middle Eastern were illiterate.  For this reason the Holy Scriptures were read aloud in the Jerusalem Temple as well as in the synagogues found in the cities throughout the Jews’ homeland.  The people came to hear the priests read from the Scriptures and expound on what was read.  On some occasions someone not of the tribe of Levi would be allowed to read and explain a passage from the Tora 9 (the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses) or the prophetical writings.  Once when Jesus was visiting in Nazareth He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and was asked to read from the book of Isaiah.  The passage He chose to read was written about Jesus Himself as He–the God of the Old Testament–had spoken it to Isaiah.  He read to the people in the synagogue: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (Jesus), for He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the (spiritually) poor.  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the (spiritual) captives (of Satan), to recover the sight of the (spiritually) blind, to heal the (physically) afflicted, to proclaim the year of God’s favor (Isa. 61:1,2/Lk. 4:18-21).  Jesus then said to those gathered in the synagogue: “This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (vs 21).

Let us now turn to the Gospel of John, chapter six where we find Jesus using such words as “bread” and “meat” in both a real and a symbolic sense.  As was always the case when He spoke, there was a valuable lesson to be gleaned from His Words which, as He often reminds us, were given to Him by His Father through the Holy Spirit.

In verse one we find that Jesus has crossed the Sea of Galilee with a great multitude of people following Him.  These seekers had previously seen Him perform miracles in the city of Bethesda (referred to in Jn. 5:16) and had followed Him across the sea.  Seeing them, He and His disciples went up on a mountain and sat down.  When the people had gathered before Him He asked Philip where He could get enough money to feed the such a multitude.  He was testing the disciple to get his reaction.  The story is known by all, so I will not go into it here.  There would come a day when He would expect His disciples (then and now) to do the miraculous using their own faith (Jn. 14:12).

In verse 14 we are told that the people were greatly impressed with Christ’s food-multiplication miracle.  They concluded that He was indeed “that prophet” whom the ancients had prophesied would come into the world.  Recall that people asked John the Baptist if he was “that prophet.”  When Jesus saw that they were about to make Him their king He left and went up to a higher location alone.  That night He and the disciples crossed the sea and returned to Capernaum.  I was during that crossing that He and Peter walked on water.

The following morning the people who had followed Him across the Sea of Galilee the previous day and had been miraculously fed, realized that He had gone back across the sea during the night.  They immediately boarded ships and followed Him.  This would seem to indicate that they were intent on being with Him, that they desired to hear His Words and learn the Truths their would-be king would teach them about the way of holiness, righteousness and true godliness.  Nothing, it seems, would stand in their way to get to wherever He happened to be.  However, as we will see, that was not the case.  It seems that they wanted something other than to hear His message.  Their duplicity would cause Jesus to use words “bread” and “meat” in His message to them, and not in a kind way.  But these people were following Him wherever He went, day after day, across both land and water.  Did this not indicate their desire to hear His Words and obey them?

After crossing the sea the multitude, numbering about 5000 men, found Jesus and asked Him when He had come there.  They already knew that He had crossed over the night before.  What they really wanted to know is why He had left them on the other side.  We know this by His answer in which he chastised them for their upside-down priorities.  He told them that they were not seeking Him because they had seen the miracles He had performed.  It was not because of He healed the sick and cast devils out of the possessed that they were following Him.  It was not even His multiplication of food that had made Him the object of their obsession.  THEY FOLLOWED HIM FOR WHAT THEY COULD GET FROM HIM.  He accused them of following Him: “BECAUSE YOU ATE THE LOAVES AND YOUR STOMACHS WERE FILLED” (vs 26).  They did not follow Him because He healed the sick, cast out demons and multiplied food, which were spiritual manifestations of His holiness and God-supplied power.  They wanted physical food from Him and THAT WAS ALL.  He knew that they were not interested in His message, but only wanted to be fed.  They had their priorities wrong.  In the following posting(s) we will study the message He preached to them concerning His accusation by comparing their priority to the priority God commanded them (and us) to embrace.  L.J.