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For some, it's been better than expected, so far; for others it's been worse. How has this past year been for you? How do you think your plans and expectations for the rest of the year will go. Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future? When life doesn't meet your expectations, how do you react?
People had expectations when they came to Jesus. The crowds had seen Jesus perform miracles and heal the sick. He fed thousands with two loaves of bread and a few fish. Here's what they didn't expect. They didn't expect Jesus to confront them about their real motives for coming to him. Listen as he says, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill" (John 6:25). Remember, in John's Gospel, miracles are reported as signs that Christ is who he says he is. That's the purpose of miracles, the real reason Jesus multiplied the fishes and loaves. But the crowd only saw what they wanted to see. And Christ knew they would be back for more.
Don't you hate it when someone makes us confront our true motives? At a retreat she led once in the Carolina Mountains, Episcopal priest Barbara Taylor asked participants, "Who in your life reminds you of Jesus?"
Going around the room, they shared, "My granddad . . . my mom . . . my best friend . . ." One woman didn't respond. She was giving this question serious thought. Finally, she looked up and said, "I had to think hard. I kept thinking, 'Who is it that told me the truth about myself so clearly I felt like I could kill him for it?'" Think about that for a moment and apply it to your faith. "Who is it that told me the truth about myself so clearly that I felt like I could kill him for it?"
If we listen, Jesus will tell us the truth about ourselves. And it might not be pretty. The religious leaders of his day killed him for telling them the truth about God, and about their own true motives.
Jesus confronted people in the Bible, not to shame them, but to bring them closer to God. Jesus challenges us to make us aware of the gap between what we say we believe and what we actually believe.
We say God is love and always has our best at heart, but do we really trust God with our future, our family, or our finances? We worry about what tomorrow will bring forgetting he has taught us in Romans 8:28 "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him." We say Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, but do we believe it enough to tell our friends and family about him? We say we believe in God's word, but do we open the Bible more often than in Sunday school or church?
The crowds following Jesus said, "We'll believe you, Rabbi. Just give us a sign: feed us bread every day, like Moses fed the people of Israel with bread from heaven." Jesus knew their true motives. And he knew they would never be satisfied if they didn't confront their own lack of truthfulness. "Then Jesus declared, 'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty'" (John 6:35). Jesus is saying, "I didn't come here to make your life more comfortable. I came here to show you I am the only one who can meet the deepest needs in your life because I am life itself."
There seems to be a universal feeling in our society. "Is this all there is? Somehow, I expected more. Something seems to be missing." Something's missing, and in its place, we substitute all sorts of things.
In our society, we are fed a constant stream of "If only's;" "if only I had a little more money . . ." How many of us have thought that at some time in our lives? Steve Bing was 18 when he inherited $600 million from his grandfather, a successful real estate developer. With all that money, Steve dropped out of college and went to Hollywood. He became a movie producer and invested money in a few successful films, such as "The Polar Express," but he also invested in several films that flopped.
Along the way, Steve became known for his wild parties, his gambling and drug use and time spent with prostitutes, and many girlfriends. He was very generous with his friends but refused to help support the children he fathered. That is, until he lost paternity suits in court.
Despite spending millions to throw parties and impress people, Steve's closest friends say he had few people who liked him. They hung around because they wanted something from him.
On June 22, 2020, Steve Bing stepped off the window ledge of his 27th-floor luxury apartment building and fell to his death. The man who inherited $600 million dollars in his teens died at 55 with $300,000 left to his name.
"If only we had more money, some imagine, our problems would be solved." But if we had more money, our troubles might just be beginning.
Why do we continue to believe the secret to life is more money? Money gives us a sense of control. It helps us feel like we are somebody. That's why there's a hunger for it. But many of those who acquire money or recognition, or influence find them to be empty and unfulfilling.
What's missing is a sense of meaning to life. Why are we here? Where are we headed? What does it all mean? For many people there's no meaning.
To encourage people to live more meaningful lives philosopher Roman Krznaric suggests a visualization exercise he calls, "The dinner party of the afterlife."
He says imagine yourself at a dinner party in the afterlife. Who else is at the party? All the "yous" who you could have been if you had made different choices in life. All the good and bad paths you could've gone down if you had just changed one or two decisions. If you had chosen different friends, a different career, different principles, or priorities to define your life. All the paths you might've taken if you had been more proactive, or less fearful, or more generous with others.
Look around at these alternative "yous." Which ones do you admire, even envy? Which ones do you want to avoid? After meeting all the possible "yous" you can imagine, it's time to make the decision: who do you aspire to become and why?
Now, taking this a step further visualize who you would be if you gave your life entirely to the purposes and priorities of God. If you found your identity in becoming the person God made you to be. Who would you be if you put your whole trust in God and committed yourself to knowing God and following His will?
Reflecting on the moment when he finally realized Jesus is the bread of life, the source of life Anglican priest John Stott wrote, "I was defeated. I knew the kind of person I was and the kind I longed to be. Between the reality and ideal there was a great gulf. And what brought me to Christ was the sense of defeat and the astonishing news that the historic Christ offered to meet the very needs of which I was most conscious."
"Between the reality and the ideal there was a great gulf." Can you relate? When you hear about the goodness of God and the joy of knowing Him, do you feel empty and disconnected? Do you feel left out? Are you living with a sense of eternal purpose, or are you just trying to keep up?
It was to meet this need--to fill this emptiness--that Jesus Christ came into the world. "I am the bread of life . . ." Jesus says. You can search for what's missing in your life, but until you feed on him, you will never be satisfied.
That's why worship is so vital --to fill the emptiness within. The more we focus on our needs, the less satisfied and secure we are. But when we turn our focus to God--searching for, enjoying, and serving Him--the more joy, hope, peace, and purpose we experience. We were made to worship God. Worship is giving God the honor and glory He deserves. But worship is also a gift to us because it's through worship we experience the joy of knowing God.
Will recognition or achievement or relationship satisfy? Will they make us feel complete? None of them can supply what our soul is hungry for. Bread from heaven--is our greatest need. Christ is that bread. Jesus came into the world to love people to life. We will only find our identity and purpose and our best life when we turn our life over to Jesus.
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is pastor of Maitland Church of the Brethren, Lewistown, PA where he is currently serving in his 28th year. He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in S. Hamilton, MA.