Jesus: Understanding the Mission

28th in a series on how men and women in the Bible 

deal with waiting, disappointment and unemployment

Jesus: Understanding the Mission 

Observations of John 6:16-30

In Richmond, VA there is a building products business that has been around since the 1940’s.  The management attributes their success to having a vision that everyone in the company knows and puts into practice.  As a matter of fact, employees are often pulled aside and asked to recite the mission statement verbatim.  They do this so that the values of the company are integrated in every task and with every customer contact.

Jesus also knew the purpose of his mission when he walked this earth.  He clearly spoke about the kingdom of God, faith, salvation, and the state of each human soul.  But he constantly had to correct misunderstandings that seemed to crop up all around him.  In the Gospel according to John, chapter 6, over 10,000 people had just been miraculously fed a meal of fish and bread.  What an awesome experience!?  Life-changing right?  Not in the way one would think, as we will see.

I wonder if Jesus anticipated their response or in his humanity was he genuinely surprised?  Immediately after the sit-down dinner, Jesus withdrew by himself and the disciples started sailing across the sea toward Capernaum where they were probably hoping for some rest and relief from the crowds.  During the night a storm rose up and the disciples’ boat was in danger of capsizing.  And Jesus, as master of all creation, came walking across the water to them.  Why not?  If he could bring people back from the dead, heal diseases and multiply loaves and fishes, was anything too hard?

The crowds, having been wowed by the feast the day before wanted to find Jesus again, so they hired some boats and they, too, crossed the sea to find Jesus and the disciples.  But they had remembered that Jesus didn’t go with the disciples in the boat.  Hey!  How’d you get here?  Jesus’ response:  “I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”  i.e. Jesus did not trust their motivation.  

After the meal some of the men professed, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  Several hours later, when they were with Jesus in this moment, I think they were honestly trying to figure Jesus out.  Having been influenced by the instruction of their teachers, they had forgotten the original company policy of God’s grace and mercy and they made the same mistake as the rich young man who wanted to know which commandments were best to obey and the woman at the well who was tired of drawing water from a well.  They said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may do the works of God?”  

This question revealed their ignorance.  One who was literate in Biblical teaching would have known that it is only by God’s grace that anyone is saved.  Earlier Jesus had asked Nicodemus,  “Are you the teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?” “You must be born again.”  i.e. You need a new nature, a transformed heart, and a changed mind.  Nothing you do will ever appease a righteous and holy God.  

So, they had asked the wrong question.  But Jesus in his infinite patience responds by saying, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”  Well, that wasn’t very satisfactory so they came up with bad question #2:  “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  

At this time in history, the teachings of Aristotle would have been prevalent in their education.  Had they missed class that day?  In developing a logical argument he asks three questions: 1) Is it reasonable?  2) Does it relate to me? 3) Is the person speaking credible?  Jesus had demonstrated sufficient answers to all these questions and yet they still had not put all the pieces together.  

In many homes at Christmas you’ll see the word “believe” in wooden letters on the mantle or on a book shelf.  Of course, that’s all about Santa isn’t it?  And the belief is simply one’s will to have positive thoughts about a rotund man with a white beard who has flying reindeer and squeezes down millions of chimneys.  That indeed does take some concentration to imagine all that as real.  So, what was Jesus saying when he said, “believe in the one whom he sent.”  Fortunately, we have the whole Bible to tell us about Him.  We have historical and personal accounts and sound theology which leads us to make a solid decision about what we believe.  

Belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior is not unlike adhering to our company’s mission statement.  We accept it and we put it into action by acting on its principles.  Today, you will not newly create nor make an addendum to your company’s statement because it is merely your responsibility to follow and support it.  And when Jesus tells us to ‘believe’, he is reminding the people that salvation has always been about God’s grace and mercy.   Do not add nor take away from what he has said is so.  

Application:

1. Every business has a mission.  In your past experience how has management enforced or encouraged adherence to its principles?
2. Do your superiors appreciate creativity and imagination when it comes to following the mission?
3. Can you see how logic can lead you to make better decisions?
4. How do you understand Jesus when he merely says, “Believe in the one he has sent.”
5. How can the principles from this lesson aid you today in being successful in work, job hunting, family life and making personal decisions?

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll.  And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.  He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

Revelation 22:18-20