Food For Thought: John 6:35

"Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'" John 6:35

Has this text ever disturbed you? This ought to catch our attention, especially if we are believers. Jesus makes an audacious claim, "Come to me and say goodbye to hunger. Believe in me and you'll never be thirsty."

I have come to Jesus, but I still hunger.

I have believed in Jesus, but I still thirst.

What's the deal? Is Jesus lying? It sounds great though ... man, what I wouldn't give to never have to be hungry or thirsty again. Think of it. 1) I could save thousands of dollars from no food bill, 2) I could "freely" give away my food and drink to others sine I would have no need, 3) I would never have to suffer the pangs of hunger or the parched lips of thirst, and 4) I would have so much more time to do what I want. These all sound great. But behind each one is hidden an idolatrous self-glorifying attitude.

Savings!
I could save money! But whose money? And for what purpose? Why is economic affordability the standard by which I judge the worthiness of an item or action? "Can I afford it?" becomes the rubric of my commerce and not "Does this glorify God?" Sure, I believe that we are to be good stewards of God's money, but for whose end? There is a connection between God's glory and our joy, do not misunderstand me, but how often do I use "God's glory" as a cover for satisfying my own wants apart from consulting Him? Or how often do I use "I cannot afford it because I need to be a good steward" when, in fact, I could buy it but I am choosing not to because I want to purchase something else or feel secure with a padded account? To put it blatantly, I end up serving Mammon under the cloak of "God's glory." When I do this, I am serving the wrong master.

So how does this relate to the text? I don't want to eat so that I can have more money ... but why? Because then I could spend it more on myself. This does not have to be the case, but when I test my motives I find this to be the case.

Freely Give
I could give to others more luxuriously. But what reward is there in that. It is easy to give something away that you no longer love. It does not take an unbeliever to know this or to do it! In essence, I would be robbing myself of the opportunity of genuine sacrifice which in turn would not bring God the greatest glory. God is most glorified not in gifts skimmed from our riches, but in gifts mined from our poverty. If we give our food, when we are hungry, then the world looks on in wonder. Then they will ask why ... and then we can say, "because I have another kind of bread that is far more satisfying, let me tell you about Jesus."

Never to Suffer
To never suffer sounds so good and in fact, is one of the promises of the new world under Christ's rule. But until then we are called to suffer. Not as narcissists but as servants of the Lord who go "outside the city" to endure the reproach that Christ endured. How can this be? Because of two realities: 1) God is far more satisfying than suffering and 2) God receives far more glory when we suffer joyfully for his name.

More Time
This is similar to the first one. More time or what? And whose time? All that I am and have belongs to God ... not just my possessions, but my time. A few days ago I went to complete an exam that was sent to us via the Internet. I had taken about 2-3 hours on the exam and had only two questions remaining. I "saved" the work and then came back to it later. When I returned I discovered that the computer had eaten my file rather than saved it. I was ticked to say the least. As I was fuming about all my time that was "wasted," the Lord convicted me with the question, "Whose time was it?" If God wishes to use (not waste) his time by me doing the exam over, then that is his prerogative ... and my pleasure (well, I'm trying to learn this).

So, it is good that we still hunger and thirst ... but Jesus says that we will be satisfied. What does he mean?