“Characteristics of False Disciples”

We will discuss 2 points in this heading.

1. A. False Disciple Believes the Miracles of Jesus more that Jesus Himself. Vs. 28-29
2. A False Disciple Seeks Signs and Wonders in Order to Believe: vs. 30-34

A False Disciple Believes the Miracles of Jesus More than Jesus Himself: Vs. 28-29

If we take a closer look at these two verses we find two things there.

·         A Superficial question by the False Disciples. Vs. 28

·         A Shocking Answer by Jesus. Vs. 29

In vs. 27 we saw that Jesus instructed the people, who had followed Him for wrong reasons, not to labor for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life. Then probably these people got Jesus’ point and thought that, all that Jesus wants us is to do something religious and if we do it probably He would provide us with a free meal or a free breakfast or even set us free from the Roman rule. We can see that their thinking was so limited and was in terms of getting their immediate needs met. Then with this mindset they asked a question, “What must we do to be doing the works of God?” from what they asked Jesus it’s clear that these people’s notion about Jesus was based upon doing something in order to please God. In other words their notion about Jesus was based upon doing something in order to get something out of Him, and what did they want from Jesus? They wanted freedom from the Roman rule, which for them was very oppressive. So in essence they were saying that, Jesus we are willing to do anything you want us to do, but please deliver us from this Roman rule.  We just want to ensure that we are saved from this oppression of Roman rule. So their question was inspired by their self-centered want. They had found the most appealing mask to hide their personal sin. Under the mask of Roman oppression they were hiding their personal sin, not only that, but they failed to recognize their inability to earn God’s favor. They wanted their oppression to cause Jesus to have sympathy on them and deliver them from it. But that’s not how you come to Jesus or seek Jesus.

The greatest example we can find is in the Matthew’s gospel 19^th chapter vs. 16-22. Here, this rich young man who claimed to be absolutely moral asks Jesus the same question, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” vs. 16. First of all this man came to Jesus with an understanding that he can do something good in order to earn eternal life. In order to rid him of his conception about righteousness based upon works Jesus showed him the Law. So that he should have seen his helplessness in order to achieve eternal life, but his answer vs. 20 reveals his self-righteous life he says, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” but Jesus’ answer gives him a major shock Jesus tells him if you want to be perfect go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me,” this answer of Jesus reveals the young man’s real heart. That answer told him that you kept all the commandments but still lack in one thing that’s covetousness. In other words Jesus told him that he desperately needed a heart transplant.  No bypass surgery you need a heart transplant.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did in the next verse 28 of John 6. He says, “This is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” In other words Jesus was telling them an absolutely simple way of doing the works of God, “believe in Me.” Don’t believe in the works of the Law because you cannot keep the Law. In Matthew 7:21 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter into the

Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” So the will of God and the work of God are together. We cannot separate them; they are one and the same. Because the work of God comes from the will of God. Some say that the will of God is to do the social service. But that’s not what the Bible teaches, it teaches that the work of God to believe in Jesus Christ. So what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7:21 is that, those who believe in Him for the salvation of their soul only they will enter the kingdom of heaven. It is not by doing something religious or performing something religious you get to heaven it’s by believing in Jesus and in Him only you can enter the kingdom of heaven.

Application:

But these hard-hearted Jews refused to believe in what Jesus said because it was shocking to them, so shocking that it shook the foundation of their false, self-glorified & works based religion. So is the  case in many of us it’s not that we cannot believe but we do not want to believe the gospel. Which is so simple to understand. But we want to believe something that’s so hard and demands us to do something religious. The problem with that understanding of salvation is that if we could earn our salvation on the bases of our works why did Christ had to die? And the Bible and the world history tells us that He died and not only that but He rose again from the dead. And if you repent of your sins and believe in His sacrifice, His death, His resurrection and all this for my own personal sin, you will be saved.

These people were ready to believe that Jesus was a prophet vs. 14 but were not willing to surrender to Him as God and Messiah because He demanded discipleship; He demanded that they would follow Him. But they were not willing to follow Jesus instead they wanted Jesus to follow them and fulfill their hidden agenda. What Jesus was telling them was that you seem to desperately want to have freedom from the Roman rule but that’s not all you need, what you need is more than that and that is to satisfy your spiritual hunger and thirst. That is your real need if you don’t recognize that, no freedom in this world will ever satisfy that spiritual hunger and thirst. Because Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, "If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."

Perhaps many of us want freedom from their poverty. Many of you want freedom from some decease perhaps we might be wanting to have freedom from some financial problems and then might be thinking that if I get that need of mine fulfilled then I will think of giving myself to the Lord. I want to urge you to please understand your real need it’s not your freedom from your petty problems but your real need is to get freedom from the eternal hell. And Jesus is willing to give this freedom to you.

A False Disciple Seeks Signs and Wonders in Order to Believe: vs. 30-34

Vs. 30 gives us the glimpse of these people’s ungrateful heart towards Jesus. They had just witnessed the miracle of Jesus which had fed them, they had their stomachs full in vs. 12. Which was in fact sufficient for them to recognize that Jesus is God and Messiah sadly they didn’t believe but sought to have their hidden agenda accomplished by forcefully making Jesus the King and thought He will deliver them from the Roman oppression. And in the verses following when they came to know that things are not turning out the way they wanted but are going absolutely in an opposite direction. Jesus demands discipleship. Then they sought for another sign in order to prove that He has come from God and that He Himself is God. And what was their reasoning? Not exactly that they overlooked Jesus’ miracle of 2 fish and 3 loaves of bread but they started to compare Jesus’ miracle with that of Moses’ miracle. In other words they were saying that Moses performed a miracle of feeding our fathers who numbered nearing a million everyday. Comparatively you are very insignificant because you only fed 10,000 or at the most 20,000 people. Show us something great, perform a miracle greater than Moses’. However, Numbers 16:13-15 (Read), tells us that it was not Moses who created the Manna because Moses himself told the people of  Israel that the Manna was given to them by Yahweh.

But in this case these people started comparing Jesus’ miracle with that of Moses. When Moses had not created food for the children of Israel but Jesus had created food for them. This should have been sufficient for them to believe in Him as the Messiah and God and not just Prophet or King. But Jesus’ response to these Jew’s reasoning was eye opening to them. Contrary to that Jesus does not tell them or promise them another performance of miracles but tells them in vs. 32 “…Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.” In other words Jesus was saying that Moses didn’t create food but My Father created it and sent to you at Moses’ prayer. But here is something greater than that Manna which fed you temporarily but here is a bread that’s spiritual which is able to fulfill all your spiritual hunger and thirst. He is also saying that the Manna that God provided was for your temporary need but I have been sent by God as the Bread of Life for eternal purposes and I have come to give life to the entire world.

To this these Jews seem little convinced to what Jesus was saying but they were not completely convinced with what Jesus was saying. Once again they stumbled on their temporary need thing. And ended up saying, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Vs. 34

Similarly, like the Samaritan woman in John chapter 4 when she understood that Jesus can give her the living water she also said the similar words in 4:15. “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” What did this woman do? She took the eternal offer that Jesus wanted to give her and turned it into an object that would give her the temporary relief from her temporary problem. That’s exactly what these people were doing here. They took Jesus’ offer of Bread of life and sought to turn it into an object of fulfilling their temporary hunger fed. They partially believed  that Jesus could feed their hunger but not fully.

Application:

Many times many people come to Jesus with an expectation of a miracle. For them miracle is the determining factor of their authenticity of faith. Many people want miracles to happen so that their physical problems would go away, many want miracles so that their financial problems would go away. Many still want miracles so that their marriage problems would be fixed without any efforts. The point I am trying to make is that people are out to make Jesus as their personal genie. So that He would fix their immediate problems will satisfy their immediate need. This kind of mindset of seeking for miracles is very much there in our country. It’s there because many miracle workers come in and perform their miracles get a whole bunch of money and go. They leave behind them a group of people who are mad not for Jesus but for His miracles.

In fact Jesus abhorred this kind of attitude of seeking for miracles. In the Gospel of Matthew Jesus twice rebuked such people who wanted to see a sign.

Matt. 12:38-39, “Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you." But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.”

Then in Matthew 16:1-4, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing him, asked him to show them a sign from heaven. But he answered them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.' In the morning, 'It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Hypocrites! You know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but you can't discern the signs of the times! An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah." He left them, and departed.”

All I want to say is that people who are working miracles are leaving behind them a generation that is evil and adulterous. Jesus Himself said that. I am not saying Jesus can’t do a miracle today, He can. I just want to warn you not to become a seeker for miracles of Jesus than to become seeker of Jesus Himself.

If want to come to Jesus you are supposed to come to Him with utter sense of helplessness about our spiritual life. If you come to Jesus expecting myriads of miracles you will be disappointed in your spiritual life. Only way how we can have a right relationship with Jesus is if we come to Him in repentance and faith in Christ and in Him alone. Then He will save you, you might not experience any miracle in your life but your life will be totally new because you have fixed your eyes upon your eternal life with Jesus. Perhaps you might face many troubles in this life but our Lord will help you through all those troubles.