John 6: 1-2
” Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick.”
One thing about people that is fairly predictable is that we almost always look out for ourselves first. Oh, I know… there are the notable exceptions. Mother Teresa comes to mind. Many others exist as well, but all of them have something in common: they are exceptions to the rule.
We just read in Chapter 5 that the reason for Jesus’ miracles was to be a testimony to his relationship to the Father.
Q: Why do you think the ‘great crowd of people’ were following Jesus?
Going out on a limb, I would say all of Israel knew of Gods promise to Eve in Gen. 3:15, they also had varying degrees of knowledge regarding the OT prophesies regarding the coming Messiah, and looked forward to His coming.
Jesus did come to be a testimony to His relationship to His Father and we know He fully fulfilled this ministry.
At the same time, the motivation or faith of those who followed Him is ordained by God to be an act of their free will and I am certain their variations were as broad as the people themselves.
The position of Jesus regarding the praise of Him by people is summed up in John 2:24-25, But jesus did not trust them, because He knew human nature. No one needed to tell Him what mankind is really like.
If Jesus did/does not trust the stability of human nature, neither should we, which leads me to conclude the variations were many, and the longevity of any specific motivation was questionable.
Many of the people welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem John 12:16-19, which fulfilled prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 and Zachariah 9:9, were very shortly after screaming for His crucifixion.
Short answer is only our God knows.
One thing that helps us is the greater context. In verse 2 it mentions the signs Jesus was doing. In John 6: 26, Jesus states that “you are seeking me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” Based on these responses, the reasons for at least some of the people do appear to be selfish pursuits. They saw signs and miracles that suggest that Jesus could be the Messiah, they heard His teachings, they knew something amazing could happen – they could even get a free meal. some may have been more noble, but it does appear that many were in it for themselves. This speaks to me. God is not a means to an end (a free meal, answer to prayer) – He is the end. It is about a relationship with Jesus. May that be why we follow Him.
Great point Rich. The relationship pales everything of this world.
Thank you Ron. I have appreciated your posts – I am learning from you brother.
I thank Him everyday for his relationship and his love.