Did you miss the sign?

John 6:24-35 (NRSV)

So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”

Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Have we missed the sign and are we following Jesus because we ate our fill?

Jesus tells the people coming after him here that they missed the signs. Now some could say no they saw and got the sign because they ate their fill and so they are following Jesus. They saw the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 and the other miracles, but as Jesus said they missed the signs and so did we…

You see in John there are no miracles. John records signs that point to who Jesus is. There are 8 signs and the 8th is the rising of Jesus signifying the 8th day and a New Creation. You see it is not about the water to wine or the bread multiplying or the physical healing… it is all about Jesus being with us and providing our needs. We should be following Jesus not because we will get something specific for it but because he will always give us what we need.

So here’s your sign and don’t miss it. Follow Jesus for what you need not what you want.