John 6:1-3
After these things JESUS went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a great multitude followed HIM+, because they saw His+ miracles which HE+ did on them that were diseased. And JESUS went up into a mountain, and there HE+ sat with His+ disciples.
John 6:4
And the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was nigh.
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Q. 1 : Why did the crowd follow JESUS ? __________________________________________________________
YES, they saw the miracles or supernatural signs HE+ did on those who were diseased. This is referring to the events in John chapter 5.
Chapter 5 tells us HE+ was in Jerusalem for a Jewish feast day and HE+ healed an impotent man by the pool near the sheep market. This pool had 5 porches and was called “Bethesda”.
After HE+ healed the man and after HE+ had an argument and discourse with the Jewish men, The LORD JESUS left Jerusalem.
Q. 2 : Where did HE+ go ? ________________________
YES, HE+ went across the Sea of Galilee, on the western side of the Sea, near Tiberias. This was closer to the area in which HE+ did much ministry.
Scripture is silent about how many days or weeks or months HE+ spent in this area at this point in time.
Q. 3 : What important feast of the Jews was near? __________________________________________________________
YES, the All-Important PASSOVER feast. The Passover was to commemorate the exodus of GOD’S people from Egypt, from their hard bonds of 400 years of slavery. To remember the Passover was commanded by GOD.
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Why do WE follow JESUS ?
The multitudes were astounded at His+ healing powers.
They loved to see miracles occur; who wouldn’t ? Curing the terrible diseases of the flesh of man is mind-boggling.
They would have loved to come and make JESUS a KING right then.
But HE+ did not want that.
YES, HE+ had compassion on the multitudes, but the multitudes often missed the point: HE+ came to DO MORE than heal broken, sick, or diseased bodies.
These conditions of the flesh are deadly, but death of the FLESH is only a TEMPORARY condition.
HE+ came to heal mankind from the spiritual infection of SIN. . . and SIN is deadly for ALL ETERNITY.
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Why do WE follow JESUS ?
Do we have the “gimme what I want” mind-set ?
Do we whip out the Scripture Promises to prove that GOD is supposed to give us all our desires ? All our healings ? All the requests we make for our earthly happiness ?
Do we want these things removed that have STOPPED our Life . . . so that we can RETURN to our Life as we have been living it ?
Could it be that hard times come upon us SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE The LORD does NOT want us to RESUME our same Life ?
Could it be that we have been giving GOD 10% of our life and have been keeping 90% of our life for ourselves ?
When The LORD STOPS our Life, HE+ does it for a purpose: to hold our attention SERIOUSLY upon HIM+.
OUR goal, however, is to return to Life as it was before unchangeable calamity hit. Before debilitating sickness occurred . Before our Beloved died .
THAT IS NOT HIS+ GOAL.
The LORD wants to re-direct our Lives.
That is why HE+ allows us to be stripped of earth-centered things . . . of our jobs, abilities, and careers, even of our own flesh, even of our homes, even of our Loved Ones whom we cherished so dearly.
Have we closed our eyes, our minds, our hearts to this ?
Have we closed our hearts to His+ purposeful and serious RE-DIRECTION of our Lives ?
Whose WILL do we serve ?
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LET US PRAY:
O GOD our FATHER, I pray, have mercy upon me. I will open my heart to Your Re-direction.
Show me, O LORD, Your WILL and it will become my Will. Open the way, open the doors, and O LORD, open my heart to set YOU+ always before me.
Help me not cling to “what I had before.”
Show me the path for my life; in Your Presence is fullness of JOY. To be at Your Right side forever, for me would be happiness always.
This I pray in the Life-Giving Name of The LORD JESUS CHRIST, our Passover LAMB+.
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