Based on John 6:16-26 (New King James Version)
“Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone—however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks—when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, ‘Rabbi, when did You come here?’”
What was the real reason for why Jesus came to this earth? We see through the Scriptures that the Lord did many things. He healed the sick. He freed the demon-possessed. He did signs and wonders. He fed thousands of people. He taught many things. And He even raised from the dead some people. John also explains that only some things were written about what the Lord did, as he explains in the following passage: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25. So then, we only know what is necessary through the Scriptures.
Although all of these things are good, and part of the manifestation of the Messiah, the most important reason for why the Lord came to this world was to take on our human form, to pour out His blood and die on the cross, and to be raised from the dead. Why? Because this was the only way that we could obtain the salvation that He taught about, the power to be born again in the Spirit. And together with this, it was the only way that God Himself can come to live inside of our being, through faith in Jesus. Otherwise, God cannot convert us into His temples, those that are not made by the hands of man.
Why is it so important for God to come to live inside of us? One of the problems that the disciples had, and all the others that preceded the resurrection of the Lord was that there was no forgiveness of sins. The sacrifices and following the faith in the Lord only allowed for the covering of sins. And the Spirit of God was only able to be upon or with a person, but not inside. In this passage, we see that the disciples did spend some time separated from the Lord even though they were following Him. In this passage, we do not see the detail that the Lord Himself sent them ahead of Him. Both Matthew 14:22 and Mark 6:45 gives us part of the story where the Lord commanded them to go without Him. So, it’s not that they wanted to take off without Him.
The issue is that there is a huge difference between God being with and/or around us, then being within us. The Lord can only come to live within our being when we give ourselves or surrender ourselves completely to Him. That’s the only way we can come to belong to Him, and there is no other way. And by virtue that He lives within us, His Holy Spirit can work within us intimately, in the deepest places within us, those places that even we ourselves are not very aware of. So then, when you invite Him to be inside of you by faith, you don’t have to worry if you took Him somewhere, if you had to leave Him somewhere because He was busy doing something else, etc. He will be within you wherever you go. For it is written: “…If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23b.
Now, what do people try to do with the Lord? Incredibly enough, many do not look to have the Lord inside of them, and for many reasons. By what we see in this passage, there are people that simply look for the Lord so they can receive things, to get what they want, to fulfill their desires. They don’t want a personal relationship with Him, or least of all, a commitment. The majority of people look to resolve their problems, like their economic needs, their health problems, and many other things, with almost all the reasons involving temporary things. It’s not that these things are bad and that we should not ask for them, but they should not be the main reason for why the Lord is looked for, or even worse, that these things are the only reason for why He is sought after.
There is something that we all know that can apply to this concept, and that is: the golden rule. The golden rule was said by the Lord: “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:31. This rule also applies to God, and it can be said in the following manner: And just as you want God to do to you, you also do to Him likewise. For example, would you like it if your loved ones only looked for you because they just want something from you? Would you like for people to try to manipulate you, so they can get things from you? Would you like it if the only reason people are with you is because you do want they want you to do for them? Would you like for someone to pretend to love you so they can use you? I believe we all want to be loved genuinely, and we want for people to be with us because they want to be with us, despite the circumstances. So then, if we desire real love and loyalty, don’t you think God deserves the same, especially considering everything He has done, is doing, and promises to do for us in the future?
So, the big question is: “What are you trying to do with the Lord?” Lord bless! John