John 6:14 - 15 They can't force Jesus to be king
Think about it...
These people saw Jesus do miracles and wanted to force him to be their king. They wanted to use his powers to help themselves. How often do we try to get God to do what we want him too instead of accepting his plan for our lives? Do we get disillusioned when he doesn't give us our way?
Jesus sighed and looked around. The crowd was well fed, but not content. There were whisperings and hushed discussions everywhere. He could read their hearts and knew what they were talking about. He looked over at his disciples, they were exhausted. They hadn’t picked up on the murmuring yet. That was just as well. Some of them would agree with the crowd and he didn’t need the pressure from them too. Besides, their day had been enough of a rollercoaster. Was it just this morning when they came back from their missions? They were so excited and happy, in awe at what they had been able to do for him, only to find out about the horrible and senseless death of John the Baptist. Who could blame them for just wanting to be alone? A lot had happened within a few hours. It was time to send them across the lake ahead of him while he took care of the crowds. They would be more than happy to comply.
He looked at the crowd, they were impressed with the meal. They were impressed with the power. They were still talking about it. No one was in a hurry to leave. They were imagining what he could do against the Romans. Here was a chance to defeat their enemies and be their own nation again! It would be foolish to not make the most of this opportunity. They had been under Roman oppression for a long time and they were tired of it. In Jesus they had a man who was popular among the people and not afraid to stand up to authority. His interactions with their religious leaders proved that. Don’t forget the miracles and the healings. Wherever he went, he drew a crowd. People followed him. He would make the perfect king. Perhaps he was the Prophet they were waiting for. The one promised in their scriptures. Their Savior, their Messiah. Some were thinking he could be talked into it easily enough. He obviously had compassion for the people. Others were willing to go to greater lengths to accomplish their goal. Force him to be king if they had to.
Jesus knew it was time to let these people go, before they decided to act on their ideas. He was a king, but not the kind of king they were looking for. His purpose was spiritual, not political. They would be disappointed when he didn’t defeat the Romans. They would turn their back when he died on the cross. His sacrifice would be unappreciated by many. But he loved them and he would do it anyway. There would be enough who would understand the truth. Wanting to spend some time with his father, Jesus dismissed the people and went up into the mountainside alone to pray. It grew late, he could see his disciple in the boat. They were having a rough time of it. The wind was against them and they were straining at the oars to keep their boat on course. Knowing they were struggling, he went to them…
