John 6:2 (NIV) A huge crowd kept following (Jesus) wherever He went, because they saw His miraculous signs as He healed the sick.
Different groups of people circulated around Jesus. The outermost group was the crowd who was drawn by the spectacular, captivated by the miracles. Jesus loved all the people who came to see Him; and the miracles certainly were attention getters that caused people to draw near. But then what? Jesus wanted people to be captivated with Him more than the miracles. God is not interested in a side show mentality. Miracles were a means to a divine end. The feeding of the 5000 did three things: it got people’s attention, it marked Jesus as having supernatural abilities, and it provided an opportunity for Jesus to teach truth. Some “got it” and heard what the Spirit was saying; but most focused on the multiplication of the bread and fish and responded accordingly—trying to make Jesus their King for the sake of having food (John 6:14-15). Those with a “crowd mentality” interpret things in light of how they will benefit them. But Christ wants to teach us truth.
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