Do you seek Christ for your needs or your soul?
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| English: Icon of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
The people who had been present at Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand followed Him many miles around the sea because they wanted Him to care for their needs. But they were seeking a king who would provide for them in a physical, not spiritual, sense. Because their hearts were hard and their minds focused on earthly things, they neither perceived their spiritual needs nor did they understand the Messiah’s mission of redemption.
Jesus rebuked them for their “flesh-seeking” disposition: “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26). They sought Him, not because they understood the significance of the miracles, which were signs and seals of God’s testimony concerning the Messiah, but simply because they wanted their bellies filled. Like the Samaritan woman who thought her thirst would be satisfied by water, the Jews wanted bread to satisfy their hunger. They were “need-driven,” not in a spiritual sense but solely on the basis of physical desire.
Many people seek Jesus because they want some felt-need met, or some specific problem solved in their lives. They want to overcome their alcoholism, their dependence on drugs, or they want deliverance from a bad marriage, or they desire prosperity and physical healing. All these things are legitimate concerns, and Jesus is able to deliver us from difficult and sinful circumstances.
But deliverance is the result of our union with Him. It should not be our primary motive to seek Him. While God certainly uses such difficult circumstances to humble us, they are not the end in themselves. Those motivated by God to seek His face will do so out of a deep desire for reconciliation with Him.
It is critical that when we share the Gospel with others that we do not give them opportunity to fall into this “felt-need” trap. Do not leave them with the assurance, “If you only come to Jesus, you’ll overcome your drug addiction.” While this will certainly be a result, we should instead say, “Come to Christ, repent of your sin, rely on Him for the salvation of your soul, and He will give you a new life.”
Luke 5:17–26. Why did the friends of the paralytic seek Jesus? What does He do instead at first? Did the man ask to have his sins forgiven? Why does Jesus make this the focal point before He heals him? Are you more concerned about physical needs than your soul?
It is critical that when we share the Gospel with others that we do not give them opportunity to fall into this “felt-need” trap. Do not leave them with the assurance, “If you only come to Jesus, you’ll overcome your drug addiction.” While this will certainly be a result, we should instead say, “Come to Christ, repent of your sin, rely on Him for the salvation of your soul, and He will give you a new life.”
Luke 5:17–26. Why did the friends of the paralytic seek Jesus? What does He do instead at first? Did the man ask to have his sins forgiven? Why does Jesus make this the focal point before He heals him? Are you more concerned about physical needs than your soul?
