Show God’s Love :John 6

“But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8, NASB).

I am scrolling through the posts on Facebook. I come to this post where pastors are making known a ministry of feeding the hungry. One pastor cites Matthew 14. He says that in Matthew 14 Jesus feeds 5,000 men plus women and children. Totally, Jesus feeds about 15,000 people. Each pastor expresses one major thought. The ministry is their way of showing the love of God. In my lifetime I have heard this expression often. We do this to show God’s love. While the intentions may be sincere, I ask, do we really show the love of God through our ministries? A second question is this: Did Jesus give the apostles the commission to go out and show God’s love through ministries? What is God’s love and how can you and I show through our actions that what we do show God’s love? In this article I want to address these and other questions by looking more closely to passages of scriptures that speak about God’s love.

John, the brother of James and the son of Zebedee is chosen by Jesus to be one of His disciples. Later, John is selected along with eleven other disciples to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. The word “apostle” means to be sent out.” John is credited by some scholars for writing the books of The Gospel of John, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, and Revelation. In the Gospel and the three epistles the word “love” is significant. It is for this reason that these writings of the apostle are used to talk about the love of God and how we are to show His love.

Above, I mentioned that one of the pastors used the feeding of 5,000 men plus women and children as an example that we are to use ministries such as feeding the hungry to show the love of God. Now, if this is true, what is the reason that these pastors along with their churches do not have ministries for doing some of the other things that Jesus does during His earthly sojourn? If we are concerned about hunger why do we not have ministries for the many people in the congregation that have mental health concerns; especially in view of the fact that suicide is a problem that is increasing continuously? Just asking!

So let us look at the feeding of the five thousand. This miracle is mentioned in the three synoptic gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is also in the fourth gospel—John. In the synoptic gospels the writers tell us that Jesus feeds the people because He has compassion. These people are not poor and unable to buy food for themselves. Rather, the people are with Him all day watching Him as He heels the sick, diseased, and disabled. “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick” (Matt. 14:14, NASB). We will see that feeling compassion is not the same thing as showing love. “When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things” (Mk. 6:34, NASB).

Sarah Gilliam is a young lady that has compassion. Sarah is about eighteen years old. She has two brothers, Jesse and Steve. After school Jesse and Steve play baseball with Larry and Clay. Every day at 4:30 p. m. Sarah gives her brothers dinner while Larry and Clay stand on the porch. They can see the television from the porch. The popular show “The Three Stooges” is on. One day Larry notices that Sarah is looking at him and Clay as they eat their dinner. At ten years old Larry knows that Sarah is troubled by something, but He is not sure of the reason that Sarah looks at him and his brother with a sad look on her face. Finally, one day Sarah comes to the door and asks, “Are you hungry?” “Come on in’ she says.” So why am I telling you this story?

The year is 1958. The place is a farm outside of Columbia, Tennessee. These are the days of segregation. Sarah and her brothers are the children of the white landowner. Larry and Clay are the Negro sons of the farm worker. It is unusual that two Negro boys will be invited to sit at the table and share a meal with the children of the boss. When Sarah invites them in to share a meal, what is her motive? Is Sarah trying to show God’s love? Maybe it is just the simple fact that Sarah knows that Larry and Clay are probably hungry just as her brothers are. We do not know what the motives of Sarah are. We do know that she feels that these two boys that play with her brothers are likely hungry also, and she goes against the usual practices of segregation. Sarah has compassion. I do not believe that she is motivated to show the love of God to Larry and Clay because God is never mentioned. So how do we show the love of God?

The word “love’ is translated from the Greek verb “agapao” and the corresponding noun “agape” These words are used in the New Testament to describe the attitude of God toward His Son, the human race generally, and to those that believe in Jesus Christ. Love is not an impulse from feelings. Love does not look for some worth in a person. Love seeks the welfare of all, and works no evil to anyone. Love is God’s essential nature and we receive God’s love in our hearts when we receive the Holy Spirit given to those that believe in Jesus. John says, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one that does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 Jn. 4:7-8, NASB). I do not see the love of God when Sarah offers me food to eat. My hunger is satisfied and I am happy, but the love of God does not cross my mind.

My thoughts and feelings are very much like that of the 5,000 that Jesus feeds. John records that Jesus feeds the people and they decide to make Him their King, but Jesus does not allow them to do so. “So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone” (Jn. 6:15, NASB). “The next day the people find Jesus on the other side of the lake. “When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, ‘Rabbi, when did You get here?’” (6:25). Let us notice the words of Jesus as He responds to their questions. “Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled” (v. 26). John uses the word “sign” to describe a miracle that intends to convey that the miracle comes from God. I ask, does Jesus’ statement say that the motive of the people to look for Him is for more food and not because they are concerned about the love of God?

Jesus continues. He says to the people: “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God has set His seal” (v. 27). So, here it is. Jesus is telling the people that food is temporary. It will perish. They are to work for food that gives eternal life. Let us compare this statement here to one of the best known scriptures in Holy writ. “For God loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (Jn. 3:16, NASB). Both of these statements tell us that God’s love is God’s attitude toward men to save men from sin and that humankind be reconciled to Him. Love is God’s divine attitude. Jesus feeds people because as a man—a human being, He has the human capacity to have emotions and feelings. Jesus sees that the people are hungry and He is moved by compassion to give them needed food.

As Jesus feeds the people He is using this opportunity to do more than give the people food. Let us look at the conversation that Jesus has with Philip. “Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat’” (v. 5)? “This he was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do” (v. 6). As we return to the conversation between Jesus and the people, we see that Jesus’ greater purpose is to make the Son of God known so that they can believe in Him and have eternal life. Is Jesus successful?

As we read through John 6 we see that the people do not see the sign. They do not believe Jesus. “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst” (v.35). Jesus continues saying, “‘But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe’” (v. 36). Again, we can see that the people do not see the love of God because they are given food. At the end of this chapter John records that many of Jesus’ disciples stop following Him. “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore” (v. 66). Continuing, we read, “So Jesus said to the twelve, ‘You do not want to go away also, do you” (v. 67)? “Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life’” (v. 69). Here it is. Peter says that the desire to have eternal life is what motivates him to continue with Jesus. Let us now look at the commission that Jesus gives to the apostles.

Matthew 28:18-20 is known as the Great Commission. Each gospel writer has their own way of telling their audience that Jesus commissioned the apostles to tell their audience about the love of God (See Mk.16:15-16; Lk. 24:44-49; Jn.21:15-17; Acts 1:7-8). All of these statements tell us the same thing that John 3:16 tells us. That God’s love is seen in His attitude toward sinful people. Thus, we show God’s love when we tell people about their sins and how our sins keep us separated from God (Jn. 3:17-18). We continue by telling the people that God’s Son, Jesus Christ redeems those that believe in Jesus. “John writes, “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 Jn. 4:9-10). Jesus does not send His apostles to show God’s love through ministries. Jesus sends His apostle to be a witness through the preaching of the gospel to tell people of God’s love for His world.