Chase

"When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into boats and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus. And when they found him across the sea they said to him, 'Rabbi, when did you get here?' " - John 6:24-25

So a few things have happened since Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes. He first retreated to the mountains shortly after everyone ate, for fear they would make him their king. The Apostles, wondering where he went, hopped on a boat and sailed to Capernaum, only to get caught in bad wind. And knowing his Apostles were in trouble, Jesus walks to them (across the water) and brings the boat safely to shore.

And after all that, the crowd continues to follow, asking Jesus when he got there. I wonder if the Apostles started into the crowd, ready to tell them about what just happened - that the man that just fed them can also walk on water. I would imagine Jesus, as usual, silenced his Apostles, for the same reason that he left the crowd in the first place - he didn't want to make him their king.

It's curious, however, as to why, throughout all of this, Jesus continues to play down the attention he receives. After all, he is the Son of God, why wouldn't he want to bask in some of that glory?

It's pretty simple, really. If they focus on him, they'll idolize him, making his earthly works the focus of his life, rather than listening to his selfless message about God's love. Don't get be wrong - healing, feeding and bringing folks back to life are miracles beyond anything anyone had ever seen (or have seen since), but Jesus wants them to focus not on their life on earth, but their eternal life. Something that bread alone is not sufficient to ensure.

It's a good reminder for us as well - that our focus shouldn't be on what we have here, but what's waiting for us in the next part of our life - and what we're doing to make sure we get there.