Reflecting on John 6:1-15“Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.” (John 6:15)
Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God!
And yet, when the people wanted Jesus to make Jesus king, he withdrew.
Notice that it was ‘by force’ that they wanted to do this.
They began hailing Him as king, denouncing Rome and instigating a riot.
‘By force’ is how people became kings, and how they enforced their rule.
This is the difference between God’s way and the world’s way.
God operates by grace, not by force.
He graciously feeds the hungry crowds, not just as a political manouvre.
He stands for justice, mercy and humility, being a servant of the people.
This would be a great political platform, if humans could actually do it.
As Jesus followers, our ambition should not be to be in charge.
We are to follow Jesus on our knees, serving and healing and feeding and blessing.
These are not just campaign promises or techniques for getting elected.
These are kingdom policies and practices, HOW God’s kingdom becomes reality.
Any attempt to combine Jesus and national politics is contrary to the Jesus Way.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, You could have called ten thousand angels to enforce Your rule. But instead You withdrew from power and politics, and served the people humbly and graciously. May this be our politics, our policy and our practice too.