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Are there any circumstances in which Jesus will turn away people who try to follow Him? Your
initial reaction is probably "no," but you might be surprised at what the Bible reveals.
Let's see what the New Testament has to say on this subject. On at least two occasions, Jesus
miraculously fed thousands of people. One of these instances is recorded in John 6. A
great multitude sees Jesus perform miracles on sick people, and they follow Him across the
Sea of Galilee in northern Palestine. Jesus takes five small loaves of bread and two fishes
and instantly multiplies them to feed everyone. Verse 15 says that the crowd was so
excited by what He did, they tried to take him by force to make Him their king.
So Jesus goes off to be by Himself. The next day, the crowd figures out where Jesus has gone and they track Him down. But they don't care about His message of salvation. Jesus tells them in verse 27 that He knows they are only following Him because he fed them the day before. They're only interested in filling their bellies. Jesus goes on to explain that He is the bread of life, and He compares His teaching to food. He sums up His message in verse 58 by telling them that if they partake of His message, they will be satisfied spiritually and they will live forever. These people were only interested in the physical goods that they thought Jesus could give them. What Jesus taught held little interest for their carnal minds. The words of Christ are spiritual, and they are aimed at our spirit — not our flesh. That is why Jesus tells this group in John 6:63 that the flesh profits nothing, but the words He speaks are spirit and life. The people are only concerned with their flesh, but Jesus wants them to care about their souls. When the hungry seekers realize they won't get more food from Jesus, they leave. Verse 66 says, "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him." Jesus didn't tell these people to leave, but He told them things that He knew they didn't want to hear. And when they left, He let them go. He didn't chase after them and promise to give them anything they wanted as long as they stayed with Him. They followed Jesus only to satisfy their carnal desires, and Jesus told them to worry about their souls and refused to give them what they wanted. Lots of churches today offer special groups for all ages for the purpose of recreation and socializing. We hear about all the fun that is being had and all the activities that are available. We hear about how wonderful everyone is and how everyone is welcomed to come as they are. But Jesus didn't take these would-be followers just as they were. Jesus told them to get their priorities straight and to worry about their spiritual welfare instead of what He could do for their flesh. When they didn't like His message, they left. And Jesus let them go. Paul says in Galatians 6:8, that if we sow to the flesh we will reap corruption. But if we sow to the spirit, we will reap eternal life. That's the same choice displayed in John 6. One group tries to follow Jesus for fleshly reasons, but they leave when Jesus quits handing out bread. Jesus turns to the disciples that are still there and asks if they will go away too. In verse 68, Peter answers for the spiritually minded followers of Christ: "Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." Peter got it. Jesus didn't come to make life easier or relieve suffering. He came to save man from sin so we could live forever. That is what His mission and His message were all about. Unfortunately, carnal minds today still try to follow Jesus for what He can do for them physically and emotionally. People want recreational activities rather than Bible study. And the little bit of teaching they will stomach has to be so watered down that it winds up teaching nothing and demanding nothing. This is a big contrast to what Jesus taught and what He demanded of His followers. The religion of Jesus doesn't cater to man's physical desires — it addresses man's spiritual needs. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." |