Most of us keep asking God for more. This is OK, even expected, with God.
The Lord encourages asking: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7,8)
Yet, paradoxically, there is another kind of asking that is not OK. We see a clear example in the response immediately after Jesus’ “overflow” miracle of feeding the 5,000.
The crowds chase Jesus down the very next day. Jesus addresses them:
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.” (John 6:26-31)
Jesus says, “The proper response to what you saw yesterday is to simply trust (believe in) me. Do this, and I will give you abundant, eternal life.”
“Not so fast!” they say. Before we can trust you, we need more evidence.
After all, Moses gave the Israelites wandering through the wilderness heavenly bread to eat, not plain ordinary barley loaves. And this manna keep coming every day for 40 years, not just for one afternoon. If Jesus is the promised Messiah, surely he can do something just as great as Moses.
From our vantage point, we’re quick to condemn this “give me more” attitude. Hasn’t Jesus already done enough? He’s standing right in front of them. Isn’t it self-evident he is sent by God? Why keep asking for more?
Their Rabbis taught these first century Jews that, just as Moses offered manna in the wilderness, God’s Messiah would follow in Moses’ footsteps and let loose a new era of manna:
“Manna took on messianic connotations in later Jewish thought. The manna that stopped falling when the Israelites entered the Promised Land would fall again in the messianic age.” (Gale Yee, Jewish Feasts and the Gospel of John)
Seen from this perspective, asking for more is simply doing their due diligence. Jesus caught their attention. Now, can he show them he’s the real deal? Would Jesus fit into their world view?
Rudolf Bultmann, a famous 19th century German theologian, hits the nail on the head:
“Thus this reference to the manna gives expression to man’s folly in imagining that he knows the signs by which the Redeemer is to be recognized, his folly in imagining that he has criteria at his disposal to which the revelation must conform in order to gain recognition.”
This is exactly why we ourselves keep asking for more today.
Just like the first century Jews, we think we know the signs of God’s presence today, the “criteria” by which we will recognize God at work.
- For some, it’s the prosperity gospel—God is recognized when I am materially blessed with health, wealth and happiness.
- For declining mainline churches, it’s “more young families”—God is recognized when the church recaptures the glory days of full sanctuaries and thriving Sunday Schools.
- For hurting people, it’s a cure—God is recognized when my loved one is healed. “God did all those miracles in the Bible; if he heals my loved one, then I will believe!”
- For charismatic or Pentecostal churches, it’s ongoing signs and wonders—God is recognized when emotional excitement is high.
- For many, it’s a safe, comfortable life—God is recognized when I’m protected from adversity and suffering.
We easily fall into “more-ism.” We have been sold a fallacious worldview (by our culture, by false teaching) that imagines WE will know the signs by which the Redeemer will be recognized.
But this is folly. We human creatures do not have the criteria which the revelation of God (the Creator) must conform to be recognized.
If we learn nothing else from the Bible, again and again, story after story, we learn this: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
But here’s the interesting thing. Jesus already HAS done more! He responds to their request for more this way:
Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.
For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)
The bread of God (Jesus himself) IS GIVING MORE than their current worldview allows them to understand or imagine, in two ways:
1) The bread Moses gave was only for a limited period (40 years). Jesus brings the bread of God that is ongoing, continuous, never-ceasing (the force of the Greek verb “comes down” is continuing, non-stop action).
2) The bread Moses gave was limited to one nation (Israel). Jesus brings the bread of God not to a single nation but to the whole world (literally, the “cosmos”).
In Jesus, God’s grace overflows.
The physical bread Jesus provided the 5,000 overflowed into 12 baskets of leftovers. Now, the true bread from heaven (Jesus himself) is constantly at work, overflowing continually, giving life to the entire cosmos.
It is to this Jesus that we come when we ask, seek and knock.
