Will You Go Away Too?

By Jerry D. Ousley

            What a day it had been.  After climbing a mountain and sitting with His disciples, apparently people had heard that Jesus was there, and He looked up and saw a great multitude coming toward them. The other Gospels record that Jesus and His disciples had gone away for some alone time and rest.  But when the multitudes found out, they followed them.  They also record that Jesus had spent the better part of the day teaching, and healing them.

            As the sun sank lower and lower in the western horizon, it became apparent that to send these people home without food was out of the question.  Because of the journey back down the mountain, it may have caused some to be weak because of hunger.  Testing to see what he would say, Jesus asked Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” (John 6:5).  I can nearly see Philip grow a bit pale as he said, “Two hundred denarii (about $400.00 in today’s US dollar) worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” (John 6:7).  That was when Andrew spoke up saying, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?” (John 6:8).

            We know the story and it is found in all four Gospels, how that Jesus divided the bread and the fish and wound up feeding five thousand men along with their wives and children (which probably amounted to more like 15,000 to 20,000 people).  They all ate their fill and afterwards twelve baskets full of leftovers were gathered up.

            What a great story.  It is a story of faith.  But mankind always messes things up, don’t they?  Several things happened after that, including Jesus’ walking on the sea in the midst of a terrible storm.  But what happened the next morning is what fascinates me the most.  You see, the next morning, when many of the multitude realized that Jesus and His disciples had gone across Galilee during the night, took boats and followed Him across.  Now, if they had done it because they loved Jesus and wanted to be His disciples too, that would have been one thing.  But from the conversation that followed, Jesus brought out their real reason.  They were no more than free-loaders.  They followed because of the miraculous food.  “Hey, this guy could provide everything I need and I would never have to work again!”  Jesus knew their hearts and plainly told them all about themselves.  He began to talk to them about the “Bread of Heaven” and how that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood.  He meant this symbolically of course, but they immediately took offense, not just at these words but because He called them out revealing their true hearts.

            When Jesus spoke those words were are told in John 6:60-66 that many of those who had been following Him turned and left, leaving Him standing with only the twelve.  Looking at the twelve He asked them, “Do you also want to go away?” (verse 67) to which Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (68-69).

            I believe something similar is happening today.  Oh, I know; I mostly stand alone.  You see, there are many in “Christiandom” (my own made-up word), who are predicting great revivals taking place.  We are seeing many mega-churches growing in large numbers with leaps and bounds.  Some are growing because of what they have to offer (the loaves and fishes), others are truly offering the gospel and people are being saved, but even in those how many are truly born again and how many are once again there for what they can get?

            But by and large, congregations all across this nation are dwindling in size at alarming rates.  There is more and more agnosticism (believing that if there is a God He doesn’t care what happens to mankind) and atheism than ever before.  In our public schools our kids are being taught by and large, that the Bible is a book of fables written by men to control the lives of others and that God is not real.  Before you jump my case, I have talked to many students who have echoed this philosophy.

            At the risk of standing alone, instead of great revivals getting ready to take place, we are in the days Paul wrote about when he said, “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and he man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition …” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The falling away is taking place.  It is only a matter of time before this man of sin will show up.

            Many are going away. In my spiritual mind I can hear our Savior once again asking, “Will you go away too?”  Well, will you?  Will you hop on the band wagon of the popular opinion and the hype being offered today by many as the gospel?  Will you fall for the lie and, maybe even without realizing it, follow the crowd that wants the loaves and fishes?  Or will you stand up for the true gospel, you know, that one that cost the lives of countless believers in days gone by - The one that people seem to be leaving in droves; that one which calls us to stand even when it is unpopular?  What will it be …?

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.?  Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.