Two words. Two words that I missed at first. Two words that some ramblings from 2006 caused me to go back and focus on. Two words that grabbed my attention this morning and gave reason to pause and think.

I was reading in John chapter 6. The context? . . . Jesus has been teaching and doing miracles . . . getting people’s attention and interest. In the first part of the chapter Jesus feeds the five thousand and then retreats away from the crowds. That evening His disciples get into a boat and head toward across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum. Jesus catches up with them later . . . by walking on the water! He gets in the boat and they arrive at their destination. And then, check out what happens the next day, back at the shores of where so many had participated in Jesus fish and bread feast . . .

On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away alone. . . . So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.   (John 6:22, 24 ESV)

There they are . . . the two words . . . at the end of verse 24 . . . “seeking Jesus.”

Some were getting it and some weren’t but they were seeking Jesus. Some wanted more of Jesus because they wanted more food to eat, others were in pursuit because they were “tasting” something more, something eternal, something that was intrinsically wrapped up in the Giver of the bread. Some craved an encore performance . . . . others desired the Chef Himself. Some were seeking Jesus for the right reasons, some, not so much. But the “challenge phrase” for me this morning is that they were “seeking Jesus”. They got off their duffs . . . got into the boat . . . they couldn’t call ahead on their cell to know if He was really in Capernaum . . . and they made the effort to seek Jesus.

God desires seekers . . . and promises them discoveries beyond just a bit of food for the belly. The Son says, “Seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). The Father, through Jeremiah the prophet declares, “You will seek Me and find Me. When you seek Me with all your heart.” (Jer. 29:13)

How many got up that morning and, with mild interest and curiosity, hung with the crowd saying, “Hmmm, wonder where He went,” only to lose interest and head home or look for the next free meal. How many stood beside the boats as their friends got in, encouraging them to come too, only to say, “You got to be kidding? Do you know how much of the day that will waste — and we don’t even know for sure, if He’s in Capernaum.” But whether for good motives or bad, for noble reasons or not so noble reasons, the Scriptures record that there were a number who “got into boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

Am I “seeking Jesus” or do I think I’ve already found Him so what more needs to be done? Am I “in search of Jesus” (NIV) or do I think I’ve got enough? Have I tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Ps. 34:8) and developed an unquenchable thirst for His living water and an insatiable appetite for the Bread of Life? Am I saying “More!!! More!!!” or “Enough already!?”

Oh, that my awe of who He is would not wane . . . that my appreciation for what He has done would not fade over time . . . that my love for Him, because He first loved me, would not wax cold. Instead, that my desire for Him would increase . . . that I would continue to “get in the boat” . . . and seek Jesus.

By His grace . . . for His glory . . .