April 13, 2023
Seeing What’s In Front of You and Missing the View
“So, they said to Him, What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written; He gave them bread out of Heaven to eat.” John 6:30-31 (NASB)
While driving in Europe, I learned quickly how narrow the roads were. Let’s face it, these roads were often used for wagons. As we drove a tiny rental car (to offset the price of fuel), we often missed head-on collisions by a few feet. Most country roads were one lane. These one-lane roads have dedicated small bicycle lanes, on each side. Cars often use these for driving areas when bikes were not present. The width of roads are often less than 11-12 feet wide. So, I had to concentrate on driving, instead of taking in views, which were beautiful. I am sure I missed some spectacular views. Often, I think mankind becomes laser focused as well, like driving on these roads. We concentrate on the immediate and not what is around us.
“What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You?” Listen to the words used by the people, “so that we may see.” It reveals the condition of the hearts of the people. The two words, “to see,” are one word in koine (every man’s) Greek, as eidon. The word often has problems in the koine since it has so many elements. For us today, the best translation is better read as; “that we may come to see and come to have faith in thee.”[1] When we observe the actions of the crowd, we see them wanting to “see,” ‘with their eyes, or to witness.’ This would authenticate Jesus’ ministry, like Moses’. To give some further insight and clarity, John adds in verse 31, a quote from Exodus 16:15, “When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.” Note the words when they “saw it.” This is the same phrase. In Exodus, the people revealed the same type of behavior. They didn’t know what they were eating. The word, “manna” is translated “What is it?” The Jews saw the manna with their eyes and still didn’t know what it was. This type of physically seeing things were common to the ordinary Jew. Borchert says, “But how was a work-oriented Jew, who had always sought acceptability with God through work, going to react to such a call from Jesus to believe in him? The obvious way was to question the one who gave such advice and ask for proof of his claim. That reaction is exactly what happened when the people asked for a sign.”[2] Today, we see something important. People missed what Jesus said which was vital. Only God can give the “bread which the Lord has given you to eat” (Exodus 16:15). Jesus will soon discuss this.
Today, so many are looking for something tangible. It is not inherently bad. We rate success as something we can see through our eyes. The issue though is when God does something in the not-too distant past, how soon is it forgotten? Today it is time for each of us to slow down. Take time and thank God for the things He can get credit for each day. It is hard, but it takes dedicated time. Today will you take the time to reflect the good only God can get credit? If you do, you will find yourself becoming more thankful, a more peaceful person. You won’t have to keep on looking for God to do something in your life. You will have already experienced Him!
[1] A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Jn 6:30.
[2] Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, vol. 25A, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996), 263.