An Offer Jesus Can’t Refuse

A crowd of people were searching for Jesus. In fact, these people were so intent on finding Jesus that they kept following him back and forth across the Sea of Galilee.

But there was a major hitch. They weren’t looking for the real Jesus. Yes, they kept wandering to and fro across the lake, searching for a guy named Jesus. But sadly, their search was not at all a result of curiosity about who Jesus really was and what he had truly come to do.

Instead, they wanted to see miracles, and they were seeking him out for their own selfish motives. In John 6:26, Jesus is pretty clear with them about this: “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.'”

In other words, “Too many of you are looking for me so that you can have a glorified waiter, a genie to serve you and make your wishes come true. You are looking for a ‘the life of bread’ rather than ‘the bread of life.'”

“That’s not the reason to seek me out,” Jesus effectively tells the crowd.

But Jesus did not stop there. He went on to say that the person who is looking for him so they may learn who he truly is, and learning this, to worship him as the Son of God, to know him as their Savior from sin — that person will never be turned away. A relationship of brother to brother (or brother to sister) and friend to friend — that’s the relationship Jesus seeks.

Because, as Jesus says, the person seeking that relationship — the person seeking the bread of life — is a gift from the Father to him. And he will be received as such, and will not be driven away. Just the opposite, in fact. He will be treasured to the point that Jesus says, “I won’t lose even one of these gifts given me by my Father.”

What an amazing commitment! And this is a commitment made to you! Come to Jesus seeking your Lord and your God. Come to him seeking the Son of God, your Savior. Come to him seeking a brother and a friend. Come to him seeking forgiveness and eternal life. Do that and you will never be driven away, but always accepted as a gift from the Father.

And his promise is that he will never lose you. Instead, you will have eternal life, and be raised up at the last day!

This, in other words, is the offer Jesus can’t refuse. He can’t, and he won’t, refuse his Father’s gift to him — which is you.

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day'” (John 6:35-40, NIV).

Our Bible reading for Sunday, May 10, is Judges 10:1 – 11:40, John 6:25-29 and Psalm 59:1-8.

Jesus, thank you for making such a firm commitment to the Father, never to lose even one of the gifts he brings you. Help me by your Spirit’s power to come to you not as a glorified waiter, but as true God, and as the Son of God, my Savior from sin. Help me to approach you for brotherhood and friendship, not for selfish gain. Forgive me for the times when I have approached you for selfish ends, and forgive all my sins. Thank you for calling me — a sinner — a “gift” from your Father!

Header image based on "Gift Box" by FutUndBeidl, CC By 2.0