The people in Jesus’ day, our day, and every day think we know what we need. Jesus meets some of those desires, but not all. Why? Because the we Jesus we want is usually not the Jesus we need.
In John’s Gospel, we see what the people really wanted was Employee Jesus. They wanted Jesus to allow them to be the boss and tell Him what to do. In particular, they wanted two things from Jesus.
One, they wanted Jesus to care more about their physical than spiritual needs. After feeding the crowds with the little boy’s lunch, the people wanted Him to set up a Costco without a cash register and keep it continually stocked. Have you ever been frustrated because Jesus did not meet the need you thought you had?
Two, they wanted Jesus to make their problems go away by doing miracles. In John 7:31 the crowds says, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”” Sure, Jesus had performed miracles, but they still wanted to get their personal miracle that they sent in their special request for. Have you ever been disappointed that Jesus did not come through with your miracle and make your life easier?
We also see that people needed the real Jesus. The real Jesus was a bit different than the Jesus they wanted. The real Jesus had two primary ministries.
One, the real Jesus is a Preacher. We read in John 7 that Jesus just kept on preaching “speaking openly” and that “Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple”.
Two, the real Jesus is a Savior. In fact, “many of the people believed in him”
It just goes to show that the Jesus you want may not be the Jesus you need. Jesus loves you, knows what is best, and does what is right. When you are frustrated with Him it is a sign that you need to bring your frustrations to Him so that you can grow your relationships with Him.
What are you frustrated with Jesus right now?