14 When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”

15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by Himself.

— John 6:14-15

She said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ [Messiah], the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”

— John 11:27

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”

— John 18:36

After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone

— Matthew 14:23

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace and mercy from Christ to you.

After the supernatural feeding by Jesus, the recently satisfied crowd intended to forcefully make Him king. Could Jesus the Messiah who would reign from Jerusalem—be the One through whom Israel would lead the nations of the world? In a sense, the crowd was right about Jesus’ identity. God’s own Son certainly came to earth as the prophet Moses predicted. Jesus is rightfully King of heaven and earth. He is the Messiah who came to save the world. Jesus was, is and always will be sovereign over all creation.

However, a failure to comprehend their greater spiritual needs motivated the crowd’s response. They wanted a king who should serve them and provide for their temporal, physical needs. The Lord recognized the crowd’s fickle enthusiasm and quietly put an end to their plans. Jesus remained fully committed to His Father’s purpose and His divine mission on earth. Jesus would later tell Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Until He died and rose again Jesus’ only crown on earth would be woven from thorns. Jesus’ time to reign had not yet come. As night closed in, Jesus sent the crowd away. He sought time alone with His Father. Our Lord received the daily bread of His spiritual nourishment through intimate fellowship with His Father.