The Error of Easy Believe-ism

John 6

Did you know that the feeding of the five thousand is the only miracle that occurs in all four Gospels? Jesus feeds five thousand men with only five barley loaves and two fish, which at that time was a poor man’s meal. (Wheat bread was the food of the wealthy.)

As the scene unfolds, Philip estimates that it would take two hundred work days’ wages to feed the multitude. Verse 10 indicates that John only tallies the men in his headcount. Thus, some scholars estimate that as many as fifteen to twenty thousand people actually ate of the five loaves and two dried or pickled fish once women and children are added to the mix. Bear in mind that the prophet Elijah miraculously fed one hundred men with twenty barley loaves in 2 Kings 4:42–44. A greater one than Elijah was now ministering to Israel and with a much weightier message!

Once everyone ate their fill, the disciples picked up twelve “large baskets” of leftovers, perhaps to share with the poor. Later, the disciples set out in their boat to Capernaum, but the Lord remained behind. He caught up to them, however, in the wee hours of the morning—walking on the water. Matthew and Mark note it was the fourth watch of the night, meaning sometime between 3-6am. (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48)

So, add the disciples’ exhaustion with an astonishing site like this, and it’s not hard to see why they were terrified. Matthew and Mark also note that the disciples began to cry out, “It is a ghost.” (Mt. 14:26-27; Mk. 6:49) But Jesus did not hesitate for a moment to identify Himself, saying, “It is I. Do not be afraid.” (John 6:20) Undoubtedly, the Lord had many fun moments with the disciples during His ministry, but not one ever came at the expense of their fear or humiliation—a worthy note.

The next day at Capernaum, some of Jesus’ previous audience, who had traveled by boat to find Him, caught up and asked Him when He had arrived. Side-stepping the question, the Lord cut straight to the heart of the matter: He told the crowd they had followed Him for the free food, rather than grasping God’s true purpose in the miraculous signs: The Bread of Life was standing right in front of them, and they were missing it!

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal,” He said. (v. 27) Still missing it, the crowd then asked the Lord how to duplicate His miracles to which He replied that the work of God wasn’t doing miracles but believing.

This is significant. Throughout John 6 Jesus states that God calls people to Himself; no one will come to Him without the ministry of His Spirit beckoning them. It is God alone who draws people to Jesus, and only those who are drawn will come. We must never forget that our hearts and the rest of the world’s are so affected by the Fall that no one can come to Jesus without God’s invitation. (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:11) Further still and most importantly, all of those who are drawn to Jesus will come to Him and believe. (Jn. 6:44-45)

Application

It was on this fateful day at Capernaum that Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” (v. 53) In this statement, Jesus asserted that not only was He the bread of the Passover meal that Jews had feasted on for a thousand years, but the sacrificial lamb offered for their sin as well. “This teaching is hard. Who can accept it?” these disciples replied. (v. 60) Strikingly, at chapter 6, verse 66 John says, “After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.”

Note that it wasn’t the mental difficulty to understand Jesus’ teachings that now barred the way for these disciples. There were clear moral implications of coming to faith. Eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood was a metaphor implying that His teachings were supposed to become a part of their lives—just as a man’s food and drink become part of him.

Believing in Jesus is more than simply accepting a few facts and passively nodding at His teachings. There is an element of heart and behavioral change involved in following Him. (Mt. 3:8; Titus 2:11-12) Yes, we are saved only by grace through faith, but God requires that we work out our faith (not work for our faith). (Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 2:13). True faith is borne out, proven through genuine life transformation which follows confessing belief in Jesus. An old saying attributed to the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther states, “It is faith alone that saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

When Jesus asked Peter if he would walk away, too, Peter responded that he couldn’t walk away. “You have the words of life,” he said. (v. 68)

Jesus rejects “easy believe-ism”.

Have you bought into the lie that you can just pray a prayer and come to Jesus without turning away life on your own terms and trying to justify yourself before God? Or has God truly drawn you to Jesus, so that you would believe and follow Him—no matter where that narrow road leads?

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman