Cupboard Love - 31st March 2008

Welcome back after Easter! This week I shall be reflecting on some verses from John 6:25-40. You may like to grab your bible and read them through now, or maybe print them off to keep by the computer this week.

“When they found him on the other side of the lake they asked him ‘Teacher, when did you get here?’ Jesus answered ‘I tell you the truth; you are looking for me, not because you saw some miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill”. John 6:20

Have you ever witnessed “Cupboard Love”? If you have children I am sure you will know full well what I am talking about. You can be sitting there quite happily minding your own business, or engrossed in an activity, when suddenly a child will appear and shower you with their love – totally out of the blue and most unexpected. It is wonderful to be surprised by their love, until you realise that the reason for their display of love is merely because they want a biscuit or treat from the cupboard!! How quickly they seem to learn that trick.

Today’s reading reminded me a bit of that. We are all a bit of a confused muddle of needs and motives. Just as the child uses love falsely to get what they want, we may also do the same at times in order to get what we desire of others or of God. This often shows in our testimonies of how we came to know Jesus. There is nothing wrong with that because God wants to meet all of our legitimate needs. Jesus didn’t criticise the people for being hungry or accepting food for their bodies. When you are really hungry it is hard to think about anything else.

However, once your hunger has been satisfied there are other things in life that need attention. Jesus’ challenge to the crowd was for them to look more deeply, looking beyond the needs of their bodies to the deeper needs of their souls.

It is easy for us to love God for what he gives rather than for who he is. The danger with this is that we never manage to move beyond seeing him as a resource and therefore never fully enjoy him in the relationship that will truly satisfy our needs.

So – what do you want today, and how are you going to set about getting it. Will it be cupboard love?