The people who followed Jesus and saw the miracles He performed, wanted to make him king of Israel! (John 6:15) Once He detects this desire from the people, Jesus withdraws to a mountain by himself. He is saying “no” to being the king of Israel.

But why? Isn’t that why He came to earth? To be the king and rule over our hearts and minds? Yes, but what the people had in mind was too small. They wanted Him to be the king of Israel, to provide them earthly goods and free them from Roman control. But what Jesus wanted was to be the King of the world in love and gratitude for all eternity. Being even the king of a nation was too small for Jesus. He rejected it for something far greater.

We are to deny ourselves, take up the cross and follow Jesus (Matthew 16:24). But we do not deny ourselves for the sake of discipline. We deny ourselves of the temporary good to attain the permanent and greater good.

The Apostle Paul himself said, “For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ…” Phil 3:9

So, what would you be willing to deny? What HAVE you denied? If you are living for everything you can get in this world, you probably do not belong to Christ…

PH