Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

The memory of that precious, glorious day should have filled them with faith and hope. Had they, out of the abundance of their hearts, been conversing together in regard to these things, they would not have entered into temptation. But their disap pointment had absorbed their thoughts. The words of Christ, ‘Gather up the fragments, ... that nothing be lost,’ were unheed ed. Those were hours of large blessing to the disciples, but they had forgotten it all. They were in the midst of troubled waters. Their thoughts were stormy and unreasonable, and the Lord gave them something else to afflict their souls and occupy their minds. God often does this when men create burdens and troub les for themselves. The disciples had no need to make trouble. Already danger was fast approaching.” The Desire of Ages , 380.2. As for the multitude, they went home equally unhappy. The next day they followed Jesus to Capernaum where they debated with Him in order to determine once and for all whether He would ever come under their command. It was a direct confron tation between the mystery of God and the mystery of iniquity. The Scriptural record of it is found in John 6:22–65. As the peo ple talked with Christ, He renewed His efforts to open their minds to a realization of the true spiritual nature of His king dom, the essential qualification for which was the possession of a God-like character rather than material, military, or physical power. But the Jews had made their own plans for Christ and were determined to assert their authority over Him. They stubbornly refused to change their ways to God’s, and it was settled in their minds that if Christ would not use His wonderful power accord ing to their specifications, then they would have nothing more to do with Him. So the issue between Christ and the Jews was simply a ques tion of whether the head of the church was divine or human. Was Christ to accept directions from His omniscient Father, or from the Jews whose history showed they could do nothing right? Who was to be the Plan Maker, Problem Solver, and Bur Blind Determination