“Buy me a candy bar and I’ll be your friend,” said five-year-old Lucy to Charlie as they wandered among the other kids in the convenience store. Before Charlie, a four-year-old in need of a friend, could reach into his pocket Tommy flashed forth a shiny new quarter AND a nickel. The candy bar Lucy wanted cost 25 cents and Tommy bought it for her in a snap. As the two left skipping hand-in-hand Charlie pulled the only coins he had out of his pocket and stared in disbelief. An old dime and two tarnished pennies lay in his open hand snickering, “You’ll never have any friends.”

Some people base their friendships on who can provide them with the most “stuff.” We call them “fair weather friends.” Actually, are they worthy of being called “friends” at all?

Jesus had a multitude of “fair weather friends.” Read through the account of the “feeding of the 5,000" in John chapter six to see how fickle folks can be. At one point in Jesus’ Great Galilean ministry the crowd attempted to make him their king by force after being miraculously fed from five barley loaves and two small fish (John 6:15). Jesus withdrew from the mob that night to a mountain to pray and then to the other side of the sea of Galilee. The next day they tracked him down.

When they found him, Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval” (6:26-27).

The more Jesus spoke to the crowd about spiritual matters the more confused and frustrated they became. Finally, Jesus explained that he was the “bread of life”–the manna from heaven (6:32-40). If they were to live eternally then they must “eat his flesh” and “drink his blood” (6:32-59). “On hearing it, many of his disciples said, ‘This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?’” (6:60). What follows is one of the saddest verses in the Bible. “From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him” (6:66).

Fair weather friends are easy to find when you have something that they want. However, when you try to bless them with “manna from above” they often make themselves scarce. We need to ask ourselves, “What kind of friend am I to Jesus? What is it that I want from him? Candy bars to fill my gut or manna to fill my soul?”

“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God” (6:67-69).