“THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD”
How fascinating – in the sense of being utterly meaningful to the spiritual mind is the teaching of Jesus that John records in today’s 6th chapter of his gospel. Jesus made a tremendous impact in feeding the multitude in the wilderness and this caused more and more to seek him. We can imagine the way stories would spread. They finally found him on the other side of the lake; we can envisage how quickly a crowd gathered and what they were hoping to experience.
Jesus says to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves... " [v.26] He then makes a vital point, "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life ..." Is it clear to us what he means? Of this food he says, "which the Son of Man will give to you." What "food" is this?
They are not really listening, as we would say today, their minds are on the wrong wavelength: they ask, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"[v.28] They want to be able to do such miracles, and multiplying food themselves was probably on top of their agenda! We see a modern equivalent with claims of healings, etc.; we have attended such - and found them most unconvincing, as do all those who have really soaked their minds in God's word.
The next thing Jesus says is very significant. He talks about "the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." But his words are not what they want to hear: do we only listen to or read what we want to know about? Jesus then tells them, ""This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." [v.28] Ponder those words. We must ask ourselves a simple, yet vital question. What is it to believe in something, someone?
How fascinating – in the sense of being utterly meaningful to the spiritual mind is the teaching of Jesus that John records in today’s 6th chapter of his gospel. Jesus made a tremendous impact in feeding the multitude in the wilderness and this caused more and more to seek him. We can imagine the way stories would spread. They finally found him on the other side of the lake; we can envisage how quickly a crowd gathered and what they were hoping to experience.
Jesus says to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves... " [v.26] He then makes a vital point, "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life ..." Is it clear to us what he means? Of this food he says, "which the Son of Man will give to you." What "food" is this?
They are not really listening, as we would say today, their minds are on the wrong wavelength: they ask, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"[v.28] They want to be able to do such miracles, and multiplying food themselves was probably on top of their agenda! We see a modern equivalent with claims of healings, etc.; we have attended such - and found them most unconvincing, as do all those who have really soaked their minds in God's word.
The next thing Jesus says is very significant. He talks about "the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you." But his words are not what they want to hear: do we only listen to or read what we want to know about? Jesus then tells them, ""This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." [v.28] Ponder those words. We must ask ourselves a simple, yet vital question. What is it to believe in something, someone?
Jesus obviously. means total belief - no reservations.
We show whether we really believe something by what we then do - what
our minds then focus upon. We are convinced that God then responds to
such a committed focus of mind and a wondrous pathway of life opens up
before such - those who really believe. We use the word "focus"
- when we were young cameras did not have an 'automatic' focus - you
had to very carefully adjust the lens to get a perfect picture. It is
the same with the 'focus' of our minds what they properly "look" at!
Finally but most challenging of all, we read and meditated deeply on v.40 "For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Let us all do "the work of God" with all our hearts.
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