“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that
endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." – John 6:27
There’s an
activity that most people will participate in at least 20 times this week.
Chances are, you did it this morning, and you’ll probably do it a few more
times today. You can perform this activity alone, but if you’re like most
people, you prefer to share it with others. This activity is a part of every
party, most dates and even major holidays. Of course, I’m talking about …
eating. Food is an important part of our lives, isn’t it?
So, chew on
this for a moment: No matter how poor you think you are, you enjoy a luxury
that several billion people on earth don’t have. You don’t have to worry about
where your next meal is coming from. But in First Century Israel, many people
did. So, in the early verses of John chapter 6, when Jesus performed a miracle
and fed 5,000 men an all-you-can-eat fish and biscuit dinner, it was a HUGE deal.
That may have been the first time in a long time that some of those people went
to bed with full bellies. That’s why, in the middle of the chapter, it’s not
surprising that many people in the crowd who were fed by Jesus yesterday, want
him to feed them again today.
When the
crowd tracked Jesus down in Capernaum,
He called them on it: “You are
looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because
you ate the loaves and had your fill” (v. 26). As William Barclay puts
it, “It is as if Jesus said: ‘You cannot think about your souls for thinking of
your stomachs.’” Sadly, what was true
of so many people in Jesus’ day is equally true of many people in our
day. Jesus told them, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food
that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (v. 27). He’s
telling the crowd to stop chasing after STOMACH food that is only edible for a
short time. Instead, Jesus tells them to chase after SOUL food—food that never
spoils, and which nourishes for all eternity.
Verse 27
actually sounds like a paradox. Jesus is telling them to WORK for “food that
endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will GIVE you.” When we work for
something, it’s not a gift. Right? But the people are fixated on the “work” and
are overlooking the “gift” as they ask Jesus: “What must we do to do the works
God requires?” (v. 28). The crowd wanted to know what every one us has wanted
to know at some point: “What do I need to DO to get on God’s good side? What do
I need to DO to make it to heaven some day?” When we ask these questions, we’re
asking for some sort of to-do list. “Read your Bible and pray every day. Go to
church every Sunday. Help 100 old ladies across the street.” That type of list
makes sense to us.
But in
verse 29, Jesus responds with some of the simplest yet most profound theology
in the entire book of John: “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He
has sent.”
Here are
three Life Lessons we can take away from these passages:
Life Lesson #1: Your old nature
craves PHYSICAL food to the exclusion of SPIRITUAL food. So, keep your priorities straight.
Feed your spirit before you feed your face. Jesus urged the crowd in Capernaum to stop working
for food that perishes, but instead to work for food that endures. In John 6,
the people who came to Jesus were physically hungry. But this second time,
Jesus refused to give in to their physical cravings. Instead, He fed their
spirit. That’s a good model to follow. Before you feed your face, make sure you
feed your spirit. The health of your eternal spirit is infinitely more
important than the health of your temporary body.
Life Lesson #2: Grace and truth both
come through Jesus Christ, and you need them both. Why did Jesus feed the 5,000 on the
other side of the Sea of Galilee? Well, He did
it because He had compassion on the crowds. He also did it to teach his 12
disciples some important lessons. But He also did it to show the crowd God’s
grace so that they would be more open to receiving God’s truth. His grace
included physical bread. But the truth was: What they most needed was the
eternal Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. Over the years, you’ve accepted many
gracious gifts from Jesus—your health, your family, your job. However, have you rejected
the truth of Jesus … that
unless you place your faith in Jesus Christ, none of your good works will
matter on Judgment Day? You can’t go to church enough times, or give
away enough money, or walk enough old ladies across the street to escape God’s
judgment.
Life Lesson #3: If you want to be
right with God and make it to heaven one day, there’s only one good work that
God finds acceptable: Believe in Jesus and keep believing in Jesus. In Hebrews 11:6, we read that
“without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him
must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”
Pleasing God begins with believing in Jesus as your Savior and Lord. And once
you are saved, you can only continue pleasing God by continuing to believe in
Jesus.
Far too
many Christians believe in Jesus for salvation and then spend the rest of their
lives believing in themselves. That’s stupid! If you trust that Jesus can
snatch your rotten soul out of Satan’s grubby hand, why on earth don’t you
trust that Jesus can help you with every other problem you’ve got? Walk by
faith. Talk by faith. Pray, read your Bible and make your decisions by faith.
Your belief in Jesus Christ should permeate EVERYTHING in your life.
Dane
Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for worship on Sunday
at 8:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley, or livestream us on Facebook or YouTube. For
more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.