Pentecost 11 John 6:24-35 Stop Working! Start Believing.
Are you searching for Jesus? The people in today’s Gospel lesson were. The day before, Jesus taught the people and had fed the crowds with two fish and five small loaves of bread. Before they could make Him their leader, however, our Lord sent His disciples back to Capernaum while He had gone off into the mountains and away from the crowds. Later that night, He rejoined His disciples by walking on the water.
When some of the people who had been fed by Jesus realized He was gone, they went searching for Him. When they found Him, they politely asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Rabbi means teacher, but most of the crowd did not really want to learn from Jesus. Their question was, “how did you get to Capernaum so quickly?” They had seen the disciples leave without Jesus and He could not have walked around on the shore of the Sea of Galilee so quickly. What they really wanted to know was how did He perform this miracle of getting to Capernaum so quickly. They were searching for miracles and not for knowledge.
Those who found Jesus did not come to Capernaum to find Jesus the Savior. Rather they had come looking for the person they wanted Jesus to be. Jesus said to them, “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.” They had not really understood the significance of the miracle that had taken place. Even though they saw it with their own eyes, felt and tasted the food with their hands and mouth, they did not comprehend its importance through the eyes of faith. While they saw Jesus as a great teacher and Prophet, they did not see Jesus as their heavenly Messiah.
The same thing happens today. Many people are searching for direction in their lives. They come to church looking for miracles in their Earthly lives. They want to know how to be financially independent, to live a life full of earthly blessings, to have a happy marriage and family.
Now there is nothing wrong with wanting all of those things and it is truly a miracle if you have a life that is full of happiness and contentment. But if happiness and contentment is your only goal for attending a worship service then you are missing the major point of Christ’s life here on earth just as the people in our lesson did.
Jesus had healed the sick, and performed other miracles such as turning a few fish and loaves of bread into a great banquet. Jesus called these great miracles ‘signs’--signs that were meant to point to Him as the very Son of God. Moses and the prophets all pointed to a coming Messiah who would do such signs. Those having faith in Christ would have seen these miracles as proof that Jesus was who He claimed to be, the Savior of the world. However the people missed those signs. Remember in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus said, “If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” (Luke 16:31)
True faith then and today does not focus on miracles, but rather on the One performing them and on His teachings. But most of those in the crowd that day lacked that faith. So no matter how great a miracle Jesus would have done, they would only have found them exciting rather than fulfilling. Therefore, instead of being drawn closer to their Savior by His miracles, they were simply captivated and entertained.
And since they had plenty to eat the day before, they wanted more free food. Just as many today concentrate on their daily needs, and nothing more, their focus was on their physical needs and not on their spiritual requirements. Many people go though life eating the earthly quail, but ignoring the heavenly manna. But Jesus, having exposed them for what they truly were now redirects their attention to what is most necessary not for their earthly stomachs but for their eternal souls.
He 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. On Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”
Jesus calls all human effort to support oneself in this life, ‘food’ and He tells us that all human efforts done apart from God’s saving purpose will spoil one day. Jesus later told His disciples, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36)
There is however, food that does not spoil which Jesus is willing to give. Apparently there were some in the crowd that day that were interested in this food. So they asked Him, what must we do to do the works of God?” Oh, they were so close, but their sinful minds took them in the wrong direction. They forgot about the food, which Jesus would give them and asked what they could get through their own works.
Moses had given them the 10 Commandments and other Laws, which they did not and could not keep. Perhaps Jesus would give them new laws that were easier to keep, like “Do not eat meat on Fridays,” or say the same prayer three times a day--You know things that they could do that would give them a better chance of working their way to heaven by making up for the Commandments that they had broken. Surely Jesus must have been frustrated with them at this point because they still did not understand.
Still, Jesus speaks to them calmly and tells them, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.” Since they are determined to talk about work, Jesus tells them about the one work that will truly give them eternal life. From our point of view, it really is not work at all, but because they want to hear about something God requires, our Savior tells them what is truly God pleasing--and that is faith in the work of Jesus Christ.
There is one work that gives eternal life. But that work is not something any sinful human being can accomplish. Since we are all sinful, we cannot accomplish this work. Our salvation is entirely dependant upon the work of God. It is God who creates faith and creating faith in the hearts of people is pleasing to Him. God will not force anyone to believe in Him, but He took some drastic measures to save those who would believe from eternal damnation.
Through Christ’s suffering and death upon the cross, the sins of all mankind have been paid for in full. Jesus has earned the forgiveness of sin for all those who do not reject His life giving work. Where there is forgiveness of sin, there is true life and eternal salvation. That life is offered freely through the work already accomplished by Jesus Christ. The point that Jesus Christ was making to the crowd that day and every day until He returns is that they needed to ‘Stop working and start believing!’ It really is that simple. Salvation comes by God’s grace through faith in the work of Jesus Christ and by His work alone.”
But even after Jesus told them so, the crowd did not understand. Jesus has set before them a task them seems ridiculously easy. Why even a little child can do something that simple. But to those adults, it seemed to be too little for God to ask of them. How ironic it is that they feel it is too hard to obey the Commandments and yet when He gives them a way to enter into His Kingdom, they reject it as being too easy!
Therefore since they really do not have faith in Jesus, they ask Him to do some more signs. Before they place their faith in Him, they want proof. Saint Paul defines faith as, “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” But these people wanted absolute proof. Even though Jesus has done miracles, they did not think they were good enough. They point to the miracles Moses had done as being greater.
But Moses did not miraculously feed the Israelites for forty years, God the Father did as Jesus pointed out to them. Moses did not take credit for it. Jesus however had done something greater than Moses, for He had performed miracles through His own power. Furthermore Manna did not impart heavenly life, it only kept them alive here on Earth. Jesus was offering them spiritual food that could feed and nourish their eternal souls.
His words offer all who hear them the true bread of God, which comes down from heaven. Jesus definitely has something far greater than any manna they could receive. His words moved some in the crowd to ask for that bread which came down from heaven. They want this bread that they now believe Jesus can give them.
So now Jesus revealed to them the ultimate truth. He declares, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is the bread. That which gives eternal life is none other than Jesus Himself. You eat this bread by hearing the Word of God and believing in Jesus as your Lord and Savior.
Through the working of the Holy Spirit, when you hear the word of God you are given faith. You feed on the heavenly bread that gives you faith to know and believe in the One the Father sent. Eternal life is yours. You do not need to suffer from the thirst and hunger of not knowing whether your sins are forgiven or not. They have been forgiven by the grace of God through the works of Jesus Christ. Salvation is that simple and yes even a child can have a saving faith.
But because we sin daily, we need to hear His words of Grace often. So our Lord graciously provides His means of Grace, not only through Scripture but also through absolution and confession, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Even in worship, however, we are not doing work. Worship is God’s work and God’s work alone gives you eternal life. Yes, we still need to work for our earthly bread but when it comes to our Heavenly bread, I say along with Jesus, “Stop working! Start Believing.” In Jesus Name, Amen.