Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however, other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given thanks --- when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."- John 6:16-27
Yesterday the lectionary took us to chapter 6 of John's Gospel, with its focus on the fulfillment of the events of the Exodus and the first Passover. We read that Jesus went over the
Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude
followed Him, because they saw His signs which He performed on those who
were diseased. And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat
with His disciples. Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near.
Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming
toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may
eat?" But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would
do. Philip answered Him, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." One of
His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to Him, "There is a
lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are
they among so many?" Then
Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in
the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And
Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them
to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise
of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said
to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing
is lost." Therefore they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets
with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by
those who had eaten. Then
those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is
truly the Prophet who is to come into the world." Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.
Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, got into the
boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark,
and Jesus had not come to them. Then the sea arose because a great
wind was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four miles,
they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they
were afraid. But He said to them, "It is I; do not be afraid." Then
they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was
at the land where they were going. This is the fifth of seven signs recorded in John's Gospel. As noted in yesterday's reading and commentary, this entire chapter of John's Gospel is one that has parallels to the story of Exodus, suggesting Christ as fulfillment of the first Passover and those Old Testament events. My study Bible comments that, in the Exodus, Moses leads the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the midst of the water (Exodus 14:15-31). Here Christ sends His disciples across the sea, and then walks on the sea as if it were dry ground.
On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other
side of the sea saw that there was no other boat there, except that one
which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus had not entered the boat
with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone -- however,
other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread
after the Lord had given thanks --- when the people therefore saw that
Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and
came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. And when they found Him on the other
side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?"
Jesus answered them and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek
Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and
were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the
food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give
you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him." Once again, these are the same people who sought to take Jesus by force and make Him king against His will in yesterday's reading (above), because they "ate of the loaves and were filled." Here the emphasis shifts again to spiritual nurturing, what kind of food Christ has to offer, and takes on the hints of eucharistic significance.
Jesus says, "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures
to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God
the Father has set His seal on Him." The theme of food and of feeding will make its mark throughout this chapter of John's Gospel, just as it began with the feeding of the five thousand in the wilderness (see yesterday's reading, above). Here, Jesus makes it clear that these men seek to make Him king by force not even because of the marvelous signs He's done (signs of God's extraordinary presence among them), but simply because they were were fed ("because you ate of the loaves and were filled"). These are the not the reasons to seek Christ. In fact, when Jesus tells them, "Do not labor for the food which perishes," this is a command, a direct command from God, a prohibition. He then goes on to issue a positive command, to labor "for the food which endures
to everlasting life." He's teaching them what is worth making an effort for, what is worth laboring, working for. And we should take heed that we do the same. For Jesus has also taught us, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). This is what we work for, because this sets us right in the world and with the rest of the world and all the things we need for life. But then Jesus goes on to teach us something about this food which endures to everlasting life, for it has particular qualities and comes from a particular place for a reason. Not just anybody can provide us with this food, but only Christ can: ". . . which the Son of Man will give you, because God
the Father has set His seal on Him." He is the Son of Man, a mysterious title known from the prophecy of Daniel (see Daniel 7:13), and which Jesus is teaching is Himself, Incarnate. But there is more; that is, "because God
the Father has set His seal on Him." We modern English speakers think of a seal as that which closes up something, but that definition misses the mark here (metaphorically and literally!). Because this seal is literally a mark, a signet, the symbol of a person's identity. It comes from the mark a signet ring or symbol would press into sealing wax, conferring the authority of the person to whom the seal belonged or represented. This seal from God the Father is the mark of the Father upon the Son, meaning that all the Father's authority is set upon Christ, upon the Son of Man. Whatever this Son of Man, this Logos, the Word about whom John's Gospel is written to teach us, commands or teaches is therefore a command from God, just as a letter or communication from a king or president confers all the authority of that office upon its contents. Therefore whatever nurturing substance Christ gives us, whatever is the food which endures to everlasting life, it does so because God the Father has set His seal upon the Son of Man. His gift is therefore that which conveys life and death, the absolute authority of God the Father, and there is no other person or being who can do this for us. Christ, the Son of Man, is the One who can give this to us.