Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life

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

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' feeding of five thousand men (and more women and children) on a mountain. They had followed Him as He crossed the Sea of Galilee, because of the signs they had seen when He healed many people. The feast of Passover is approaching. As Jesus saw the multitudes coming toward Him, He tested Philip, asking, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Philip replied, "Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little." Andrew 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, "Make the people sit down." About five thousand men sat. Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks and distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost." They filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the barley loaves which were left over. 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." When Jesus understood 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. My study bible has an extensive note here: "This, the fifth of Christ's miracles reported by John, reenacts ancient Israel's passage through the Red Sea. Moses led the old Israel through the sea to liberty. Christ walks on top of the water and leads His disciples over the sea to the land where they were going. Christ's walking on the water is a sign of His lordship over creation."

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. The same people who wanted to make Jesus their King by force are still pursuing Him. We remember that Capernaum forms a kind of headquarters at Peter's home there.

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." Jesus has eluded this crowd by walking on the water to His disciples. But the salient point is all about why they seek Him in this case. My study bible says, "The multitude had continued to pursue Jesus in the hope that He might miraculously solve all of their earthly problems as He had miraculously provided them with food. He tries to turn their minds to spiritual concerns, telling them not to labor for perishable food, but for the food of eternal life, which is available in the Son of Man. He does not chide them for seeking and working, but for pursuing temporary satisfaction rather than eternal fulfillment." There are a couple of important things Jesus points to here. The first is what they are seeking. Jesus emphasizes the power of the life He has to offer them. It is a much greater gift than the food they ate in the wilderness. Standing before them is One who has the gift of life itself to offer, and all that means in terms of what kind of life we lead. That the Father has sent His seal on Christ gives us an inkling of the power that is at work in Him; just as that which the emperor may have set his seal upon had the power of Caesar behind it. It is again an emphasis on what kind of Person Jesus is, what kind of Kingdom He comes from and bears in the world.

What does it mean to labor not for the food which perishes but for that which endures to everlasting life? In Christ is a kind of life that we can't quantify. We can't say "it will do this" or "it will do that." It's not up to us to label it, and put it in a box, and say, "It must be this" or "It must be that." Christ offers everlasting life, something unlimited. As such, His Kingdom is also something which we can't limit. So the food which endures to everlasting life is the food that He gives, that He brings. As we noted in yesterday's reading, Christ's food is not that which we demand but rather that which He brings, an unquantifiable, eternal, everlasting, timeless and boundless reality in which we participate through relationship with Him. It is this that He brings us and offers us. Christ appearing on the water to His apostles is the One who is with us when we are desperately afraid. In the times we really don't know and can't see our way forward, it is this power, this life upon which we call to be with us and to take us into a place where we deepen our relationship with Him. "It is I; do not be afraid," is the response of the One with everlasting life. In Christ we rejoice, and to Christ we turn when we need to know the Way. Let our spirit of gratitude, as well as the times of deep need, turn us toward this unquantifiable and everlasting life. In Him, we find the reality of His Presence, always with us. Let us labor for the food He gives.