Posts
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) in the wilderness. 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. Jesus has remained on the mountain by Himself alone. The disciples are without Him.
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. The very interesting thing about this fifth sign in John's Gospel is the dream-like quality that is evinced through the words that "immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." In other ways there is a dreamlike quality as well. It is dark, deep into the darkness before the dawn, and the sea arose with a great wind. We can imagine the fear accompanying the disciples without Christ, in the boat on the sea. Jesus walking on the water gives us another quality of the divine; in the previous reading He expanded the loaves and fishes to fill everyone with "as much as they wanted." Here He walks across the water to accompany His disciples in the midst of the storm, telling them, "It is I; do not be afraid." If we look beyond the miraculous quality of these two signs, one immediately following the other, what we see in common to them is God's great love, a love that gives not by measure but in abundance. It is a love that is with us in our own wilderness or when we are alone in the dark in a rough and stormy sea. My study bible points out that this sign "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 sea 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. And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rabbi, when did You come here?" The disciples had left the mountain when it was dark, without Jesus. Walking on the water to the disciples, Jesus has evaded the crowd that sought to make Him king, after they were fed in the wilderness. But they anticipated His arrival at Capernaum and followed.
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." My study bible tells us, "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."
Why do the people seek Jesus? He's telling them that they chase after Him, anticipating His crossing of the sea and arriving at Capernaum looking for Him, simply because they were filled with the loaves in the wilderness (in yesterday's reading). They're putting in a lot of effort to chase Jesus and to follow Him, but the toil isn't really worthwhile if they're only struggling for bread which perishes. Jesus is offering something much more than merely food which perishes, and that is worth struggling and working for. It is a food that will endure into everlasting life, something that will not disappear but remain forever with them. And that is food indeed! That is truly something that feeds the soul and spirit and will never leave us. To work for this bread of Life, then, is to work for something truly worthwhile, a real treasure, something worth the value of our labor. It's not that we're not supposed to live our lives in this world, but rather there's something that is more worthwhile, to value as most precious, to truly work for -- and that is what He is offering as Son. The feeding in the wilderness is Jesus fourth sign in John's Gospel. Importantly, it's an event that appears in all four Gospels. My study bible tells us that "placed against the background of the Passover, this sign is a fulfillment of Old Testament messianic prophecies and types, especially the miraculous gift of manna which fed the Israelites in the wilderness after the Exodus." Most clearly, it's a description with "eucharistic overtones" as my study bible points out. That is the true "daily bread" we pray for, the one that feeds us and abides unto eternal life, and is not simply perishable food. So, how do we work for that bread? While we live our lives in this world, and God knows the things we have need of for our survival and our lives, what do we need to be filled with that fills a deeper need? Let us remember to work for what is of true and imperishable value. What fills you where bread alone cannot truly nourish a deeper need? The Bread of Life is that which fills us in ways that will last and abide for all our lives, for an eternal life. Especially when "the world" fails us, this bread abides and lives in us, and fills us in ways that the world does not. In this way, we also understand Jesus' words of comfort, as He gives us His food which doesn't perish: "It is I; do not be afraid."
