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

 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 sign, 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, 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 sign of seven in John's Gospel.  In yesterday's reading, we discussed the parallels in this chapter of John with the Exodus story of Moses.  Here there's a parallel between this sign of Jesus walking on the water and Israel's crossing of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15-31).  Jesus sends His disciples across the sea, and then walks on it as if it were dry land. 

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 sign, 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."  We see the people still intent on making Jesus their King.  They are so desirous of this that they get into boats and come to Capernaum, still seeking Him.   Jesus will not be made King simply because they desire someone who will give them the "goods" they want, and God's blessings are not merely about material life.  But He will still teach them, and it's from compassion that He tells them, "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 question is whether or not they will consider that of value to them; if they have the capacity to see what it is He's really offering. 

Earlier in John's Gospel, Jesus has complained, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you people will by no means believe."  Here, the complaint is on a seemingly new level.  He tells the people, "You seek Me, not because you saw the sign, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled."  Everything that happens is a way to lead into teaching.  Here, their seeking after the food He gave them becomes an occasion to teach not only about the Son, but about the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man (Christ) can give to them.  Everything becomes about mission, what He's doing in the world.  Everything comes down to teaching and leading the people to God and to the mission of the Son of Man, Christ.  And we observe once again, that everything comes down to the Cross, which uplifts to everlasting life.  We may well wonder what, in the end, happens with these people.  Do they all come to faith?  Do they have any idea what He is talking about?  Will they understand Him later?  One wonders, indeed, if all of these questions occur as well to Christ.  But nevertheless, the point is that He is always all about His mission.  He is here to give us something.  All the signs in the Gospel point to this one thing, this divine origin, this divine purpose, this earthly mission to uplift all with Him.  The people put tremendous energy into seeking Him and making Him King.  What of the labor we can put into the food which endures to everlasting life?  Do we put work into that?  Does it seem worthwhile?  What does it require of us?  In tomorrow's reading, Jesus will answer the question of just what kind of work He's talking about.  But we can stop to think about this question that Jesus is asking by teaching them not to labor for the food which perishes.  What are we willing to work for?  What do we hope to gain through our faith?  What's the main goal?  What do we put first?  What is real wholeness and health -- and how are we nurtured?  It's a question even of how we organize our lives and identity, and what we're willing to give up for this search, what priorities and goals we put first.  Something to think about, indeed.