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 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 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.  And 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.  Here is the fifth sign of seven given to us in the Gospel of John.  My  study bible has illumined the parallels between the story of the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt and this sixth chapter of John.  For these verses, it reminds us that in the Exodus, Moses led the people across the Red Sea, walking on dry ground in the middle of the water (Exodus 14:15-31).  Here, Christ sends His disciples across the sea, 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."  We see the efforts of the people who wish to make Jesus king by force (see yesterday's reading above).  They search Him out in Capernaum.  Jesus affirms that they seek Him out because He gave them food to eat in the wilderness (again, in yesterday's reading).  But as He does frequently in John's Gospel, Jesus teaches and reveals what is His to give, by turning their thoughts from earthly food which perishes, toward 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."

 

 What does Jesus have to give?  In yesterday's reading, we read of the feeding of the five thousand men (and more women and children) from five barley loaves and two fish.   As a result, these men wanted to take Jesus and make Him king by force.  Today we see how He's evaded them, He remained alone on the mountain as He sent His disciples back across the Sea of Galilee, and came to them walking on the sea.  John sets this in a parallel to events of the Exodus or liberation of Israel from Egypt, as they began their trek to the Promised Land.  But in the other Gospels where we read this story, Jesus' words to the disciples are the same:  "It is I; do not be afraid" (Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50).  It's also always a story where the disciples are in the middle of the sea, straining against rowing in a huge and threatening storm, and in the middle of the night; Matthew and Mark set it at about three o'clock in the morning ("about the fourth watch").  Jesus' statement, It is I, is, in the Greek, the Septuagint version of the Name of God given to Moses, I AM (Ἐγώ εἰμι/ego eimi).  And it is always connected to "do not be afraid."  In Matthew and Mark, it also follows the feeding of the five thousand.  But here in John, it's uniquely connected to these events of the people seeking to make Him king by force, and Jesus' evasion of this multitude.  In what is the characteristic style of John, Jesus will take these basic understandings beginning with the feeding of the five thousand, and expand on what it means to be truly fed, and the powerful reality of the food which He is offering to all.  He will expand understanding from the worldly to something multi-dimensional, if you will, something much greater than what these men expect.  The whole point of the Incarnation is to understand this intersection of the world and the divine, that both must dwell here with us, and that in fact the divine comes into the world in order to heal and create a synergy within which we can dwell and seek to live our lives.  Jesus comes to illuminate the normal, every day things of our lives, including even basics like the food that we eat.  The Eucharist will give us the fullness of such possibilities, just as Christ lives as both human and divine.  Let's think about the crowds who chase Jesus in order to make Him king because they were fed by Him.  He has walked on water in the middle of the night to get where He is, where they find Him, in Capernaum.  The disciples know and understand this; He has revealed Himself with the divine name.  What about these men who chase Jesus and track Him down here?  What do they want? What do they seek?  Will they understand Him and come to terms with what it is He really wants to offer?  How does your life go from concerns of the worldly to an understanding of where it is that God wants you in life, and what it is that God offers you today?  How does your prayer illuminate the options you have, the relations you have, the things you want and think you need?