This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent

 

 "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 he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

 

- John 6:27-40 

 

On Saturday we read that, after Christ fed the five thousand in the wilderness, 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 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, or 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 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."

 

 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endues to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God he Father has set His seal on Him."  Then they said to Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  Therefore they said to Him, "What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You?  What work will You do?  Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"  Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."  Then they said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."  And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.  But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.  All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."   Jesus says, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."  My study Bible comments here that since Christ has two natures, He has two wills:  the divine will and a human will.  At the Sixth Ecumenical Council, which was held in Constantinople in AD 680-681, it was proclaimed that these two wills of Christ do not work contrary to one another.  Instead, my study Bible quotes the Council, "His human will follows, not resisting nor reluctant, but subject to His divinity and to His omnipotent will."  

In today's reading, we once again see at work a common motif in John's Gospel:  misunderstandings of Christ's words that lead to deeper explanations of the mystical reality He brings into the world.  The people first respond to Christ's command to labor for the food which endures to everlasting life.  They ask Him, "What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?"  Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent."  It's always very intriguing to understand that Christ speaks of faith itself as the work of God.   In today's lectionary reading is also included a passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, in which St. Paul speaks of faith.  He writes, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1).  As another way to understand St. Paul's language and meaning, it's suggested that we may read this as saying that faith is the realization of things hoped for, the confidence of things not seen.  This sense of faith emphasizes our capacity to live our faith, to act upon it and live in accordance with it.  When it comes to the words of Jesus, then, we understand the trust, hope, and confidence He asks us to put into Him, the way He will lead us to live. This is "the work of God" Christ advocates to us.  But the people, who have just been miraculously fed by Him (see Friday's reading), respond by asking Him for proofs before they will believe in Him, and they bring up the manna given as Moses led the Israelites.   Jesus again takes this language, and turns it into the spiritual meaning He brings with Him, saying that the true bread from heaven comes from the Father, "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."   When the people, still not understanding, ask to be given this bread always, Jesus responds clearly:  "I am the bread of life.  He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."   But faith, as St. Paul's words teach us, is about perception, the capacity for eyes that see and ears that hear that which is hoped for, and and take confidence in what is not seen.  These people see Christ, even His works, and yet do not perceive, do not believe.  But it is Christ who responds with His own declaration of faith, in displaying His faithfulness in doing God's will.  With confidence, He replies, "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.  For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.  This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.  And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."  In so doing, He responds to the unbelievers, who demand (more) proofs from Him, by setting for us the ultimate example of faithful living, and declaring His absolute confidence in the Father.  So much so, that there is a unity of will in Him, so that even His human will is subject to the divine.   Christ's confidence is clearly in the Father, as He expresses here, for although these people do not believe, the Father will give Jesus others.  And in the Father Jesus puts His full trust.  In this vein, He assures all that of everything He is given by the Father, He will lose nothing -- and that everyone who similarly places trust and faith in Him will be raised up at the last day.  So, taking together the words of the Sixth Ecumenical Council quoted by my study Bible, the words of St. Paul, and the words of Christ, we ask ourselves, what is the substance of our faith?  What does that look like in our lives?  In particular, what kind of shape does that "work" take in our lives?  If we place our confidence and trust in Christ, if faith feeds and substantiates our convictions, then how does that build our choices and movement in life?  Both Christ and St. Paul speak of faith as something substantial within us, tangible, a kind of measurement of how we respond to Christ which in turn creates a similar unity of will within us.  Let us think about what it means if faith is more than belief, when it is instead a building block of hope and evidence of what is not seen.  

When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

"And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you."

- John 16:1-15

We continue with Jesus' Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper. In yesterday's reading, He said, "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends." Jesus went on to warn His disciples that the servant is not greater than the master -- that they would encounter hatred in the world, just as He did, in fulfillment of the Scriptures: "They hated Me without a cause." But the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, will be with us to give us true testimony, so that we may fulfill His love and bear His fruits that glorify the Father.

"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them." Jesus faces His persecution, and warns His disciples of the persecutions to come that they will undergo. We see a chain of relationship here: to know the Father is to know Christ, and vice versa. Hatred comes of those who have not known and cannot understand this love, and we too may perhaps encounter this in our lives.

"And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart." My study bible has a lengthy and informative note about this word, sorrow. "The word sorrow means extreme grief, leading to a state of severe depression,' which is a sinful passion. Thus, St. John Chrysostom writes, 'Great is the tyranny of despondency.' This sin is also constantly referred to in the writings of the Desert Fathers. Even when the world hates true Christians, they must not become despondent, but take comfort from the Holy Spirit. The disciples are troubled not only because Jesus is leaving them, but also because of the ongoing struggle between light and darkness, between Jesus and the prince of this world." This word used here in the Greek is commonly used to express grief and condolences for others on any form of loss. As a person who has experienced sorrow and sadness in my life, I believe what the note in my study bible is leading us toward in its note is describing as "sin" a sense of total despair--instead it is teaching that we find comfort in our Comforter. As Christians, when we experience this hatred and loss, when we are severely disappointed, it's not enough to simply rest in what the world would hand us. This is a form of spiritual blindness to who we truly are. Instead we must find our way through our relationship, and seek the Comforter for the way forward. It is in this love and relationship that we take our perspective on the world, with all of its disappointments.

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." Here Christ illustrates the point. The disciples are losing the greatest gift of all, God Incarnate, their Teacher, the Christ, Jesus who has loved them not as the world loves. But, just as He illustrated before when He spoke of the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, He is assuring them that it is a far greater gift that He now brings: the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit -- that this is what must come into the world for those who will follow in the future. On Jesus' departure, He will send the Holy Spirit to them. And this is "to their advantage." It is a kind of exchange -- not as the world gives, but as God gives us.

"And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged." We return to the language of the courts, of judgment and testimony. What do we take from this language? To convict, as translated here, is really to offer solid evidence, to convince. So, in effect, by the response of the world to this Spirit, it gives testimony and evidence as to the character of all, of each. How do we respond to the Spirit? For myself, I believe this has to do with the depth in all of us, and how we go through our lives. At every juncture, we seem to be offered a choice -- to turn to the Helper, or not. And, just as Jesus admonishes the disciples that it is to their advantage that they are sent the Comforter, so we are offered this gift as well. Do we take it? Can we fulfill the potentials it opens up for us in ourselves? We have a lifetime of choices to make. How we respond to that which knocks at the door of our hearts makes a convincing testimony about who we are. I believe this happens at such a depth that we cannot with certainty judge others as the knower of hearts can, but we must instead come to know and choose to be aware of it at work within ourselves, and that is the great crux -- for me -- of this teaching. Do we accept this gift? What we can know, however, is that "the ruler of this world is judged," that we have a Helper who is never going to abandon us, and that we have a way to go forward in life and must seek it. And we turn to the Spirit for discernment in our lives.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you all things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." And here is the great fullness of this gift: that God gives us all things, in effect, all truth that Christ wishes for us. The fullness of that reality is ours in this great Comforter, the Spirit of truth that Jesus will send. And so, once again, how is it that we can refuse so great a gift? In this, it seems to me, is judgment. Which perspective do we choose -- the things that are of God and the fullness of "all things that (even) the Father has," or the perspective of the world whose ruler is judged?

So how can we refuse this gift? The answer to that is, in my opinion, quite simple. We can turn to the selfishness of our hearts, we can refuse to seek this Comforter, we can live in a "worldly" perspective that accepts casually all the things that harm others and bring them this sorrow and pain and sadness without comfort. Or we can seek the Comforter and find His words of "all things" that belong to God, to Christ, even to the Father. What we believe we need, we seek. To whom do you turn in your sorrow and despair, and what do you find there? In my experience, there is only one place that has the answers for me, and "the world" can't teach me properly how I have needed to respond to pain and loss. What's your choice? It's up to you.