John 6:27-29 - [Jesus said] "Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal." Then they said to Him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent."
What is the food that perishes? How much time do we spend chasing after it? Working for perishable items in this life is natural—and necessary—isn't it? But what is Jesus saying to us here? Does He mean we'll never feel hungry or thirsty? No. He is telling us there is something more than what we so easily invest ourselves in and which, at the end of the day, is completely temporary, utterly fleeting.
Jesus is inviting us to turn from ourselves and turn to His Words. He is telling us that our quest for happiness will only be satisfied when we look beyond this world to His Word. Remember the Old Testament connection: the feeding of the Israelites foreshadows Jesus, the true Bread come down from heaven. In a similar fulfillment of prophecy, listen to this beautiful passage from Isaiah 55. In these Words, can you hear Jesus inviting you and me to turn to Him?
"Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to Me; hear, that your soul may live. ... Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:1-3a, 6-7).
Because of Jesus, God forgives you and me for all the times we have turned to our own way. Jesus was hungry and thirsty upon the cross, but His situation wasn't grounded in His feelings. "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Jesus came that you and I might have life, real life. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16).
Friends, this Spirit-given life is better than anything we could ever find on our own. Our lives are full of things we need to do to support ourselves and our families, but don't mistake chasing those things for the whole of life itself. There is more. Jesus tells us so, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10b).
Abundant living is found in Jesus—He is the Bread the life and the One on whom God has set His seal.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, fix our minds on that which matters most. Fix our minds on Jesus. In His Name we pray. Amen.
From "And the Pursuit of Happiness," a sermon excerpt from Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Is there some thing or habit in your life you wouldn't miss if it was gone?
2. Isaiah is telling us to forsake our old, dead ways. What does doing that look like in real life?
3. Jesus offers us the bread and water that leads to eternal life with Him. How do we receive it?
Today's Bible Readings: Amos 7-9 Galatians 2
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