Bread From Heaven

Prelude

Do I want MY religion or the religion of Jesus? Purpose: Let’s look at the religion that came from heaven. Plan: Let’s discuss the events of John 6:24-35.

The Throng

John 6:24 when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 And when they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, “Rabbi, when did You come here?”

This occurred immediately after feeding the 5,000. A throng, mob or crowd in a flotilla of small boats descended on Capernaum searching for Jesus. They asked Him when He got there, because He did not leave with the disciples. Did Jesus answer the question?

John 6:26 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. 27 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.”

News reporters would be angry. Jesus ignored the question, not explaining His walking on the sea to get there, but spoke about motives. Are our motives for physical food or spiritual signs, for that which perishes or that which lasts forever? Do we lust for fleeting pursuits or hunger for eternal relevance?

There are two marks on offer in this world which men carry in their foreheads (thinking) and their hands (deeds). The mark of the beast is a seal that reveals a person’s trust in the kingdoms of this world, which from Daniel to Revelation are described as beasts. The other mark is the seal of God, the law written on our hearts by the Holy Spirit, a stamp of heavenly approval. Jesus said plainly that His kingdom is not of this world.

A crowd of people were looking for Jesus in Capernaum, but why? Why do we look for Jesus? The crowd had wanted to make Him a king of this world, but Jesus eluded them. They wanted a leader who would fulfill all their worldly expectations, but Jesus was not going to operate according to this world’s ways.

The Work

John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”

They got the point, and asked how to be involved in God’s eternal work. This is a question that every church should ask itself, when any proposals are brought up. What is God’s work?

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

What a shocking answer! God’s work is, in the original Greek, “to have faith”? Is this a direct challenge to Protestant Reformation theology? Does Jesus actually call faith a work? Is this a work that only God does or do we join Him “that we may work the works of God?” What happened to the Protestant idea of separating faith from work? Maybe the truth is deeper than we thought.

Do we make idols of the perishable things, ignoring the important spiritual food that Jesus brings? Are we control freaks demanding our own way or letting Christ lead? The crowd asks how they too could have the power to do God’s works. But power in the wrong hands is dangerous, causing more harm than good. Instead, Jesus urged them to believe in him instead of their own ideas. Instead of simply listening they argued back, asking what sign he was going to give them. Even though they had already seen many signs such as healing the sick and feeding a large crowd and some had even admitted that he was the prophet who was to come (6:14), they were a demanding and argumentative crowd. Jesus challenges their motives as seeking perishable things when they should be seeking eternal life.

The Bread

John 6:30 Therefore they said to Him, “What sign will You perform then, that we may see it and believe You? What work will You do? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ”

What? They had just witnessed many signs, but now ask for another?

The crowd politely called Jesus “rabbi” because they did not understand any more about him than that. They seem to be a little demanding of him, asking when he got there, obviously unaware that he walked on water to get there. Like so many reporters seeking to control an interview, they may have expected an answer to the question. Jesus often did not answer a question, but addressed the deeper issues. He chided them for seeking only physical bread and not the more important spiritual food that he brought.