By PASTOR ALWIN
Passage for meditation is from the book of John chapter 6 verses 26 to 29
“Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, you have been searching for Me, not because you saw the signs (attesting miracles), but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures [and leads] to eternal life”
– Jesus makes the above statement immediately after feeding the 5000. He fed a multitude of people with perishable food but here He talks about the food that endures. What is this food that never perishes? Why does Jesus say this? And what is this eternal life that He is talking about? As Jesus said, these people were following Him because they ate the loaves (the perishable food). We need to ask this question to ourselves “Why are we following Christ?”
– The people over there wanted to make Jesus a King because they saw all the qualities of a king in Him like He provided food for all the needy, He proclaimed healing over the people, He performed great miracles displaying immense power, etc. People looked at Him as a powerful king, a Savior, a Messiah who could deliver them of every misery. In Jesus they found all that they needed for a good life that they were all waiting for. Yes, Jesus was all powerful to deliver them all from their pain and indeed the purpose for His life was to deliver the people but not in the worldly sense but there was a greater purpose in everything that Jesus did. Let’s see what is that greater purpose for the people of those day and for us today.
Here Jesus talks about two types of work
- Work for the food that perishes
- Work for the food that endures through eternal life
– In this world there is a group of people who have no hope for anything. For them, life is like now or never. They want everything right now. They don’t have any hope for the future.
– There is yet another group of people who have the hope. This group of people can again be divided into two groups: Those who know about the hope i.e. Christ Knowers, and those who follow the hope i.e. Christ Followers.
- Christ knowers
– These people know God but are not willing to be a follower.
– They very well know in their minds that they need to work for the food that endures to eternal life but they will never work towards it.
– They are always stuck between the world and the Christ followers
- Christ followers
– Their eyes are always on Christ.
– They work for the food that endures forever.
– They always do the work God has asked them to do E.g. William Carey, Sadhu Sunder Singh, Graham Staines and Gladys Staines.
– They are a crazy lot of people who are willing to go to every extreme, even to the extent of losing their own lives to do the work of God, to work for the food that never perishes.
What is this work that Jesus is talking about?
– The work of God is to believe in Him who God has sent, that is to believe in Jesus.
– We are in the new covenant where once and for all Jesus gave His life as a ransom for our sins.
– There will always be challenges in our lives, that is why Jesus says in the book of John chapter 16 verse 33 “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
John 6:33-35 says “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.
– For the bread of God is Jesus who came down from heaven and those who partake from Him will never thirst or hunger again. That means that Jesus is more than sufficient for each one of our lives. He is more than enough for our present needs and for our eternity too.
– God provided for Abraham as Ram, for the widow as oil, for Daniel as protection, for David as power and for Jesus as Holy Spirit strengthening. In every instance, God’s provision came to them at the most perfect time, at a time when they needed it the most.
– In this life on earth, it is not our strength or capability that sustains us, but God and God alone.
– Faith in Jesus is the work of God that God has called us to do. Faith is the food that never perishes. It is not a onetime activity but a continuous process.
– Sometimes we get carried away by the things of the world. Many a times we r distracted by the works of the world. God tells us not to worry about this life but for the eternal. That is where our faith in God works for us and give us the peace.
– This is what the Bible says about the things of this world in the following passages;
– James 5:2-3 “Your wealth has rotted and is ruined and your [fine] clothes have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. You have stored up your treasure in the last days [when it will do you no good].”
– Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves [material] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart [your wishes, your desires; that on which your life centers] will be also.”
– 1 Timothy 6:17-19 17 “As for the rich in this present world, instruct them not to be conceited and arrogant, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share [with others]. In this way storing up for themselves the enduring riches of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
– To conclude, I would just ask you all to consider the life of Noah, as to how he worked for the food that will never perish. Everybody in the were evil and doing wrong but nothing distracted Noah. He had his eyes firm of God and ears planted on God’s Word. He chose to sustain on God’s promise and continued building the ark in the midst of all mockery. It was Noah’s faith in God that enabled him to stand every test if time.
– Jesus is the bread of life, we just have to believe in Him and this faith is the work that never perishes.
