Click here to watch my video reflection on our text for today, or keep reading for my written reflections: 

Today as one of our readings, we look at John 6: 25-27:

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.”

Yesterday we saw Jesus feed the crowd.  And today the crowd is looking for Him.  They look all over for Him, and finally, they find Him.  He and the disciples had crossed over the Sea, and now they are on the “other side” of the Sea.  Normally folks would not go to the “other side” that side of Galilee was more Gentile, the Romans had established several colines there.  

So, they find Him and they are very confused by all of this.  Jesus responds by asking them this, why were they looking for Him?  They’d gone to a look of work to find Him.  When you read the section above, you see they look all over trying to find Him, and they finally found Him.  When they do, He asks them this question.  

Why?  

Why were you looking?  What did you see to find?  Whey did you go to all this trouble?  

He then answers it, they were looking for Him, they went to all this effort because they ate their fill of the bread.  Now, in that context, food was not as readily available as it is for us here in the West.  We are told they ate until they were satisfied.  That may have been for some of the folks there, the first time they’ve ever really had enough to eat in that manner.  Let’s not pretend like that’s not a big deal.  It was.  

But for Jesus, that isn’t the point of this.  Don’t work just for earthly life or earthly satisfaction.  Don’t work for earthly food.  Work for heavenly.  Work for the food that will satisfy not just in this moment, but will satisfy for all of eternity.  

Don’t just work for what will satisfy the body.  Work for what will satisfy the soul.  This world is not our home and this world will never fully satisfy us.  We can have everything we want, everything we desire, everything that we will think will truly make us happy.  It will not.  This world, even the good things, cannot satisfy us.  

Only Jesus can.  Only His Word, His life, His purpose.  Only this can satisfy us.  

The people were looking for what Jesus could give to them.  They weren’t looking for Jesus.  They were working for the wrong thing.  

Let’s not make that same mistake.  It’s not about what Jesus can give to us.  It’s about Him. It’s about knowing Him, loving Him, serving Him.  That’s the work that matters, that’s the work that satisfies not just our bodies but satisfies our soul.  

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