John 6:27
Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.
Last week we heard the story of the loaves and fishes, the precursor to the bread of life discourse in the 6th chapter of John's gospel. This weekend, we continue by finding that Jesus has moved from the crowds and traveled to Capernaum. But the hoards tracked him down, literally hungering for what he offers. Jesus tells them, that they are hungering for the wrong things. He says, "do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you." Of course they didn't put together that he was the Son of Man. They were thinking that like Moses who fed them in the desert, Jesus might also feed them. He reminded them that it was not Moses, but God who did this, and that Jesus himself was, in fact, the bread of life they were seeking. This would cause a stir among them…which we'll read about next week.
It's interesting that we find ourselves seeking to be filled with earthly things, like those from 2000 years ago. We all work too much. The average work day is now longer. Many start their day before sunrise, and get home after dark. There's little time for the family. Then it's rush to eat, get to the gym, go to the store for this or that, then settle in at home with the television on, the computer on your lap and the cell phone beside you. There's very little conversation in the family. Then it's time for bed. Six or 7 hours later, it starts over. There's literally no time for God or very little for family. This is not what our Lord wants from us. We are putting things of this world way ahead of what's important. Success, fame, money, houses, and the like do not bring us closer to heaven. In fact, it distracts us and cause us more stress than what was intended. The people in this story were not happy. Many people today are not happy, even though they believe that they have it all. True happiness comes from heaven...Peace, joy, love and simple silence…all of this can bring happiness. Jesus is the bread of life. If you have not been to church in some time to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, this weekend is a good chance to come back.
