Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’” Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”
VERSES 26-34
This paragraph, verses 26-34, is the first of our text for this post. It serves to transition us from the great provision of the previous day to allow for the crowd from the 5,000 to be more thoroughly instructed in the impact of their miraculous lunch. 26. Jesus answered them The question Jesus is answering is from our previous text, verse 25, "Rabbi, when did You get here?"and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. A question of motive for the crowd that was with Him the previous day and benefited from the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Motive reflects why we do what we do. Have you ever considered why you do what you do? Jesus had a way of getting below our superficial behaviors to uncover our deep motivational intents. For, why you do what you do overwhelms the importance of what you do, especially in your endeavors to follow Jesus. That was the reason for His answer. Are they seeking Him or are they seeking miracles of having their bellies filled again. 27. "Do not work for the food which perishes, Yes, on the heels of providing food, Jesus articulates the total futility of food itself. Food perishes. Why is so much of our lives in pursuit of such a thing that perishes? Try not working for food. Try doing without a meal. Then see the result of your motives. Those who voice the atrocities of doing certain things are melted away by seeing their children hunger if not by their own growling guts. but for the food which endures to eternal life, How much move valuable is life eternal than food. Feed the world, be a hero. Present eternal life options, be persecuted. which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” The Greek word translated as 'seal' is ἐσφράγισεν. It occurs here in the Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative. The author of this Gospel, John, along with the Apostle Paul are the two major users of this term. Outside of their usage, Matthew uses it one time in Matthew 27:66 "So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone." This Greek term, ἐσφράγισεν, speaks of a stamp with a signet or mark of security or preservation. What approval! Are you approved of by someone of true significance? Whose signet mark or ring do you bestow? Do you, dads, approve of your son(s) in this manner? The aorist tense of this verb denotes a 'simple, undefined, past action.' Approval does not have to be a show. But it needs to happen in a significant manner. 28. Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” People will gravitate towards and question those who have someone's approval. In this case, Jesus had His Father's approval. 29. Jesus answered and said to them, Note Jesus' patience with these folks in this dialogue. “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” Trying to work your way to heaven? Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. 30. So they said to Him, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? What work do You perform? Amazing! How quickly they, and we, forget the previous days feeding of the 5,000 and us. An empty belly has no memory. Hold on to that thought. For it will be developed as we progress. 31. "Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO
EAT.’” Here 'them' turns to proof-texting their food based inquisition. By quoting from the Exodus event in Exodus 16, in which God provided manna and quail for the sojourners, they have a heritage memory. God did this for our fathers. They quickly abandoned yesterday's events when Jesus gave them fish and chips on the mountain side. 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. 33. "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world.” Jesus takes there awareness of their heritage and drives home the point that His Father, not Moses, is their provider. As long as their hope was on Moses, and not The Father, then they will be hungry. But, if their hope is in the Father God, then they will have life from heaven. 34. Then they said to Him, “Lord, always give us this bread.” Good choice! As naive and misdirected as this request may be, it was a simple request based on them not knowing all that it entailed.VERSES 35-40
Having gotten to the core issue, this paragraph, verses 35-40, contain Jesus' revelation monologue. 35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς This is the climax of these two paragraphs stretching from verse 26 to verse 40. The crowd made a request and Jesus answers with resounding revelation. His sole use, for He is solely worthy, of this phrase, Ἐγώ εἰμι, serves to identify resulting in people either welcoming Him or rejecting Him. 'Come' and 'believe.' Regarding the Greek word, ἐρχόμενος, translated 'come,' Strong's Concordance gives us 'accompany, appear, bring, come, enter, fall out, go, and grow' as synonyms. Seeing is NOT believing. 36 "But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. Coming and believing will result in eternal acceptance and belonging. 38. "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Be sure this is the will of the Father, the One who fed their fathers in the wilderness. This same Father sent this one before them and He is about His Father's desire. 39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. This is the will of the Father. This is the will of God. 'I lose nothing' is literally 'I destroy nothing.' 'Lose' is a figurative interpretation of the Greek word ἀπόλλυμι. Littel, Scott, Jones offers other renderings based on other Greek texts: demolish, lay waste, ruin, kill. The 'all' refers to the authority and sanction that was bestowed on Jesus as a result of His identity and mission. Of all His rights and authorities that may seem to be vanquished, will never be completely demolished. For the resurrection will gather and restore. Death, where is your victory? 40. "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” What is true for Him, is true for those who 'behold' and 'believe.' Eternal life and resurrection is the desire, will, purpose, mandate, sanction, pleasure, decree, determination of the Father.
SUMMARY
Do find yourself seeking after Jesus, pursuing Him, inquiring of Him or being fed by Him? Some experience the blessings of Christ while never doing those things. However, blessed are those who 'come,' 'behold,' and 'believe' in Him. He is the I AM.
Regarding the impact of food on our faith, the statement was made that empty bellies have short or no memories. That may be true but empty bellies can have hope based on a belief or faith in Christ. Consider your faith the next time you are hungry. Consider how quickly you abandon His promised provision the next time you have nothing to eat. He was faithful to your fathers. He was faithful yesterday. He is faithful now. And He will be faithful tomorrow. Do not abandon your faith on an empty stomach. That is the time when faith is most prevalent and most beneficial. Please read Matthew 6:25-33 for another perspective on faith and food. Without faith it is impossible to please God.
