John 6:26-29

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.”

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

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

“Believe in the One Whom God Sealed……That is Your Work of God”

In verse 26, we find Jesus answering the people whom He had just miraculously fed, but He isn’t answering the question that He was asked…..which I find a bit comical. In the previous verse, they wanted to know when He had come there. Remember, they were confused because they hadn’t seen how He got across the sea since He didn’t leave with His disciples. But, that is not what is important to Jesus. Jesus is there to challenge and teach them. Jesus says, paraphrasing, “Most certainly, I know that you have been looking for me, but not for the right reasons. You didn’t recognize the deeper meaning (signs) that I was trying to teach you. You are looking for me, only because you got your physical hunger fulfilled.” Again, here is that shallow belief that Jesus has spoken of before. The “what is in it for me” type of belief. They loved what Jesus could do for them, but didn’t love Jesus, the person. Let’s think of it in this way. How do we want others to love us? Our husbands? Our children? Our friends? Our fellow Christians? Do we want them to love us because of what they can get from us? This is not really love at all. It is selfishness. A marriage cannot be based on this. A friendship can’t either. No relationship will thrive if one or both parties are only looking out for number 1…..themselves. Remember what Paul said in Philippians 2:3-5, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus…..” Question: Do I have the mind of Christ in that I put others ahead of myself?

In verse 27, Jesus expounds on what He was trying to teach them with the loaves and fish. He says, paraphrasing, “Don’t put all your focus and hard work on physical/worldly/temporary things that don’t last. Put your focus and hard work on the things that last forever…..things that will fulfill and save your soul…..things which only the Son of Man can give you, because God has put His seal or stamp of approval on His Son so that through Him, you can have eternal life.” Jesus was trying to teach them that there is more to life than physical food and material things. All the physical food in the world will not save their souls. Yes, we have to eat. Yes, we need jobs so that we can make our way in the world. Yes, we need clothes. Yes, it is fine to have a comfortable home and a car to get us from place to place. Yes, we can go on vacations, and enjoy fun activities in this life. However, we need to always remember who has provided everything we have. Nothing is truly ours! And may we never forget that all these “things” are nothing compared to heaven. May we never let worldly things become our focus. May we always keep Jesus and His purpose at the center of our lives as our main focus. What do we work for in this life? Is our focus on the temporary material things of the world or the permanent/eternal things that come from Jesus? Remember the verse, “What profit do we have if we gain the whole world, and lose our soul to the devil?” (Mark 8:36) Jesus is “sealed” by God to be the only way to gain eternal life. This will never change. The tomb was sealed where they buried Jesus after His crucifixion, but that man-made sealed tomb couldn’t hold Jesus. Man-made seals can be broken, but nothing and no one can break the seal that God has put on Jesus. Hebrew 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” When we obey Jesus in baptism, we are sealed by God through the blood of Jesus. We will remain in that sealed relationship with Jesus unless we make the decision to willfully disobey Him or leave Him. May we all walk in the light so that we can remain in our sealed relationship with Jesus.  

In verse 28, the people are trying to figure out Jesus’ words, so they ask, paraphrasing, “What are the works that God wants us to do?”. Jesus is getting them to dig deep. I’m sure they are thinking, “So, we are not supposed to work for physical food, we are supposed to work for the things of God which lead to eternal life, but what work do we do? What is required of us?”. I can see how they might be confused. But Jesus……gives an amazing answer, simple…..but amazing! In verse 29, Jesus answers them, paraphrasing, “God has done the work. You just need to believe in the One that He sent. That is your work of God.” I love this. Eternal life is God’s work that He has accomplished. Our work is to simply believe in and obey Jesus. No amount of work can get us to heaven if we don’t believe in and obey Jesus. This is an extension of everything that we have learned so far in the book of John. We have to be “born again” spiritually as Jesus told Nicodemis. We have to drink the “living water” that He offered the Samaritan woman. We have to trust Jesus the way the nobleman did when he immediately returned home 20 miles after Jesus told him his son “lives”. It took trust for that father to take Jesus at His word that his precious son was healed. We have to eat of the “bread”, the spiritual food, that Jesus offers through His Word. We have to let Him in our “boat” so He can help us through the storms of life, and get us to land…..the eternal shore of heaven. Are you headed toward that eternal shore? Is Jesus the “bread” of your life? Have you been sealed by God through Jesus? 

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? Are you saved? If you aren’t or you are not sure if you are, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

I love God’s Word. It challenges me to be better…..to do more in His service. It is interesting and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering what is going to happen next. It gives me confidence and builds me up, and it brings me to my knees when my soul needs convicting! Thank you Father for the wonderful gift of Your Word!

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)