Jn.6:27, ‘”Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”’
Above are the words spoken by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He spoke them to the multitude who sought Him for the sake of bread that filled their tummy. A day before, they had witnessed a crowd of 5000 men being fed from a small basket of 5 loaves and 2 fishes. They had also seen 12 baskets full of left overs. Hence, this day, this crowd labored to cross the sea as far as Capernaum to see Jesus. Jn.6 ;24, ‘Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.’
Many of us seek Jesus and take pains to do so. Some go out of their way to do many things for Christ’s name sake. Many spend time, money and efforts even during a tight schedule of the day. But at the end of the day, if all these have not grown us spiritually, it’s all in vain. Many take pride when they secure wordly benefits or blessings and take them as a guarantee to prove that they are in the right way. Indeed, such benefits too are a much needed blessing that comes from God, but cannot measure our spirituality in any way.
The multitude fed their belly with the loaves and the fish. Their physical need of hunger and healing was met. They took efforts to seek Jesus. But at the end of it, they found that they had labored for food that spoils. Such form a major chunk of the so-called believers within the walls of church. In Mathew , ch 24:10-13, Jesus talked about the signs of the end days. If we read carefully, we note that ‘many will be offended..many false prophets will arise…many shall be deceived…love of many shall become cold….but he who endures unto the end shall be saved. Among the numerous ‘many’s’, there’s only ‘he’ that might endure. This ‘many’ is from within the church and not outside. In other words, one among many ‘so called believers’ shall be actually saved. And the main reason behind this is many run after Jesus for bread that spoils. Not many are interested in the bread that does not spoil…that which purifies us….that which fills us with His love and strength to withstand the trials and temptations.
Being in the same church, attending the same worship sessions and Bible classes does not assure endurance till being saved. Both, the multitude and the disciples received bread from Jesus. Yet, there was a difference in the application of this bread. Both witnessed the miracles, yet there was a difference in their attitude. Both took efforts to seek Jesus, yet there was a difference in their motives.
Here, Jesus said that people sought Him because their physical needs were met. But that such seeking is in vain. He therefore asked them to labor for bread that would endure to eternal life. Both, the multitude and disciples sought Jesus for bread. One sought the bread that spoiled while the other sought the bread that endured to eternal life. Though the source of bread was the same, the application, attitude and motives towards the bread that Jesus gave ultimately determined the destination of their boats.
Right Application : The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is to make one fit to go to heaven. Someone asked an evangelist, ‘If Bible is true, how come there is so much of wickedness, pain and hopelessness in this world ?’ The evangelist said that, ‘ unless a soap is applied on one’s body, the dirt cannot go’. The true purpose of a soap is not to give too much lather or foam, neither is it to give strong smell. It’s true purpose is to remove the germs from the body. When the germs go, the bad odor automatically goes. Similarly, when the word is applied in our lives to remove the innumerable sins from our life, many blessings automatically come. Every miracle of Jesus has a message and every message of Jesus has a miracle. Every time we apply the message in our spiritual lives, every time we get more and more purified. If we receive the miracle without the message, it does not remove any dirt from out spirit man. It’s then when the bread gets spoiled, even though the miracle has happened. The miraculous catch of fish convicted Peter of his sinfulness, while many others walked away with healing and miracles with an unconverted heart.
Right Attitude : We often put up an attitude of considering a life marked with super miracles as a spiritual life. Dear friends, consider every transformation in us as a miracle and the true miracle. Even in this sophisticated world, the latest medical equipments assure us of a heart transplant but never a heart transformation. No man can get his heart transformed unless through a divine intervention. Giving up lying, stealing and gossiping is the true miracle. The heart that is satisfied with an outward miracle seeks more of them, while the heart that seeks Christ is followed by miracles. The former follows miracles blindly and do not hesitate to cross the borders of right and sound doctrine to witness and enjoy them. Though miracles draw one’s attention towards God, persisting is such an attitude can make the found man lost again. When the crowd was satisfied with the loaves and fishes, they sought Jesus again. But when Jesus talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, they left following Him. But Peter said, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life.’ Peter had found the real miracle in himself through the words of Jesus. He had got the miracle of words that endured to eternal life. Hence, he could continue following Him till the end.
Right Motives : For many, a spiritual life is enough as long as it takes care of all his worldly needs. Such lives are very choosy while listening to a message. They take all they need to live on this earth and ignore the rest. But the real motive of taking part of the bread of life is to be like Him who called us. The more we eat of His body, the bread of life, the more and more we ought to become like Him.
Jesus, the bread of life, will strengthen and nurture us. But its longevity will be deter-mined as per our attitude, motives and application of the same. If the word endures in us, our souls will endure all things till we reach eternity. But if receive the word with wrong attitude and intentions, the word we hear won’t endure in us. It will soon get spoiled and thereby, spoiling our eternal life. The application of the word is wrong as long as it does not convict us of our sins and lead us to repentance. It’s wrong if our motive is just to meet our worldly needs.
During the days of Mosses, God gave manna to all the Israelites. They were asked to collect only that much that was needed. The surplus collected would get spoiled by the next day. But on the 6th day of the week, they were supposed to collect for the 7th day, which was Sabbath. Ex.16:24, ‘ So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.’ The surplus did not get spoiled, when they were collected as per the instructions of the Lord. Anything which is not as per the instruction of the Word of God will be spoiled…..even the listening of God’s word.
Jn.6:39-40, ‘”And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”’
Jesus came to earth to do His Father’s will and He understood well what it was. Hence, though He used miracles to meet the various physical needs of the multitudes, His intention was to lead them to receive spiritual food, by which they would live to a life eternal. His intention was to prepare all that His Father gave Him to a life eternal with Him. His intentions remain the same to this day, for Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
Above are the words spoken by our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. He spoke them to the multitude who sought Him for the sake of bread that filled their tummy. A day before, they had witnessed a crowd of 5000 men being fed from a small basket of 5 loaves and 2 fishes. They had also seen 12 baskets full of left overs. Hence, this day, this crowd labored to cross the sea as far as Capernaum to see Jesus. Jn.6 ;24, ‘Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.’
Many of us seek Jesus and take pains to do so. Some go out of their way to do many things for Christ’s name sake. Many spend time, money and efforts even during a tight schedule of the day. But at the end of the day, if all these have not grown us spiritually, it’s all in vain. Many take pride when they secure wordly benefits or blessings and take them as a guarantee to prove that they are in the right way. Indeed, such benefits too are a much needed blessing that comes from God, but cannot measure our spirituality in any way.
The multitude fed their belly with the loaves and the fish. Their physical need of hunger and healing was met. They took efforts to seek Jesus. But at the end of it, they found that they had labored for food that spoils. Such form a major chunk of the so-called believers within the walls of church. In Mathew , ch 24:10-13, Jesus talked about the signs of the end days. If we read carefully, we note that ‘many will be offended..many false prophets will arise…many shall be deceived…love of many shall become cold….but he who endures unto the end shall be saved. Among the numerous ‘many’s’, there’s only ‘he’ that might endure. This ‘many’ is from within the church and not outside. In other words, one among many ‘so called believers’ shall be actually saved. And the main reason behind this is many run after Jesus for bread that spoils. Not many are interested in the bread that does not spoil…that which purifies us….that which fills us with His love and strength to withstand the trials and temptations.
Being in the same church, attending the same worship sessions and Bible classes does not assure endurance till being saved. Both, the multitude and the disciples received bread from Jesus. Yet, there was a difference in the application of this bread. Both witnessed the miracles, yet there was a difference in their attitude. Both took efforts to seek Jesus, yet there was a difference in their motives.
Here, Jesus said that people sought Him because their physical needs were met. But that such seeking is in vain. He therefore asked them to labor for bread that would endure to eternal life. Both, the multitude and disciples sought Jesus for bread. One sought the bread that spoiled while the other sought the bread that endured to eternal life. Though the source of bread was the same, the application, attitude and motives towards the bread that Jesus gave ultimately determined the destination of their boats.
Right Application : The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is to make one fit to go to heaven. Someone asked an evangelist, ‘If Bible is true, how come there is so much of wickedness, pain and hopelessness in this world ?’ The evangelist said that, ‘ unless a soap is applied on one’s body, the dirt cannot go’. The true purpose of a soap is not to give too much lather or foam, neither is it to give strong smell. It’s true purpose is to remove the germs from the body. When the germs go, the bad odor automatically goes. Similarly, when the word is applied in our lives to remove the innumerable sins from our life, many blessings automatically come. Every miracle of Jesus has a message and every message of Jesus has a miracle. Every time we apply the message in our spiritual lives, every time we get more and more purified. If we receive the miracle without the message, it does not remove any dirt from out spirit man. It’s then when the bread gets spoiled, even though the miracle has happened. The miraculous catch of fish convicted Peter of his sinfulness, while many others walked away with healing and miracles with an unconverted heart.
Right Attitude : We often put up an attitude of considering a life marked with super miracles as a spiritual life. Dear friends, consider every transformation in us as a miracle and the true miracle. Even in this sophisticated world, the latest medical equipments assure us of a heart transplant but never a heart transformation. No man can get his heart transformed unless through a divine intervention. Giving up lying, stealing and gossiping is the true miracle. The heart that is satisfied with an outward miracle seeks more of them, while the heart that seeks Christ is followed by miracles. The former follows miracles blindly and do not hesitate to cross the borders of right and sound doctrine to witness and enjoy them. Though miracles draw one’s attention towards God, persisting is such an attitude can make the found man lost again. When the crowd was satisfied with the loaves and fishes, they sought Jesus again. But when Jesus talked about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, they left following Him. But Peter said, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life.’ Peter had found the real miracle in himself through the words of Jesus. He had got the miracle of words that endured to eternal life. Hence, he could continue following Him till the end.
Right Motives : For many, a spiritual life is enough as long as it takes care of all his worldly needs. Such lives are very choosy while listening to a message. They take all they need to live on this earth and ignore the rest. But the real motive of taking part of the bread of life is to be like Him who called us. The more we eat of His body, the bread of life, the more and more we ought to become like Him.
Jesus, the bread of life, will strengthen and nurture us. But its longevity will be deter-mined as per our attitude, motives and application of the same. If the word endures in us, our souls will endure all things till we reach eternity. But if receive the word with wrong attitude and intentions, the word we hear won’t endure in us. It will soon get spoiled and thereby, spoiling our eternal life. The application of the word is wrong as long as it does not convict us of our sins and lead us to repentance. It’s wrong if our motive is just to meet our worldly needs.
During the days of Mosses, God gave manna to all the Israelites. They were asked to collect only that much that was needed. The surplus collected would get spoiled by the next day. But on the 6th day of the week, they were supposed to collect for the 7th day, which was Sabbath. Ex.16:24, ‘ So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.’ The surplus did not get spoiled, when they were collected as per the instructions of the Lord. Anything which is not as per the instruction of the Word of God will be spoiled…..even the listening of God’s word.
Jn.6:39-40, ‘”And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. 40 For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”’
Jesus came to earth to do His Father’s will and He understood well what it was. Hence, though He used miracles to meet the various physical needs of the multitudes, His intention was to lead them to receive spiritual food, by which they would live to a life eternal. His intention was to prepare all that His Father gave Him to a life eternal with Him. His intentions remain the same to this day, for Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever.
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