Digging Deeper: The Bread that Never Satisfies
27 Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.
John 6:27 (ESV)
THE BREAD THAT NEVER SATISFIES
Jesus now articulates to his audience the futility of working for the bread of the world that is here today and gone tomorrow (v. 27). He instructs them to work for the food that he has to offer, which is eternal and fulfilling (v. 27). Guzik notes, “Jesus made a contrast between material things and spiritual things. It is almost universally true that people are more attracted to material things than spiritual things. A sign that says free money and free food will get a bigger crowd than one that says spiritual fulfillment and eternal life.” I would like to say that Guzik is wrong, but unfortunately, I cannot disagree with his assessment of the world.
There is a subtle message in the wording of verse 27. Jesus tells the people not to “work” for their daily bread, but instead to accept the “gift” of imperishable food that he has to offer. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells his audience that, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21, ESV). Jesus is telling us that the fruits of our earthly work, the treasures that we all seek, are but temporal, leaving us eternally empty and unfulfilled. The harder we work, the larger the appetite grows. As Paul so aptly observed, “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die’” (1 Cor 15:32b, ESV).
Do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that work is not important as a means to supply our daily needs. What I am cautioning against is hungering for those things in life that simply are “empty calories” (name any fast-food joint)! It might be a job, a relationship, a neighborhood, or even becoming a pickleball pro (my secret dream). How many times in life do we attain that for which we hunger, only to realize it is “counterfeit,” not worth the paper it was printed on?
I will conclude with this observation, “If you want to see how materialistic you are, take this little test: Suppose someone were to offer you a thousand dollars for every person you earnestly sought to lead to Christ. Would you try to witness to more people than you are doing now? Is it possible that you would do for money, even at the risk of blunders or ridicule, what you would hesitate to do otherwise in obedience to Christ’s urgent commands? Is your love of money stronger than your love of God or the souls of people?” (Our Daily Bread) Trust me, this observation hit close to home with me!
Diggin Deeper (er):
Isaiah 55:2; Luke 12:16-21 (the “bigger barn” syndrome)
Phil Meade is a father of three, and grandfather of five. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Liberty University, and lives in Acworth. He has led various small groups throughout his more than 20 years attending NorthStar Church. He recently retired after 33 years as a pilot for Delta Airlines.