A lot of people followed Jesus around because He fed them.
There’s nothing wrong with that, especially if you’re hungry. But He was trying to tell them that they needed to start chewing on something else too:
“Jesus…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 [then] work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains [with you] for the purpose of achieving eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you all. For the Father—God, sealed this [One].'” [Jn. 6:26-27] [my emphasis]
So then, it seems there are two things necessary to sustain and preserve me—one of which I don’t necessarily get at supper time [1]. Consuming too much of the one will eventually destroy me. On the other hand, there can be no limit to the ingestion of the Other.
The next question from the crowd was predictable:
“Therefore they said to Him, ‘What should we be doing in order that we might be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God: That you would be [continually] believing in the One whom He has sent.’” [Jn. 6:28-29] [my emphasis]
[πιστεύω: (pîs-tyū’-ōh) to believe, put one’s faith in, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow]
The force of grammar is at work here. The Greek verb πιστεύω is recorded as a Present Participle, meaning that the action described was to be understood as an ongoing process rather than a single event in time. Many translations fail to bring that crucial point across.
Another thing to remember is that πιστεύω [faith] would be an act of no consequence without the practice [or work] of obedience as well. [see: Ja. 2:20] If I choose not to act on my faith, my faith has no foundation. [2] I’m practicing lawlessness.
Christ’s answer sometimes confounds me still.
So my work as His disciple is all about believing? I know it’s not always supposed to be that easy.
But is it really that simple?