John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him."
John 6:27 Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him."
Jesus had taken 5 loaves of bread and two fishes, and miraculously fed 5,000 men, plus their women and children. The next day the people went looking for Jesus. They looked by the sea and then went to Capernaum to find Him. When they found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they asked when He had arrived there. Jesus knew what they were really thinking and why they were looking for Him. Some were wanting to see more miracles, some were hoping to be fed again. After all, this was the Man who turned water into wine at the wedding feast, and then fed all those people with just five loaves of bread and two fishes. He was like a walking pantry to them. It was for this that they had gone searching for Him. That was not the reason Jesus wanted them to be looking for Him. And it's not the reason He wants us to come to Him today. He wants us to come to Him out of love for Him and for our Father in Heaven.
Knowing the motives of why the people had searched for Him, Jesus said to them, ""I am telling you the truth: you are looking for me because you ate the bread and had all you wanted, not because you understood my miracles. Do not work for food that spoils; instead, work for the food that lasts for eternal life. This is the food which the Son of Man will give you, because God, the Father, has put his mark of approval on him." John 6:26-27 (GNB)
In no way is Jesus suggesting that we don't have jobs to provide for our needs and the needs of our family. What He was saying in those texts was that those people shouldn't have worked so hard, looking for Him, just for the miracles and food. They should have looked for Him to gain spiritual food which is everlasting. Time with Jesus, getting to know Him and believing He is our Savior is what will give us eternal life and it is something that will never spoil or go away. Those precious moments spent drawing close to our Saviour, letting Him guide us and make us into the person He planned us to be, are moments that will help us get through the rough times. Our confidence and strength comes from a daily walk with God.
After Jesus told them to work for the food that last for eternal life, the people asked Him, "What can we do in order to do what God wants us to do?" verse 28 (GNB)
Jesus answered them saying, "What God wants you to do is to believe in the one He sent." verse 29 (GNB)
It's all very simple. We just have to believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came down here to pay the price of our sins. He is our Savior. Without Jesus we would have no hope. We would still be going to the church leaders with offerings of lambs for our forgiveness. If that church leader was having a bad day, we might go away not fully confident that we were forgiven. Now our salvation is just between Jesus and ourselves. No one can take it away from us. No church leader has the right to tell anyone they aren't saved. Only Jesus knows the heart. Only Jesus can declare a person righteous and saved. "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father." John 5:22-23(MKJV) He will do that as soon as a person believes Jesus is God and that He died to cover our sins. We can always have confidence in our salvation once we accept Jesus. We have the privilege of demonstrating our belief in Jesus through the act of baptism. But first, we just need to believe Jesus paid for our sins through His death on the cross.