The Work of God

The Crowd Seeks Jesus for the Wrong Reasons

And so for today, we'll look at verses 22 through 34, the work of God. We see this crowd following Jesus, and John points out, as Jesus knows their hearts, that they were following him for the wrong reasons, looking for earthly satisfaction.

Just another piece of bread. Have you ever noticed how fleeting the satisfaction of this world can be? I mean, really, whether it's the excitement of a new gadget, it is September, so the new iPhone's gonna be coming out.

Everybody get ready. You know, whether it's the taste of a delicious meal, even the rush of success, the sense of fulfillment seems to fade so quickly. It's like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it.

No matter how much you pour in, it's never quite enough. And this insatiable hunger is something we all experience in various forms. Many spend their lives chasing after material success, relationships, various pleasures, hoping these things will bring lasting joy and contentment.

But Jesus offers a profound truth that cuts through this endless chase. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him, the Father, God, has set his seal.

Jesus invites us to recognize that the things of this world, while good in themselves, are temporary, they perish. They can never truly satisfy the deepest longings of our souls. Instead, he calls us to work for a different kind of nourishment, a spiritual food that brings eternal satisfaction.

So today, we'll explore how Jesus offers us something far more fulfilling than what the world could ever provide, and how chasing after perishable things leaves us hungry, while pursuing him leads to true lasting fulfillment.

It's not Jesus plus anything else. Jesus alone is the exclusive one and only way for lasting contentment. Without Jesus, there is no peace with God. Without peace with God, there is no peace. Not in this world or the one beyond that has been prepared by God beforehand in eternity past before he laid the foundation of the world.

Jesus is the only way, the only spiritual food that satisfies. In today's world, the idea of exclusivity is even thought of as being narrow-minded. Maybe it seems old-fashioned. Many believe that there are countless paths to truth and that salvation can come through a variety of means, whether through personal effort, spiritual enlightenment, or a mixture of different beliefs.

I once worked with a guy in the sheet metal industry and I asked him if he believed in Jesus, and he said, yeah, I believe in Jesus. He said, I'm a Buddhist, but I just like his teachings and I take what I, I was like, what?

You're a Buddhist and a Christian? How does that work? So we just see all these false religions and people kind of take a little bit of everything. Yet, Jesus presents a radically different view. This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.

This statement is not just a casual suggestion or an optional belief. Jesus is making a bold and clear claim. The work that truly pleases God is not a matter of our deeds. It's not a matter of religious rituals or moral performance.

The key, the starting point for salvation is faith in him, the one that was sent by the father. This conversation that we have this morning between Jesus and the crowd highlights humanity's natural tendency to seek after things that provide temporary satisfaction.

The crowd had just witnessed the miracle of the loaves and the fishes and the fish, and they wanted more. They wanted more physical sustenance. They wanted bread, but Jesus redirects their focus to a much greater need, eternal life, which can only be found through him.

In this passage, we will see that believing in Jesus is not one of many ways to find salvation. It's the only way. It's not about working harder to earn God's favor, but trusting in the one whom he sent for our redemption.

We live in a world that constantly promises satisfaction through wealth, success, relationships, personal achievement. Yet, no matter how much we attain, there always seems to be an emptiness that lingers, a hunger for something more.

People chase after temporary solutions, but true satisfaction remains elusive. In verses 22 through 34, we find a crowd that is seeking Jesus, but for the wrong reasons. They had just witnessed the miracle of feeding of the 5 ,000, and now they want more.

But Jesus redirects their desire for physical nourishment to a deeper need, the need for eternal life. Jesus proclaims, for the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Jesus is revealing that he himself is the true bread from heaven, the only source of lasting fulfillment. Just as physical bread sustains the body for a time, he is the spiritual nourishment that satisfies the deepest longings of our hearts and gives eternal life.

The bread he offers is not something we can earn or find on our own, it's a gift that comes down from heaven. True satisfaction isn't found in the temporary things of this world, but believing in Jesus, the bread of life.

Only he can fill the void in our hearts and give us life that never ends. In the passage this morning, Jesus explains the work of God to a crowd seeking him for the wrong reasons, so that you can seek Jesus for the right reason, not to get temporary satisfaction, but to receive everlasting satisfaction, both now in part and fully in the future by having true peace with God, by believing in him who he has sent.

This morning, we'll look at the circumstance of the crowd following Jesus, the command of Jesus to correct their thinking, and the clarification that Jesus gives explaining his command to seek the son of man, who will give that which endures to eternal life, the spiritual food that does not perish, belief in him whom God has sent.

The Crowd Crosses the Sea to Find Jesus

In verses 22 through 25, we see the circumstance. On the next day, the crowd which stood on the other side of the sea saw that there was no other small boat there, except one, and that Jesus had not entered with his disciples into the boat, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

Other small boats came from Tiberias, nearer to the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the small boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

And when they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, Rabbi, when did you come here? So we see there was only one boat, and the crowd noticed. The crowd was still on the side of the Sea of Galilee, where the miracle had taken place of Jesus feeding the 5 ,000.

This sign had taken place near Tiberias, and now more ships had come from that area. But they're still looking for Jesus, or at least some of his disciples, because they know that Jesus didn't get in that first boat.

Finally, taking some of the boats that had come from Tiberias, the crowd follows in the direction they perceived the disciples went, to Capernaum. John records the surprise or astonishment of the crowd in seeing Jesus.

The crowd knew there was only one boat, and Jesus wasn't on it. They had very clearly been waiting and watching, and they took the next boats that were available. They knew Jesus wasn't on that first boat.

They know he wasn't on any of the boats from Tiberias. They would have seen him. So when they ask, when did you get here, it's like they're really asking, how did you get here? How did you get here? This section includes something I think I just want to point out briefly.

It's an interpretive challenge, based on the other gospels of Matthew and Mark, recording the destination away from Tiberias differently. Matthew 14, verse 34, same account, different perspective, and when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret.

Mark says the same thing, Mark 6, verse 53, and when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. John here says Capernaum was the destination. So this is something that we see, and we might look at that and say, hey, what's going on here?

Why are we saying different destinations? This is actually very easily resolved by understanding the geographical realities of the region of Galilee, and the more well-known district of Capernaum. In the broader context of the Gospel of John, we have seen that Jesus was not welcomed in his hometown of Nazareth, once he had started his earthly ministry.

He made Capernaum his headquarters as he worked in the region, and Bethsaida is near Capernaum. Earlier, when Mark records the miracle of walking on water, he writes this, and immediately, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side to Bethsaida.

He himself was sending the crowd away. That's Mark 6, 45. So even in Mark, we have Bethsaida, and then Gennesaret. Same area, a little bit apart. Matthew and Mark are being more specific, while John is being more broad.

The region of Galilee curved around the north and west of the Sea of Galilee, west of the Jordan River. It was unique in that area, with more rain and less heat than the surrounding land. Galilee was both beautiful and popular for travelers.

In the first part of his Gospel account, John tells us Philip, Andrew, and Peter were all from Bethsaida, on the northeastern side of the Sea of Galilee. It would have been close to Capernaum, which housed a synagogue.

And so you can go to Capernaum now, and you can be in that area, and you can look at this synagogue that has survived from the first century. Pretty amazing. There's actually like black stones that have been laid on it, and it's sort of like rebuilt.

But if you look real carefully on the ground, you can see the stones as they make a 90 degree angle, and there's a white stone that's underneath. And that white stone is the synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus would have taught.

Pretty amazing to look at. So there's a few possibilities. One suggestion is that there's just two Bethsaidas, one that's in between. So it's Tiberias, Gennesaret, and then Capernaum, and then up on the northeastern, those are all western side of the Sea of Galilee, up on the northeastern is Bethsaida.

So some postulate that there could be a second Bethsaida that's just sort of lost to history. It's possible that this town was something of a miniature suburb of the larger Capernaum. The name Bethsaida literally means house of fish, so it's safe to assume that almost everyone who lived there was a fisherman by trade, and that's what we see with the disciples, the first disciples called.

The reformer John Calvin pointed this out. I thought this was helpful. Capernaum was not situated on the opposite shore, for Tiberias is situated on that part of the lake where it is broadest, Bethsaida follows next, and Capernaum lies near the lowest part, not far from where the River Jordan issues from the lake.

Now when John places it on the other side of the lake itself, we must not understand him as if its position were directly across, but because at the lower extremity, the lake made a large winding, and on account of the bay that intervened, it was impossible to go by land without a very circular journey.

John therefore says on the other side of the sea, adopting the mode of expression used by the common people because the only direct and ordinary mode of conveyance was by a boat. So whatever the position is, it really, we don't wanna get bogged down here.

It's only, it's not a contradiction. It's only a perceived contradiction, and then when you just look at a map, it becomes pretty clear. Oh yeah, they're not gonna walk all the way around. They're gonna get in a boat and go so they don't have to make this journey.

One way to think about this too is folks will ask me where I'm from, and I say I'm from L .A. Well, I didn't live in Los Angeles, the city. I lived in L .A. County. I lived in a city called Downey. I was raised in Cerritos.

My wife was raised in Norwalk, but when people ask us where we're from, it's L .A. So Capernaum was that, Galilee's the bigger region, Capernaum's the bigger district, and it would make sense that John is letting his readers know where they were headed, and so that's just a point that I think is helpful to just get rid of that interpretive challenge.

The point that John wants us to understand is not the geographical stuff. The point is that the crowd was asking the wrong question. They asked the wrong question. By asking how did you get here or what time did you get here?

When did you get here? If they had understood the answer, they would have understood who Jesus really was. In other words, when they saw Jesus, they had an opportunity of finding out something about who he was, yet they just asked about time.

The crowd had enjoyed a free meal and it made them interested in Jesus, but they never stopped to ask what does this mean? What does this tell us about this man? And more importantly, what does this tell us about what God is doing in this man, that he is able to do these great things we have witnessed?

Their first response was political relief. They wanna make him the king, and now they wanted personal satisfaction. In other words, they were interested in keeping their hunger satisfied. Their desire to be satisfied actually was keeping them from a meaningful understanding of who Jesus really was, who Jesus really is.

Their needs occupied their attention, not who Jesus was. And here's a scenario in our modern world. A man wins the lottery, and suddenly, people who barely knew him before start showing up at his door.

Old friends, distant relatives, even complete strangers come out of nowhere, all wanting to spend time with him. At first, he feels flattered. It feels flattering, like everyone values his presence, and soon, he realizes something.

They aren't there for him. They are there for what he can offer or what he can do for them. His newfound wealth is the magnet, not his character or who he truly is. This is a picture of what we see in the circumstance of the crowd following Jesus.

After Jesus miraculously fed the 5 ,000, the crowd pursued him, not because they recognized him as the Messiah or sought a deeper relationship with him, but because they wanted more physical satisfaction.

They wanted more physical bread. They were drawn to the miracle, but they missed the miracle worker. Just like the man in the illustration, Jesus knew their hearts. How much more than man is God being omniscient?

He knew their hearts. Jesus recognized that they were seeking him for the wrong reasons, temporary satisfaction, not eternal life, and this is a challenge for us today. Are we seeking Jesus because of what he can give us, what he can give us materially or to solve our immediate problems, or are we coming to him because we truly desire him, the bread of life who offers something far greater than worldly things, eternal life and a relationship with God?

The circumstance showed the crowd followed Jesus, but their motivation was misplaced because they were focused on the gift, not the giver of the gift. Jesus explains the work of God to a crowd seeking him for the wrong reasons so that you can seek Jesus for the right reason, not to get temporary satisfaction, but to receive everlasting satisfaction, both now in part and fully in the future by having true peace with God, by believing in him whom he has sent.

Jesus Commands the Crowd to Seek Eternal Food

And in verses 26 and 27, we see Jesus answer this question and he gives a command. They ask him, Rabbi, when did you come here? Jesus answered them and 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 work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give to you. For on him, the father, God set his seal. Interesting construction there in verse 27.

It's the only time in the original Greek and the New Testament that we see it said like that. The father, God, pretty amazing. And so we see the command. Notice Jesus didn't reply to the question they asked.

They're basically saying, how did you get here? And he could have explained that he walked across the water without a boat, sure he could have said that. Knowing their hearts, he actually confronts them.

He confronts them for following him without considering the true reason for what he had just done. He knows that they saw him out. They basically are seeking him out for something other than himself. They were not there for him.

They followed him for what he could do for them while being blind to their actual need, the real need that only he could provide. So the crowd was following Jesus because they were excited by the miracles, but they actually abused the miracles, not understanding the proper purpose for what Jesus was doing in that sign wonder.

And so Jesus reproaches them because he has a greater regard for them than the miracles. In his perfect omniscience, Jesus knew their hearts. And in his reproach of their misunderstanding, he gives them an imperative command explaining their error.

What they saw or what they sought out was a perishable commodity, food, sustenance, earthly satisfaction. There was nothing lasting about what they were looking for. The crowd had enjoyed the meal of bread and fish.

Remember, 12 baskets of leftovers, 12 baskets, more than they had planned and more than they could take their fill of. Yet they were now unsatisfied and now they wanted another meal. Their continued hunger showed that they sought something that had no lasting results.

And so they were working for something that was merely temporary. And in the command, Jesus corrects their thinking. In the command, Jesus actually uses a verb with a continuous force, implying that they were constantly working for what was not lasting.

Jesus commands the crowd to look for the food that remains into eternal life. Of course, the food that Jesus is referring to is forever. In stark contrast to the perishable food that the crowd was so preoccupied by.

But notice in the command, there is a promise of a gift. Jesus is saying, stop seeking what is temporary and working and striving for that which doesn't last. But look for the food that lasts forever, eternal life that I will give to you.

Do not work for things that do not. Come to God, to me and see that I freely give more than you need, life everlasting. In the Old Testament, this is recorded, the prophet Isaiah, thus says the Lord, Isaiah 55.

Listen to this from God. Listen, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters. And you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why do you spend money for what is not bread and your wages for what does not satisfy?

Listen carefully to me and eat what is good and delight your soul in richness. Incline your ear and come to me. Listen, that your soul may live because of Yahweh your God, even the Holy One of Israel for he has adorned you with beautiful glory.

Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call upon him while he is near. Do not work for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life. And everlasting life is a gift, it's a gift, his gift.

And only Jesus can give it because he is the only one that God the Father has set his seal upon. There's no one else. I like what one commentator said here to understand this idea of a seal and how specific and profound this claim is by Jesus in his oneness with God the Father.

We need to understand the cultural context of the time. In antiquity, a seal was much more than it is with us even when we allow for the importance of the seal in some commercial transactions. It was an age when many people could not read.

It was useless to write a name on one's property since the thieves who would be tempted to take what was not theirs could not read. They did not know whose it was. Thus, an important man used a seal. He had a device, a representation of a bowl or another animal or perhaps some geometric design, something that was distinctive with a signet ring or the like.

This mark could be impressed into a soft material like wax which retained the design when it hardened. The potential wrongdoer could see the design and know what it meant. He might be very weary about tampering with the property of a powerful man.

The seal then was a mark of ownership but it was used more widely. It might be affixed to a document, for example, and then it gave a testament. It attested to something. The man who affixed his seal by that fact declared his agreement to what was in the document meaning it was a mark of approval.

Jesus is saying then that God the Father has given his approval to him. Jesus is saying that his Father is none less than God. End quote. Yeah, this statement that Jesus makes in the command is very important for us to understand because if God gave his seal to Jesus of Nazareth then he is not just simply another historical figure.

He isn't someone to look to for his moral ethical teachings which are supreme and divine and above every other man-made philosophy. We understand that. But he's more than just an historical figure and he's not just a prophet.

This transcends every religious matter that has ever come. All religion that is false that comes and goes. When God set his seal upon Jesus it means that Jesus is the one with God. He is one with God and more importantly he is the one that God has chosen.

That God is at work in him. He is God. It means that God has given his mark of agreement, his seal of approval. For the unbelieving world it is a profound fatal error to dismiss Jesus as being just another human being.

The desire of those who present their souls to Christ to be fed by him with eternal life will never be disappointed. This is the work of God. That true abundant life leading to eternal salvation is exhibited to us in Christ.

Christ shows us true life so that each of us may aspire to it not in some random way but with certainty and assurance in true satisfaction, peace with God. Christ gives divine direction that leads to the destination of everlasting life.

What if you were driving on a long road trip to a destination you've never been to before? Along the way maybe your map gives you clear directions but halfway through the journey you see a sign that promises a quicker route.

Something that seems like a shortcut to where you wanna go. Tempted by the possibility of getting there faster you decide to ignore the map and take the detour. But after a while you realize you're completely lost and that shortcut has taken you far off course.

This is what happens when we don't listen to the right instructions and instead follow what seems more immediately rewarding. In verses 26 and 27 Jesus confronts the crowd for following him for the wrong reasons.

They had experienced the miracle of the loaves and fish but rather than seeing the deeper meaning behind the sign and recognizing Jesus as the source of eternal life they were focused on the material bread that was gonna fill their stomachs.

Jesus commands the crowd do not work for the food which perishes but for the food which endures to eternal life. Just like a driver who was led astray by the lure of a shortcut the crowd was focused on temporary satisfaction, immediate fulfillment.

They were pursuing something that wouldn't last instead of listening to Jesus's commands and seeking the eternal life he offers. That he offers freely. In life it's easy to be distracted by the things that promise that immediate fulfillment, instant gratification.

Whether it's wealth, success or just comfort. But if we don't listen to Jesus and follow his directions toward eternal life we end up spiritually lost. Chasing after things that will never truly satisfy.

The command is to trust only in Jesus's free offer for spiritual food as the exclusive path that leads to complete satisfaction. Because without eternal life and peace with God lasting fulfillment is not possible.

It's not possible. Jesus explains the work of God to a crowd that's seeking him for the wrong reasons so that you can seek him for the right reasons. Not to get temporary satisfaction but to receive everlasting satisfaction.

Believing in the One Whom God Has Sent Is the Work of God

Both now and in part but fully in the future by having true peace with God, by believing in him whom he has sent. And in verses 28 through 34 we see this clarification as the crowd responds to the command.

Look at verse 28. Therefore they said to him what should we do? What should we do so that we may work the works of God? Jesus answered and said to them this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.

So they said to him what then do you do for a sign so that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness as it is written he gave them bread from heaven to eat.

Jesus then said to them truly, truly I say to you Moses has not given you the bread from heaven but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

Then they said to him Lord always give us this bread. I'm trying not to read too much attitude in their voice but you can only imagine the long suffering of God. Wow, yeah they just saw a miracle. 5 ,000 men.

So if you have women and children 15 ,000 to 20 ,000 people five barley loaves. This isn't a loaf of bread like we think of it's like a little loaf of bread and two fish. Remember this was the lunch that a young boy had on him.

They had 12 baskets of food left over. What sign do you give us? It's like were they not there? Yeah after hearing the command from Christ the crowd follows up with another question that demonstrates their misunderstanding.

It seems they understood that Christ had corrected them and commanded them to look at something higher than just the conveniences of this present life. Their question demonstrates they are mistaken in the kind of labor required to get what Jesus has just offered.

By thinking they could earn this food for themselves. They failed to consider what God had bestowed upon them. That it is by the hand of the son of God alone that everything in him is what is necessary for spiritual life.

We can take away that their question is an indication that they may have had a real interest in serving God but their emphasis is on what they need to do. So clearly they are still misunderstood about what Jesus is saying.

The crowd is an example of the depths of spiritual blindness. The crowd completely overlooked the fact that he had just said that the son of man will give eternal life. Something that no human can ever merit and no matter how hard we try this isn't possible by human achievement.

Eternal life is always a gift from God. And so now what follows the command and their continued misunderstanding is Jesus's clarification of what God is doing through him and who he is. In answering their question of what works needed to be done he clarifies what the work of God is.

And it's very simple, very simple. Eternal life is believing in him whom God the father sent. That's it. There's something very important going on in the grammar here that I want to point out. You may have noticed it.

So notice the question. They asked about the working or them working the works of God, plural. Jesus replied by speaking of the work of God, singular. Only one thing is needed. Only one. That you believe him.

That you believe in him. The singular form of this word is so critical for us to understand. Only one thing is needed. Jesus told Martha that only one thing is necessary. In the gospel account of Luke, we see this starting in verse 38.

Luke records now as they were traveling he entered a village, referring to Jesus, and a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary who was also seated at the Lord's feet listening to his word.

But Martha was distracted with all her preparations. And she came up to him and said, Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the preparations alone? Then tell her to help me. But the Lord answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things, but only one thing is necessary.

For Mary has chosen the good part which shall not be taken away from her. Only one thing is necessary. That you believe in him whom God the Father has sent. This is the work of God. The triune Godhead from eternity past for the sake of his name, for the sake of his name and his glory, predestined to work out our salvation in the life and death and resurrection of the Son of God.

And there is no other way. If we are to have eternal life, we must place the trust of our souls and our only hope in the Son of God, Jesus. And it's almost too simple to believe. There are many unregenerate sheep who are puzzled by what God wants them to do to be saved.

They genuinely seek God, but they don't know what to do. The false religions of this world are mankind's attempts to answer this question. The reply that Jesus gave to the crowd is short and sweet. In order to be saved, we must believe on him whom God has sent.

It is also true that genuine belief will be marked by genuine repentance, turning away from sin, a changing of the mind and returning to God. The first step is accepting that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Messiah.

After putting your faith in Christ, you have passed out of death into everlasting life. Sadly, John records for us the crowd's response to Jesus's clarifying statement of what the work of God is. They just want another sign.

They just want another sign. Having witnessed and experienced the miraculous feeding of the 5 ,000, which they were a part of, seemingly suspecting another miracle had occurred and not understanding how Jesus had crossed this portion of the Sea of Galilee so quickly without a boat.

Remember, the context is that they responded by the miracle and understanding that the feeding was a supernatural event because they wanted to force him to be their king. The spiritual blindness and the depravity of the unbelieving mind, they want more evidence.

They want more evidence. And part of this demand or question of what further evidence or sign he can provide that they would believe, the crowd point him back to Moses, as if pointing to a different authority or a higher authority.

It's like, we've got Moses on our team. God gave us manna from heaven. What are you gonna give us? The crowd is implying that if Jesus could only produce a satisfactory sign, then they would believe. So they were trying to persuade Jesus that if he could prove who he was, then they would believe.

But he knew their hearts. He knows our hearts. If he had performed another miracle as they requested, they would have found some other reason for not believing. J .C. Ryle has this quote. I thought this was helpful.

It is want of heart, not want of evidence, that keeps people back from Christ. Unbelievers always make these demands on Christ. Recorded in all four of the gospel, but Jesus always refused. Jesus clears the air.

In verses 32 through 34, he says, Moses didn't give you bread from heaven. While manna is bread that came from heaven, its purpose was for the nourishment of the physical body. The true heavenly bread is that which gives spiritual nourishment to the soul.

It's Jesus. And Jesus makes it clear that there is a difference between the world and heaven. He's telling the crowd that they should not seek the life of satisfaction on the earth, but what they should seek is the kingdom of heaven.

And he actually makes it crystal clear. Just like God gave manna from heaven so that you could have temporary physical sustenance to your, with your ancestors, God has now given me from heaven to provide everlasting spiritual sustenance to all who believe in me.

And what we have recorded in the clarification by Jesus is a strong refutation of their statements about the manna. Jesus clarifies their misunderstanding. Moses did not give the gift. Who gave the gift?

God gave the gift. God's gift does not only apply in the remote past to their ancestors. God gives now. The true bread from heaven is himself, and it is a spiritual gift. It is not something physical like the manna.

And because they were looking for just the physical satisfaction, they had committed a grave error in looking for such a gift. Of course, Moses was a faithful servant of God, but Moses never supplied the manna.

It was not in his power to supply. Moses had simply communicated to the Israelites what God would do. And then he passed on God's command concerning the use of the manna. The crowd had confused the divine giver, God, with the earthly instrument, Moses, through whom he made his gift.

The commentator Leon Morris made this point on verses 32 through 34. He said, many of us have an attitude something like that. We do not doubt that God once worked in this world. We are sure that he acted among men in Bible days, and we are ready to take that a little further.

Some of us take that down, perhaps, to the Reformation and think of the way God used spiritual giants to set forward his purpose. Others of us come closer to modern times, depending on whom we see as people through whom God delighted to act in days gone by.

But when we look at our problems and the problems of our church, in the modern turmoil and the needs of our modern world, it seems so much easier to concentrate on what people can do and are doing. But that is not a Christian position.

Jesus is teaching us that God is a present reality. Continually, he gives his good gifts. Continually, he acts in the fulfillment of his purpose. I thought that was good. The most important part of Jesus's answer is in the clarification that the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.

The crowd responded with an ironic statement that seems to challenge Christ's words. They rejected the promise of God, and they attempt to bring Christ down to their level. They make another charge against him in their unbelief.

Lord, always give us this bread. The manna certainly could satisfy physical hunger, but it didn't have the power to give life to the dead. Only one can do that. Jesus can, and Jesus does. Imagine a child eagerly waiting for Christmas morning.

All year long, they've tried to be on their best behavior, convinced that their actions will determine how many gifts they'll receive. The child works hard to do chores, get good grades, and to be kind, hoping that their performance will guarantee a pile of presents.

But when Christmas morning arrives, they find that the gifts are there, not because of what they've done, but simply because of the love of their parents. So if you have kids that you're telling Santa Claus about, sorry, no, God is the one who gives gifts.