The Work Of Belief

The one work which God wants men to do is the act of the will by which they believe on Him whom He has sent. Seekers mistake the meaning, however, and ask for a “sign.”

There was never a greater opportunity for Jesus to stress the necessity for keeping the law, being baptized, taking communion, (or other Christ-plus systems devised by Christendom to attain grace & forgiveness) than at this moment.

Instead, He said: You must believe.

Two Questions Were Asked By Those Seeking Jesus

“Why did you leave us?”

John 6:15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force to make Him a king, He departed again onto a mountain alone.

John 6:25 And when they had found Him on the other side of the sea, they said unto Him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?”

Many people crossed over to Capernaum to see Jesus again. They asked him about chronology, and His answer confronted them with the basic reason for their chasing after Him. The meaning of “sign” in this Gospel is that it points beyond the physical, concrete reality to the reality of revelation. They must understand that Jesus is God.

Jesus Answers A Question They Did Not Ask

John 6:26 Jesus answered them and said, “Verily, verily I say unto you, you seek Me, not because you saw the miracles, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled.”

Jesus’ reply did not answer their question. Instead, He went straight to the heart of the matter, exposing the real reason the crowd had followed Him. They did not understand the significance of the signs. They did not recognize that He was the Christ, the Son of God, in whom they should put their trust.

Jesus Redirects Them

John 6:27 Labor not for the meat which perishes, but for that meat which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you; for on Him has God the Father set His seal.

Seeking to redirect their efforts, Jesus said, “Do not follow Me in the hope of more food provided miraculously to meet your physical needs, instead, work for the food that brings eternal life, food that the Son of Man will give.”

They also asked, “What Labor Must We Do?”

John 28 Then said they unto Him, “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”

They wanted to know what works God required of them that they might qualify for the gift of the food that lasts forever.

The Work Of God

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, “This is the work of God: that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

The work God requires is believing in Him. This is not a belief in the abstract, an existential trust without a coherent object. They must believe in the One God has sent, Jesus.

Throughout His Ministry They Failed To Believe

Matthew 11:20 Then He began to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not.

Luke 10:13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! and Bethsaida!

Jesus’ harsh reproach against the cities in which most of His miracles were done was because they did not believe in Him: in fact, they simply ignored Him.

When people have great opportunity to hear God’s Word, and even to see it miraculously demonstrated, their guilt for rejection is intensified immeasurably.

They Ask For A Sign Before They Would Believe

John 6:30 They said, “What sign will You give us that will cause us to believe You?

Luke 16:31 And Abraham said unto him, ‘If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though One rose from the dead.’”

The day before, this same group had been fed by the creative hands of Jesus Christ, and saw a great miracle. We can know the care of God, the protection of God, the love of God, deliverance in various things, and God’s working in our lives, and be so grateful. Then all of a sudden some great crisis comes into our lives and we doubt if God really cares. We say, “God, if You heal so-and-so, or do this …., then I will believe You love me, callously asking God to give us a sign.

Jesus Himself is still the only sign we need. We just need to Believe.