John 6:22-35
Work of God
How is the work to be divided? That was always the big question when it came to group projects in school. We all wanted to know what our part was for completing the project. This wasn’t just for the sake of being organized, but also to ensure that everyone did their part. We didn’t want one person to be overburdened by taking on the entire project themselves. As it was, whenever we had group projects, there was one person who was the “leader.” They delegated tasks and were usually responsible for making sure all the parts came together well. This was usually the heavier workload. However, the other part of delegating tasks was in case someone wanted to try to free load on the rest of the group. Because we delegated tasks, we could easily go to the teacher and show them who was responsible for the missing pieces so that we all didn’t suffer the consequences. For so think about faith in a way as a group project. Think about it as though you were on a team with God. For this is generally the way that ancient Jews thought about their covenant with God. God would put in his part, then it was up to us to put in our part. Jews knew that it took both parts in order for the covenants of old to stay in force. This is the common ebb and flow we feel throughout life. We count on this give and take. As much as we give, we are also supposed to get things in return. But vice versa as well. As much as we get from others, that much do we return to them.
For so we come to our Gospel reading today as Jesus speaks with the crowd after the feeding of the five thousand. Jesus is seeking to teach them about this give and take with God. Though as we’ll see… it’s not quite an even distribution. For so shall we learn today:
THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD: GIVING FAITH IN JESUS UNTO ETERNAL LIFE!
I.
Changing Gospels means we jump back in time. Jesus was interacting with the crowd following the feeding of the five thousand. The crowd had all marveled at the miraculous feeding so much that they came back for more. And they remember how God had fed Israel in the desert by raining manna down from heaven. But they come to Jesus wondering, what do we have to do to get more? For so we heard Jesus say, “Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you,” John 6:27. There are some things that we work for that just aren’t worth it. Trying to maintain relationships with those who don’t truly care for us, trying to attain wealth simply to be wealthy, trying to satisfy our every desire with that which doesn’t satisfy. It’s human nature that we want to put in the least amount of work possible, but then we get the least amount of reward or satisfaction from it. That’s what Jesus is warning us about. We work so hard sometimes to attain things that never really pay off for us.
Why is this? Perhaps it’s because we think we’re the group leader. When it comes to faith, we so often take the position of trying to tell God how he can help us. God, give me more bread. God, I need a new house. God, I want a better job. God, heal me now. For you see, like a group project, we treat faith as transactional. If I do so much for God, attending church, helping the poor, etc., then God should give me something in return. But I have news for you… when it comes to faith, we’re never the group leader. We’re not even one of the contributing members. We’re the free loaders. We’ve contributed nothing to our faith. For this is why the crowd asks, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” John 6:28-29. Yes, we like to make faith part of our work. We try to say we contribute to this miracle. But we don’t. For all we have to offer is our sin, our greed, our selfishness. And these things will never satisfy us.
II.
Yet, if we’re not the group leader, we need to understand who is. And of course, it’s Jesus! That’s what Jesus is trying to tell the crowd. He’s the one who does all of the work. “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent,” John 6:29. This isn’t the work we do for God. Rather, this is the work which God does for us. God gives us faith to believe in Jesus. God endows us with our belief in Jesus as our savior. God works this great faith in you through the sending of Jesus. Even as we witnessed, it’s baptism where Christ brings to us the very bread of life, the bestowing of the Holy Spirit. And it’s His Supper that strengthens and keeps us in this faith. This is the bread that the Lord gives to us. It’s that which satisfies not just body, but body and soul. For so, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst,” John 6:35. In baptism and communion, Jesus gives us of himself. He feeds us with his own life that we may have life eternal.
Indeed, faith is a group project. It’s a project that we’re all in, but only one person does the work. And that’s the good news. Jesus does all the work for us, yet he doesn’t turn us into the teacher. He gives us the same reward as himself. Jesus joins us in this project through his birth. He leads us by his ministry. He finishes it by his death upon the cross. By the cross, Jesus does all the work of paying for our sins. He does all the work of placating God’s wrath, something we in our sin could never do. Jesus does all the work of saving us and gaining for us the reward of paradise and life eternal! This is what we’re to learn, that God is the giver of every good gift, even faith. That faith isn’t our work, but God’s through the gifts of baptism and communion. And so, our service is centered around these great works of God, and our response to them. God comes to us and gives us his gifts. In return, we give to God our thanks and praise. But God doesn’t stop giving. He continually gives. He keeps giving even if we fail to return to him our dues of thanks. But it’s because God keeps giving, keeps sustaining faith through his work that we’re enabled to match God’s gifts with our care for one another.
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may we work not for the things of this world that never satisfy, but for Jesus, our bread of life. Jesus gives us faith that we may partake of his death and resurrection and so gain the reward of eternal life! In Jesus’ name! Amen!