John 6:27-35 (NRSV)
Do not work for the food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us, then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing?Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who 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.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.”
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty…
Devotion
As a procrastinator by nature, there are lots of things in life I’ve planned to do “when I can get around to it.”
So, when my wife and I retired from our careers last year, you’d think I would now have the ability to get to all of those things. Turns out, it’s harder than I thought. While we are enjoying retired life very much, we’re at least as busy now as when we were working. (I can almost see more experienced retiree friends nodding along knowingly to that statement!) We’re still very busy “doing,” albeit different things than before.
As I contemplate living more simply and allowing more room to experience God in my life, when is that ever going to happen if not now? What do I now need to “do” in order to be simpler? What do I “do” to create more God space?
Today’s scripture is a good indicator that I’m not alone with these questions. The crowds following Jesus around to hear his teachings were, like me, inclined to assume that being part of the work of God was complicated and primarily involved doing stuff on their part.
What must we do to perform the works of God? What sign should we seek out?
Jesus clearly — and lovingly — points out that the important answer is pretty straightforward. “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (NRSV, John 6:29)
We don’t earn God’s favor or our salvation by the things we do. That work is already done for us. To be sure, truly believing in Jesus and in the promise of life that Jesus offers almost certainly refocuses how we see the world and how we spend our energy and time. But perhaps starting to live more simply involves acknowledging that we already have everything we truly need.
Prayer
Dear God, as we prepare during Lent for the empty tomb of Easter, help us to meditate more clearly on the Messiah whom you sent — and on his simple-yet-profound message of life. And, through this journey, grant us the faith and the space to embrace your work in us and through us.
We do believe; help us overcome our unbelief!
Clay McConnell