John 6:27 Life in the zoo and baby seals
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.
John 6:27 NASB
Jesus continued with words that still affect me deeply. “Work. If you must work, but work for that which counts.” Work is intrinsic to man, it’s in our DNA. And it reflects our heavenly Father’s image in which I was created. He loves work and fruitfulness. Working six days, and resting one, is about right. Longer vacations are fun and needed, but I also need meaningful work and engagement with others on this earth. There’s a good chance that Adam was enraptured by the work that he was given and was having the time of his life in the garden. So much so that he lost his focus. He neglected to keep his eye on the ball. Relationship with his Father was the absolute primary purpose, yet, he got distracted. Distraction led to hearing other voices. Other voices led to mistrust. Mistrust led to sin. Sin led to death… and a curse. The unspoken response of the Father could have been, “If work is your priority, then work you will have. It will be your curse, and you will be enslaved by it. By the sweat of your brow you will eat…” So now, our food must come from our work. No work, no food.
But as the Father gently calls me back to him — he hasn’t yet lifted the requirement from me to work, but that day will come — he redirects the focus of my work. If I am going to spend my energy on anything, let it yield eternal life. A good meal keeps my body alive another day. Another day gives me an opportunity for a good meal. Sounds a little like a squirrel running the wheel in a cage — you never seem to be going anywhere. But the food which is from the Spirit feeds my soul and promises everlasting life. Wherever that meal is served, that is where I will work to buy my food.
Ho! Every one 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 yourself in abundance.
Isaiah 55:1-2 NASB
Stuff and things, exquisite food and exotic vacations, a beautiful house, and plenty of clothes — these are all good, but they don’t meet the broad spectrum of my human need. And, in fact, they can lie to me and tell all is well when in reality I am poor, blind, and naked from heaven’s perspective.
This was an important point with Jesus:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Matthew 6:19-21 NASB
Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Matthew 6:31-33 NASB
Then Jesus continues: the food for which you should be working is yet to be given. But make no mistake, he will give it to you. There may be toil and labor today, but your payday is just around the corner. Today’s work yields tomorrow’s meal. Despite their motives, Jesus doesn’t belittle this group. He tells them the truth and offers this incredible promise. He redirects them to what is important. Not what they wanted to hear. If I am sick do I want my doctor to tell me I’m well? I think I would consider a malpractice suit. Yet, it’s not always easy to hear what I really need to hear.
And what he is really saying, is that very shortly, the Holy Spirit would be given (on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2). One drink, one bite from the Spirit and I am fed and satisfied. But that’s not all, he then becomes a fountain springing up within me, the bread of life I may not only feed upon, but feed others with too. And when the kingdom of heaven is aligned within me, earth is also aligned. Do I think for a moment that once this alignment is made that my physical body would go hungry? Absolutely not. “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven…” is a prayer for aligning me with heaven. And that includes my work. My provision. My food, house, and clothes.
And finally, Jesus says that the Father has set his seal upon him. What is this? Helps Word Studies says:
“To seal” means to seal or affix with a signet ring or other instrument to stamp (a roller or seal), i.e. to attest ownership, authorizing (validating) what is sealed. It signifies ownership and the full security carried by the backing (full authority) of the owner. “Sealing” in the ancient world served as a “legal signature” which guaranteed the promise (contents) of what was sealed.
Helps Word Studies
The Father sealed the son. There are two parts of this that I’m impacted by: the seal itself, and the contents of the document which is being sealed (or protected). In Jesus, the seal isn’t a little wax emblem, but rather the impression the Father is making on clay. His intersection with people and the effect he is having is undeniable. His disciples saw it. The crowd at the wedding saw it. Nicodemus saw it. The man at the pool of Bethesda saw it. And now this crowd after being miraculously fed saw it. But more than the fragrance of the divine and the impact He has with the clay is the content of the promise. Jesus, in the flesh, was the scroll upon which the Father is making a promise. His legal terms, so to speak. Forgiveness. Redemption. Salvation. And more importantly, restored relationship. Restoration to all the benefits and privileges that originally belonged to Adam in the garden. And what is more of a culmination of the promise than the the Holy Spirit willing to take up residence within me?
What an incredible seal the Father had set upon the son. His undeniable presence promising his coming, abiding presence in His people. In me. The Spirit was given to Jesus without limit or measurement.
And now I am filled with the Holy Spirit and he too is my seal. The foretaste of my inheritance.
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV