THE WORK GOD REQUIRES
John
6:29 The
crowds asked Jesus, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus
answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
Jesus fed 5,000 people with a boy’s five
small barley loaves and two small fish (John 6:9). The disciples had seen no
available resources available to help so many people. The result of this feeding
miracle was that the people he fed wanted to make him king, by force. Later
that day, the disciples boarded a boat to cross the lake. On the way a large
wind threatened to capsize them. Jesus approached the boat walking on the
water. They were at least three miles from shore. The disciples were terrified.
People today struggle to
understand and make sense of Jesus’ miracles. People work hard to find an
earthly explanation for feeding 5,000 people. Could it be that many people had
already eaten, having brought their own food. Maybe those needing food were in
the minority and the crumbs left over were
the remnants from people who had brought food.
Was Jesus able to walk on water because he knew where the sand bars and
hidden boulders were in the lake? Maybe the wind had blown the water so
fiercely that the level of the lake dropped to a foot deep. Explanations leaves
us with answers that require more faith than the miracle itself.
To believe that Jesus is the Son of God gifted
with the powers to perform these miracles is a struggle for many people. It
takes great effort to believe, trust and walk in His footsteps. To explain his
miracles Jesus says that we are to work at believing that He is the one God
sent into the world. Believing is work. It is a struggle to set aside our
propensity for explanation and to trust that what is said about Jesus is true,
accurate and historical. To believe that Jesus is the Son of God is work. Not
performing good deeds, not feeding nor clothing but working to believe is the
most difficult task we face each day as Christians.
