Gospel
[After Jesus had fed the five thousand men, his disciples saw him walking on the sea.]
The next day, the crowd that remained across the sea
saw that there had been only one boat there,
and that Jesus had not gone along with his disciples in the boat,
but only his disciples had left.
Other boats came from Tiberias
near the place where they had eaten the bread
when the Lord gave thanks.
When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there,
they themselves got into boats
and came to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
And when they found him across the sea they said to him,
“Rabbi, when did you get here?”
Jesus answered them and said,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me
not because you saw signs
but because you ate the loaves and were filled.
Do not work for food that perishes
but for the food that endures for eternal life,
which the Son of Man will give you.
For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.”
So they said to him,
“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”
Reflection
This line stuck out to me the most in this Gospel, ”Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life”. To me this meant to not put your time, faith, value, worth or happiness into material things that are fleeting. The people were doing just that and following Jesus for the wrong reasons not because they recognized His divine nature, but because of the opportunity for a free meal. This passage is a reminder not to tether our sense of self and purpose in worldly things like wealth, possessions, or even temporary comforts. These things may sustain us momentarily, but they cannot satisfy the deeper hunger of our souls. In todays world it can be hard as this is the opposite message we tend to receive from celebrities and social media that often promote these superficial things like money, fame and attractiveness as the keys to a fulfilling life. Jesus's words challenge us to reassess our priorities and invest in what truly matters. True fulfillment isn't found in what we accumulate in this life, but in our relationship with God and our participation in His eternal purposes.
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