What is the “Food That Endures to Eternal Life?”

In our daily meditations, we focus on some of Jesus' teachings, and today, we examine what Jesus taught about the Bread of Heaven after He fed the five thousand. The next day, the people searched for Christ, and when they found Him, the Lord said to them:

²⁷Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” ²⁸Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” ²⁹Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent” (John 6:27-29).

The Lord’s heart went out to His people because of their pursuit of Him for daily nourishment, just as He had multiplied the food the day before. He said, “Do not work for food that perishes [or spoils], but for food that endures to eternal life” (v. 27; emphasis added). The Lord was comparing natural food, which we work for, with spiritual food, which is given to us by God's grace, not by our efforts. Spiritual food benefits us for eternity. Eternal things require no work from us except trusting in the Son of God. Just as eating a large meal gives a feeling of satisfaction inside, similarly, we are to spend energy and effort pursuing Christ and His Word, which are the only things that satisfy our inner being—the soul. This is the 'food' that grants us eternal life; without Christ, we feel empty and dissatisfied inside.

We often spend more time pursuing material possessions like large houses and new cars, but living a life focused solely on riches leads to spiritual poverty. It would be a tragedy to realize at the end of our lives that we are weak in the things of God because we prioritize daily business over spiritual growth. Many of us go beyond simply providing for our families, neglecting the pursuit of God's purpose. In my early years as a commercial fisherman on the North Sea off the East coast of England, I questioned why I worked sixteen-hour days, six days a week, for more money than I needed or could spend. I felt like I was living to work rather than working to live, and even the things I bought failed to satisfy me. I became aware of the emptiness within my soul, my inner life. I started taking months off from work, searching for something to fill this emptiness. Inside me, I sensed a missing piece of the puzzle of life—a void I couldn’t quite grasp.

The signs of my inner disharmony and emptiness were that I couldn't rest until I found whatever it was I was searching for. This internal dissatisfaction was a gift from God and a good thing for my soul, and I will be eternally grateful to God for the emptiness I felt inside. These thoughts drove me to travel the world in search of something I was missing. When I was fifteen, I believed I would find fulfillment by being part of the "in" crowd, and then I'd feel like I had made it. But that didn't satisfy my inner emptiness. Next, I thought having a beautiful girlfriend and an expensive motorbike to carry her on the back would do it. Then, I aimed for a car, a house, and a commercial fishing boat with my brother. When those things didn't satisfy me, I turned to illegal drugs and traveled to different countries, but nothing filled my inner thirst and hunger.

In his youth, King Charles of England once expressed his belief that “For all the advances of science, there remains deep in the soul, if I dare use that word, a persistent and unconscious anxiety that something is missing, some ingredient that makes life worth living.” Perhaps this generation's most renowned English columnist, Bernard Levin, once wrote about the emptiness in his life. He said:

“Countries like ours are full of people who have all the material comforts they desire, together with such non-material blessings as a happy family, and yet lead lives of quiet, and at times noisy desperation, understanding nothing but the fact that there is a hole inside them and that however much food and drink they pour into it, however many motor cars and television sets they stuff it with, however many well-balanced children and loyal friends they parade around the edges of it…it aches.”^[1]

As you read this, I encourage you to take a moment to look within. Are you spiritually fulfilled or empty? If you feel the same emptiness of soul I felt when I was young, I urge you to turn your heart toward home, where your estranged Father is waiting. Don't wait. The time to seek spiritual fulfillment, the Bread of Heaven, is now. Keith Thomas

This meditation is a shortened version of the in-depth study: Jesus, the Bread of Heaven.

^[1]As quoted by Nicky Gumbel, Questions of Life. Published by Cook Ministry Publications. Page 13.