“All our eggs in one basket? Then make sure it’s the right one!”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, August 18, 2022
John 6: 16-27 (Forward, p. 20) CEV p. 1107
Sometimes Jesus perplexes me, leaves me totally baffled. This happens especially in the way that He sometimes chooses to respond to what, to me at least, seem to be perfectly logical and understandable questions. Here, for instance, the crowds are well aware that Jesus’ disciples had left the east side of the lake, without Jesus, and that there had been only one boat. But, here was Jesus, rather mysteriously and inexplicably, on the other side, the west side of the lake. So their question, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” seems entirely within reason, entirely logical. (I would have asked, ‘How did you get here?’ but the idea is the same.)
But what does Jesus say in response? “I tell you for certain that you are not looking for me because you saw the miracles [signs], but because you ate all the food you wanted” (verse 26). He follows this conclusion with a declaration, an injunction, “Don’t work for food that spoils. Work for food that gives eternal life. The Son of Man will give you this food, because God the Father has given him the right to do so” (verse 27).
So, is Jesus reading their minds? Or more accurately, is He aware of what their true intent was in asking the obvious questions about when (or how) He had arrived here? Is He saying that their true intent was to enquire about how they might access even more food? And so, He nips it in the bud by telling them not to work for this earthly food, this food that will ultimately spoil and perish, but for a food that lasts forever, that gives eternal life, a food, by the way, that truly satisfies (as the prophet Isaiah tells us—Isaiah 52:1-2).
What, then, Jesus seems to be saying is that we need to be aware, and careful, about what we devote our time and energy to. Many of our pursuits and activities really, when it comes down to it, aren’t actually worth our time and expense. Frankly, they are a waste of both. And, doesn’t this make sense? After all, we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”, so shouldn’t our energies be devoted entirely to those aims? And after all, doesn’t Jesus say, “Seek ye first [only] the kingdom of heaven…” (Matthew 6:33)? And so Jesus is reminding the crowd, and us, to put ‘eggs in the one basket’, yes, but also to make sure it is the right one. Amen.
Forward notes: “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” (verse 27a).
“We looked forward to the dinners our Austrian friend loved to make. After we had our fill of schnitzel and blintzes, she treated us to a Dobos torte—a celebratory many-layered cake with caramel topping. Though the food was amazing, best of all was the company. We shared stories and laughter, memories and bright hopes for the future.
“Surely the crowd that followed Jesus up the mountain rejoiced as they shared a feast of loaves and fishes. But when they meet with Jesus the next day, they learn the difference between actual food, which perishes, and the gift of life, which lasts forever. The food Jesus offers is not just loaves and fishes. It is true manna.
“Jesus teaches us an important lesson about what perishes and what endures. Jesus asks the crowd, asks us, to look beyond and beneath the surface. Just as we go to a friend’s house not just for a delicious dinner but for loving company, we are nourished by Jesus with the food of his spirit and presence.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Plan a dinner party for friends. Include someone you may not know well.”