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+++ title = "John 6:22–40" date = "2026-03-07" +++
Read the passage.
The crowd that received the miraculous meal stayed in the area, but they eventually realized that Jesus and His disciples had left. They probably knew that Jesus usually operated out of Capernaum when He was in Galilee, so they chartered the boats that arrived that morning to go across the sea to find Him. Once they do, they ask how and when He got there ahead of them, but He ignores the question and instead tells them they are seeking Him for the wrong reasons. They had come to Him in the first place because they saw the healings He had done throughout Judea and Galilee. They followed Him to Capernaum because He had fed them miraculously. He points out that it wasn't the miracles that drew them, but the results of the miracles.
I think this distinction is subtle, but important. What is the purpose of a miracle? The answer is that John typically uses a different word to describe them: signs. While it is good that the sick became healthy and the hungry were nourished, the purpose was to point to something; to give a message. The message is, "God approves of what this man says and you should listen to him." I find the conversation Jesus has with the people, therefore, deeply ironic.
They ask Jesus what they ought to do to serve God, and He answers very plainly, "Believe whom He has sent," meaning Himself. So they ask Him what signs He has done. Really? Did they forget why they were following Him around this entire time? Clearly, more miracles would not actually convince them to believe what He was telling them if they hadn't already. Jesus brings up the manna from heaven that God gave their ancestors, which also did not produce belief in them. Despite seeing it appear six times a week. Despite getting quail in the evening to satisfy their cravings for meat. Despite their clothes and shoes not wearing out for forty years. In spite of all those signs of God's trustworthiness in His promise to care for them, they did not believe He would deliver the land He promised to them.
In the exact same way, these people didn't really believe Jesus, though they had seen Him do amazing things. He tells them so in verse 36. However, He also explains that they cannot believe in Him without the Father working in them to do so. (v. 37) Additionally, whoever comes to believe in Him will not be cast away, but raised up to live forever with Him. Even in the midst of an unbelieving people, we see the promises of perseverance and intimate fellowship with God for the believer.
Help us to seek You for Yourself and not merely the blessings that come from knowing You.