Jesus said work not for the food which perishes

Joh 6:27  Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed. 

                                                                                                                                                              

Labour not for the meat which perisheth -This does not mean that we are to make no effort to work for a living (1Timothy 5:8; 2Thessalonoans 3:10), but that we must not make the things of this world our chief care and concern. The things of the world are meat that perishes. Worldly wealth, honour, and pleasure, are meat; they feed the fancy and fill the belly; but they perish. It means they are temporary and we can’t take them with us when we die. Solomon, the one who enjoyed life to the fullest said at the end of life: “Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).

What is the goal of your life? What drives you? What is the reason for your getting up in the morning? What are you pursuing in your life? Are you pursuing something in terms of the earthly? Or are you pursuing something in terms of the eternal that is to be found only in Christ?

The text today tells us that there are two kinds of meat. The first kind is one that can perish; it means it endures only for a while. Not only does this meat perish, the persons who eat it also perish. Note carefully the words that Jesus used to explain this meat: “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead” (John 6:49). You see, the manna (bread in the wilderness) which they ate could not save them from death. That manna supported them in life for a while.

It is no wonder Solomon concluded it is vanity, that is, worthless. Why? After accumulating all the wealth, he had to part with it. After enjoying life, he concluded it was vanity. Was he full? No, but what he got was emptiness. Pleasure lasts only for a while.

The second kind of meat is eternal. Jesus wants us to know that He is the Bread that gives life eternal (John 6:35, 51). He said: “This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die” (John 6:50).

Did you see the difference? The first bread leads to death while the second bread reaps eternal life. Jesus is that bread that gives eternal life: “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:51).

Therefore, what kind of meat should we be labouring for? Should we be spending our entire life accumulating wealth and enjoying life? Then, where will we spend in eternity? Do we want to suffer in eternity? Of course not! Therefore, it makes more sense to put our investment in God who can give eternal life. Hence, we should be labouring for the bread that brings eternal life. And this is only found in Jesus Christ.

It reminds me of this quotation: “When The Game Is Over, It All Goes Back In The Box” (John Ortberg). In the literal sense, it means that when you’re done playing chess, all the pieces go back in the same box, no matter how lofty or lowly their position was in the game, be it the king, queen or the lowly pawn, they all go back to the box. In Monopoly, you may gain the most houses, lands, and hotels, but at the end of the game, they all go back to the box.

The same is with life: when we are done with the “game,” we all go into the box. Life, no matter how we play it, will not go on forever. When the game is over it’s all going to end up in the same place – kings and slaves, billionaires and beggars, they all end up in the same place; they go into the box. Hence, what Christ is saying in John 6:27 is: “Why spend your entire life working for something that does not lead you to eternal life?”

Brethren, the only real thing we can count on to measure eternal worth is the relationship we have with Jesus Christ. Life is short; eternity never ends. Therefore, let us labour for the food that brings us eternal life. The investment is only for fifty, sixty years, or seventy years, but the payout is eternal. Think about it. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

Jimmy Lau

Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.