Let’s look again at the question, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
This was a question asked of Yeshua after he said to them, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life …” (John 6:27) I believe he was referring to Isaiah 55:2. “Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” We might ask, “What is food that endures to eternal life?”
When Yeshua answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent,” they asked Him for a sign so they could believe. They mentioned the manna their ancestors ate in the wilderness.
Yeshua said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33) They eagerly responded, “… always give us this bread.” Their eagerness was short-lived, however.
Yeshua answered in verse 35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” It is interesting that Isaiah 55 begins with, “Come, all you who are thirsty …”
Yeshua went on to say in verse 51, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” In verse 54 He says, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them.”
Many of His followers left Him after hearing that. “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” they said.
But to the Twelve Yeshua gave an explanation. In verse 63 He says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life.” I think He may have been referring to Isaiah 55:3 “Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.”So, what is the work that God requires? How do we know if we believe in the One the Father sent as the living bread? If we truly believe in Him, we will cultivate a hunger and thirst for Him, getting our very sustenance from Him, hanging onto His every word that is full of Spirit and life. Isaiah 55:2b “Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”
Barbara Foerster
