22 On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 However, boats from Tibe′ri-as came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper′na-um, seeking Jesus.
25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (Jn 6:22-29 RSVCE)
Jesus, throughout his ministry, had always been beckoning those to seek a deeper meaning, not in what is merely surface oriented, but towards something deeper and even more mystical. Whether we are referring to the miracle at the wedding feast at Cana, the multiplication of the loaves of bread or even the baptism of Christ, there is simply more happening than what is initially apparent. Each of these instances, in one way or another, all lead to the mystery of the person of Christ.
Certainly, the people who were following Jesus certainly understood the importance of having a messiah, and they also were certainly aware that Jesus had the power to perform miracles. And these are all good things of course, because Jesus intended for these things to be known. However, important considerations must still be addressed, such as: 1. A proper understanding of the Messiah as Jesus would have it and 2. Actually seeking Jesus instead of just what his miracles can do for you.
When Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves (Jn 6:26).” Jesus was reminding them to not rely on perishable food alone, but also to what the miracles point to as the signs. Signs point to that which is deeper, what is essential. Additionally, when they ask, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God (Jn 6:28)?” Jesus, knowing that their theological understanding was still steeped in the transactional, lawful and deontological parameters of the Old Covenant, Jesus responds with what encapsulates the entire point of his ministry, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent (Jn 6:29).”
When we say yes to the supernatural gift of faith in the person of Christ and thus his message, then we are truly doing the first good work of God, and so our subsequent works also become the work of God via the merits of Christ. As today’s Gospel is certainly a message of faith, it also foreshadows the Eucharist by which our faith and belief in the real presence of Christ at Communion is needed, as Christ reminds us is, “The food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal (Jn 6:27).”
So beautiful.