“Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (Joh 6:29 AV)
The context of this statement gives us a profound application. Most of the time, this verse is limited to salvation. That is certainly the most obvious and direct application. However, it may go far deeper than simple salvation. The context is the feeding of the multitude. They had followed Jesus and had taken no bread. Jesus turned a few loaves of bread and a couple of fish into a meal for thousands. Because of that single miracle, Jesus challenges the multitude to believe on Him as their Messiah. They required additional evidence. The multitude mentioned the manna of the wilderness as a starting point. In other words, a single meal in the wilderness was small in their sight. If the LORD would feed them from heaven for the rest of their lives, perhaps they would believe. Therefore, the duration of belief here is not a single belief on Christ as the living bread. Rather, this belief is for the duration of their lives. Bread needs to be eaten every day. We need sustenance to survive. Therefore, the belief mentioned here is far more than a belief in Jesus for salvation. It is belief in Him for living!
There was a program that aired in the distant past. If followed a man who had a treehouse building business. These houses were very elaborate. They were almost livable year-round. These houses cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars. They came with electricity and plumbing. They came heated and sometimes cooled. Most of them were quite literally a home in the trees. What makes the tree house special is the manner of access. A tree house would not be a treehouse unless in has an unconventional way of entry and exit. What Pete Nelson built were access points that were extremely safe, weather-resistant, and easily accessible. Whether a suspension bridge, a winding staircase, or an mechanical elevator, the occupant had an adventure just getting into the house. The thing is, no matter the means to enter the tree house, there was an element of faith involved. One such house has a ladder rising two hundred feet from the forest floor and required climbing equipment to enter a crow’s nest. Because the house was not a permanent dwelling, trust in the means of entry was exercised each time the occupant wished to enter.
Our pilgrimage requires that we come and go. We follow a path of which the details only God knows. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what we need. He knows where we are going. He knows everything. Jesus is the captain of our souls. He is the commander-in-chief. He knows what lies ahead. He knows where we have been. It isn’t enough to trust Jesus for salvation alone. That trust must continue each and every day. Like eating bread, trust is continuous. It is necessary. It is commanded. It is stressful. But it is also very rewarding. Jesus said that if we are to do the work of God, it begins with faith in Him. It also continues by trusting Him! Each time we take a bite of food, let us remember that in the same way, we are to trust the LORD each and every day, all day long, for all things as we trust what we are eating to keep us alive, make us healthy, and give pleasure to life.