John 6:27 Labour not for the meat that 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.
Yes my Friends, it’s a new day, another one consisting of much labour, much scrambling and haste to and fro to meet deadlines and/or appointments, which the world deems necessary. But I have some enlightenment for us, bequeathed by that worthy orator, philosopher and playwright, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, born in Spain in 4 BC, educated in Rome, tutor and adviser to the mad Emperor Nero, but subsequently accused of conspiring against Nero in AD 65 and forced to commit suicide. Hn! The court of Rome was bad for conspiracy theories, but I don’t know if it can match our recent spate of supposed conspiracies nuh. And that ‘s your History lesson for today, my people. (smile) Anyway, Seneca reputedly penned these wise words: ‘Business runs after nobody; people cling to it of their own free will and think to be busy is a proof of happiness.’ But are we ever wrong Friends, cause being busy doesn’t necessarily mean being productive or happy. Many are the times we are busy just to appear busy, to impress ourselves or some other lost soul, because we’ve been brainwashed by the world into thinking that doing nothing or just moseying along at a relaxed pace is a crime. Well my people, it’s not. And Jesus corroborates that in Today’s Bit. This incident takes place after Jesus fed the five thousand with the five loaves of barley bread and the two small fishes and had so much left over; twelve baskets. That surely opened people’s eyes, causing Jesus to go up into a nearby mountain by Himself, fearing that since so many of them seemed to believe that He was the Messiah, they would take Him by force to make Him king, for hunger was common and a Messiah who could multiply food like Jesus did would certainly draw a huge following. Leaving Him alone, the disciples took a boat to go over the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, but during the night a storm blew up, then they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them and got scared. ‘But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.’ (John 6:20-21) Yes Friends, such is the power of our Lord and Saviour, that despite the storm and the remaining distance, once He entered it, the ship ‘immediately’ reached its destination. Praise His Holy Name! Now all this background is necessary because it’s the root, the very cause of Jesus’ admonishment. When the crowd came looking for Jesus the next day and couldn’t find Him, they were puzzled, since they knew He hadn’t crossed over with the disciples, so they hopped some boats too to the other side, and having found Jesus, asked: ‘Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.’ (John 6:25-26) Jesus meant that they were not following Him because of the miracles, the signs He did that showed He was more than a mere mortal, but because He could provide them with actual food to satisfy their physical hunger. Thus Jesus continued His admonishment with the Bit. ‘Labour not for the meat which perisheth, ( the food that spoils) but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.’ Oh Friends, we already know Jesus’ famous words on the accumulation of earthly versus heavenly things. (Mat.6:19-21) Here He’s talking about physical food in particular, but it’s the same story. earthly things are indeed important to sustain earthly life, but heavenly things are always more important, and should be the main focus of our earthly sojourn. As He asked when He preached the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment.’ (Mat.6:25) Therefore mankind should be more concerned with the spiritual things that only He can give us. And as He told the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:14) Poor woman, she didn’t really understand Jesus’ words and pleaded for some of that life-giving water so that she wouldn’t be thirsty, nor ever have to come to the well to draw again. Jesus then weighs in with some serous thoughts on bread: ‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ (John 6:51) What a monumental and revolutionary idea my Friends! It had the Jews wondering how they could eat Jesus’ flesh. And seeing their bewilderment, He continued: ‘Verily verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.’ (John 6:53-56) That says it all Friends. Unless we’re imbued with Jesus’ Spirit, which enters us when we believe and are born again, and continue to symbolically receive His flesh and blood through the ritual of Holy Communion, we’re not a part of Him. And He concludes the Bit with the definitive statement; ‘for him hath God the Father sealed.’ The Father placed His heavenly seal of approval on Him. And there are so many instances of that we can only mention a few. ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles.’ (Isa.42:1) That’s Isaiah’s prophecy. And here is it’s fulfillment. ‘And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mat.3:17) That’s after Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Again at the transfiguration, while Peter was talking to Jesus on the mountain; ‘While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them" and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ (Mat.17:5) And the spokesman Peter on behalf of the Apostles when preaching at Pentecost after the Holy Ghost invaded their souls. ‘Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.’ (Acts 2:22) And I won’t quote Peter from his letter (2 Pet.1:17-18) where he talks about hearing the voice at the transfiguration, but repeat his warning after that. ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.’ (2 Pet.1:19) Yes Friends, that’s the infallibility of Scripture as the greatest and clearest revelation of God to man. So if the Scripture says it’s so, then it’s so. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. And it says that Jesus is light and the day star. ‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.’ (Rev.22:16) So Friends, please, let’s pay attention to the Scripture and live our lives by it, so when the day star comes, we won’t be banished into eternal darkness. Much LOVE!…the three roads to salvation and the Father…Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…
Yes my Friends, it’s a new day, another one consisting of much labour, much scrambling and haste to and fro to meet deadlines and/or appointments, which the world deems necessary. But I have some enlightenment for us, bequeathed by that worthy orator, philosopher and playwright, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, born in Spain in 4 BC, educated in Rome, tutor and adviser to the mad Emperor Nero, but subsequently accused of conspiring against Nero in AD 65 and forced to commit suicide. Hn! The court of Rome was bad for conspiracy theories, but I don’t know if it can match our recent spate of supposed conspiracies nuh. And that ‘s your History lesson for today, my people. (smile) Anyway, Seneca reputedly penned these wise words: ‘Business runs after nobody; people cling to it of their own free will and think to be busy is a proof of happiness.’ But are we ever wrong Friends, cause being busy doesn’t necessarily mean being productive or happy. Many are the times we are busy just to appear busy, to impress ourselves or some other lost soul, because we’ve been brainwashed by the world into thinking that doing nothing or just moseying along at a relaxed pace is a crime. Well my people, it’s not. And Jesus corroborates that in Today’s Bit. This incident takes place after Jesus fed the five thousand with the five loaves of barley bread and the two small fishes and had so much left over; twelve baskets. That surely opened people’s eyes, causing Jesus to go up into a nearby mountain by Himself, fearing that since so many of them seemed to believe that He was the Messiah, they would take Him by force to make Him king, for hunger was common and a Messiah who could multiply food like Jesus did would certainly draw a huge following. Leaving Him alone, the disciples took a boat to go over the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, but during the night a storm blew up, then they saw Jesus walking on the water towards them and got scared. ‘But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. Then they willingly received him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.’ (John 6:20-21) Yes Friends, such is the power of our Lord and Saviour, that despite the storm and the remaining distance, once He entered it, the ship ‘immediately’ reached its destination. Praise His Holy Name! Now all this background is necessary because it’s the root, the very cause of Jesus’ admonishment. When the crowd came looking for Jesus the next day and couldn’t find Him, they were puzzled, since they knew He hadn’t crossed over with the disciples, so they hopped some boats too to the other side, and having found Jesus, asked: ‘Rabbi, when camest thou hither? Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.’ (John 6:25-26) Jesus meant that they were not following Him because of the miracles, the signs He did that showed He was more than a mere mortal, but because He could provide them with actual food to satisfy their physical hunger. Thus Jesus continued His admonishment with the Bit. ‘Labour not for the meat which perisheth, ( the food that spoils) but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you.’ Oh Friends, we already know Jesus’ famous words on the accumulation of earthly versus heavenly things. (Mat.6:19-21) Here He’s talking about physical food in particular, but it’s the same story. earthly things are indeed important to sustain earthly life, but heavenly things are always more important, and should be the main focus of our earthly sojourn. As He asked when He preached the Sermon on the Mount: ‘Is not the life more than meat and the body than raiment.’ (Mat.6:25) Therefore mankind should be more concerned with the spiritual things that only He can give us. And as He told the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:14) Poor woman, she didn’t really understand Jesus’ words and pleaded for some of that life-giving water so that she wouldn’t be thirsty, nor ever have to come to the well to draw again. Jesus then weighs in with some serous thoughts on bread: ‘I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.’ (John 6:51) What a monumental and revolutionary idea my Friends! It had the Jews wondering how they could eat Jesus’ flesh. And seeing their bewilderment, He continued: ‘Verily verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.’ (John 6:53-56) That says it all Friends. Unless we’re imbued with Jesus’ Spirit, which enters us when we believe and are born again, and continue to symbolically receive His flesh and blood through the ritual of Holy Communion, we’re not a part of Him. And He concludes the Bit with the definitive statement; ‘for him hath God the Father sealed.’ The Father placed His heavenly seal of approval on Him. And there are so many instances of that we can only mention a few. ‘Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgement to the Gentiles.’ (Isa.42:1) That’s Isaiah’s prophecy. And here is it’s fulfillment. ‘And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ (Mat.3:17) That’s after Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist. Again at the transfiguration, while Peter was talking to Jesus on the mountain; ‘While he yet spake, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them" and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.’ (Mat.17:5) And the spokesman Peter on behalf of the Apostles when preaching at Pentecost after the Holy Ghost invaded their souls. ‘Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know.’ (Acts 2:22) And I won’t quote Peter from his letter (2 Pet.1:17-18) where he talks about hearing the voice at the transfiguration, but repeat his warning after that. ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.’ (2 Pet.1:19) Yes Friends, that’s the infallibility of Scripture as the greatest and clearest revelation of God to man. So if the Scripture says it’s so, then it’s so. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. And it says that Jesus is light and the day star. ‘I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.’ (Rev.22:16) So Friends, please, let’s pay attention to the Scripture and live our lives by it, so when the day star comes, we won’t be banished into eternal darkness. Much LOVE!…the three roads to salvation and the Father…Jesus…Jesus…Jesus…
SCRIP-BITS 