Man is ever consuming and insatiable. We desire all that our eyes are fixated at. There is a longingness for contentment and fulfilment but never reaching the point of satisfaction. This is more profound in our sense of food where our belly is always hungry, our taste buds are looking for exquisite food all the time. We ensure that we get our daily calories. We toil in our kitchens for hours to prepare a delicious meal only to finish eating it in minutes. This has become our untiring activity till our death.
Regarding food Jesus states, ‘Do not labor for the food which perishes’. He addresses this to a crowd where He performs a miracle with five loaves and two fishes. He multiplies this to feed five thousand men alone. With their families the number grows to twelve to fifteen thousand. He makes an important observation to them, “Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”.
Is Jesus asking the people to stay hungry and seek God? Of course not. He is encouraging them to seek something more valuable, i.e. to satisfy the hungry soul - ‘but for the food which endures to everlasting life’. Unfortunately, as humans we try to suppress the hunger of the soul by feeding our bellies. We try to shut the cries of our soul by overindulging in food. The Bible further records that for many who do not set their mind on the matters of God and for them “their god is their belly”. The untiring lifetime activity of working for food ultimately does not sustain man for life. Man is still, always hungry and restless.
Do not confuse the need of your soul with physical satisfaction. You need Jesus who satisfies human hunger. The gospel of John records what Jesus claimed, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst". Man is continuing to search God in the work of his hands, and in his creation and believes he has found God. The biggest mistake we make is finding a god for ourselves and personalizing it. Jesus came to the world to seek and save the lost. Those who are lost in the pursuit of happiness, satisfaction and God. You just believe and accept Jesus to find meaning in life and hope for an everlasting life in eternity.
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