Something Radical

John 6:27-40

I find myself wondering what sort of world it would be if we lived according to our gospel reading for today. "Do not work for the food that perishes,” Jesus says, “but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you” (John 6:27). To work for food that perishes is to worry about today and one’s current needs. We call it “earning a living,” and it occupies a great deal of our energy and time. Some people, of course, are better suited for such activities or have been blessed with opportunities that others do not have. Some folks, for a variety of reasons, are not able to function as well. This can lead to an imbalance in what various individuals have at their disposal, and therefore to a difference in the amount of “food that perishes.” We call this a difference in the “standard of living.” The bottom line is that over time there are those who have less trouble accumulating “the food that perishes” than others, those who have an abundance while others go without.

But what if we stop focusing on “the food that perishes”or on achieving a higher “standard of living?" What if we were to work for the food that endures? Wouldn’t that lead us to some pretty radical behavior, like caring more for others than for ourselves, or accumulating good will and not possessions or letting go of fear and living in openness? Is this what Jesus is calling us to do? And more to the point, are we willing to do it? Just think of the possibilities, of the grace, of the love flowing in all directions. Farfetched, I know. But isn’t that just like Jesus to challenge the status quo and to shake up the world?

Prayer: Lord, help us to care for one another more and to worry about our own need less. In Jesus’ name. Amen.