The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (54-68).
Polyeleos Feast.
Acts 8:5-17; 1 Peter 5:6-14; John 6:27-33; Mark 6:7-13.
Read John 6:27-33
Christ is risen! Truly, He is risen!
Why does Jesus begin today’s gospel by telling those who came to him not to labour, not to work hard? It is because they have just been working hard. After they witnessed the multiplication of the loaves, they realized that Jesus had left the spot where he had worked that sign – so they got into boats and followed him across the Sea of Tiberias, which took considerable effort. This effort is admirable, but its also misplaced. The crowds are right in seeking Jesus, but they’re seeking him for the wrong reasons. A few verses before today’s passage, Jesus leaves the crowds because they have misunderstood the multiplication of the loaves and are now about to make him a king by force. The Kingdom they are looking for is not the Kingdom that Jesus has in mind. They are trying to figure out what Jesus can give them, how he can change their circumstances, but they are forgetting to look at Jesus himself.
The solution for the crowds who followed Jesus across the Sea was to stop looking at what Jesus had done (the signs), to stop scheming to see how they could leverage him to get more (a kingdom), and start looking at Jesus for who he really is. He is the one that God has sealed, which means that he comes to earth with God’s full approval, as a representative of the Father who brings God’s life-giving power into the world. But if we want that power, we need to look at Christ and let go of our own plans and desires. We need to stop searching for what he can give us, and give him the chance to call us to what he wills. Then all our effort will be purified and transformed, because it will be made for Christ’s sake, joined to him, and thus transformed by him.