²⁴ So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Caper'na-um, seeking Jesus.
²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?"
²⁶ Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
²⁷ Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal."
²⁸ Then they said to him, "What must we do, to be doing the works of God?"
²⁹ Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent."
³⁰ So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?
³¹ Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'"
³² Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
³³ For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the world."
³⁴ They said to him, "Lord, give us this bread always."
³⁵ Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who believes in me shall never thirst.

• Jn 6:22-34 is the opening section of the discourse on the bread of life.
• The bread-of-life discourse is not easy for Jesus' hearers to understand. They seek Jesus because He gave them bread to eat (Jn 6:1-15), but have no interest in who He is, only in what He can provide.
• "Work of God" (also found in Jn 9:4): Jesus speaks of Himself as doing the work of the One who sent Him. He insists that only one "work" is necessary, that is believing in the One who comes to give life to the world.
• "the work" is a single task, contrasting with the many works of the Law of Moses.
• The crowd asks Jesus for a sign to authenticate Himself (v.30). This is normal in the tradition that a true prophet must legitimate himself and his announcement with a sign.
• This dialogue is reminescent of the episode of the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:1-15). On that occasion Jesus was speaking about water springing up to eternal life; here, He speaks of bread coming down from heaven to give life to the world. There the woman was asking Jesus if He was greater than Jacob; here, the people want to know if He can compare with Moses.
• John has used the phrase "believing in me" thirty-four times throughout his Gospel.

Jesus uses physical food to teach spiritual truths, that He himself is spiritual nourishment, not only by His body but in His teaching and in His life.

1. The crowds aren't really listening to Jesus. What does that say about me and about the way I read Scripture?
2. Was there a time when I "hungered" for Christ?
3. Does this Gospel passage challenge my present way of living?

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