Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. John 6:37 (The Message)

Jesus had fed about five thousand people beginning with five barley loaves and two fish from a little boy’s lunch bucket. Whether everyone ended up sharing their lunch with each other or whether Jesus increased the loaves and fish so that everyone had plenty to eat, it was a miracle for that many people to cooperate and to be generous. About the time the crowd decided to crown Jesus as king, he slipped away to be alone.

The disciples, not knowing where Jesus was, got in a boat and crossed the lake to Capernaum. While they were a couple of miles away from the shore, they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water. When Jesus reached the boat, they hauled him in and continued to their landing spot.

When the crowd realized that Jesus was no longer with them, they ran to Capernaum to find him. Jesus said to them, “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food...Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.” (John 6:27). The crowd then asked for a business plan of what Jesus was talking about. Maybe just a short promotional piece so that they could check what he was actually promising.

The crowd reminded Jesus about how Moses fed his followers the manna in the desert. Would Jesus also keep their bellies filled? Jesus replied that the whole point now, is that God is offering the Bread of Life so that anyone who aligns with Jesus will no longer hunger or thirst.

The crowd is thinking of fresh brioche and possibly a nice Cabernet wine whenever they get hungry. Jesus is thinking of something a bit more substantial. Edible bread and potable wine can go bad after a while. The substance that Jesus is offering the crowd is food for the soul, the mind, the emotions.

While fabulous bread and wine will fill us for a while, it doesn’t last very long. Once the last bite of bread or the last drop of wine goes past the lips into the stomach, it’s over and done with. The memory may linger but this particular memory may not galvanize us to take action.

About the only food that will last forever is “food for thought.” One of the many interesting things about following Jesus is that there is never a time when you don’t have anything to think about. There’s always something from asking for help to get out of a predicament to sharing a moment of sublime beauty in a garden. The more we come to know Jesus, the more we evolve into the type of person who doesn’t need a money back guarantee or a half-price coupon from him.

Becky Gillette is a former teacher, newspaper reporter, and preacher who seeks to take an original approach to life’s lessons. She has recently published her first book, Jessie’s Corner: Something To Think About, which is now available for purchase. Based on several lesser-known scriptures from the Bible, this is a collection of articles which she wrote for a weekly newspaper.