LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
The Work of God
"Jesus answered and told them: This is the work of God, that you would believe in Him that He has sent" (John 6:29).
The question of the Jews was: What must we do to practice the works of God? And the answer of the Lord came immediately. "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him that He has sent".
The Jews probably expected an answer based on the Law, how to keep it, or emphasizing certain commandments. However, His answer was upsetting. That is why they immediately requested some sign in order to believe. As if faith could be based on seeing.
When God sent His Son to the world, His desire was that all would look at Him, because the prophets had testified about Him. He was the Hope of Israel. However, seeing Him they failed to really see Him.
Since then, the desire of the Father has not changed. Everything there is in the Bible –all the counsel of God– is centered in His Son. His desire is that men would look at Him and be satisfied. Just as the Father is satisfied. Nevertheless, man continues to stress works and asks: "What must I do?" The Father says: "Believe in my Son"; but man continues to ask: "What must I do?".
To believe is impossible to the flesh, that is why man feels impotent, and reaches for what he has: the possibility of doing works to please God. Then he tries to do things that will make him worthy of God's favor, but fails again and again. His conscience never arrives to rest, because he knows that he cannot please God. But as he is obstinate and presumptuous, he keeps trying. Why? Because he thinks that in this matter, as in all other things, he is capable.
To believe in Jesus Christ is more than to believe He exists, and more than believing in Him as the Savior. To believe in Jesus Christ is to believe that without Him we cannot find God nor please Him. It is to believe that in Him the Father was pleased and that there is nobody else in which the Father is pleased. To believe in Jesus Christ is to place on Him all of our confidence, discarding everything else that seems worthy of trust. To believe in Jesus Christ is to leave every other foothold and to fully trust in Him.
Not only the Jews needed that answer from the Lord. We also try to do the works of God, and we look around to see what needs we can supply, what plans we can accomplish, what new things we can get started for God.
To do the work of God is to stop everything we are doing, which does not give us safety, in order to wait for God to put Jesus Christ in the center of our life. Only then we shall be doing the works of God. If our activity does not proceed from Jesus, we will not be able to reach Him. We cannot initiate things and then ask God to bless them; we must wait that He initiates something to be assured that in this way the deeds are His and that He will bless them. What is to really do the work of God? Simply put, it is to really believe in Jesus Christ.