At its deepest level, faith is often a mystery. We can put ourselves in all kinds of situations to “feel” something, but not feel it. We can “choose” to believe a set of propositions about life and reality over a competing set. We can look back on our lives and be awed by a sense that there is “more,” and call whatever it is that is behind, within, and beneath it all “God.” Or choose to call it something else. Our society is very individualistic and rational when it comes to these kinds of things. Which makes makes understanding Jesus and the Bible sometimes very difficult.

Case in point: This Sunday, the crowd comes looking for Jesus because he just fed them with bread and fish out of thin air. (John 6:24-35) They ask what are those “works of God” they have to do to get more. In other words, what can we DO to make “it” happen? Feed the hungry? Give money to charity? Follow the 10 Commandments? Be good people? You get the drift... Jesus answers cryptically: “This is the work of God—that you believe in the one whom God sent.”

Is belief a work that we do? Or is it a work that God does? Jesus seems to say it’s a work GOD does in us. Later in John 6 he says to the disciples, “You didn’t choose me, I chose you.” This belief—which is really more like “trust”—is something God works in us. It’s a mystery. The danger is that we can easily over-think it, thinking that “faith” is one particular thing over against a whole bunch of others. For instance, if we limit faith to “feelings,” I can follow someone’s advice, trust their wisdom, but not “feel warm fuzzies” toward them. I can follow Jesus’ example (and cling to his words) and yet feel down, depressed, sad, lonely, as though God is “distant.”

The work of God is often a mystery. But if there’s one thing that Jesus is clear on, its his description of that work and who he is in terms of a promise. He points to himself and his sacrifice for us (his body and blood), “given for you.” And what God does and how God does it through that promise is a gift and is GOD’s work.

Peace,
Pr. Christian