Faith that depends on the miracle of eternal life.

When Jesus fed 5,000 people with five barley loaves and still there were 12 baskets full of broken pieces left over, they were all surprised and wondered over it. They even intended to make Jesus king. However, Jesus didn’t place that kind of thing under the category of miracles.

What does God consider the greatest miracle? When he brought ten plagues upon Egypt, He turned the waters into blood, filled the whole land with frogs and caused a thick darkness to cover the land for three days. God showed such wonderous miracles continuously. Pharaoh, who had no faith in God, was surprised at first but he soon forget the God’s power. When God turned their waters into blood, the magicians of Egypt also did the same thing by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became even harder.

It is only God who can grant us eternal life. Since God alone can give us eternal life, Jesus testified about Himself through this.

Jn 6:27
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

Jesus said that He alone could give food enduring to eternal life. Those who were focused only on perishable food followed Jesus when He miraculously fed 5,000 people with five barley loaves and two fish; but when He said some things about eternal life, they didn’t understand and turned back and no longer followed Him. They had no eyes of faith to see the real miracle.

Jn 6:65-69
. . . From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

The disciples saw the real miracle. The 5,000 people just focused on the temporary satisfaction of their physical hunger when Jesus fed them with bread and fish, but the disciples saw a spiritual significance in the miracle, that they continued to follow the Christ.

The magicians could turn sticks into snakes or waters into blood, but none of them could perform the miracle of giving eternal life with the words. Since the beginning nobody has been able to imitate the miracle of eternal life. Only God can perform such a miracle. So Peter followed Christ, saying, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”