It is striking how Jesus in the Gospel unmasks the wrong way of being his disciples. For while the crowds are looking everywhere for him but can no longer find him, when they finally do find him they hear these words from Jesus, “Truly, truly I say to you, you seek me not because you have seen signs, but because you have eaten of those loaves and been satisfied.” Following Jesus for the sensationalism of miracles, for the graces he can give us, and for the profit we can get from them is not really being his disciple. We, too, may live a faith more than interested in the miracles, the benefits, and the payoff we can get from them. But as in a love story, convenience outlaws love, so in the experience of faith, believing is not magic that solves our problems, but a way of salvation that involves our conversion. That is why, if our faith is tied to miracles, it will end no sooner than the miracles’ end. True disciples are those who will want to follow Jesus in the most challenging way of his life, the way of the cross. Until then, one is simply a crowd. Each of us must answer this question: What do we believe are miracles, or what should the miracles point us to? What do we care about, obtaining grace or loving the giver of all grace to the fullest? Jesus ends his rebuke with a particular direction, “Obtain not the food that perishes, but the food that lasts for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you.” (John 6:27 ) This food is not “a thing” but comes from His Person. Those who have Him have everything and no longer need miracles to believe.
