John 6:28 Meaning: What Are the Works of God?
They said therefore to him, “What must we do, that we may work the works of God?”
Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God?
They said therefore unto him, `What may we do that we may work the works of God?'
They said therefore to him, What should we do that we may work the works of God?
Meaning in one sentence
In John 6:28, the crowd asks what they must do to work the works of God. Jesus’ surprising answer: believe in the one He sent.
Context
John 6 sits in the middle of a long conversation that starts with a miracle and ends with many walking away. The crowd had seen Jesus feed thousands with a boy's lunch. They chased him across the lake, not because they understood the sign but because their stomachs were full. Jesus calls them out for it. He tells them to stop working for food that spoils and to seek the food that lasts forever. That food, he says, the Son of Man will give. The crowd hears the word 'work' and their minds go straight to earning. So they ask the question: what must we do to work the works of God? They want a checklist. Jesus is about to give them something else.
Key Words
The crowd uses two different Greek verbs in one breath. They ask what they must do (poieō), a general word for taking action. Then they add that they want to work (ergazomai) the works (erga) of God. The second verb carries the feel of labor, toil, effort. They imagine God is a foreman with a job board. But Jesus will take their plural 'works' and make it singular: there is one work God asks for. Not a list. Not a ladder. Trust in the one He sent. The shift from 'works' to 'work' matters. They were spreading out their hands for many tasks; Jesus narrows everything to one response of the heart.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across the centuries hear something familiar in the crowd's question. Barnes calls it 'the earnest inquiry of men who were seeking to be saved' but notes they expected to find the way 'by their works.' Calvin says they partly understood Jesus was calling them to higher things, yet they 'talk without any definite object' because they did not realize God freely gives what we need. Gill points out that 'the general cast and complexion of this people' was to seek righteousness through the law. Wesley simply calls 'the works of God' those that are pleasing to Him. The crowd's question is not wrong for being asked. The mistake is the assumption that eternal life is a wage we earn.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to read this question as a model prayer: 'Lord, tell me what to do.' But the crowd was not humbly seeking instruction. They had just been told not to work for bread that perishes. Their question pushed back, demanding a task they could accomplish. In fact, the verse shows how naturally we default to earning. The real work is not a work at all in the human sense. It is receiving what God gives in Christ.
Living This Out
You may have asked God a version of the same question this week. What do you want me to do? How can I please you? What's the next step? It is not a bad impulse. But if you are running on anxiety, trying to prove yourself, you will wear out before you finish. This passage invites you to stop. Not stop serving, but stop earning. The one work God asks for is not performance. It is trust. This week, when you feel the pressure to measure up, try replacing 'What must I do?' with 'Who am I trusting?' Let Jesus be the bread you live on, not the reward you reach for.
Main takeaway: The one work God truly wants from you is not action but trust in the Son He sent.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus says the best thing you can do is trust Him. When you believe in Jesus, God is happy. That's the work He wants most.
For ages 9, 12
Sometimes we think we have to be really good to make God love us. We make lists of things to do. But Jesus tells the crowd that the one work God asks for is to believe in Him. That doesn't mean we stop doing good things. It means our relationship with God starts with trusting Jesus, not trying harder.
Questions People Ask
What does "work the works of God" mean in John 6:28?
The crowd wants to know what specific actions will earn God's approval. They think in terms of a to-do list. Jesus will turn the question around and say the work God wants is faith in the one He sent.
Is the crowd's question sincere?
Many commentators say yes and no. They are eager to know, but their eagerness springs from a mindset that eternal life must be earned. They are not ready to receive it as a gift.
Why does Jesus change "works" (plural) to "work" (singular) in his answer?
The crowd asked about many works they could perform. Jesus collapses all their efforts into one: believe in me. It is not that good deeds don't matter, but they flow from faith, not the other way around.
Does this verse mean we don't need to do good works?
Not at all. But it teaches that good works are a result of faith, not the way to earn salvation. The work of God is first to believe, and from that belief, good works naturally come.
How is belief considered a work?
In one sense, belief is an act of the will, but it is not a work we accomplish in our own strength. Jesus says elsewhere that no one can come to him unless the Father draws them. So belief is both something we do and something God gives.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study