John 6:28 Commentary: The Works of God Question

The crowd has just been fed from five loaves and two fish (John 6:1-14). After crossing the lake to Capernaum, they find Jesus and he tells them: 'Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life' (v27). This prompts their question in verse 28. They heard 'work' and immediately thought of human effort.

In first-century Judaism, the phrase 'works of God' could mean either the mighty acts of God (creation, the Exodus, the gift of manna) or the deeds God requires of His people. The crowd likely had the latter in mind, especially the commands of the Torah. The question echoes other Scripture moments: God's demand in Micah 6:6-8 ('What does Yahweh require of you?') and the earnest inquiries of a rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16) and a lawyer (Luke 10:25). Each time, the asker assumed that inheriting eternal life depended on performing the right actions.

Behind the crowd's question also lies the memory of the manna. Moses gave their fathers bread from heaven (v31), and the rabbis taught that the Messiah would repeat that sign. The crowd wanted a credential from Jesus, a spectacular work that would prove his authority. They were ready to work if Jesus would give them a worthy task. But they missed the point of the miracle: it pointed not to a new law but to a person.

Jesus had already turned their attention from perishable bread to 'the food which endures to eternal life', a gift, not a wage. The crowd's question, however sincere, betrays a reflex: they think in terms of doing, not receiving. And that is the very reflex Jesus will dismantle in the next verse.

The main textual issue involves the verb 'do' in the crowd's question. Many manuscripts read ποιησωμεν (aorist subjunctive, 'what shall we do?'), but the best witnesses (p66, p75, Vaticanus, Sinaiticus) read ποιῶμεν (present subjunctive, 'what are we to do?'). Vincent's Word Studies notes the present deliberative subjunctive places emphasis on continuous action, the crowd is asking for an ongoing way of life. The difference is minor and does not change the meaning. No other significant variants are noted in the supplied sources.

John 6:28 has been read in light of the larger debate about faith and works. In the early church, the verse was often part of catechetical instruction on the true 'work' God requires, belief in Christ. Augustine used John 6:29 alongside verse 28 to argue that even faith is a gift, not a human achievement. In the Reformation, Luther and Calvin pressed the passage against any notion of earning salvation; they saw the crowd's question as a classic example of works-righteousness. The Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation, however, maintained that faith and charity together form the 'work of God' that believers are called to perform, a reading consistent with the Council of Trent's emphasis on cooperation with grace. More recently, the verse has been used in ecumenical dialogues to explore the relationship between divine initiative and human response.

Three-point outline

1. The lingering reflex of earning. The crowd had just seen grace, bread multiplied from nothing. Yet they ask, 'What must we do?' This is our default: even after tasting grace, we revert to negotiating.
2. The question that sounds spiritual but misses the point. 'Works of God' sounds devout. But as Calvin noted, they spoke 'without any definite object.' They were busy looking for a program when Jesus was offering a person.
3. The answer that turns doing into believing. Jesus redefines the singular 'work of God' as believing in the One He sent. Faith is not one work among many, it is the receiving of the gift that all other works pretend to earn.

Five-point outline

1. Setting: After sign, through storm, across the sea, the crowd pursues Jesus, but for the wrong reasons (v24-26).
2. Jesus' warning: Stop working for bread that spoils; set your sights on the eternal bread the Son of Man gives (v27).
3. The crowd's reaction: They hear 'work' and double down, 'Show us the job; tell us the task' (v28).
4. The deep problem: They assume that eternal life is a wage to be earned, a transaction between their effort and God's approval. This is not repentance; it is works-righteousness dressed in religious language.
5. Jesus' correction: The only 'work' God requires is trust, receiving the One He has sent. Faith is not the opposite of effort; it is the end of efforts aimed at self-justification.

Illustration hooks

• Earning approval at work: An employee who always asks 'What else can I do?', never feeling they have done enough. The boss says, 'Just trust that I've got you covered.' The question itself reveals a belief that acceptance is earned by performance.
• Religious to-do lists: A new Christian asks, 'What are the rules I must follow to be a good Christian?', looking for a checklist. The answer is: come to Christ, and let Him shape you from the inside.
• Grace after failure: Someone who has wanted hard and feels they must 'make it up to God', the gospel says there is nothing to make up; Jesus made it all.

Questions your congregation is asking

• 'What must I do to be saved?', they hear the answer 'believe,' but secretly wonder if that is too easy, or if they need to add something.
• 'How do I know if I'm doing what God wants?', they want a clear list, but God wants a relationship of trust that produces good fruit.
• 'Is faith really a work? Aren't we saved apart from works?', Jesus calls believing a work; this puzzles people who think faith and works are opposites.

This crowd sounds spiritual. They have come looking for Jesus. They ask about doing 'the works of God.' But their question carries a hidden assumption, that God's favor is earned by human effort. Jesus will turn that assumption upside down.

Discussion questions

1. Observation: What do you notice about the crowd's question in verse 28? What phrasing suggests they are thinking in terms of human action?
2. Observation: How does Jesus respond in verse 29? What does he say the 'work of God' is?
3. Interpretation: Why might the crowd have misunderstood Jesus' command to 'work for the food which endures' (v27)? What did they think he meant?
4. Interpretation: In what sense is believing a 'work of God'? Does Jesus mean that faith is a human achievement, or something else?
5. Interpretation: The cross-reference in Micah 6:8 asks what God requires, justice, mercy, humility. How does Jesus' answer in John 6:29 relate to that Old Testament passage?
6. Application: In your own walk with God, do you more often ask 'What must I do?' or 'What has Jesus done?' Why?
7. Application: How can we keep from turning faith itself into a new form of work, as if we had to 'work up' enough belief to be accepted?