“They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?”
So they asked him, 'What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? — the crowd demands proof (semeion), ironically asking for a sign after witnessing the feeding of 5000. The repetition of demands suggests skeptical hardening or spiritual blindness.
Church Fathers on John 6:30
They understood that the meat, which remains to eternal life, was the work of God: and therefore they ask Him what to do to work the work of God, i.e. obtain the meat: Then said they to Him, What shall we do that we might work the works of God?
i.e. By keeping what commandments shall we be able to fulfill the law of God?
But they said this, not that they might learn, and do them, but to obtain from Him another exhibition of His bounty.
Read all 18 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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