Jesus’s Food. John 4:34-36
Jesus had gone out of his way to talk to the Samaritan woman at Sychar. When his disciples returned from a visit to collect food from the town, they were surprised to see that Jesus was demeaning himself and was talking with a woman, and a Samaritan at that. Although they did not ask directly, they were fascinated to know why Jesus had broken the social taboos and entered into a conversation with her.
The answer came from a strange direction. The woman herself left the water jar at the well and returned urgently to the town to tell those she met that she had found someone very special, “Could this be the Christ?” she asked them. Back at the well the disciples were more interested in their stomachs and suggested that Jesus should eat. It would have been most improper for them to eat without him. It was at this point that Jesus said something very profound. He claimed he had another means of being satisfied and that was sharing the gospel of forgiveness, the gospel about himself. Jesus said,
“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34
The next paragraph makes it abundantly clear what he meant by ‘God’s work’.
“Do you not say, ‘Four months and then the harvest’? I tell you open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.” John 4:35-36
There is, according to Jesus, great joy to be found in bringing people into the Kingdom of God. Much hard preparatory teaching work will need to be done. The seed of the word of God needs to be planted. But at some stage the harvest needs to be brought in. People must be asked to make a decision as to what they will do with Jesus Christ. On their response hangs their eternal destiny.
We only have to look at the faces of those involved in the tough and sometimes lonely work of evangelism to realise the obvious joy they experience as people make decisions of commitment to Christ. It is a thrilling and exciting work.
Jesus clearly felt very sorry for all those who were under pressures of all kinds but saw no answers for their lives - who had no saviour. He frequently said that the main pressure we are under is because we are people living independently of our God. He used the word ‘sinners’ for this miserable state. How he longed for more people to go out to the public and explain where the answer lies.
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful and the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into his harvest field.” Matthew 9:35-38
Such work demands a determined mindset. It is all too easy to be knocked off our firm position that everyone needs to be in Christ. This is why the apostle Paul, a brilliant example of someone committed to this task and who had experienced many of the problems, said,
“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Cor 15:58
BVP
