I would like to write to you today about “The Gospel According to John” Chapter 4:26-42, with the main focus being, the Lord willing, on verse 34. Jesus had just declared to the Samaritan woman at the well that He is the Messiah (Christ), and He did so at the exact moment that His disciples walked up, so that all would have heard. The woman runs off leaving her water bucket and goes into the city telling all the men in the city, “Come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (Verse 29) While she was gone, and before the Samaritans came out to Him his disciples began to eat, for the text tells us earlier that they had gone into the city to by food. But Jesus was not eating and this bothered His disciples so they tried urging Him to eat. “But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.” (Verse 32) This answer caused His disciples to talk with one another, basically saying, what is He talking about I don’t see Him eating and could anyone have brought Him anything. Then the Lord tells Him what His food is and I find this to be so telling of our Lord and so incredible because in it is what He wants us to do and He is showing us what will fulfill us.
What is food? Food is nutrients for your body, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to fuel your body processes. As your body depletes these calories you become hungry and want to eat, then taking in food satisfies your hunger. “Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (Verse 34) So further He explains this to His disciples in having them see the Samaritans as being ready for harvest and having them reap the harvest for eternal life. I see Jesus sitting there while His disciples ate food completely satisfied in the conversation He just had with the Samaritan woman. While the text does not say that she was saved, her fruit was evidence of her repentance and faith. What did she do? She immediately went and told all the men of the city.
Jesus said: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (Verse 34) Now what I would like to do is put this into context for us, here and now, the believers in Jesus Christ. So I would like to do this by asking and answering to important questions.
1. What is Jesus’ will for us? After His resurrection and before He ascended to the Father He said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) So His command to His believers is to preach the gospel, tell people about the good news, that there is salvation from sin and it comes through the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ.
2. What was His work while He was with us? Jesus said, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
So now let’s take the answers to those two questions and put them into the context of Verse 34 and relate those to us. Last week I wrote a blog called “Sick of Church”. We as believers were not meant to take up space in a church pew, sing some songs, listen to a sermon, go about our lives serving ourselves, come back the following week and do it all over again. Jesus said “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) Is it a fearful thing to go, you know it is, but it is also absolutely the most satisfying thing that you will ever do. Or should I say filling, as in a meal. The will of our Lord Jesus Christ is for us to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” and His work was seeking and saving that which was lost. So our food as believers is to do His will, which is to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” and to finish His work which was seeking and saving that which was lost. The church is the locker room; it is where you go to get bandaged up after doing battle, getting encouragement from your brothers and sisters in Christ who are also out doing battle. The church is also the practice field where you receive training to go into battle. Let us all be obedient to our Lord and “Go”. Come join me in spreading the gospel to our Tyler Community, our state, our nation, and the world.
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,”
Mike Peek a slave of Jesus Christ
peekmikeb@aol.com
