Hungry?

Dec. 29

Read: John 4:7-45; focus on 31-45

Hungry?

“I have food to eat that you do not know about…My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” - Jesus

I am sure we can all agree - especially after Christmas celebration - that food is a big part of our lives. Every day… we eat. We get cravings. We get hungry. If we don’t eat often enough or soon enough… we get “hangry”. Just think of the role that food plays in our lives.

When Jesus’ disciples finally come back from buying food in town, they find him talking to a woman at the well. They were all curious about what Jesus was doing, but none dare ask him. (v.4:27) They were probably hungry and excited to eat… maybe Peter was even “hangry”. (I mean he was always the feisty one, right?) Anyway - they start urging Jesus to eat the food they had just gone to get. Makes sense really. They have been traveling and needed energy for the journey. The crazy thing is that Jesus decides not to eat. He is not hungry. He looks at the disciples and says:

“I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (v.32)

I bet the disciples were thinking, “Well fine. Then why did you send us to town to buy food?” How frustrating is that? These guys run all the way into town to buy food and bring it back, only to have their Rabbi tell them he is not hungry!?! This is not the main point I am seeking to make, but it is worth mentioning: sometimes we bring back our “earthly”bread to Jesus and he has no appetite for it. It is not bad… he is just full of something else. What was Jesus talking about anyways? Secret food? What did Jesus have that the disciple’s did not yet know about? What was it that he was keeping from them? Jesus goes on to explain:

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.” (v.34-36)

Now things come into focus. Jesus is “feasting on”… he is “eating” and “consuming” … the ministry and work that the Heavenly Father has entrusted to him. The disciples did not know that this was “food”. They were not yet able to participate with the Father in the same was as Jesus - hence “I have food you do not know about.” The were awaiting the Holy Spirit. Someday, they WOULD have that same food when the Holy Spit came to dwell in them and direct them as he did Jesus. (cf. Acts 1:18, 2:1-41) Basically, this sort of food was something “off the menu” that they had not tried before. Jesus was literally being fueled by ministry and the Holy Spirit. He was consuming it the way that we eat feed. He was feasting on and being satisfied by the work that the Father had given him… the “harvest”. When we combine this truth with the “living water” imagery from above we get a stunning picture of spiritual “food and water” for us today. Here is some food for thought (lol):

Our spirits need food and water -

We need to spiritually eat and drink as much as we physically need to eat and drink. If we are spiritually starving and dehydrated we have no strength and will wither spiritually. We cannot neglect our spiritual selves this way. Jesus is the source of living water that we drink from and we ought to feast on the WORK that the Holy Spirit leads us into. This is how we “eat and drink” spiritually. When we feel spiritually drained or malnourished we need to come to Christ (the wellspring of liver water within us) and take a drink while seeking the Spirit to lead us into the ministry that the Father has for us (our food). This is a spiritual meal… our food and water.

Our spiritual well being effects our physical well being; both realms are connected to one another -

Jesus was turning down physical bread because he was already full… he had already “eaten” of the ministry of his Father. We DO NOT get any account of Jesus saying these words and then looking at Peter and declaring, “enough of that Sunday School stuff… give me a piece of that bread and fish!” The truth is that in some real and meaningful way, Jesus’ PHYSICAL body was being fueld or energized by this SPIRITUAL work. The Holy Spirit of God can / will / does provide our bodies with actual physical strength. It is possible to “eat” the “hidden" food of ministry and be sustained. In no way does Jesus imply this is the ONLY FOOD he eats… in fact, we see Jesus eating a lot in the gospels. The point is that we can actually be energized by doing what God has for us to do and that has real, physical, able to be experienced effects on us. These two realities (physical and spiritual) are fused together… interwoven with one another. I think this is why fasting is such a frequent part of Jesus’ life. It is an opportunity to experience the miracle of the spiritual overlapping with the physical… it is a chance to eat the bread that the disciples did not know about yet!

We are reaping the harvest of someone else’s work, namely the Lord’s -

The harvest is the fun part! The hard work of tilling and planting, watering and watching, enduring weather and pests… all of this precedes the harvest. Jesus paints a picture that depicts that work being already done… and he is inviting us in to the most rewarding and fulfilling step in the process - THE HARVEST. The harvest is when the food is ready to eat.This sort of spiritual work that feeds us is ripe for the picking all around us. It is ready for us. Jesus has already done the hard work!

What are you hungry for? What are you feasting on? It is hard work to change your diet… I know. We have all developed habits of how we “eat” and what we reach for when we are “hungry”. Jesus is sharing with us food that we might not know about. He is showing us a way to feed our spirits and to be satisfied in HIM. I know the New Year is traditionally a time of “diets and change” (I am contemplating it as we speak…oof) Maybe the most important “diet” for this upcoming year is the one that involves “living water” and “the bread of life” (John 6). It truly is possible to be fed and satisfied by the ministry the Lord has for us. Maybe what we are truly hungry for is not anything on the menu in this world… but something from above… from the Lord. Maybe the things we are eating and drinking here - the tangible food and drink we clamor for - is actually our attempt to feed ourselves spiritually? Is it working? Are you satisfied? What are we trusting to carry us on OUR journey… to fuel us for this life? Speaking as if a seasoned waiter, “May I ask? Have you tried the living water and bread of life? It is delicious and does not disappoint.” Love you guys! Have a great day. - JDP