Shalom!

 Shalom!

In John 4, Yeshua (Jesus) takes His disciples through Samaria. It is around lunch time and His followers go into town to look for food. Yeshua stays behind, to do the will of His Father. When the disciples return…

“Meanwhile His disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then His disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought Him food?”

“MY FOOD,” said Yeshua, “Is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work." (John 4:32-34)

Have you ever noticed how much time and energy we put into getting and consuming food? It’s not a bad thing; we need food to survive. We get really excited if we are going to eat at a nice restaurant.

At least three times a day, we search for food. We see someone and often ask, “Have you eaten?” This question is asked millions of times a day.

In addition to finding food, we look for other ways to feed our flesh. It could be with sex, drugs or power. Addictions of all kinds run rampant all over the world today.

But Jesus says, “MY FOOD, the stuff that fuels Me for life, is not merely stuff I put in My mouth three times a day, but DOING GOD'S WORK.” Instead of giving Himself to addictions and manipulating people for His own pleasure, Jesus lived a life of service to God and man. The Creator came to serve His creation.

“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Phil 2:6-8)

And He found His sustenance in such things.

Humans do the opposite, and think we will find nourishment in carnal aspirations... "if I am famous...if I am successful...or, to escape it all...let me just get through this day, so I can feed my flesh with [fill in the blank:________ (drugs, alcohol, movies, food, sex, etc.).”

But again, look at the example of Yeshua.

“‘One sees into what a state of suspense and elation Jesus was thrown by His unintended conversation with this non-Jewish woman.' ... man lives out of what he lives for. Since Jesus lives entirely for the fulfillment of the divine will, He lives out of it. The man who has nothing for which to live, is starving to death spiritually.”

The entire story is an illustration of this one statement: My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me. The disciples leave Yeshua in the beginning of the chapter to go do what? …look for food.

He, meanwhile, pursues God’s will in the city and has one of the most iconic conversations in the Bible with the woman at the well. And they miss it! They could have witnessed it in real time, but have to read about it like us! Why?

“Have you eaten?”

Now, to be clear, physical food is important, as well as drink. Without them we will die. Yeshua enjoys food with His disciples elsewhere and even cooks them breakfast after He rises from the dead. We are talking about life motivations. What gets you up in the morning?

By following the leading of the Holy Spirit (Yeshua’s food), He sparks an all-out spiritual awakening in this Samaritan city.

The disciples cannot understand Yeshua's passion for His father's will. They still don't have the Spirit. In verse 33, they are wondering how He got food.

They ask, “You ate?”

But He had food of which they had not yet tasted.