The Food Jesus Has

Lesson #76

Thinking about these three paragraphs of John 4:27 – 42 as a sandwich, we have covered paragraph 1 and 3 and are now ready to look at paragraph 2, the filling. We pick up the story at the point where the disciples had returned from getting something to eat and were surprised to find Jesus talking to this forbidden, in their minds, Samaritan woman. They said nothing about the conversation Jesus had with the woman, but instead urged him to eat. Jesus answers them by saying, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about” (John 4:32 NET). This response really puzzles them and they say to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” (John 4:33 ESV). Jesus responds with words that mean nothing to them. “[He] said to them “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” ” (John 4:34 ESV).

There appears to be two kinds of food in view here. There is the food that the disciples went to get that is needed to provide physical strength and life, but there seems to be food that provides spiritual benefit. Jesus related that food to doing God’s will. Jesus was human and he needed physical food to nourish his body, but Jesus was also God and by doing his Father’s will he was strengthened. Jesus as God gets his source of power from within himself. We do not have this source of power before being born again. After our spiritual birth, Jesus dwells within us and is our source of spiritual food. We show our love for Jesus by obeying him (1 John 2:5) and as we do we abide more deeply in him and draw upon his source of strength to bear much fruit (John 15:5). Jesus defined his flesh to be food and his blood to be drink (John 6:54 - 56). His flesh and blood is linked to the word (John 1:14) and as we partake of the Word we are in a sense eating his flesh and drinking his blood and we are taking in spiritual nourishment and life that allows us to bear much fruit to his glory.

The will of the Father is for Jesus to give eternal life because he is the source of eternal life and when he gives life that becomes a source of strength for him. Jesus is strengthened by giving what he is the source of. We are fed and strengthened by being a conduit through which he gives what he has to give to those who need it. The woman at the well needed eternal life and so did the people who came from the city. Giving eternal life to those who believed was the food he was talking about to the disciples.

Prayer

Father, such deep spiritual insight comes from thinking deeply about a passage like this one. I am also reminded of the link between coming and believing and eating and drinking. I long to learn more about this when we get to chapter 6. Thank you for giving me understanding for this lesson.