Food For Thought

31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.

32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.

33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?

34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

-John 4:31-34 (King James Version)

I must confess-I like to eat. As long as the food isn't spicy, I like to eat. In our Scripture for today, the disciples had returned from purchasing food, and they were encouraging Jesus to eat with them. Jesus, on the other hand, saw an opportunity to teach them an important lesson. It's a lesson that you and I need to hear today, as well.

After the disciples urged Jesus to eat something, he replied, "'I have meat to eat that ye know not of.'" What's this? Could Jesus have some kind of secret stash of food that He was hiding from them? No, not exactly. To completely understand, we have to do some backing up in Scripture.

When Jesus was being tempted by satan in the wilderness, we read these verses: " And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:2-4 KJV)" Jesus was in the desert and fasted for 40 days and nights. He knew the time was at hand to begin His ministry, and I'm sure that He was spending time with the Father getting prepared for His work. Afterward, at the time of temptation, Jesus was hungry. Of course He would be, he fasted for 40 days & nights. It was at that point, when He was hungry and possibly tired and weak, that the tempter came. The tempter knew that Jesus hungered, that's why his first temptation involved food. The tempter challenged Jesus, in verse 3 "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." Could Jesus have done that? Of course He could, but what would it prove. This is why I think there is a deeper meaning to John 4:32. Jesus replied to the tempter by quoting a verse from Deuteronomy 8:3. "that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." 

Here is what I believe the deeper meaning is. Food provides nourishment to the body. It enables us to function, it provides us the energy we need to go about our day to day lives. There is some food that is good for us, and other food that is not beneficial to us. The Word of God provides nourishment to our soul. The Word of God enables us to function in the work of God, it provides for us the energy we need to do what God has called us to do. Jesus had fasted from for 40 days & nights in the wilderness, and then was challenged in His hunger. Yet, I believe His soul was filled. When Jesus replied "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," I believe He was teaching about the importance of the Word of God. We have the Bible, we have God's Word for us. Those words teach us the way to life, they provide for us instruction in how God expects us to live. We need nourishment from food to function day to day. We need our nourishment from the Word of God to help us live the life that God expects.

Jesus said "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (John 4:34)." In other words, Jesus is saying that His nourishment is to do the will of God, to finish the work He called me to do. One can only do the will of God, and finish the work He's called us to do, if we are properly nourished spiritually. It reminds me of something Paul said, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. (First Corinthians 9:27)" Paul is speaking about the importance of being nourished spiritually, so that we he could finish the work. How bad would it be if you preached the Word, led others to Christ, only to have missed the mark and be condemned to Hell because you never accepted Jesus. Paul also said these words, " I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (Second Timothy 4:7)." 

Are you taking time to nourish your soul each day? Or is your soul starving for nourishment? Think About It.