My Food…
TRANSLATION
(31) Meanwhile Jesus’ disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” (32) But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” (33) The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” (34) Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. (35) Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until the harvest?’ Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields that are now ready to harvest. (36) The one who reaps will receive wages and will harvest a crop for eternal life so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. (37) The saying, ‘One sows but another reaps,’ holds true. (38) I sent you to reap that for which you have not worked. Others have done the work, and you will reap the benefits of their labor.”
(39) Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything that I ever did.” (40) After the Samaritans came to know him, they asked him to stay with them. So, he stayed there two days. (41) And many more believed because of his words. (42) They told the woman, “Now it is not because of your testimony that we believe, for now we have heard for ourselves and know for sure that this man is the Savior of the world.”
OBSERVATIONS
While the woman was in Sychar summoning the townspeople to come and meet Jesus, he was quickly preparing his disciples for a fruitful ministry among the Samaritans with whom they would likely feel uncomfortable. His encounter at the well had suddenly turned into two days of harvesting souls, a fruitful ministry to say the least.
We find in this passage three groups of synonyms. In the first four verses we find “eat” three times (vss. 31, 32, & 33) and “food” twice (vss. 32 & 34). In the next four verses, “harvest” was repeated (twice in vs. 35) along with “reap(s)/reaper” (four times in vss. 36, 37, & 38), “sows/sower” twice (vss. 36 & 37), and “labor/labored” (three times in vs. 38). In the final four verses, “Samaritans” occurred twice (vss. 39 & 40) along with “woman’s/woman” twice (vss. 39 & 42), and “believe(d)” three times (vss. 39, 41, & 42).
OUTLINE
I. The disciples expressed concern about Jesus skipping his lunch. (31-34)
II. Jesus directed them to the far more important priority of reaping a ripening harvest. (35-38)
III. Many Samaritans believed not only because of the woman’s testimony but because of Jesus’ teaching. (39-42)
IDEA STATEMENT
Meeting the spiritual needs of others should always take precedence over satisfying our own physical hunger.
APPLICATION
Jesus’ declaration, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work,” not only revealed the heart of the Savior but served as a powerful example for all who would become his disciples. In Jesus’ case, the one who had sent him was the Father who so loved this world of unbelieving sinners that he gave his only son to die in our place. In our case, the one sending is Jesus, himself, who calls us to join him in the great task of evangelism which he called “the harvest.” This reaping has been going on since the Day of Pentecost and will continue until the Lord himself returns.
Ever since he gave his disciples the Great Commission (Mt. 28:16-20), Jesus has called his followers to be more concerned about doing his will and accomplishing his work than satisfying our own physical needs. Just as Jesus prioritized doing the Father’s will, so we should make carrying out Jesus’ will, namely “gathering fruit for eternal life” from every nation, tribe, and people group, our highest priority.