“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:34-35
Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the kindergarten teacher who gave her class a “show and tell” assignment. Each student was instructed to bring an object to share with the class that represented his or her religion.
The first student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Benjamin. I’m Jewish, and this is a Star of David.”
The second student joined him in front of the class and said, “My name is Mary. I’m a Catholic, and this is a rosary.”
The third student also came before the class and said, “My name is Tommy. I’m Baptist, and this is a casserole.”
That says a lot about us doesn’t it? From dinner on the grounds and pot lucks to Wednesday night dinners and ice cream fellowships, Baptists along with believers of many stripes love to eat. There’s just something good about getting together with other believers for a time of fellowship while enjoying a good meal at the same time.
Of course, we all have our favorites. Many of you like traditional southern food where just about everything on the plate is fried. Others of you are a bit more health conscious and go for the fresh vegetables or fruit. And for still others, your favorite may be some of the long time family recipes that have been handed down for generations.
As for me, I still like Mexican. You name it. Tacos, burritos, whateveros. It doesn’t matter to me. If it comes from south of the border, I’m probably going to like it.
It’s interesting to note that in the fourth chapter of John’s gospel just following Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well, He talked about His favorite food. If you remember, Jesus and His disciples were traveling through the region of Samaria which was no small thing in and of itself. Most Jews in the day despised Samaritans and did everything they could to avoid them. But Jesus had led them there, so they dutifully followed along.
They stopped in an area known as Sychar at Jacob’s well. Jesus decided to rest at the well while the rest of the disciples went into town to buy food. That’s when Jesus met a woman from town with an empty jug and a checkered past. In the process of their conversation, Jesus offered living water to her that would quench the deep longings of her soul. It was such a profound experience that the woman left her jar at the well to run back to town to tell the people what had happened to her.
As the conversation was ending, the disciples returned and were surprised to see Jesus talking to a woman. As I mentioned, in those days most Jews tried to have as little contact with Samaritans as possible and especially female Samaritans. Nevertheless, they didn’t say anything even though they were surprised by what they saw.
As the woman was leaving, the disciples encouraged Jesus to eat something. At that he told them that he had food to eat that they didn’t know anything about. The text doesn’t tell us, but I can only imagine their confusion and irritation at this point. Here they had made a trip into town to get food, and Jesus is talking about already having food. Maybe somebody brought it to him. But who?
That’s when Jesus told them about His favorite food. However, this was no ordinary food. Like the water Jesus offered to the woman, His favorite food brought a lasting satisfaction that not even the best Mexican dish could match.
Jesus put it this way, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
Jesus said this as the formerly scandal-clad woman brought the townspeople with her to the well to meet the man who had changed her life. As far as Jesus was concerned, watching these people come to Him with hearts open to the good news of God’s love and grace was the greatest food imaginable.
So what’s your favorite food? Fried chicken? A gourmet salad? Steak Fajitas? Whatever it is, I hope you get to enjoy it many, many times. But more than that, I hope you’ll develop a deeper longing for a different kind of food – the kind that feeds the depths of your soul as you respond to the spiritual yearnings of people around you. If you do, then you’ll join with Jesus in having a kind of food that most people know nothing about. And it will fill your soul.