“In the meantime, His
disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’
But He said to them,
‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’
Therefore, the
disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone
brought Him anything
to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food
is to do the will of
Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.’”
John 4:31-34
(NKJV)
As we’ve just finished celebrating Thanksgiving, with its
emphasis on food as well as thanks, I was struck by the above passage. I’ve
read it before but it really jumped out at me this week. Jesus considered obedience to the Father’s
will and doing His work as His food. One
of my study Bibles indicates about this passage that when Jesus talked with the
Samaritan woman (John 4:7-26), He was performing the Father’s will and thereby
received greater sustenance and satisfaction than mere physical food could
offer Him. I don’t know about you, but
that is very convicting to me.
God places heavy emphasis on obedience, stating that “to
obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel
15:22, NKJV) Of course, no matter how
hard we try, we will never exhibit perfect obedience as Jesus did. But that
should be our heart’s desire, to obey our Lord.
We can find true and lasting satisfaction in seeking to do His will more
than any delicious Thanksgiving leftovers can provide.
