May 5 - The Unknown Food
A common Chinese greeting when one meets another is: “Have you eaten?” When the disciples went back to Jesus by the well, they marveled that Jesus was talking to a woman but they said nothing. Then after the woman left to tell the town’s people, they urged Him to eat. Eating is very important for food gets our lives going. Without food, no one can live. Food is there to prolong our lives by giving us the necessary nutrients for life. The answer of Jesus shocked the disciples, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So they suspected that someone had brought food to Him but Jesus was referring to another kind of food.
The unknown food that Jesus referred to had to do with what He had just done, leading the Samaritan woman to the living water, changing her life to becoming a witness for the Lord. This was what was driving Jesus, it was the unknown food that not only directed His life but also gave Him His sustenance. This expressed His purpose in life on earth: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” Jesus came on a mission and had a life purpose of saving the world. Unless this work was accomplished, Jesus’ life would not be complete.
Today, His food has to become ours. In order to give sustenance to our spiritual lives, we must partake of this food. This food has something to do with God’s will of bringing in the harvest for God. Listen to His directions: “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.”
Do you know that the reaping of spiritual harvest is like gathering fruit for eternal life, it brings rejoicing to our lives. We must open our eyes to see the readiness of the field, whitened for the reapers. They are ready and whitened because someone has done the sowing of seeds. You are just to go and build on what others have done. Telling others about Jesus is not difficult, you are merely co-working with many others who have heed the voice of the Lord and gone into the field. We are receiving our wages as we see the lost come to Christ. The joy of salvation is our reward or wages.
The woman at the well was an example of harvesting souls for the Lord. Even as she was a despised person in the community, believing in Jesus changed her life and she was bold to tell others about Jesus. Many Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of her testimony. Then more believed because of hearing Jesus’ Word and they knew that Jesus is the Savior of the world. Just imagine, a brand new Christian getting her unknown food. How about you? Are you partaking of it too?
Ps 66:1-4 Judg 21:1-Ruth 1:22 John 4:4-42 Prov 14:25