The Father’s Will
Are We Willing?
27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “what do you seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?
28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
30 Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
She had been at the point of leaving, her water pots filled when the disciples returned from the village with food that they had purchased to feed Jesus and themselves.
She was eager to reach the village and tell others of her great discovery. No longer was she weighted down by the burden of carrying the waterpot full of stagnate earthly water for she had left it all at the feet of Jesus. She had experienced desire, conviction, and decision. Therefore, the next logical step was action. She went to tell others of her great discovery. Had she heard, listening intently and not been convicted, there would have been no action on her part to tell others. Her action testified to the reality of her decision. The waiting waterpot was mute evidence of her intention to return without delay.
The woman rationalized in her heart that if Jesus knew the deep, dark secretes of her life, nothing else could be hid from Him. She had expressed her belief that when the Messiah came He would “tell us all things.” Now this prophet declared Himself to her to be the Messiah, by telling her things about herself that no one else knew. She naturally concluded, He is not only “a prophet,” but the Prophet whom Moses foretold.
Now it was the woman’s turn to witness. She used tact with the villagers by stating her discovery in the form of a question. “Come, see a Man who told me all things, that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
She used the same reasoning that Philip did when he invited Nathanael to become a disciple. “Come and see” (See John 1:46).
This woman by the question asked and the sincerity of her statements impressed the villagers and stirred them to investigate.
You see, often when we visit with non-believers, we give to much information. Instead of giving enough information to create a desire, we feel it necessary to explain all at once. But they are not ready for everything. Instead they are not wanting you to answer but to get them on the path of exploring for themselves. This creates desire within their heart as Christ had created desire in her heart and Philip had created desire in the heart of Nathaniel.
At first, like Nathaniel by the testimony of Philip these villagers by the testimony of this woman came and to Jesus. Their belief was based upon the report of the woman, they did not have enough to form a lasting relationship. For you see, our lasting relationship as a Christian can be kindled by other Christians, but our conviction only grows stronger when we develop our own relationship with Christ.
But before the villagers came it was time for Jesus to witness to the disciples. Yes, as I said, witness to the disciples. Like so many of us, the disciples believe we are sustained on temporal food that we place upon our tables. Don’t get me wrong we all need good nutritious food to eat to keep us healthy. But Christ now explained to His exasperated disciples that there are two kinds of food. That which we eat for strong bodies, but there is also the food we eat that is given to us from above. And that food is only available when we empty of ourselves by witnessing Christ to others.
The response of the woman, her eagerness was more refreshing to the weary and thirsty soul of Jesus than any temporal food would have been. In this life, material things are of minor importance when compared to the truly important work of being co-laborers with Christ.
As unpopular as this next statement will be to some it is vitally important to throw it out there for us all to digest. The relative importance Christians attach to material things as compared with things of the spirit is an index to their devotion to Christ and their thankfulness for what Christ has done for them (see Matthew 20:15).
The disciples actually do not believe Christ has eaten, therefore the way they form the question in the Greek anticipates a negative answer. Yet, they are perplexed to find Him no longer hungry, wearied or thirsty.
Jesus lived for one purpose and one purpose only, and that purpose was to do the will of His Father. Most of us, myself included live for “the meat which perishes.” But Jesus only had appetite for one thing and that was “meat which endures unto everlasting life.” For Christ, as it should be for all his disciples is that material requirements of life are to be incidental to the great objective of accomplishing man’s salvation.
When we faithfully perform the work which Christ would want us to engage in, we will be sustained in ways that totally amaze us. As Christ was sent by the Father, we are sent by Christ with the Holy Spirit as our guide and as we empty of ourselves for others, Christ will refresh us with living water that flows from the very throne of God.
The Bible In Your Hand 