Friday, September 12, 2014

Jesus And Food: The Will and Work of The Father



I am finally at a place in life where the Lord has given me a more healthy and biblical view of food and physical weight. I daily try to not make food an idol as I have done before.  So as I started reading through the gospel of John I was pretty surprised how much Jesus mentions the issue of food and compares Himself to Bread and Water.

In John 4:13-14 (ESV) We find Jesus at the well with the Samaritan women:
Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Then shortly later the disciples come around wondering why Jesus was talking to the woman and why Jesus was not hungry:
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”  So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.John 4:31-34

This got me thinking.  What if every time  I  am about to eat physical food to nourish my body, that I would remind myself to find true nourishment in doing the fathers will and accomplishing His work as Christ had done.

What if we all did that?
Our minds would consistently be on accomplishing the  Lords work.

Every time we eat we should also remind ourselves that we " shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4

Like I said I am so amazed how much Jesus is compared to food and how much it is mentioned in the bible. 

John goes on to write about the food we should be seeking:
When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.  Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:25-27

Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” John 6:32-33

And finally Jesus reminds us that when we eat food it will give us temporary life,  but when we partake of Him we will find true everlasting life:

So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.  As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”John 6: 53-58

so lets just say next time I go to eat something I will be reminded that only in Christ, true nourishment is found.






Matthew 6:31-33 ESV
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.


for more on this topic check out
Jesus The Bread of Life by Ligoner Ministries

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