“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34
When Jesus said this, it was in response to his disciples telling him to eat. They were in Samaria, where Jesus had just spent time conversing with a woman at the well. It was the kind of conversation that left the woman wondering: Could this be the Christ? She called the men from the town to meet this strange, wonderful man who told her everything she ever did.
Jesus must have been quite hungry with all the conversation (and prior to that, all the walking), or else the disciples wouldn’t have urged him to eat. Yet, when His disciples did so, Jesus pointed them to another kind of food; one that was to Him more important than bananas or fish or legumes. This was the kind of food that spurred Him to do the things He did.
And this makes us think about food. Food. Food. Food. What is food? Does food dictate what we do or accomplish? Isn’t food considered the fuel for our bodies’ activities? What spiritual fuel should be there inside us? What was the fuel for Jesus?
“My food is to do the will of God and to finish his work” This is the reason that made Jesus speak to the woman at the well, heal the sick, make the blind see, and turn water into wine. This is an answer that should motivate us; challenge us—push our gears into movement. What is God’s will for our lives? What is His work that He wants us to finish? Are we doing His will? Are we doing what He has called us to do?
There has to be a point in our lives when we realize that loving God and following Him means choosing Him above ourselves. This means living life with a purpose where He becomes everything to us. HE matters most.
To know God’s will, we must seek Him. It delights His heart that we ask Him: Who are You, God? What is your will? And who am I that You have created me?
Jesus is the Bread from Heaven. He is the Bread of Life. If we want to be filled with the fuel for our lives, the best place to start is to embrace Jesus as the Bread of Heaven and the Bread of Life. He is the WORD. He invites us to eat of Him and to drink of Him—to take Him in as fuel for our lives so that we can find out what work He has called us to do.
In John 6:38, Jesus says, “For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” With these words, He echoes what He would say later on in the Garden of Gethsemane to the Father, prior to the crucifixion: “…yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42b).
It is a heavy prayer. Yet, it is something that we can reflect on and pray to God. It is not to be taken lightly. If we are sincere followers of Jesus, then we must be able to embrace Him, the Bread of Life, and say, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
Janina Marie Rivera is the Editor-in-Chief of One Voice Magazine, a teacher of world literature, and a student of the Bible. She enjoys reflecting on life’s curve balls and plateaus. She resides in the Philippines, the country known for people who smile a lot.
