Day 26 – Secret Food

Read:  John 4:27-38

In the middle of Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well, the disciples returned with food for Jesus. Although they are quietly astonished to find Jesus engaged in a conversation with a woman, John is careful to point out that no one questioned the woman or Jesus about their unconventional exchange. Perhaps, after following Jesus for some time, the disciples had finally become accustomed to His radical habits. The woman, perhaps uncomfortable with the disciples’ presence, runs off and tells her neighbors about her conversation. Still amazed by Jesus’ knowledge of her life, she proposes the possibility that this man is the Messiah. This news intrigues her neighbors who begin to make their way toward Jesus.

While the crowd was forming, the disciples encouraged Jesus to eat. No doubt they could see the approaching crowd, and being aware of Jesus’ condition upon entering Samaria (see John 4:6-8), were anxious to provide for His needs before He was once again called upon to minister to a crowd. The disciples must have been shocked to discover Jesus’ newfound strength and sustenance. He tells them that He is “fed” by doing what God sent Him to do. His conversation with this broken outcast must have been a feast! Jesus’ renewed strength didn’t come from food or water, but from fulfilling God’s purpose in proclaiming the coming of the Kingdom.

While on a short-term mission trip in Kenya, I spent every day from sunrise to dusk with a group of young Kenyan pastors sharing the Gospel from village to village. Each morning as I left the western-style resort where I was staying, I was handed a sack lunch. My Kenyan friends, who lived in a nearby village, had no lunches. Not willing to eat while they went without, I shared the contents of my little meal. On some days there were as many as six of us. Having little more than half a banana or small piece of bread, we would eat what we had and continue on our way. Every day we walked for miles in the hot Kenyan sun until we came to a village open to hearing stories about Jesus. The amazing thing about those long days is that I never recall being hungry. Not a day went by that several people didn't listen and respond to the Gospel, and each time they did, I felt a sense of energy that no PB & J can produce.

Are you hungry for something food can't seem to satisfy? Try telling someone about Jesus. Sharing the Gospel isn't only about feeding others, it is about nourishing the soul of the person sharing. When the Bread of Life is distributed, the recipient and the distributor are both filled.

Bread of Life,

I admit the food I eat does little to satisfy the hunger of my soul. While I am starving, You continually place before me opportunities to feast on obedience to Your will. Help me to see how offering nourishment to others will also nourish me. Give me the confidence to do what will be uncomfortable, and even unconventional, as I share the good news of Jesus with a hungry and thirsty world.

Amen

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