A Kind of Food

Posted on by korgrocker

“Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” “Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.”
John 4:31-33 NLT

The disciples must have returned from their visit to Sychar with a supply of food, and they urged Jesus to eat some of it. But they were confused by Jesus’ response, with their minds still focussed on their bread and anything else they were able to acquire. Physical food was of course very necessary, even to Jesus in those days, so the disciples even wondered if someone else, perhaps even the Samaritan woman, had brought Him food while they were away. So, what was this “food” that Jesus had consumed?

It goes without saying that physical food is necessary to nourish our physical bodies, and spiritual food is necessary for our spiritual bodies. But most people in our societies major on the first, and neglect the second. They end up fat and bloated after overeating all the wrong types of physical foods, but their spirits are shrivelled up and in danger of dying from a lack of spiritual food. The death of their spirits can result in people suffering all kinds of physical and mental disease, with physical remedies being sought to fix a spiritual problem. 

When He was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus replied on one occasion, “But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”” (Matthew 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3). So Jesus equated the physical food of bread with the spiritual food of the Word of God. In 1 Peter 2:2 we read, “Like new born babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment”. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:2, “I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready“. 

So the food Jesus received, while the disciples were away in the village of Sychar, was obtained through prayer with His Father in Heaven. He remembered the Scriptures in which He had been grounded in His early years. And He received all the sustenance He needed, and more, in preparation for what was to come when he met the people of Sychar. 

So, fellow pilgrims, how are our spirits today? Shrivelled and almost dead, or bursting with life and vigour? God said through the prophet Isaiah, “”Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food” (Isaiah 55:1-2). That invitation written down all those years ago is still valid today. In fact with our modern technologies, we have access to the Word of God far beyond what anyone could imagine in Isaiah’s day. Let’s not waste the opportunity to feed our spirits, our very souls.

Dear Father God. You fed Your people physical food in the wilderness and You still feed Your people with spiritual food today. We are so grateful. Amen.

Please Give Me A Drink

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.”
John 4:6-8 NLT

So, we have a well, Jesus, tired from the journey and sitting by it, and a Samaritan woman coming out to get some water. Nothing remarkable about any of that, until we realise that Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink. And worse, there was only the two of them at the well that hot day. In those days Jews didn’t even talk to Samaritans, trying their best to avoid any sort of contact with them. And then there was the social etiquette of a man talking to a woman not known to him, something else forbidden in that rather misogynistic culture. But why was a woman coming out to draw water from the well in the middle of the day anyway. This task was normally reserved for the cooler times in the day, with groups of women coming out together. A simple scene but one that to an onlooker would have seemed a bit strange. 

Jesus was obviously tired and thirsty and asked for a drink. We of course remember the first temptation that Jesus endured while He was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness. The devil knew that he had the power to turn stones into bread and this would have applied to water to drink as well. But Jesus replied with a quotation from Deuteronomy 8:3b, “ ….  people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord“. ‭‭So without a doubt Jesus didn’t need to ask for a drink. He could have spoken the word and a jug of water, cool and refreshing, could have immediately appeared before Him.

I wonder what the Samaritan woman was thinking. As she walked out of the village, she could see this figure, obviously a Jew, sitting by the well. Would she have been feeling rather unsure and even vulnerable? After all, there was no-one else present. What was He sitting there for? Was He waiting for someone? All sorts of thoughts would have been going through her mind. And then there was that question, polite and to the point, “Please give me a drink”. That was the question that started a remarkable conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, that culminated in a revival bursting out in the village of Sychar.

We pilgrims often come upon other people not known to us. In the supermarket. At the bus stop. In the work place. But for all we know, God has a message for them, something tailor-made just for them at this point in their lives, and He wants us to provide it. Often there is a bridge over which a conversation can be started. I recently spoke with a lady who was walking a dog along a woodland path. The dog was an unusual breed, so I asked her about it, and where it had come from. There then followed a tragic tale of an estranged son who had died on his own and prematurely in his early thirties from a congenital heart problem, and all she had to remind her of him was his dog. I believe God brought about that meeting that day because I was able to encourage her with a few words of comfort.

But none of us know what is around the corner. Are we heading for a well and water experience today? Is there someone God wants us to encourage? It may not be with a Gospel message but it could be with a cheery response, or a listening ear. The Holy Spirit will guide us in God’s ways and plans if we are open enough to hear His voice.

Dear Father God. You have plans for each one of us and often You ask us to share Your love for them. We commit to hearing Your voice today and every day. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

On The Move

Posted on by korgrocker

“So he left Judea and returned to Galilee. He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.”
John 4:3-6 NLT

In Jesus’ day, there was no quick way of getting from A to B. It was a case of travelling by foot, or possibly by a horse or donkey, but 20-30 miles per day was the norm. To get from Judea to Galilee by the quickest route involved a journey through Samaria, a place that was not popular with the Jews, as it would mean potential contact with the hated Samaritans. This journey took about three days to complete, though the longer route skirting Samaria, and favoured by some, took five to seven days. But Jesus and His disciples took the route through Samaria, and ended up at a village called Sychar. But who were the Samaritans and why did the Jews hate them so much? “In Jesus’ day, the Jewish people of Galilee and Judea shunned the Samaritans, viewing them as a mixed race who practiced an impure, half-pagan religion” (quote from Gotquestions.org). But more on that in a later blog.

Jesus and His disciples had apparently walked some distance to get this far, and we read that Jesus was tired. It was the hottest part of the day and Jesus was resting, sitting by the famous well that had a history stretching back to the time of Jacob. But some people perhaps have a problem with the thought that Jesus was tired. After all, they think, how can the Son of God, with all the divine resources at His disposal, be wearied by a journey? Jesus came to this earth, taking on human flesh and all the baggage that came with it. So like us, He would have needed to eat and sleep, and even use a toilet, something that perhaps we Christians don’t like to think about. In Romans 8:3, we read, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins”. 

So on the journey from Judea to Galilee, how would we feel if Jesus, the Son of God, was suddenly transported there by some divine process, leaving His disciples to make their way on foot? At a stroke, it would destroy the reason why He came – to live in the likeness of a human being from His birth all the way to Calvary. It was important that Jesus’ humanity was seen by those around Him because through it He gave sinful mankind a hope for the future, a hope that promised them that they could be forgiven their sins and one day join God in Heaven. Jesus was on the move as part of Father God’s plans for Him. He was sent to His people the Jews and there would come a time when He would return to Judea and Jerusalem. But on the journey to Galilee He stopped at Sychar. A divine appointment was about to emerge.

Dear Father God. You have plans for us, plans that amongst other things provide us with a hope for the future. We are so grateful. Amen.