Title: Food of Jesus
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“The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, ‘Come here, a man who told me all that I have done, is this not the Christ? In the meantime, the disciples begged and said, Rabbi, eat, and he said, I have food to eat of which you do not know.
The disciples said to one another, "Who has brought you something to eat?" Jesus said to him, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to complete his work.
Do you not say that the harvest will come after four months? I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the fields; they are white for harvest. The reaper has already been paid, and is gathering the fruit to eternal life, so that both the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. Therefore, it is true that one man sows and another reaps. I have sent you to reap what you have labored for; others have labored, and you have shared in their labor” (John 4:27-38).
What would be the most appropriate expression for Jesus Himself to express what He most wanted to do when He came into the world? It is the expression “food”. Jesus said that it was like eating food to Him. He said that when we do that, new strength and joy arise. What was like food to Jesus was to preach the gospel.
For Jesus, that work was for everyone on this earth.
Nicodemus of the Supreme, who had a popular reputation and authority as a member of the Sanhedrin, and who was very meticulous in the doctrine of the Law, also needed the Gospel. Jesus revealed that the pious Nicodemus, who used to pray before God in secret under the fig tree, where no one else could see him, also needed water and the Holy Spirit, that is, the washing of sins by Jesus and transformation by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus wanted to let those who say they found peace on the basis of something in themselves, such as good deeds or meditation, know how miserable they really are. Through it, he wanted us to live in true peace, free from the false peace that is like leaning on a spider's web.
Also, this gospel was for a woman who was considered the lowest in the society, who had no choice but to go out to draw water in the scorching sun at 12 o'clock to avoid the eyes of others. She had already been abandoned by her five husbands and was living a miserable life internally and externally to such an extent that the current husband is not her husband.
However, Jesus wanted such a woman to know that if she worships in spirit and in truth, there is a God who wants to be worshiped by her no matter where she wants to worship. What Jesus wanted so much was to restore the joy enough to leave the precious water jar and enter the village. As the saying goes, “The medicine that needs to be given to the poor is the medicine of hope,” Jesus wanted to deliver the ultimate hope that the wounded woman could regain the joy of life again.
This was the food Jesus wanted to eat. He was tired and thirsty, but given the opportunity, he was re-energized. As the Russian pilot who supplied relief supplies during the earthquake in Turkey answered, “How was the flight?”, he replied, “It was not easy, but this flight made me the most proud to become a pilot.” He was so pleased that he wanted to provide the joy that is not there.
Anyone who is a Christian today will have to undertake this task, which was like food to Jesus, and the first thing that is required of him must be that he himself is convinced of the basis of his hope.
For the disciples, it was still “unknown food.” They were not convinced of that hope until they saw the power of Jesus' resurrection with their own eyes. That is why they were hesitant to convey the reason for that hope. However, after seeing the resurrection with their own eyes, they were able to go forward without thinking of their lives for the sake of this gospel. It was because they recognized the value of the gospel that they had overlooked. After my friend's father had suffered from itching for many years, and followed the advice to apply chestnut bark water to a car that did not improve even with various skin medications, he became a chestnut bark admirer. It looked funny, but he realized the medicinal effect and spread the word to everyone he met. The disciples also overlooked the power of the gospel contained within them. But when they saw the resurrection with their own eyes, they did not hesitate to wish to become martyrs for the sake of the gospel.
Today, after the words of Jesus that “the gospel will be preached in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” we learn that the Church of Jesus It can be clearly recognized that Jesus is “the Savior of the world.”
Jesus asks us to share this gospel. And he says: “I am sending you to harvest the things for which you have not worked. Others have worked hard. And you will enter into their labors.” We are not fundamentally sowers. They only reap the fruits that others have already sown, sown with their blood and sweat by Jesus and his predecessors.
We have never left our families for this gospel, we have never given up our jobs, we have never been beaten. In fact, our ancestors of faith had to watch the process of being beheaded, beheaded, extirpated from the family register, and slowly and wretchedly dying in prison because of this gospel. Even today, we have never even thought about the sowing of the North Korean saints, who are suffering the persecution of pouring molten iron on the beaten site and burning the bones and flesh.
Nevertheless, Jesus gives this promise. “If anyone begins this work, he is being paid, and he is gathering fruit for life.”
For Jesus, it was urgent for this gospel to be preached to them. They thought they had four months left to harvest. It was thought that, in due time, it would be done by God, or by someone else.
But Jesus encourages, “Look at the fields, they are made white for the harvest.” Lately, people try to fill the void with yoga or meditation. It means that the heart is lonely and empty. However, it is like a counterfeit bill, and soon leads to despair again. I do not intend to disparage their efforts, but because it is impossible for humans to find any satisfaction and hope within themselves.
If this gospel really becomes the basis of our ultimate hope, if I have experienced caring for my life that no one has cared for, then the work of sharing this gospel should be given priority over any other work we care about. . This is because the words of Jesus, “I am sending you out for the harvest” (verse 38) apply to all of us.
What you have to show in the work of the academy, the work of the hospital, and the work of devising new work must be the basis of the true hope within you. It is more than just hanging up a scripture. In your home and workplace, you need to make sure that God the Holy Spirit is at work in you. It is the gospel that we must reveal in our workplaces. The value of the gospel must be embodied in every action you take, in every strategy you implement. At the same time, the Lordship of Christ must be confessed on your lips.
Those who have discovered the reason for hope through us must also be true Christians. “Now it is not because of your words that we believe. for we hear for ourselves and know that he truly is the Savior of the world (verse 42).
I earnestly look forward to the amazing and thrilling things that happen through you, in which someone discovers the reason for the ultimate hope beyond life and death in this Lord Jesus.