John 4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
John 4:33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
He was on the brink of starvation. The stabbing pains of hunger had returned over a week before, as his body began to break down his own muscles for energy. It was in this moment that he was offered bread. Even without hunger there is almost nothing as good as fresh bread. It must have made his mouth water with anticipation. The problem is, Jesus was offered this bread by the Devil in exchange for his allegiance. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days when this took place. Jesus responds to the Devil with these words; “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4).
The text above is yet another time when Jesus speaks of a spiritual food that is greater than a physical food. The question is, how literally are we meant to take Jesus’ words? At first glance these seem like outlandish things to say in any literal sense. We intuitively assume he is speaking in metaphor. Yet, there does seem to be a kind of energy that God gives to those who are seeking to live out God’s will. Don’t miss-understand, Christianity speaks highly of caring for the body. Christians are not against esteeming the body or nurturing it, but there is a truth in these texts that we must not overlook. Jesus evidently trusts that there is an energy that can be found from obedience to the father that food cannot give us. We were not designed to be animals with simple biological needs. We are physical and spiritual creatures. When we obey the father, we find a greater wholeness than can be had from food alone.
Perhaps you can experiment with this reality by trying a fast this week. Try skipping food from one dinner to the next dinner, asking God to teach you about this spiritual energy.
by Aaron Bjorklund
