John 4:33-35 - My food is to do the will of Him who sent me

4:33,34

Just like the Samaritan woman thought Jesus was speaking about natural water, so the disciples think He is speaking about natural food. They had gone into the town to get food, so they wondered if someone else had brought food to Him in their absence. Jesus then tells them what He is actually talking about. Food was the dominating factor in the lives of people, just as money can be in so many people’s lives. Jesus tells them that the dominating factor in His life is “to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work”. Note that the work that Jesus was doing was the Father’s work, they are one. Jesus might be thinking here of Deut 8:3, man does not live by bread alone. 

4:35

As well as being overly focused on the wrong things, we can easily say “now is not the time”. We look at all things with our “natural” eyes. Now there is actually nothing wrong with that, and we are meant to do that, but it is not all that we are meant to do. God is not governed by the natural state of events in the way that we are. There was work to be done now. So if we see an opportunity, or we sense the Spirit’s prompting, we should take that opportunity. Also our over focusing on natural things can mean that we miss what is really happening, what God is doing. It is important to note that it is not “natural things” themselves that are the problem, it is the place that we give to them.