Food is for the Stomach and the Stomach is for Food!

Friday morning, August 12, 2008 [cloudy and praying for those in the line of hurricane Ike!],

I must admit that I have always been very fond of food—seafood, country food, city food, gourmet food, fried food, boiled food, grilled food, sautéed food, baked food, Chinese food, Mexican food, French food, Southern food, Italian food, Japanese food, and, especially, soul food. There is nothing better than a spread that includes fried chicken, cream 40 peas, fried side meat, turnips with roots, mashed potatoes loaded with butter (the real thing), sliced, fresh tomatoes, fried okra, country fried steak with lots of gravy, fresh Kentucky Wonder pole beans, a pot of chicken and dumplings, hot cornbread, and fresh biscuits! Of course, you would always follow this up with a fresh peach cobbler and homemade banana pudding (the real kind). In my mind, that is what the disciples had in mind when they said to Jesus, “Rabbi eat” (John 4:31). This may be why I am so fond of Paul’s incredible declaration: Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food . . . (1 Corinthians 6:13)!
As I write this, my mind keeps going back to my childhood days when my mother or my grandmother would call me to dinner (lunch, as Yankees call it) or supper. You can believe that I stopped whatever I might have been doing and headed for the table, where a feast was in store; it never took but one call! As I remember it, somewhere about half way through dinner, I would ask, “What are we having for supper?” Whatever the answer, from that point forward, my taste buds would dance in eager anticipation of the next meal.
Recognizing that the disciples shared my keen interest in eating, as was evidenced by the fact that they walked into Sychar to buy food, I am really surprised at Jesus’ apparent indifference. Surely, He, too, was hungry—very hungry! You would think that the mere mention of eating would have excited His taste buds, and He would have been off to Sychar with the other guys. Regardless of what I might think, the fact is this: He had food to eat that nourished and satisfied Him far more than anyone’s fried chicken, peas, mashed potatoes, and sliced tomatoes ever could.
Interestingly, the disciples were just as surprised as I am at His obvious indifference toward eating. I feel sure they discussed their concern all the while they were out to lunch. Can’t you hear them asking these questions: What is wrong with Jesus? Why in the world is He acting so weird? Who made Him mad? What is His problem? Why can’t He be social? Who ate His lunch?

In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples therefore were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work (John 4:31-34).

Think about what Jesus said: My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to accomplish His work (vs. 34); this really puts things in perspective! As much as I enjoy eating food (pork chops, collards, cabbage, and corn bread), there is more—much more! Jesus had food to eat about which most of us know nothing because most of us have been satisfied with pleasing and satisfying our fleshly desires. These desires usually take precedence over our deepest desire—to know Him whom to know is eternal life. When our fleshly bellies are full, we have no desire for that which is better—much better!
I wonder if the disciples ever caught on to what Jesus was telling them. It appears that the Samaritan woman did. The evidence? She left her water pot! When she drank from the well of water that would spring up in her, her water pot lost its significance. The disciples on the other hand left the scene, wondering which one of them secretly brought Jesus His lunch.

MY PERSPECTIVE: If it is true that Jesus’ food was doing His Father’s will and accomplishing His work (and it is), then I have the strong feeling that that should be our food as well. In all probability, nothing else will satisfy our deepest desire.