John 4:31-34

"In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" John 4:31-34

And now for the final detail or element in the story of the woman at the well: the disciples! As our series winds down, let us take a look at these twelve wonderful, very human, men. They probably had no idea why Jesus didn't take the route that missed Samaria. They didn't like walking through the area any more than the next Jew, any more than the Samaritans wanted them defiling Samaria. But, since Jesus went there, they went, and they didn't ask too many questions. When Jesus sent them into Samaria, they went together for protection. They knew Jesus would be safe outside the gates. I suspect they were cautious about where they bought Jesus' meal. They most likely searched high and low for a good Jewish deli. The Word never tells us if the offering they brought back was kosher or not.

But when they returned, they found Jesus talking to a woman! A Samaritan woman! A Samaritan woman with a history! They were smart enough now to refrain from asking what was going on; but they wondered. Shortly after their return, the woman left. And that was that, or so they thought.

"We brought you food, Jesus. Why don't you eat now?" they urged. Their minds were still on the physical.

"I have food to eat that you do not know about," Jesus replied with His mind on the eternal. Had He found some food stashed away in our baggage? Did He take something from the hands of that filthy whore? The disciples were confused.

"My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work." Huh? What is He talking about? Food is work? Work is nourishing? How can this be? What will He think of next?

Then Jesus looks toward the gates of the city. "You say there is still three months before the harvest." Now He is really off His rocker. Maybe His mother was right in asking Him to go home. Look at the fields; they are still green and growing. "I say to you, look at the fields. They are ripe for the harvest." The disciples follow His gaze to see which field He is looking at. A great multitude is walking with purpose through the gates of the city,and the woman is leading them. Is that the harvest? "The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few."

Oh, now they get it. His mind is on the spiritual harvest. Is that the food He was talking about? How stupid can we be? Do we think of nothing but our stomachs while there are multitudes waiting to be fed the Bread of Life?

Where is your mind? If you are like me, it is entirely focused too much on the bread and butter of daily living and too little on the Bread of Life. Have you shared the Bread with anyone lately? Have you shared it with anyone who is not already a believer? The Word tells us to cast our bread upon the waters and it will not return to us useless and empty. That bread is the Bread of Life, and our preaching is the act of casting. What are you doing with the Bread? Hmmm. Hallelujah, Amen and Amen.