One of the great tragedies of living in a first world country is that people are desperately hungry, even though their bodies are well fed. Life has become about the physical wants and needs of their body, their family, and their pursuit of life begins and ends there. It’s easy to identify when one’s life orbits around their own physical hunger. You hear it in how one talks: the topic of discussion is always around the hungry self. The most obvious question, when one is primarily driven by their appetite is what’s for dinner? But there are more subtle, and maybe more dangerous appetites that the soul can feast upon, and they control, enslave, and eventually kill the spirit of the one who seeks them. These questions take many forms, but here are a few that get to the heart of the matter: 

How does this _____ make me look? Car, clothes, hair, house, job, position, income, child, school, education, spouse, friend, boyfriend, girlfriend. Does this add to me, or subtract from me? Am I more appealing because of it? Or less appealing??? How does this increase my comfort? Does this increase convenience? Does it further my objectives in the most efficient way? Does it get me closer to my vacation, my pleasures, my retirement? Does it rid me of my discomforts, my irritants, the people and things I have little regard for?

In our flesh, we can be driven by such things. What’s scary is that there are some who achieve a level of satisfaction in pursuing these things. Life is good, income is good, family and friends are managed to my liking, kids have a good school, work is right in my wheel-house. I have everything I want and need, and I can just coast from here to retirement. It’s easy street, smooth sailing, nothing but blue skies ahead!

I’ve seen people in this phase of life. Let me warn you, Christian, it’s when you’re physically content that you have to contend for and guard your heart with the most vigilance. Physical comfort can lull you to sleep. You can become content in your comfort, and daydream through a life that leads to you spiritual death. Some I’ve spoken with realize they’re dazing off, and even as they are drowsy, they say things like, “There’s got to be more… everything is good, but I’m doing the same thing, day in and day out, and life just isn’t fulfilling. Kids are good, job is good, income is GREAT, but something is missing.” They are awakened enough to realize they were made for more than feeding the physical temple, but don’t know what it is that they are really hungry for. 

Truly, I believe this is the case for many in the church. Maybe it’s the case for some of you here today. Life is good… but it’s spiritually dull, not exciting, not full of joy. Could it be that you are feeding on that which won’t fill and sustain you? Could it be that you have a spiritual hunger you don’t yet know how to satiate? Could it be that God has food for you which you do not yet know about? Let us look to His word… stand with me and turn to John 4:27. We will read through verse 42

Last week we observed Jesus’ encounter the adulterous Samaritan woman at the well. He offered her living water that made her clean, and quenched the thirst of her soul. The disciples come back from the town and marvel. This is where we pick up the passage this week.

Read with me.

[27] Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” [28] So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, [29] “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” [30] They went out of the town and were coming to him.

[31] Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” [33] So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” [34] Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. [35] Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. [36] Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. [37] For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ [38] I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

[39] Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. [41] And many more believed because of his word. [42] They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (ESV)

As we look at the passage today, we will view it under the following headings:

Unrestricted Life

Food You Do Not Know

The Harvest You Did Not Sow

The Hungry Soul Satisfied

[pray]

Unrestricted Life (v27-31)

When we are ruled by our flesh, we are bound and held captive, slaves to its desires. Friends, your heart is the drivers seat of your will, and when you are ruled by concerns of how do I look? How do I feel? How does this benefit me?, you are held captive, restricted in your affections, to live a life that centers on, revolves around, you. You are the sun in your solar system. Everything else is a planet that you’d like to orbit as you see fit.

This is not the reality of life, nor should it be. Verse 27-31 speaks of two very different solar systems. It’s ironic, actually, who gets it right, and who doesn’t. The woman at the well, the samaritan gal just had her life flipped upside down. She was no longer a slave! She had been changed by an encounter with the One who breaks the bonds of sin, and spoke life into existence, the one who breathed the Spirit upon her, and given her new life. The Spirit gives unrestricted life, in the truest sense. 

Where she once was bound by the consequence of her sin, relegated to shame, sent to the well at noon to avoid people and relationship, living life under the brokenness of the culture that disdained women, sentenced to live out her life bearing the yoke of her former decisions, enslaved to her separation from her own people — the Samaritans, and more-so the Jews, she now lives as if none of that existed! Friends, understand that the testimony of a woman in that day meant nothing in a patriarchal society. Amassed atop of that was this woman’s personal history. This makes her willingness to testify all the more amazing. The change in her demeanor says it all: she went from hiding in shame to proclaiming Jesus’ name. That was what drew the people of Sychar to the well. She now had the fragrance of life, unrestricted life. It was stunning, and it woke the groggy people of Samaria from their sleep. 

A harlot becomes the herald of the Messiah. That’s baffling. It doesn’t fit with how things are supposed to work. It’s counter-culture.

This was part of the reason the disciples marveled that Jesus was speaking with her. Rabbis considered it a waste of time to teach women the Torah. The disciples knew this. Jesus’ ministry was not just progressive to them, it was stunningly inappropriate. The culture, shaped by sin, was restrictive. It’s shaped by the prince of the power of the air, and all who breath it in are anesthetized by it.

The Spirit is a fresh wind. The Spirit given by Jesus is freedom. He gives unrestricted life.

The disciples had yet to put that together. They marveled, not in awe, but disbelief. They choked on its oxygen. In their mind, they were keeping Jesus from the filth of Sychar. Their aim was to get out of town as quickly as possible. 

Look at verse 31: 

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”

Let’s get him fed, get his body some sustenance, so we can get out of here! This isn’t good for us! This doesn’t make us look good to the pharisees, and Jesus is already on strike 2! First, the temple, then Nicodemus! I don’t know if his reputation can handle Samaria, let alone this samaritan woman!

Jesus’ response is always perfect. 

Food You Do Not Know (32-34)

“I have food to eat that you do not know about.”

First, he offered water to the Samaritan woman that she couldn’t see, then he told his disciples he had food of which they did not know. Jesus has twice in this chapter turned the physical into the spiritual. He used the earthly reality to point to something greater: the spiritual reality. 

This utterly confused the disciples. Remember, they had went into town to buy food. They were on a journey, and didn’t carry much with them. Their question, verse 33 “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” was an appropriate, natural response. But Jesus came so that they might have life, and life abundant (John 10:10). Life abundant isn’t found in food or drink, or clothing, or possessions. Life abundant is not materialized in the physical or circumstantial, but in the spiritual. Recall that God the Father is the giver of all these things, but they are not the first priority of His people. Jesus tells his disciples in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. (ESV)”

You want to know the food to hunger for? Hunger for righteousness! All these other things the world is concerned over are pebbles and stones beneath my feat. I provide them, but they are rocks, not bread. Hunger for me. 

Jesus, in Matthew 6:25–26, said this:

[25] “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? …

Matthew 6:31–33

[31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

So, if it is not bread that is His food, what is it? We read over and over in the gospels Jesus pointing to the Father, doing the works of the Father, what he sees the Father doing, and he acts in obedience to the Father. It was the word of the Father that sustained the son. When tempted by Satan in the desert, he responded:

Matthew 4:4 “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (ESV)

This was his food, and the word of the Father sent him to accomplish His work.

V34 “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and accomplish his work.”

What is the work of Jesus?  John 3:16–17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (ESV)

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (ESV)

There are many more passages about the work and aim of Jesus that point to him bringing in the fold (John 10), losing none whom the Father has given (John 17). It’s all about bringing people into His kingdom, and washing His bride for the final wedding feast!

Church, we can eat all the correct nutrients, proteins, and gluten-free food, but if we are not doing the will of the Father, if we are not living and feasting on His word, if we are not also calling the world around us to drink from the spiritual well that is Jesus, than our soul will waste away. The body lasts for 80-100 years if we are fortunate. The spirit will live forever. You are not truly alive unless you’re living in the Spirit of God. When you are, it is evident to those around you. They must listen! Some will disdain, some will dismiss, but they can’t deny its freedom and power. They will either hate it, or they will come and find out what it is that has changed you.

Your testimony, Christian, is that you are changed, and are continually changed by the Spirit of God. The mark of a mature believer is that they know they are growing and rejoice when others point it out, because it attests to the power at work in you. Do you want to know if you are controlled by the hunger of the world, or the hunger of the Word of God? What happens when people see you change? This is a natural process of the Christian life - sanctification. Are you embarrassed when it is recognized, and is your pride hurt? Or do you joyfully point to the One who is changing you? This is what the Samaritan women did. This is what drew the people of Samaria to Jesus and his disciples.

The Harvest You Did Not Sow (35-39)

Jesus employed a proverb. These are general sayings that hold truth. He said, “Do you not say, there are yet four months, then comes the harvest?”  This makes sense for those of you who have planted. You till the ground, plant the seed, add Oregon water and sunshine, and then four months later you have organic food! Healthy, fresh, local, sustainable!

Jesus then shows the unrestricted nature of the Spirit: “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest.”  Imagine, as he is speaking to the disciples, people from the village, making their way to the well because of the testimony of the woman. Yes, the very people they disdained, the ones who would make them look bad, the ones whom didn’t further their business or social status, the ones who made them look less than righteous or desirable to the Pharisee, these are the ones Jesus tells them are ripe for the harvest. 

What are you hungry for? The things of the flesh? Or the things of the Spirit? What are you reaping? The things of the flesh, or the things of the Spirit? Do you see your workplace as ripe for the harvest, or do you make haste to leave and not associate with them? Do you see your neighbors as a nuisance to avoid, or are you the fragrance that draws them in to life? What are you hungry for? Comfort, enslavement to your desires, or unrestricted life in the Spirit?

Look at verse 37: “For here the saying holds true, “One sows, and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered their labor.”

This is a great truth that both frees and propels the one who shares the gospel. When one turns to the Lord, it is because God has been working, by His Spirit, to draw them to Himself. Remember, John chapter 3, Spirit gives birth to spirit. How does one enter the Kingdom? It is like the wind… the Spirit goes where it will, and speaks through means - like you and me, as the seed is planted, but the Spirit gives life. When we are on the receiving end of witnessing someone come to the Lord, it is because God has been working, tilling the soil, and others have labored for this life to be formed. 

It does bring me joy, it does feed my soul when I get to work the fields for the harvest! Look at verse 36, “Already the one who reaps is receiving waves and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.” Notice, the work of reaping fruit for eternal life causes rejoicing! That the sower and the reaper may rejoice together!

Do you want to live an awakened life? Do you want to live a life of unquenchable joy? Do you want your soul’s hunger and thirst to be satisfied? Look to reap the harvest! Share the gospel, sow seed, plant and water, and point people to Jesus and His word! This is life abundant! This is joy unsurpassed on this earth!

And you know what’s great about this? You can’t take any credit for it! The sower, and the reaper rejoice together! I’ve sent you to reap for which you didn’t sow! God has been so merciful to me. He has often reminded me of this: He is the soul-winner! I get to participate in what He has already done! He wields the sickle. I enjoy the food. He provides the water. I have a soul-thirst, and drink the water of life. He alone gives the bread of life, and I come hungry, sometimes not even knowing how malnourished I am.

Friends, when I’ve had the joy of watching others come to the Lord, I’m reminded that He loved them before the foundation of the world and has been working to accomplish his work in them since before their lungs drew breath. 

I get to lead them to food, and eat, and my soul is satisfied.  This is how…

The Hungry Soul Satisfied (39-42)

We see in verse 39 that many believed because of the woman’s testimony. She had water they didn’t have, and the effects on her life was astounding. She led them to this water. They drank, and asked for more. They asked him to stay with them. He stayed for 2 days, and they believed (v41) because of His word.

He gave them true food. They found real nourishment for their soul. The woman spread the seed, which was the aroma of the gospel, that drew them to the Source, but only Jesus satisfied their soul. Only His word can satiate the craving of your spirit. This is why we are a church that preaches the scripture, that exposits the Word. Faith doesn’t rest or grow on the testimony of another. That merely incites interest, awakens a hunger or thirst. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17)

They heard and believed because of His word. Verse 42, “They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the World.”

What is the work of Son of God? To save the world. How does he accomplish this work? By creating new life in you and me, and drawing all people to himself, to His word! We are the fragrance of Christ. We are the people who feast on His word. We are the church that loves and lives unrestricted lives by the Spirit of God. By unrestricted, I mean unrestricted by the culture of the world. We live in the freedom of His Spirit, according to His word. Our hunger, our thirst is satiated by His Word, and we point people to Jesus in the Bible! We, together, make a habit of feasting on His word, for that’s what fills our soul.

Church, I want to call you away from the doldrum life of mere existence, living moment to moment for the next meal, the next car, the next house, the next job the next relationship, the next high! It doesn’t sustain. Those pursuits will crash you into spiritual death. I want to call you to hunger and thirst for righteousness,  the righteousness that is found only in Christ, the One who created you, formed you, saw your substance before your existed, knit you together in your mothers womb, and now calls you to live life unrestricted by the Spirit, and to feed your spiritual hunger with him and him alone. 

Examine your heart, my friends. Examine your pursuits. Is there life in your bones from day to day? Do you feast on the Word of God? Are people taking note of how your life is different, changed, unexplainably free from unhealthy social rules and stigmas? Are you free from the love of your own flesh? Do you love the body and blood of Christ over your own?

Communion

John 6:53–58

[53] So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. [54] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. [55] For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. [56] Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. [57] As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. [58] This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” (ESV)