Christ’s Spiritual Meat

(from Journal, 3-6-15)

Christ was eating something to keep His spiritual strength up. He was receiving power, but it was not from earthly bread.

The disciples tried to get Him to eat. “But He said unto them, I have meat to eat that you know not of” (John 4:32-34). The only meat they knew was the kind you put into your mouth, like loaves and fishes. But He was teaching them about the spiritual meat that was sustaining Him. It was hidden from them at that time. They were blind; they were only looking after the flesh and not the spirit. It was a mystery.

But now the Spirit of truth is come, and He is in the business of revealing secrets, showing us “things to come.” He will “guide us into all truth” (John 16:13-15).

Christ goes on and explains in one simple, yet profound, sentence just what His spiritual meat is. “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work” (John 4:34). [You will notice that I have put four of these words in bold. We will explore each one; this will begin to solve the mystery of how Christ derived power and spiritual strength. He is our “example, that we should follow His steps…” Consequently, when we eat the same spiritual meat, we will derive that same sustaining power.

The children of Israel did all eat the same spiritual meat… they ate and drank “of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ” (I Cor. 10:3-4). We now are eating that “same spiritual meat,” and that Meat is Christ. What is the “spiritual meat”?

Meat

“Meat” is from a Greek word meaning “food.” So, Christ is saying, “My food is to do the will of him that sent me and finish his work.” Christ had a spiritual food that sustained and nourished Him. We are members of His body; we need this same spiritual sustenance that He had. He said that we would do “greater works” than what He had done. Since this is true, then we need the same food that strengthened Him.

The Son of God gives us the food that “endures unto everlasting life.” (John 6: 27). Since we are sent to spiritually do the same works as Christ, which is what he promised that we would do, then we must spiritually eat the same food that Christ eats. If we want to receive spiritual power and strength, then we must eat the same spiritual food.

Christ is saying, Doing the will of the Father that sent Me is the spiritual food that gives Me strength and power to fulfill the tasks that the Father has for Me. Now, we, as members of Christ’s spiritual body, join our Head Christ in doing the same thing: Doing the Father’s will and finishing His work. This will be our spiritual food.

But questions arise: Just what exactly is the Father’s will that we are to do? And what is His work that we are to finish? More on this next time. kwh

[What do you think the Father’s will is? Leave your thoughts in a comment. Hit that “like” button if we have helped you. Subscribe and share. Thank you.]