Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” (John 4:34)

God’s Work

The salvation of humanity hung in the balance through the life of Jesus Christ. God’s Son came to earth to preach the gospel to a lost and dying world. His sacrifice to give up the divine nature to come in the flesh was the supreme example of love. At the age of thirty, the mission and work of Jesus began and would end almost three years later at a place called Golgotha. Jesus would teach thousands of people the message of grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth performed miracles of healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead. His purpose was not to remove disease or death. The world suffers under the weight of sin’s consequences. Jesus came to finish the work of His Father.

Everything in the Bible is about Jesus Christ, and all that is contained in the story of Jesus is the work of the Father. When Jesus came to earth, it was the will of His Father. The plan for Jesus to suffer at the hands of sinful man was orchestrated by God. Dying on the cross fulfilled the prophecies established by the word of God. Jesus knew His life was forfeit to the will and design of the Father. Everything He did was to bring glory to the Father. His teaching was not His own but His Father’s. Jesus sought to bring men to God.

When Jesus met the woman at the well of Jacob near Sychar, the disciples had gone into town to bring food for themselves and Jesus. The disciples were surprised to find Jesus talking to the woman when they returned. She left her waterpot and went into the city to tell the men all Jesus had told her. At the urging of the disciples, Jesus was offered food to eat, but He replied that He had feasted on something they did not know. The disciples were puzzled that maybe someone had brought Jesus something to eat in their absence. Jesus was tired and hungry when He came to Jacob’s well, but after talking to the woman and seeing her heart open to His teaching, Jesus was filled with the manna of the gospel.

The disciples did not see the opportunity of feeding on the word of God. They saw Jesus talking to the woman, which was not done in society. It was apparent that the woman was not held in high esteem in the community, yet Jesus was talking to this Samaritan woman. The food Jesus had taken was the work of His Father. Reaping the joy of souls finding the Father was the fuel that moved Jesus in His ministry. Physical food would only be enjoyed for a time, but spiritual food would change lives forever. That is the purpose of Jesus coming to earth. His role was not to remove poverty, hunger, disease or impact the political world. The work of Jesus was the work of the Father. Jesus understood His role in carrying out that message.

As Jesus was dying, the plan and work of God were drawing to a close. One of the last things Jesus said was, “It is finished.” The meaning of Jesus’ words was a Roman battle cry for victory. All that God the Father had planned was completed by the suffering Servant on the cross. The work of God had been completed by the Son, who learned obedience by the things He suffered. All of humanity would benefit from the blood of Jesus that was poured out as the sacrificial Lamb. God’s work was finished. It was completed. Victory came through the wisdom of God to sacrifice His only begotten Son for the sins of men. Jesus knew His purpose in life was to do the will of Him who sent Him and finish His Father’s work. He did. Thank God.