Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and finish His work."
A message preached Labor Day Sunday 2022
Jesus has just finished talking to the woman at the well near the town of Samaria. His disciples had gone into the town to purchase some food and when they returned they saw that he was talking to her. When she left, they offered Jesus some food. That is where this message begins.
"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. “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! “And he who reaps receives wages and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”" (John 4:31-38 NKJV),
1. Working for the Final Cause
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
Ex: Theory of Aristotle’s Four Causes: Matter, Form, Agent, and Final.
Example scholars use to describe the Four Causes is a dinner table:
1. It’s made of wood (Material Cause).
2. It has four legs with a flat top (Formal Cause).
3. It was made by a carpenter (Agent or Efficient Cause).
4. It was built so people could have dinner together (Final Cause).
“The table is not the cause—the dinner is.
The dinner is not the cause—the dining experience is.
The experience is not the cause—the people are.
The point Jesus is: He always begins with the Final Cause.
The disciples are eating to get full, to overcome HUNGER. That is the cause of their eating. Jesus connects even this basic act of eating to his CAUSE. “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Then Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
To Jesus food and everything else he does connects to the will of the Father - The finial cause.
What is the FINAL CAUSE?
“Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!'
Going out of their way through Samaria. Jesus stopping and setting at the well in the heat of the day was all for a CAUSE. Talking to the woman there had a CAUSE. So, traveling, stopping, eating all was for the FINIAL CAUSE.
2. Final Cause can determine how you do everything.
1 Peter 4:10 NLT, God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
2 Timothy 2:15 TLB, Work hard so God can say to you “Well done.” Be a good workman, one who does not need to be ashamed when God examines your work.
3. Our Corporate Connection in God’s Cause.
“And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Jesus told them to look at the ripe fields. What was that? It was the crowd of people coming out from the City of Samaria as a result of the witness of the woman who was a at the well.
These people responding was not because of something the disciples did or said. They had been in the city and probably did not speak with anyone except the clerk selling them food. These people were responding because of the the ministry of Christ at the well and the woman’s witness in that city.
What is Jesus teaching? The harvest (Finial Cause) is not a one person work.
Jesus: 38, I sent you to reap where you bestowed no labor. Entered into their labors.
4. Much of our Labor in Life will only be reaped by others.
“And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. “For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ “I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
Ex: Moses was Israel's deliverer and leader. Joshua took them into the Promise land.
Ex: David fought the wars, brough the rewards of the wars back to Jerusalem to build a Temple for God. It was Solomon who ended up building the Temple.
This is the basis of all of life and discipleship, The willingness to invest our lives in others,
5. All God’s Laborers Participate in the Harvest - God’s great cause.
Hebrews 11:39-40 NLT, “All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. 40 For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us.”
Ex: You may hear a famous evangelist say, I had 1000’s get saved at my last meeting.
In reality the Angels have to bring in a truck load of crowns. The evangelist talks about souls saved through his ministry but there are those who labored behind scenes. The rewards in heaven will be a big surprise. A Lot of people suffered and paid a price for our fruitfulness.
I WANT TO THANK EACH AND EVERYONE ONE OF YOU, HERE or WATCHING or LISTENING,
"THANK YOU for LABORING IN GOD'S CAUSE."
Larry Neville