Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
The disciples had gone away to buy food and on returning placed it before Jesus at Jacob's well and urged Him to eat, yet He had not tasted it, and they wondered among themselves whether someone else had already brought Him something. They took His words about food they did not know of in a purely physical sense, while His true nourishment was to do the will of the Father who sent Him and to finish His work. That sustenance made Him forget hunger, for He was rejoicing that truth had found a place in the Samaritan woman's heart and that souls around them were already like fields white for harvest. In this He set at naught Jewish prejudice by mingling freely with a despised people, accepting their hospitality and bringing them the salvation the Jews rejected, thus preparing His followers to carry the gospel to Gentiles and Samaritans.
Setting at Jacob's Well
The disciples had gone away to buy food and were now coming back, and their wondering whether anyone had brought Him anything to eat belongs to that return. In case of necessity Jewish custom allowed such trade with Samaritans, while all social intercourse was condemned, so that a Jew would not borrow from a Samaritan nor receive a kindness, not even bread or water, nor ask a favor nor seek in any way to benefit them. Jesus had remained alone at Jacob's well at noontide, faint from hunger and thirst after the long journey since morning. Cool refreshing water was near yet inaccessible because He had no rope nor water-jar and the well was deep, as He shared fully the lot of humanity while waiting for someone to come to draw.
On their return they brought food to Him at the well, placed it before Him, and urged Him to eat and refresh Himself after His talk with the woman of Samaria and after going a long time without food. They pressed Him to refresh Himself because He had gone a long time without food.
He had not yet tasted what they brought and had not eaten the food they brought. His attention to saving souls had made Him forget His physical needs. He remained intently absorbed in meditation and communion with heaven with His face beaming with divine light, so they scarcely dared to interrupt Him.
Misunderstood Spiritual Nourishment
When Jesus spoke of having food and meat they did not know of, the disciples took Him literally in a physical sense as meaning ordinary temporal food. They were perplexed and said among themselves whether someone had brought Him something to eat. Their question reflected a focus on natural hunger and a limited understanding.
His true nourishment and spiritual sustenance was to do the will of God and of the Father and of the One who sent Him and to finish and complete His work. They did not yet understand that doing the work of God sustained Him.
He was rejoicing because truth had found a place in the woman's heart. His explanation includes the harvest of souls ready to receive the message, and His command to lift up the eyes to fields already white to harvest means souls are ready to be gathered now. While they were focused on work they thought lay in the future, they failed to recognize the opportunity around them, as the Samaritan woman brought her townspeople to hear Jesus.
Gospel Beyond Jewish Prejudice
This question belongs to Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman at Sychar's well, where His mission work commenced. There He gave precious instruction in private to a receptive hearer, recognizing the possibilities in her. In that meeting He asked her for drink and offered living water, giving invitations of mercy and goodness that cut away doubt about whether God will hear prayer and give mercy, grace, favor and salvation.
She listened to Christ and accepted Him without any miracle simply by believing His word, was glad for the light, and went and published it to her neighbors. The fruit of that encounter was that her testimony led people to hear Jesus, believe in Him, and invite Him to remain with them for two days.
In His work among the Samaritans He, as a Jew, set at naught Pharisaic customs and Jewish prejudice to mingle freely with a despised people and share ordinary life with them despite the prejudices of His nation. He accepted their hospitality, slept with them under their roofs, ate with them at their tables partaking of food prepared and served by their hands, taught in their streets, and treated them with the utmost kindness and courtesy. While He drew their hearts to Him by the tie of human sympathy, His divine grace brought to them the salvation which the Jews rejected. This preaching of the gospel to the people of Sychar showed that He did not share the Jews' intolerance of other peoples.
The disciples were slow to learn the truth that Gentiles could share in God's promise through Christ. Jesus' visit to Samaria prepared the disciples to carry the gospel to the Samaritans.
The most unlikely, like the Samaritan woman, will become heralds of truth while those who have heard great light many times with no place for it in their hearts will be passed by, for the wise and prudent do not see the workings of God but truth revealed to babes is responded to. Though hated by the Jews, the Samaritans received the light, while the Jews to whom Christ came with all the power of His majesty and grace in mighty healings and mighty outpouring of His Spirit would not recognize Him because the prejudice reigning in their hearts left even the mightiest miracles with no effect upon them. Those who have never heard the truth can have hearts more susceptible to Christ than those who have been in the truth and had the evidences of God's work yet hold to unbelief and excuse it.
The lesson was not for those disciples only but for all who afterward join His service, who at every step when tempted to selfishness must ask what Jesus would do in their place and let that principle control every action, weaving no thread of self into the fabric. His work was not to create barriers or constantly thrust upon others that they were wrong.
The disciples had gone away to buy food and on returning placed it before Jesus at Jacob's well and urged Him to eat, yet He had not tasted it, and they wondered among themselves whether someone else had already brought Him something. They took His words about food they did not know of in a purely physical sense, while His true nourishment was to do the will of the Father who sent Him and to finish His work. That sustenance made Him forget hunger, for He was rejoicing that truth had found a place in the Samaritan woman's heart and that souls around them were already like fields white for harvest. In this He set at naught Jewish prejudice by mingling freely with a despised people, accepting their hospitality and bringing them the salvation the Jews rejected, thus preparing His followers to carry the gospel to Gentiles and Samaritans.
Setting at Jacob's Well
The disciples had gone away to buy food and were now coming back, and their wondering whether anyone had brought Him anything to eat belongs to that return. In case of necessity Jewish custom allowed such trade with Samaritans, while all social intercourse was condemned, so that a Jew would not borrow from a Samaritan nor receive a kindness, not even bread or water, nor ask a favor nor seek in any way to benefit them. Jesus had remained alone at Jacob's well at noontide, faint from hunger and thirst after the long journey since morning. Cool refreshing water was near yet inaccessible because He had no rope nor water-jar and the well was deep, as He shared fully the lot of humanity while waiting for someone to come to draw.
On their return they brought food to Him at the well, placed it before Him, and urged Him to eat and refresh Himself after His talk with the woman of Samaria and after going a long time without food. They pressed Him to refresh Himself because He had gone a long time without food.
He had not yet tasted what they brought and had not eaten the food they brought. His attention to saving souls had made Him forget His physical needs. He remained intently absorbed in meditation and communion with heaven with His face beaming with divine light, so they scarcely dared to interrupt Him.
Misunderstood Spiritual Nourishment
When Jesus spoke of having food and meat they did not know of, the disciples took Him literally in a physical sense as meaning ordinary temporal food. They were perplexed and said among themselves whether someone had brought Him something to eat. Their question reflected a focus on natural hunger and a limited understanding.
His true nourishment and spiritual sustenance was to do the will of God and of the Father and of the One who sent Him and to finish and complete His work. They did not yet understand that doing the work of God sustained Him.
He was rejoicing because truth had found a place in the woman's heart. His explanation includes the harvest of souls ready to receive the message, and His command to lift up the eyes to fields already white to harvest means souls are ready to be gathered now. While they were focused on work they thought lay in the future, they failed to recognize the opportunity around them, as the Samaritan woman brought her townspeople to hear Jesus.
Gospel Beyond Jewish Prejudice
This question belongs to Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman at Sychar's well, where His mission work commenced. There He gave precious instruction in private to a receptive hearer, recognizing the possibilities in her. In that meeting He asked her for drink and offered living water, giving invitations of mercy and goodness that cut away doubt about whether God will hear prayer and give mercy, grace, favor and salvation.
She listened to Christ and accepted Him without any miracle simply by believing His word, was glad for the light, and went and published it to her neighbors. The fruit of that encounter was that her testimony led people to hear Jesus, believe in Him, and invite Him to remain with them for two days.
In His work among the Samaritans He, as a Jew, set at naught Pharisaic customs and Jewish prejudice to mingle freely with a despised people and share ordinary life with them despite the prejudices of His nation. He accepted their hospitality, slept with them under their roofs, ate with them at their tables partaking of food prepared and served by their hands, taught in their streets, and treated them with the utmost kindness and courtesy. While He drew their hearts to Him by the tie of human sympathy, His divine grace brought to them the salvation which the Jews rejected. This preaching of the gospel to the people of Sychar showed that He did not share the Jews' intolerance of other peoples.
The disciples were slow to learn the truth that Gentiles could share in God's promise through Christ. Jesus' visit to Samaria prepared the disciples to carry the gospel to the Samaritans.
The most unlikely, like the Samaritan woman, will become heralds of truth while those who have heard great light many times with no place for it in their hearts will be passed by, for the wise and prudent do not see the workings of God but truth revealed to babes is responded to. Though hated by the Jews, the Samaritans received the light, while the Jews to whom Christ came with all the power of His majesty and grace in mighty healings and mighty outpouring of His Spirit would not recognize Him because the prejudice reigning in their hearts left even the mightiest miracles with no effect upon them. Those who have never heard the truth can have hearts more susceptible to Christ than those who have been in the truth and had the evidences of God's work yet hold to unbelief and excuse it.
The lesson was not for those disciples only but for all who afterward join His service, who at every step when tempted to selfishness must ask what Jesus would do in their place and let that principle control every action, weaving no thread of self into the fabric. His work was not to create barriers or constantly thrust upon others that they were wrong.