John 4:27-42

Read:

John 4:27-42 (NRSV)
27 Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, 'What do you want?' or, 'Why are you speaking with her?' 28Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, 29'Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?' 30They left the city and were on their way to him. 31Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, 'Rabbi, eat something.' 32But he said to them, 'I have food to eat that you do not know about.' 33So the disciples said to one another, 'Surely no one has brought him something to eat?' 34Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35Do you not say, "Four months more, then comes the harvest"? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37For here the saying holds true, "One sows and another reaps." 38I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.' 39Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I have ever done.' 40So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. 41And many more believed because of his word. 42They 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 truly the Savior of the world.'

Think:

This is the basis of one of the favorite sermons I ever preached - and only 5 people heard it because it was in preaching lab... One sows and another reaps.  It also includes the pericope upon which I based my senior sermon which can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/site/kimberlyreinholz/

So obviously I have thought about this reading many times, but the passage that sticks out to me today is the line "Rabbi, eat something" ... It reminds me of my grandmother for some reason.  Who would have thought that trying to make someone eat would remind me of my Italian grandmother?  Ha ha.  Its hard to believe that Grandmom has been gone for 13 years in October, I can still hear her trying to force me to eat a cookie, a bowl of pasta, a little bite of something or other ( my favorite treat to this day is still a piece of white bread with gravy (tomato sauce) on it). 

Jesus protests their trying to feed him saying that he has food that they do not know about.  How often do we try to feed Jesus when we ought to be feeding one another.

Pray :

Help me to feed those whom need to be fed, not to force you into my box.

Contemplate:

10 minutes contemplative prayer