Eating your work

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

- John 4:34

This week we'll be looking at several of Jesus' statements about "work" in the Gospel of John.

Good work done in cooperation with the Father is fulfilling.

In John 4, Jesus talks about his work as if it's food. He's just finished a beautiful conversation with a woman who was disconnected from God. Just as she leaves, Jesus' followers return from their trip into town. They try to convince him to eat and are surprised that he has more than lunch on his mind.

He's already satisfied.

Have you ever engaged in work that's so fulfilling that you forgot to eat? That's the kind of work that Jesus did. And that's the kind of work he calls us to do.

Our work and Jesus' work may be both qualitatively and quantitively different, but they should land in the same category. What that means is that, although Jesus may do things more perfectly than we ever will and may accomplish more good than we ever will, our work should bear the family resemblance.

Look at today's verse. Jesus' work is "to finish the work of the one who sent me." God the Father is working and Jesus joins his work. Now, the Father and Jesus are working and they invite us to join them.

I'm invited to join them as I do my work as a husband, father, pastor, neighbor and friend today. You're invited to join them as you work in every sphere of your life today ... to do your work in a way that's in line with the work God's doing in the world.

If Jesus were in your shoes today, how would he do the work you're going to do? How can your work "bear the family resemblance" with his today?

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