Are You Hungry for the Right Things? Jesus Shows Us What Really Satisfies

What is a meal that you can no longer get but you wish you could? Maybe it was a mama who made something special, or a restaurant you're never around anymore. You know what I'm talking about - that food that when you're hungry, you can just picture it perfectly. I've lived in five or six different cities in my lifetime, and every city has some local restaurant that I miss. Have you ever been really hungry and then you get that perfect meal? Or really thirsty and finally get that drink that completely quenches your thirst? I remember as a kid playing flag football in elementary school - I was what they called "Husky," which is a nice way of saying overweight - and after playing in the South Florida heat, my dad stopped and got us Gatorade. I remember that quenching my thirst amazingly.

When Jesus Talks About Food and Water

In John Chapter 4, we find Jesus at a well in Samaria - which was unusual since "Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans." A woman comes to draw water in the middle of the day, alone, which was different from the typical morning routine. When Jesus asks her for a drink, she's shocked that He's even talking to her. But Jesus does what He often does - He takes what people are interested in and gets them on His plan rather than being on theirs. He tells her, "If you knew who was asking you for water, you would ask him for water... and I would have given you living water." The conversation reveals this woman's deep thirst - not just for water, but for satisfaction. Jesus exposes her broken pathway of relationships: "You've had five husbands, and the one you're living with now isn't your husband." She's been trying to be satisfied with what can't ultimately satisfy. When she realizes Jesus is the Messiah, something amazing happens: "She left her water pot." Her schedule changed. Her agenda was different. She ran to town telling everyone, "Come see a man who told me everything I've ever done. Is not this the Christ?"

Three Heart Dispositions for the Harvest

When the disciples return with food, they find Jesus talking about a different kind of hunger. This leads to three crucial dispositions we need when we have Jesus' heart for people:

1. We Prioritize the Harvest

The disciples come back saying, "Master, eat." But Jesus responds, "I have meat to eat that ye know not of" (John 4:32). They're confused - who brought Him food? Jesus explains in verse 34: "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work." In context, what was His work? The woman at the well. He's saying, "I'm prioritizing people over food. I'm prioritizing the eternal over the temporary. I'm prioritizing the spirit over the flesh." As His followers, "the most important thing you'll do today is not survive by eating food, not working enough to pay the bills. You have to do that, but if you think that you're going to work just to get a paycheck, you've missed Jesus' heart."

2. We Recognize the Harvest

Jesus continues in verse 35: "Say not ye there are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest." He's not talking about physical crops. I believe at that moment, men were coming from the woman's testimony, and Jesus is telling His disciples, "Get some new eyes. You need a vision." Having a heart for Jesus changes our vision when it comes to people. "I don't see people as people that have a certain possession or a certain interest... All of these people are souls. They're souls and everybody lives forever somewhere."

3. We Partner in the Harvest

In verses 36-38, Jesus explains the partnership: "One soweth and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor. Other men labored, and you are entering into their labors." "It is very rare for someone to place their faith in Jesus for salvation the first time they hear the gospel." There's usually a grandma praying, a Sunday school teacher who planted seeds, someone who lived consistently with their faith. "Someone planted, someone watered. And when it was time to harvest, God gave the increase."

Putting It Into Practice

Church, if Jesus Christ had some disciples in your town around this time of year, what do you think His desires would be? "I think he would say to us, lift up your eyes, look on the fields, they're white unto harvest." This week, you're going to drive through somewhere for coffee, stand in front of a cashier, pull into your driveway next to neighbors you never talk to, or sit next to classmates. These aren't just chance meetings - these may be divine appointments. "Without faith, it's impossible to please God. Here's a faith thing: Does God care about people? Is God working in people's lives?" Sometimes God intersects you with people whose hearts He's preparing. "And when you are obedient to speak up and to speak out, God will give the increase." The harvest is ready. The question is: are we hungry for the right things?