Mike Warnke, Christian evangelist and comedian said, “Eat fat, greasy food and you become a fat, greasy dude.”
BBC America hosts nutritionist Gillian McKeith who works with unhealthy eaters to break lifetimes of bad habits. BBC introduces their webpage with this introduction: Is your fridge stocked full of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean meats OR is it full of fat-filled, overly salted processed convenience foods and abandoned take-out containers? If we truly are what we eat, what do your eating habits say about you?
The same can be said of our diet and consumption socially, mentally and spiritually.
- If consumed with materialism one can never get enough money, benefits, or promotions
- If consumed with fear of death one spends all their energies on gimmicks to live longer
- If consumed with Jesus’ command in Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God” our priorities and interests are very different to the other possibilities.
You are what you eat
Jesus consumed his energies with Father’s will. Jesus, “My meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work” (John 4:34).
You are what you eat.
There are two spoken words of Jesus which when translated to English are translated as two sentences. Jesus offers us glimpses into his heart with the things he said. We see his priorities, his passions, and his focus. We capture a powerful picture of what “fed” his spirit and mattered most of all to him.
1. “I am thirsty” (John 19:28)
- A low whisper. Only those nearest the cross would pick up on it.
- Jesus’ words, “I am thirsty” impress three important truths on us. It was
i. A fulfilling act
If you asked me why I became an officer (pastor) the reasons are simple. Money, security, promotion, and marry a hot woman!
Real reason: a fulfilling act. God chose me for this work and I responded with ‘Yes’…
- Jesus, being God, acted to fulfill Scripture, such as Psalm 69:21 – “They put gall (Msg: poison) in my food and gave me vinegar (sour drink) for my thirst.”
Wiersbe: “When I hear the Lord Jesus say, ‘I thirst,’ it reminds me that I must be obedient to the Word of God...Why was he born in Bethlehem? It fulfilled prophecy. Why did he go down to Egypt? It fulfilled prophecy. Why did our Lord move to Nazareth? It fulfilled prophecy. Why did He do what He did? He was obeying the Word of God. ‘Obedient unto death, even death of the cross’ (Phil. 2:8).”
- Are there things you do for no other reason other than you know it’s what God wants of you? Stay faithful! Jesus knows how it feels! Reward!..
“I am thirsty” is Jesus’ response to
ii. A physical awareness
a. Greek means to suffer thirst, suffer from thirst (greekbible.com)
b. Jesus, the man, was thirsty. Pastor and author, Max Lucado reminds us “That’s not THE CHRIST that’s thirsty. That’s the carpenter. And those are words of humanity in the midst of divinity.”
c. Identifying with our physical realities.
E.g. hospital experiences of applying sponged water to a person’s lips and gums We can witness the suffering Christ in the wasting frame of a loved one whose road to death leads to thirst. These can be holy moments when viewed through different eyes.
“I am thirsty” speaks of His hunger with
iii. A spiritual ambition
There’s not a person here who has not had ambitions of one sort or another. A valued theme I enjoy in Star Trek: The Next Generation is the idea that the development of human character is more valued that materialism or status in society.
Down-side to ambition is pursuit for selfish reasons with no value for the effect our pursuits have on other people.
Jesus’ words are a figure of speech which represents something totally different to the obvious. The cross did not create Jesus’ thirst. It was his thirst that put him on the cross
- His thirst to give life to the dead
- His thirst to put man right with God
- Rejection of Christ contributes to his thirst - longs to be in fellowship with us
Gill’s Exposition of the Bible states the obvious but more in saying it is “literally true of him, and may be also understood spiritually of his great thirst and eager desire after the salvation of his people.”
His cry is our own. The human spirit thirsts for more than what is or where we are. That thirst is a thirst for God. The rich man in hell spoke of thirst – Luke 16:24 "The rich man shouted, ’Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in anguish in these flames.’
We often try to quench our thirst with other loves and pursuits, whether relationships, thrills or things. Sadly, we fail and will always fail until we drink of the Water of Life – until we ‘give in’ to running hard after God – see Psalm 42:2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?
Charles Spurgeon, English pastor of the late 19th century reminds us that thirst is the result of being dissatisfied so that the mind craves for something it doesn’t have but desperately wants. In the context of our lesson, that craving is the heart of God.
Jesus gives us the antidote for our thirst!
- John 4:14 (woman at the well)… “But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life."
- Revelation 22:17 The Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Let each one who hears them say, "Come." Let the thirsty ones come – anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge.
- Jesus in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
The Message: “You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.”
i. There are probably times we respond to God as a fulfilling act – I need to spend time praying because it’s the right thing to do even if I don’t feel like it. (1 Thess. 5:17 – “keep on praying”)
ii. Sometimes we respond to God because desperation and need dictates it – Abraham Lincoln, “Many times I am driven to my knees in prayer with the overwhelming conviction that I have nowhere else to go.”
iii. Oh for more of those times when we thirst for God – not because duty demands it or because we’re desperate but just because we’re in love with God!
You are what you eat
The other spoken phrase that shows us what ‘fed’ the heart of Jesus are the words
2. “It is finished!”
Sense of relief to finish something. My project – I’ve said twice now “It’s finished” but I’m still working on it! Always room for improvement. Never reach a pinnacle of excellence, always aiming, clawing, and climbing.
Unlike us, when Jesus said, “It is finished” he did the job completely and perfectly the first time! I am so glad his work is nothing like ours!
“It is finished” has several pictures to help us appreciate its meaning:
- “To perform the last act which completes a process.” (greekbible.com)
- OT – sacrifices, systems, furnishings, technical details, the Law (Hebrews 9:26-28; 10:4, 12) – completed and replaced with this final act, after centuries of law now an era of grace!
- Also, indicated perfection, being faultless, Jesus being the only perfect, faultless, flawless sacrifice!
- To finalize a debt
Experience of paying off a loan – holding that document stamped PAID IN FULL!.. Jesus paid our debt in full! It is finished!
Scholar and Statesman, John R.W. Stott notes the phrase comes from the Greek [“tetelestai”] meaning, “it has been and will for ever remain finished”. Jesus did not only finish the work but it never needs repeating or improvement.
Wiersbe: “It is done!”
WRAP
Jesus was consumed with the will of the Father. His pursuit led to his soul-saving act of the cross
What will we do with it? What will consume our ambitions and gain our attention?
You are what you eat
What are you?
