"Why Jesus Made Food"
TEXT: Matthew 4:4; Genesis 1-3,9; 1 Cor. 10:31
TRUTHS:
1. Our Creator designed humanity to require physical sustenance (food) in order to sustain life. We should consider that the existence of food, and the 'rhythm' in which we eat, are purposeful and intentional acts of creation. Every human being is born experiencing and understanding the normal pattern of hunger and satisfaction. Why did Jesus order human life and existence in this way? What is He trying to communicate to us through our need for food?
2. "Why did Jesus make food" seems like an absurdly easy question to answer (and in one sense, it is). But when we consider the fact that Jesus compares His Word directly to physical food throughout the Word of God, we are led to understand that the creation of food and its role in sustaining human life is meant to communicate a deeper truth. We must remember that Jesus created the physical world, in part, to help us understand spiritual truths and realities. What we are able to see helps us discern and discover what we cannot see--spiritual and soulful truth.
3. Matthew 4:4 declares that humans do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. This statement of Jesus reveals that humans aren't physical creatures alone--we have a soul! We can't physically see our souls, but we have been created in the image of God, with the ability to relate to our Creator. And Matthew 4:4 teaches us that, just as our physical bodies need food, our souls require sustenance as well. The weight and importance of feeding our souls can immediately be felt and understood because of our relationship with physical food. We understand that life fades if it is not sustained with physical food, and we are led by the Bible to understand that the same is true of our souls (they will perish if not sustained by every Word from the mouth of God).
4. What "food" do our souls require? The human soul is sustained and given life through union with Christ. The Word of God and prayer are "daily bread" for our hungry souls. Understanding that Jesus "ties" His Word together with physical food begins to make sense of some seemingly crazy statements Jesus makes in the NT. Jesus says that He is "the bread of life" and that we must "eat His flesh and drink His blood." Now, this sounds insane at first, but when you understand the complete context, you are able to see that Jesus is simply revealing that He, and He alone, is food for our souls!
5. Getting the Word of God into your soul helps you interpret the book of creation (the physical world and the universal principles that govern and impact human life). This process of thinking and understanding the world is healthy for the human mind and emotions.
6. Think of what food essentially is: (1) something that was once alive, (2) but is now dead, (3) that we consume in order to bring life. In the simplest terms, food is something that is dead that, when consumed, brings and sustains life. Does this message sound familiar? It should! That is the message of the gospel. We must identify with the death of Jesus in order for our souls to be fed and made alive!
7. The Lord prepares a feast for His children every week as they gather to celebrate and worship their resurrected Savior. We must remember that going to and participating in church is the primary way our souls are fed. The sustenance we receive for our souls at church is meant to motivate us to "self-feed" our souls throughout the week.
TALK TO EACH OTHER:
1. How does one know if their soul is being fed? Will it look and feel a specific way? How does one discern if their soul is healthy?
2. God created the physical world in such a way that it helps us discern unseen spiritual truths. Can you think of more examples of this in addition to physical food and hunger?
3. What are some of the common things that humans try to feed their souls with apart from Jesus and His Word? What do you notice about the examples you came up with? Do they have anything in common?
TALK TO GOD:
Pray as you feel led concerning the following areas:
- Discerning the importance of feeding our souls
- Help in teaching younger generations how to feed their souls
- That the trials of life wouldn't bury us, but instead would bring about spiritual growth and transformation
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