THE KING’S BUSINESS
504
His will? Is “to do His will,” not merely to know it, the great joy of our heart in which we even forget the most urgent and insistent needs of our bodies ? When one has learned that joy he has learned the supreme joy, the joy that no one can ever take from him. The will of God in this particular instance was the salvation of this degraded Samaritan woman and the other Samaritans who were now hurrying toward Him. But doing “the will of Him that sent Him” involved the accomplish ment of the work entrusted to Him. The word translated “finish” in the A. V. means more than to “bring to an end.” It means “bring to a perfect end,” to “accomplish.” It is the same word used in chapter 17:4, where the R. V. (as here) properly renders it “accomplish.” The work that He that sent Him had given Him to do was the redemption of man, and that could only be “accomplished” on the cross, So it was our Lord’s food, His sustenance and joy, to die a sub stitute for us. At last on the cross He cried,“/f is finished” (ch. 19:30) where a closely related word is used in the Greek. The word here translated “fin ish” (A. V.) or “accomplish” (R. V.) is characteristic of John (ch. 5 :36; 17: 4, 23; 19:28; 1 Jno. 2 :5; 4:12, 17), Our Lord delighted to think and speak of Himself as “sent” by the Father (ch. 6:29; 8:29, 42 ; 12:49; 14:24; 17:23, etc.).
which Jesus gave later (v. 34), and which we have but which they did not have yet. The only explanation of the words (v. 32) so enigmatical to them, that they could think of was that in their absence some one had brought him food, but the form of their question in the Greek shows that they considered that im probable and so they were utterly puz zled as to what he meant. He and they evidently lived in two different worlds. Which do we live. in, that which Jesus lived in or that which the disciples lived in? They did not ven ture to put their question to him, but to one another (cf. ch. 16:17). They evidently felt somewhat ashamed of their dullness and had a glimmering of thought that there was some deeper meaning in his words. V. 34. '‘Jesus saith unto (rather, to) them, My meat (rather, food) is to do (rather, that I do) the will of him that sent me, and to finish (rather, that I accomplish) his work.” Wonderful words! Words that need to be meditated upon and made part of our lives rather than to be com mented upon. Our Lord’s sustenance and satisfaction was in doing the will of God and in bringing to its ^perfect accomplishment the work the Father had entrusted to Him. Is this true of us? It ought to be (1 Jno. 2:6). Do we find our deepest joy in simply doing God’s will, simply because it is
Kg- H. 'Jjf Ijattr rstermeii tifamuri)« of Ifta nautili jp) «tura tifa« mg nmuaarg funi», -Il
— 3nfa 23:12.
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