Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
- BSB Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
- NKJV Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
- NASB Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work.
- NLT Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus declares that doing and finishing the Father's will is His true food. His whole life is devoted obedience to God's saving purpose.
Overview
Jesus defines His sustenance as accomplishing the work the Father sent Him to do. This single-minded obedience characterizes His entire ministry and points ahead to the cross, where He will say 'It is finished' (John 19:30). His example calls believers to find life in submission to God's will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- John 6:38For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
- John 5:30I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
- Job 23:12Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
- John 17:4I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
- Matt 26:39And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
- John 4:32But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
- John 19:30When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
- John 5:36But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
- Luke 19:10For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
- Ps 40:8I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.
- Luke 15:10Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
- Heb 12:2Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- Isa 61:1–3The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
- John 6:33For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
- Acts 20:35I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
- Luke 15:4–6What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 4:34 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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