Thursday, April 11, 2019

What “food” was Yeshua referring to in John 4:31?

Here’s something interesting. Have you ever wondered what kind of “food” Yeshua was referring to in this passage?

John 4:31. And in the midst of these things his disciples were pleading with him and saying to him, “Our Master, eat.” 32. But he said to them, I have food to eat of which you do not know of. 33. The disciples said among themselves, “What person has brought him something to eat?” 34. Y’shua said to them, My food is that I do the will of Him who sent me, and that I complete His work.

35. Do you not say that after four months comes the harvest? Behold I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the fields that are white and have ripened for the harvest already. 36. And he that reaps receives a wage and gathers fruit to life that is eternal. And the sower and the reaper together will rejoice.

37. For in this is an instance of truth, that one is sowing and the other one reaping. 38. I have sent you to reap the thing in which you had not done the labor. For others tired and you have entered into their labor. (AENT)

EXPLANATION: The harvest imagery is familiar; note the word “Kingdom” compare Matthew 9:35-38; 21:28-32 and consider how this verse about “food” relates to these two passages about the Kingdom of Elohim. Here lies an amazing implied wordplay just under the surface; such a phenomenon may appear subjective, but the fact is they are easy for native speakers to recognize.

For example, a sign advertising Ocean City, NJ reads “Come to Ocean City: It’s a Shore Thing.” The word shore (as in beach) is intended to remind the reader of similar sounding word, sure (certain).

In this phrase, “I have food to eat that you do not know about,” Y’shua uses the word makultha, but the Aramaic word for “food” is sevartha. Upon the first glance this appears awkward, as if to say, “let’s consume nutrients” rather than “let’s eat.” This odd statement is made to establish a vital spiritual point.

While makultha in this verse refers to “food”, malkutha means “kingdom” as in the phrase “Kingdom of Elohim”! The requirements for obtaining both “food” and the “kingdom” are similar: “To do the will of our Heavenly Father.” John almost verbatim copies the imagery of the harvest as used in Matthew!

1 comment:

  1. Wow, that's a good explanation. I have the AENT and love reading all the footnotes and such. Still learning! Thanks for posting it! I learned something new today and shared it. :)

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