Meat You Know Not Of: Jesus' Unseen Strength

Jesus stands at the center as the one God, the one Father, the bright and morning star worth being linked to. The world may try to stay connected all the time, but the soul needs to be “cross linked” with the one true Star. The devil is only “as a roaring lion,” but Christ is the real Lion of Judah, living and working inside His people. God is truth, and the liar has no truth in him.

The benches in the house of God can become coffins if a person dies sitting still, bound to a pew while freedom is available. Freedom may start small, even with one lifted hand, but that part of a person the devil does not have can become the doorway for praise, worship, tears, preaching, and joy. God starts in one part, then fills the whole life with liberty.

John 4 shows Jesus telling His disciples, “I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” The woman at the well believed when Jesus revealed the sin and truth of her life, and her testimony pulled a city toward Him. The disciples thought about natural food, but Jesus had kingdom strength, righteousness, and supply they could not see. Jeremiah’s “thy words were found, and I did eat them” shows that God’s Word becomes joy in the heart when it is opened, received, and allowed to pull out what should not be there.

The barley loaf had to be buried, watered, pecked at, cut down, crushed, kneaded, and put in the fire before it reached the hands of Jesus. That seed kept asking, “Why am I going through this?” until the Master blessed and multiplied it. The fire, the drowning, the crows, and the crushing were not the end. God had purpose waiting in His hands.

Mark 8 shows a multitude staying with Jesus for three days with nothing to eat. Christ had compassion and refused to send them away fasting, because He has meat that people know not of. The disciples saw wilderness and lack, but Jesus saw a table already prepared. Only Jesus can satisfy the soul, heal the heart, and give strength that no man can give.

The small fishes also carried a history of struggle, running, being caught, gasping, and getting shoved into a sack before the Master blessed and multiplied them. God uses what looks small, scrawny, and not enough. Revelation promises hidden manna to the overcomer and a white stone with a new name known only to the one who receives it. The altar becomes the consecrated place where hungry people come for that hidden strength.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Freedom can start very small A lifted hand may look like a little thing, but it proves that bondage has not taken everything. God can begin with the one place still yielded and move from that small opening into the whole life. A pew becomes dangerous when it turns into a coffin, but praise becomes powerful when it becomes the first sign of resurrection. [59:29]
• 2. God has hidden meat prepared Jesus’ words to the disciples reveal a strength that does not come from natural bread. The hungry soul may think only in terms of what can be seen, but Christ carries supply that has not yet been tasted. That hidden meat is not imaginary comfort, but real kingdom nourishment for bodies, minds, hearts, and spirits. [63:19]
• 3. Crushing can become multiplication The barley seed did not understand the dirt, the water, the sickle, the mill, the kneading, or the fire. Every stage looked like loss until Jesus took the loaf into His hands. The hand of the Master can reveal that suffering was not wasted, and that breaking became the road to feeding others. [67:59]
• 4. Only Jesus satisfies the soul No man can do what God can do in a moment and in a twinkling of an eye. Human love can touch the heart, but only Jesus can make the heart whole. The wilderness cannot stop Him from preparing bread, because His compassion is greater than visible lack. [76:31]
• 5. Overcomers receive hidden manna Revelation speaks of food reserved for the one who overcomes, a manna hidden from ordinary sight. That promise means God has more than past experiences, old testimonies, and familiar blessings. The soul that presses beyond its present place can receive a name, a strength, and a portion known only by the one who receives it.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [51:24] - One God and One True Star
• [58:23] - Freedom From the Pew
• [61:23] - The Woman at the Well
• [63:19] - Meat Ye Know Not Of
• [65:17] - Eating the Word of God
• [66:03] - God’s Hidden Provision Through Scripture
• [66:49] - The Barley Seed’s Process
• [69:16] - Purpose in the Master’s Hand
• [73:34] - Mark 8 and the Hungry Multitude
• [75:17] - Jesus Refuses to Send Them Hungry
• [76:31] - Only Jesus Can Satisfy
• [79:16] - Trees Along the River of Life
• [81:32] - Recognition Before Breaking
• [83:09] - Small Fishes in the Master’s Hand
• [88:37] - Hidden Manna for Overcomers

Bible Reading

John 4:32
“But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’” [01:03:19]

Mark 8:1-3
“In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way. And some of them have come from far away.’” [01:13:34]

Revelation 2:17
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.” [01:28:37]

Jeremiah 15:16
“Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts.” [01:05:17]

Observation questions

1. In John 4, what did Jesus say He had that the disciples did not understand, and how were they thinking about food differently from Him? [01:03:19]
2. In Jeremiah 15:16, what happened when Jeremiah found and ate God’s words, and what two results are named in the verse?
3. In Mark 8:1-3, what reasons did Jesus give for not wanting to send the crowd away without food?
4. What stages did the barley seed go through before it became bread in the Master’s hand? [01:07:59]

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus said, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” What does that suggest about the kind of strength God gives that cannot be measured by natural circumstances alone? [01:04:29]
2. The woman at the well believed when her life was uncovered and truth met her where she was. What does that show about the way conviction and revelation can lead a person toward faith instead of away from God? [01:02:20]
3. Mark 8 shows Jesus refusing to send hungry people away. What does His compassion in that passage reveal about His heart toward people who have stayed near Him but still feel empty? [01:15:17]
4. Revelation 2:17 promises hidden manna to the one who overcomes. How does that promise help explain why some kinds of spiritual strength are only known by people who keep walking with God through difficulty? [01:30:32]

Application questions

1. Freedom can start very small. What is one small act of response that still feels possible right now—lifting a hand, opening the mouth in praise, coming to the altar, asking for prayer, or something else? [59:33]
2. A bench can become a coffin when someone settles into sitting still while freedom is available. Where is the danger of spiritual passivity showing up right now—in worship, prayer, repentance, church attendance, or receiving the Word? [58:44]
3. God’s Word becomes joy when it is opened and received. What would it look like this week to truly “eat” the Word instead of only glancing at it? Is there a specific passage that needs to be read slowly, prayed over, and allowed to search the heart? [01:05:26]
4. The barley loaf was buried, watered, cut down, crushed, kneaded, and put in the fire before it was blessed and multiplied. Which part of that picture feels closest to this season of life, and where might God be preparing something instead of wasting the pain? [01:09:16]
5. The small fishes looked weak and not like enough, yet they were still used in the Master’s hand. What part of life feels too small, too damaged, or too ordinary to matter, and how might Jesus use that very thing? [01:23:09]
6. Only Jesus can satisfy the soul and make the heart whole. Where has there been a temptation to look to people, activity, or comfort for what only Christ can give? [01:16:31]
7. Hidden manna is promised to overcomers. What does overcoming need to look like in a real and practical way this week—enduring, obeying, returning, confessing, forgiving, or staying near Jesus when it would be easier to drift? [01:28:37]