Everyone had different expectations of what the Messiah would do when He came to Israel. Drive out the Romans. Make Israel great again. Reign righteously for ever. Reveal the secrets of our hearts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the disciples came to Jesus at the well, bringing food, the woman He was talking to left her water pot, went to the city, and began telling the men of the encounter. “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (vv. 28-29).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s interesting that she did not talk about living water, but that He knew everything about her. She probably mentioned this aspect because she said something earlier that revealed what was more significant to her people: “I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things” (v. 25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Who expects the Christ to know all about them, like this woman mentioned? Was it a coincidence that Jesus did not perform a miracle but revealed details of her life’s background? Do you expect Jesus to lay bare your heart?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul, writing to the church in Corinth (in Greece), explained how the gifts of the Spirit were to be used in the church, including prophesying, of speaking a message of God that the Spirit brings to mind. “But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or an uninformed person comes in, he is convinced by all, he is judged by all [that is, by all the words of the prophesying he heard]. And thus the secrets of his heart are revealed; and so, falling down on his face, he will worship God and report that God is truly among you” (1 Cor. 14:24-25).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus laid bare the secrets of her heart. By this, she was convinced that the Messiah was speaking to her. It was no coincidence that Christ Jesus revealed her background. He did it without censure. No guilt trip but kindliness. We know what a guilt trip does. But the goodness of God leads us to repentance. Do you want Jesus to reveal the secrets of your heart?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Her testimony excited the villagers and they believed in Him (v. 39). They followed up on her question, “Could this be the Christ?” They had to hear Him for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our testimony of how Christ met our need will touch the hearts of others who experience the same need. Jesus met your need and He can meet theirs as well. In your coffee chats, their sob story can remind you of your story and how Jesus helped you. He plucked the beam out of your eye without condemnation; now you are ready to pull out her splinter by pointing her to Christ in kindness. “I know exactly what you mean. Here’s how Jesus helped me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Samaritans came to Jesus, heard Him, and urged Him to stay with them, “and He stayed there two days” (v. 40b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We want to stay with Jesus, don’t we? So we return to the Bible again and again. We spend time pondering the passages. We use a Bible study method learned earlier on this site to dig deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God wants to make Himself known to us. He wants to remain with us. He wants the word of God to be our companions throughout the day, informing our thinking, decision-making, worldview, speech, and behavior. We get to know Him this way as we follow in His steps, as we apply the word to our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“And many more [of the Samaritans] believed because of His own word” (v. 41). They believed because of what He said of Himself and what He taught them. He had not performed any miraculous signs before them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They were not as Thomas, who wouldn’t believe until he felt the wounds of Jesus. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” Jesus said (John 20:29b). They were not as the Jews, who constantly wanted Jesus to perform miracles so they would believe (John 4:48).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Believing the Lord is the whole point of John’s gospel, isn’t it? “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31). Your goal in reading the Bible is to find reasons to believe Him–to find reasons to love and worship the God who wants to be known. It’s not enough to read the book–we want to find life because of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Samaritans said to the woman at the well, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world” (John 4:42b). John’s gospel is full of stories of those who encounter Christ and believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then they take the next step: He becomes their Savior. Then the next step: He’s the Savior of the world, so I need to tell the world as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Everyone had different expectations of what the Messiah would do when He came to Israel. Drive out the Romans. Make Israel great again. Reign righteously for ever. Reveal the secrets of our hearts? When the disciples came to Jesus at … Continue reading