All Glory to God the Father and to our Savior Jesus Christ
At the end of last week’s study, Jesus had told the Woman at the well that I am He. In fact, He had given her, in that short time together, knowledge of everything she needed to be saved. These are in verses 10 and 13 of John 4. They boil down to one thing, belief in Him. It really is that simple. Belief in Christ, that He was sacrificed for our sins and rose again from the dead to sit on a throne on the right hand of the Father. Confirmation of this is found in Luke 22:69, Romans 8:34 and many other places in the Bible, both in the old and new Testament. Jesus Himself told Matthew “But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Mat 26:4) God prophesying to His Disciple of what is to come.
Those are all things you can trust in, believe in with all your heart. We let so many things get in our way of belief. The secular world insists that we believe their “Experts”. Evolution, The big bang theory of the start of the universe, Vaccines to cure what has so panicked the whole world that nobody in a position of authority is able to think with any shred of common sense. You’ve only to listen to the news to verify that. Christ is our only truth. (John 14:6) And belief in Him will let you, after your last breath, stand before our Savior and bask in His radiant Love and Glory. (Revelation 7:17) I bet you don’t hear that on the news. The prince of this world (satan) wants you to believe in this world, not the One that created it.
Let us continue with our lesson.
The disciples show up, coming back from buying food in town, and find their Rabbi talking to a woman. Jesus had picked these guys from whatever they had been doing in the world. And they came to Him with all their prejudices and preconceptions. Meaning they were men of the world. Keep in mind that men and women of that day did not act in the way that we do today. The two genders, yes there are only 2, (Genesis 1:27) if they were not married or family, were kept at arm’s length. This came from the Old Testament patriarchs who knew that only trouble came from unrestrained access to females. We seem to have forgotten that bit of common sense.
So finding your teacher, the Messiah, talking to a woman might have raised some eyebrows. I grew up as a blue collar working man and worked among similar men. If I and my buddies had come upon that scene, we would have said something, but these disciples did not. The bible states that they had been amazed that he was speaking with this woman, yet no one said, “What are You seeking?” or, “Why are You speaking with her?” (John 4:27) Here we find that in just that little bit of time spent with Jesus, they had been changed. If you seek the Lord, He will let you find Him, Deuteronomy 4:29, but don’t expect to remain the same old sinner you were. You were walking in darkness, and now this brilliant light is shining upon you. We see this in the previous lesson when Jesus told the woman to “Go, call your husband and come here” and the woman said “I have no husband.” She didn’t have to do that. I am sure she was used to lying to conceal her shame. But now, she was standing in the Light and she could no longer conceal her shame from the One who knew all. (John 4:16-18) It is the same with us. Churches that say Christ loves you just the way you are have either not read the bible or choose to interpret the bible in a very unbiblical way. They have in fact opened their doors to darkness. (John 1:5) Your soul is at peril if you believe that stuff.
We continue…
The woman, this harlot that had stood in the Light, again John 1:4, left her water jug and went off to her village to speak to her people. She wanted to share the Good news. I feel the same thing. I want to share the Good News. What I find curious is people that say they are Christians have spent a good portion of their adult lives going to church most every Sunday, and feel no compunction to share the Good News. They seem content to go to church and leave the rest of that stuff to the preacher. First let me direct you to Matthew 7:14 where Christ, Him crucified for our sins said “For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Then we go to James 2:18-20 “But someone may well say, ‘You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without works is useless?” What is this works that James is talking about? Surely not just sitting in the pew, letting the Pastor do all the heavy lifting. If you are currently going to a church that is content to let you just sit there, you are going to have to pick up the bible, blow the dust off and read it. Then find a bible preaching church. Your soul is at peril.
The woman at the well went to her people and told them “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is He?” (John 4:29) I have heard it said, you can talk to a man, but you can’t tell him anything. There is some truth to that. This woman, who I am sure all knew as a harlot, used her own shame to make them listen to what she said. Clever girl. Most times you are not going to credit a woman of shame telling you anything of worth. But when the Holy Spirit is involved, you listen. And they did, the bible states “They left the city and were coming to Him.” (John 4:30) Jesus was sent to save the lost. The Jews, for the most part, weren’t having it, but this village of Samaritans were coming to him on the say so of this harlot.
Meanwhile back at the well, the disciples are telling Jesus “Rabbi, eat something.” (John 4:31) But He tells them “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” The disciples were puzzled at this, bumbling around like the innocent sheep they had become, asking if He had been fed by somebody else? (John 4:33) Jesus sets them down and gives them a lesson in the Fruit of the Spirit.
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I tell you, raise your eyes and observe the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have come into their labor.”
Raise your eyes and observe the fields. The fields in our day are still white for harvest and there you are sitting in your pew, or maybe not even going to church at all, because the government has said it’s scary out there. Who you are going to believe, the government or Christ? We do not have a timid God, so why are you timid? Repent your sins, (Acts 3:19) read your bible, (Joshua 1:8) and then get out there and serve your King. (Revelation 19:13, 16).