Connecting Two Worlds for the Truth

“Jesus answered and said to her, Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)

This is the account of the Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus. There is a time in everyone’s life when we will have that encounter with Jesus. It’s a time of enlightenment of Who Jesus is. It’s a time of decision for each person who finds themselves face to face with Jesus. Each one of the disciples of Jesus found themselves in that place. The leper that Jesus healed, the woman with the issue of blood, Lazarus and countless others who followed Jesus then and today. And we may not think about the Pharisees and Sadducees. They too came to that encounter but rejected Jesus except Nicodemus who believed in Him. Jesus found a way for each person to come to a time of decision for Him or against Him. That’s what He did then and what He is doing even today. Today, we are His feet and His mouth to help people in that encounter with Him.

Jesus went through Samaria. It was the most direct route from Galilee to Judea. But the Jews of that time took a longer route around Samaria. The Samaritans were a mixed race of Jews and Assyrians. They followed the Torah but had idolatrous worship, worshipping at their own designated mountain with their own designated priests. The Jews had nothing to do with them. But Jesus showed mercy to them by going through Samaria, where the worse woman sinner of that area, an adulteress, had an encounter with Jesus and evangelized Samaria. (John 4:1-43)

The Samaritan woman brings Jesus water to drink and Jesus begins teaching her and revealing to her Who He is. He uses the water that she is offering Him to open up the conversation of Who He is. He offers her living water which if she should drink, she will never thirst again. Jesus is speaking spiritually. The woman is thinking naturally and earthly. She wants this water so that she won’t have to go to the community well and draw water. We surmise she’s there at a time when there is less chance of meeting anyone who would scorn her. She’s an adulteress and the whole community knows it. In the Jew community she would have been stoned. But here is Jesus, speaking to her and offering her living water. Jesus is offering her salvation. Living water is the gift of the Holy Spirit Who indwells to lead us, help us and sanctify us when we believe on Jesus. Jesus reveals Who He is and the woman no longer is fearful of rejection. She runs through the town announcing that Jesus is the Christ. “The woman then left her waterpot and went into the city and said to the men, Come see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Is this One not the Christ? And they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:28-30) Many Samaritans were saved. “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed upon Him because of the saying of the woman, who testified, He told me all that I ever did. Then as the Samaritans had come to Him, they begged Him that He would stay with them. And He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.” (John 4:39-41)

What can we learn from this event? First, the Jews and the disciples of Jesus never considered the Samaritans worthy of salvation. We may think that person is just too sinful, too Catholic, too Muslim or whatever and that they would never accept Jesus. If we think this of anyone, we are wrong. We have our prejudices, but God doesn’t. Jesus came for “whosoever.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

We see how Jesus used the water the woman was offering Him to open up the conversation. (John 4: 13,14) This is the hardest thing and one with which I believe only the Holy Spirit can help us. How can we make the connection of something simple and in common to Jesus. This can only come from reading the Word of God and the Holy Spirit quickening something from the Bible to connect to everyday common things in this world. Jesus gave us an example with water, but there are many. We need to pray daily that for the Holy Spirit to quicken our minds to make those connections, so we don’t miss the opportunities He has for people to come to know Him.

Jesus didn’t merely introduce Himself to the Samaritans, but He stayed there. It’s recorded that they wanted Him to stay there. He’s our example. Stay with those who are hungry for the Truth sharing the Goodness of God. Jesus stayed with the Samaritans two days. This isn’t enough time to teach them everything, but it was time enough for many to come to Him. (John 4:39-41) While we may not accomplish much in two days, Jesus accomplished God’s Will for the Samaritans in two days and left. We may need to walk with others until they are firm in the faith. And how will we know when it’s time to let go? When they are bringing others to Christ.

There are many lessons in what Jesus did in His encounter with the Samaritan woman. This is just how the Holy Spirit led today. I don’t think I’ve heard a sermon with this slant. The Lord has many lessons each and every day from just one incident. And He teaches us what we need to learn when we need to learn it. Today, I’m impressed with His urgency to teach His children how to look for opportunities to reveal Who He is. So many need Him.

Let us pray:

Father God, You are so Good to me. You are a Good Father gathering Your children from the four corners of the earth. I don’t know the time of my departing this world, but I sense the urgency to reveal Who You are because the times are harder than usual and the needs of people are greater in every aspect, physically, financially, emotionally, socially, spiritually and etc... Help me to reveal to those around me Who You are and how wonderful You are to those who love You. Help me to reveal Your love and yearning for Your children. You are like the father of the prodigal son, waiting for his child to come home. Father, I can only share Your gift of salvation through Jesus by the power and enabling of the Holy Spirit. Help my world focused mind to be more spirit focused and to be aware and sense others’ needs. Help me to pick up on those connections between the things of this world to something in Your Word that can reveal You and Your marvelous love gift of salvation through the sacrifice, death and resurrection of Jesus. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.