Jesus and the Samaritan Woman Part 2 John 4ff

As we closed last week, we observed this communication between Jesus and the Samaritan woman:

25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things." 26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."

Salvation had come to the Samaritan woman. She had all of her objections overcome, all of her questions answered. She took Jesus at His word that He was who He said that He was. But this passage does not end with her simple conversion; rather, we know it is true by the actions, which she did. For many of us, we would have been satisfied with an explanation that she believed and was saved, for indeed she was. Instead, we observe an interesting intersection where she heard the truth, believed the truth, and took immediate action.

27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are you talking with her?"

The disciples, who had left to go find food in verse 8, returned to see Jesus and the Woman at the well. They were amazed that Jesus was talking with a woman; for, as has been explained, Jewish men simply did not speak with a woman alone, even in public. A Jewish man speaking with a Samaritan was rare in itself, much less a Samaritan woman. So it was strange for them to see. But notice their reaction; though it was strange, they did not question why, at least not verbally. They had already been with Jesus for some time, and they understood at least part of his purpose. There was not even a question of an indiscretion, for the disciples already knew Jesus was about the work of the Father.  

Mark Cahill is an evangelist who is willing to go anywhere- literally- to win the lost. He tells a story where he is actually in a car with a prostitute, having paid for her time, so that he can witness the good news of Jesus Christ to her. (He does not recommend this idea any more, it is not safe he says) But people who know Mark know that He is sold out to the preaching of the Gospel wherever he is and whenever- which is in season and out of season-he finds the opportunity. I have been in trouble with some of the more religious already in the past, and even in this community because I am willing to go anywhere and share the good news, even in the local taverns. I have shared with and brought people to church in the past that do not look like they belong, and have been questioned for it. I want to be known as the guy who will go anywhere at anytime that there is an opportunity to share my faith. I desire to be above reproach; and at the same time have people looking at my life and testimony and be able to say he does this and that for the purpose of the Gospel alone. Jesus was that kind of preacher. He came to seek and to save the lost wherever he found them. I want to do no less, and I urge that you should take the same course; but only with the covering of prayer and in a manner that is above reproach.

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.

We come back to the woman, and we can observe saving faith in her life. She forgot all about the water she had come to draw, and left the disciples and Jesus and went into her town. Remember, this woman was an outcast. The very reason she was at the well when she was had the purpose of avoiding the judgment and wrath of other people. But yet, the Gospel had changed her and made her into a bold witness for the truth that she had experienced. She had drunk of the living Water, and now it was flowing freely from her.

 
She left behind her water jar; what do we need to leave behind? Her very purpose (she thought) of going to the well was to accomplish the goal of getting water for her household. When she met Christ, her purpose changed, her plan was altered. Has Jesus Christ made that kind of radical change in your life? Has he re-oriented you so that everything is about Him, so much so you leave behind what seems important to you and make the spreading of the Gospel the number one priority?

She only had her testimony; so what are we waiting for? Many believers in Jesus Christ will not share their faith because they have a fear of not knowing all the answers. If you are saved, you have a story to tell. Her story was simple: He told me all I ever did- I believe Him to be the Messiah. Then, all the woman did was invite them to meet Him and directed them where they could find Him. What does this look like for us? Tell your story- what has Jesus done for you (in the sense of salvation)? Then, point them to the Messiah, invite them to a Bible study, or to church. Invite them to read the Gospel of John, and give them a copy. What are you waiting for?

She was an outcast in her community, and still she proclaimed the truth to those who hated her! Her orientation was so changed that she did no longer cared about what these people in the town thought of her. Has your orientation been changed in that manner? Christ became so precious to her that she no longer feared man’s opinions of her. Also, she showed love and compassion, because, as an outcast, she was hated. She had no reason to care about her enemies- except for Christ. We must proclaim the truth despite man’s opinions of us. Is Christ so precious to you that you would do this, even to your worst enemy?

This woman’s passion for the Christ was so evident, yet she encouraged people to go meet Him for themselves. Could this be the Christ? She was convinced, but also had wisdom that no man comes to the Messiah lest the Father draws them. They needed to find out for themselves. We are nothing but the sowers of the seed of the Gospel, those whom we share with must make their own decision for or against Christ. We cannot convince them, only the Holy Spirit can. It is our job to proclaim the good news, the results are up to God. The results here were that people were going to the well to see if this was indeed the Messiah.

31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

THE DISCIPLES, MEANWHILE, WERE FOCUSSED ON THINGS OF THIS WORLD again. They were concerned for Jesus to be fed. After all, they had gone into town to buy food. But Jesus’ focus was again, entirely different from theirs. They were focused on the physical when Jesus made this statement. They immediately thought that someone else had brought Jesus food. He immediately explained what he meant. His food was to do the will of God the Father. Nothing else remotely mattered. Jesus never got his drink from the woman, for it was really not what he was seeking. He never ate physical food, but he was not hungry. He was focused on the task at hand.

I have experienced this same thing; in evangelism I have been so involved that I have skipped meals, not really even thinking of food. When we are doing the will of God, He gets the glory, and we get the joy. Part of the joy is being fulfilled in all ways by the task that we are doing. I love to eat, and I eat pretty much on a schedule. I do not like to miss meals! But I have found that when I am busy in ministry, my schedule pretty much goes out the window. In Jesus’ case here, he explains the satisfaction and fulfillment one receives in doing the will of God. Have you felt that satisfaction?

35 Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

Jesus enjoins the disciples with an important concept here. He states that we should not make excuses in putting off accomplishing the Lord’s work. Jesus has just stated that doing God’s work satisfies better than food, and he is trying to get his disciples in the game. I often tell my children that delayed obedience is disobedience. We have one task as Christians in the world today, and that is to share the good news of the Gospel with everyone with whom we come in contact. That may look different for different people, but we must get in the game right now. This Samaritan woman had an afternoon with Jesus, these disciples had several months at the least. Yet she was doing more with less, because the disciples were apparently making excuses to wait. What are our excuses? Many use prayer as an excuse, however, if one were to pray and truly seek God for the lost, that prayer becomes a motivating factor for evangelism! Some use the excuse that they are ‘seeking ‘God’s will’, but God’s will has been revealed for you, and that is to make disciples. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Whether your excuse is your job, social status, too busy, not enough training, etc., Jesus’ statement here was quite clear. There is no time to wait; the fields are white. Use what you have to get involved in the harvest.

36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.

The one who reaps fruit for eternal life is God, the ones who are doing the labor of sowing the seed should be all of us. This is a fulfillment of the messianic age which was foretold in Amos 9:13

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.

God is already working in the hearts of people all around us. We do not have the advantage of knowing which hearts He is working on, which is why we must scatter seed- the Good news- all around where we are. We may have the opportunity to sow seed and reap a harvest in the same day, for we may be in the position of reaper that day!

37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

We have simply entered into the labor of another, all of it initiated and completed by God. The whole world is God’s field, and we are laborers in that field wherever we find ourselves. God has placed us here in this time to sow seeds of the Gospel and to reap a very specific harvest in this area. We also have the ability to participate worldwide through the CM&A missions and through our daughter churches in India. The work is being done, and we have the opportunity to be a very real part of it right where we are. What is it that we are waiting for?

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did."

You see, many Samaritans came to faith simply because of the woman’s limited testimony. They went and met the object of her faith for themselves. Obviously, for these the woman just entered into the harvest field that had already been worked in by God. She participated by simply giving her testimony to those who were in her community, and some believed as a result of that testimony.

40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word.

For others, it took a little more than the woman’s testimony; it took deeper teaching from the Word and an observation of Christ for the two days. Jesus went beyond just meeting with one Samaritan, he stayed in the community for two days and shared with these people whom the Jews saw as below human. He taught them, and even more believed on Him.

42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

These ones who were taught by Christ Himself explained to the woman that she only understood part of his truth, but now they were more convinced. They were convinced that He was not only the Messiah, but the Savior of the World! Jesus came for the Jews (Nicodemus) the Samaritans (the Woman and the Village) and we will see in the next verses, the gentiles (the Roman official) This is the same pattern we are commanded to follow in Acts 1:8.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

We HAVE received power, if we have been born again. The Holy Spirit already dwells in us. As a result of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us we are witnesses. Whatever it is we do in our lives bear witness to the truth that God is with us, or the reality that He is not. A life that has been transformed like the woman at the well will testify to what they have seen and what they have heard. Our experience in Christ should be so life- changing and transforming that we are compelled to share it with anybody. This compulsion overrules fear, it compromises self-respect, for the object of love is no longer self but Christ alone. When one is truly converted, like this woman at the well, our entire life has come under repentance. What I mean is that our life direction has been changed, we have entered a different path. This is the narrow road; the one which few find and actually travel upon.  

What I am trying to say here is that evangelism is not an option for those who are born again. It is as natural as breathing for us. It is also a test of salvation. Obedience to God’s revealed Word is a test of salvation, and if we are not sharing the good news of the Gospel then we are not living in obedience to the word of God. This is not something that is separate from who you are, it should be a part of who you are, and what you do. There should be and will be seasons where you will make a special missions trip or that you will go street preaching. But living the gospel and speaking the gospel should take place in our everyday life as well. Wherever it is we are, and whatever it is we do, as Christians, it should be for the glory of God. And the greatest demonstration of God’s glory is in salvation; where one passes from sin to righteousness, from light to darkness, from death to life. The fields are white for harvest, what are you waiting for?