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| A Study of John 4:22-42 | |
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| Introduction In the fourth chapter of John we have the story of the Samaritan woman. The first half of this chapter records how Jesus ministered to this woman leading her to accept him as the Messiah. This is another message in itself which we will have to look at some other time. The second half of the chapter tells us about how the Samaritan woman, after accepting Jesus as her Savior, shared her faith with others. I want to look at what is recorded in John’s gospel, and see if we can’t apply the teaching to our own lives as we endeavor to share the message with others. Verses 22-26 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he." The first thing we see is that this woman had an encounter with Christ. Until we have met the Master, we cannot share his good news with others. Many people want to do good works, but good works performed in our own strength will not produce lasting results. We must have an experience with God. We first must become renewed in our spirit and turn our life over to Christ before we can effectively minister to others. The Samaritan woman had an encounter with Christ. She had lived her life in sin, and certainly had to have been the least likely person in Samaria to lead a revival. But everything changed when she met Jesus. She became a new person, and God used her mightily to bring many people into his kingdom. Have you had an encounter with Christ? Has he changed your life? Perhaps God has chosen you to bring a great revival to your city or your neighborhood. Verse 27 Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?" MacDonald comments, "When the disciples returned from Sychar they found Jesus talking with this woman. They were surprised that He would speak with her, for she was a Samaritan. Also, they could possibly discern that she was a sinful woman." Here MacDonald reveals to us the two things that hinder us from sharing the gospel message with others. The first is prejudice. The woman was a Samaritan who, in the eyes of the Jews, was an inferior person. A superior attitude on our part will prevent us from sharing our faith with many who need to hear that God loves them. Too often we judge others by their nationality, their economic situation or their appearance. Jesus does not look on such things. He looks at the heart, and so should we. The second thing we see is that the disciples may have observed that she was a sinful woman, and therefore felt inclined to keep their distance from her. But Jesus came to save sinners. It is those who are struggling with sin that need the message of Christ the most. As he said in Luke 5:31-32, "And Jesus answered them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." We need to examine ourselves. What prejudices or superior attitudes do we have? Perhaps there is someone we have purposely avoided from inviting them to come with us to church. This may be the very person that God wants us to invite. Christ is looking for Samaritans and for sinners to give them the living water which will cleanse them and make them whole in their spirit. Verses 28-30 So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people, "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?" They went out of the city and were coming to him. The woman of Samaria began sharing her faith with others. Her message was simple but effective. In order to tell others about Christ, we don’t have to be eloquent. The message of salvation is a simple message. I am sure this woman did not feel worthy to be telling others how to live their lives. She may have felt the shame of her sinful past. Perhaps she was ostracized by many in the city. But this day she could not refrain from sharing the good news of what Christ had done for her. She had become a new person in Christ and wanted others to have the same joy she now felt. When we are ministering to others, we don’t have to be eloquent. A simple message is enough. The gospel message is not that difficult to understand or to share – God loves us, Christ came for us, and we are forgiven. All we have to do is accept God’s gift to us. Notice that the woman left her waterpot. As the Believer’s Bible Commentary tells us, "Whenever a person is saved, he or she immediately begins to think of others who are in need of the water of life." Who is there that you need to share your faith with? Leave your waterpot. Ignore the cares of this life for a little while and simply share Christ’s message with others. God has chosen us to be his emissaries. Verses 31-34 Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Has any one brought him food?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Notice the difference between the focus of the disciples and that of Jesus. The disciples were concerned with physical things, Christ with spiritual things. Because of the disciples’ pre-occupation with food, they overlooked the great spiritual harvest which was in the process of taking place. With what are we pre-occupied that takes our attention from needy souls around us? Do we spend so much time seeking after the treasures of the world that we don’t have time to notice the spiritual needs around us? Verses 35-38 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." I believe the Lord is telling us today, Lift up your eyes, look at Merced, and see how the fields are white for harvest. There are people who are your neighbors who have never heard the good news of how Jesus will help them out of their troubles. There are people who were raised in church but have wandered far from the Lord. They are ready to hear the invitation to come back to the house of the Lord. There are those who have wandered from God because of their experience with cold and indifferent churches. They are open to someone who can reach out to them in genuine Christian love. We have a city full of needy people. Let us be like the Samaritan woman and tell them about Christ. MacDonald writes, "The disciples should not think that harvest time was still in the distance. They could not afford to spend their lives in quest of food and clothing, with the thought that God’s work could be done later on. They must realize that the fields were already white for harvest. ... At the very moment when the Lord spoke these words, He was in the midst of a harvest field containing the souls of Samaritan men and women. He was telling the disciples that a great work of in-gathering lay before them, and that they should give themselves to it immediately and diligently. So today, the Lord says to those of us who are believers, ‘Lift up your eyes, and look at the fields.’ As we spend time contemplating the great needs of the world, the Lord will lay on our hearts a burden for the lost souls around us. Then it will be up to us to go forth for Him." Verses 39-40 Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, "He told me all that I ever did." So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. I want you to notice something here. Verse 39 tells us many believed in Christ because of the woman’s testimony. We would have to say this Samaritan woman was the least qualified person to share the gospel message. She had no training; she had never been to one Bible study. For that matter, she had never read the Bible. Besides all that, she was a notorious sinner. She had a bad reputation. What’s keeping you from sharing the message of faith? What is it in your life that makes you less qualified than this woman? When we begin sharing our faith, we will find the strength and ability. We will see those who are hungry for God coming into his family. Now I know some of you will say, But I have invited a lot of people to come with me to church, and it never did any good. How do you know it didn’t do any good? You may have been planting a seed. We need to show God’s love to people. Allow them to see Christ in us. As we do this, we will be planting a seed in their heart that the Holy Spirit will cause to grow. We must continue to plant seeds, but I believe the message for our church today is that the fields are white for harvest. For whatever reason, God has appointed this time to bring in new believers into his kingdom by using our church. Let us be faithful to his call in our life. Let us not hesitate to tell others about Christ. May we reach out to others in love. Perhaps you will be like the Samaritan woman, and many will believe because of your word. Verses 41-42 And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." Verse 41 tells us many more believed because of the words of Christ. Some will believe because of our testimony, but many more will only believe after they have heard Christ’s message for themselves. The Samaritan woman brought the people to the well where Christ was waiting. Let us bring people to a church where Christ is waiting. God’s divine plan has been to use churches and those of us in them to bring the message of salvation to others. We are privileged to be allowed the honor of leading others to Christ. Some will ask, But can’t people have an encounter with Christ without the church? Of course. Many of the Samaritans believed before they were taken to the well. A person can find Christ as they are sincerely praying, they can find Christ as they are reading the Bible, they can find Christ by hearing the message from a friend. God does not need his church to lead people into his kingdom, but he has decided to use his church for that very purpose. Remember, the church is not this building. Look around this room at the others here. That is his church. God uses us, his people, to spread the good news of his love. Let us not be negligent in the work for which God has called us. Look on the fields of Merced. Behold, they are white for harvest. Let us be willing to go out and share out faith. Footnotes: This study on John 4:22-42 © 1997 by David
Humpal. All rights reserved. |
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