A Mother’s Day Message – A Spiritual Mother to Samaria
What the woman would have said in response to Jesus’ revelation is unknown. But what she did is clear. She immediately went and told her neighbors that she had potentially met the Christ.
Jesus then spoke to His disciples about the importance of being able to look at the world from God’s perspective, seeing people as a spiritual harvest to be gathered. Jesus reminded His disciples of His mission to do the will of God and accomplish His work and encourages their participation.
John 4:27 (ESV)
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?”
Jesus had broken cultural taboos: (1) Jews did not speak with Samaritans, and (2) a male did not normally speak with a female stranger. (3) The Rabbis of that day would not be alone or talk with women in public. (Good) They feared what people might think and say. Jesus’ behavior amazed His disciples.
**Jesus tears down broken social prejudice and paradigm!
John 4:28-29 (ESV)
So the woman left her water jar
**This is a picture of what happens to one who meets Jesus and He reveals Himself to them. We are excited, our thirst is satisfied, we are healed from our social and relational brokenness and we run to our neighbors to tell them about Him. And like this woman and Andrew and Phillip we come back to Him and bring them with us.
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?”
**Let also remember that her water jar was practical and valuable – When we have an encounter with Jesus He changes our value system and He becomes our priority – LORD!
The fact that I am a woman does not make me a different kind of Christian, but the fact that I am a Christian does make me a different kind of woman. Elisabeth Elliot
**I find it interesting that she is one longer in a posture of shame and isolation after her encounter with Jesus.
Commentary – When we return to the world of family and friends after encountering Jesus, there are two kinds of “water jars” we must leave behind:
1. We must leave behind our shame about the past. Because Jesus knows all about us, we can repent and receive His forgiveness. God may use the emptiness of our past life to help us convey to others the wonder of forgiveness. But we must not dwell on or carry guilt about the past.
2. We must leave behind former friends and activities. Certain pleasures and relationships (not bad in themselves) may hinder our telling others about Christ. The water jar would have slowed the woman down. She probably retrieved it later, but was not concerned about it in the light of her discovery.
Commentary – We must lay down our useless former pursuits of pleasure and personal fulfillment. Even though we know that our old way of living never truly satisfies, the tempter deceives us into believing that there still may be an instant, easy source of satisfaction in the old empty ways.
Have you turned your back on old habits, old treasures, old pleasures in order to seek what only God can give? Leave them behind and satisfy your thirst in Christ.
John 4:30 (ESV)
They went out of the town and were coming to him.
They obviously saw a change in her to respond the way they did to this woman that they knew.
John 4:31-32 (ESV)
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.”
Jesus was saying that He was spiritually satisfied by sharing with the Samaritan woman who He was.
John 4:33-34 (ESV)
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.
Jesus lived to please his Father and in so doing found spiritual satisfaction.
John 17:4 (ESV)
I glorified you on earth (how?), having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
It must be God’s work, not ours, and the motivation to do it will come as we stay connected to Christ.
**We are nourished not only by what we take in but also by what we pour out for the Lord.
John 4:35 (ESV)
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.
The time for harvesting had already arrived. The Samaritans, who were coming from town, were ready to be harvested.
John 4:36 (ESV)
Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
Jesus made it clear that a continual harvest awaits gathering. Don’t make excuses. If you are watchful and available, you will find people ready to hear God’s message of eternal Life.
1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (ESV)
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
The Life we have been given is meant to sow wherever and reap whenever. As was done for us, we ought to seek to do for others. In the end, the sowers and reapers will all rejoice!
John 4:37-38 (ESV)
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.”
When we spreading the Good News, God gives us a significant role, yet He deserves all the praise.
John 4:39 (ESV)
Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”
John 4:40-41 (ESV)
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.
John 4:42 (ESV)
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.”
Application(s)
Jesus walked into her isolation and darkness revealed Himself by declaring that He knew her and came to find her, loved her and ultimately set her free.
Jesus feasted on the harvest – He was an example to us in this.
Her thirst was quenched and she went out to pour into others – it’s our obvious response!
He alone quenches our thirst and makes us His spring of eternal life, BUT we must remember He is the source!!!
Let’s also remember – 7 days without the Word makes ONE WEAK!
She left the jar because she became the jar (not for herself) for others!