John 4
COMMENTARY:
: 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. (2872 “wearied” [kopiao] means tired, exhausted, grow weary, toil, to feel fatigued, or struggle.)
DEVOTION: Jesus was born as a baby. HE worked in Joseph’s carpenter shop. HE questioned the religious leaders at the age of twelve. HE started HIS public ministry at the age of thirty.
Now HE is on the road with HIS disciples. HE stated that HE had to go through Samaria. Usually the Jews would not go into Samaria. They would travel a long way to go around Samaria. The Jews and the Samarians didn’t get along.
What was happening? The Samarians were a mixed bred of people. They had their own place to worship, Mt. Gerizim. They had their own priesthood. The Jewish religious leaders had nothing to do with these people.
Jesus made a point of witnessing to the people in Samaria. HE wanted them to know that HE cared about them.
While waiting for the disciples to go for food HE sat at a well and started a conversation with a local woman who came to the well. Why was HE there alone? The disciples went for food and HE stayed behind because HE was tired.
John was giving us an idea of just how human the LORD was. HE had walked a distance and was exhausted. HE couldn’t go on. HE had to wait. Of course, we know that HE was never too tired to witness to someone. HE picked the spot and the time to witness. The spot was at a well. The time was when most people didn’t come to the well. The person who came to the well was someone who had many husbands and was presently living with a man.
Jesus picked some of the poorest people to witness to in HIS life. HE wanted us to know that we are to witness to everyone and that no social class is to be excluded from the membership in our local churches.
CHALLENGE: We need to witness to all those who are in our world. We should leave no one out. We can specialize in our witness. Jesus witnessed to all.
: 10 Jesus answered and said to her, If you knew the gift of God, and WHO it is that says to you, Give ME to drink; you would have asked of HIM, and HE would have given you living water. (2198 “living” [zao] means live, be alive, quick, breath, be among the living, to enjoy real life, a supernatural resource characterized by (transcendental) life and vitality, or understood as running water (as opposed to still and stagnant.)
DEVOTION: Most of us like gifts. Each of us has a gift list that we would like our parents to give us for special occasions. Some of the items on the list are large and some are small. Those who want us to give us gifts can decide which gift they will give us.
Jesus was offering the woman at the well a gift. It gift was coming from God. Can you imagine the expense account God has to give gifts? HE owns the cattle on a thousand hills. HE has all the jewels in the whole world at HIS disposal. HE knows where all the gold and silver is in the whole world.
What was Jesus offering the woman at the well? HE was offering “living water.” What is living water? It is water that would cause the person drinking of it to never thirst again.
Jesus had just told Nicodemus that he had to be born from above. HE stated that “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he could not enter into the kingdom of God.”
It is thought that the “water” is the Word of God. Jesus is the Word. Jesus was offering HIMSELF to the woman at the well. HE was going to die on the cross for her and give her eternal life. That is a life that will last forever. HE was offering eternity life in heaven for those who would drink or partake of HIM.
CHALLENGE: The choice was the woman’s to make. She ran into the village to tell all those to come meet the Messiah. We need to do the same.
: 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (4352 “worship” [proskuneo] means adore, to kiss the hand to one, in token of reverence, kneeling or prostration to do homage, or make obeisance.)
DEVOTION: Jesus is carrying on a conversation with a Samaritan woman. The Jews had nothing to do with this group of people. The reason they had nothing to do with them is because they were a mixed breed of Jews and Gentiles. Some of the Jews were left behind during the captivity and they married Gentiles. Therefore to the Jews they were not worth seeing or doing anything with. A normal Jew would not go through Samaria because he would have the wrath of the religious leaders.
Jesus said that he “must” go through Samaria. While in Samaria he does something else that is not normal – he talks to a woman alone. Part of their conversation is recorded in this verse. They move from literal water to spiritual water or living water to worship. She is trying to sideline Jesus by asking a question regarding worship.
Jesus answers her question with a revelation. She wanted to show reverence to God in the mountain where she lived. She said that the Jews showed reverence in Jerusalem. Jesus tells her that those who truly show reverence will do it in spirit and in truth.
Reverence will be something that comes from the inside and works its way out. The Jews had an external practice of showing reverence by going to the temple and sacrificing but their hearts were far from the LORD. Jesus wanted her to realize that true reverence comes from the heart. Jesus wanted her to adore God from the inside out. HE wanted her to know the truth of the Word of God and include this in her adoration time.
Do we go to church as a duty or a privilege? Do we just go through the motions or mean business with God. Do we go to church to use the gift HE has given to us at the point of salvation or do we hide our gift in a pew? If we are truly going to adore the LORD on Sunday we will be very active in the singing. If we are truly going to adore the LORD on Sunday we are going to use our God-given gift in that local church. IF these things are not true – Are we truly adoring the LORD we claim to serve?
If we show reverence to God in our spirit, we are truly reverencing HIM. Are we willing to prostrate ourselves before God in our hearts? Are we willing to be humble before HIM? Are we willing to show all those around us that we mean business in our adoration of HIM?
CHALLENGE: Find your spiritual gift and use it in the local church. Don’t waste it by just sitting in the pew each Sunday.
: 34 Jesus said to them, MY meat is to do the will of HIM that sent me, and to finish HIS work. (5048 “finish” [teleioo] to complete, to accomplish thoroughly or entirely, understood as making perfect or complete, or make genuine.)
DEVOTION: Jesus had an assignment given to HIM before the foundation of the world. Before the triune God created the world they knew what was going to happen in the Garden of Eden. They are omniscient.
In the fullness of time Jesus was born of a woman to save those in the world who would become followers of HIM. HE came to spread the good news of the gospel to even the Samaritans.
HE stated to the disciples that HE enjoyed sharing the truth of HIS mission with those who would listen. HE shared it with the woman at the well, so that, she and the other Samaritans knew that they were included in God’s plan for eternity.
Jesus shared truth with all those HE met. To HIM sharing the truth of HIS mission was food to HIS belly. HE was doing the Father’s will for HIS appearance here on this earth.
Not only did HE share the good news but HE promised to finish the work that HE had started. The cross was only one aspect of HIS work. HE was on a mission to train disciples to witness the truth of HIS teachings to their world who would in turn share the same truth to those in their world until HE returned to set up HIS kingdom.
We are one of the generations that need to share the truth of HIS coming. It should fill us with joy in our inner being. It should be food to our soul. We need to finish HIS work until HE comes for us.
CHALLENGE: What will HE find us doing when HE comes to take believers to join HIM in the sky? Are you a genuine believer today? If not, will you become one?
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