Then Jesus said to her, “I am the MESSIAH!” – John 4:26
Without a doubt, this is one of my favorite encounters in the entire Bible. You remember the story. In the Gospel of John, Jesus passed through a region called Samaria on His way to Galilee. As the reader, we should by all means know that (at this time in history) the Samaritan people were despised by the Jewish people. The Jews considered the Samaritans to be inferior economically, racially, spiritually, and socially. In fact, they were “the dogs” and often even hated.
Jews never associated with Samaritans. Accordingly, this beautiful encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman records how she could not believe Jesus (a Jew) even spoke to her. As can be expected, her self-esteem was incredibly low. The Bible also records that she went to the well to draw water at noontime; it was customary to go in the morning. Instead, she went in the heat of the day to ensure she was alone.
We see Jesus not only speak to her but also reveal profound Truth to her. He tenderly shares what it means to sin, worship, and be gifted eternal life.
Perhaps the most astounding of all is that He chose her (a “despised,” “adulterous,” and “inferior” woman) to be the first person in history to hear Him reveal Himself as “The Messiah.”
Don’t Miss This
Let’s not miss this. Jesus did not first reveal Himself to the rich, powerful, or righteous. He did not present Himself to kings, governments, or authorities. Rather, He chose to reveal Himself to someone the world considered to be gross or unworthy.
Do you ever feel like Jesus can’t talk to you? Maybe you feel like you don’t have what it takes?
Possibly you’re the outcast, the unwanted, the unholy, the sinner? You might also think, “No one sees me or knows what I’ve done. Why would God reveal Himself to me?”
I LOVE this encounter with Jesus and the Samaritan woman. It proves that not only does Jesus SEE us, but He longs to reveal Himself to us and love us. It simply doesn’t matter who we are or what we’ve done. No matter what others think or what we think of ourselves, He loves us. For this reason, Jesus comes to the well in our lives to draw us out. He always longs to reveal Himself as THE MESSIAH!
Believer, do you see His face? Can you see how Jesus only cares about what HE thinks of you?
Sure, the world may have their impressions of you. Perhaps they say that you are not “clean enough,” “religious enough,” “rich enough,” or “powerful enough.” The world is unquestionably dead wrong.
Jesus forever personifies this verse in 1 Corinthians 1:27,
“Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.”
That We Might See
Oh, that we might see Jesus. Even now, we must ponder what He thinks of us over anything or anyone else. Astonished, amazed, and delighted, the Samaritan woman became an authentic evangelist to her village.
“The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him.” — John 4:28-30
“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” — John 4:39-42
With this in mind, let’s learn to quiet the voices around us. We must HEAR AND UNDERSTAND who Jesus is and who He declares us to be. Equally important, let’s run to our family, friends, co-workers, and “village,” declaring, “Come and See….Jesus!”
Running from the well with you,
Posted in A Word from the Pastor