The woman at the well was not finished trying to keep the truth she’s heard from changing her. She already tried to distract Jesus on two different occasions, and has failed each time. She uses a different tactic in her third attempt. It is seen in John 4:19-20:
“The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
This is a very common tactic put on display here. She is like many of us, and when presented with a truth she doesn’t understand, or want to accept, she tries to debate little pieces of that truth. With her sin exposed the woman tries launching into theological debate to avoid the topic of salvation. This tactic of trying to debate over religious matters is used by those who fear the truth of salvation. They do this because if they are able to look at the words of Jesus more as a thing to debate than life or death they can more easily ignore their need for Him. It’s another trap not to fall into.
Any person, especially in a Western society, is familiar with the Bible, and knows some of the stories. They even know some of the debate that surrounds them (was Jesus really born in a manger? Was He a carpenter? Did the whole world really get flooded? Creationism vs. evolution. Etc.). It gives the unsaved lots of things to bring up as distractions when the truth is being presented to them. We cannot fall into this trap. Avoid such debates, for they can keep you from discussing the really important truth. What really matters is getting someone to accept that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.
Do not debate such matters, but follow the example Jesus has shown every time there is an attempted distraction. Use whatever is said to continue revealing the truth about the salvation of Jesus Christ. Notice that Jesus never condemned the woman for all her attempts to distract him with offense, history, or theology. Her revelation of her sin did not stop Him from speaking to her. He used everything to reveal more of the truth about Himself to her. This is one of the most important lessons from this story. Don’t get distracted, but always witness.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
At the Well: Condemnation
In the previous verse Jesus called the woman to get her husband, and come back. There is a problem with this request, and it is dealt with in John 4:17-18:
“The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have said well, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
Jesus challenged the woman, and she responded truthfully. He responds by telling her he knows what her sins are. He doesn’t do this by condemning her. He only states the facts. His handling of this, and using it to reveal some of the truth about himself to the woman, is an important lesson for people today.
Essentially, the woman’s sin was that she and her boyfriend were living together. This is a common problem today as anyone who opens their eyes knows well. When many of us find out people are living sinfully in such a way we are eager to condemn them. We are righteous, and want them to know they are not. The Bible is clear there is not to be sex before marriage, and a man and a woman should not share a bed until there are two rings on that woman’s finger (engagement ring and wedding band). This is right. Our handling of knowing this truth is not always right.
Is living together, sleeping together, and doing all that stuff together before marriage wrong? Yes. Is condemning it right? No. Jesus did not condemn the woman at the well, and we are not to condemn. We are to respond to sin by continuing to make sure a lost and broken world feels the love of Jesus. We are not to condemn, but to help Jesus redeem.
The reason for this is simple. When one accepts Christ He comes to reside within them. The things they do in their life that are sins against Him will be made known to them by the Holy Spirit residing within them. This Spirit will help turn that person’s will into God’s will, and they will be transformed by it. This is true of us all. Our life is a walk with Jesus, and not a sprint. It is the job of those of us who are saved to allow Jesus to do the redeeming, and we can only do this if we cease the condemning.
Someone who sins should repent. Someone who condemns should not. Someone who witnesses should help Jesus redeem.
“The woman answered and said, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You have said well, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
Jesus challenged the woman, and she responded truthfully. He responds by telling her he knows what her sins are. He doesn’t do this by condemning her. He only states the facts. His handling of this, and using it to reveal some of the truth about himself to the woman, is an important lesson for people today.
Essentially, the woman’s sin was that she and her boyfriend were living together. This is a common problem today as anyone who opens their eyes knows well. When many of us find out people are living sinfully in such a way we are eager to condemn them. We are righteous, and want them to know they are not. The Bible is clear there is not to be sex before marriage, and a man and a woman should not share a bed until there are two rings on that woman’s finger (engagement ring and wedding band). This is right. Our handling of knowing this truth is not always right.
Is living together, sleeping together, and doing all that stuff together before marriage wrong? Yes. Is condemning it right? No. Jesus did not condemn the woman at the well, and we are not to condemn. We are to respond to sin by continuing to make sure a lost and broken world feels the love of Jesus. We are not to condemn, but to help Jesus redeem.
The reason for this is simple. When one accepts Christ He comes to reside within them. The things they do in their life that are sins against Him will be made known to them by the Holy Spirit residing within them. This Spirit will help turn that person’s will into God’s will, and they will be transformed by it. This is true of us all. Our life is a walk with Jesus, and not a sprint. It is the job of those of us who are saved to allow Jesus to do the redeeming, and we can only do this if we cease the condemning.
Someone who sins should repent. Someone who condemns should not. Someone who witnesses should help Jesus redeem.
Friday, January 7, 2011
At the Well: Go, Call, and Come
After the Samaritan woman has admitted her desire for living water Jesus shows her another lesson that is important to us. She learns that faith in Christ is more than just an insurance policy, or something to make us feel good. Faith in Christ is a call to action. Jesus shows this in John 5:16:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.”
Jesus has witnessed to the woman, and she has accepted to truth. Now he commands her to follow His example, and witness herself. He acted, and wants her to act. This is true of all those who accept Christ. He did not call us to fill up pews. He did not call us to sit in hallowed halls, and debate matters of the Bible among ourselves. He did not call us to condemn, or to think we are better than everyone else because we know Jesus. He calls us to go, call, and come.
Jesus teaches us here how vitally important it is for us to act on the faith we claim. We need to witness to the truth. James spells it out for us in his book, and teaches that faith without works is dead. Jesus calls the woman to immediately act on this faith that she does not yet fully understand. He does not tell her to wait until she’s gone to seminary, or to wait until she’s studied, and come to a more full understanding of what faith is. He wants her to act now. Once again, the same is true of us.
Every reason we use for not trying to reach the lost is just an excuse. Jesus knows we’re not perfect. We wouldn’t need Him if we were. Our lack of perfection doesn’t matter. He is perfect, and He resides within us once we accept Him. We are prepared to reach others the moment we accept Him because the Holy Spirit within us is always ready to speak through us. Don’t hide behind excuses. Listen to the command of Jesus. Go, call, and come.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come here.”
Jesus has witnessed to the woman, and she has accepted to truth. Now he commands her to follow His example, and witness herself. He acted, and wants her to act. This is true of all those who accept Christ. He did not call us to fill up pews. He did not call us to sit in hallowed halls, and debate matters of the Bible among ourselves. He did not call us to condemn, or to think we are better than everyone else because we know Jesus. He calls us to go, call, and come.
Jesus teaches us here how vitally important it is for us to act on the faith we claim. We need to witness to the truth. James spells it out for us in his book, and teaches that faith without works is dead. Jesus calls the woman to immediately act on this faith that she does not yet fully understand. He does not tell her to wait until she’s gone to seminary, or to wait until she’s studied, and come to a more full understanding of what faith is. He wants her to act now. Once again, the same is true of us.
Every reason we use for not trying to reach the lost is just an excuse. Jesus knows we’re not perfect. We wouldn’t need Him if we were. Our lack of perfection doesn’t matter. He is perfect, and He resides within us once we accept Him. We are prepared to reach others the moment we accept Him because the Holy Spirit within us is always ready to speak through us. Don’t hide behind excuses. Listen to the command of Jesus. Go, call, and come.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
At the Well: Need for Living Water
Jesus deflects the woman’s attempts at distracting Him in John 4:10 by telling her about the living water He is capable of giving her. The woman is not done trying to distract Jesus after this. Their debate continues in John 4:11-14 as Jesus overcomes her challenge once more, and repeats that he can give her water that can bring her salvation. Her response to this is in verse 15:
“The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
This verse shows that the woman wants what Jesus has to offer even if she doesn’t fully comprehend it. This reveals an important truth about all people. Everyone is built to want a relationship with the divine. All people throughout history have found something to worship, for we are built to worship. Whether Zeus, the land, the sun, Balaam, Shiva, or anything else all people have been aware of their need for what is divine.
We are built to know that we need Jesus, and we need salvation. Even those who don’t fully comprehend the truth, or have never heard of Jesus understand this. They get it. Even those that deny it with atheism or something else so they can spend their lives worshiping themselves understand this. This woman showed her understanding that she needed salvation when she was first exposed to it. She may not have fully comprehended what she was asking for at the time, but she knew she needed it. All people know they need it.
A key reason we need to witness is so all people can be exposed to what their need to worship is made to help them realize. Those not exposed to the truth will find something else to worship, for we have to worship something. Whatever it is will leave them in want. It is the job of those who are saved to help the unsaved find their way to the living water that comes from Jesus Christ.
“The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
This verse shows that the woman wants what Jesus has to offer even if she doesn’t fully comprehend it. This reveals an important truth about all people. Everyone is built to want a relationship with the divine. All people throughout history have found something to worship, for we are built to worship. Whether Zeus, the land, the sun, Balaam, Shiva, or anything else all people have been aware of their need for what is divine.
We are built to know that we need Jesus, and we need salvation. Even those who don’t fully comprehend the truth, or have never heard of Jesus understand this. They get it. Even those that deny it with atheism or something else so they can spend their lives worshiping themselves understand this. This woman showed her understanding that she needed salvation when she was first exposed to it. She may not have fully comprehended what she was asking for at the time, but she knew she needed it. All people know they need it.
A key reason we need to witness is so all people can be exposed to what their need to worship is made to help them realize. Those not exposed to the truth will find something else to worship, for we have to worship something. Whatever it is will leave them in want. It is the job of those who are saved to help the unsaved find their way to the living water that comes from Jesus Christ.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
At the Well: Get Dirty
Jesus broke through cultural taboos to speak to the woman, and her response to His doing so is the type of response many of us fear when we consider witnessing. John 4:9 says:
“Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”
Translation: she’s offended. She knows Jesus shouldn’t be speaking with her, and she tells him. I believe, however, that the source of her claimed offense is different than what she says. What she’s really wondering is how can someone clean, like a Jewish rabbi, speak to someone unclean like her? This is a profound statement, and shows a problem those of us in the Christian community have allowed to arise.
Many who are unsaved look at those who are saved, and believe we consider them unworthy of us. They are nothing more than those who need to come to our way of thinking to be considered clean. When we address them they can wonder why we perfect Christians can talk to fallen sinners. They claim offense largely because of the social boundaries we ourselves have put in place. This is what the Samaritan woman did. She was a social outcast already, and her offense was largely for Jesus’ sake, and not her own. She believed He should consider Himself too good to speak with her.
Many we witness to can think the same about us. They can think those of us who are clean, or saved, can become dirty when we talk to those who are dirty, or unsaved. They get offended because things we’ve said and done tells them they should. As I’ll discuss in later entries Jesus didn’t let this stop Him, and neither should we. He spoke to unsaved people, and didn’t let this Samaritan woman scare Him away because she decided to get offended.
We need to make sure unsaved people know we don’t think we are better than they are. All that separates us is we’ve accepted a truth they haven’t yet. We should be willing to address them to make sure they accept that truth.
“Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, ‘How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”
Translation: she’s offended. She knows Jesus shouldn’t be speaking with her, and she tells him. I believe, however, that the source of her claimed offense is different than what she says. What she’s really wondering is how can someone clean, like a Jewish rabbi, speak to someone unclean like her? This is a profound statement, and shows a problem those of us in the Christian community have allowed to arise.
Many who are unsaved look at those who are saved, and believe we consider them unworthy of us. They are nothing more than those who need to come to our way of thinking to be considered clean. When we address them they can wonder why we perfect Christians can talk to fallen sinners. They claim offense largely because of the social boundaries we ourselves have put in place. This is what the Samaritan woman did. She was a social outcast already, and her offense was largely for Jesus’ sake, and not her own. She believed He should consider Himself too good to speak with her.
Many we witness to can think the same about us. They can think those of us who are clean, or saved, can become dirty when we talk to those who are dirty, or unsaved. They get offended because things we’ve said and done tells them they should. As I’ll discuss in later entries Jesus didn’t let this stop Him, and neither should we. He spoke to unsaved people, and didn’t let this Samaritan woman scare Him away because she decided to get offended.
We need to make sure unsaved people know we don’t think we are better than they are. All that separates us is we’ve accepted a truth they haven’t yet. We should be willing to address them to make sure they accept that truth.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
At the Well: Be Taboo
In my last entry I didn’t even get to when the woman at the well shows up. That happens in John 4:7:
“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.”
All sorts of things are going on here. Much of it has a lot to do with the culture at the time. When we witness to people we are often told to be careful not to violate any cultural rules. While it is often true that working within the culture is the best way to reach the lost it should not be forgotten that witnessing to the truth is far more important than following cultural rules. Jesus made a very strong case for this in this single verse.
In the times of Jesus it was completely taboo for Jesus to do any of the things He did here. It was a cultural rule that a man should never talk to a woman in an uninhabited place with no witnesses. Kenneth E. Bailey’s Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes teaches that this is still taboo today in this part of the world. Jesus should have avoided even making eye contact with her. What culture dictated is Jesus should have gone far off when the woman approached. As a man, a Jew, and a rabbi He never should have spoken with her, looked at her, or even been near her.
But He did. He ignored all these cultural rules and more so that He could witness to her. He did whatever was required so this woman could be made aware of the salvation she could receive through Him. He did whatever he had to, and broke through cultural boundaries so she could be saved. We should follow His example, and be just as concerned with salvation for the lost as Jesus was. Cultural rules are not more important than making sure all people know Jesus. Follow them if you can, but ignore them if you must. Witness to the truth so people can be transformed by it. That is our calling. It’s so stupid when we’re more concerned with not offending than saving the unsaved. It’s better to offend a thousand people than to let one person go to hell who could be saved. Be taboo. Witness.
“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.”
All sorts of things are going on here. Much of it has a lot to do with the culture at the time. When we witness to people we are often told to be careful not to violate any cultural rules. While it is often true that working within the culture is the best way to reach the lost it should not be forgotten that witnessing to the truth is far more important than following cultural rules. Jesus made a very strong case for this in this single verse.
In the times of Jesus it was completely taboo for Jesus to do any of the things He did here. It was a cultural rule that a man should never talk to a woman in an uninhabited place with no witnesses. Kenneth E. Bailey’s Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes teaches that this is still taboo today in this part of the world. Jesus should have avoided even making eye contact with her. What culture dictated is Jesus should have gone far off when the woman approached. As a man, a Jew, and a rabbi He never should have spoken with her, looked at her, or even been near her.
But He did. He ignored all these cultural rules and more so that He could witness to her. He did whatever was required so this woman could be made aware of the salvation she could receive through Him. He did whatever he had to, and broke through cultural boundaries so she could be saved. We should follow His example, and be just as concerned with salvation for the lost as Jesus was. Cultural rules are not more important than making sure all people know Jesus. Follow them if you can, but ignore them if you must. Witness to the truth so people can be transformed by it. That is our calling. It’s so stupid when we’re more concerned with not offending than saving the unsaved. It’s better to offend a thousand people than to let one person go to hell who could be saved. Be taboo. Witness.
Monday, January 3, 2011
At the Well: Seek the Lost
One of the most important moments recorded from Jesus’ ministry is when He encountered the woman at the well. Many are familiar with this story, for it is a very good story. It’s filled with lessons on witnessing, sin, and many other things. Most of all it is a lesson on forgiveness.
The scriptures I’ll be referencing as I teach from this story are from John 4:1-42. A lot of verses, and I won’t teach from all of them (though I could). Instead I’ll pick out verses to teach on things I believe God has laid on my heart. I’ll start with two verses. John 4:3-4:
“He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.”
These verses are easily ignored, but the implications of these verses are very important. In Jesus’ day most Jewish Rabbi’s would have gone around Samaria to avoid becoming unclean in the presence of the Samaritans. The Jewish disdain for the Samaritans was so strong that avoiding them was a religious matter. Jesus would have been expected to go around Samaria, but He didn’t. It says He needed to go through Samaria.
Why did Jesus need to go through Samaria? Because He knew that’s where those in need of His message were. He knew Samaritans needed to be saved just like anyone else. They were dirty and unclean, and that’s precisely why Jesus went to them. They needed to be cleansed.
This speaks to us today. As Christians many of us today isolate ourselves from the sinners of this world. We consider this a religious matter. We must stay away from sinners. They have not been cleansed as we have, and we should stay away. That is not what Jesus teaches us. He teaches us to go out, and seek out the unclean people of this world. Find those in need of salvation, and offer it to them. Don’t avoid them. Go to them. These sinners don’t just need us. We need to go to them so they can find out about Jesus, and accept Him. They need to be cleansed, and we are to witness so they can be.
The scriptures I’ll be referencing as I teach from this story are from John 4:1-42. A lot of verses, and I won’t teach from all of them (though I could). Instead I’ll pick out verses to teach on things I believe God has laid on my heart. I’ll start with two verses. John 4:3-4:
“He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria.”
These verses are easily ignored, but the implications of these verses are very important. In Jesus’ day most Jewish Rabbi’s would have gone around Samaria to avoid becoming unclean in the presence of the Samaritans. The Jewish disdain for the Samaritans was so strong that avoiding them was a religious matter. Jesus would have been expected to go around Samaria, but He didn’t. It says He needed to go through Samaria.
Why did Jesus need to go through Samaria? Because He knew that’s where those in need of His message were. He knew Samaritans needed to be saved just like anyone else. They were dirty and unclean, and that’s precisely why Jesus went to them. They needed to be cleansed.
This speaks to us today. As Christians many of us today isolate ourselves from the sinners of this world. We consider this a religious matter. We must stay away from sinners. They have not been cleansed as we have, and we should stay away. That is not what Jesus teaches us. He teaches us to go out, and seek out the unclean people of this world. Find those in need of salvation, and offer it to them. Don’t avoid them. Go to them. These sinners don’t just need us. We need to go to them so they can find out about Jesus, and accept Him. They need to be cleansed, and we are to witness so they can be.
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