April 20, 2024
John 4:1-18,28-30
Anthony L. Wilson, lead servant
Church 180, Locust Grove
We freely share with others the milestones and life-changing events in our lives. People publicize engagement and wedding notices. New parents post lots of pictures online of their newborn child. We do the same with graduations, new jobs, adoptions, and retirements.
But one event is more life-changing that all others – a relationship with Christ. Regardless of our past or failures, we can know Christ, and that is worth sharing with others.
When you investigate the text, it is saturated with intentionality and purpose. The clue comes from verse 4, where the King James Version states “he must needs go through Samaria.”
This verse sets the stage for two areas of emphasis that describe, one to be Situation and the other to be Revelation. In this Jesus, in His wise providence, sets up a “Situation” in order that this Samaritan woman would receive “Revelation” of who Christ was and what He had to offer.
It was in these few verbal interactions that Jesus reveals the true essence of real thirst. Her water-getting agenda was a camouflage for what she really needed.
She was thirsty for fellowship, because she showed up to the well alone.
She was thirsty for relationship, because she had repeated failed ones.
She was thirsty for worship, because she wasn’t sure about the location or language required to do so.
Jesus helped her to know that what He had was the very thing she needed. It was a thirst-quenching, fellowship-satisfying, worship-defining connection with Christ by requesting “Sir, give me that for which I won’t have to thirst anymore!”
As this woman’s appetite and thirst grew for something that was spiritual, she was about to run head-on with a dilemma that was sinful. Jesus uses their conversation to bring about conversion through conviction. He goes to the heart of the matter because it was a matter of the heart. This is because the very thing that brought her to the well alone, at the hottest time of the day and with the risk of danger, was unconfronted sin her life.
The Omniscient One, Jesus, invited her to make a personal decision to see what she had done, see what she was doing in order for her to see what could be experienced in her life with Christ. “Go get your husband …” Jesus said.
In other words, let’s deal with what is dealing you. For there can be no salvation without first realizing that you are a sinner in need of it.
Here again, we must go back to verse 4 in order to understand why “this well," “this water,” and “this woman.” It was all because Jesus knew He could count on an unsuspecting “worker.”
Once this woman realized to whom she was talking, her entire agenda changed. She realized that this man didn’t want anything from her, but was offering to give something of value to her. Therefore, her response to such an offer was to tell everyone what He did for her and that He can do the same for them.
Her words – “Come see A MAN” – are pivotal. She had already experienced five husbands and a live-in boyfriend. But there was something special about this seventh man who seemed to have showed up out of nowhere to give her a life-giving, bucket-dropping experience.
It’s clear that Jesus quenched her thirst. He quickened her testimony and she caught the “Can’t Helpits.” She couldn’t help but to tell others of the goodness of the Lord.
Take a moment to allow this lesson to live in your life by considering;
