John 4:25-42 A PROSTITUTE BECOMES A MISSIONARY
“The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
In the meantime, His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
Therefore, the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
The Savior of the World
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Weary from travel, Jesus has rested at the side of a well and has engaged a local prostitute in conversation. This lady is fetching water at noon to avoid verbal abuse from other women in her village; however, Jesus is introducing her to the idea of living water that will give eternal life. Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah for which believers have longed. This is the only recorded time when Jesus announces himself as Messiah, and he does it to this most unlikely person. But Jesus knows what he’s doing.
The disciples return from buying lunch in the village and are shocked to see Jesus conversing with a woman and a Samaritan at that. Meanwhile, this lady leaves her water pot and rushes into the village, telling the village elders, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Fascinated, the men of the village follow this lady back to the well. Having brought lunch, the disciples urge Jesus to eat, but they’re shocked when Jesus tells them, “I have food of which you do not know.” Perplexed, the disciples look at one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
“Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” Jesus wants the disciples to realize that doing the Will of the Heavenly Father is as important as taking nourishment, and that the time to tell people about the Kingdom is now.
Who are the “others” who have labored? Jesus is referring to the prophets and to John the Baptist. God has sent all these people to prepare the way, and now the disciples are to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God to all around them. The disciples are about to get another shock.
“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.
Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Talk about God standing someone’s prejudices on their heads! Not only do these Samaritans flock to hear Jesus, but they beg him to stay with them and he stays for two whole days. These people who have grown up with a mixture of religions become true believers, and this village is never the same again.
Left to themselves, the disciples would never have preached to the people of that Samaritan village; they would simply have bought lunch, returned to Jesus, and continued their journey as rapidly as possible. But God loves the people of that village and He knows that their hearts are ready for the news about Messiah, something many Jewish religious leaders will later reject.
What can we learn as we proceed through the new year?
- God controls our starts and stops. Jesus and the disciples stopped for lunch and Jesus remained at the well by himself. If Jesus had been with the disciples, the Samaritan woman would likely have collected water and returned, never to hear about God’s love. But Jesus was tired and the disciples went into town, giving God the perfect opportunity for a divine conversation.
- Never underestimate God’s imagination. This lady was one of the local prostitutes; yet, God turned her into one of the first missionaries. God is not interested in our prejudices.
- The entire Samaritan village believed in Jesus, confounding the disciples. Again, God does not respect our fixed beliefs; God knows when hearts are ready to receive Him.
A British evangelist tells the story of inviting the owner of a coffee shop to a series of meetings he was holding at Cambridge University. The coffee shop lady kept listing one excuse after another while the evangelist kept saying, “Come anyway.” Finally, the lady did come to the meetings, accepted Christ, and even married the evangelist! We never know whose hearts are hungry for God or who is prepared to receive Him. A pastor friend used to say that we are only in advertising while God is in management. Let God have full control of your circumstances, but always be ready to share the Gospel with others. You never know whom God will bring to you!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, please help us to always be willing to share the good news about Your Kingdom, no matter where we are or with whom we find ourselves. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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