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Jesus Seeks the Woman at the Well, Part V - John 4:21-34
Satan has flooded the world with false ideas as to what paths lead to God for Satan is the author of confusion.
God is the God of clarity and God makes it very simple as to what path will lead to him for he has provided only one path to himself and that path is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
There can be no doubt in this for Jesus declared without compromise in John 14:6, that he himself is the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is the door to heaven and God has provided only one door.
God keeps it simple, Satan keeps it complicated.
And at this point in the conversation at Jacob’s well the woman of Samaria shows us from whose family she is for she cites a place of worship instead of a person of worship which is a message from her father, the devil, for the devil will do anything to keep her from truth.
So Jesus in Verses 4:21-24, …saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
This declarative truth, this bold statement by the Christ sent from God tells us it is only those who have been born of God the Spirit, and justified by the atonement of God the Son, who are able to worship God the Father.
As I quoted last week Arthur Pink, in his exposition of the gospel of John, says that true worship is the action of the new nature seeking to return to the source from which it came.
He says that worship is a redeemed heart occupied with God, expressing itself in adoration and thanksgiving.
Worship, then, is the occupation of a redeemed heart with a known God; and everything that attracts the flesh and its senses, detracts from worship.
Jesus says you must worship in spirit and gives no choice in the matter.
He will not receive worship in the flesh for worship must be done in the spirit.
God declares without any room to waver, worship can only come from one who has the Spirit of God given to him at the point of a new birth which brings a new nature and that new nature is a nature given to worship.
Verse 4:25,26, The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
With this statement of Christ you can almost hear heaven opening with the angels rejoicing.
So the woman is at last where Jesus drew her.
At first she asked "how", then it was "whence", then "where", but now she speaks with greater confidence and says, "I know."
She gets to the crux of the matter for this is where Jesus drew her.
She stops hiding behind questions of form and she admits that she has a need for the Christ.
She clung to the ancient promise of God that a Deliverer would come who would take away the darkness from her eyes.
To this basic faith that she expresses, Jesus reveals himself to her more openly than he did even to Nicodemus.
He directly challenges her mustard seed faith.
Would she believe or would she not?
So typical of the world that at this important interview the disciples return at this critical moment.
But the Lord's grace is sufficient.
Timing is not important to the Lord's winning of a soul.
It is by grace and grace alone and timing has nothing to do with it.
The Lord wasn't finished teaching just because the woman left.
He now takes an opportunity to teach his disciples, truths.
He was at all times about his Father's business.
Verse 4:27, And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
The disciples, who had gone to the city to buy food, now return.
The disciples, knowing their Master, withhold comment, but are surprised to find their Master engaged in a conversation with the woman for this certainly was a Jewish taboo.
Perhaps they said among themselves, as they approached the well, Look at the Master, talking to a woman and a Samaritan woman at that.
They marveled, John tells us.
Perhaps they had seen this particular women in passing on their way to the city to buy food.
Perhaps the clothing she wore indicated her loose condition or they took note of the time of day she came to the well.
Perhaps they gossiped about her, perhaps even making fun of her. In this culture in which Jesus ministered, for a rabbi to be engaged in conversation with a woman, was commonly regarded as a waste of time.
The common sayings of the day, regarding this social action was:
Prolong not conversation with a woman, even with one’s own wife; how much more with a neighbor's wife.
Another: A man should not salute a woman in a public place, not even his own wife.
Or another: Better that the words of the law should be burnt than delivered to women.
The wise men said, He who prolongs conversation with a woman brings evil upon himself, ceases from the words of the law, and at the last inherits Gehanna.
And lastly; one of the common thanksgivings in the daily service of the Synagogue is: "Blessed art thou O Lord, Who hast not made me a woman."
This is why the disciples marveled that Jesus was talking to the woman at the well.
Jesus did not follow common prejudice, so prevalent in that day as well as in our day.
He had a higher purpose and prejudice is something that would hinder that purpose.
He came to seek and to save that which was lost and women are lost just as much as are men.
You can be sure that there is equality in that for all have sinned!
Verses 4:28,29,30, The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. This woman is now excited.
The patient work of the Lord Jesus Christ is now being rewarded.
"The light of the knowledge of the glory of God she saw in the face of Jesus Christ," now shone in the heart of the woman at the well.
She leaves her water pot indicating she no longer concentrates on the things of this world for she needs not her water pot for living water.
She now has salvation and her mind is far above the carnal thoughts that dwell upon the physical.
The well of living water is now bubbling up in her and she wants to share the living water with her friends.
Her mind was now centered on Christ and she had no thought of wells, water or water pots.
So she now rushes to the city to tell the men for it was the men with whom she kept company and her first thought is to tell them.
She has been transformed from convicted sinner to a devoted saint by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Already the love of Christ constrains her, moves her to tell others.
She now has his nature within her, and therefore she has a heart of compassion for the lost.
The woman says to the men, Come, and see a man who knows about me.
She uses the word that the Lord used with her. Come.
The Lord expects us to use that word.
Come to the Savior, make no delay - Here in His Word He's shown us the way; Here in our midst He’s standing today, Tenderly saying, "Come!"
They were impressed by her story, they yielded to her invitation and decided to see for themselves.
So they approach the well as Jesus continues his discussion with the disciples.
Verses 4:31-34, In the meanwhile, his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, my meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Though tired, and thirsty, and hungry the Lord has been invigorated and refreshed by this opportunity to impart spiritual help to the needy woman.
The disciples find him to be full of renewed energy.
He was filled with the meat of doing the Father's will for his heart had been fed.
Perhaps they said, Master, we have gone great distances and through much trouble to get good food for you to satisfy your hunger.
Perhaps they had spread out the provisions for Him to eat and they too were hungry.
The disciples begged him saying, Master, eat!
You need strength for the work.
You have traveled far today and the food will do you good.
They try to convince him that their meat will satisfy.
But he says, I have meat to eat ye know not of. In Matt. 4:4, he says that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Jesus has better meat than any the disciples could bring!
In this meeting of the woman at the well, he demonstrates that principle by being filled with spiritual meat by obeying the Father's word.
He is teaching the disciples that the one who gives out the things of God is also a receiver.
He teaches that in dispensing spiritual blessings to others one is greatly fed and blessed himself.
He teaches that the obedient servant has meat to eat that only the servant knows.
Listening to the Father's voice and doing his will were the joy and strength of Jesus’ life. Remember in John 17:4, Jesus said, I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Part of that work was accomplished this day at the well of Sychar in the life of the woman and in the life of the people she would bring to him.
The satisfaction that Jesus Christ has now experienced through doing the will of the Father was greater than any satisfaction that bread could give.
But the disciples misunderstand.
Where did he get food? Who brought him food?
The disciples think only of the physical, the material, as is the usual case in this Gospel.
We live on the low plain of that which can be seen and touched and felt and tasted.
The Lord is leading them to a higher plain where he lived.
The plain of the invisible, the plain of the eternal, the plain where meat is to do the Father's will, the plain that can only be seen through the eyes of faith.
They could only think on the low plain, so Jesus translates.
He tells them that the meat that he is talking about is the meat of doing the Father's will, and to finish his work.
This was the principle by which Jesus lived.
This is the principle that Christians are to live by.
To do the Father's will. Not my own will, but thine O Lord.
That is the first priority.
Seek ye first the kingdom of God.
This is where Jesus lived.
This is the plain that he was bringing his disciples to, so they could see the kingdom.
The plain of service. The plain of doing the will of the one who sent him and to finish his work.
Look at John 6:38,39, For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
Jesus was about his father's business.
Those that had been given to the Son, by the Father had to be saved by the Son.
Remember that Jesus "must needs go through Samaria.
He had an appointment with one whom the Father had given him.
She was his and he had to go save her.
He did not go to please himself but to please the Father.
But in so pleasing the Father he enjoyed the meat the disciples knew not of.
So the perfect servant teaches us that true service is the simple and faithful performance of that work which has been marked out for us by God.
Our meat is not to be sought in results, or increases, but in doing the will of him that sent us for it is God only that giveth the increase.
If you are only motivated by results then you are not functioning as a faithful servant and a disciple of Christ.
I think that, if you look deep enough you will find that there is a love of money, or power or prestige involved in that kind of service.
Jesus was always about His Father’s business that glory would be brought to the Father. |