Timeless Truths: The Woman at the Well - Conclusion

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,

“Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?”

They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

John 4:24-42

Last week, I closed Part 1 of this blog post with an assignment. In case you either forgot or blew it off, here it is again. Your task was to answer the following question.

Who are you in this story?

·      To think about that.

·      To read the rest of the story.

This week we’ll see how well you self-cast your part in this drama.

Humor me.

Pick a character.

If you need to go back and check last week’s cast list, that’s okay. This blog isn't like a message in Mission Impossible. It's not going to self-destruct.

You’ll get more out of this post if you’re thinking about what’s being said from a defined perspective.

In case you did your homework on time, here’s a quick recap while others catch up.

1. Jesus chooses to go through Samaria—an unJewish choice.
2. He speaks with a woman at the well of Sychar—an unJewish action.
3. During the conversation, Jesus reveals that He knows many of her innermost secrets.
4. The woman thinks Jesus is a prophet.
5. Jesus has confused her with the idea of living water.

Here’s the promised quiz:

Who are you in the story? (And because I’ve been giving quizzes for 44 years) Why?

Good news! You can change your answer at any time.

Conclusion

Let’s look at the actions of each of our character groups.

Woman. She leaves Jesus at the well, goes into town, and shares her testimony with those she meets.

We share our testimony, but Jesus closes the deal.
The best part of this story is not the salvation of the woman. 
The best part is that she shared her story.

The work of the Savior is completed when the transformed life
of one leads to the transformation of another’s life.

Disciples. Worry about food and life in general. They lost sight of Jesus’ mission. They let the business of the Kingdom trump the mission of the Gospel.

          

           Don’t be so concerned with tomorrow that we miss today. Don’t get so caught up in family and career.

          

          Sometimes we work and give so much at church that . . . Don’t let the business of the Kingdom trump the mission of the Gospel.

Townspeople. Their initial belief was only because of the testimony of another about Jesus. Their belief solidified when they responded to Jesus’ own words.

All believers must respond to the words of Christ.

Suggested Follow-up Activity

      1.   Take a bottle of water with you this week.

      2.   Share that bottle of water—AND THE WORDS OF LIVING   
          WATER—with someone in your world.

  
Special thanks to Pastor Beverly Cook for the primary teachings used in this post. You can read more of Beverly’s thoughts in her blog at: beverlystantoncook.wordpress.com

Next Thursday's Timeless Truths Series: Journey with Jesus: The Woman at the Well – Conclusion

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