Welcome

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

WELCOME

John 4:43-45

43 After the two days he left for Galilee. 44(Now Jesus himself had pointed out that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) 45 When he arrived in Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him. They had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, for they also had been there.

NIV

Somehow John does not include what Matthew, Mark and Luke do about Jesus talking about a prophet having no honor in his own town. They include that Jesus was talking about Nazareth and not the whole of Galilee as within Galilee he did most of his miracles and made most of his converts. Yet what can we learn from what appears to be simply a historic account in the life and legend of Jesus. When he arrived in Galilee those they welcomed him, of course the reason we are told is because they have already see what Jesus had done Jerusalem. We are not told if all the Galileans were there, or some of them and the news spread like wildfire about Jesus and his miraculous power. It is not as if they all knew he was the Messiah, the Son of God who would take away their sin. They only knew of him as a prophet or as some man who could do miracles. They were interested in the supernatural, as many people today are. So many people today follow after those who appear to have some supernatural power, or gifted with some special ability, either to summons the spirits of dead relatives, or foretell the future or some other “spiritual” psycho-babble. These people were glad Jesus was there, for perhaps they would see more of his power, even be the recipients of it, as we will see in the coming narrative. Is life all about welcoming Jesus so as to be a recipient of his blessings? True we are indeed just that because of his taking away our sin, but do we live to see what we can get from Jesus, or do we live to see what we can give to Jesus? We should examine to see if we are like those Galileans who welcomed Jesus because they had seen what he had already done and perhaps expecting more of the same in their area. Although it is true Jesus has done some wild miracles in some of our lives, some to get us to come to salvation, some after we have believed, but all he does is so people will know who he really is and what he is about, so they will turn from the darkness of their own self and live in his light. Yet perhaps some of us still do not welcome Jesus into every portion of our lives, keeping some tiny amount of our own desires, our own passions, or own plans from him. We need to welcome Jesus in every aspect of our lives. 

Seeing the Truth

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

SEEING THE TRUTH

John 4:39-42

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 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."

NIV

It is one thing to be a witness for Christ, to tell everyone about what Jesus has done in our lives, but it is entirely a different matter when those people we told about Jesus have an honest to God real experience with Jesus themselves. We see here that many of the Samaritans came to see Jesus based on the testimony of the woman, one who may not even had the best reputation in town, having gone through five husbands and living with the sixth without the legality of marriage. Nevertheless based on her words, they urged him to stay a while, which he did. They were open to investigate the possibility that he was the Messiah, as she had asked them, “Could this be the Christ?” After several days of listening to Jesus and we are not told here if he did any miracles, but rather just talked with them, many more of them came to know that he was the Christ, the Savior of the world. Some simply believed because of the woman’s testimony, but many more believed because of their encounter with Jesus. The point here is they were open to listening to him. He came as a Jew because that is how God had decided to reveal Jesus to the world, but he came for the whole world, which here we see he had already expanded to the Samaritans. We could learn a great lesson here in that we can share our testimony about what Jesus did in our lives, but it still requires the openness of those who still need to see and listen to Jesus. Some may believe based on our testimony, but some may not believe until they encounter Jesus for themselves and the truth is he will met them right where they are. He will stay, tarry with them, speaking to their hearts and mind, convincing them he is the Christ, the Savior of the world. People can refuse to listen, close their minds from the truth about him, and we already know it is because they love the darkness, they would rather live completely within self, serving only their own needs, even those who do great humanitarian deeds, if they do not do it for the sake of Christ, they do it for the sake of self. But if people are open minded as these Samaritans where they will see the truth about Jesus. 

Open Your Eyes

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

OPEN YOUR EYES

John 4:31-38

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."  33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 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." 

NIV

The truth for us here is all about is only bringing people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ but to actually harvest them for Jesus. Although being a witness does mean that we can only tell what we have seen, heard or experienced, there is also a responsibility of leading them to accepting Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sowing seeds is a great thing, sharing the gospel is the sowing of the seed, sharing what Jesus has done for us is sowing the seed. Living a nice life is not sowing any seeds, as we are just living hoping someone might recognized we are a Christian and then ask us how they can be so nice as we are. Now it is also true that if we go around wearing our Christianity on our shirt sleeve but are not really, really nice to everyone all the time, we are certainly not a very good witness by our life. But the point Jesus is making here is that we have to actually harvest people. We simply cannot be content being a witness or a sower, we have to harvest as well. Now some of us need to sow, and some need to harvest, so we can be glad together. Jesus is the ultimate harvester, he harvests the souls of men, but by our bringing people to Jesus we participate in the harvest. The question we have to ask ourselves is how many people have we actually effected, or sown the seed correctly so that it will be harvested? How many have we harvested? Do we thing inviting them to hear a sermon prepared for believers will bring them to salvation? Do we think if we witness to them, someone will come along and invited them to accept Jesus? Perhaps we all should sow and we all should be able to reap as well. We only have to look around the see the people that are ripe for the harvest. Yes we might get a lot of rejections, but we must remember that is their choice, to reject Jesus. True, they are rejecting the way we believe, but that is no reason to keep our faith to ourselves. We need to open our eyes.  

Could He Be?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

COULD HE BE?

John 4:27-30

27 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?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

NIV

It does seem rather odd that narrative here does not include the fact the woman was a Samaritan, perhaps the reader is supposed to insert that from previous recorded narrative, but it might simply be that in that cultural men did not engage in conversation with woman who were strangers. This was a patriarchal society unlike ours of today in which there is a far greater equality. Nevertheless his disciples did not want to question him why he was talking to her as they did have some clue to his nature or they understood him being a rabbi, he was the leader and they would not dare question his authority. But we should focus on this woman who did as Jesus suggested, she went back to town and told others to come and see this man who told her everything she had every done. We are not clear if his disciples grasp the fact he is the Christ, as we will see they still call him rabbi, but it does appear this woman has had a glimpse into the divinity of Jesus, seeing how he told her he was the Christ. But she did not tell people come to see the Christ, she only put the question out there, “Could this be the Christ?” This is certainly a unique form of witnessing, yet a very effective way. The people, how many we do not know, came out to see Jesus. He knew this would happen, this was his plan all along, give one a special moment and that one would tell others. Of what value is a great truth if kept to oneself? Of what value is church if it is just for those who know Jesus already? Actually, of what value is a life of knowing Jesus if we do not tell others about what he has done in our lives? If all we do is expect his blessings in our lives, go to church and attempt to be spiritual with all the others doing the same thing what good is that? Should we not be going to town and telling everyone about our encounter with Jesus? Surely we cannot think that everyone will simply know we are such great believers just because we of the way we live. There are hoards of nice people out there, doing acts of kindness in only their humanity. Being a good person just doesn’t make it, we have to tell everyone we have met someone who has revealed our whole life to us, maybe asking them, “Could he be the Christ?” “Could he be?”

Not Any Clearer

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

NOT ANY CLEARER

John 4:25-26

25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." 

NIV

If this was any clearer a blind person should be able to see it, or any louder a deaf person should hear that Jesus just told this woman, a Samaritan woman at that, he was the Messiah, he was the Christ that came and just explained everything to her, at least everything she needed to know in order to gain eternal life and what worship was all about. But even greater than telling her, he is also telling us, telling all of mankind that he is the Christ, yet it still boils down to accepting his words as the truth. This woman had an experience, a personal one in which he revealed her life to her. Although Jesus is no longer here in the flesh, we too can have that kind of personal relationship with him in which he reveals our lives to us, but even that requires an open mind, seeking truth. Those who refuse to accept that Jesus is the Christ, the one and true way to gain eternal life, are living in a fog of their own making. Jesus will reveal our deepest most inner self, if we are willing to allow him to. He is the one who speaks to us, and he is the Christ, the Messiah, the one who takes away our sin and makes us able to stand in the presence of God. It just doesn’t get any clearer than that. 

True Worshipers

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

TRUE WORSHIPERS

John 4:19-24

19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." 

NIV

It is sort of funny that once this woman thought Jesus was a prophet she said something to show him she was spiritual. Maybe that is just human nature, or maybe that is that façade of spirituality when with someone who is thought to be a prophet, teacher, pastor, or evangelist. We should consider if we are anything like that. But the real truth in this section of the conversation between Jesus and this Samaritan woman is in the response of Jesus. The words of Jesus are always the top priority for lessons to live by, not that the rest of scripture is not as it is all God breathed, but those words spoken by Jesus are something perhaps a little more special. We can see the lesson Jesus is teaching here about worshipping God. Neither on the mountain or in Jerusalem, neither in one denomination or another, the place we denote to worship God has little meaning at all. No matter if it is the greatest edifice filled with gold inlaid statues, a great ornate cross overlooking a huge alter, with wonderful decorations all around or a stark warehouse style structure, with a great multi-media filled platform glowing from a great array of stage lights, Jesus says a time is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It would seem Jesus may be implying there are false worshippers, perhaps those who put all the emphasis on the place of worship, the system of worship, the organization of worship, the denominational doctrine of worship, rather than simply worshipping God in spirit and in truth. It seems God is not impressed with all mankind’s effort to show off their spirituality, by either their great places of worship or their great statements of faith, but he is seeking those who will just worship him in spirit and in truth. This we can do no matter where we are, no matter what church we attend, no matter what denomination we affiliate ourselves with, no matter how young, old, educated, or not, no matter of our financial situation, or our lifestyle, we can worship God spirit and in truth. We could spend a great many words trying to define what it is to worship God in spirit and in truth, but it seems rather plain and self-explanatory. It is not what we do that is worship, but it is who we are that is worship, that is what makes us true worshipers.

Looking Past the Physical

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

LOOKING PAST THE PHYSICAL

John 4:15-18

15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."  17 "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 

NIV

This is just an excerpt from the middle of the whole story, but there is a truth we should ponder on for a minute here. Jesus had just finished telling the woman that if she knew who he was that she would be asking him for living water that would spring up within her to eternal life. Her response is almost outlandish but in reality is it simply human. Here she has the opportunity to ask, “Who are you?” or she could of asked, “What is living water?” or she could of said, “Sir, I want that eternal life.” But no, what she was looking for was a way to be lazy, a way to get something for free, a way to not have to come to the well every day to draw water. He only thing this woman could see is the physical world of her life, she could not see into the reality of what Jesus had offered her. She was looking at what this man she just met at the well could give her to make her life easier. So Jesus went the extra mile, as he always does, to reveal to her the truth she really needs to see. Knowing full well her life and the facts of her situation, as only Jesus could, he told her to bring her husband back. We all know the truth of this, as we know the entire encounter, but at this point the woman is beginning to understand she is in the presence of not just an ordinary man, but a prophet, which we will see later on. But for now we should understand that Jesus knows about our lives as well, He sees deep within our hearts and knows our deepest thoughts, or secret thoughts, our lives that we may think we only know. If we are harboring anything within attempting to conceal whatever from other people, Jesus knows about it, it is not hidden from him. The proof of this is right here in this story, for he had never met this woman before yet he knew her whole life, and was revealing to her his divine nature, but she still only saw a human prophet. How blind some people can be to the divine nature of Jesus? How blind can some people be to the truth of the scriptures? Why do so many only see the physical world they live in and think they are an island onto themselves, living only for self, perhaps even using a divine opportunity for personal gain. We need to know our lives are and open book to Jesus and make every effort to live in a many pleasing to him. Yes we will fail, we will fall short, we will sin, but we still have make the choice to want that living water, not for our personal gain on earth, but so that it will spring up within us to eternal life. Let us look past the physical.