MONDAY 27th
John 4
NIV (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 Saviour of the world.’
ESV (42) – ‘They said to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.’
This is a very well-known portion of Scripture, and I could so easily have spent a few days looking at it, but I have chosen to take this one verse.
The story of what we call the ‘woman from Samaria’ is a typical example of someone who had met with Jesus and as a result believed on him and therefore would have received eternal life. But it doesn’t just end at that, for she has become so excited and intrigued about what she has just experienced that she hurries of home to her town to tell the people ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’
I don’t know about you but I can hear the excitement in her voice, she was a woman of shame, the man she had met had exposed that shame, and yet she wanted to tell everybody else about him. Why, well one reason is that not only did Jesus expose her shame, but he offered her an alternative. Either continue in your sinful lifestyle and be spiritually dry or take what I am offering, which is living water which will satisfy you not only for your present life but also for eternity. ‘. . . Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ (John 4:13-14) On going to the well for her daily water supply, she got far more than she bargained for, she got an eternal spiritual supply as well. Is not that something worth talking about, something worth sharing.
There have been some offers available after lockdown, which are not life transforming but, offers that are worth claiming. For example if you have the ‘Costa’ app on your phone, (other coffee brands are available!) or carry a ‘Costa’ loyalty card in your purse or wallet, then ‘Costa’ announced that they were going to add 300 points on to encourage a return to their outlets, enabling everyone with the card or app to get a free coffee! Now, this is not mega news, it is not life transforming news, but I can assure you I soon told others about it, and there have been other offers as well which have been shared.
We like the woman of Samaria have even better and more important news to share, we have found the source of eternal life, we have as she said ‘found the Christ’ how freely are we willing to tell others of the incredible offer he brings of forgiveness of sin and of eternal hope.