Called to Testify

February 7, 2021 Background Scripture: John 1:37 – 51; 4:25 – 42 Lesson Passage: John 4:25 – 42 The gospel accounts record how people were left in awe after a brief encounter with Jesus. There was nothing razzle-dazzle or fancy. Jesus is presented as plain-spoken and yet poignant. People understood Jesus and in doing so, they were made to understand some true mysteries of God. Faith in God made sense to the layperson where religion did not. How people reacted to their encounter with Jesus often affected how they interacted with others afterwards. Those later interactions often involved testimonials of Jesus’ divine abilities. They had no doubt that Jesus was someone very special, and not just an ordinary man. It was not as though God had called them to proclaim such things. They were so moved by the experience that they could not keep it to themselves. Our Lesson Passage focuses on “the Samaritan woman” or “the woman at the well”. We use those phrases interchangeably. Neither phrase does justice to the ministry Jesus demonstrated in Samaria. Samaria was a region that was avoided purposely by the Jews. The Jews looked down at Samaritans and considered them to be beneath them. Therefore, it would have seemed strange to Jesus’ disciples that he would have them traveling with him through Samaria. While the disciples went to a nearby town to buy food, Jesus sat on a well at midday. Jesus was waiting for a very important encounter on that day. This was no chance encounter. The bible states that Jesus had to go through Samaria on that occasion. This encounter was preordained by God. As the woman approached the well to draw water, Jesus did several unusual things. Jesus asked the woman for some water. It was unusual that a Jew would have a civil conversation with a Samaritan. It was unusual that a Jew would be expected to drink from a vessel that was not kosher. It was unusual for a Jewish man and a woman to engage in a conversation at midday and they were not married to each other. The woman immediately recognized that this was out of order and responded as such. Jesus used her response to further the conversation. She seemed evasive and defensive, but Jesus kept pressing the conversation. It eventually became a conversation about Jewish religious beliefs and practices versus Samaritan religious beliefs and practices. Jesus responded that neither group was correct or in line with what God was going to do. God was going to do a new thing and the woman understood that it would happen when the Messiah come according to their religious beliefs. Jesus informed her that she was talking to the Messiah, who is the Christ of God. This was her moment of divine enlightenment. She left without water or the waterpot. The woman went into the city and summoned all the men to come see the Christ. His perfect knowledge of her indiscretions was proof that he is who she says he is. Many of the Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, and they went to meet Jesus. When the Samaritans went out of the city to meet Jesus, they begged him to remain with them. Jesus stayed there for two days and won more converts through his teaching. Many Samaritans believed in Jesus; some were through the testimony of the woman and others through the teaching of Jesus after she sent them to meet Jesus. Was testifying about Jesus a calling upon her life? I don’t know, but I’m reminded of an old song that said: “I said I wasn’t gonna tell nobody, but I. Couldn’t keep it to myself! “ Robert C. Hudson January 18, 2021