A Most Profound Conversation – Part 4

John 4:25-26, CEB

The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”

                We’ve been spending a lot of time unpacking this conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well.  This is because the details in this story are rich in importance and implication.

The short exchange above is a perfect example.  Jesus’s unlikely conversation partner has come a long way in the span of only a few moments.  She is initially shocked that a man, much less a Jewish man, is choosing to speak to her.  Once she quickly recovers from that, she is able to digest (and trust) that this unknown man has something to offer (living water) that exceeds the water she is currently drawing from the well.  Further, she has the humility to ask Jesus for this gift even though she is still struggling to understand it.  In just one additional conversational exchange, she recognizes and acknowledges Jesus as a prophet.  But this does not stop this woman with a questionable past.  She immediately comes back with a theologically astute question about the differences in the worship practices of Samaritans and Jews.  Hearing Jesus’s answer, which points beyond those differences, she continues to move the conversation deeper with a statement that connects the hopes Samaritans and Jews.  She speaks of the Messiah.  All of this takes place in the space of a conversation that took less than a minute for us to read!

This brings us to Jesus’s surprising revelation above:

“I am the Messiah!”

                The CEB translation is, in my opinion, a bit lacking here.  The literal translation tells us even more:

                “I AM is here!”

This is the direct reference to God’s revelation to Moses that the name is God is what we have come to say as “Yahweh,” but literally means “I AM THAT I AM.”  Jesus is revealing to the woman that she is currently standing before the God of all creation.  It is only at this point that the woman does not respond verbally.  For one, the conversation is interrupted by the return of Jesus’s disciples (more on that next time).  But besides that, the woman has now heard all she needs to hear.  She leaves the well with her things and becomes a powerful witness to the encounter she has just experienced (again, more on that next time).

                What is so striking about this encounter is how spiritually open (and humble) this woman is to moving her faith convictions to a deeper level.  In moments, Jesus goes from a Jewish man speaking to her inappropriately to the Messiah that she, her people, and the Jews have waited for many generations. 

Question: How open are you to having your deepest convictions challenged in an unexpected, unconventional, and unlikely encounter with God?

Prayer:  Lord, forgive us for the ways we are stuck and/or stubborn in what we are willing to believe about You.  We don’t want to miss a revelation from the “I AM THAT I AM” because of our shallow expectations.  Open our eyes, ears, and hearts. Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for people who are in this country legally and are fearful of being deported in spite of their status.

Song:  Open My Eyes That I May See – Songs & Everlasting Joy