A Most Profound Conversation – The Results

John 4:39-42, CEB

Many Samaritans in that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s word when she testified, “He told me everything I’ve ever done.”  So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.  Many more believed because of his word, and they said to the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this one is truly the savior of the world.”

                If you have ever doubted the potential impact of one conversation on the course of human events, read this passage above again.  Jesus takes a couple of minutes to converse with the woman at the well.  She moves from complete disbelief of a Jewish man even speaking to her to believing she had met the long-awaited Messiah.  She hurries back to her people to bring them back to Jesus.  Many believed her words even before they saw and heard Jesus for themselves.  Let’s stop there for a moment.

                This is a woman whose reputation among her neighbors is less than stellar.  She has been married many times and is not married to the man she is l to now.  But somehow, her witness results in people believing that what she said is true.  The Messiah who has been foretold for centuries has shown up at a well in Samaria.  It is not the character of the witness that makes the witness compelling – it is the Spirit inhabiting the witness.  It is God choosing the witness to reveal who God is.  I encourage you to remember this the next time you believe that opening your mouth up for God won’t make a difference.

                Many more believed when those who heard Jesus begged Him to stay, which He did for two more days.  In that time, many more believed in Jesus was the “Savior of the world.”

As Gail O’Day puts it in her commentary on this passage:

“Jesus is neither the Messiah that the Samaritans expect nor the Messiah the Jews expect.  Jesus is the Savior of the world, and the traditional expectations pale in the light of this confession.  In announcing Jesus as the Savior of the world, the story confirms the reality of Jesus’s eschatological promise to the woman: the hour has indeed come when true worship will be defined neither by “this mountain” nor by Jerusalem.  Jesus offers new life possibilities to all. The offer of new life is Jesus’ food. The embrace of that offer is our drink.” ¹

                This is why we spent multiple reflections unpacking this encounter in John 4.  It is a touchstone for understanding the whole of John’s gospel.  John sees himself doing the same thing the woman did – simply witnessing to what he experienced in hopes that people will come and experience Jesus for themselves.

Questions:  Have you ever talked to someone about your experience of Jesus?  If you have, how long has it been?

Prayer:  God, may our knowledge of you not be something others have told us and we believe half-heartedly.  Open our eyes, ears, and hearts to your presence right now.  And then open our mouths that others may hear of what you have done for us. Amen.

Prayer Focus:  Pray for missionaries around the world who face danger each day because of the work they do.

Song:  Witness – Jordan Feliz