As we continue on with our observation of Jesus' patient dealing with
the Samaritan woman, we left off with her unawareness of her need for
living water in John chapter 4. She wasn't seeking the Lord, but He was
surely seeking her! What was it going to take to open her understanding
of her need for God? It is time now for Jesus to cultivate the soil of
her heart preparing it for truth by way of conviction. Without it there
will be no conversion. There must first be conviction of sin and repentance
before there can be salvation. Jesus had stirred this woman's mind and
emotions, but He also had to quicken her conscience and sense of guilt,
and that meant dealing directly with her sin....
John 4:16
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
The Son of God knew the Samaritan woman's situation very well, as He does
ours! Though she was single, He was touching a very intimate spot in her
life by asking her to call her husband. Jesus was bringing issues close
to home in a way that would cause her to realize God Himself was speaking
to her! The extent of His knowledge and the power of His Word greatly
affected the Samaritan woman…
Psalm 139:1-3
O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting
and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest
my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
No doubt about it ladies, when we spend time conversing with Jesus, it
will affect our lives! He has personal, detailed knowledge of what is
going on in my world and yours. The Lord will amaze us many times over
with His sayings when they strike the very core of our being. How has
spending time talking to Jesus affected your life? What are some of His
sayings that have stunned you? Have you been convicted of those secret
sins that He is trying to convince you to turn from? Have you been left
speechless when God deals with you, causing you to face and confess the
conduct you've been conveniently ignoring? That's good if you have! It's
the best thing that could ever happen to us before a holy God, amen? It's
what happened to the Samaritan woman, too...
John 4:17
The woman answered and said, I have no husband.
Bingo! She realizes now she is morally bankrupt; conviction is setting
in. What else could she answer Jesus but the truth about herself?? Her
mouth was stopped... However, did you notice the method in which Christ
brought this conviction about? It was not through a direct slam, but a
steady, gentle probing that brought her to this place of confession. Jesus
could have said at their first meeting, "Woman, you're living like a tramp,
you need to get saved!" Yet Christ waits until now to reprove her. How
valuable a reasonable man or woman is in the Lord's Army! The Son of God
unwearyingly took this opportunity at the well as an occasion to teach
the Samaritan woman Divine things. In so doing, He converted this wanton
woman by showing her first her ignorance, then her immorality, and of
course, her need of a Savior!
John 4:17 & 18
Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou
hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband:
in that saidst thou truly.
Ladies, the Lord always considers it "well said" by us when we admit our
sins. May we never try to escape owning up to our iniquities! Though God
is all knowing, He still requires our honesty. Though He is all-powerful,
He is also merciful and affords us room for repentance. Notice too, that
Jesus did not flaunt His superior knowledge or His power before this lost
woman. Nor was He prejudiced toward her position, nor was He uncomfortable
speaking with her in light of the depth of her sin. Ladies, no past sins
can exclude us from being received by the One who died for us! Jesus wasn't
even the slightest bit uncomfortable with taking the risk of speaking
with the Samaritan woman publicly! Yes, all these things were put aside
because her soul meant more to Him...
Let's face it; sometimes our prejudices can affect our witness with others.
What groups of people do you feel uncomfortable being around? Why? Is
it because their hair is five different colors? Are there too many earrings
in their ear for you? Is their clothing not appropriate enough for you
to enter their presence? Could there be an offensive tattoo showing on
their arm? Or can't you take your eyes off the exposed belly button long
enough to open your mouth for God? Whatever the reason may be, search
your heart and see if you've ever caused others to feel put off because
of their nationality, their race, their background, their appearance etc.
Do you find yourself passing by the lost because of these very reasons?
If you have, then you need to ask God to help you overcome discrimination
so that souls can be saved! After all, what kind of shape were you in
when Christ came to you???
Romans 5:8
...while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Spotlighting our sin brings an awareness of a great void in our lives
that only God can fill. The Bible says in Proverbs 9:10, "The fear of
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is
understanding." Such consciousness of wrongdoing gives birth to a thirsty
spirit as we see by the Samaritan woman's response to Christ pinpointing
her lascivious lifestyle in verse 19:
The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
How frequently we try to change the topic when God is dealing with us!
The only One who can see so deeply into our hearts is the Lord, amen?
What progress we have made with this lost woman today! Upon admitting
the transgression this stranger has forced her to think about, she now
acknowledges Christ as someone with religious credentials, though she
still does not recognize Him as Messiah. Tomorrow we will join the Samaritan
woman for her primary lesson from the Savior as He teaches us WHO to worship,
WHERE to worship and HOW to worship. Thank God for such invaluable tutoring
as we are gaining from this story!
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 2000 Pamela A. Iannello
