Text: Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:26).
The eyes of a Samaritan woman are unexpectedly open as she makes a routine trip to the well to draw water for the day.
After Jesus began his ministry, people began to come to him to be baptized by his disciples. His popularity increased to the point that his disciples were baptizing more people than John.
Jesus knew the Pharisees were jealous of him, his popularity and the work he was doing, so in an effort to prevent any type of issue between the people baptized by John and those baptized by his disciples, Jesus decided to move from Judea to Galilee.
There is a lesson for each of us in the decision Jesus made. As you well know, people do not always agree with one another on certain issues. Sometimes they become very upset and reach the point of physical violence.
Jesus knew the Pharisees did not have a problem with John and the people he baptized, but he also knew that as people left John and migrated to his disciples, anger and hostility could creep in causing disruption in the religious life of these people.
Jesus came to show people the life that would lead them into the Father’s kingdom. It is not a bad thing to have disagreement or controversy, but it should not destroy the benefits exemplified in the Gospel.
Jesus could have stayed in Judea and let disruption take place, but instead, he chose to move north to Galilee. The lesson for us is that we should do the same thing. Whenever we get into a situation which leads to disagreement and controversy, and we know we are right, it is our duty to follow Jesus’ example and move on instead of being stubborn.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 and 7 states: “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven … a time to keep silent and a time to speak.”
Jesus knew his mission here on earth was to give man a chance to redeem his relationship with the Father. He was not here to separate man from God, man was doing that on his own.
Jesus said, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11). This was the right season and saving the lost was his purpose.
Jesus also knew the Pharisees were not understanding people and this was the time to keep silent and not the time to speak and cause a disruption among the people. His decision was to move north with his disciples.
Our Scripture tells us, “But He needed to go through Samaria” (John 4:4). This was not the only route from Judea to Galilee, but this was the shorter route. Besides being a shorter route, I believe Jesus had another reason for taking this route.
As you might recall, the Jews and the Samaritans did everything they could to avoid one another. It happened that after the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians many Jewish people made their home in Assyria. As time passed, other people, foreigners, were brought in to help settle the land and make it a safe place to live (2 Kings 17:24)
There was intermarriage between the Jewish people and the foreigners which resulted in a mixed race. This mixed race came to be known as Samaritans because they lived in the cities of Samaria. The pure Jews living in the southern kingdom felt they had been betrayed because of the intermarriage situation. This issue set up cultural barriers.
As you well know, Jesus was not supportive of cultural barriers. People were not supposed to live hating one another. Jesus was a Jew, but His love extended to all people regardless of race, color, or creed.
He chose this route knowing that this was the Father’s will. In fact, Jesus knew who he was going to meet, where he was going to meet her and the type of life she was living. As we said previously, His mission was to seek and save the lost.
As Jesus and his disciples approached one of the cities of Samaria called Sychar, they stopped to rest by a well known as Jacob’s well. It is called Jacob’s well because at one time Jacob owned the property where the well is located.
This well was not a spring-fed well like some might think, but instead the water in the well was from the rain and the dew. This well, as most wells, was located outside the city limits, but usually on the main road or the main route of travel.
Scripture tells us that “It was about the sixth hour” (John 4:6) as Jesus was relaxing by the well that a woman of Samaria came by to fill her pitchers with water.
It is interesting to note that the Jewish sixth hour corresponds to the Roman 12 noon hour. This is the time the second sacrificial lamb is brought out and tied to the altar (Mishnah: Tamid 4:1).
It was the women who came with their water pitchers to draw water and not the men. That is interesting. We are told this woman came to draw water at noon, but why noon? Noon is the hottest part of the day. Normally the women came at about 6am and 6pm, but this woman was different.
Do you think she came at noon because too many women came in the morning and in the evening?
Do you think the Samaritan woman came at noon so she didn’t have to face what others might say about her life style?
Do you think she came at noon due to divine intervention?
My personal opinion is that God intervened in her life. I believe that if she were asked why she appeared at the well in the middle of the day, she would not really have an answer. She might have said that something told her to fill her water jugs at this time. God works in mysterious ways.
Sometimes we do worthwhile things and we don’t know why. When the Twin Towers were destroyed many people lost their lives, but there were some, who for whatever reason, changed their routine that particular day.
One person stopped to pick up doughnuts to take to work and is still living today. Another missed his transportation connection and is alive today. One person overslept and is alive to tell about it. These stories go on and on.
You might say these people are very lucky, but was it luck or was it divine intervention? I am sure that each one of us can recall an incident or two in our life when we changed our course of action for no apparent reason and were saved from some mishap or misfortune.
Jesus decided to leave Judea and head north for Galilee, and in the process decided to take a shorter route that would take him through Samaria. Did it just happen that he stopped by Jacob’s well and rested while his disciples journeyed into town to buy food? Was he left by the well by himself because he wanted to be alone and rest in peace?
I believe God the Father had a plan and that plan was to open the eyes of a Samaritan woman, reveal to her the water of life, bring to her attention her sinful life, explain to her the place of worship and reveal to her his identity.
God had a plan for that Samaritan woman’s life just as he has a plan for your life and my life. God’s plan was to save the life of the woman just as he wants to save the life of each of us. The woman was at the right place at the right time and that place and time was to meet a Jew who would reveal her life to her and give her an opportunity to change and at the same time witness to others.
Jesus said to the woman, “Give Me a drink” (John 4:7). The woman knew he was a Jew and responded, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (John 4:9).
The woman knew that the Jews did not associate or talk with the Samaritans. When Jesus asked her for a drink of water, he opened her eyes to a whole new life. She didn’t understand when Jesus said, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10).
The Samaritan woman was thinking worldly and said, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob…?” (John 4:11).
Jesus said, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13, 14).
This is a very bold statement Jesus made. Only God could give such an amazing gift, a gift that could satisfy the soul of mankind forever. At this time, Jesus was proclaiming to the woman that He was the Messiah. He didn’t come right out and say it at this moment, but He would a little later in the conversation.
This is the first time Jesus would openly reveal to anyone that He was the Messiah. You might think He would have revealed it first to his disciples, but He chose the Samaritan woman.
If you just think for a moment, you will see that we are just like this woman. We think worldly, we think about things that we can see, touch or feel. God will do marvelous and miraculous things in our life if we will just listen to the still small voice of the Holy Spirit who speaks to our heart.
People who have no personal relationship with Jesus will seek to live a life like the Samaritan woman. They will live like other people in the world. They will use their energy to accumulate possessions that have no eternal value. They will go through their daily routine without ever considering their eternal life.
I am not saying these people are bad because they are still God’s children and God didn’t make anything that was bad or useless. For whatever reason, these people have failed to see the love of God shining on them.
They have tuned out the heavenly voice that is saying, “I love you so much that I sent my Son into the world to pay your sin penalty. I love you so much that I want you to spend eternity with me. I stand at the door of your heart waiting for you to invite me to come in. My arms are wide open waiting for you to accept my invitation.”
Jesus knew the Samaritan women inside and out. He knew the life she was living and He said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (John 4:16). Jesus was well aware that the man she was living with was not her husband.
The woman said, “I have no husband” (John 4:17). She was very open and honest with Jesus. Jesus went on to say, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly” (John 4:17, 18).
What if you were that woman, what would you have thought concerning Jesus? The woman said, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet” (John 4:19).
I get the feeling that at this point the woman is getting a little nervous. When people know things about our personal life and bring them up in a conversation, we tend to become a bit uncomfortable. We will either leave or change the subject of the conversation. This woman chose to change the subject to where it was proper to worship.
Where we worship is not nearly as important as is our attitude during worship. Jesus went along with the woman’s conversation telling her that since God is Spirit, He is not limited to any one place at any one time. God is everywhere and can be worshipped anywhere.
Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). True worship is not a formal type ceremony. God is not interested in formality, but He is interested in real spirituality which is in agreement with He who is Spirit. To worship in truth is to worship honestly, sincerely, and according to God’s Word.
Then the woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things” (John 4:25).
At this point, Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:26). It was at this moment that Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah and he revealed his identity to a Samaritan woman.
When Jesus said, “salvation is of the Jews,” He was saying that salvation for mankind could only become reality through the Jewish Messiah. In Old Testament Scripture there is evidence God promised mankind would be blessed and that blessing would be through the Jewish race (Genesis 12:3).
The eyes of this Samaritan woman were opened and she went back to the city and said to the men, “Come, and see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29).
Conclusion:
Jesus’ word to the woman, “I who speak to you am He” must have given her greater hope in the Messiah. She suspected He was more than a prophet because He brought light to the dark areas of her life. He knew more about her than anyone else could possible have known.
Since she went into town and convinced others to come and see she must have been convinced this was no ordinary prophet. The woman did not say to the men “This is the Messiah” but instead she said, “Could this be the Christ?” She wanted the men to make their own decision. She did not want to force a decision upon them.
The Samaritan woman was a witness just like us. A witness does not force anyone into believing, but present the facts and lets the other person make their decision. Jesus came right out and told the woman the fact that He was the Messiah. It was up to her to accept or reject.
You and I can tell people what Jesus had done in our life. We can tell them of the joy and peace we have because of our relationship with the One who came in the person of Jesus and suffered what we should have suffered.
General Pershing said, “I have known Jesus Christ now for forty-seven years, and I could not face life without Him. It is no small thing to know that all the past is forgiven, that help is available from God every day.”
General MacArthur constantly said, “I believe in Jesus Christ.”
You and I are able to give the same testimony. We are witnesses for the One who gave His life that we might live. We can let the Light shine through us and upon those who are in darkness. We can let His love pass through us and to those who think no one cares about them. We can live that others will know we are His followers.
John 4:39
And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
John 4:41, 42
And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
Jesus speaks to us through His Word and through the person of the Holy Spirit and says, “I who speak to you am He.”
Amen.
