Transformation Of A Scarlet Woman Series

21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

25The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us."

26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

27Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"

28Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29"Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

NIV

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[1] I quickly traced the movement of Jesus on this map for the congregation. A copy of the map obtained at www.bible.ca

[2] See Adam Clark Commentary on John 1:33 for discussion of Jewish time reckoning.

[3] Leon Morris, Reflections on the Gospel of John, , (Peabody, Massachusetts, Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), p. 124-125. The literal meaning of the compound Greek word, NT:4798 sugchraomai is “use with” so that Morris suggests in the context it is the drinking cup she is referring to.

All this brings to my mind the separate drinking fountains for blacks and whites in the recent history of America driven by the same kind of prejudice. Wycliff Bible Commentary also discusses this approach.

[4] SAMARITANS (From The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

[5] John 4:27 (from Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1996 by Biblesoft)

[6] From a sermon preached by Keith Smith. Illustration can be found at http://www.christianglobe.com/Illustrations/theDetails.asp?whichOne=a&whichFile=affirmation

[7] The gifts of the Spirit can be an important part of effective evangelism. Notice the operation of a supernatural word of knowledge as Jesus tells her to call her husband then talks about the five husbands she has had and her current situation. Surly her conscience was stirred by that insight.

[8] I read this in one of John Maxwell’s books but don’t remember which one.

[9] See Matthew 7:7

[10] The clip begins toward end of the movie in the middle of Sug and Celie’s walk thru the purple field of flowers and ends right after Sug says to her father, “See, Daddy, even sinners have souls too.”

[11] The movie clip was shown at this point.

Richard Tow

Grace Chapel Foursquare Church

Springfield, MO

www.gracechapelchurch.org