Jesus Speaks to Women: And Women Obey

39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word.42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4: 39-42

I love this passage...the power of personal testimony is evident in these words.  The Samaritan woman's willingness to  drop it all and go tell others, even those who have never been nice to her, about the Holy Man who "knew all about her," made a huge difference in the lives of those who heard her.  However, one thought occured to me while reading these words:  it is not up to me to change people's minds...

Has it ever happened to you that you deliver, what you think is a very convincing argument about faith or anything else (for example, the importance of rinsing the bowl after eating oatmeal or something crucial like that), only to be slapped on the face with the flat out rejection of those who received it?

Ugh!!!!

It's so frustrating and heart breaking, isn't it?  Especially when your audience is someone you really, really care about!  I don't know how many times I have lectured Dylan about not placing so much emphasis on the material and/or physical appearance.  I mean, I have almost made myself cry often with my own speeches...only to hear Dylan say at the end stuff like:  "When can you take me in for a haircut and to buy some styling products?"

Double sigh...

The truth is, we must do our job, fulfill the great commission, and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit: 

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1: 8

That's basically what happened to the Samaritan woman.  She received the power of the Holy Spirit through her encounter with Jesus, and it was such empowerment what moved her to drop her jar and run to announce His presence and His glory!  Her testimony moved people to Christ as she pointed them to Him.  But it was the power of the Holy Spirit emanating through their own contact with Jesus what moved them to believe.  It was their personal encounter with His Word, what made them believe in The Word, and what revealed to them that He is, indeed The Savior of the World!

We can only do our part: to give our testimony and point people to Christ.  The Holy Spirit does the rest.  The outcome is not in our hands.

The feeling of frustration is a tool of the devil.  The enemy instils that frustration in us to make us quit.  Fear is a liar.  We must hang on tight to the One Who Empowers us!  He has overcome the world, and so shall we!  In Christ's name, Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: And Women Speak Too

28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. John 4: 28-30

We are coming to the end of the story of the Sassy Samaritan woman's encounter with Jesus.  What an encounter...what a story!  All throughout it we saw Jesus going out of His way to not only meet this woman, but to engage her in a deep conversation about faith, theology, sin, hope, love and forgiveness.  The amazing part to me is, however, that in this encounter, Jesus allowed a space for the woman to speak too.  There is no instance, in my opinion, anywhere in the story where we see Jesus talking "at" the Samaritan woman.  Quite the contrary, He's speaking "with" her, listening and responding regardless of how touchy the subject might have been or how sassy the woman's replies might have sounded.  It is a true exchange!  Isn't that marvelously unbelievable?!  I mean, this is the King of Kings, we are talking about here, The Lord of Lords! The King of Glory! Doesn't that makes you want to give Him a big hug?  He truly is the Friend of sinners...so even a wretched like me can hope...

I have to pause for a moment here, because it is too much to take in...

Then, another miracle:  the transformation of a life!

The woman we have been following all along this story experiences a change of heart, and we are there to witness it!  Praised be the Name of Our Lord!

Don't you love this part of the narration?  "the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people..." I mean, do you see it?  This woman had gone out of her way to avoid everyone in town so she could get her water, the precious liquid that provides life, in peace...now, this same woman, forgets all about the water, the only reason for her to be there in the first place, and runs to town to speak to the same people she has been so careful to avoid up until then...WOW!

These are the kinds of things that happen when we have encounters with the Living Christ: the old passes away and the new comes in and takes over.  We become a new person.  Suddenly, the things that mattered before, don't matter much anymore, and all we want to do is proclaim Him, the One Who Saved Us by rescuing us out of the pit!

This woman speaks now too!  And she speaks to whoever would listen.  She speaks about Jesus, the One who met her by the well and filled her up with Living Water!  And the people listened to her! And they ran to Jesus too!

There is so much in these few verses we could talk about, but these two points stick out in my mind:

Leaving the water jar behind:  what do we need to leave behind, to drop, to let go of, to forget, to forgive, to get rid of in order to be free to do what we are supposed to do?  What's our "water jar"?  What's weighing us down and slowing our pace on the road to our purpose?

Speaking up even when we feel unprepared or ashamed of our past:  why do we fear proclaiming Jesus to the world?  Maybe you don't, but I do.  I find myself pushing the breaks when it comes to speaking about my faith among people outside the church.  Especially at work, I fear it because I think the environment is not friendly or receptive to what I might have to say, and I might see myself in a position of vulnerability that might endangered my employment.  The words of conviction spoken to me in love by a dear friend, long, long ago come back to haunt me day in and day out:  "you fear people more than you fear God..."

Lord, Have Mercy!

I feel trapped...trapped by the world...a world that muzzles me and keeps me silent...sigh...

I need a fresh encounter with Christ!  The type of encounter the Samaritan woman had.  This encounter erased any fear from her.  After it, she didn't care anymore about what people might say or think about her, because it was not about her anymore:  it was about Him!

That's what I need.  I need to realize, to remember, that it is about Him ... not me ... and then, I won't be afraid anymore.

I love You, Lord Jesus!

A night like tonight, You met with your friends to enjoy Your Last Supper before You gave Yourself as a Perfect Sacrifice for us.  I praise You and Thank You for Your Gift, Lord.  And I pray You will infuse me with Your Spirit and lead me where You have destined me to go.  In Your Precious Name, Lord Jesus, Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: Stop the Mad Rush

25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” John 4: 25-26

Have you ever been looking for your phone, while you have it in your hands? Or for your glasses, when they are sitting right on top of your head? How about the car keys?  Why is that?

I think it's mainly, because we are distracted.

This world has a way to make a mess out of our minds.  Especially in our society.  Here in the United States we seem to be in such a hurry all the time...but...are we even getting anywhere?  I have been so busy and stressed out at work during the last couple of months, I don't even know what day it is anymore.  I'm gasping for air because sometimes I can't even breathe, it's so frantic.  I tell you, the end of the semester can't come too soon.  I'm mentally and physically exhausted.  

This state of being causes my erratic behavior.  The worst part is, my crazy situation at work is causing me to neglect my homelife...sigh...

"We are now like one of those rich families where the kids never get to see their Moms...[except for the rich part]" Dylan said to me last week as I was announcing that, yet again, I wouldn't be home when they got back from school, or for dinner either...you can imagine how I felt when he dropped that guilt bomb on my lap...sigh...

And all for what?

My kids are growing up in front of my eyes, and I'm afraid I might miss it!

I think Dylan statement to me hit a button that needed to be hit.  That slap on the face has helped me see the need to rethink my priorities.  I don't know how, but I need to regroup and see what's really important...standing right here, in front of my face...I need to stop the mad rush!

Like the Samaritan woman...who is still waiting for the Christ, when He is the One, the VERY ONE standing right in front of her, speaking truth to her, seeking her, waiting for her all this time...

"I who speak to you am He!"

WOW...Lord, how can we miss You?  How doesn't our heart want to explode inside our chest? How is it possible that we can still stand, when Your presence invades it all?  How can we be so distracted that we don't realize You are in us, and it is through Your strength that we are able to do all things...even prioritize You and our loved ones above all else...

Today, I pray the Holy Spirit will guide me and all of us as we walk the busy paths of our lives.  May we not be entangled in the traps of this world which make us believe we have to do it all, and instead, show us the Way, the Truth and the Life of Your Glory!  In the precious name of Jesus! Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: He Seeks Us!

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 

John 4: 21-24

Worship God in Spirit and Truth! What a command! The magnificent words of Jesus make us tremble all the way to the twenty first century.

But...what does it mean to worship Him "in spirit and truth"?

I'm sure the Samaritan woman was as confused as I am today too.  For her, as well as for us, it probably means to leave the things of this world behind...to forget about the physical and the material, and to approach the presence of God with our spirit overflowing.  I believe it is more of an attitude than an action.  We worship with the the right attitude, which is the attitude that focuses on the truth that tells us we are more than our physical bodies and our infirmities, we are also spirit, and as such, we are eternal.  I believe that's the type of attitude of worship that Jesus is telling us to cultivate.  It doesn't matter what we think we know or our assumptions, just worship Him seeking the life of the spirit.  

It seems complicated for pragmatic-minded people like me...but, the good news is, even if we don't know how to worship, there aren't any detailed rules, the Father accepts it if it is done seeking the spirit and seeking truth, which is Jesus Christ Himself!

And, the most magnificent part is:  "The Father is seeking" us...He is seeking us, worshipers!  Can you believe it?  

After all, it was Jesus who sought the Samaritan woman, right?  It was Him who decided to go through the town where no respectable Jew was supposed to go, in order to seek for her.  And not only did He seek for her, He waited for her...Wow!

That's the message of Jesus to this Samaritan woman, and to us today:  God is seeking you as you worship!  It doesn't matter if we don't know how to find Him.  He is the One seeking; therefore, He will find us...He will even wait for us.  Just like He was trying to explain to the Samaritan woman back then, He is also telling us today:  All we have to do is worship Him.  

Lord, please, give us the light of the Holy Spirit to know how to worship You in Spirit and in Truth; but also give us the peace that comes with the understanding that it is You, ultimately, the Great Seeker of our hearts.  Let us be still as we worship You, so we can be found by You.  In Jesus' precious Name! Amen!

Jesus Speaks to Women: Just as I am

19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 

John 4: 19-20

"Someday, I don't know when or I don't know why or how, you will be glad you have a Mom like me who is not afraid of being aggressive."  I know, I was just trying to justify, in the worst possible way, my hot-tempered tendencies to my kids when I told them this a couple of days ago.  But, I wonder if there isn't a grain of truth in this thought after all?

In the previous verses, we saw Jesus confronting the Samaritan woman about her promiscuity and lack of stability regarding men.  Here, we see the woman doesn't just quietly face the truth contained in Jesus' words, but, she cleverly spins it...hmmm...

I have expressed how I see this woman as a sassy person, full of spunk, not afraid to go toe-to-toe with anybody, even Jesus!  And, although we see her acknowledging the power that she is witnessing right in front of her, she doesn't lose who she is.  The same, old spunk is still there, and we see a glimmer of it in her words above.  I mean, she has just been found.  And, what does she do?  After politely noticing Jesus' ability to see through her: "I know you know what I'm about, Sir..." she basically changed the topic: "So...tell me about worshiping..."

What?  

Well, the way I see it, this is no ordinary, submissive, let-everyone-walk-all-over-her-type of woman.  She is a fighter.  She has been fending for herself her whole life, probably.  She has been on her own forever, just watching man after man use her, abuse her and pass her by, yet still...she keeps on keeping on.  I see her as a survivor of life's many struggles.  Yeah, she avoids the town gossips so she goes to the well at the least convenient hour just so she can get her water in peace.  But she is not afraid.  She knows who she is.  She is tough.  I'm not about to make her my role model or anything, but she portrays a picture of equality for women that I really like.  And, obviously, Jesus does too.  

Notice, He never reprimands her for her sassiness.  On the contrary, He uses it to further the conversation and to get to a depth that He doesn't get to with many of the men around Him.  He doesn't want her to stop being the person that she is, because it is precisely because of who she is, that He chose her to reveal the magnificent words that will follow.  Of course, He wants her to abandon her life of sin and follow Him in a surrendered manner.  What I'm saying is that He doesn't require that she stop being her own sassy/clever self because He can use that for the furthering of His Kingdom!  That's why God made her that way!

The same way He uses hot-tempered-impulsive-foot-in-his-mouth Peter as one of the pillars of the church without asking him to stop being all that he is, He is going to use this woman to work and deliver a message that will change everyone who comes in touch with it from then all the way to today.  He works through us just as we are!

I know that I cannot just say: "Well, God made me this way" to justify my sin.  The fruits of the Spirit need to grow in me in spite of my sinful nature.  Sin and Christ cannot cohabitate in my soul, and my personality is not an excuse for my wrong choices.  But I do believe that there is a reason for everything, including the way we are.  God endowed us with different abilities and personalities for His purposes.  He needs us all.  He needs the mild, gentle and smooth as well as the rough around the edges.  He knows why He left some unsanded surfaces in us.  And there will be a day, when, whatever it is we have, He will use for His glory, if we offer it to Him honestly, in confidence that He accepts us just as we are.