The woman of Samaria’s sinful lifestyle of having had five husbands and then living with another man may mislead us but her conversation shows that underneath there is an intelligent, seeking, woman.
Her sinful lifestyle should be elaborated on before continuing. Put anyone before the Lord and there will be some sin that they would not like to have brought up. It does not matter who you are, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnesses by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Romans 3:21-24.
The woman had to see it, we have to see it. The woman’s sin though, does not seem to be very serious; at least in the world’s eyes.
Psychiatrists have trivialized it and Hollywood stars have abused it with multiple marriages and divorces. Everybody agrees it is just a piece of paper, right?
Well, if you think that we evolved and it is just a leftover from the necessity for procreation, or a herd instinct of some sort, then marriage does lose its legitimacy, and morality should be dictated by an individual’s feelings, situation ethics.
But everyone feels differently about different things, and we would soon find ourselves in a moral swamp.
Do you really want the morality of this world to be set by a Hollywood star? Do you stand in awe of their wisdom and their successful lifestyle?
Consider their drug rehab, alcohol rehab, sex rehab, drunk driving arrests, same sex marriages, divorces, children out of control, and their perversity; how is their worldly wisdom working for them?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” Genesis 2:7.
“Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:22-24.
Pretty straight forward, God created everything and with knowledge of how everything should work correctly, instituted marriage.
Marriage is a religious institution practiced universally around the world; it is not up for grabs or to be meddled with for a perverted agenda.
Now the woman at the well asks the Lord what the true religion is in verse 20.
“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” John 4:20.
The Samaritans had built a temple on Mt. Gerizim. The mountain where the blessings were received, rather than go to the one in Jerusalem, read Deuteronomy 11:26-32, 27:1-26 and Joshua 8:30-35.
Jesus’ answer shows what a huge shift was coming to man’s relationship to God.
“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.’” John 4:21-22.
Remember that, “salvation is of the Jews”. Scripture was written down by the Jews and it was carefully transcribed for centuries by the Jews and was guarded at great peril to their lives (see Hebrews Chapter 11). And the Savior of the world was a Jew. Let us not fall into the trap of hating them as the world does.
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24.
The hour that the Lord refers to here is His crucifixion, so it was coming and was virtually now, i.e. very soon.
He would often say things like, My hour has not yet come, or the hour is at hand. This is an hour planned out in eternity past, it is precise and the exact dividing point in all history.
“For God has allowed us to know the secret of His plan, and it is this: He purposes in His sovereign will that all human history shall be consummated in Christ, that everything that exists in Heaven or earth shall find its perfection and fulfillment in Him.”, Ephesians 1:9-10, J.B. Phillips version.
Notice in the Old Testament that all of the worship of God is in an outward form. Even before the Law was given around 1440 B.C. there was animal sacrifice in the process of worshiping God.
“And according to the law almost all things are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” Hebrews 9:22.
For those of you who recoil at the idea of a loving God requiring the death of an innocent animal; just as you are sickened at this thought, so you see how God is sickened by the sight of sin.
Do not forget that all the animal cruelty in the world is the result of the sin nature which we so enjoy. The death of Christ on the cross put an end to all that, His too was innocent blood.
So God is a Spirit, and He wants us to worship Him in our spirit and by His Holy Spirit. In other words He wants our worship from the heart and not through the pomp and ceremony that men do.
Rituals such as, chants, and beads, congregational recitations, processionals, and huge, ornate churches, the outward forms that men love so much, but which never allows our spirit to be embraced by God’s Spirit. There is a word for this, believe it or not, ecclesiolatry.
Things like this just turn God into another plaster saint and give unsaved people the feeling that they are going to heaven.
This is not a diatribe against the Catholic Church (though it may sound that way), most churches do these things and all Christian churches have good Christian men and women in them.
“Lord who may abide in your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart”, Psalm 15:1-2.
Christ calls for worship in truth, true worshipers, not just anyone who walks through the door. No unsaved person can worship God in spirit and truth.
They may feel good in such an atmosphere, and have a warm feeling about God, they may even crave a relationship with Him without knowing how, but without the Holy Spirit in them worship is impossible.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” Revelation 3:20.
One has to open the door for a relationship that engenders worship.
As for Christians, do we come before the Father in truth? Or do we come before Him laden with unconfessed sin, while excusing ourselves for things that we know are wrong?
This is what the last phrase in Psalm 15:2 quoted earlier means. You cannot lie to God, do not lie to yourself.
“He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart…” Psalm 15:2.
After hearing these incredible things the woman replies, perhaps still doubting.
“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.
And after some 4000 years of waiting it is an obscure woman in an unloved place that hears the good news.
“Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’ And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, ‘What do You seek?’ or, ‘Why are You talking with her?’” John 4:26-27.
The woman in her excitement left her waterpot, returned to the city and said “to the men”; notice that, she spoke to the men.
It should be no surprise that a woman who has had five husbands and is now living with a man would be disliked by the women. Women usually make the trek to the well in the cool of the morning, not in the heat of the day at noon. When it comes to female friends, she seems to be alone.
“The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” John 4:28-30.
While this was happening the disciples are urging Jesus to eat.
“In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore His disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. Do you not say, “There are still four months and then comes the harvest”? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.’” John 4:31-38.
Anyone who has accepted Jesus as their Savior is His disciple, these words are for us, we too must feel that need, for the fields are indeed white for the harvest, and souls are perishing day by day.
Harvesting souls is not a matter of going out into the streets or the mission field and preaching; it is doing what God has equipped you to do.
Too many people try to do things they are not gifted for, or they do not use their gift because they think it is more important to be a pastor or missionary, or out soul-winning every day because the pastor tells them to.
No, your task in serving Christ may be right in front of you. Do not let your gift sit idle because you think you should be doing something else more important; and perhaps more frightening to you.
“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.’ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 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 have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.’” John 4:39-42.
One lone unloved woman with the courage to confess Christ changed the eternal destiny of many and for nearly 2000 years, they have been in the presence of, “the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
The Woman at the Well, John 4:20-42 taken from godisrevealed.com
Posted on 7-30-12 and updated on 7-13-17.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version, copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved.