Thursday: The Testimony of the Samaritans
Daily Lesson for Thursday 31st of October 2024
Read John 4:27-29. What surprising action did the woman take?
Jesus’ discussion with the woman was interrupted by the arrival of the disciples. Though surprised that He was speaking with a woman, they did not question Him. Instead, they urged Him to eat.
The woman, meanwhile, left her water pot and rushed into the city to share with others what she had just experienced with Jesus.
Read John 4:30-42. What happened following this encounter, and what does it teach about how the gospel can be spread?
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It seems strange that Jesus’ narrative about a harvest would interrupt the story of the conversion of many in the city. But John wants us to see how Jesus understood what was happening. Sharing the plan of salvation with a Samaritan woman was far more important to Him than eating. To lead souls to salvation was His purpose, and He used this occasion to teach His disciples the urgency of sharing the gospel with all people, even with those not like them.
There are many high points in the Gospel of John. Surely John 4:39-42 is among them. Many of the Samaritans believed because of the woman’s testimony: “ ‘He told me all that I ever did’ ” (John 4:39, NKJV).
The Samaritans asked Jesus to stay with them. The result was that many more believed because of the Word of Jesus. “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’ ” (John 4:42, NKJV).
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What should this story tell us about how powerful the witness of even one person can be? How powerful a witness are you to what Jesus has done in your life? |
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In recent times we have seen the development of megachurches, typically focused on the preaching of one person. Or, you have friends who will invite you to watch so-and-so on YouTube because they preach the Gospel with great power. One of the issues I have with this notion of the Gospel is that it is often focused on the person presenting the message rather than the message itself. And, I have lived long enough to have seen some of these preachers come unstuck. When that happens the followers often lose faith.
I am not denying the effectiveness of a good preacher, but we should be careful that our preaching of the Gospel is Christ-focused. The comment that John makes regarding the witness of the Samaritan woman is very important:
This was not a denial of the Samaritan Woman's work, but rather an affirmation that Jesus was the focus.
And that raises the question about our witness today: Do we point to Christ, or are we doing a little empire-building of our own?
Man works on the basis of addition. God works on the basis of multiplication. Never underestimate the power of one. It was one boy's lunch that Jesus used to provide a "happy meal" for over 5,000 people. It was the testimony of one formerly demon possessed man that caused nearly a whole village to come out to see and hear Jesus. It was the testimony of one partly pagan woman, who wasn't living right, that lead many in her village to "come and see" and believe in Jesus. These individuals weren't in any way qualified to do "evangelism" yet they did it quite successfully. The saying is as true today as ever that "God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called". What could He do with you? Probably more than you will ever believe. Never underestimate the power of one in the Hands of the One True God. Little in the hands of God, is much.