John 4:39-45

John 4:39-45

And many out of that city of Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified that “He said to me all that I did.”  Therefore when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them and He stayed with them in that place for two days.  And many believed more greatly through His word.  And they said to the woman that, “We no longer believe because of your speech, for we ourselves have heard and we have known that this one is truly the savior of the world.”  And after those two days he departed from there into Galilee.  For Jesus Himself testified that “A prophet does not have honor in His own home region.”  Therefore when He came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed Him having seen all that He did in Jerusalem during the feast.  For they themselves also went to the feast.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

In this passage, we see that the Samaritans responded to the testimony of the woman.  Kudos to them!  In that culture, they could have discounted her testimony because she was a woman.  But they hear her and listen to her words and come out interested.  They are blessed because they are open-minded and willing to consider what God may be doing in their midst.  Because of their openness to God, they get a few days with the Son of God even though they were Samaritans.

Are you willing to be open to God?  Why is openness sometimes difficult?  What makes openness to God easier to accomplish?

Second Thought:

The Samaritans don’t stop with the woman’s testimony.  Once they come to Christ, they begin to have their own experiences with Him.  Their relationship with the Messiah ceases to be based on the woman’s testimony and quickly becomes based on their own relationship.  They believe on their own.  Their relationship with God grows.

Whose relationship with God has enabled you to come to know God better?  How have you grown so that you have come into your own relationship with God rather than relying upon the relationship of God from another person?  Do you think it is natural to begin a relationship with God through other peoples’ relationship with God?

Third Thought:

 Whenever I read this passage about the Samaritan woman I cannot think about her as an incredible evangelist – one of the best evangelists of Jesus prior to His death, that’s for sure.  When I think about her testimony, I can’t help but think of the old question, “What’s the difference between a horse and a mule?”  The answer is, “The horse is reproducible.”  While the mule can work itself to death, the horse can reproduce itself in order to share the burden of work.  Here is a Samaritan woman who is capable of reproducing herself.  She doesn’t just come to serve Jesus and work herself to death.  She comes to Jesus and allows God to begin to reproducing faith in her midst.

Why is reproducing faith important to consider?  How can you reproduce the faith that God has given to you?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 4:46-54