By Pastor Greg
A pastor was on a plane traveling
from Baltimore to Chicago, when the flight ran into some very severe
turbulence. As it got worse, the
passengers became more and more alarmed, and even the flight attendants began
to look concerned. Finally, one of them
noticed that the pastor had 'Rev.' in front of his name on the passenger
list. She approached him and said, “Sir,
this is really frightening. Do you suppose you could, I don't know...do
something religious?” So he took up a
collection.
Like this pastor, Christians
sometimes miss an opportunity to change someone’s life for eternity. Christians will sometimes make decisions and
plans that are completely irrelevant to the dying world around them. For example, consider the woman Jesus meets
at the well. Jesus offered her Living
Water, not merely a cup of cold water.
Jesus offered something that would change her life. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what I would
have done if I had met this woman at the well.
Would you or I have the courage to offer her the Living Water of Jesus?
The good news about this woman is
that during her conversation with Jesus, she begins to change. She begins to grasp the idea that in spite of
all she has done, God had not rejecter her.
Yahweh had not forgotten her.
What I find to be significant is her reaction to this news as compared
to the reaction we see in the disciples.
27 Just then his disciples
came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them
had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to
her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran
back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man
who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So
the people came streaming from the village to see him. 31 Meanwhile, the disciples
were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know
nothing about.” 33 “Did
someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
34 Then Jesus explained:
“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from
finishing his work. 35 You know the saying, ‘Four months
between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields
are already ripe for harvest. 36 The harvesters are paid good
wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy
awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You know
the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I
sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work,
and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
39 Many Samaritans from the
village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I
ever did!” 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to
stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long
enough for many more to hear his message and believe. 42 Then
they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us,
but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the
Savior of the world.”
[1]
(John 4:27-42).
You can see the change in this
woman’s life. Her encounter with the
Christ washed away the old and created something new. Enthused, she rushes back to the city and
begins asking, “This couldn’t be the Messiah, could it?” And the people in that city came out to the
well to meet Jesus. This lonely,
rejected woman becomes a witness for Jesus.
In spite of her past and her present circumstances, she is transformed
by the Living Water Jesus had promised, and this Water (which is best
understood to represent the Holy Spirit), fills her and begins to overflow. This Man, this “Messiah”, had washed her
clean and made her new.
What is significant about this
part of the story is that the disciples of Jesus were just in that same
village. They had been buying food,
which means they had been interacting with people in the marketplace. Oddly, no one followed them out to meet the
Messiah. No one came looking for the
Christ. Apparently, the disciples didn’t
talk to anyone about the Man who could give them Living Water. However, this woman did, and I find that to
be quite significant.
What happened to this group of
disciples? Earlier, they were running to
family and friends saying “come and see”.
However, we see none of that enthusiasm here. Oh, it’s not like these Samaritan people were
a tough cookie to crack. Jesus says that
someone else had already planted a seed in this town. Someone had already been telling them that
the Messiah had come. Jesus says that “I sent you to
harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you
will get to gather the harvest” (John 4:38). A seed had been planted in the hearts of
these people. The disciples simply
needed to bring them to Jesus – to help them “come and see”. They didn’t, but this woman did, and I
believe there is an important lesson here for you and me.
If you’ll permit me, I’d like to
talk with those who have already “Tasted the kindness of the Lord” (1 Peter
2:3). To those individuals, Jesus says, “Wake up and look
around. The fields are already ripe for harvest”
(John 4:35). As I had said before, there
are many people in this world who need the Living Water Jesus is offering. They need a relationship with Jesus to wash
away their sadness, loneliness, and hurt.
But why are so few Christians inviting these people to come and meet the
Man who changed their life? Why does
sharing this Good News become such a burden?
Why are so many Christians content to follow Jesus but never compelled share
the message of Jesus? It just seems so
odd to me that some Christians need to be pushed and prodded to tell others
about Jesus.
Do you ever find yourself thinking
that this whole Church experience is lacking something? Does Church sometime feel dead? I suggest to you it’s because we are
starving. Jesus said, “My nourishment comes
from doing the will of God”. So should ours. We have a responsibility to wake up
and look around, to keep our eyes on the field.
We must either be sowing seeds or reaping a harvest – telling people
about the Living Water Jesus offers, or help them be filled by the Lord’s
Living Water. Complacency or
indifference is not an option. I tell you that we will never truly be
satisfied unless we participate in the harvest.
Incidentally, the other place the Lord told
people to “wake up” was to the church in Sardis. The Lord said to them, “Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain,
which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight
of My God” [2]
(Revelation 3:2). The Lord looked at
that church and declared them to be dead (verse 1). I pray He never says that about you or me or
this church.
No comments:
Post a Comment