Opportunity, right under our nose

Whenever we’re looking for something, why is it so hard to see that it’s sitting on the counter?  Or at the front of the shelf in the fridge, staring us in the face? 

We can be so intent in our search for something that we fail to notice our goal is not that difficult to find.  Apparently, I’m not the only one!  Because Jesus’ disciples also suffered from far-sightedness.

On their journey from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north, they stopped at a well outside of a town called Sychar.  Jesus stayed at the well to rest and sent the disciples into town to purchase food. When they returned from Sychar, Jesus refused their food and explained to them that He was going to delay eating, due to the task at hand.  However, they didn’t understand why.  So, Jesus used a farming analogy to help them understand:

John 4:35-38
“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’?  Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.  The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.  For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’  I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest – This was likely a common cultural phrase which cites the amount of time a farmer must wait before he started gathering the useful food.  It could easily be used as a proverb instructing the Jews to be patient and wait for a desired outcome.  Plants have obvious characteristics that demonstrate their fruit is ripe and ready.  Those tell-tale signs of development are what the farmer watches for to know that harvest time has finally arrived. 

The disciples had not sowed Jesus’ message among the outsiders in Samaria.  As such, they may have assumed that these people would not be ready to accept Jesus’ offer of eternal life or be allowed to participate in His coming kingdom.  After all, Samaritans were not accepted as part of Israel.  The combination of their mixed history and ignorance of God’s prophecies would appear to exclude them from being ready to believe in Jesus as the Messiah.  I’m sure that the disciples expected to just eat in this town and then keep moving on their journey so they could preach the good news to the Jews living in Galilee.

In contrast, and certainly to their surprise, Jesus tells the disciples that harvest time for the Samaritans was happening now.

Jesus cautioned them against falling back on the farming proverb in this situation, telling them to open your eyes to the harvest of people around them.  It can be difficult for us to admit, but us believers can sometimes be blind to the work in front of us.  Planning for church services and future events is necessary and important, but we cannot overlook harvest work among those around us every day.

Here, in this small section of Scripture, we find a command from Jesus for all of us to obey – Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.

As such, we need to ask ourselves: Am I missing opportunities to share Jesus with others because I’m overlooking the obvious? 

Don’t write someone off because they don’t “look ready” to you.  Love them like Jesus loves you.  Talk to them the way Jesus talks to you.  You may be surprised at the harvest, right in front of you.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

No food necessary

Have you ever been so wrapped up in something that you skipped eating?  For me, I wouldn’t say that I’ve ever “forgotten” to eat.  However, there have been a few times that for work deadlines I’ve pushed off eating a meal so we could get the job done.  I was certainly hungry, but the completion timing for task at hand had such a great impact on our customers, that I was willing to shift my eating schedule.

Until I studied Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, I didn’t realize that Jesus had made the same choice.

We pick up the story just after the Samaritan woman believed in Jesus for eternal life and she was leaving Jesus at the well to tell everyone in her nearby town about Him.  However, just because the woman had left didn’t mean that Jesus was done teaching for the day.  Next up, He had a lesson for His disciples:

If you recall, before the woman arrived at the well, Jesus had sent the disciples into town to buy food.  They returned to the well to meet with Jesus just as the Samaritan woman was running back into town.  Since they had been successful in their food-gathering mission, they encouraged Him to eat.

John 4:31-34
In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”
The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them.

Think about this scene from the disciples’ perspective: Why would Jesus refuse food from them?  He sent them to buy food, they knew He was worn out from the journey.  When Jesus refused their purchased food, the disciples wondered if someone else (…the woman, maybe?) had fed Him.  You and I also know that He never did get that drink of water He had asked the woman for.

Instead, Jesus delayed eating because of the work at hand.  He found sustaining satisfaction in doing the will and work of God the Father.  This isn’t the first recorded time Jesus had done something like this, either – check out what Jesus says during His temptation, as documented in Luke 4, Mark 1, or Matthew 4.

Here at the well, Jesus tells them that He has food to eat that they do not know about…after letting them struggle with this concept, He explains that doing the will of God and finishing God’s work was all the food He needed at the moment.

Just like the woman, the disciples also had things they did not know.  Also like the woman, the disciples assumed that Jesus was only talking about the physical, as in physical nourishment.  They were looking for who got there first and served their tired master.  Instead, Jesus was using a physical food example in order to instruct them about spiritual food.

Spiritual food fuels you in ways that physical food cannot.  Physical food doesn’t give you purpose.  Physical food doesn’t sustain your mind’s focus, attitude, and desire like spiritual food does.  Realizing the urgency and opportunity they had right in front of them, Jesus was focused and ready for the task at hand.  When we are using our God-given talents and God-granted time to help others see Jesus, we will find our purpose takes precedence over our physical needs.

Does this mean Jesus had stopped eating altogether?  Of course not!  In just a few verses, we will see Him accepting the hospitality of the Samaritans.  But the task at hand was more important, and physical sustainment was found in working His spiritual mission.  We can eat lots of earthly food and still feel empty.  Jesus shows that we can feast on doing the work God gives us, and we’ll find great satisfaction.

With our observations here, we see that Jesus is the example to follow: He sees spiritual work as food, and He taught others how to eat.  Ultimately, this is our challenge – to do the work God gives us to do, and to finish it.  As we do His work, He’ll supply the food.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Gotta tell everyone

Big news, especially GOOD big news, is something we want to share with everyone. 

After the Samaritan woman met Jesus at the well, her life was forever changed when she believed in Him as the Messiah and He gave her eternal life.  Her immediate thought was, I gotta tell everyone!

John 4:28-30
Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.  Could this be the Messiah?”  They left the town and made their way to Him.

She was so excited about finding the Messiah that she left her water jar.  It’s almost comical if you think about it.  Remember, the water jar was the whole reason why she went to the well in the first place.  She brought it along to get the water she thought she needed, but she didn’t need the jug to carry the living water Jesus gave her.  She quickly headed back into town and told everyone her big, good news.

I’ve been thinking about this scene, when she re-enters town…and something has stuck out to me:

She didn’t have all the info about Jesus, but she shared anyway.  I doubt her delivery was all that polished.  She certainly didn’t have a prepared message followed by an alter call. 

It’s obvious she was excited to tell others, but she didn’t force the situation/choice on to her fellow townspeople.  Instead, she took the position of “Come and see for yourself.”  The genuine look on her face and enthusiastic tone of her voice were enough to intrigue others.  As a result, they decided to investigate for themselves.  Some took her word for it, others were not sure.

Because she went and told people about her encounter with Jesus, they left the town and made their way to hear from Jesus themselves.  She didn’t decide from them.  She offered them the choice to meet Jesus or not.  She left it up to her fellow townspeople to decide if they wanted to find out for themselves.

Many of us shy away from telling others about Jesus because we’re afraid we won’t be able to answer someone’s questions or issues.  We end up becoming someone’s “No” answer before we even find out if they are interested.  But there’s no need to worry that you “don’t know enough”.  After all, you know what Jesus has done in your life…you are an expert on how Jesus has impacted you.  Some will take your word for it, others won’t be sure – and that’s ok.  It’s not a ding against us if someone needs more time or information before they believe in Jesus for themselves.

Don’t let anyone convince you (or let you convince yourself) that you need to be an expert-level Christian before you can confidently talk with others about Jesus.  Of course, we should actively learn more and grow closer to God, but there isn’t a specific occasion that suddenly grants you the ability to speak about Jesus to those who haven’t believed in Him yet.

Let’s keep it simple, shall we? 

Did you know that you can tell your “God story” with just 3 words?  And you get to choose the words.  I’m serious!  You can do this.  Check it out:

·       The first word describes your life before you believed
·       The second word describes the catalytic moment, series of events, or person that brought you to believe in Jesus for eternal life
·       The third word describes your life after you believed

Talking to others about Jesus (or “witnessing”, as it’s been called) really is that simple.  You don’t have to know it all or understand it all to share all of what Jesus has done for you.

Any of us can start here, just like the Samaritan woman did.  She had a broken past that was full of poor life choices, and she certainly wasn’t going to be mistaken for a preacher.  And yet, people responded.  She didn’t know all the theological terms or have the answers to all the hard questions.  She had just met Jesus.  She believed in Him.  And that was enough.

So share your story, and let God do the rest.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Keep your mouth shut

One of my first jobs was in an environmental testing lab, and, for a time, there were three of us working together in the small sample preparation room.  Due to the equipment all around the room, there was always a steady background noise.  Although we got used to hearing the ambient noise, it did tend to make conversations across the room a little difficult.

One day, I was working on one side of the room while my two co-workers were on the other side.  They were having a causal conversation about something, but I could only hear bits and pieces of what they were saying.  From what I could gather, they were talking about a certain painter, but it was someone who typically did not come up in day-to-day conversation. 

Wanting to somehow insert myself into the conversation so I could also participate, I called across the room, “Hey, didn’t they make a movie about him recently?”.  They both turned to look at me with blank, yet irritated expressions.  After a few moments’ pause (which felt like forever), one of them said to me, “That’s literally what was said like five minutes ago.”  I felt foolish for forcing my way in to their conversation, and I had added nothing to it.  They turned their backs toward me and continued their discussion.  I knew in that moment, I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Figuring out when to speak and when to stay silent is a good lesson to learn when you’re young and starting out in your career.  However, the same desire to insert yourself into conversations or moments can sneak back in, even in things we are confident with.  For example, I like to teach.  It’s one of the reasons why I write this blog.  But as much as I like to teach through writing, there is something special when I get to teach others in a live setting.  I really enjoy watching as the light bulb of peoples’ minds turn on.  Sometimes it’s an instant “AHA!”; other times it’s like a dimmer switch gradually increasing, until they finally grasp what has been communicated to them.

Watching as God brings His light to others and getting to participate in the process is one of my favorite things.  It’s how God has gifted me, and it’s so good to work in the areas that He has gifted us.  But when it’s someone else doing the teaching?  It’s really hard not to jump into the conversation so that I (as a fellow teacher, of course) can “help”. 

Does this sound familiar?  If so, then perhaps we can take tip from Jesus’ disciples:

Before Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well, He had sent His disciples into town to buy food.  They were not there when Jesus initiated the conversation with the woman.  They didn’t know that Jesus spoke about her failed marriages and sinful living arrangements.  They had not heard her question about worship or when Jesus’ offered her eternal life.  In fact, the text indicates that the disciples arrived right after Jesus revealed Himself as the Messiah.

John 4:27
Just then His disciples arrived, and they were amazed that He was talking with a woman.  Yet no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Although it was taboo – and borderline scandalous – in the customs of Jewish society for Jesus to talk to any woman, let alone a Samaritan woman, the disciples did not openly question Jesus or the woman.  They knew and respected Jesus enough to not question either person.  Even Peter, who stuck his foot in his mouth on several occasions, was silent…

There wasn’t anything the disciples could have added to the conversation.  The teacher had already taught enough for the student to process.  Any additional points or ignorant questions about the situation could have completely derailed the Samaritan woman’s thought process.  Thankfully, all 12 of the disciples observed the situation and came the same conclusion:

They realized it was best, in this moment, to keep their mouths shut.

When walking into someone else’s conversation, especially a spiritual conversation, it’s often best to stay silent.  Even if we want to add something.  Even if we think we can “help”.  Crashing the conversation with our own questions/accusations/comments will have a bigger chance of derailing what God is doing instead of enhancing it.

Perhaps they (and God) don’t need our input at this particular time.  Maybe they will invite us into the conversation or ask us a question.  If that happens, then by all means, jump in and help as best as you know how. 

So let’s trust God not only with our words, but also with our silence.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Jesus the evangelist

We’ve learned a lot by looking closely at the parts of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.  However, as good Bible students, we now need to step back and look at the whole conversation.  Whenever we zoom into parts of a passage to dig into and digest the details, our best next step is to zoom out and look at the big picture.

So, let’s reflect on Jesus’ encounter with the woman.  He met her where she was, not chastising and not condescending.  Jesus initiated the conversation, but allowed her space to participate.  He was also patient with her incomplete answers, misguided thoughts, and ill-informed religious traditions.  Jesus definitely provides us with a beautiful example of how to go about 1:1 evangelism.

So, how did Jesus evangelize?  What, according to Jesus, is the “salvation message”?

The biggest observation from their discussion is that Jesus directly revealed Himself as the Messiah – He didn’t do that with the Jews.  Over their recent centuries, the Jewish people had been battered around and taken advantage of by the Egyptians, the Greeks, and, most recently, the Romans.  As such, the Jews were expecting a Messiah who would come in and fix everything.  They assumed the first step in doing so would be to start the revolution to liberate Israel.  They were not expecting Jesus to come on the scene like He did, and as such, many in Israel had difficulty accepting Him as Messiah.  This is the reason why Jesus taught in parables and performed miracles among them – they needed to work through His teachings and signs to come to the conclusion that Jesus really was the God-promised Messiah.  The teachings and parables were Jesus’ way of circumventing the Jews’ preconceived expectations.

This Samaritan woman, however, would have had no access to His teaching in the Jewish country, nor would she have been able to witness His miracles.  So Jesus directly introduced Himself.  Look closely at the claims Jesus made in His conversation with her:

He claimed to be the gift of God:
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you…” (John 4:10)

He claimed to be the one who quenches thirst:
“But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again…” (John 4:14)

He claimed to be the one who gives eternal life:
“In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” (John 4:14)

He claimed that He is the Messiah:
“I, the one speaking to you, am He” (John 4:26)

But did you notice what Jesus did not say to her? 

She didn’t know of His death on the cross, burial, or resurrection (because those things hadn’t happened yet).  She wasn’t required to confess all her sins, or commit her life to Christ, or repent of her sins.  She didn’t promise to stop living with the guy who wasn’t her husband before Jesus accepted her belief in Him.  Her current sinful lifestyle and previous life choices did not prevent her from believing in Jesus as the Messiah.  There were lots of things, facts, and theological concepts she didn’t know…but that didn’t stop Jesus from giving her eternal life the moment she believed in Him as Messiah/Savior.

Jesus offered the woman eternal life if she believed in Him as the Messiah.  But note – and this is a HUGE observation – Jesus’ offer to her is before the cross happens.  Jesus offered her eternal life right then, knowing that He would eventually remove the sin barrier that keeps all of us from being in relationship with God.  But the woman (and later, the townspeople) knew nothing of the cross and how Jesus’ death on it would declare them legally righteous before God.  The only thing they knew was Jesus – and they believed in Him for eternal life.  Because of their belief in Him, they had it. 

This might feel like we’re treading into controversial waters, but let’s think this through together:

The standard, modern gospel message – that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross as a substitute for our well-deserved sin penalty, and that He rose again on the 3rd day – is good news…but being introduced to these facts will not save us or bring us into God’s family.  This good news should be what persuades us that Jesus is the Messiah and that He has the power/authority to give us eternal life, if we believe in Him for it.  Remember, the Samaritans didn’t know any of what we would consider the “standard gospel message”…and yet, Jesus gave them eternal life. 

Therefore, the reason we are saved is because we believe in Jesus for eternal life.  Knowing facts about Jesus and His life may help convince us, turning from sin may change our path and bring us closer to belief in Him, and there will be new desires and actions to come from our future relationship with Him…but the central, saving message of Jesus is that one drink of His free-gift living water, one act of belief in Him, gives us eternal life.

John 4:14
“But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.  In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

Do you believe in Jesus for eternal life?  If so, you have it.  Because Jesus the evangelist said so.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

I hate feeling dumb

Man, I hate feeling dumb. 

When we are in the presence of someone who confidently, calmly knows their stuff, it can be intimidating.  I know I’m not the smartest guy in (most) every room.  That’s pretty easy for me to recognize.  What’s quite a bit harder to deal with in those situations is when I begin to feel sub-standard, my almost immediate urge is to show the person that “At least I know something!” or “Look, even I have something to contribute!”.  For whatever deep-seeded reason, those feelings are there and I have to deal with them.  Call it pride; call it an inferiority complex; call it whatever you want…the reality is that it rarely goes well when I give in to the urge to pipe up.  When I do, I know I come off as weak and needing of validation…which even further demonstrates the superiority of the one “in the know”.  But the flip-side is keeping silent, but that can leave me with feelings of inadequacy.  I would suspect there are at least a few others out there who can relate to my struggle.

I wonder if the Samaritan woman who Jesus met at the well in John 4 also felt that way.  Throughout their conversation, Jesus has pointed out several things that either she personally, or the Samaritans as a group, did not know.  Things like the gift of God, where worship takes place, how worship should take place…and these topics were in addition to Jesus revealing that He was aware of her failed marriages and sinful choices.  Although she actively participated in the conversation, it’s clear that Jesus is the one “in the know”.  After hearing about all the things she did not know, the Samaritan woman eventually replies with something she does know:

John 4:25
The woman said to Him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ).  “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”

I wonder if she was tiring of their conversation, or if she was just unsure of where this strange experience of speaking with a Jewish prophet was leading to.  She believed that the Messiah was coming…someday…and He would end all the bickering and confusion about living a real, spiritual life.  And since only the Messiah could do that, perhaps she thought there wasn’t a point in any more talking about husbands or worship or other complicated questions.  Maybe she was trying to wrap up the conversation by contributing something that she did know for sure…but then Jesus’ reply changed everything:

John 4:26
Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”

Boom.

Mic drop.

This was a paradigm-shifting statement.

I bet you could hear a pin drop.

By learning that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah…everything in their conversation that seemed strange to the Samaritan woman suddenly made sense: 

If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask Him, and He would give you living water…

Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.  But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.  In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life…

Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth…

All the things she didn’t know were clarified because of what she now knows – that this man, Jesus, is the promised Messiah.  Only the gift of God would know about her past and present transgressions.  Only He could offer eternal life from one drink of His living water.  Only the Messiah would be able to explain everything.

Jesus was the one who was “in the know”.  However, He did not lord it over her or chastise her ignorance.  Instead, He gave her the one thing she needed to know: Him. 

Her life was forever changed because of it.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Jesus said you must

The word “must” is a big deal.  When God says we “must” do something, we need to be paying attention to what that something is.  In this case, Jesus is teaching the Samaritan woman what worship toward God should look like.  Watch for what Jesus says true worshipers “must” do:

John 4:19-24
“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know.  We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews.  But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.  Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

Notice that Jesus is giving instruction for worship, but He also says the Father wants to be worshiped this way.  But what, exactly, does it mean to worship in Spirit and in truth? 

First thing Jesus says is that God the Father is spirit.  The essential reason worship of God must be spiritual is that God is a spiritual being, not a physical idol.  Worship of a spiritual God requires spiritual worship, not just going through certain acts and motions of worship at a special location. 

Secondly, Jesus says that God the Father must be worshiped in truth.  The Greek word for truth (aletheon) is a compound word, consisting of a + lanthano – when independently translated means not + keep secret, not + escape notice, or not + be hidden.  Therefore, truth is found in what God has revealed about Himself.  This means our worship should be in accordance with what God has told us about Himself and in line with what He wants…not just whatever chords or lyrics give us an emotional response.  If we must worship God in truth, then people cannot simply worship God in any manner that seems attractive to them.  We must worship Him as He, by the Spirit, has revealed that we should.

When Jesus said that a time is coming when worship will not be on Mt. Gerizim or in Jerusalem, He was throwing out all division points between the Samaritans and the Jews.  Worshiping in spirit is in contrast to how the Jews worshiped physically, via ceremony and letter of the law.  Worshiping in truth is in contrast to how the Samaritans worshiped in ignorance. 

Both the Samaritans and the Jews were concerned that worship of God was done right.  However, they believed that focusing on the where the worship occurred would give them the closest relationship with God.  Jesus corrects this thinking and tells the woman that worship of God the Father is no longer confined to a specific location, but worship rightly done will focus on how – in spirit and in truth.

So how does all this relate to us modern believers?

Looking at Jesus’ teachings after this encounter can give us some help.  “In Spirit” can also refer to The Holy Spirit, which Jesus later sent to assist believers in the church age (John 14:26).  “In truth” can also refer to Jesus, since He is The Truth (John 14:6).  Putting this all together, true worship is in step with The Holy Spirit, with Jesus, and aimed toward God the Father.  This makes our worship a trinitarian event – we are interacting with all three persons of the godhead!

And yet, still today, some people worship God in religious ignorance.  Ritual activities and tradition have become so comfortable for many believers that their own spirit is not engaged during worship.  And unfortunately, a lot of modern worship services are so focused on generating an emotional response that they do not stay true to what God has revealed about Himself.  Jesus shows us the correct way to worship – in Spirit and in truth.  If we want authentic, real worship…this is how we must do it.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Is our worship ignorant?

When we get together at our church locations, do we know why “we do what we do”?  Seems like most, if not all, churches have the same basic steps in a worship service: songs, announcements, a sermon/talk, prayer.  Do we do these things – and typically in the same order each time – just because it’s tradition or is there some other reason?

The Greek word for worship (proskyneo) means to “pay homage or show reverence to someone”.  That would be a pretty open-end definition, if it is all we knew about “worshipping” God.  So, is there a “right way” to worship God – or at least a “better way” of doing it?

During their conversation at the well, the Samaritan woman presented Jesus with the biggest hot-button culture question of her day – and it was about worshipping God.  The Jews and Samaritans took the topic so seriously, that over the centuries, people had even died over it.  While we could brush off their dispute as something that was an issue long ago, Jesus’ answer raises a few questions for us, as well.

John 4:19-20
“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain [Mt. Gerizim], but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

As we saw last time, Jesus didn’t choose between her Option A or Option B, instead Jesus chose “neither”:

John 4:21-24
Jesus told her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain [Mt. Gerizim] nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans worship what you do not know.  We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews.  But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth.  Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

Jesus said the Samaritans worship what [they] do not know or fully understand.  Earlier in their conversation, Jesus point out that she didn’t know the gift of God (John 4:10).  From what Jesus has said, we can see that it is possible for people worship God in religious ignorance.  But why would they do that?

The Samaritans worshipped in ignorance because they acknowledged no prophet after Moses – other than the one spoken of in Deuteronomy 18:18, and they regarded that yet-to-arrive person as the Messiah.  Because of this, they rejected the rest of the Old Testament and had mixed in pagan concepts with their faith.  They stunted their ability to worship and know God fully because they cut themselves off from God’s Word.

In contrast, the Jews accepted all of God’s revelation in the Old Testament, therefore, they “knew” the God whom they worshipped.  What the Jews knew, however, became something all too familiar.  By the time Jesus arrived on the scene, the Jewish worship of God was outwardly religious and extremely formulaic.  Instead of looking to walk with God, the first century religious leaders were much more interested in enforcing “perfect living” according to the 600+ laws of the Old Testament as well as following all Jewish religious traditions.  They would rather debate the fine details of the law, instead of taking action to help their fellow Jew.  Jesus routinely called them out for such behavior.  Even though they knew God’s Law and could recite it line-by-line, they still doubted that Jesus was the promised Messiah.  In their familiarity, they began to focus on themselves rather than God.

Thinking about the times your church family gathers together to worship God or when you worship God on your own:

·       Do you know the God you worship? 
·       Have you looked for God in all His revealed Scriptures, or are you ignoring some parts?
·       If you do know Him, has your worship become stale or formulaic? 
·       Are you just going through the Sunday morning motions, because that’s what your family is expected to do on Sunday morning?

Think about your answers.  Talk to God about your answers.  It’s ok to wrestle with any thoughts or feelings that come up.  If you need help processing, ask a mature believer.  And next time, we’ll look at what Jesus said our worship should look like.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

Religion, politics, and worship

Don’t talk about politics or religion, we’ve always been told.  However, we’re even less inclined to talk about our flaws, which can make politics and/or religion a distraction topic to get away from talking about our own failings.  During His conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus revealed that He knew all about the intimate relationship failures of her life.  However, she quickly changed the subject:

John 4:19-20
“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

She deflects from the personal statements of how she has dealt with her deepest thirst and shifts to political/religious differences between Samaritans and Jews.

However, Jesus doesn’t get upset with her when she tries to change the subject.  Jesus allows her to steer the conversation away from her life choices and into the (taboo?) topic of religion and worship.  And this is not just any religion discussion topic…this was THE TOPIC that represented the conflict and strife between the Samaritans and the Jews.  This was the ultimate combination of politics and religion in the area: Should followers of God worship Him on Mt. Gerizim or in Jerusalem?

Look at how Jesus replied:

John 4:21
Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.”

Jesus answered her deflection question, but not as she expected.  He didn’t choose between her Option A or Option B, instead Jesus chose “neither”.

We’ll look at Jesus’ full answer in future posts, but we need to stop here and address a bias we have.

It would be easy for us modern believers to dismiss their cultural debate between Mt. Gerizim and Jerusalem.  Why get all hung up over where someone sings praise to God?  Why fight (and even kill) someone over where they pray to God?  Why hate and despise a distant blood relative because how they worship?

It would be easy for us to think those things…but it would be hypocritical to do so.  Modern churches have split over the color of the sanctuary carpet.  Modern believers have gossiped and spread rumors about other churches because they made coffee available at their services.  Modern believers have had significant fights over every aspect of worship – hymnals, organs, pianos, clapping, guitars, drums, lights, projector screens, fog machines, visual illustrations…and the biggest one of all: contemporary music vs. traditional music.

Believers have gotten down-right nasty with fellow believers who do not worship with their preferred style.  Old familiar hymns vs new songs has been a hot button topic longer than you and I have been alive.  However, I think our divisions have more to do with preferences rather than the true intent of worship.  Even back in 1908, Marcus Dods made this observation:

Rich music, striking combinations of color and of architectural forms, are nothing to God so far as worship goes, except insofar as they bring the human spirit into fellowship with Him.  Persons are differently constituted, and what is natural to one will be formal and artificial to another.  Some worshippers will always feel that they get closer to God in private, in their own silent room, and with nothing but their own circumstances and wants to stimulate [their worship of God]; they feel that a service carefully arranged and abounding in musical effects does indeed move them, but does not make it easier for them to address themselves to God.  Others, again, feel differently; they feel that they can best worship God in spirit when the forms of worship are expressive and significant. 

But in two points all will agree: first, that in external worship, while we strive to keep it simple, we should also strive to make it good – the best possible of its kind.  If we are to sing God’s praise at all, then let the singing be the best possible, the best music a congregation can join in, and executed with the utmost skill that care can develop.  Music which cannot be sung save by persons of exceptional musical talent is unsuitable for congregational worship; but music which requires no consideration, and admits of no excellence, is hardly suitable for the worship of God…The other point in which we all will agree, is that where the Spirit is not engaged there is no worship at all.

As Jesus told the Samaritan woman, location and politics and religious tradition aren’t the keys to true worship.  That is no longer our road map to encountering God.  Our worship of God should be of good quality, and through it, we should be engaged with God.  Let’s not worry so much about how others’ worship looks, rather we should be asking ourselves if our worship’s focus is on God and our connection to Him.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

She didn't get it

Jesus is making the Samaritan woman an incredible, no-strings-attached offer:

John 4:13-15
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.  But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.  In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”
“Sir,” the woman said to Him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”

She wants Jesus’ living water for 2 reasons:
·       so she won’t get physically thirsty again
·       so she won’t have to come to the well to draw water

She didn’t get it.  She didn’t catch that Jesus’ metaphor was about giving her eternal life.  He wasn’t talking about physical thirst.  However, Jesus doesn’t get upset with her for not immediately grabbing on to spiritual truths.  Instead, He goes on to address her real thirst problem:

John 4:16-19
“Go call your husband,” He told her, “and come back here.”
“I don’t have a husband,” she answered.
“You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus said.  “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband.  What you have said is true.”
“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet.”

I find this portion of their dialogue border-line hilarious: I see that you are a prophet.  What an understatement!  But let’s step into her sandals for a moment.  The re-occurring fault in her life was just called out by a complete stranger.  This part of her life is very likely why she comes to the well alone and at the hottest part of the day – to avoid the all-too-knowing glances of others in her community.  A relationship history that included five husbands plus another lover would raise eyebrows in our modern society…but in ancient times?  Practically unthinkable. 

Broken relationships are not a new, modern problem – she’d had many husbands and was now living with someone else (either that, or she has a relationship with someone else’s husband…).  And yet…don’t miss this…Jesus knows this about her and still offers her eternal life.

But why does Jesus tell her to go get her husband?  It seems kind of random in the story.  The request doesn’t appear to fit the conversation to this point.  However, we need to keep in mind the historical context:

From Dr. Constable’s online notes:
Jesus’ instruction to call her husband was proper, because if He was really going to give her something valuable, her husband needed to be present.  This was necessary to avoid any misunderstanding about the reason for the gift – especially in view of Samaritan/Jewish tensions…The woman wanted Jesus’ gift, so she admitted that she had “no husband.”  She probably hoped that He would now give it to her.  Instead, however, Jesus gave her a shocking revelation.  He knew about her marital relations intimately, but He related what He knew tastefully.  He commended her twice for telling the truth about her present marital status, but He also unmasked her past.

While she’s still focused on quenching her physical thirst, Jesus shows her that she’s been looking to the wrong wells for intimacy, and that His living water will satisfy her deepest need.  By asking for her husband, Jesus shifts gears to her personal relationship situation.  Jesus did not ignore her sin, but He gently pointed out that her life choices have still left her thirsty.  Her real thirst is for relationship (see Eve’s curse, Genesis 3:16) and she’s been trying to quench it through intimacy with multiple men.

Sometimes God tries to talk with us about spiritual, real-life things, and, like the Samaritan woman, we don’t get it.  We tend to stay focused on our physical needs.  But thankfully, He is patient with us.  Even though it may sting, God reveals how we’ve been trying to fill our deepest need with people or things that do not satisfy…but then He offers to fulfill that desire with Himself.

Keep Pressing,
Ken