“Hungry to Serve”
She Left Her Waterpot (John 4:27-30):
v.27: Jesus knew the thoughts of the disciples. They were shocked he was talking to a woman and a Samaritan (double-whammy!), but they didn’t open their mouths out of respect. Ever had an experience when you know someone was thinking something but wouldn’t tell you, but its written all over their face?
v.29: In her excitement she exaggerated. She didn’t want to report what Jesus actually told her (embarrassing!), but what He was capable of telling her….Notice she left her waterpot. That was the one thing she wanted to hold onto when talking to Jesus. She must have come to her spiritual senses. Living water (eternal life) is far more important than physical water (earthly life).
Hungry to Serve (John 4:31-34):
31-32: How long had it been since Jesus ate? Half a day? A couple days (4:3)? Jesus was fully human. He experienced hunger pains when he went without food. He was probably light-headed and weary. But to Jesus His mission to God was more important than His own physical needs.
v.34: Jesus wasn’t starving Himself. He was showing the disciples His priorities. Paul followed Jesus’ example (1 Cor. 9:27). What are our priorities? Is it serve myself, then God and others? Or is it serve others and God, then myself? (Homeless example).....This reminds me of fasting. Fasting is the discipline of not eating food in order to seek God (denying our flesh to seek the Spirit). It helps us to control our priorities (Gal. 5:17). Have you experienced fasting? (My experiences).
One Sows and Another Reaps (John 4:35-38):
v.35: What do the fields represent? Mankind. Mankind is ripe for the gospel. Are we willing to set aside our needs, wants, and desires in order to lead others to Christ? Jesus was. He had to share with the Samaritan woman before He had a meal. (McDonalds example.)
v.37: One person sows the seeds of the gospel and another reaps. Often times, it takes one person shares the gospel and another person to lead someone to Christ. So you never know when planting a seed will lead to someone receiving Christ. Have you had any experiences planting seeds?
v.38: The early prophets and John the Baptist prepared the way for Israel to receive the gospel. The disciples get to reap all the fruit. Who will get rewarded more, the prophets or the disciples? They both will get rewarded evenly. God rewards based on our quality of service, not our quantity. Check out 1 Cor. 3:5-10 and Matt 25:14-28.
Don’t Believe Everything You’re Told (John 4:39-42):
v.39: The woman had made mistakes when she talked with Jesus but it looks like she had a change of heart. It seems as though she became quite the evangelist, sharing her testimony with anyone who would hear. When was the last time you shared your testimony?
v.42: They didn’t want to just trust the woman, they wanted to hear Jesus themselves. This wasn’t skepticism, this was wisdom. Salvation is an individual experience. We all need to decide what we think about Jesus. These Samaritans simply wanted to decide for themselves whether Jesus was telling the truth or not……God encourages us to do this (Isaiah 1:18; Luke 24:39; Acts 17:11). Don’t believe everything you are told! Look to God’s Word for truth!
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