John Chapter Four
A Woman of Samaria Encounters Jesus
[Verses 1-4 parallel Matthew 4:12, Mark 1:14a, and Luke 3:19-20]
4:1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
John notes that when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard about Jesus making and baptizing more disciples than John the Baptist, Jesus decided to leave Judea. This action was not due to any “finding out,” but took place at the same time, as Jesus is omniscient and would have already known prior to any notification that the Pharisees had heard.[1] John also included the fact that Jesus Himself did not do any of the baptizing, that task was performed only by His disciples.
Jesus and His disciples left Judea and began to journey back to the Galilee region. Instead of avoiding Samaria like most Jews traveling to and from Galilee and Judea,[2] Jesus “had to pass through Samaria.” The text does not explain why they ‘had’ to travel through but it appears that Jesus “had an appointment” with a Samaritan woman. They came to the town of Sychar (considered another name for Shechem, in the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim) near the field Jacob had given to Joseph (see Genesis 33:18-20; 48:21-22; Joshua 24:32), at a well built by Jacob. Jesus, wearied from traveling, sat down next to the well at about the sixth hour (noon).
4:7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
A Samaritan woman approaches to draw water and Jesus asks for a drink of water. She responds, probably with some astonishment and distain in her voice, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” A valid question as Jews typically avoid any interaction with Samaritans. John once again adds parenthetical information for his readers, this time explaining why Jesus was alone and the fact that Jews have no dealings with Samaritans, both points are important for setting the stage for this encounter.
It is interesting to note that the woman came to the well at noon, an undesirable time due to the heat of the day. Since most women would go to draw water in the evening when it was cooler (see Genesis 24:11), it is believed that this woman may have been cast out of the community and was no longer welcome at the well when being used by the other women.
4:10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Jesus tells the woman that if she knew who she was talking to, she would have asked for Him to give her “living water.” Noticing that He did not have any means to draw water, the woman responds, relating to the ‘physical’ water in the well, but then must have perceived that something was different about Jesus and asks an odd question, “Are you greater than our father Jacob?” Jesus continues by saying that the water from this well will only temporarily quench someone’s thirst. But anyone who drinks of the water He offers, will become a spring of water that bubbles up to eternal life. The woman now intrigued, asks Jesus to give her that water.
4:16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
Jesus asks her to go and bring back her husband, she replied that she has no husband. Jesus tells her that she was right, not only did she not have a husband, she had five husbands before and that the man she was with was not her husband. The woman (now changing subjects) tells Jesus that she has perceived that He is a prophet and then goes on about her people believing that God should be worshiped on this mountain (possibly pointing to Mount Gerizim) and that the Jews believe the Samaritans are wrong as worship should only be offered in Jerusalem.
4:21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Jesus informs the woman that a time is coming when the location for worshiping God will no longer be an issue. He adds that they, the Samaritans, worship what they do not know (due to their idolatrous roots they have rejected a significant portion of Scripture, preventing them from knowing the full counsel of God and His plan for salvation), but the Jews do know who they worship, as salvation is from the Jews. Jesus then offers a quick discourse on the subject of worship. He begins by saying that there will be a change in the way worship is to occur, that the time is coming, yet the hour has already come, when true worshipers will worship God the Father in spirit and truth. This statement of Jesus is often debated and potentially misunderstood, raising questions like, “Who is a true worshiper?” or “What does He mean by spirit?” The term ‘spirit’ is used to both describe God (being a spirit, non-corporeal) and man (must worship in spirit…) He is not referring to the Holy Spirit when He mentions ‘in spirit’, He is talking about man’s spiritual component, in lieu of the body (the sinful and lustful component). Since the word ‘truth’ can be defined as being “when the word and deed become one,”[3] worshiping in truth would be when a believer, after understanding the Word of God, knows what God wants them to do (at all times) and is actually doing it. In other words, obedience! That is who a true worshiper is and that is the person who God the Father desires. Jesus noted that “the hour is coming” when the physical act of worship will (and it did) change and since obedience could be identified as a “spiritual act of worship” (see also Romans 12:1), it already became a form of worship, as it “is now here.”
In response, possibly thinking that this discussion raised more questions than it answered, the women tells Jesus that there will come someday the Messiah (John clarifies that the terms Messiah and Christ are synonymous) who will answer all these questions. Jesus, in a rare admission, tells the woman that He is the Messiah.
4:27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.
Since hatred and animosity between the Jews and Samaritans was mutual, when the disciples came back from the city and saw Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman, they were astonished. John notes that none of the disciples asked Jesus what He was doing or why He was talking to a Samaritan woman, as they still did not understand who Jesus was and the scope of His outreach.
The woman left her water jar and went into town and told the people to come and see a man who told her everything she had done in her past and then proposed the question, could this man be the Christ? The townspeople came out to see for themselves.
4:31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”
While the woman went into town the disciples offered Jesus something to eat. He tells them that He has food that they were not aware of. Not understanding what He was talking about, they discuss among themselves wondering if someone brought Jesus food while they were away in town. Perceiving their confusion, Jesus explains that He is ‘fed’ by doing the will of His Father.
The phrase, “Do you not say, ’There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’?” is often debated. Some say that it is a form of proverb or ‘saying’, but there is no evidence for that conclusion. It is likely that Jesus is referring to the next harvest being four months out.
The harvest in this region being in April (or early May), it was now December (or early January). For, this is probably not a proverb indicating the usual time-interval between seedtime and harvest. Aside from the fact that four months would be incorrect (for the interval is actually longer), and that no such proverb or anything resembling it has been found anywhere, the adverb yet would seem to be hardly fitting. In a proverb one would expect simply: “There are four months between seedtime and harvest,” or simply, “There are four months; then comes the harvest,” but not, “There are yet four months; then comes the harvest.” The words which introduce the chronological indication—“Are you not saying”—prove nothing either way. The disciples had been observing the month-old verdure, and they had just now been saying, “… yet four more months; then comes the harvest.”[4]
Jesus tells His disciples that there is no need to wait for harvest time, the harvest of people willing to accept Jesus for salvation is ready now. He tells them to look at the fields and see that the fields are white (a reference to how grain looks when ready) to harvest. He explains that the sowing has already begun (for example, through the Word of God and through the evangelism efforts of John the Baptist and Jesus) and that those that have begun to reap are receiving their reward, being wages for their labor. The reapers are then able to gather the ‘fruit’ for eternal life. This is not a reference of them earning salvation through works, instead Jesus is illustrating that the sower can be a different person than the one that reaps the harvest of newly saved people, and that the harvest can be made shortly after sowing (no need to wait). Therefore, the sower and the one that reaps can rejoice together as they can see the fruit of their labor (people being saved). Jesus further explains that the saying, “One sows, another reaps,” (see Job 31:8) that Christians are primarily called to be sowers, planting the seed of the gospel message in others. Paul illustrated this in his first epistle to the church in Corinth, “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 3:5-11) If the Holy Spirit moves you to ’reap’, by asking the person being evangelized to accept Jesus at that time, praise God! Otherwise, God will continue to influence that person’s heart so that they will, if inclined, accept the free gift of salvation (to be reaped later).
Jesus then informs His disciples that He has sent them to reap where they “did not labor” in the sowing, as He and others have already begun to sow and now they are to join in that same effort. The ‘others’ is often interpreted that many have engaged the Samaritans in the past with the truth of the Scriptures, but now the disciples have been given the gospel message to continue sowing where the others had left off at this time.
4:39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Many Samaritans came to listen to Jesus due to the woman’s testimony and became believers. Jesus and the disciples remained in Samaria two days after being asked by the people to stay. They told the woman that they now believe, not just because of her testimony, but now after listening to Jesus for themselves, they believe He is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. It is important to note that due to one person’s testimony, many came to believe. A personal testimony is an invaluable tool for evangelism.
4:43 After the two days he departed for Galilee. 44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.
After leaving Sychar (see verse five), Jesus returned to the region of Galilee, perhaps entering near Nazareth, as John notes that this location is where Jesus stated, “a prophet has no honor in his own hometown,” (see Matthew 13:53-58).[5] When they arrived, the people there welcomed Him, but only because they had recently witnessed Him performing miracles while in Jerusalem during the time of the spring feasts (see John 2:23). John seems to be implying that the Galileans had a less-than-genuine belief in Jesus, as further evidenced by their rapid departure to Cana.
Considerations
As mentioned in Appendix 1, the subject of baptism is very polarizing between Christians. We read in the “Great Commission” about the edict to baptize believers and therefore often interpret the instructions as being something necessary for salvation. John tells us that Jesus did not baptize (see verse two) and the apostle Paul wrote, “I thank God that I baptized none of you…” (1 Corinthians 1:14a), which raises the question, if baptism is mandatory to be saved, why didn’t Jesus baptize or why wasn’t baptism a priority for Paul? First, just as Paul is warning in 1 Corinthians 1:10-17, that people potentially could brag about who baptized them. But, secondly we have the example of salvation without baptism with the thief on the cross next to Jesus during His crucifixion. Jesus told him that he would see him in paradise (see Luke 23:43). While it may also be argued that bragging is a minor issue when compared to being condemned, the discussion brings us back to a very important subject of salvation through works, baptism could be considered an effort (or works) and thus it is not necessary. But the words of Matthew 28:18-20 are clear, those actions should be done, but even though being an edict for believers to baptize new believers, the task of baptism remains unnecessary for salvation if it is not possible to perform, as Jesus did all the work. See Appendix 1 for further discussion as to why baptism has become controversial among Christians.
Jesus told the woman at the well that He was offering “Living Water,” a term that is appropriately presented as being a metaphor for the eternal life made available through Him. Readers may be surprised to learn that the phrase “living water” is not unique to the New Testament, it can also be found in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word ‘ḥǎy·yāh’[6] (also ‘hay’) refers to something being alive and appears before the Hebrew word for water (‘mǎ’·yim’[7]) several times (see Leviticus 14:5, 6, 50, 51, 52; 15:13; Numbers 19:17; Song of Solomon 4:15; Jeremiah 2:13; 17:13). In Leviticus and Numbers “living water” is considered to be a reference to water that is flowing and is therefore sometimes translated as ‘fresh’ water. The living water in those applications is listed as a component of processes for atonement in order to be made temporarily ceremonially clean, something that Jesus did once and for all for all believers (does not need to be repeated). In each of the other references that use the phrase “Living Water,” as it does here in John 4:10, they point directly to the future provision of an eternal sin-free life through Jesus.
True Worship? What does that mean?
Many churches today, for varied reasons, focus most of their efforts on what is popularly called, a “worship service.” Sadly, many church groups, denominations, and organized so-called Christian churches (even large, well-established entities) have embraced man’s interpretations regarding worship, not God’s point of view. Regarding worship, what does God want? Let’s begin by first looking at the English word. Most dictionaries would define ‘worship’ something like, “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration.” Both the early Middle English and Old English words were derived from two words, ‘worth’, referring to something of value or importance, and ‘ship’, an English suffix denoting condition, character, office, or skill, constructing such words as ‘friendship’ and ‘leadership’. The English word ‘worship’ implies giving or doing something that has value. Now, before continuing, understand that this is not an attack against the concept of worship in this consideration, but everyone should be aware that the only instruction that matters regarding worshiping God is from Him (the Bible).
There are several Greek words used in the New Testament that are translated as ‘worship’, ‘worshiping’ or ‘worshiper’. Two such words, ‘latreia’[8] and ‘latreuō’[9] are from the Greek word ‘latris’ (a word that is not found in the Bible) which captures the idea of being hired. Latreia, to worship, conveying being of service for hire or as a slave, while latreúō means to serve, in a religious sense, conveying the concept of offering sacrifice (like what is described in the Old Testament worship processes, see the first seven chapters of the book of Leviticus). Both words are also often translated as ‘serve’. It is interesting to note that the concept of ‘religion’ or being ‘religious’ in both English and Greek (‘thrēskeia’[10]) refer to the strict following of ceremonial procedure or ritual. In every case where the Bible uses either the adjective or noun of the Greek word, it is regarding false worship. Modern English adds the concept of ceremonial and ritualistic following of God, to the definition of the word ‘religion’, but true Christianity is not a religion of protocol, it is about a loving relationship. Also in the New Testament, we find another Greek word ‘proskyneō’[11] (and noun ‘proskynētēs’[12]), which can also be translated as ‘worship’ or ‘worshiped’. The word literally means, “to kiss,” it conveys action to show respect, obeisance, or to fall prostrate before. The word is often translated in the Bible as ‘knelt’ and ‘bow’.
Some other related words that we should look at include: The Greek word ‘theosebēs’[13] only appears once in the New Testament (generally translated ‘worshiper’), it conveys a devout reverence to God. The Greek word ‘eusebēs’[14] means “to be reverent” or “to be godly,” usually in an external sense (things seen by others). It only appears twice (only once as ‘worship’), both times it is used in relationship with objects (not God) being worshiped. The word ‘sebomai’[15] conveys the idea of worship or reverence (four out of the ten times the word appears in the New Testament, it is translated ‘devout’ in the ESV). The Greek word ‘leitourgeō’[16] comes from ‘leitourgos’[17] meaning “public servant,” to minister publicly in a sacred office, to lead a public service. It later became a reference to perform priestly or ministerial duties. This word only appears three times and is usually translated as ‘service’ (only once translated as ‘worshiping’ in the ESV). Also, from ‘leitourgos’ is the word ‘leitourgia’[18] meaning either a “public service” or “public office.” Prior to the beginning of churches, this word was used to describe any system administered by citizens at their own expense, in the New Testament ‘leitourgia’ relates to the duties of the priests and later used of the ministry of the Christian teacher in bringing people to faith. The word can be found six times in the New Testament (three times translated as ‘service’, once as ‘offering’, once as ‘ministry’ and once more as ‘worship’ in the ESV), the English word ‘liturgy’ is derived from this word.
In the Old Testament there are also several Hebrew (and some Aramaic) words that can be translated as ‘worship’ or relate to the concept of worship. Listed in order of their Strong’s number, the first word is ‘sā̱gaḏ’[19], found only associated with idol worship in the book of Isaiah (see Isaiah 44:15, 17, 19; 46:6), it is a verb meaning to fall down, to bow down, or lie face down in worship. The Aramaic equivalent, ‘seghḏ’[20], occurs twelve times in the portion of the book of Daniel that was written in Aramaic (Daniel 2:4-7:28). The Hebrew word ‘ā·ḇaḏ’[21], is a verb meaning to serve or work, when focused on labor for God it generally refers to some form of service for God such as a worship service (also found in reference to worshiping false gods). The corresponding Aramaic word is ‘a·ḇēḏ’[22], carrying the same meaning, can be found in Ezra, Jeremiah, and Daniel. The Hebrew verb ‘āśāh’[23], means to perform an activity that has a purpose or obligation. The word ‘ǎṯǎ·ṯār’[24], is a noun that means worship, it also refers to a fragrance or aroma. The word ‘qāḏaḏ’[25], is a verb meaning to bow down or to bow one’s head. The word that is seen more in the Old Testament relating to worship is the Hebrew verb ‘shāchāh’[26], it also carries the notion of falling down prostrate in reverence or in worship (sometimes in conjunction with ‘qāḏaḏ’). We also see some translators relate the verb ‘dāraš’[27] to worship, as it carries the meaning to seek, however, it is most often translated as ‘inquire’.
Regarding the idea of assembling believers, Paul does offer some instruction, “when you come together” (Greek word ‘synerchomai’[28], which just simply means “to meet together”), in 1 Corinthians chapter 11, the word is used five times, each with an admonishment to the church. Later in chapter 14, Paul uses the same word twice with some instructions including; speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:22-25, 27-28); when together making sure that everything that is done is performed in a way that encourages each other (1 Corinthians 14:26); how to handle prophecy when someone speaks prophetically (1 Corinthians 14:29-33); who should and who should not speak during assemblies (1 Corinthians 14:34-35); and that everything be done with discipline (1 Corinthians 14:36-40).
None of these Greek words, or any of Paul’s instructions, point to or refer to any form of instruction regarding what what we call today ‘worship’. Even though there are no specific instructions in the New Testament on how to worship, or even when to worship, the Sunday morning worship service and the passionate defense of worship style has become the priority of many churches today. While it is true that in the Old Testament God gave the Israelites instructions on how to worship through sacrifice and participation in various festivals, in the New Testament Jesus never specified or requested corporate worship. Perhaps the reason why is that the concept of worship truly begins with us as individuals. Here Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that true worshipers will worship (proskyneō) God in spirit and truth. Jesus is saying that instead of a specified location as decreed in the Old Testament, worship can be at any location where there are believers. As Christians, we worship God through submission to Jesus, in spirit and truth, consistent with the new covenant (see Jeremiah 31:31-34) as recorded in the New Testament.
In the book of Romans, Paul clarifies for us how God views worship considering what Jesus did for us, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans 12:1-2) The phrase, “bodies as living sacrifice” helps us see that our worship to God is through our individual obedience to Jesus. Without our loving obedience to Jesus (remember that all authority has been given to Him, see Matthew 28:18) with a heart to serve Him, everything else, including corporate or any other kind of worship, would be a waste of time since you cannot fool God!
Many churches get involved in what has become known as “worship wars.” People of these churches vehemently defend their opinion of what they believe to be the proper way to worship. Many would deny that it is their opinion as they believe they are defending God’s true and acceptable way. They will even insult and put down anyone else that has a different point of view, often in fits of emotional rage and rude outbursts. Sadly, these people have accepted a lie that is masquerading as truth, undoubtedly perpetrated by some long-dead church official or theologian. In these scenarios, tradition (be it actual or perceived) can adversely affect a church, as the traditional protocols can become more important than the reason they were started, or worse, being more important than a relationship with God. One could ask, is this an example of Christian behavior? When believers fight fellow believers or when a ritual becomes more important than following God, the church may no longer be able to equip believers and thus no longer be of any value to God. At minimum one could ask, where is God’s love? If someone is so inwardly focused on a worship style, how can they love the lost? There is nothing wrong with disliking a certain style of worship, however, those that have strong opinions, need to own up to the fact that what they think is only an opinion, something that is liked or disliked, and stop cursing and insulting those that disagree. This is only a difference in preference, nothing more. God loves diversity, including style of praise, if we have a heart for Him.
When Jesus was asked “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (See Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-33) He did not quote any of the Ten Commandments, He responded with, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37, a quote from Deuteronomy 6:5). Jesus is telling us that we are to essentially worship Him at all times. When we love someone with all our heart, soul, and mind, nearly everything we do and think about is done with that person in mind, that would be the definition of full-time worship. Even though we cannot do anything to earn our salvation, we need to remember what the Bible teaches, that Jesus did all the work and that we belong to Him (He bought us with His blood, see Acts 20:28; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23; 1 Peter 1:18-19) and in response to His love for us, we return that love through our worship of obedience. True worship begins with loving obedience 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Worship is not about protocol, it is about a heartfelt loving relationship with Jesus.
Before leaving the subject of worship we should look briefly at church leaders. In his epistle to the church in Ephesus, Paul listed some people as being given by God to churches: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11) Some groups refer to them as clergy, people ordained for religious duties, however, that would only be true if everyone understood that these people referred to in that verse were gifted and selected by God, not selected or ordained by man. Many churches today have paid clergy, some even use the Latin word for ‘shepherd’, namely ‘pastor’, as a title for that position. Christians in these churches often feel that all they need to do is support their pastor financially and that covers everything they need to do to be a good Christian, clergy in that sense, is not a Biblical concept. Even though often on the “front line,” it is also important to remember that church leaders are not ‘higher’ than other believers, all Christians are on equal footing. While it is true that they may be held more accountable, they are not considered more important in God’s kingdom.
Is the Bible important? As believers, we might think we already know everything a Christian needs to know. After all, some were brought up in a church-going family and heard just about every story in the Bible from Sunday School. Think about that for a moment, when you tell a story now as an adult to a young person, do you always include the details, especially those things that could potentially be misunderstood? No, why? Because they may not know enough about God and the world to clearly understand. Besides, much of the Bible would be considered rated for mature audiences only. So, no, Sunday School (or equivalent) did not teach us what we as adults need to know about God’s Word. Remember what Paul wrote in Ephesians, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” (Ephesians 4:13) this process is referred to as ‘sanctification’ (the Greek word ‘hagiazō’[29] can be found 28 times in the New Testament, the word refers to a process to be made clean and holy for service to God). For us, it involves maturing in our relationship with Jesus, becoming more like Him (loving, forgiving, compassionate, patient, etc.) and growing in the Word of God. As children of God (see Romans 8:16-17), we should have a burning desire to know more about God, and that hunger can only be quenched through reading and studying the Bible. Not just the New Testament, but the whole counsel of God, which includes information and instructions from God found from Genesis to Revelation. In the simplest of terms, without knowing the Word of God, we cannot know what truly pleases Him.
Again, it is important to note that there is only one source of truth and that is the Bible. Throughout church history there have been many books published, some written to help people to better their understanding of the Bible and to provide a guideline for life and worship. While many of these documents were written with the best of intentions, we need to understand that they were written from a human’s perspective, and as such, should never be elevated higher than the Bible. Many Christian organizations, including churches, denominations, and parachurch ministries often promote or teach exclusively their literature or use documents that support their own way of thinking and avoid teaching the Bible, or at least the whole counsel of God (the entire Bible, not picking and choosing what they believe to be true and valid).
To understand why having different viewpoints may not be a good thing, we need to go back to the Bible and listen carefully to Jesus praying in the garden, just prior to His arrest and crucifixion. His prayer contained three different primary elements: 1) for Him to be glorified by the Father (John 17:1-5); 2) for the guidance, protection, and blessing of His disciples, soon to be apostles (John 17:6-19); and 3) for those that will hear the gospel message through those apostles, namely the church (John 17:20-26). It is during this third element we read, “That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21) Jesus was praying that the church would have unity, He knew that there would be religious arguments, dogma debates, and theological differences. Just as Jesus pointed out regarding Satan’s domain, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (Mark 3:24-25), we know that the best way to minimize any effort is to confuse and scatter. When we read the various epistles in the New Testament, we see how in only a few years almost all the churches that were written to had serious problems, even five of the seven churches listed in Revelation chapters 2-3, had serious issues. Can you imagine the potential corruption over the last 2,000 years? The church has been victim of doctrinal deficiencies, corruption, and loss of unity.
What exactly is the church supposed to do? To understand the role of the church we need to begin by “flipping the equation inside out” and first ask a strange question, “What is the purpose of a believer?” Which then raises another question of why would God use people to evangelize? In some ways it doesn’t make sense, does it? As the church, even though forgiven, are still sinners, deeply flawed, and certainly not perfect. Wouldn’t it be easier to evangelize if we became perfect after accepting Jesus? Even though many unbelievers already think Christians consider themselves to be perfect, we aren’t, so it is very difficult to represent someone who is perfect. We may never fully understand why God chose ordinary people to be His ambassadors. If we have been given the responsibility to spread the gospel and represent God on Earth, as we have been given, can we do that effectively on our own? That of course is easy to answer, no! What would we need? With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, we would need to learn everything we could from the Bible (the source of everything we need to know about God). We would certainly need some encouragement. We would also need to learn how to evangelize. Plus, we would need to help fellow believers during difficult times. Now do you see what the church is? We were never designed to be individual ambassadors; God wants us to work in teams. He will provide the right people, the right talent, everything. We can be on God’s team or attempt to do everything our way using our power. Remember, to God belongs the glory!
We all have different professions, livelihoods, hobbies, and occupations as well as live in different locations. Regardless of whether we get paid for these activities, the things we regularly do in life could be considered our vocation. We need to remember that all our vocations and locations have been ordained by God, meaning, we are not where we are by mistake. Our vocations, whether sacred or secular, should be considered as callings by God to represent Him and assist in His care for all people here on Earth, 24 hours a day. This is what Paul meant when he wrote, “equip the saints for the works of ministry.” (Ephesians 4:12) Our employer, if you will, is Jesus, regardless of our ‘vocation’, we work for Him (see Philippians 2:1-4). The church should not be considered the corporate office for God, but as a training facility.
Local churches, especially those that have a long history or affiliation with a denomination that have been around for a while, should regularly review how they are doing in relationship to God’s definition of a church. The history of the church demonstrates just how easy it is for a church, or for that fact, a Christian, to wander from the truth of God’s Word. Whenever a church follows rigid guidelines from an affiliation or denomination, they run the risk of not doing what God wants them to do. Churches need to listen to the Holy Spirit and be willing to comply, even if it requires giving up long-held traditions. Local churches need to be where God wants them and doing what He has called them to do. Perhaps the most important thing believers need to remember is that life is not about them, it is about serving God, summarized in that little word, GO! (Remember Matthew 28:18-20)
Jesus Heals the Son of an Official
4:46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. 47 When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. 51 As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. 52 So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. 54 This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
Jesus returned to Cana, the location of His first miracle where He changed the water into wine (see John 2:1-11). He was approached by an unnamed official from Capernaum who had a son that was near death due to an illness, and asked Jesus to heal him. The language John uses implies that this leader was pleading for his son’s life. In response, Jesus noted that unless they (the Greek word ‘idēte’,[30] translated here as ‘you see’ is plural, perhaps referring to the people in general) see some form of supernatural miracle, they will not believe, so He agrees to heal him. Instead of going to the boy, Jesus tells the official that his son will live. Since he believed that Jesus did heal his son, he began to return home when his servants came and told him that his son was recovering. He asked the servants when did he begin to get better, they replied, “Yesterday at the seventh hour.” The official knew that was the same time he was talking to Jesus. As a result the man and all of his household believed in Jesus. The language in verse 54 is a little awkward, it is not referring to a second miracle after returning from Judea, it is referring to this miracle being the second miracle in Galilee recorded by John.
A literal translation of verse 54 can be misleading in some languages, since it would imply that on this particular occasion, when Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he performed two miracles. In reality, the reference is to the second of two miracles, performed when Jesus returned to Galilee from Judea on two different occasions. The first relates the turning of water into wine (Chapter 2), and the second, in the present context, is the healing of the official’s son. Both are associated with Cana and both occurred upon a return of Jesus from Judea. In translating this verse it may be necessary to say in some languages “This was the second time that Jesus came from Judea to Galilee and performed a miracle.”[31]
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[1] See commentary under Matthew 4:12-16.
[2] See Considerations under Matthew 10:5-15 regarding "Samaritans."
[3] Missler, N. (1996). Be ye transformed (p. 17). Coeur d’Alene, ID: Koinonia House
[4] Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953–2001). Exposition of the Gospel According to John (Vol. 1, p. 173). Baker Book House.
[5] This quote is recorded in Matthew 13:57 made by Jesus during a later visit to Nazareth. Either Jesus stated this during this visit (see Luke 4:16-31a) or John is referring to Matthew’s account of the later visit to Nazareth (which would imply the reader already read Matthew’s account).
[6] Strong’s Hebrew 2416.
[7] Strong’s Hebrew 4325.
[8] Strong’s Greek 2999.
[9] Strong’s Greek 3000.
[10] Strong’s Greek 2356.
[11] Strong’s Greek 4352.
[12] Strong’s Greek 4353.
[13] Strong’s Greek 2318.
[14] Strong’s Greek 2152.
[15] Strong’s Greek 4576.
[16] Strong’s Greek 3008.
[17] Strong’s Greek 3011.
[18] Strong’s Greek 3009.
[19] Strong’s Hebrew 5456.
[20] Strong’s Hebrew 5457.
[21] Strong’s Hebrew 5647.
[22] Strong’s Hebrew 5648.
[23] Strong’s Hebrew 6213.
[24] Strong’s Hebrew 6282.
[25] Strong’s Hebrew 6915.
[26] Strong’s Hebrew 7812.
[27] Strong’s Hebrew 1875.
[28] Strong’s Greek 4905.
[29] Strong’s Greek 37.
[30] Strong’s Greek 1492.
[31] Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993). A handbook on the Gospel of John (p. 140). United Bible Societies.