27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
We’ve already talked about how the Jews would consider it scandalous to talk to a woman alone. Seeing Jesus doing it really surprised his disciples. Surprised may be a very weak word to describe their reaction. Strong’s defines it as “admire, have in admiration, marvel, wonder.” The ESV translation uses marveled defined as, “be filled with wonder or astonishment.” In cases like this you have to put yourself in the place of the disciples to get the full impact of how they felt. Here is their Messiah who has been baptized by John to fulfill all righteousness doing something that is totally contrary to their culture. Yet they didn’t ask him why he was doing it.
Is that the way we are when we don’t understand God’s ways? When we read something in the Bible that we don’t understand or like, do we marvel but don’t go further? When we see God doing something in the world that we think is wrong, such as bringing COVID, or putting someone in office that will obviously bring about antichristian policies? Do we just drop our jaws open and wonder? In we don’t understand or like what the Bible says, shouldn’t we be diligent in searching the Bible so that we can know the Lord better and be obedient to his Word? When we see these puzzling things in the world we shouldn’t be amazed because he has given us many clues in the Bible as to why things work the way they do. We may not like what is happening, but we will not chaff against it when we understand God’s sovereignty.
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
The woman’s reaction wasn’t bogged down with the culture that the disciples had. She was free to testify about Jesus.
Witnessing lesson Ten: a personal testimony can’t be refuted. You are telling what you know about Jesus. You tell how he has impacted your life. A lesson in developing your testimony is to be able to have a thirty-second version and a Five-minute version. The woman had a two-second version and it brought the townspeople out to meet Jesus!
31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?"
How often do we substitute the physical for the spiritual? Do you ever feel bored or listless? Many people, even Christians don’t feel fulfilled in their lives, and they turn to the physical world to satisfy their inner discontent. The disciples were actually urging Jesus to find his contentment and satisfaction in physical substance.
34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Jesus points us to the reality that he had a work to do. It was more important that eating. We pale in comparison to his dedication to his mission to save us. We may be on fire for Jesus, but nothing compares to his mission and the satisfaction that he got and is getting from finishing his work in the world. Hebrews 12:3 says he saw his joy in coming from the aftermath of the cross.
He gives us and his disciples a clue that even after he has gone to the cross and sits enthroned in heaven, we are to continue working. Jesus is the sower and we become the reapers. Remember that though we spread the word and we “lead people to Christ,” the true sower is the one that causes us to be born again. It is the triune God who sows his spirit into us.
There is much joy in heaven when someone come to Christ. So it is with us when we see people coming to Christ, whether we are part of the ministry or just observers.
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." NIV
Certainly, the woman made the contact with the people and some believed because of what she said. But they needed more to firm up their faith. They are just like us. We come to Christ with little knowledge and then our faith is strengthened as we learn more and more. “Christians” who make a profession of faith and never have a hunger to learn more about Jesus and their faith are most likely those whom Jesus will say “Away from me you workers of iniquity” (Matt 7:23).
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