This week’s suggested reading: John 4
Tip: Aim to read the suggested chapter once per day, with a goal of reading the chapter at least 5 times this week. As you read, keep a running list of anything the passage teaches you about Jesus – i.e. his commands, his example, his words, his convictions.
A second tip: Before you start reading the chapter each day, talk to God.
Praise him for his goodness and faithfulness. Tell him the concerns on your heart. And ask him to speak to you as you read his Word.
This week’s question to ponder: Journal about a time when you couldn’t help but tell someone about Jesus’ love. If you can’t think of a time, that’s ok. Instead, journal a prayer asking God to overwhelm you with his love to the point that you can’t help but tell someone.
The bulk of John 4 details Jesus’ interaction with a Samaritan woman. One vital thing to remember as we wade through this text: “Jews had no dealings with Samaritans.” (John 4:9) Bottom line, within the context of the racial and social divides of the day, Jesus’ interaction with, not only a woman but, a Samaritan woman, would have been absolutely shocking at the time…which leads to my first observation.
Jesus often disrupted the status quo with radical displays of the Father's love.
In John 1, Jesus enters the scene of humanity as an act of love by the Father. In John 2, Jesus cleansed the Jewish Temple out of love for the Father. In John 3, he shocked the Jewish leader, Nicodemus, with the radical teaching of being born again – a gift of love from the Father. And now in John 4, he purposefully interacted with someone the religious elite would deem inferior – an act of love as a representation of the Father.
Jesus often disrupted the religious and social status quo with radical displays of the Father’s love.
Love drives Jesus. Everything he does – even correcting his own people – flows from his love from and for the Father, and his love for creation. He invaded the status quo with love. And in John 4, he crossed racial and social divides with love.
We read in John 4 that Jesus “had” to go through Samaria. I’m convinced that he “had” to because he had a divine appointment with this Samaritan woman. Logistically, he didn’t have to go through Samaria. Though it was the quickest route from Judea to Galilee, Jews had created other routes in efforts to avoid going through Samaria. But Jesus had an appointment with this seemingly insignificant woman of racial descent that Jews historically despised.
He had to pass through Samaria.
When he got there, he sat beside Jacob’s well to rest while his disciples went to get some food. It was about the “6th hour” – which would have been 12 noon, the hottest part of the day. While sitting there, a woman came to draw water.
Typically, women went to draw water in groups at the cooler part of the day. However, this woman came to the well alone at the hottest part of the day. Why? With clues we read later in the text, we can deduce that most likely her reputation had isolated her from other women.
But Jesus had to pass through Samaria to meet with her because God’s love was breaking through the walls of hostile divide.
Worship isn't about where; it's about how.
When this Samaritan woman mentioned the “where” for worship, Jesus explained that true worship comes from the heart. It’s not about where you worship. It’s not about your familial line. It’s not about the color of your skin or the traditions you keep. The Father is seeking those who worship him in “spirit and truth.”
Humans love tradition. And traditions aren’t all bad. But when tradition drives our actions to the neglect of truth, confusion and corruption will follow. Imma say that again…
When tradition drives our actions to the neglect of truth, confusion and corruption will follow.
Jesus tells her, “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.” (John 4:23) God isn’t looking at the external. He’s not looking at our church traditions. He’s not looking at our family’s faith as a whole. He looks at the individual heart. And he’s looking for worshippers who worship him in spirit and truth.
Jesus reveals what steals from us.
We’ve already seen examples in these early chapters of John that remind us: there’s no fooling Jesus. He can see our heart. He knows everything about us. And he has a way of addressing the very thing in our lives that steals freedom from us. He did it with Nicodemus. And he did it with this Samaritan woman when he says to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” (John 4:16)
At first glance it may seem like his request came out of left field. But Jesus interacts with people intentionally, out of love. So we know there’s purpose. Jesus didn’t bring up the topic of this woman’s husband to shame her. He brought it up as a pathway to free her.
All of us have things that steal our focus. All of us have blind spots. All of us are in process. But in his kindness, Jesus reveals the things that steal the peace and freedom he died to give us. And we see the results of this kind of revelation in the response of the Samaritan woman.
The love of Christ is stronger than shame.
This Samaritan woman responds to Jesus’ knowing of her with an overflow of evangelism. I use the word “evangelism” because in it’s purest sense, it means to spread the good news, the “gospel,” of Jesus. She had an interaction with Jesus that led her to conclude, “This is the promised Messiah.” And she couldn’t keep it in. The good news of Christ overflowed from her lips to this town of people who had rejected her.
The love of Christ is stronger than shame.
Humans crave to be known and loved. We search for that “knowing” here on planet earth through lots of avenues – relationships, successes, social media… the list goes on and on. But we often put on masks because we’re afraid that if someone actually knew us, flaws and all, they wouldn’t love us.
When this Samaritan woman realized she was fully known and fully loved with an invitation into this gift of living water from the long-awaited Christ, she couldn’t help but tell others…even those who had shamed her.
Christ’s love breaks through walls of hostility – racial, social, and economic divides – to offer the gift of hope to those who worship the Father in spirit and truth. May that truth of Christ’s love actually affect and inform us today.
Disclaimer: Words in Red is a devotional blog series created for personal reflection and spiritual encouragement. All writing is original and created solely by the author, Lara Howard—AI was not used in the development of this content. All content in this series is copyrighted and may not be reproduced, distributed, or used without written permission. © Think True Things
