John 4:27-45 - Come and See the Savior of the World (Rev. Erik Veerman)

John 4:27-45 - Come, See the Savior of the World

Please turn to John 4:27-45.

This is our third sermon involving the woman at the well. The first two centered on her conversation with Jesus which ended in verse 26. She ironically told Jesus that the Messiah, the Christ, was coming. To which Jesus responded, "I who speak to you am he."

Interestingly, that is the first time in John's Gospel that Jesus identifies himself as the Christ. In earlier chapters, John the Baptist had made that clear. Jesus' disciples had also identified him as the Messiah as well as the King of Israel and the Son of God.

But while speaking with this women, Jesus made it absolutely clear who he is.

Which brings us to verse 27 where we find out what happened next.

Reading of John 4:27-45

Prayer

The protestant reformer Martin Luther, once said this: "I'm just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread."

I think that's good description of a faithful Christian. Every single person in the world is searching for truth. Some acknowledge it… some don't. A Christian is someone who believes that he or she has found truth… has found the Bread of Life… and wants to bring others to likewise taste and see.

"I'm just one beggar showing another beggar where to find bread."

In many ways that captures what happened next in this narrative.

When the Samaritan woman woke up that morning, she had no idea what was in store for her that day. She had no idea that she would meet someone and her life would change.

At first, she was shocked that a Jewish man was speaking to her. She a woman of Samaria, after all. But even more shocking was what she learned from him. She learned three things:

1. That he had spiritual water to give her that would spring up to eternal life

2. That a time had come when true worshipers would worship in Spirit and truth. Worship was no longer tied to a time and a place.

3. The most shocking - this man claimed to be the promised Messiah.

Try to put yourself in her shoes. Can you imagine the excitement in her heart?  

Some of you don't have to imagine what she felt. I know some of your testimonies - how you met Jesus for the first time and how everything changed.

Well, her heart was bursting with the same excitement. She left her water jar, verse 28, because she had to tell others what happened.  

At this point there are two parallel things happening in the narrative.

First, the disciples had returned. And Jesus taught them using an object lesson.

Second, at the same time, the woman had gone back in her hometown, to Sychar. She went to tell people what happened.

So, let's begin with those two separate interactions. What Jesus taught his disciples and then what happened in the town. Those will then converge in verse 39.

1. Jesus and His Disciples

By the way, did you notice that the disciples returned at precisely the right time. They arrived at the well right at the end of Jesus conversation with the woman. If they had arrived earlier, they would have interrupted his conversation with her. If they had come later, they would never have seen the woman… and wouldn't have known what was happening. You see, God had orchestrated it all.

That's similar to what happened at the end of Jesus' conversation with his disciples. He told them about the harvest… and then immediately when he was done, people started coming to Jesus. It all happened in God's perfect timing.

I just wanted to point that out. The apostle John has not only been conveying who Jesus is through the words that Jesus and the others spoke. But we're also learning about him and God the Father and God the Spirit through what's been happening.

 So, Jesus disciples returned to the well. Remember, they had gone into town to buy food, which they did. When they got back, they naturally urged Jesus to eat. "Rabbi, eat!" But he wasn't eating.

No, as I mentioned Jesus took this opportunity to teach a lesson. He said, verse 32, "I have food to eat that you do not know about."

He wasn't talking about food that nourishes the body. No, he was talking about spiritual food. But the disciples hadn't yet made that connection. So, they asked, "has someone brought you food to eat?"

Does this sound familiar?

This is the fifth time, so far, that Jesus used a real tangible physical object to teach a spiritual truth. Last week, Coleman reminded us of them. First, the water turned to wine indicating our need for Jesus' cleansing ministry. Second, Jesus' comment about the temple being destroyed and rebuilt in 3 days, referring to his forthcoming death and resurrection. Third, Jesus told Nicodemus that he needed to be born again, referring to a spiritual not a physical birth. And fourth, earlier in this chapter, Jesus offered the Samaritan woman living water that would spring up to eternal life.

And did you notice that in each one of those cases, just like here, Jesus' audience didn't understand at first. The disciples didn’t get it, at first. That's why they asked the question - "has someone brought you food?"

Which brings us to an important question: since Jesus wasn't referring to real food, what food was he referring to?

Well, he answers that. He answers by first giving his disciples the broad category and then he applies his answer to what was happening in Samaria. The broad category is God the Father's will. Look at verse 34. "Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.'"

Jesus' food was to be obedient to his Father's will for him. That included many things - His becoming man. It included his perfect obedience to God's law. It included Jesus being and revealing light and truth to the world. And notice the phrase at the end of 34 "accomplish his work." Jesus primary task was to accomplish redemption.

And he ultimately accomplished that by (1) dying on the cross to satisfy the demands of the law that we failed to uphold… and (2) rising from the grave to vindicate us and give eternal life.

By doing all those things, Jesus was redeeming a people unto himself. His obedience, which he identified as his spiritual food, sustained his ministry and led to the redemption of a people.

That relates directly to the next part of this lesson - the harvest

Do you see that connection? The harvest continues the food metaphor …by highlighting what the result of his obedience would be - a harvest of souls.

Now, remember, Jacob's well is on the outskirts of town. As Jesus and his disciples sat there, they could see fields of wheat or other crops. The sense we get from verse 35 is that it was not yet harvest time. It could be that there were still 4 months left, as is mentioned… or they were in that period of waiting. It was not yet time… the grain was not yet ready.

Jesus said to them, "lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." But, as the disciples looked, the fields were not ready. The grain kernels of wheat were not yet a pale white and therefore not yet ready to harvest.

Rabbi, What are you talking about? There's still some time before the harvest. The fields are not yet white for the harvest.

But then, Jesus clarified. Look at verse 36. He said to them, "the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life."

Jesus wasn't referring to the harvest of grain… no, he explained that he was talking about gathering people unto eternal life. Gathering people to hear of the living water and spiritual bread that he offers.

By the way, this is now the 6th time that Jesus uses a common tangible, physical reality to refer to a spiritual truth. And it won't be the last.

Let me make a brief comment about the sowing and reaping mentioned here.

Jesus said that others sowed the seed and the harvest was now ready for the reapers. The question is, who sowed the seed? The answer is that many have sowed the seed. The patriarchs and prophets of old sowed the seed. John the Baptist and his disciples most recently sowed the seed. Jesus himself is the great sower. All the seed had been planted, and now it was time to reap the harvest.

Jesus also makes an interesting point. Usually, the sowing and the reaping are months apart. But he points out that the sowing and harvesting are happening together. In other words, no longer is a wait necessary. The sowing and reaping are now happening at the same time. As the message of salvation goes forth… a harvest of souls was happening.

And that is exactly what was happening in this Samaritan town.

2. The Samaritan Harvest

So, let's now go back to the Samaritan woman and her testimony.

Before we consider what happened, I want to remind you of something important - a  contextual matter. This whole thing was happening in Samaria. This did not happen in Judah. The Jews did not consider Samaritans to be part of God's promised people. Their religion had been corrupted and they were considered unclean.

This spiritual awakening that we are about to witness sent a clear message to the original Jewish readers. The salvation that the Messiah had come to fulfill was for the world. The harvest includes people from all tribes, languages, and nations.

Last week, up in verse 22, we learned that "salvation is from the Jews."  The salvation that God brought to the world came through Israel. God revealed himself and his salvation through them. Jesus was in the line of King David as his greater son. He's the fulfillment of the prophets and high priest, and is the true the Lamb of God. In all those ways, salvation is FROM the Jews… but that salvation is FOR the world. The harvest was for all peoples.

This awakening in this town of Samaria, demonstrated that in a powerful way. Jesus disciples and the apostle John's original audience needed not only to hear it but to see and experience it. Jesus came to redeem a people out of every people groups on earth.

So, Jesus had just conveyed to his disciples the harvest had arrived. They (and we!) have been called to participate as workers in God's harvest. Now, let me ask, as you think about this narrative, who is the example for the disciples? Who is the person in this story who demonstrated what it means to harvest souls? It's the Samaritan woman.

While Jesus was teaching his disciples, the Samaritan woman had gone to be a worker in the harvest.

And what does she tell those in her town? Go back up to verse 29. She tells them (look at it) to come and see the man who told me everything that I ever did. And then she asks, "can this be the Christ?"

Ok, I've been thinking about this all week... thinking about her words in verse 29. And I've been asking myself, was she being a good witness? After all, she didn't make an argument that Jesus was the Christ…. Her question, in fact, wasn't really a definitive statement about Jesus.

So, was she a faithful witness? I have an answer. Absolutely! And let me give you three reasons why.

·      First, she wanted to bring them to meet Jesus for themselves. She was just one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread. Come and see… it's like she was holding them by the hand to bring them to meet him.

·      Second, she was telling her own testimony. That's a powerful thing. It wasn't polished, but it was compelling because she was conveying what she experienced. And I want you to think about this. Why in the world would people listen to her? I mean, they knew she had had 5 husbands and was now living with another guy. And now she was telling them she found yet another man. Why would they listen to her? Well, because they saw that something changed in her. There was something radically different. You see, it wasn't just the testimony of her words, it was the testimony of her life.

·      And third, she asked a thought-provoking question. Can this be the Christ? Questions are helpful because they get us thinking and they stir our curiosity.

So, yes, she was a faithful witness.

I'd like to say a word to two groups of people who are here today.

First, some of you here are not sure whether Christianity is true… maybe you're asking questions and seeking answers but perhaps unsure whether you believe Jesus is who he said he is. Maybe you're here with a friend or family member.

If that's you, I simply want to say, come and see Jesus for yourself. Don't take my word for it or a friend's word… but read this Word. In this book, I believe you will find answers and I believe you will see Jesus for who he is. I encourage you to read it. Study it. Ask God to show you whether he is the way, the truth, and the life - as Jesus himself said.

It's changed my life and many here. Like the woman at the well, your friends or family or neighbors simply want you to see what they found. After all, if it is the truth, then of course they would want you to see and believe it as well.

The second group. Most of you are here because you do believe. If that is you, consider this: Sometimes we think we need to have all the answers. Sometimes we think that if we just say the right things, then others will come to believe as we do. But most often, that's not the case. No, most often, others come to believe either because of our testimony which includes the testimony of our lives… or because we brought them to come and see Jesus for themselves.

That is exactly what happened in this town. Look down at verse 39. "Many Samaritans from that town believed in [Jesus] because of the woman's testimony." Furthermore, they asked Jesus to stay so they could learn more, and so he stayed for 2 days. And then look at verse 41. "Many more believed because of his word."

I think verse 42 is great. The people said, "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.”

To our knowledge, the Samaritan woman didn’t even tell them that Jesus was the Savior of the world. No, she just asked them whether he could be the Christ and she brought them to Jesus. But what they found was that he indeed was the Christ, the Savior.

By the way, that phrase, "Savior of the world" really captures the heart of this whole chapter. Jesus wasn't just a Savior for the Jewish people. No, he was a Savior that the Samaritans needed. He was a Savior that this woman needed in her sin and wandering. He was a Savior who had come to offer salvation to the world.

And remember, the disciples were there seeing it all. They witnessed a glimpse of the great harvest of souls unto eternal life.

In fact, only three years from that point, they would each be sent out to end of the earth. They would themselves testify to all that Jesus said and did. And each would experience a similar harvest.

You know, throughout history, there have been many great awakenings similar to what happened in Samaria. At different times and different places, thousands and thousands have come to see and believe. It's not typical. No, most often, God works through his people in the normal course of life… as individuals and families come to know the Savior.  

But there have been times when the Holy Spirit has moved in tremendous ways. It's happened in Africa and Korea and Britan. In our country in the early 18th century, the first great awakening began. It started through the faithful witness of believers and faithful preaching by pastors like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield. It spread through all the colonies and even back to England. By the thousands, people hearts were open to hear and then believe.

I think it is fair to say that the Protestant Reformation was a great harvest - an awakening or really a revival all throughout Europe to believe or rediscover the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

And let me ask, how did each of these spiritual awakenings begin? Well, they each began through the faithful witness and testimony of God's people. Come and see Jesus.

In Sychar, it began with one woman, so moved by God in her life, that she had to tell others what happened and invite them to meet Jesus. It started by one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread.

Would it be that God would so move in our city? I don’t know, but what I do know is that the fields are white for the harvest. May we be faithful to enter into the labor of the harvest… and may God so move that many would come to believe in Jesus as indeed the Savior of the world.