EmmDev 2015-06-23 [John's Portraits of Christ] 4. Soul Winner

4. Soul Winner

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. 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?" 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. John4:28-35

The background to our passage is that Jesus has chosen to walk through Samaria instead of going around it as many Jews would have. He has walked through the heat of the day to get to Sychar in time (He's tired when He gets there) to encounter a woman who avoids the rest of the town by going to draw water in the middle of the day when everyone else is in "siesta mode." He has started a conversation about living water and spiritual thirst and revealed Himself to the woman as the long-awaited Messiah who is available to all who are willing to worship in truthful sincerity. This is a transformational moment for the woman and she leaves her water-fetching task undone to go and tell others the good news.

Our reading picks up where the disciples come back having found provisions but Jesus isn't hungry. He has found satisfaction on a deeper level. I'm convinced that when He said "I have food to eat that you know nothing about" He was looking at the abandoned water jar with a satisfied smile.

Jesus passion was to reach others with God's love.
When we watch Jesus interact with the woman we learn a number of things about His kind of soul-winning:

1. He was willing to cross barriers. Jews and Samaritans hated each other, but Jesus reaches out to her.
2. He was willing to put in effort. He walked in the heat of the day to get to Sychar on time to find her at the well.
3. He initiates a conversation and builds a bridge to her.
4. He comes across humbly
5. He confronts her brokenness gently and offers powerful hope.
6. He leaves the results to the Holy Spirit when He lets her go back into town - as it turns out she brings the whole town back to Him and they too are brought to faith.

How do we feel about reaching others with the gospel?
The closer we are to Jesus, the more important this will be to us...