"Jesus, tired from his journey..." The name of my ministry and the title of the book I am writing made this particular phrase jump off the page at me. For the last 3 1/2 years I've been eating, breathing, writing and speaking about JOURNEY. To be honest with you I get tired too. At times this all feels like a grind and I want to take a break. I need to sit down like Jesus did and...
Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well. It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, "How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" — For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans. — Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God and who is saying to you, 'Give me a drink, 'you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." The woman said to him, "Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep; where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself with his children and his flocks?" Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.
Jesus said to her, "Go call your husband and come back." The woman answered and said to him, "I do not have a husband." Jesus answered her, "You are right in saying, 'I do not have a husband.' For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true." The woman said to him, "Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem." Jesus said to her, "Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth." The woman said to him, "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; when he comes, he will tell us everything." Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one speaking with you." At that moment his disciples returned, and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, but still no one said, "What are you looking for?" or "Why are you talking with her?" The woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people, "Come see a man who told me everything I have done. Could he possibly be the Christ?" They went out of the town and came to him.
Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat." But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." So the disciples said to one another, "Could someone have brought him something to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'In four months the harvest will be here'? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest. The reaper is already receiving payment and gathering crops for eternal life, so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together. For here the saying is verified that 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the work, and you are sharing the fruits of their work."
Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me everything I have done." When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word, and they said to the woman, "We no longer believe because of your word; for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the savior of the world." John 4:5-52
...Jesus didn't get much of a break, did He? Isn't it interesting that He was alone when the Samaritan woman appeared? Jesus had been traveling with his disciples but they had left Him alone at the well. Coincidence? Not likely! This allows Jesus to connect with the woman and their conversation gets deep and intimate pretty quickly. She begins to trust Him and Jesus leads her to the realization that "I am he, the one speaking with you," the Messiah. Notice what happens in the next instant. "At that moment his disciples returned..." Coincidence? Not likely! As the story continues, Jesus teaches His disciples about the "fields being ripe for harvest" and then the Samaritans arrive. Another coincidence? Not likely!
It is easy to see how this all makes perfect sense when we look back. But what about when you and I are journeying through life, especially when we are tired, upset or frustrated? Do we recognize that God has allowed each person to cross our path? Are we aware that the fields are ripe for harvest? Do we seek to point people to the Messiah? Sure it's okay to take a break but that doesn't mean that someone might not appear before us in need of the saving love of the Messiah. In fact, doesn't everyone need Him?!?
Okay, I get it now. I can't take a break from sharing the love of Jesus. I'm ready. Send me the next coincidence Lord!!