Monday, October 14, 2013

John 4:28

The woman drops her water jar and runs back to her village carrying only some very exciting news to share. John 4:28 EFP

The woman who arrives every day about noon to the well to draw water goes home without water, and without her water jar.  We are not told whether she suddenly drops it as the significance of the words Jesus utters to her sink in.  She could have carefully put the jar down and then run off, but that seems unlikely.

After all, she just heard the most extraordinary thing she had ever her in all her life!  She just spent time speaking with the Messiah.  More importantly, the Messiah took the time to sit and talk to her.  The conversation she has with Jesus would have been an extraordinary conversation on its own had it just taken place with an interesting Jewish man sitting at noon by the well.  She had learned some thought-provoking concepts, after all.  But the realization that she is in the presence of the Messiah shakes her world.  Nothing matters anymore…or does it?

She does the most extraordinary thing—she runs!  I don’t know, my first reaction would have been to sit down with the Messiah not to run from him.  I have so many questions to ask; stories to enjoy; advice on life to receive; insights into the future to ponder.  But no, not this woman, there is one thing more important to her than sitting with the Master—telling her people about what she just discovered.  In essence, she leaves Jesus in order to tell others about Jesus.  I don’t know if I would have taken the risk.  I probably would have asked Jesus to come with me into town.  The woman takes a big risk.  What if the Messiah is gone when she returns!  I have a sense the woman is right—this Messiah is not going anywhere anytime soon.  He had come to talk to her.  He would be there waiting when she came back with her friends and neighbors. 

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