This verse sums up what the previous
verse leaves unstated. Many of the
woman’s neighbors are now believers in Jesus as the Messiah and Savior of the
world. The net result of the woman’s
testimony is a generous harvest of souls for the Kingdom of God. So how does this happen?
It begins with a Messianic
initiative. Jesus makes the first move,
and then some. He comes to town and
finds a convenient spot by the well where he knows a special woman is about to
make an appearance. He initiates the
conversation. She is reluctant at first,
but that reluctance turns to curiosity and morphs into interest that taps into
a deep-seeded longing in her soul. In
the end she believes and immediately leaves her business aside and goes in
search of her friends and acquaintances to invite them to meet this amazing man
who she believes is the Messiah.
That sequence is then duplicated in the people whom she invites. Their reluctance or even initial rejection becomes curiosity in light of this woman’s passion. Their curiosity becomes interest after initially hearing him; he awakens in them a desire to search deeper. They invite him to stay longer. He does, and in the end they experience the same conviction and passion of the woman. What is the equivalent today? What is the parallel in my life experience? It is not enough for me to hear about Jesus from someone else. It is not enough to be curious. It is not even enough to sit and hear the words of Jesus. The process is not complete until I acknowledge Jesus as my Messiah and my Savior. But this cannot happen in me without my discovering, hearing, searching, and acknowledging the Gospel. And what is the evidence that the Good News has taken hold in my life? It is a burning desire to share the Good News with others. I want more and more of that boldness in my life. I want to experience the joy of that Samaritan woman when she sees her friends and family meet the Master.
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