Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (NIV)
Did the woman think that by mentioning the coming Messiah that all their discussion would come to a close? Sometimes today when people of different denominations come to an impasse about religion one will try to shut down their talk by saying, “Well, that’s just your interpretation,” which is to say, “There is no right way to understand the Bible.” But God did not give us the Bible as a code book. The Holy Spirit did not breathe the truth into men of God so that they could put together nothing but platitudes so that we could pick a passage blindfolded or roll chopsticks as if it were nothing more useful than the I Ching.
The true way to forgiveness is clearly laid out in Scripture: “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Throughout the Gospels, we can see Jesus being careful about the reaction people will have to him. In some cases, he tells people not to reveal who he is. In other cases, especially outside Judea in places like the Decapolis and here in Samaria, he is more open about showing himself. Here for the first time, he himself says that he is the Christ, the chosen Messiah. He wouldn’t do this again in public until his trial, although privately with his disciples he sometimes used “Christ” and “my name” interchangeably (as in Mark 9:41). At his trial, when he confessed under oath to the high priest that he is the Christ (Matthew 26:63-64), he was accused of blasphemy and sentenced to death (Matthew 26:65-66).
His life and death made us right with God. “He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him” (1 Thessalonians 5:10).
Something extra:
Psalm 20:5
5 We will shout for joy when you are victorious
and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.
May the LORD grant all your requests.
The blessings of the psalm now turn to shouts of victory. When David says “lift up our banners” he is talking about a victorious after a battle. No one is better suited to do the same thing than the Christian who celebrates Christ’s victory over sin, over death, and over the power of the devil. Believers can show their gratitude for God’s help and for God’s gracious gift as we celebrate the triumph of Jesus Christ for us.
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in New Ulm, Minnesota. His wife, Kathryn, attended Chapel from 1987-1990 while studying Secondary Education (Theater and Math) at UW-Madison. Kathryn’s father, John Meyer, was also the first man to serve as a Vicar at Chapel.
To receive God’s Word for You via e-mail, please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
