No Condemnation In Christ Jesus
John 4:27-42
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28Then, 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. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
The reason for this message about the Samaritan woman was that Jesus went beyond the barriers of that time . He spoke to a woman and she was a Samaritan woman. He wanted us to see that traditions that we hold on to can be broken so we also should be willing to go where we have never been before.
He broke the barrier of discrimination and prejudice by talking to this woman. We are the salt and light of the world so we are designed to impact people no matter their background ethnic race or culture.
Jesus did not condemn the woman even though He knew all about her. Evan the disciples when they returned and saw Jesus talking to this woman did not even ask any questions or condemn her . So how many times have we gone somewhere and something about some one or what they did or said did not sit well with what we thought are our traditions and we said something that could hurt that person. Maybe even a new Christian. Do you think that person will want to return again ?
After the encounter with Jesus the woman left her water jug and ran into town to tell people that there is one who can give living water. What greater testimony than that, that most of the Samaritans were saved because of one encounter with the Master.
We need to break down our traditional barriers and take decisive action by asking Jesus where He wants us to go and who He wants us to speak to .
I don't know about you but I live in a multi - culteral city where there are peoples from all nations living . I am the salt and light here and probably to some have never heard the gospel .
. For us here who have the seasons, The farmer gathers all the crops from a bountiful year. And in this passage in verse 35, Christ talks about harvest time. Jesus is gaining momentum here and tells us that the harvest is plentiful and the fields are ripe.
Some of the harvest priciples:
1--- Jar of predjudice.... We are the salt and light .... designed to impact people. We have to be like the Samaritan woman and leave our jar behind. She met Jesus in verse 28 and found that the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace. She found the living water.
2--- Jar of their own needs.... The disciples in verse 31 were more concerned with thier needs and searching for food for their bodies but Jesus told them "I have food you know nothing about" ." My food is to do the will of the Father" In other words..... Seek God first and He will take care of you.
3---- Jar of vision... Verse 35 He tells us to open our eyes and look. Sometimes even though we have our physical eyes open our spiritual eyes are not open. Don't limit God. The Harvest time is now. We must work for the Master as the time is right and the fields are ripe and ready for picking. One might sow and the next one reaps. We are all designed for different tasks.
4---- Jar of tradition... Traditional barriers have to be broken down and we live in a country or society where many cultures are the melting pot of the world ( At least that is true here in Toronto ). We must be willing to get out of our comfort zone, make a decision to be like Jesus and and go where we have never gone before.
5... Jar of decison.. We have to decide like the Samaritan woman to leave our jar ... go and tell people of the city about Jesus , make a decisive decision and take action.
John 4:27-42
The Disciples Rejoin Jesus
27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?"
28Then, 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. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true.
38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world."
The reason for this message about the Samaritan woman was that Jesus went beyond the barriers of that time . He spoke to a woman and she was a Samaritan woman. He wanted us to see that traditions that we hold on to can be broken so we also should be willing to go where we have never been before.
He broke the barrier of discrimination and prejudice by talking to this woman. We are the salt and light of the world so we are designed to impact people no matter their background ethnic race or culture.
Jesus did not condemn the woman even though He knew all about her. Evan the disciples when they returned and saw Jesus talking to this woman did not even ask any questions or condemn her . So how many times have we gone somewhere and something about some one or what they did or said did not sit well with what we thought are our traditions and we said something that could hurt that person. Maybe even a new Christian. Do you think that person will want to return again ?
After the encounter with Jesus the woman left her water jug and ran into town to tell people that there is one who can give living water. What greater testimony than that, that most of the Samaritans were saved because of one encounter with the Master.
We need to break down our traditional barriers and take decisive action by asking Jesus where He wants us to go and who He wants us to speak to .
I don't know about you but I live in a multi - culteral city where there are peoples from all nations living . I am the salt and light here and probably to some have never heard the gospel .
. For us here who have the seasons, The farmer gathers all the crops from a bountiful year. And in this passage in verse 35, Christ talks about harvest time. Jesus is gaining momentum here and tells us that the harvest is plentiful and the fields are ripe.
Some of the harvest priciples:
1--- Jar of predjudice.... We are the salt and light .... designed to impact people. We have to be like the Samaritan woman and leave our jar behind. She met Jesus in verse 28 and found that the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His Glory and Grace. She found the living water.
2--- Jar of their own needs.... The disciples in verse 31 were more concerned with thier needs and searching for food for their bodies but Jesus told them "I have food you know nothing about" ." My food is to do the will of the Father" In other words..... Seek God first and He will take care of you.
3---- Jar of vision... Verse 35 He tells us to open our eyes and look. Sometimes even though we have our physical eyes open our spiritual eyes are not open. Don't limit God. The Harvest time is now. We must work for the Master as the time is right and the fields are ripe and ready for picking. One might sow and the next one reaps. We are all designed for different tasks.
4---- Jar of tradition... Traditional barriers have to be broken down and we live in a country or society where many cultures are the melting pot of the world ( At least that is true here in Toronto ). We must be willing to get out of our comfort zone, make a decision to be like Jesus and and go where we have never gone before.
5... Jar of decison.. We have to decide like the Samaritan woman to leave our jar ... go and tell people of the city about Jesus , make a decisive decision and take action.