Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace, Session 16, “Jesus, Our Fruitful Vine” from Parresia on Vimeo.

Jesus, our Fruitful Vine, demonstrated for us – who are His branches – His love and care for the lost and hopeless and the rejected, and how to share the gospel of His grace with the most unlikely of souls, ONE person at a time. There is no better illustration of Jesus’s ministry to the ONE, than the story of the woman at the well in John 4. Jesus gently removed her mask to show her that He knew everything about her and loved her anyway. She ran to the town to encourage everyone to come to Jesus: “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”

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Transcript of Session 16, “Jesus, Our Fruitful Vine”

Introduction

Welcome to session 16 of Beholding Jesus in His Amazing Grace. This session is entitled, “Jesus, Our Fruitful Vine.”

As this year was approaching back in the fall, I kept hearing the word, “fruitfulness,” and it became my word for this year, both personally for my family and for ministry.

The way that I approach any topic is to immerse myself in the scriptures concerning that topic so that my mindset is renewed to the truth. I did this with fruitfulness. And I am thoroughly convinced that God wants us to be immeasurably fruitful and blessed.

Be fruitful and multiply

I spent most of the week in preparation for this message on the topic of “be fruitful and multiply.”  But then all of a sudden late in the week, the Holy Spirit changed my course.

Nevertheless, before the plan changed for this message, I counted over 70 scriptures that use some form of the word “multiply” regarding God’s blessing for His people. 

I also did the same exercise with different forms of the word “abundant” in the context of God’s people being blessed abundantly. I found over 120 scriptures like that.

God is a God of increase, multiplication, and abundance. There are 100’s of wonderful blessings that God multiplies and pours out abundantly on His people, but if I were to share that list with you now, I would not have enough time to get to the message that is really on my heart.

But suffice to say that the most important blessing which God multiplies is people, descendants, children, offspring, the fruit of the womb – human life! Why? Human life is the most precious thing to God! Why? Because every life was made for God. 

All the other things are lagniappe – they are added and they will not last. 

Luke 12:15 – Jesus said, “…life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

Throughout the week I kept hearing the voice of Jesus: 

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [all of our needs and desires] shall be added to you.”

So Jesus says – “all these things” – in the context of Matthew 6 – even the glory of Solomon’s wealth, the richest man who ever lived — who would be a multi-trillionaire today – is not to be compared to the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It would be nothing for God to put His hand on you and bless you with trillions of dollars. But Jesus says, that is not our focus, that is it’s gifts added on top from God.  

“Added” is the Greek word “prostithēmi” [pros-tith’-ay-mee] – to increase; to give more; to place additionally. “To place additionally” to what? The kingdom of God and His righteousness.

So our perspective is a heavenly one, not a natural one. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus and away from “all these things,” then “all these things” are added to us.

Maybe I will share a message on all the many ways that God blesses us, but today I submit to you that “be fruitful and multiply” under the New Covenant is – as it was under the Old Covenant – primarily about people – but not only about more babies being born, but also more souls being born again.

Under the New Covenant “be fruitful and multiply” is first and foremost about the increase of the kingdom of God – the sowing of the seed of the gospel and the a harvest of souls for eternity.

So today I want to share with you how Jesus, our Fruitful Vine, demonstrated for us – who are His branches – His love and care for the lost and hopeless and the rejected, and how to share the gospel of His grace with the most unlikely of souls.

The seed

In the parable of the soils, which I covered last time, Jesus said that the “seed” is “the word of God.” (Luke 8:11) 

I harped on “the word”: “He gave Himself for us.” He did this through the cross, His great demonstration of love. The gospel is “the word” that has cleansed us, saved us, and made us whole.

This is the seed that we sow in the world. The same Gospel that had the power to save us is the seed that has the power to save the world.

1 Corinthians 1:21 – …it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

The “message preached” is the Greek word kērygma – which means proclamation by a herald.  The preaching of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is a proclamation that has the power for its own fulfillment. The Gospel is the power of God for salvation. (Romans 1:16)

As weak and foolish as it may appear to the world, the seed we sow is the power of God for salvation for the lost and salvation in all its forms.

In my preparation for today, I quickly went from macro to micro. I went from “be fruitful and multiply” as it relates to revival for the masses – to revival for just one person. I asked myself, how does Jesus change lives? He does it one person at a time. 

How do we know when, where, and how to share the love of Jesus and the good news of His grace, and who to to share it with? How did Jesus know?

John 5:19 – [Jesus said] “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” [Jesus is our example.]

We must have a heavenly perspective. The Holy Spirit will guide us if we have ears to hear and eyes to see – even if it’s to invest in just one person.

And whether it’s in a crowd, in a home, at a coffee shop, or alone in an apartment, Jesus changes lives one person at a time.

He needed to go through Samaria

There is no better illustration of Jesus’s ministry to the ONE, than the story of the woman at the well in John 4.    Starting at verse 3 – 

John 4:3-4 – He [Jesus] left Judea and departed again to Galilee. [He left Judea where He was rejected by His own people to go to a region that Matthew called, “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Matthew 4:15).] 4 But He needed to go through Samaria.

There are two ways to get to Galilee from Judea. The longer way was to bypass Samaria. The fastest way was to go straight through Samaria. If you look at a map of Israel, you will see that Judea is south of Samaria which is south of Galilee. 

But at that time, the Jews did not go through Samaria to get to Galilee because they detested the Samaritans. They would go the long way around by crossing the River Jordan to the east, and they would go up through what is now present day Jordan (Perea and Decapolis). Then they would cross back over the River Jordan into Galilee.

The Jews considered the Samaritans to be the worst kind of people because of their mongrel religion which consisted of a mixture of Judaism and idolatry. So the Jews had NO DEALINGS with the Samaritans.  Verse 4 – again – 

John 4:4 – But He [Jesus] needed to go through Samaria. [the Greek word for “needed” means “necessary” or “destined”]

From all eternity, Jesus was destined on that day to go through Samaria to meet with one beloved outcast woman. 

The well, the spring, ʿayin

John 4:5-6 – He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.

The location of this incident is not random. It is important to know where an event in scripture happened and the actual position of the people in the event – because nothing is by accident. 

Jesus sat by the well because He was tired.   And as we’ll see the well is a picture of Jesus Himself, and we know that the water is a picture of “the Word” that cleanses us and the Holy Spirit who fills us. 

The well in the Old Testament foreshadowed Jesus and all that would be found in Him  – a well of eternal life, peace, joy, and blessings. The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus – 

Isaiah 12:2-3, NIV – “The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

The first time “well” is mentioned in the scriptures is not by accident either.  It’s in Genesis 16 when Hagar ran away because of the harsh treatment of Sarai whom Hagar had treated with contempt after conceiving a son by Abraham while Sarai was barren.

Genesis 16:7, 13-14, NIV – The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert [in the wilderness]… [the word “spring” is the Hebrew word ʿayin. 16th letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It has a double meaning – the exact same word, but two meanings. It means “spring or fountain,” but is also means “eye” – often in the spiritual sense. The first time ‘ayin is used for eyes is in Genesis 3:7 – “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked.” So God spoke to Hagar in the wilderness and -] 13 She [Hagar] gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [Hebrew phrase that means “the well of the Living One who sees me alive”]..

There is much that we can draw in a prophetic sense from this story. For instance, Jesus doesn’t walk past an outcast without seeing her. He is the God who sees every single one of us. He is the God who knows us inside and out.

And the Lord found her in the wilderness – that’s where every lost soul can be found. And the well was the place where the angel of the Lord found this outcast. The well is a picture of Jesus because- Jesus Himself IS the place where God meets the sinner.

John 14:6 – [Jesus said] “No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

And the Lord Jesus Himself IS the spring – the ʿayin – the eye – where God is revealed. Jesus is the Revealer of God:

John 14:9 – [Jesus said] “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…”

The Lord sent Hagar back to serve Sarai, but later after Isaac was born, Sarah kicked her out for good – which is a prophetic picture symbolizing that grace and law cannot co-exist. You can read more about that in Galatians 4.

But there are layers to the prophetic pictures in this story. Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael off with a container of water. When the water was all gone, Hagar burst into tears, and the Lord heard her and her son weeping, 

Genesis 21:17, 19, NLT – [The Lord said] “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid!… 19 Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, [The Hebrew word “ayin” again] and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container… 

The well had been there the whole time, she just couldn’t see it. God opened her eyes to it, just as He opens our eyes to Jesus. Like the two on the Road to Emmaus – 

Luke 24:31 – Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him…

Jacob’s well

John 4:6, again – Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well.

This well was a part of Jacob’s son Joseph’s birthright. Reuben was actually Jacob’s firstborn from Leah, so he should have inherited the land on which the well sat, but because of his grievous sin, it was transferred to Joseph, who was the firstborn of his beloved Rachel.

This again is a type of Jesus. Jesus is the 2nd Adam who took the inheritance (which is US) from the 1st Adam who had forfeited it because of sin.

We see another prophetic picture in Jacob’s blessing over Joseph. When Jacob was old, he gathered all of his sons together to bless them. His favorite son was Joseph, who is a type of Jesus, whose name means “Yahweh has added.” 

With the transference of this inheritance to Joseph – which included this very well spoken of in John 4 – the prophecy in Jacob’s blessing over Joseph is being fulfilled right here in John 4 in the presence of this outcast Samaritan woman over 1800 years later! 

Genesis 49:22 – [Here’s the prophecy] “Joseph [a picture of Jesus] is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, [ayin – eye/fountain]; whose branches climb over a wall.”

The “wall” was known to the Jews as the partition between the Jew and the Gentile, but Jesus, our fruitful vine, the fruitful Son of God, would break down the dividing wall of hostility – first of all between God and man, and then between Jew and Gentile, between men and woman, between parents and children, and between all the races. Jesus is our heavenly Joseph who brings eternal reconciliation. 

Ephesians 2:13-14 – But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near [How?] by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, [the reconciliation] who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [Only through the cross of Jesus can we have true peace with one another.]

And today, we are “His branches” that go over the wall to touch people like the outcast Samaritan woman.

Jesus was fully human; 6th hour

John 4:6, continued – Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well [Jesus was fully human – He became in all points like us so that He could save us. He ate, He drank, He worked, He slept, He prayed, He wept, and He became weary from His journey] 

Hebrews 2:14, 17, NLT – Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. … 17 Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice [of Himself] that would take away the sins of the people. [So He sat by the well because He was weary – even that minute detail shows us the love of Jesus for us because God became human.]

Back to John 4, verse 6 continued – 

John 4:6-7 – It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water…

The 6th hour was the heat of the day – it was dry and parched – a picture of this woman’s spiritual condition. She came alone at a time that she expected the well to be deserted. She was shunned by the other women because of her reputation. She could run, but she couldn’t hide from Jesus.

Proverbs 19:21, NIV – Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Think about it. This woman went to draw water. That’s it. She had no other thought for that day. The last thing she expected was to meet her Savior and for her life to be changed forever. Isn’t that the way it often is? Sometimes Jesus shows up when we least expect him. Kairos happens in the midst of chronos.

Jesus, who had also been rejected by His own, was weary from His journey and thirsty. But He never wearied of pouring out His grace. He found His refreshment in loving this woman. This was His “food” as we will see.

By talking to her, He Himself was risking His own reputation. But He made Himself of no reputation taking on the form of a bondservant. But little did she know.

So Jesus meets this woman alone, away from the world and the eyes of scorn. Just like He met Nicodemus alone in John chapter 3, and the woman caught in adultery in chapter 8 – with no priest, no intermediary – just alone with Jesus. 

Tenderly and patiently Jesus led this woman, step by step, touching her heart each step of the way. He showed her herself and then He showed her Himself. He revealed her desperate condition and then offered her the most precious gift: His superabundant, overflowing grace.

John 4:7-8 – Jesus said to her, [the FIRST thing He said to her is-] “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. [In fact, it was considered a sin for Jesus to be friendly with this Samaritan.]

She didn’t know that she was talking to the Lord of glory. She saw Him as nothing more than “a Jew.” She saw Him through the eyes of prejudice. Jesus – who had left heaven and humbled Himself for this very moment – had, as Isaiah 53 tells us –  

Isaiah 53:2 – And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we [she] should desire Him.

Comparing Nicodemus to the woman at the well

So how did Jesus get beyond the walls? As I was studying this, it was so instructive for me.  Jesus deals differently with each person. Think about how differently He dealt with Nicodemus, whose story, not coincidentally, is juxtaposed in the chapter right before- 

John 3:1-3 – There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night [because he was ashamed to be seen with Jesus] and said to Him [Jesus], “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” [Nicodemus was impressed with Jesus’s signs. But Jesus didn’t bite] “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

While we see “you must be born again” as good news – and it is – [behold the old has gone and the new has come!] but imagine that you are Nicodemus. Jesus is telling him that he has to be something that he can’t make himself be. He can’t make himself be born again. Jesus is telling him that all of his past religious works amount to nothing. A new beginning has to be made – and only Jesus can do it.

Contrasting Jesus’s encounters with Nicodemus and the woman at the well illustrates for us that He deals uniquely with each person. It’s so beautiful when you think about it.

• Nicodemus was named; this woman was nameless
• Nicodemus was a highly ranked man, “a ruler of the Jews”; this outcast woman was of low rank – one who came to the well to draw water
• Nicodemus was highly favored; she was despised
• Nicodemus had a wonderful reputation; she was a known sinner
• Nicodemus sought out Jesus; Jesus sought out the woman
• Nicodemus came by night to Jesus; Jesus came at midday to the woman
• To Nicodemus, the self-righteous Pharisee, Jesus says, “You must be born again”, but to the Gentile sinner He says, 

John 4:10 – Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

Living water

We know that Jesus isn’t talking about physical water here. So He asks her for something she couldn’t possibly give Him: spiritual water. She had to receive for herself before she could give. 

We think that Jesus would never ask of us more than we can give, when in reality that is precisely what He does. He purposefully takes us to the end of our bankrupt flesh so that we ask from Him the grace that only He can supply. So He brings this woman face to face with her own helplessness.

He’s saying, “If you knew who I was, you would know that I am not a demanding God. I am not asking of you. I want to supply to YOU!” He’s a Giver. We are the receivers. We ask, He gives, and we receive.

John 4:10 (again)-12 – “If you knew the gift of God, [literally the free giving God] and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water. [What will it take for her to ASK? Watch the kindness of Jesus as He graciously opens her eyes.] 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? [She thinks He is talking about natural water.] 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” [notice that she calls Jacob “father” and lays claim to the well as the Samaritans believed. But what she’s actually doing is just being religious.]

But Jesus is above all of that. He’s greater than Jacob! He’s superior to all the fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. He is the Son of God. And HE HIMSELF IS THE WELL He was speaking of.

John 4:13-14 – Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water [from Jacob’s well] will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him [By the Holy Spirit] a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

John 7:37-39, NASB – [Jesus later said – ] “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…

Removing the mask

We’re about to watch Jesus slowly tell the woman that she has had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband. But tactfully, He talks about water. There are two kinds of water: one that satisfies and one that doesn’t.

We can partake of every pleasure and surround ourselves with every comfort and luxury that this world has to offer and still be thirsty. We can go on a dating app and make sure we have a date every Saturday, and still be thirsty.

This woman had been married 5 times. Do you know anyone who has been married 5 times? And is now living with a 6th man? This woman was desperate for love. But no matter how many times she tried, those waters would never satisfy her deepest need. She was thirsty for Jesus, the 7th man, and the living water of the Spirit from heaven.

Next, Jesus began the necessary step of showing her her need for the water – for the salvation – that only He could provide.

John 4:15 – The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Can you see her thinking? She can’t go beyond her waterpot. She is thinking naturally. “Give me this magic water so I don’t have to chug this bucket up here every day!

Then, with divine precision and skill, her loving Savior takes her to a place where her concern is no longer her waterpot, but for something deeper because her thirst was deeper. 

As I read what Jesus said next, it shows me that there are those divine windows that open with a hurting person when the Spirit will lead us to gently and wisely pivot the conversation in order to touch a tender place – a place of wounds that have been covered up by self-reliance and self-preservation. 

John 4:16-17 – Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Do you think Jesus doesn’t know that she isn’t married and that she’s living with someone who not her husband? He knows. But look at the tact. He is very gentle. He tells her to go call her husband because He wants her to say with her own mouth, “I have no husband.”

She didn’t tell Him that she was living with someone, but she did tell the truth. Look at how Jesus seized upon that:

John 4:17, cont. – Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’… [He complimented her.]

The word “well” is the word “kalōs” and it means, “beautifully, finely, excellently, rightly, so that there shall be no room for blame, truly, nobly, commendable.”

Notice that He brings her to tell the truth with NO CONDEMNATION! Next, she will realize that she is in the presence of Someone who knows all about her sin, and yet He was not repelled by her. He said,

John 4:18 – [Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’] “…for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

Here’s His second compliment. First, He told her she spoke beautifully, then He told her about her life, then he told her that she had spoken honestly. It’s a “ grace sandwich.” He covered her sin with love, while at the same time removing her mask of hypocrisy. 

Jesus doesn’t want us to be hypocrites because as long as we pretend to be someone we’re not  – even though we are loved – we will never feel loved.

But when we come to Him honestly with all our faults, and realize that He still loves us – that’s when we’ll know that we are truly loved.

Her eyes begin to open

John 4:19 – The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.” 

First she just saw Him as a man, and then she sees Him as a prophet – after He told her details of her life. But she quickly diverts the conversation and changes the subject of her life to an age-old religious debate.  

John 4:20-22 – “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”

He settled that question! The Jews had the true revelation of God, not the Samaritans who had a mixture of Judaism and idolatry. But Jesus is saying, “That’s not even the issue anymore! That’s beside the point because… – 

John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” [What’s the opposite of Spirit and Truth? Flesh and shadow; dead works and mere copies of the heavenly things. Jesus is Grace, the unearned favor of God and Truth, the reality of who God is.]

He said, “the hour is coming, and now is. “Now is” refers to His coming in human flesh. The “hour is coming” refers to the cross, the resurrection, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In that hour, there would be no mountains to worship on. There would be no climbing and no stepping stones to God because God Himself had come down from heaven to earth.

John 4:25-26 – [Here’s where her mind begins to change -] The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” [She is saying “I want the Messiah who knows all things.” So Jesus has turned her self-occupation to occupation with Him – the One who knew everything about her.] 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” [He literally said “I AM” – the title of Jehovah, Yahweh, the God who was and is and is to come, the God who knew her past, her present, and her future.]

2 Corinthians 4:6 – [it was at this point that -] God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts [this outcast woman’s heart] to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The seven interactions of Jesus

“I who speak to you am He” was the seventh time Jesus addressed this precious woman. These seven interactions are instructive for us as messengers of the gospel in a thirsty, dying world: [we are branches that go over the wall]

1. verse 7 – He says “Give Me a drink.” – How could she give to Him? She was spiritually bankrupt. He made a demand that she was unable to supply. The starting point of grace and the gospel is coming to the end of the flesh.

2. verse 10 – He says, “If you knew the gift of God, – the free giving God… you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” The language of grace is a reversal of the mindset of the world which says you must be the one doing the giving. Grace says, “Ask for that which you cannot earn or pay for; ASK, and you will receive.”

3. verse 13-14 – He says, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” – In this process, the thirsty soul must come to the realization that the water of this world never satisfies. 

4. verse 16 – He says, “Go, call your husband, …” This is where the mask must come off. There are no masks with Jesus. Nothing to hide, nothing to prove, nothing to gain, nothing to lose – because He is safe. He is pure grace. As His body, as carriers of the gospel, we carefully assist in the removal of masks, and remember as Jesus is, so are we in this world.

5. verse 17-18 – He says, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” Even when the facts come out, there is no condemnation with Jesus. He knows everything about everyone and His love is unconditional. As His body, as carriers of the gospel, when sin is revealed, our mantra is “There is no condemnation in Jesus.”

6. verse 21-24 – He says, “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” – We don’t get into arguments and controversies and claims of this religion or that – Grace is something else entirely. Grace is a living, spiritual, eternal relationship with Jesus. If we can disarmed a person from religion – whether it be Christian religion or woke religion or whatever – if we can disarm them with the love of Jesus, that is the time their hearts will be ready for the unveiling of what their souls thirst for: which is Jesus.

7. verse 26 – He says, “I who speak to you am He.” The veil is lifted, salvation has come. 

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 – Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Jesus’s food is to do the will of God

John 4:27-28 – [back to John 4 – ] And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled [they were shocked] that He talked with a woman; [a Samaritan woman, no less] yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?” 28 The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city,…

She left her waterpot – that which had once fully occupied her.  Her heart was now full of Jesus.  If He could meet her deepest thirst with everlasting living water, He could provide all the natural water she would ever need. Who needs a waterpot when we have a well?

John 4:28-29 – …, and [she] said to the men, [in the city] 29 “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” [Could this be the Messiah?]

At first she didn’t want to be seen in public, but now she wants to tell the world about Jesus! She became a Parrhesiastes!

John 4:30-34 – Then they [the people] went out of the city and came to Him. 31 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” [Jesus teaches them – ] 34 Jesus said to them, “My food [that which nourishes Me] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” [That day, the will of the Father was for Jesus to reveal Himself to the woman at the well, to love her and pour out His grace on her. But to finish the work that He was sent to do would require the cross. This was the ultimate food of Jesus: He was fulfilled by loving us to the point of death.]

Hebrews 10:9-10 – “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. [To take away the Old Covenant of law and usher in the New Covenant of Grace – the New Covenant in His blood] 10 By this will we have been sanctified [made holy and set apart unto God] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. [The will of the Father was for Jesus to give Himself for us as a FIRSTFRUIT so that we could be holy and seated in heavenly places in Christ.]

Romans 11:16 – For if the firstfruit is holy, [sanctified] the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. [He is Our Holy Fruitful Vine, and we are His holy fruitful branches]

Harvest

And next Jesus is saying that for the Father’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, we have a role. And He demonstrated what that looks like by ministering to this outcast woman – something shocking to His disciples whose hearts were calloused.

John 4:35-38 – [Jesus rebuked them -] “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! [The disciples regarded godless Samaria as the most unlikely place to sow in – much less to harvest. It would be much too difficult. But Jesus says, “Look at all the people coming! Now is harvest time! Their hearts are ready! Just like this woman’s heart was ready! And because of My Grace, you’re going to reap a reward for this harvest even though you did nothing to plant it!”] 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. [No matter what our role, we all rejoice together with the angels in heaven when one sinner repents, one prodigal returns, on lost sheep is found] 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.” [“You are profiting from what others labored for.” How gracious of Jesus to recognize those who had labored to sow the seeds.”] 39 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him  to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. [Let’s don’t gloss over that!]

2 Peter 3:8 – But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

For two thousand years, the gospel as been spreading among the Gentiles, including us sitting here today.

John 4:41-42 – And many more believed because of His [Jesus’s] own word. 42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

This woman became the first Gentile evangelist. The Son of God was destined on His journey to sit down by a well and meet one unlikely woman – just ONE – and her transformed life and testimony would lead to a massive harvest of souls.

Let’s continue to pray for the rains of revival today. And the harvest will come – one person at a time.

James 5:16-20, NIV – The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops. 19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, 20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. [1 Peter 4:8, NIV – love covers over a multitude of sins]

Love is the force multiplier for “be fruitful and multiply.” When the wanderer comes home to Jesus, the multiplication of their sins is wiped away. 

Throughout the story of the woman at the well, Jesus demonstrated that there is satisfaction and fulfillment in sharing the gospel and going after even one wandering person. May we also be nourished by unveiling Jesus and loving people with His love. 

Matthew 9:37-38 – [Jesus said] “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Let’s pray for laborers.  May we ourselves be willing and available to be those laborers: to sow, to water, to harvest. May we have eyes to see what the Father in heaven is doing. May we have ears to hear the words of Jesus:

John 4:25, again – “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

May we be the fruitful branches of our Fruitful Vine that crosses every barrier.

May we regard no one according to the flesh.

May we regard no one as hopeless.

May we only see what Jesus sees.

May we consider it worth our while to invest in ONE person. Just ONE.  

1 John 4:17 – Because as Jesus is, so are we in this world.