The Woman Witnesses
4:27-30
The disciples returned at some point during Jesus’ conversation with the woman. They were surprised that he was talking to a woman, but did not say anything about it. But they saw her drop her jar in haste, go back into town, and witness to Jesus. She told the people about Jesus’ supernatural knowledge and conjectured that he was the Christ. In response, they came out to see Jesus.
It is interesting that Jesus chose this woman to reveal himself to and to evangelize her town, since she was an outcast. But, we know that Jesus does not discriminate based on wealth or status. As Paul reminded the Corinthians:
“…consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were win according to world standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Physical Food vs. Spiritual Food
4:31-38
While the woman went to the town, the disciples urged Jesus to eat the food they had brought him. Jesus told them he had food they did know about. He again was speaking metaphorically.
He let the disciples discuss this for a while, but they were focused on physical things. So, Jesus told them his “food” was to do God’s will and accomplish his work. He meant that doing God’s work was more important and more sustaining than eating physical food.
Jesus then went to discussing harvesting. But again, he was using it as a metaphor for evangelism. He told them to look and they would see that the fields are white for harvest. Maybe they could already see the towns people coming their way, ready to hear the gospel and be saved.
Jesus talked of evangelism as sowing and reaping. The sower plants the seed. But he or she might not be there for the harvest. When we proclaim the gospel, we sow it into the life of the person who hears. But we may never see the person come to Christ, to be reaped. Think of all the teachers of children who teach them the gospel week by week. Those children may grow up and go somewhere else before eventually receiving Jesus as their savior. These teachers sowed diligently, but did not reap. Yet, the sowers should rejoice in their opportunity to sow the seed of the gospel into the hearts of those they witnessed to.
Similarly, the one who leads a person to Christ may reap what he or she did not sow. They had the joy of seeing that person saved after many had taught them and witnessed to them. So the reaper rejoices with the sower.
Jesus told the disciples he sent them to reap that for which they did not labor. They might be there to see the person saved, but only after they had read the words of the Old Testament prophets, and after they had been taught the Scriptures in the synagogues. And, possibly, only after John the Baptist had gone before Jesus preparing the way.
This might be the first glimpse that Jesus gave of the mission he would give the disciples. Normally, disciples learned from their master and teacher. They might go on to teach others. But Jesus’ disciples would be sent (38) to bring people to Christ and to salvation.
Many Believed
4:39-42
Many of the towns people believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony. At their request, he stayed with them two days, as they desired to have him teach them more about himself. Those who have been saved by Jesus should hunger to hear and read his word.
As Jesus taught, more Samaritans came to believe. Their faith was not based on just the woman’s testimony, but on the word of God. This was not to disparage the woman or her testimony, but to confirm it. They heard Jesus teach and determined that the witness of the woman to be true. They believed Jesus is the Savior of the world. He was not just the savior of the Jews, but also the Samaritans, the Galileans, and the Gentiles.
Later, after the execution of Stephen, Philip returned to Samaria and preached the gospel. People came to hear him and paid attention to him. (Acts 8:4) Philip may have reaped from what Jesus sowed.
4:43-45
Jesus Goes to Galilee
After the two days of teaching ended, Jesus left Sychar and walked to Galilee. He, of course, was a native of Galilee, having grown up in Nazareth.
John inserted a parenthesis here, reminding us that Jesus said “a prophet has no honor in his hometown”. The NIV uses the words “own country” instead of hometown. The Greek word “patris” is in view and can be translated either way.
In this context, Jesus seems to be making a contrast between the Samaritans and the Jews. The land of the Jews, including Galilee, was his home country because it was where his people lived.
John’s insertion here in verse 44 of the proverb that “a prophet has no honor in his own home town” is a little confusing. A similar saying is recorded in the Synoptic Gospels but slightly different meaning and at a different stage of Jesus’ ministry. In the synoptics, it refers to people in his hometown of Nazareth taking offense at his claims to be the Messiah.
Here, Jesus is going to Cana, which is not his hometown. And the people there have not dishonored him as the people in Nazareth eventually did. So, the meaning of the proverb cannot mean here that Jesus was dishonored. In fact, verse 45 says the Galileans welcomed him.
Instead, it appears that John means Jesus is going to a place where he has not yet honored, because the has not preached the gospel there and had people believe in him.
In the Samaritan town, he received a great welcome after the woman witnessed to them and Jesus taught them. The people there believed in him as savior and as Messiah.
In contrast, many of the Jews were drawn to him because of the signs. They were awed and believed him to be a prophet and miracle worker, but not necessarily the Messiah and Savior. So, verse 45 says the Galileans welcomed him, not as Messiah, but because they had seen the things he had done at Jerusalem at Passover.
Back in 2:23-25, we see that Jesus did not trust that kind of faith. He said many believed because they saw the signs he did, but Jesus did not entrust himself to them because he knew what was in them.
Knowing these things, Jesus still went to Galilee.
God does not always send us to evangelize somewhere to have great success. When God commissioned Isaiah to preach to Israel, he told Isaiah the people would not listen to him and would be brought to judgment. I have friends who labored in Japan for decades with little fruit to show for it. God sent Jesus knowing many of his own would not receive him, but he sent him nonetheless to preach the gospel to them.
Jesus & The Official
4:46-54
So, Jesus went to Cana, then to Capernaum, his home base. There he encountered an official, probably a Centurion, and a Gentile. He could have been a Roman, but he could also have been from anywhere in the Roman Empire. This indicates that the man had heard of the things Jesus did in Jerusalem as the Galileans talked about it when they returned from Passover.
It is interesting that John has recorded Jesus witnessing to a Jew in Jerusalem, Jews in the countryside of Judea, a woman in Samaria, and now a Gentile. It reminds us of Jesus’ statement to the disciples right before he ascended. He said:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Jesus modeled the very thing he later told the disciples to do. He taught in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. And now, by performing a sign with this Gentile from a foreign land, he was witnessing to the ends of the earth.
So, the official’s son was dying and he asked Jesus to come down and heal him. (48) Jesus first repeated the fact of verse 45 by saying “unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe”. (48)
The man persisted, though, and Jesus said his son will live, meaning he would be healed. (50) And the man believed Jesus. In fact, when he found out from his servants that his son began to get better at the very time Jesus said he would live, he believed and led his whole household to believe.
This was the second sign Jesus did in Galilee. He showed his power to heal. But he also healed at a distance, showing he did not have to touch someone to heal them. He is omnipotent, having power over disease and death. And he is not bound to any geographical location. He is omnipresent.
Jesus did the signs to show his divinity so people would believe his preaching. He cared about people and healed them from compassion, but his ultimate purpose was to reveal himself to people so they would believe and have eternal life. This happened with the official.
But some were not as interested in his preaching, they just wanted to see the signs or reap their benefit. They wanted the gift more than they wanted the giver. This is still a problem today, and a danger.
There are those whose preaching totally centers on the gifts. They speak of claiming wealth, success, and health. They draw great crowds of people who want those things. They are taught that, if they have the right mind set, all of these things will come to them. For example, I read an article once where a man was quoted as saying “I’m believing God for a Mercedes”.
In contrast, the Bible tells us that Jesus himself is the gift. Eternal life is knowing God and living in his presence. Paul said “…I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. (Philippians 3:8) Success and material things were of no value to Paul compared to the gift of knowing Christ.
Our goal as Christians should be to know Christ deeply and to dwell with him. That will be what we do in eternity.
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