27 Just then His disciples returned and were surprised that He was speaking with a woman. But no one asked Him, “What do You want from her?” or “Why are You talking with her?”

28 Then the woman left her water jar, went back into 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 So they left the town and made their way toward Jesus.

31 Meanwhile the disciples urged Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But He told them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 So the disciples asked one another, “Could someone have brought Him food?”

34 Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ripe †  for harvest.

36 Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. 37 For in this case 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 now you have taken up their labor.”

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.

41 And many more believed because of His message. 42 They said to the woman, “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man truly is the Savior of the world.”

REFLECTIONS

Written by Ashel Singh

In this passage, we see something powerful happen in a small Samaritan town. It begins with one woman. She doesn’t have a theology degree or a polished testimony. She simply tells people what happened to her: “He told me everything I ever did.” And that was enough for many to believe.

At first, the Samaritans believe because of her words. Her story opened the door. Her honesty sparked curiosity. This reminds us that God uses ordinary people to draw others to himself.

As the story continues, the people then ask Jesus to stay with them, and he does. Over the next two days, they listen to him, watch him, and experience him personally. They say: “We now believe not only because of your words; we have heard for ourselves.” They experience true faith in a depth which is much more serious than before.

Many of us come to faith because of someone else — a parent, a friend, or a leader. Jesus doesn’t want to remain someone we only know through others. He invites us to spend time with him, to listen to his voice, and to encounter him personally.

And notice how they finish: “We know that this man truly is the Saviour of the world.” Not just my Saviour, but the Saviour for everyone. He calls us to have a personal relationship with him, always leading to a bigger vision of who Jesus is.

Today, I wonder if it’s helpful to reflect on this: Do I rely on someone else’s direction towards faith in Jesus, or do I have my own personal relationship with him?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashel is a member of our Fairfield Evening congregation.