A Demonstration of Grace

When Jesus met the woman at the well in the Samaritan city of Sychar, she experienced a life-changing moment (John 4). Not only was she confounded by this Jew who broke with tradition and asked a favour of her a Samaritan (v.9), He was able to tell her things about herself that she had not told Him (vv. 16-19). With His knowledge of her past and current relationships with men, it was even more intriguing to her that Jesus not only ignored her past, but that He kept talking to her. Unlike the other men she had dealt with in the past, this one did not seem to want anything from her nor did He want her, but He actually wanted to give her something for her own benefit - "a well of water springing up into eternal life" (v. 14, KJV).

When Jesus' disciples returned from buying meat and saw the two of them talking, they "marvelled that He talked with the woman" (v. 27). What could Jesus and this woman have in common? Bible scholar Adam Clarke observes: "To the present time, if a man meet even his own wife in the street, he does not speak to her; and this is done to keep up the appearance of a chastity and temperance of which the eastern world knows nothing. They might wonder how a Samaritan, in whom they could expect no spirituality, could listen to the conversation of their Master, who never spake but about heavenly things." Despite what was going on in their minds, "yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?" because they knew Jesus well enough to know that though they did not understand what He was doing, He always had His reasons for doing what He did.

From Jesus' perspective, the traditions and customs of the day, the woman's background, her likely reputation of being lewd, were all nonfactors in His reaching out to her. Before Him was someone whose inner thirst needed to be satisfied and He alone was able to do that. In this woman we can see ourselves as we were outside of our relationship with Christ. Is it a tremendous joy to know that despite our individual backgrounds, our stories, our bad reputations, and whatever else about us that others thought were spiritually and morally offensive, that God in the person of Jesus Christ looked past all of that and extended to us His grace; a grace He continues to extend to us and all who are willing to engage Him wherever He finds them.

The apostle Paul sums it this way: "But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:4-9). I believe that today is as good a time as any to stop and thank God for His grace.

The Power of a Testimony

The narrative of Jesus' meeting with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (John 4:3-43) is one with which some of us are familiar. For some, the event culminated with the woman leaving her waterpot "and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 'Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?'" (vv. 28, 29, KJV). However, the story does not end there. Following nine verses of discourse between Jesus and the disciples, John continues, "And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on Him for the saying of the woman, which testified, 'He told me all that ever I did'" (v.39).

Let us not forget that the people in the town of Sychar knew this woman; she was lewd and infamous. According to Jewish tradition, those who wished to get wives went to the wells where young women were accustomed to come and draw water; and it is supposed that women of ill fame frequented such places also (Albert Clarke). She was the one who had five husbands and was with a man who was not her husband. She did not tell Jesus her story; He told it to her. It is no wonder she perceived Him to be a prophet. However, after He made it known to her that He was not just a prophet but the Messiah, she immediately went into the city and testified of Him who had told her all she had done. The transformation must have been instantaneous because she whose reputation was previously questionable was now deemed credible. So much so that many of the Samaritans believed on Him because of her testimony.

However, the best was yet to come for according to John: "So when the Samaritans were come unto Him, they besought Him that He would tarry with them: and He abode there two days. And many more believed because of His own word; and said unto the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world'" (vv. 40-42). I believe this latter group were the skeptics; those who came initially not because they believed but to see if what the woman said was true. However, after two days of listening to Jesus; after drinking of the "living water" that was in them "a well of water springing up into everlasting life", they confessed to believing not because of what the woman said, though that was what had brought them there, but because they had heard, and I would add, and tasted of Him for themselves.

This came about all because of the power of one woman's testimony. They heard, they came, they experienced for themselves, they believed, and they left knowing for sure that Jesus was the Christ. Has God done something truly amazing in your life? Have you thought about sharing your testimony? You just never know if someone hearing it might be encouraged to come, see, hear, experience, and come to know God for themselves. Others need to hear your testimony. Just ask the Samaritan woman.

"Don't Worry!"

Isn't it ironic that the majority of professing Christians trust God with their eternal security but have difficulty trusting Him with the details of everyday life? On the basis of John 3:16 they fully expect to spend eternity with Him, yet seem unable to take hold of Philippians 4:6, "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything" (CEV). Is it that God who created the universe, and everything in it, cannot handle the details of the here and now?

God cares about us and the things that impact our lives far more than we realize. Like a good and loving parent, His heart breaks as He watches His children wrestle with things that provoke doubt, fear, and rob us of peace of mind and heart as He waits for us to bring those concerns to Him. He did not intend for us to worry about how we are going to make it from one day to the next, but rather that we should cast those cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Not some of it, but "all"; everything, nothing - not even what seem to be the most trivial - left out. For some of us, that is an extremely difficult thing to do because worry is like a worn out pair of shoes - we need to throw it out but it is most comfortable. Yet there is no ambiguity to Father's instructions - He says "Don't do it!" for "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Matthew 6:30, KJV).

If God takes care of the fowls of the air, He will take care of those who are His. This is the same God who so loved the world that He gave His Son Jesus that all who believe in Him might have life and have it more abundantly (John 3:16; 10:10). Surely, having demonstrated the extent of His love for His children, how can we doubt Him when He says "Don't worry"? Is there anything too hard for Him to handle? (Genesis 18:4).

Whatever it is that weighs heavily on your heart and mind, why not resolve to come boldly to the throne of grace and leave it there? "Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life" (Philippians 4:6-8, The Message).

"Where Are the Nine?"

There were ten of them and they were lepers. According to the narrative, they "stood afar off" from Jesus as they lifted up their voices and said "'Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.' And when He saw them, He said unto them, 'Go shew yourselves unto the priests.' And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, 'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger'" (Luke 17:12-18, KJV).

The Bible does not tell us what happened to the nine. However, it would be fair to conclude that after showing themselves to the priest who in turn confirmed they were indeed cleansed, they returned to the families and friends they were isolated from as a result of the disease. Nowhere do we read that they collectively thanked and praise God for their healing. It was "as they went, they were cleansed" yet only one returned to glorify God. And that one was not even a Jew! The nine failed to recognize that having been shown grace and mercy, they had a responsibility and an obligation to thank God for His goodness towards them. The psalmist came to the same conclusion when he declared: "What shall I render unto the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all His people" (Psalm 116:12-14). Or, as The Message paraphrase puts it: "What can I give back to GOD for the blessings He's poured out on me? I'll lift high the cup of salvation--a toast to GOD! I'll pray in the name of GOD; I'll complete what I promised GOD I'd do, and I'll do it together with His people." When we receive God's favour, we "owe" Him something!

Bible scholar John Gill observes: "They are many, that are cleansed by the blood of Christ; His blood was shed for many, for the remission of sins; and by His righteousness, He justifies many; at least there are many who profess themselves to be cleansed by Him, and yet there are but few that glorify Him, by keeping close to the rule of His word, by giving up themselves to the churches of Christ, and by walking with them in the ordinances of the Gospel." In other words, there are many of us who are no different than the unthankful nine. God has blessed us beyond what we deserve and ever so often we fail to give Him the glory and thanks. We go back to life as we left it; its business as usual.

"'Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger'" Are you one of the nine?

"My Grace is Sufficient..."

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul speaks of his thorn in the flesh. Theologians have long speculated on what that might have been, but regardless of what it was, we know that Paul asked the Lord three times to remove it (v.9); however, the answer wasn't what he might have expected. The apostle wrote, "And he [Christ] said unto me, 'My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness'" (v.10, KJV).

Sace limitation does not allow for a full discourse on this compelling portion of Scripture. However, there are at least two very important lessons we can take from it. First, our fervent prayers are not necessarily answered in ways we would expect, and second, whatever God allows us to bear, He provides the grace for us to do so successfully. It is understandable that we, like Paul, would ask God to remove physical, emotional, psychological, or mental stressors, but in His wisdom and as He seeks to shape our lives to conform to the image of Christ, He may choose to leave us with those issues and the resulting pain (see Romans 8:28-29). This does not mean that we are left to fend for ourselves. We have the assurance of Christ Himself that not only do we have the Holy Spirit as our Helper, but that the measure of grace that He has made available to us is sufficient. This grace will manifest itself in our moments of weakness, enabling us to rise above our challenging circumstances - no matter how painful, no matter how difficult.

Paul continued, "Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size--abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become" (vv. 9b-10, The Message). The KJV renders the last clause in verse 9, "that the power of Christ may rest upon me." On the word "rest", Bible scholar Albert Barnes writes, "The word properly means to pitch a tent upon; and then to dwell in or upon. Here it is used in the sense of abiding upon, or remaining with. The sense is, that the power which Christ manifested to his people rested with them, or abode with them in their trials."

Have you been given a thorn in the flesh? A situation that seems far more than you can bear? God has not lost your address; He knows exactly where you are. Amidst the many struggles and discouragement is a supernatural power resting on us and an abundance of grace that He promises is sufficient. Take hold of those truths; go forward and conquer!