Life Changing Encounter
by Daniel Carandang
If there was one person you'd want to meet, who would it be?
Daniel Padilla?
Kobe Bryant?
Megan Fox?
There's no doubt that if given the chance to meet them, our lives would never be the same. No, we're not talking about an super duper impact, more like an epic impact. We can walk on this earth and tell people that we shook hands with our favorite stars.
Epic encounter, that sounds nice, right?
But there's another encounter that would make an epic encounter with your fave stars look less epic-er (if there was such a word). Encounter with who?
JESUS.
It's an encounter that will surely change your life.
Now
Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that He was gaining and baptizing
more disciples than John— although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized,
but His disciples. So He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now He had to go through Samaria
John 4:1-4
Samaria was a shortcut that would lead the Jews towards Galilee. But interestingly, the Jews during
their time, would pass by Decapolis, Perea, take Joppa, --it doesn’t matter if it would cost them more or
take them longer hours, as long as they would not pass Samaria. It's like taking the long cut when there's a shortcut right in front of you.
CRAZY!
What was the reason behind this?
Simple.
Samaria was inhabited by the Samaritan people, a group not close to the Jews' heart. To God's chosen people, they were filthy hybrids and traitors due to their religious culture embraced from the outside world. They were the last people on Earth that the Jews would like to interact with.
Imagine a Samaritan as someone who cheated on you before or hurt you so much you just want them to fall off a building. That's how repulsive they were to Jews.
As the story goes, Jesus chose to go to Samaria. Being a Jew, it was expected of Him not to want to pass there. He had nothing to do with them as far as his fellow Jews were concerned.
What was going in His mind?
Was Jesus thinking of saving time and money, that's why he wanted to take the shortcut?
Nope.
He knew He would be meeting someone along the way.
And that someone was a Samaritan woman.
She was about to have a special encounter with the Son of God.
Jesus was trying to prove a point. He wanted to show His disciples (and also us) that in spite of who the Samaritans were, He would still reach out to them. He loves them, despite the fact that many despise them.
He met the Samaritan woman by the well.
What was going in His mind?
Was Jesus thinking of saving time and money, that's why he wanted to take the shortcut?
Nope.
He knew He would be meeting someone along the way.
And that someone was a Samaritan woman.
She was about to have a special encounter with the Son of God.
Jesus was trying to prove a point. He wanted to show His disciples (and also us) that in spite of who the Samaritans were, He would still reach out to them. He loves them, despite the fact that many despise them.
He met the Samaritan woman by the well.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.[a])
John 4:7-9
The Samaritan woman knew He was a Jew and wondered why He even asked her for a drink, knowing the prejudice Jews had for them. It was an unexpected and rather strange event for her. It's like having your worst enemy buy you flowers or chocolates for no reason. Really unexpected.
Not only that, Jesus talked to her. TALKED. That must have blown her away.
She had misconceptions about Him and so do we.
"God hates me! I keep on failing!"
"God doesn't care about me! Who am I?"
Lies.
God does not hate you nor does he not care about you. The very reason you are here, given the chance to encounter Him, is because He loves you.
Instead of being insulted, the Samaritan woman was respected and shown love.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
John 4:10-12
She had no idea of who He really is. She questioned His ability.
But Jesus went on:
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
John 4:13
Jesus was not talking about literal water.
Jesus used the “water” analogy to teach a spiritual truth to
this girl. Jesus knew that she was thirsty physically but He also knew, and
wanted her to realize that she was thirsty for something else.
Just like her, we are thirsty for
something. In the case of this girl, she was thirsty for love, acceptance,
respect, genuine friendship and relationship.
Jesus
knew that and He said He has living water that if you receive, you will never
be thirsty again.
Many times, we try many things to fill the gap we have, but they don’t work. We need REAL, LIVING WATER. Substitutes
may taste good now, but eventually, it will make you sick. It's like drinking milk tea or Coke instead of water every day.
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
John 4:15-18
This girl was living a sinful life. She’s thirsty for love, and she trying to
get it from relationships.Jesus wanted to show her that beyond her need to satisfy her physical thirst, she had a
thirst in her heart that needed to be satisfied. She tried filling it in with
relationships and perhaps sex, but these failed that after having 5 husbands,
she is still living-in with a sixth one--perhaps still hoping that he could
fill and satisfy the thirst in her heart.
It
could have felt awkward, but Jesus’ intention was not to shame the girl.
He wanted her to know that she was still loved.
You don’t need to hide and pretend that you’re okay, or wait to be okay before
being okay with God. You don’t have to put your best foot forward.
Because God already knows you, and still He loves you.
God is encouraging us to come to Him
and let Him in our lives.
You don’t need to hide and pretend that you’re okay, or wait to be okay before
being okay with God. You don’t have to put your best foot forward.
Because God already knows you, and still He loves you.
God is encouraging us to come to Him
and let Him in our lives.
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
John 4:25-26
The Samaritan woman had a powerful encounter with Jesus —the Messiah, the Savior of the world!
The only One who can give living water that will satisfy the void in our
hearts, the only One who can save us from our sins and give us a relationship
with God.
We can have that encounter too that is if we open our eyes and heart and let Him in.
Don't miss out!
Encounter Jesus and see what He has in store.
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