"The Perfect Chance Encounter" Part 8

The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw." Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." 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." The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." John 4:15-20

 

Today's bite size message begins where we left off last and so, here we are, still in that amazing moment when she recognizes that His perception and knowledge about her isn't a natural one. She realizes that it is supernatural and therefore He too must be supernatural. He must be sent by God and her response reveals this new perception of Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." To her, a prophet was a messenger sent by God with His message. By calling Him a prophet she acknowledges that she knows and understands that He was sent by God to reveal His message about His gift of 'living water' to her.

Personally, I believe that if we were there and could hear her response, that we would hear the awe in her voice as she declares to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." 

Now don't forget, this whole conversation has been filled with her questions about why He is talking to her? Why would He want to give her this gift? Now, with His revelation to her; that He knows all about her, about her past. He knew her sins, and yet He still came to her and He made the offer! Why the awe? Because its the moment when she realizes that God sent Jesus for her. 

You need to understand that knowing all this causes her to want to respond to God! So many people seem to misunderstand her next statement. They act like she is asking Him because He was a Jew and she a Samaritan or that it was a test question because if He was truly sent by God He should know the answer to the big debate but  I tend to think differently. Here is why.

Because I remember! I remember the moment when I realized that Jesus came to pay the price for my sins! It was to love Him back. To meet with Him. I say it because as a youth pastor I've seen this moment a thousand times over and the response, like mine and this woman's is always the same. Think back! Think back to the moment you realized that He came for you? What was your response? Wasn't it to respond with every fiber of your being by drawing near to Him, to thank Him, to praise Him, to worship Him?

How about this moment in Acts 2:37-41where Peter just finishes his first words after the Holy Spirit came as a mighty rushing wind on the day of Pentecost? It says, "Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"  Peter then lets them know and it says in verse 41 that about 3000 souls were added to the kingdom. I personally don't believe her question was religiously or politically motivated. I don't believe it was a test to see if He really came from God. 

I believe it was her way of asking, "What shall I do? Where do I go?" In this moment of awe and revelation she wanted to approach God and she didn't want to do it wrong. Samaritans believed you worshiped on Mt Gerizim, the Jews the temple in Jerusalem. She didn't fully understand yet who Jesus was. In her mind He was a prophet that God had sent to her and she wanted to respond! Her question was a question for the prophet and it was simply, "Were do I go to worship Him?"