‘Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus told her, “ I Am the Messiah!”’ John 4:21-26(NLT)
‘Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, long enough for many more to hear his message and believe. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.”’ John 4:39-42(NLT)
‘But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”’ 1 Samuel 16:7(NLT)
‘But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.”’ Matthew 15:18-20(NLT)
‘Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ‘ James 4:8(NLT)
‘Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.’ Psalms 51:10(NLT)
“I am he.” I don’t know about you, but this line from Jesus to the Samaritan woman gives me chills. Today, let’s see how this story concludes and how we can apply it to our lives.
At this time in history, the Samaritans had built a temple of worship to rival the one in Jerusalem. They had a long history of political and religious rivalry. Unfortunately, we still see that same attitude of rivalry and division among denominations and churches today. It’s easy to get caught up on the wrong issues and become divided.
Jesus wants us to focus not on our different backgrounds, church affiliations, and worship styles, but on the one Lord who unites us in spirit and in truth. He wants His church to be whole, not fractured. Why? Because He knows that our spiritual enemy wants the church to be focused solely on division and competition.
Besides Jesus Himself, Satan’s worst nightmare is a unified bride. Notice that we’re always called “the bride of Christ” (singular), not “the brides of Christ” (plural). Jesus is monogamous, and He’s coming for His one bride.
As Christ’s church, the way we worship doesn’t matter so much as why we worship. Above all else, Jesus desires a pure heart that seeks Him. Remember, we learned before that it’s the inside of the cup that needs to be clean.
I love the Samaritan woman’s response after Jesus revealed Himself to her. Her physical needs lost all importance at the knowledge of meeting Christ, so she left her water jar. For the first time in a long time, she felt loved. She found her true love in Jesus!
She was a broken woman who was lost and longing for a love she couldn’t seem to find. But after she met her true bridegroom, she had a purpose and wanted this news to reach her community. She could hardly wait to share what she had learned and ran to tell others about her experience.
Jesus offered her the true source of life, met her in her desperation, and gave her life new meaning and dignity. He does this for us, too. We’re never too bad or too broken to be restored and used by Him for His good purposes.
Jesus came for us—sinners in need of a Savior. And when we say yes to Him, He doesn’t just change our own lives. He uses us to reach and impact people all around us.
As we wrap up this story, I want you to know that there’s an everlasting love that will satisfy your every longing, and it can only be found in Christ. Open your eyes to the bridegroom before you today. Jesus is revealing Himself to you as the ultimate answer. He’s telling you, “I am he.”
from Will You Marry Me?