The woman at the well discovered that Jesus is the Messiah. John 4: 26 Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”[1] Jesus will not declare this openly again until the week before His death. The Jewish leadership found this frustrating. John 10: 24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep …
Jesus stated facts about the woman at the well, which exposed shame. Jesus knew the woman needed to deal with her immoral life to drink His living water. Women usually came to get water in the morning or evening when it was cooler and not in the middle of the day when it was hot. …
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, He talked about living water, but what does that mean? While Jesus was traveling through Samaria on the way to Galilee, He stopped and rested by a well. While Jesus was resting, a woman approached the well in the heat of the day to fill her bucket. Then Jesus …
Receiving God’s gift of salvation is the greatest gift we will ever receive. A Samaritan woman approached the well to draw water in the heat of the day. It was then she saw Jesus, who was resting by the well. Being a woman who had been married five times and living with another, she went …
We in the 21st century may miss Jesus breaking down barriers in the story of the woman at the well. We think nothing of women and men conversing in public. It was very different for the Jewish community of Jesus’ time. Jewish men did not talk to women in public. One of the rabbinical teachings …
This week’s story begins with Nicodemus seeking the Light in the dark of night. We don’t know why Nicodemus came to inquire of Jesus at night. Jesus was controversial, and Nicodemus was part of the establishment. Perhaps Nicodemus was curious but did not want to be seen by his peers. Jesus was also very popular …
Faith in Jesus gives eternal life. We understand this from our side of the cross. In Jesus’ day, Jews thought it was essential to be born into the right family, the family of Abraham. Nicodemus came to Jesus with a question, and Jesus taught him about a new birth. John 3:7 So don’t be surprised when …
Jesus taught Nicodemus what was necessary. John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.[1] Nicodemus would have been familiar with this story from Israel in the desert. You …
Struggling to believe in Jesus is not unusual. I remember a pastor telling us there was a time when he struggled with faith as a young man. At that time, he realized he had to trust just like a child without understanding. The author of Hebrew writes this about faith. Hebrews 11:1Faith shows the reality …
Jesus told Nicodemus that he can’t see the kingdom of God without being reborn. But what is the Kingdom of God? Nicodemus would have been a student of what we call the Old Testament. While those Scriptures don’t specifically use kingdom terminology, they tell us that God is king. Samuel was upset when the people …