Samaritans: This Man Really is the Savior of the World

By Mary Vee
John 4

From The John's Journal 

Photo by Mary Vee
Shepherd and his sheep
Samaria, Israel

My name is John, I am a disciple of Jesus. The other disciples and I followed Him from Jerusalem along the Jordan River and north. We stopped to rest in Sychar of Samaria at the well known place named Jacob's Well.

Jesus looked really tired. I had to admit we all were a bit hungry. Jesus sent us to town to buy food while he stayed there, sitting by the well.

When we returned, a woman stood speaking with Him. She clearly was a Samaritan. How odd to see them talking because Jews didn't speak to Samaritans and men would not speak to women at a gathering place like a well. Their conversation ended shortly after we arrive with her leaving her jar and running, seriously, she ran back to her village. I couldn't figure out why she did that.

What I knew was that Jesus was probably as hungry as we were. We offered Him food, "Rabbi, eat something."

He answered with the strangest thought, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about."

I turned to the others and we said together, "Could someone have brought him food?" We were confused.

Jesus said, "My food comes from doing the will of him who sent me and to finish his work." He turned to face all of us. "You've said that four months will pass before the harvest. I say, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages. Even now he harvests the crop for eternal life. This makes both the sower and reaper both happy. I sent you to buy food, to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."

I could barely speak. His words plunged into my heart. We spent the next few days with those Samaritan villagers. Many of them believed in Jesus the Christ because of her words, "He told me everything I ever did." They came out to great us in a mass and after meeting Jesus and us they urged us to stay with them. We did, spending two days listening to Jesus teach. 

Then because of Jesus' words, many more became believers. The villagers said to the woman, "We no longer believe just because of what you said. Now we have heard for ourselves and know this man really is the Savior of the world."

I witnessed this event, and even if I had not written it down, I would have always remembered it and told my sons because seeing God's work through Jesus is just that powerful.

Come back to read the next story.

From Mary Vee, the day our tour group was scheduled to see this well, there was a skirmish. For our safety the police did not allow us to go there. So today's photo is of a place near there.

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sources: 
*A Harmony of the Gospels for Historical Study, An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels by William Arnold Stevens and Ernest DeWitt Burton, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York 1932
*New International Version, New King James Version. 
*My Bible College training.
*My notes and walk through classes I've taught in Children's church. Answers to student questions, etc.
*Pastoral sermons on this time
*Matthew Henry Commentary
*F. LaGard Smith Commentary
*My notes from my trip to Israel.