The Saviour Of The World
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[SLIDE 1] Introduction
If you have your Bible, then please turn to John 4.
And I want to begin by reading from verse 7 just to refresh our memory.
Today, we’re going to finish this story where Jesus dialogues with a Samaritan woman.
But, the conversation is already over in verse 27.
This section focuses more on the outcome of Jesus’ conversation with her.
So, let me read from the beginning of the dialogue.
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” 28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him. 31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. 36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” 39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Illustration
Let me begin by asking you a question: Who do you think are some of the greatest evangelists?
You may think of folks like Billy Graham in the 20th century.
If you read church history, you may think of George Whitefield who had an evangelistic zeal and brought about the Great Awakening both in the European and American soil in the 18th century.
I would suggest that some of the greatest evangelists is someone you may or may not know.
This person could be your mother or your father, or both.
They invested their time teaching and telling you about the gospel at the young age.
These people could be somewhere in the middle of the jungle in the 3rd world country, evangelizing to the tribes and reaching them in their sphere of influence.
And they’ll never be known or be famous.
Some of the greatest evangelists are just ordinary brothers and sisters in Christ who are faithful in heeding the Great Commission that Christ has given to His people in Matthew 28:19-20, which is go and make disciples of all nations.
In the book of Acts, when Saul was persecuting the church in Jerusalem, believers were scattered in various regions in Israel.
Yet, they’re ordinary believers who were faithful in spreading the word of Jesus Christ.
Brothers and sisters, let me ask you some important questions:
Do you see yourself as one of those believers who, though not famous, could carry the message of Jesus wherever you go?
Do you feel a burden for the lost souls around you, or have you grown indifferent to their spiritual condition?
Biblical Theology
Context
Our Lord Jesus Christ spent almost 20 verses talking with the Samaritan woman.
He purposefully evangelized to a single Samaritan woman, who was an outcast in her society, who was an unworthy sinner, yet was given grace by Jesus Christ.
The Apostle John included this story for a purpose, which is found in John 20:31: These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ and that by believing you may have life in His name.
So, in this unique story, we are going to learn about the outcome of Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman.
Having evangelized to this woman, she in turn went back to her town and told others about Jesus Christ.
[SLIDE 2] As I begin to expound this passage, here’s the main idea for this message for you to remember: God uses His witnesses to tell others about Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
We’re going to learn four defining characteristics of God’s faithful witnesses.
Exposition
[SLIDE 3] In verses 27-30, we’ll see that “God’s witnesses are shaped by the Saviour.” In verse 27, the disciples just came from getting food for Jesus.
27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?”
In verse 26, Jesus concludes His conversation with the Samaritan woman with these words: “I who is speaking to you am He.”
And it was at this point of time where the disciples returned and most likely heard the last bit of the conversation in verses 25-26.
In the providence of God, this was a perfect timing.
Jesus was in total control of the dialogue with the Samaritan woman.
So, the timing from Jesus was impeccable.
Should they have returned later, the disciples may not have witnessed Jesus and the Samaritan woman together at Jacob’s well because she would have ran back to her town.
And the disciples would perhaps not have heard Jesus’ declaration of Himself.
Should they have returned earlier, the Samaritan woman may not have learned the dramatic conclusion that Jesus Christ is indeed the Messiah because the disciples may have interrupted their conversation.
It says, in verse 27,that they marveled that Jesus was talking with a woman, which means being extraordinarily disturbed by this situation.
Why would that be the case?
You would remember the historical and cultural context between the Samaritans and the Jews in my previous sermons.
The Jews had a prejudice against the Samaritans, who were half-Jews and half-Gentile breeds.
Plus, the stricter Jews (probably not all Jews) held a thought (or Jewish custom) that Jewish rabbis should not be speaking to women publicly, including their own wives.
Although they marveled at Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman, it says in the middle of verse 27: “But no one said, “What do you seek,” or “Why are you talking with her.”
The disciples could’ve asked those questions, but they remained silent.
We’re not given a reason why the disciples did not vocalize their concerns or enforce the Jewish customs upon Jesus.
But, I would guess that the disciples believed that Jesus knew what He was doing.
Now, notice, the outcome of the dialogue in verses 28-29: “So - therefore - the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
We remember that the woman back in verse 7 went to Jacob’s well to draw water.
She was physically thirsty at that point.
She gave Jesus some water when He requested it.
She drew water and fill it in the water jar, or a pitcher so she could bring it back with her.
But, notice that she left the water jar and went back into her town.
This is a small, yet fascinating detail that the Apostle John witnessed, and wanted to include in this story.
Why would she leave her water jar behind if it’s important for her in the first place?
Many reasons have been suggested.
But, I think it’s because she was passionate and excited to go back to tell her people all about Jesus christ.
Her encounter with Jesus shaped and impacted her.
She left it behind because it’s no longer important to her to satisfy her deepest needs.
Charles Spurgeon said that this water war “was much to her before, but very little now.”
You could say that she gave up her old life and her old desires, and exchanged it for a new life and a new desire.
She tasted the living water by believing in Jesus Christ.
The spark of faith in her heart may be small.
Her faith is small as a mustard seed.
Nonetheless, she went with haste and zeal to bear witness about Christ.
That’s her focus.
That’s her passion.
Telling others about the good news that she believed.
She cannot contain her newfound faith before the Samaritans.
The 16th century Reformer, John Calvin, commented this verse:
“And this is the nature of faith, that when we have become partakers of eternal life, we wish to bring others to share with us; nor is it possible that the knowledge of God shall lie buried and inactive in our hearts without being manifested before men.”
So, that’s exactly what she did.
She went back to her town to invite others, including the man whom she’s living with, to come and see Christ.
She says in verse 29: “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
The Samaritan woman experienced the truth and grace from her dialogue with Jesus
She did not feel humiliated by Him.
She didn’t feel embarassed.
She didn’t feel hated due to her ethnicity as a Samaritan.
Jesus left a significant impression on her that made her ask, “Can this be the Christ?”
That’s the deep deep love of Jesus, right?
His love for sinners is so vast, unmeasured, boundless, free.
In verse 30, the Samaritans went out of the town and were coming to Him. They were coming to Jesus.
The Samaritan woman was able to draw a big attention to herself because she was a wild woman.
But, testifying about Christ may have peeked the interest of the town because it was her unusual behaviour.
She may have been excited based on her declaration and her testimony.
So, Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan made a huge impact not only on her, but also on the Samaritans.
This is significant in God’s plan of redemption.
He did not just come to earth to save the Jews, but He came to save the Samaritans, and the Gentiles.
Was the Samaritan woman special? Was she extraordinary? I don’t think so.
She’s a sinner just like you and me who have personally encountered Jesus Christ.
She is just an ordinary lady with a tainted past, but the Lord Jesus transformed her life so she would evangelize to other Samaritans.
If you have been impacted and shaped by the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have a testimony to tell to those within your reach because I as a pastor do not have that sphere of influence.
You know the names of those who need the gospel.
I encourage you to pray and ask God to give you the boldness and joy to testify His name.
Ask God to give you the burden for the lost souls.
[SLIDE 4] Next, in verses 31-34, we’ll see 2nd defining characteristic of God’s witness: “God’s witnesses are satisfied by prioritizing God’s will.”
Verse 31 begins with “Meanwhile.”
While the Samaritan woman was in the town of Sychar, the camera pans back to Jesus and His disciples.
Back in John 4:8, the disciples went to the town to buy some food to bring back to Jesus.
They care about Jesus enough that the disciples were urging Jesus to eat assuming that He’s hungry.
But, Jesus said to them in verse 32: “I have food to eat that you do not know about.”
So, the disciples reacted and spoke to one another in verse 33: “Has anyone brought him something to eat?”
The disciples thought that Jesus was speaking literally about food.
They were also confused because now they’re wondering if Jesus ate while doing grocery shopping.
They’re wondering who fed Jesus.
But, what Jesus meant by food was something entirely different.
It was a type of food that is hidden from the disciples.
This food was Jesus’ strength and satisfaction in the moment of His physical hunger.
Jesus explains in verse 34: “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.”
You know what this verse reminds me of?
4 But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Not only was the word of God a spiritual bread for Christ, but doing the will of God was also His spiritual bread.
For Jesus, doing the God’s will was so essential to the point that He compared it to food. It was vital to His purpose and mission on earth.
He did no less than what His Father expected Him because Christ desires to please the One who sent Him on a rescue mission.
In this context of John 4, Jesus accomplishes the will of the Father by passing through Samaria, sitting exactly at Jacob’s well, and interacting with the Samaritan woman.
Having evangelized to the Samaritan woman and bearing witness that He’s the Messiah, Jesus is satisfied.
Of course, don’t misunderstand this verse.
Jesus is not saying that food and drink are no longer important. Far from it.
I still want to eat sushi and ribeye steaks, especially if it’s medium rare.
The lesson for us is this: Just as Christ’s food was focused on doing the Father’s will, we who are followers of Jesus and His witnesses ought to also be satisfied in doing His will.
Can you say that your food is to do the Father’s will?
Do you take delight and satisfiaction in accomplishing His work?
Is it your and contentment to obey Him?
If not, then what could be the reason?
Could it be that we do not emphsize the importance of understanding God’s desires for our lives?
Could it be that our minds are influence by the thinking of this world, and also by our own sinful desires?
I challenge and encourage you to be an imitator of Christ by pursuing the will of God.
First, just as Jesus lived by the word of God, so you need know and live by the word of God in your life.
The most down to earth way to know God’s word is by reading and studying it.
Second, we need to pray and ask God to give us the desire for the spiritual food that Jesus ate.
We need the Lord to renew our hearts to pursue His will and be satisfied in Him.
Third, we also need to pray and discern carefully God’s will as an application of God’s word for our Christian life.
In verses 35-38, we’ll see the 3rd defining characteristic: “God’s witnesses are set on the spiritual harvest.”
Now, Jesus uses another illustration that would be familiar to those who are into agriculture.
This furthers His explanation of accomplishing the work of the Father.
Jesus says in the beginning of verse 35: “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest.’”
Bible commentators are divided over what Jesus is referring to here.
Was he talking about the disciples or was referring to a well known proverb in Palestine?
The point that Jesus is making is that some think at this moment that harvest will begin in four months, which might make this story take place in December.
But Jesus is again using figures of speech to communicate a spiritual harvest.
Jesus is saying that sowing and harvesting can coincide.
In the middle of verse 35, Jesus tells His disciples to “Look, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.”
Jesus has an insight towards the hearts of the Samaritans.
As the Samaritans were approaching Jesus at the well, Jesus tells his disciples to look.
The field is ready for spiritual-soul harvest.
Their hearts were ready to receive Jesus the Christ.
Jesus says that the fields are white.
White meaning bright, radiant, shining, and gleaming.
[SLIDE 5] It is indicative of ripe grain.
It’s time to harvest.
It’s time to cut down the ripe grain and get your crops.
[SLIDE 6] Jesus says in verse 36: “Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.”
Jesus just sowed the seed into the woman’s life.
Now, He is already reaping the reward.
He’s gathering fruit for eternal life.
He’s bringing and winning sinners into the kingdom of God where they enjoy eternal life in Christ Jesus.
The principle here is that whether you’re a sower or a reaper, both can rejoice together as the salvation of a sinner, right?
And Jesus says in verse 37, “For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’”
Here’s the principle and truth that we have to learn as God’s witnesses.
We sow the word of God in people’s soul.
Yet, we may never be able to reap the harvest.
Sometimes, we may never see the harvest in our life time.
Others, however, who did not initially sow the word of God get to reap the harvest.
That’s the general principle that Jesus is teaching us.
Not everyone gets to sow and reap at the same time.
Sometimes, by the sovereign grace of God, you could sow and reap at the same time.
However, as the body of Christ, we are all labouring together to see the lost come to know Jesus Christ.
Both sower and reaper are essential to the harvest.
They are both important to the Great Commission.
We draw another principle from the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:6-8
6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.
Hence, Jesus speaks teaches them another important lesson in verse 38: “I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.”
Jesus might be referring to them doing the ministry of baptism as the Jews were coming to Jesus in reference to John 4:1-2.
Jesus is teaching His disciples that they must participate in the spiritual harvest.
They must enter into the labours of others, such as Jesus Himself, and possibly John the Baptist.
Labouring involves sowing and reaping.
You may be sowing OR you may be reaping.
Sometimes, that lost sinner needs to have the seed sown.
Sometimes, it’s a constant sowing.
Sometimes, you may have the opportunity to reap the harvest.
Normally, success in reaping depends on the work of those who laboured and sowed in the past.
Of course, for Jesus, although it’s not always the case that He saw a harvest, He certainly saw it immediately in this story.
[SLIDE 7] Finally, in verses 39-42, we’ll see that “God’s witnesses are spreading the Saviour’s message.”
This is the result and outcome of Jesus’ evangelistic endeavour in making Himself known to the Samaritan woman.
In verse 39, it says that “Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him [Jesus] because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’”
It says “many.”
It didn’t say all of them.
Nevertheless, this is great news to hear.
This is what some may want to call a “revival” or a “the great awakening.”
The amazing thing about this woman is that her testimony influenced the Samaritans to believe in Jesus: “He told me all that I ever did!”
We don’t know if she said a lot more than that.
We can safely assume that the woman did not just summarize the conversation, but went into detail of the dialogue and what she knew about the Lord Jesus Christ.
He is not just the Christ and a prophet, but the great God who demonstrated divine knowledge of her life.
This word, “testimony,” is again a common theme in John’s gospel.
It is her witnessing.
It is her testifying what Christ has done for her.
The disciples of Jesus is given the responsibility and privilege to bear witness for Christ before the watching world (John 15:27).
Your testimony is not the gospel, but you can implement the gospel into your testimony by telling people what Jesus Christ has done to take away your sins.
Even though you may not have the same testimony as the Samaritan woman, we know from the testimony of Scripture that we are sinners heading straight to eternal consciouse torment of hell, we are hopeless without in of ourselves, but God demonstrated His love and grace by sending His Son to become our substitionary atonement for our sins.
So, don’t underestimate the power of your testimony and how God saved you and how God is continually working in your life.
Moreover, in verse 40, not only did the Samaritans believe in Jesus, they invited him to stay with them for two days.
This may have been revolutionary.
A Jewish rabbi staying with the Samaritans for two days? Along side His disciples?
That alienation and fraction between Jews and Samaritans was (perhaps slightly) bridged in this interaction.
Again, Jesus’ attitudes of the Samaritans was radically different from the contemporary Jews.
The Apostle Paul indicates that we are in Christ, we are brought near to Him and to each other (Ephesians 2:13-16).
So, for two days, Jesus must have ate with them, drink with them, slept in one of their places, and taught them the Scriptures.
Consequently, in verses 41-42, many more believed because of His word.
They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we heave heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world.”
This is not to dismiss the woman’s testimony and how that witness brought them to Jesus.
And it is really through their personal interaction with Jesus that confirmed the woman’s testimony.
This is indeed the Christ.
They have heard Jesus for themselves.
This is the Saviour of the world.
17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
It’s like when you spread the gospel to your friends.
They believe in Christ.
They did their own further studies of Scripture.
They believe in exactly the same thing as you do.
The Samaritan’s confession of Jesus as the Saviour of the world is rather significant.
Jesus is not just the saviour of the Jews.
He didn’t come only to save Israel. In fact, the Jews thought that their Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman Empire.
His mission is to save men and men from every nation on earth who repent of their sins and believe in Christ.
Such pattern would foreshadow Jesus’ statement in Acts 1:8
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
He came to save the Samaritans, which would have been Jesus’ first cross-cultural evangelism.
GOSPEL
He came to save redeem people from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation.
This is indeed good news.
If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, know that you’re indeed of the Saviour of the world.
Our Lord Jesus came to pay the penalty of your sins by dying on the cross and being raised on the 3rd day.
He came to reveal to you that He alone can save you from your sins and from the wrath to come.
He came to offer you the free gift of the living water, the gift of eternal life, to satisfy you.
And Jesus invites you to come to Him:
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.
And just like the Samaritan woman, recognizing that she’s a sinner, you can place your faith in the Son of God and receive the gift of eternal life.
If you have truly trusted in Christ, you can’t help but tell people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
Brothers and sisters, are you being faithful in spreading the message of Jesus?
What if there are souls that are ready for harvest, but you have never taken the opportunity to labour for it?
You’ll miss out on the joy of sowing and reaping.
Evangelizing to the lost SHOULD be a joyful work because we’re ultimately serving the LORD and seeing sinners rescued from darkness.
Or, perhaps you’re feeling discouraged that the harvest is not ready yet.
You have spent and prayed for your non-Christian family members and friends for many years.
You’re doing all you can to be faithful in telling them about the Lord, yet there is no result.
There is no harvest.
[SLIDE 8] Let me encourage you with a real life story about a missionary who persevered in mission field.
His name is Adoniram Judson.
He was a pionieering missionary to Burma (now Myanmar).
His journey and story is a testimony to faithfulness and patience in the face of hardship.
Judson and his wife arrived in Burma in 1813 with the vision of bringing the gospel to a country resistant to Christianity.
He faced many challenges, such as harsh environment, hostile government, complex language, and intense spiritual opposition.
He spent 12 hour a day studying the Burmese language with the hope of translating the Bible for the Burmese people.
After six long years, Judson saw the first convert in 1819.
Despite this small breakthrough, conversions remained few and far between.
Over the following years, Judson faced unimaginable trials. He was imprisoned and tortured during a war between Burma and Britain, losing many of his missionary colleagues and even his own wife and children along the way.
Yet, despite the pain, Judson persevered, holding on to the belief that God would eventually bring a harvest.
He kept sharing the gospel, translating the Bible, and praying for the people of Burma.
It wasn’t until over twenty years into his mission that he saw significant fruit.
By the time of his death in 1850 at the age of 61, there may have been about 100 churches and 8000 believers.
However, Judson’s legacy did not end there.
Over the next century, his work bore an unexpected and incredible harvest.
Today, there are close to four million Christians in Myanmar, many of whom trace their spiritual roots to Judson’s ministry.
His Burmese Bible translation is still in use, and the seeds he planted through decades of sacrifice and perseverance have grown into a lasting legacy of faith.
Judson’s story shows that sometimes God’s timeline is much longer than ours.
But as Jesus reminds us, “the fields are white for harvest” (John 4:35), even if we may not always see it in our own lifetimes.
His story is a powerful reminder that God honors the faithfulness of His servants, even when the harvest is slow in coming.
Application
[SLIDE 9] As I slowly wrap up, here’s the main idea that I want you to remember from this passage: God uses His witnesses to tell others about Jesus, the Saviour of the world.
God’s witnesses are shaped by the Saviour.
God’s witnesses are satisfied by prioritizing God’s will.
God’s witnesses are set on the spiritual harvest.
God’s witnesses are spreading the Saviour’s message.
[SLIDE 10] Here are a few devotional considerations:
Is there someone in your life whom you could invite to “come and see” Jesus?
Are you satisfied with doing God’s will, or do you often find yourself seeking satisfaction elsewhere?What practical steps can you take to prioritize God’s will in your daily life?
What do you prefer to be: the sower or the reaper? Why is that?
Conclusion
In conclusion, God indeed uses His witnesses as a means of reaching the world with the gospel of salvation.
We are given an example to follow from this story.
If the early believers had been as passive about evangelism as we often are today, would the church have ever spread beyond Jerusalem?
No, brothers and sisters.
So, I plead with you to go and make disciples and proclaim the gospel boldly because the harvest is indeed plentiful.
You’ll never know if you’ll reap a lost soul.
[SLIDE 11] Benediction
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. AMEN.
