Apicontent

“Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.’ And immediately he regained his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they too gave praise to God.” —Luke 18:42–43

Praise—to speak highly of the greatness and excellence of God—is the natural outflow from a thankful heart. Indeed, not only was the healed, blind beggar praising, but also all those who beheld the miracle.

King David gives us the proper perspective on praise:

“I will thank the LORD with all my heart! I will tell about all your amazing deeds! I will be happy and rejoice in you! I will sing praises to you, O Most High!” —Psalm 9:1–2

Unfortunately, many Christians do not manifest this attitude of gratitude. However, Christians should be the most grateful of all people! Jesus has healed us of our spiritual poverty and darkness. He has empowered us with the precious Holy Spirit, enabling us to live a life worthy of the gospel and allowing us to withstand every attack of the evil one. Jesus has bestowed upon us the gifts of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. We experience these in ever-increasing measures as we submit to His working in our lives. He holds out to us abundant life not only in the here and now, but in eternal life as well. Peter tells us:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.” —1 Peter 2:9–10

Jesus said:

“You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.” —Matthew 5:14–16

Become More

Wales Goebel observed: “It is too bad that many believers minimize the place of good works in the Christian life. We do not perform good works to get any glory for ourselves, but we do them to glorify His blood given on our behalf.”

“Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name. And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.” —Hebrews 13:15–16

Further Reflections

“Cultivating a grateful heart is not just an add-on nicety, a civil tip of the hat to God as we steamroll through our day. A posture of purposeful, perpetual thanks to God is absolutely central to Christian character. It gives glory to Him. It is the key defense against Satan’s temptations to despair, distrust, dysfunction. It protects us from sin and self. It is the hallmark of heaven. It does not exist in hell.” —Ellen Vaughn

“Holy joy is the life of thankful praise, as thankful praise is the language of holy joy.” —Matthew Henry

“And those who were in front scolded him to get him to be quiet, but he shouted even more, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ So Jesus stopped and ordered the beggar to be brought to him. When the man came near, Jesus asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He replied, ‘Lord, let me see again.’” —Luke 18:39–41

Those that led the way, the ones out front, the ones that the crowds looked up to, began to chide, berate, and censure the beggar for pleading for mercy from Jesus. When we cry out to Jesus in our emptiness, begging for His compassion, we should not be surprised to encounter opposition.

“Those who earnestly seek Christ’s favours and blessings will not be deterred from the pursuit of them, though they meet with oppositions and rebuke. They who went along rebuked him as troublesome to the Master, noisy and impertinent, and told him to be quiet. The check given him was but as a dam to a full stream, which makes it swell so much the more.” —Matthew Henry

And yet, how often do we scurry away from the needy for various reasons, not the least of which boils down to pure selfishness? We are called to walk as Jesus did through the power of the Holy Spirit. Often we miss many opportunities presented to us for kingdom work because we are too preoccupied with this world and all that it has to offer.

However, Jesus responds to seekers quite differently. He tells us:

“Everyone whom the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will never send away.” — John 6:37

God’s Word through Jeremiah has this same message for us:

“‘When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make myself available to you,’ says the LORD. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’” —Jeremiah 29:13–14

Jesus never turns away those who seek after Him! Indeed, those who earnestly seek Jesus are never troublesome to Him. In fact, He says:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” —Matthew 7:7–8

Do you want more of Jesus manifested in your life; more of the precious Holy Spirit made conspicuous rather than quenched? The verb tense in the above verses actually implies “Keep on asking,” “Keep on seeking,” “Keep on knocking.” Why? Because the Father loves to give good gifts to those who ask. And what is the good gift? Luke clearly tells us:

“So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” —Luke 11:9–13

Matthew Henry says:

“Christ has more tenderness and compassion for distressed supplicants than any of His followers have. Those who had checked him must now lend him their hands to lead him to Christ.”

Jesus is graciously willing to come to our aid!

Become More

“Yes, He does ‘exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think;’ granting not only according to the notion of our narrow hearts but according to the riches of His glory, as becomes His majesty. Christ delights in great petitions; for He is a great Lord, and is ‘rich unto all that call upon Him.’” —K.H. Von Bogatzky

Further Reflections

“What then shall we say about these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Indeed, he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, freely give us all things?” —Romans 8:31–32

“The LORD deserves praise, for he has heard my plea for mercy! The LORD strengthens and protects me; I trust in him with all my heart. I am rescued and my heart is full of joy; I will sing to him in gratitude. The LORD strengthens his people; he protects and delivers his chosen king.” —Psalm 28:6–8

“As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was going on. They told him, ‘Jesus the Nazarene is passing by.’ So he called out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’” —Luke 18:35–38

Poor and blind, sitting by the roadside, this beggar is indeed an example of the world for which Jesus came to seek and to save. Helpless to change his condition, this man sits by the road begging. You can almost hear his cup shaking with the few coins he has received. And all the while he is pleading, “Can you spare anything for my empty cup? I am so needy, is there nothing you can give me? Can someone please help me in this terrible state I am in?” This poor man needs more than anyone has the ability or wherewithal to give. Any coin that may have been thrown his way would still leave his cup clanging, a constant reminder of his needs never being fully met and the emptiness of his soul.

Enter on the scene the Living Water. When that precious water enters our cups, they overflow leaving no room for want.

The world’s “water” satisfies only for a season and then we are left shaking our cups once again. The living water which Jesus offers provides us with continual satisfaction of needs and desires we all thirst for. Jesus gives life that is not constricted but overflowing.

“Great symbolic value is here in Luke’s account. The man was a beggar sitting by the side of the road, waiting for something to happen. He was blind and could do nothing to improve his condition. The Messiah came through his town (as He had walked through many towns). Immediately the blind man recognized Him as the Messiah, the One who could save him from his blindness. Spiritual outcasts, unable to help themselves, far more readily recognized the Messiah and asked for His help than did the Jewish religious leaders. The man had faith in the Messiah, and it was the Messiah’s power that had healed him. In the same way, if the nation had faith in the Messiah, their faith would have healed them of their spiritual blindness. As a result of the man’s healing, he and all the people who saw the miracle praised God.” —Bible Knowledge Commentary

The beggar cries out with faith and fervency to Jesus for mercy and favor. He believes Jesus is able to help him. Do we believe as he? Jesus is able to come to our aid! Jesus is able to come to our rescue! Jesus is able to meet our needs! Jesus is able to fill our empty cups! Jesus is able!

I love Psalm 91. Two passages speak clearly and beautifully of God’s willing protection, refuge, faithfulness, love, mercy, and satisfaction. We are blessed by His wonderful provision.

“He will shelter you with his wings; you will find safety under his wings. His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.” — Psalm 91:4

“The LORDsays, ‘Because he is devoted to me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he is loyal to me. When he calls out to me, I will answer him. I will be with him when he is in trouble; I will rescue him and bring him honor. I will satisfy him with long life, and will let him see my salvation.” —Psalm 91:14–16

The guilt and power of sin will weary our soul and leave us crying for mercy. Conversely, Jesus offers rest for the weary and lightness for the burden that we are groaning under.

Become More

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” —Matthew 11:28–30

Further Reflections

“Jesus replied, ‘Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.’” —John 4:13–14

“Jesus Christ will give assured rest to those weary souls, that by a living faith come to Him for it; a rest in God, in His love.” —Matthew Henry

“Then one of them, when he saw he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He fell with his face to the ground at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. (Now he was a Samaritan.) Then Jesus said, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to turn back and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ Then he said to the man, ‘Get up and go your way. Your faith has made you well.’” —Luke 17:15–19

All ten lepers were healed yet only the foreigner returns to Jesus with thanksgiving on his lips. God loves it when we take time to thank Him for His blessings. Being appreciative of all His hand has bestowed should come as naturally to us as breathing yet, unfortunately, we often woefully fall short in the arena of gratitude. The cleansed Samaritan in our verses for today humbly throws himself at the feet of Jesus, thanking Him for the cleansing. I am reminded of King David’s prayer of humble thankfulness to God over all God’s blessings upon his life. 

“King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, ‘Who am I, O Sovereign LORD, and what is my family, that you should have brought me to this point? And you didn’t stop there, O LORD God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family. Is this your usual way of dealing with men, O Sovereign LORD? What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition, O Sovereign LORD! For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant. Therefore you are great, O Sovereign LORD, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true!’” —2 Samuel 7:18–22

Paul tells us:

“Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” —1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” —Colossians 3:17

All ten lepers were healed, yet only the foreigner distinguished himself with his humble gratitude over the mercy of Jesus. In our verses for today, the nine Jews, though healed physically, missed being healed spiritually. Apart from Jesus, we have nothing within us to remedy our spiritual condition.

Become More

“When we can do nothing Jesus can do all things; let us enlist His powerful aid upon our side, and all will be well.” —Charles Spurgeon

Further Reflections

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie

“Ungrateful people live under the deception that they are always entitled to more.” —Wayne Cordeiro

“Now on the way to Jerusalem, Jesus was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten men with leprosy met him. They stood at a distance, raised their voices and said, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.’ When he saw them he said, ‘Go and show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went along, they were cleansed.” —Luke 17:11–14

Ceremonially unclean, cut off from worship at the sanctuary and cut off from fellowship with others in the community, lepers were forced to stay at a distance yelling, “Unclean! Unclean!” Such was the situation for the ten men we read about in our verses for today. Leprosy to the Jews was a disease that, more than any other, bore a mark of God’s displeasure. Lepers were banned outside the city to prevent physical contagion and also to symbolize the person’s separation from the holy camp of Israel. We find this mandated in Numbers and also Deuteronomy:

“Then the LORD spoke to Moses: ‘Command the Israelites to expel from the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse. You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that they will not defile their camps, among which I live.’” —Numbers 5:1–3

“For the LORD your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.” —Deuteronomy 23:14

The symbolism here blazes like a bolt of lightning in a black sky. Before the work of Jesus on the cross, we are all outside the camp yelling, “Unclean! Unclean! Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Our bodies, eaten up with sin, powerless to change our condition, we fall condemned before a holy God.

We often are ignorant of the holiness of God. How flippantly we perceive Him. Whenever people in the Bible had an encounter with the great “I AM” they would be overcome by fear. The contrast of God’s holiness and their unholiness was too much for them to bear in their sinful state. We read in Isaiah:

“In the year of King Uzziah’s death, I saw the LORD seated on a high, elevated throne. The hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of Heaven’s Armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!’ The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. I said, ‘Woe to me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.” —Isaiah 6:1–5

Ezekiel relates his experience:

“Then there was a voice from above the platform over their heads when they stood still. Above the platform over their heads was something like a sapphire shaped like a throne. High above on the throne was a form that appeared to be a man. I saw an amber glow like a fire enclosed all around from his waist up. From his waist down I saw something that looked like fire. There was a brilliant light around it, like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds after the rain. This was the appearance of the surrounding brilliant light; it looked like the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I threw myself face down, and I heard a voice speaking.” —Ezekiel 1:25–28

The writer of Hebrews gives us an account of Moses’ encounter:

“For you have not come to something that can be touched, to a burning fire and darkness and gloom and a whirlwind and the blast of a trumpet and a voice uttering words such that those who heard begged to hear no more. For they could not bear what was commanded: ‘If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned.’ In fact, the scene was so terrifying that Moses said, ‘I shudder with fear.’” —Hebrews 12:18–21

Ceremonial law still in effect, Jesus tells the lepers to go and present themselves to the priest. We need to note He did not cleanse them and say “Go,” but rather He sent them uncleansed… and as they went, they were healed. Often our faith is tried through our obedience to prove it true. We must act on what we believe.

Become More

“Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies.” —Charles Jefferson

Further Reflections

“We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Grace is the grand and only resource for us all. It is the basis of our salvation; the basis of a life of practical godliness; and the basis of those imperishable hopes which animate us amid the trials and conflicts of this sin-stricken world.” —C H MacIntosh

“But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.’” —Luke 10:41–42

I think there are many of us who could replace Martha’s name with our own! How easy it is to become worried and upset about many things. In these two verses Jesus speaks to us regarding our priorities! Yes, it does matter what we choose to focus on! Yes, it does matter how we live! Yes, it does matter that we spend time with Jesus! The Bible tells us:

“Therefore consider carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise, taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” —Ephesians 5:15–16

Each day dawns brimming full of choices. Some are no brainers—most of us do not have a problem choosing between blatant right and deliberate wrong. However, oftentimes our choices are between things that are intrinsically good. Bill Bright used to say, “You know you are far along in your Christian walk when you are choosing between something good and something better or best.”

In our verses for today, Martha was choosing between serving the Master (which we are called to do) and listening to the Master (which we are also called to do).

Discerning what is required is not easy, and certainly our actions can be misunderstood. All the more reason we must know at a core level what our priorities in life are. If we do not have this set in our hearts, we will fall for the tyranny of the urgent every time. Are we making decisions against the backdrop of our priorities, or are we simply putting out fires or rushing to the loudest cry? Are our priorities God’s priorities? These are important questions to ponder.

Paul tells us:

“Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” —Philippians 4:6–7

Worry is an affront to God and shows a lack of trust in His provision. Rather than worry, we are called to pray with thanksgiving. Worry demonstrates that we somehow believe we are in control! Peace residing in a heart, particularly in dire circumstances, demonstrates our trust in a heavenly Father who spoke the world into being. 

Psalm 33:13–18 tells us:

“The LORD watches from heaven; he sees all people. From the place where he lives he looks carefully at all the earth’s inhabitants. He is the one who forms every human heart, and takes note of all their actions. No king is delivered by his vast army; a warrior is not saved by his great might. A horse disappoints those who trust in it for victory; despite its great strength, it cannot deliver. Look, the LORD takes notice of his loyal followers, those who wait for him to demonstrate his faithfulness.”

Each day we must pray with thanksgiving and ask God to take captive our every thought and make it obedient to Jesus Christ. Sometimes this must to be repeated many times throughout the day in order to stay focused on God’s agenda. God is always faithful. His desire is for us to depend on Him. His desire is to lead us to victory.

Become More

Make a list of your priorities and then record how you spend your time, resources, and talents. Are you using your greatest gifts on your priorities? Oftentimes we espouse one thing and live another. Ask God to help you let Him prioritize your life.

Further Reflections

“Worry is an intrusion into God’s providence.” —John Haggai

“A life of thankfulness releases the glory of God.” —Bengt Sundberg

“Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him as a guest. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he said. But Martha was distracted with all the preparations she had to make, so she came up to him and said, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do all the work alone? Tell her to help me.’” —Luke 10:38–40

Sweet Martha opens her home and takes under her care our Savior, receiving Him both kindly and hospitably. This is no small matter. There were no grocery stores or take-out restaurants. I am sure that she had to grind wheat to make bread, milk the cow or sheep or goat for milk, and slaughter the fatted calf or whatever for some meat. You get the idea here! Preparations for entertaining in that day were both difficult and time consuming!

Mary meanwhile, was soaking in the presence of Jesus! Having Him in her home was too good to be true. She certainly was not going to be distracted by the details of a meal. Those details could wait, but she could not. Her focus was on finding fulfillment where need used to dwell.

Each one of us was created to fellowship with God. He is a “with” us God! It has been this way from the beginning. We find Him walking in the garden in Genesis calling out for Adam and Eve even after they had eaten the forbidden fruit:

“Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the orchard. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” —Genesis 3:8–9

He still calls to His children, wayward or not. He delights in our being with Him. We often are caught up in doing things for him, but He simply wants to be with us. I think that is why we are called human “beings” instead of human “doings!”

Martha was busy! Her attention and concentration and focus were on the details of the preparations and the meal. She was preoccupied with her service to Jesus. How very easy it is for us to get distracted in the same way! Our motives may be as pure as refined gold, yet our focus is pulled away from the most important. The tyranny of the urgent creeps in and overtakes us!

In Come Away My Beloved, Frances J. Roberts says: “I want your life, character, and personality to be as beautiful and lovely as I visualized you to be when I created you. Live close to Me, and let Me remold and re-create until I see in you the image of all I want you to be … I do not want you to work for Me under pressure and tension like a machine—striving to produce. I only want you to live with Me. I have waited for you to wear yourself out. I knew you would find it eventually—the secret of silence and rest, of solitude and of song.”

Silence, rest, solitude, and song sound great to me! They can be ours if we, like Mary, choose to be in God’s presence. What Martha was doing was important; it just wasn’t the most important.

Jesus actually modeled this for us in Matthew, prior to the Sermon on the Mount. He and His disciples were confronted with a vast sea of hurting humanity. The Bible tells us:

“So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them. And large crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan River.” —Matthew 4:24–25

Can you even imagine the mayhem? This was the disciples’ introduction into following Jesus. I am confident that they felt as helpless to help the hurting as they actually were! This is where we all begin! We are all helpless to help apart from the Holy Spirit’s power within us. What follows is incredibly interesting! Jesus does the unexpected:

“When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. After he sat down his disciples came to him. Then he began to teach them.” Matthew 5:1–2

He sat down and taught! He did not begin by doing the obvious, which would have been the physical healing; He began by doing the spiritual work! He gave everyone a chance to be in His presence. He was showing the disciples what they would need to accomplish the task ahead of them. A task that was monumental and far beyond their ability! Oh if we could only appropriate this into our own lives! I am convinced we would not be so frenzied and defeated. Jesus desires to work through us with His power, for His glory, for our good, and for the furtherance of His Kingdom. Our own strength will fail us; it is only through His power that we will be sustained.

This is why we must come to Him daily to renew our strength and to regain our focus. Jesus could have just started by healing the masses, yet He chose to give the people himself.

Become More

“Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:6

Further Reflections

“Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.” —Jeremiah 33:3

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” —Psalm 91:14–16

“After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from that area came and cried out, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed.’ But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, ‘Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.’ So he answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ But she came and bowed down before him and said, ‘Lord, help me!’ ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,’ he said. ‘Yes, Lord,’ she replied, ‘but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.’ And her daughter was healed from that hour.” —Matthew 15:21–28

Never underestimate the power of humble, persistent prayer by someone who approaches in faith. This Canaanite woman’s actions clearly demonstrate to us the faithful and continuous seeking of the Master until obtaining the joy for which our soul longs. James tells us:

“So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.” —James 5:16

Addressing Jesus with the Messianic title of “Lord,” she begs for mercy for her demon-possessed daughter. Boldly, humbly, and seriously this woman cries out to Jesus. The devil had her daughter in a dire and dreadful hold and she comes seeking the Master’s mercy.

She first meets with the Lord’s silence; He answers her not a word. Sometimes, when our prayers appear to be unanswered, God is teaching us to pray all the more. The more we feel the burden, the more we should pray. Evidently, this woman is undeterred by our Lord’s silence. The disciples encourage Jesus to simply get rid of her. They are annoyed by her continuous crying out. The disciples seem to be more concerned with their own comfort. They want to silence her troublesome pleas rather than consider this poor woman’s difficult circumstances. Thankfully, Jesus never turns any away who willingly seek Him. 

Jesus initially responds to His disciples, yet within this woman’s hearing, that His mission at that time is to the lost sheep of Israel. While the sun and rain and fruitful seasons were and are given to all nations, there were special favors for God’s distinctive people, the Israelites. The woman breaks into the conversation and kneels before Jesus, again requesting His helping hand. His response is not what we are used to hearing from His kind lips: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.

I believe we learn an important lesson in this encounter with Jesus. All who approach Christ must first realize their standing (or lack of it) before Him. The reality remains, if He were to present himself to us in all His glory, no flesh could raise their face from the ground. This dear woman argues not against the truth of her standing with Jesus, but asks Him to consider that while she is not a child around his table of great grace and blessings, she is like a dog under His table … and even His dog is treated with kindness and mercy. She understands that any crumbs falling from the Lord’s precious table will sustain her.

In her humility, she is grateful to receive the “crumbs.” Nothing is gained by contradicting any word from Christ, even if His word seems harsh. Amazed at her great faith, Jesus commends her and grants her request.

The writer of Hebrews tells us:

“Now without faith it is impossible to please him, for the one who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” —Hebrews 11:6

Praise God that we who live on this side of the resurrection of Jesus no longer experience the distinction of either being “in” or “out” of God’s provision. As Christ-followers we have access to all that God so willing wants to give us!

Become More

“It was her faith that he commended. Several other graces shone brightly in her conduct here—wisdom, humility, meekness, patience, perseverance in prayer—but these were the results of her faith. Because faith, of all graces, honors Christ the most, he honors faith more than any other grace.” —Matthew Henry

Further Reflections

“When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear our prayers. When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, I will make myself available to you,’ says the LORD. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the LORD. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’” —Jeremiah 29:12–14

“The one sole thing in myself in which I glory, is that I see in myself nothing in which I can glory.” —Catherine of Genoa

“Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be the Messiah, can he?’ So they left the town and began coming to him.” —John 4:28–30

In our verses for today the woman at the well goes from miserable to missionary as she hurries from the well desiring to share her good news of Jesus with others. From apostate to apostle, this woman shows how concerned she was to have her friends and neighbors acquainted with Jesus. What a delightfully proper response from a heart that has been touched by our Lord!

When we encounter Jesus, our earthly duties pale in light of our heavenly ones! This woman rushes off with her good news, leaving behind her initial reason for being there. She has a story to tell and she is not going to be hindered.

There is nothing more convincing than one’s own testimony. How can anyone argue against our own experience? In her haste, she leaves her water jar behind. Perhaps she left it in kindness to Jesus that He may have something to drink with His dinner; perhaps she did not want to be encumbered as she went out to tell the town of Jesus; perhaps she was not longer concerned about worldly things and was simply focused on things above. Whatever the reason, she left on a different mission than the one she had come with.

I am reminded of Jesus’ words to His disciples:

“What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. Even all the hairs on your head are numbered. So do not be afraid; you are more valuable than many sparrows. Whoever, then, acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.” —Matthew 10:27–33

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes proper priorities in this way:

“So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the unconverted pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But above all pursue his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.” —Matthew 6:31–34

This woman’s testimony was a plain and simple one: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.” Jesus has told her what only God and her conscience had known. She was affected by the extent of His knowledge and by the power of His words to her. This woman had secret sins, sins she was reluctant to even admit. Jesus knew all about her lifestyle. He loved her even having full knowledge of her. Is there anything quite as beautiful, or peaceful, or winsome, as unconditional love? Do we not all seek such a love? This is exactly what God offers to us! His love is demonstrated to us through His precious Son Jesus:

“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” —John 3:16

Inviting the town to come and partake of the living water so that their insatiable thirst may also be quenched, this woman is a wonderful example of explosive evangelism. She simply shares her testimony. Prior to her encounter with Jesus, she would have been embarrassed to even have whispered in the dark. But the good news of Jesus is that He makes all things new!

Become More

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!” —2 Corinthians 5:17

Further Reflections

“Has he done the honour to make himself known to us? Let us do him the honour to make him known to others; nor can we do ourselves a greater honour. This woman becomes an apostle. I have most opportunity, and therefore lie under the greatest obligations, to do good to those who live near me.” —Matthew Henry

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways and he will make your paths straight.” —Proverbs 3:5–6

“Now at that very moment his disciples came back. They were shocked because he was speaking with a woman. However, no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Why are you speaking with her?’” —John 4:27

Arriving on the scene, the disciples are amazed to find Jesus talking with a woman—and a Samaritan woman at that! To their credit, they speak not a word! They perhaps wondered why He would stoop so low as to talk with such a contemptible woman—a woman fully deserving of scorn and reproach. And yet, isn’t it interesting how we also so quickly size up others and are blinded to our own flaws?

“All of us had wandered off like sheep; each of us had strayed off on his own path.” —Isaiah 53:6

“Just as it is written: ‘There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, together they have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not even one.’” —Romans 3:10–12

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

It seems that the disciples were often taken aback by Jesus’ actions, only to discover later the purposes behind them. Therefore, this time they appear cautious in asking Him about His conversation with the woman. They seemed to understand this time that Jesus had some good reason for this interaction.

We can trust what Jesus says and does because He plainly stated that He came only to do His Father’s will. He tells us:

“For I have come down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” —John 6:38

And what was Jesus’ mission? It is perhaps best summed up in the following words:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” —Luke 19:10

No soul too low, no sin too grave, Jesus came to seek out all who are lost. 

Become More

“I remember two things: that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.” —John Newton

“How rarely we weigh our neighbor in the same balance in which we weigh ourselves.” —Thomas a Kempis

Further Reflections

“You know to what extent You have already changed me, You who first healed me of the lust of vindicating myself, so that You might forgive all my remaining iniquities, and heal my diseases, and redeem my life from corruption, and crown me with loving-kindness and tender mercies, and satisfy my desire with good things.” —St. Augustine