Children, how do you respond to God's Word? Yes, if you are old enough to understand what I am saying, then you are old enough to respond to the Word of God.

And so let me ask you, what kind of soil have you been? Do you remember the parable of the sower and the seed? How the man sowed the seed on his field. Some fell on the pathway. Please don't tell me that you are like the pathway-- that the Word of God has just bounced off your heart, with no effect at all! But are you like the stony ground--do you receive the Word with joy, but then it just withers and dies...? Or are you like the thorny ground--do you receive the Word, but then it gets choked by the busyness of your week, and it bears no fruit? Or are you like the good soil--is the Word bearing fruit in your life? In other words, are you becoming more like Christ? Are you learning to forgive those who have sinned against you? Are you learning how to rejoice in the midst of trials? -even when your brother or sister is annoying you? Are you trusting in the grace of God to make it through each day? Of course we will never be perfect in this life, but are you growing? are you bearing fruit?

I ask these questions because in John 2-4 we see many different responses to the Word of God.

1) we saw the disciples who believed in Jesus after his first sign in Cana (2:11) 2) we saw many believing in Jesus because of the signs in Jerusalem (2:23) 3) we saw Nicodemus, who initially did not believe the Word (3:12) 4) we saw John the Baptist declare that "whoever believes in the Son has eternal life" (3:36)

And in today's reading, 5) we see the Samaritan woman who believed the Word (4:29) 6) we see the Samaritans who hear the Word and believe--even without signs and wonders (4:41) 7) but we also see the people in Galilee who do not believe without signs and wonders (4:48)

After hearing Jesus, the Samaritan woman is convinced that he is the Messiah. But then his disciples return. They don't say anything, but their very silence makes it clear that they do not understand what is happening. They may not be saying, "why are you talking with her?", but they are thinking it! But the woman has heard all that she needs to hear. She returns to the town and tells them to come and see this man who has told her all that she has done. In spite of her sin, he has offered her salvation, and now she comes to her people to tell the good news.

Meanwhile, the disciples think that they have gotten rid of her, and they offer Jesus something to eat. But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." Jesus' food is to do the will of the Father. But notice that here he simply refers to the Father as "him who sent me." It is only in the following chapter that John will set forth the relationship between the Father and the Son. Chapters 2-4 are focused on Jesus' identity as the Messiah, the one who came down from heaven. Some respond in faith to the signs that he performs. Others, like the Samaritans, simply believe his Word. Jesus wants his disciples to understand that harvest of the kingdom is at hand. They are to reap a harvest that they did not plant. They were expecting a harvest of Jews. They had not planted anything among the Samaritans, for who would have anything to do with a Samaritan?! But Jesus is going to harvest a crop that he did not plant. The Samaritans will believe in his Word, and he will bring in an unexpected harvest. This verse is often used to encourage missions-"the fields are white for harvest"- and this is right. But we ought to use it also to remind one another of the unexpected harvests, the harvests that we did not plant. We must be ready for God to do unusual things in our midst. And if it is our food to do the will of him who sent us, then we will be prepared.

Do you sometimes wish that God would perform a miracle? When I was in my late teens, I wanted to see signs and wonders! I prayed constantly that God himself would speak directly to me, and wound up doing some pretty stupid things because of it. But I never got what I wanted. This passage teaches us that we should not get sidetracked by longing for signs and wonders.

Look at the response that Jesus gets in Samaria. The Samaritan woman hears the Word of Christ, and then rushes off to tell others that Messiah is here. Then the rest of the townsmen hear the Word, and they urge Jesus to stay with them. He stays for two days, and they are already convinced that he is the Savior of the World! (v42) What does it mean that Jesus is the Savior of the World? Remember what we saw last time? Jews and Samaritans are both descended from Jacob, but the Samaritans had been cut off from the true worship of God. But Jesus proclaims the reconciliation between Jew and Samaritan (v21-24) And so now the Samaritans proclaim Jesus to be their Savior. Jesus is not only the Savior of the Jews, but also of the Samaritans; and they understand that if Jesus is able to save Samaritans, he is also able to save Gentiles as well! Jesus is indeed the Savior of the World! This does not mean that Jesus will save every single individual; It means that Jesus will save people from every tribe, and every nation. We saw this at John 3:16 "For God loved the world in this way, that he gave his only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." God loves his creation and will save humanity from destruction; but God must also judge his fallen creation, and he must judge sinful humanity. All those who refuse to believe in Christ, who reject the Word of God, will be destroyed when God sends the fire of his wrath upon this creation. As John has said in 3:36, "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; Whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." You see, human beings are creatures! We may be the pinnacle of creation, but we are part of creation nonetheless. And so as long as we belong to this world; as long as we belong only to this humanity, we are under God's judgment -the wrath of God remains on us. But Jesus Christ has brought about the new creation in his death and resurrection. Even so, he has established a new humanity, that those who are called by His Word, and believe on the Name of Jesus, will live forever with him. And so we may proclaim that Jesus Christ is truly the Savior of the World, because in HIM we now belong a new creation, and a new humanity, and we need not fear the judgment of God, because HE has taken it for us!

So Jesus spends two days in Sychar, with the Samaritans. And in two days, MANY Samaritans believe. Now there is NO indication that Jesus performed any miracles there. He simply preached the gospel, and they believed.

Now look at the contrast in verses 43-54.

Those from Galilee received the Word but only with signs Many Samaritans believe in two days with no signs! Few Jews believed even after many days and many signs!

Why does Jesus go to Galilee? (read 43-45) Why did he leave Jerusalem? Why didn't he stay in Samaria where people believed in him?

Well, what was happening in Judea? People were flocking to him and the Pharisees were getting upset. But he needed to find a place where he wouldn't attract a whole lot of attention. The best place to do that was Galilee, because in Galilee, the people received him as a miracle-worker, but they didn't flock to him like those in Judea. They didn't believe in him--they just wanted a few miracles! His "time" had not yet come. He needed to go to a place where he would have no honor. As the synoptic gospels make clear, Jesus needed some time to train his disciples before leading them back to Judea. So he takes them to Galilee.

Augustine pointed out the difference between the Samaritans and the Galileans: The Galileans wanted signs and wonders; The Samaritans were content with the Word.

Look at v39-42--notice the focus on the Word Now look at v46-53 Jesus returns to Cana--the same place where he had turned water into wine-- the same place where he had performed his FIRST sign. And now this nobleman comes and begs him to come and heal his son. Jesus replies: (v48) This man does not really believe in Jesus--he just wants a miracle! So what does Jesus do? Does he say, "forget you, buddy!" "If you won't believe in me, I'm not going to heal your kid!" No, because Jesus wants to change this man's heart! And his Word is powerful enough to do that. So he rebukes him--and all Galileans as well! He rebukes him for putting his trust in miracles instead of trusting in the Word. But the nobleman thinks that Jesus only has local power --that he would have to come all the way to Capernaum to heal his son. Again, Jesus wants this man to trust in the power of His Word! So he says, "Go your way; your son lives" Notice: the man does not believe in Jesus--rather, he believes this particular word, this statement, of Jesus. That is a start-but it is not yet the whole story. Only when his servant meets him and tells him, "Your son lives", does he believe. And THEN--when he discovers that it was at the very moment when Jesus spoke, that his son was healed, ONLY THEN do he and his whole household believe in Jesus! The reason why he believes IN Jesus is because he has realized that Jesus is more than a healer: he ALSO knows the hearts of men!

Isn't that what John 2:25 says: Jesus had no need of anyone telling him about men, because he knew all men.

And John 2-4 is all about how Jesus knows the hearts of all men: Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, the Nobleman and his servant. John 2-4 is all about how Jesus changes the hearts of these people by the power of his Word.

And just as John 2-4 begins with Christ's first sign in Cana (turning water to wine); so also it ends with Christ's second sign in Cana (healing the nobleman's son)--v54.

John 2-4 tells us that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World: that if you want to have everlasting life, you must be born again, you must believe in Jesus, the one who came down from heaven, you must be born of water and the Spirit, you must drink the living water, you must hear His Word, and bear fruit! you must worship in Spirit and in truth!

So it is very clear that you have the responsibility to believe in Christ. YOU must believe. YOU must be born again YOU must not run after signs and wonders, but must believe in the WORD of God!

But, you say, "if it's up to me, I'm in trouble!!!" I'm a sinner! How can I believe?

And so in John 5-6, Jesus is going to explain how human responsibility and divine sovereignty fit together! Having heard about who Jesus is, we are about to hear how he relates to the Father.

You have heard the Word of God. How will you respond? Will you believe the Word? Or will you wait for signs? And if you want a sign-what greater sign can there be than the sign that Jesus gave in his resurrection from the dead? As Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 1:22-24, "Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." The Samaritans believed the Word, and repented of their sins --without ever seeing a miracle. This calls us back to our Old Testament reading from Isaiah 55: "Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Jesus echoed the language of Isaiah in calling the Samaritan woman to come to him as the living water. He calls you now to (read Isaiah 55:6-11) Come to Jesus. His word never returns empty. It always accomplishes its purpose. And what is that purpose? Read 55:12-13 Isaiah promised that the day would come when the whole of creation would rejoice in the everlasting sign that would endure forever. That sign has been performed in the resurrection of our Savior. If you desire a sign, look to Jesus, the everlasting sign. If you wish to hear a Word from God-hear him, the Word who is God, and was in the beginning with God!

Copyright © 2003 Peter J. Wallace