So the Samaritans invited Jesus to stay with them. It was a sacrifice of time for these Samaritans, as they put aside their work and other daily tasks and responsibilities in order to have this two-day retreat with the Lord. And Jesus did stay with them and taught them. John recorded no miracles, or even requests for signs.
What a remarkable difference to the time Jesus spent in Jerusalem during the Passover. People were amazed at the miracles Jesus performed there, and John wrote that people did believe Jesus, but we know it was an insincere and shallow belief that did not honor the Lord, because John also wrote that Jesus did not entrust Himself to the people in Jerusalem....like He entrusted Himself to these people in Sychar.
The Samaritans' faith became grounded, not in supernatural experiences of signs and wonders, but rather in the good strong teaching of Jesus' words,
And 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 have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." (John 4:41-42)That's the strongest faith, and the most spiritually mature confession recorded thus far in Jesus' ministry. They had met Jesus themselves, and as they spent time with Him, their relationship became firsthand.
How often do you spend time personally with Jesus? It's easy to let our faith hang on someone else's testimony -- books, pastors, spiritual friends. That's why a very important part of your life is going to be spending time reading the Bible and asking God to personally instruct you.
You and I need to have our faith grounded in the good strong teaching of God's word being taught directly to us by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, through His Spirit.
If this post got you to thinking, please leave a comment by clicking on the word "comments" below, and join the conversation
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for sharing your thoughts