Private Conversation

For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. (John 4:8)

At first glance it would seem that there is nothing to notice about this text. They were traveling together, it was hot and they were all likely tired. Jesus, for whatever reasons may have been, or at least appeared to be, more tired than the rest of them and chose to rest by the well at high noon while the disciples all went into town to get food and bring it back for lunch.

And while some people may object to reading into the Bible inferences that don't seem obvious, I have been learning that a person with an open mind and even more importantly an open heart can receive many insights from the Holy Spirit that can apply to life and understanding God's ways in all sorts of unlikely places throughout the Bible. The Bible is simply overflowing with rich revelations about reality and about God's ways of dealing and thinking, most of which go unnoticed or more likely misapplied by those who fail to listen to the Spirit with a humble, teachable attitude.

The Jews in Jesus' day had this problem so systemically that even the somewhat illiterate disciples most of the time missed the real meaning and point of nearly everything that Jesus was about while He was with them. They were so sure that they had the broad outline of religion clear in their minds as learned from the religion that they grew up in, that anything that didn't fit into those assumptions usually slipped right past them. It was not until their own world view of reality was shattered and a completely new perception of what life was all about took its place around the time of Pentecost that they were able to perceive with new eyes and new hearts the much deeper meanings of everything Jesus had done and said.

The problem still remains the same. Most people are unwilling to challenge their own religious assumptions and prejudices. If something doesn't fit very well into our preconceived ideas then it is assumed to be irrelevant or wrong. This is one of the greatest hindrances to receiving the truth because it disables the mind and heart from being willing to see things from heaven's perspective. It assumes that religion as we have known it to be is the standard that must be guarded and used as a filter for all new information.

I am finding it very useful to ask lots of questions as I read. And I find that if I am willing to lay aside my preconceived ideas to some extent while being careful to guard my spirit from cynicism or unbelief that the Spirit is eager and always ready to impart wisdom and insights to anyone willing to synchronize with that Spirit. The guidance of the Holy Spirit is crucial to properly opening the Word of God to the mind and without it any number of alternative but confusing suppositions begin to be believed. They often can sound very compelling but they lack the consistency with the revelations about God's true character that is needed to fit them into the proper place in the larger picture of reality.

The questions that I ask this morning is,

What might it have been like if maybe some of the disciples had chosen to stay with Jesus instead of going into town?

Would it have been possible for Jesus to have the most sensitive discussion with this vulnerable woman if anyone else had been present?

And if so, how much more clearly would the disciples who might have stayed been able to perceive the real truth about Jesus? Or would they have misunderstood even then the profound interchange between Jesus and this woman?

Evidently, this story must have been relayed to the disciples at some later point, possibly just before or after Pentecost. This woman may well have been part of the body of believers after Jesus returned to heaven. On the other hand, after the dramatic transformation of the whole city a few minutes later, it would seem that at least some of that original discussion may have become known to them simply from their asking around about what had precipitated such an electrifying turn of events.

In any case, it seems to me that there may be significant things to learn from the fact that there were no disciples present when Jesus had His encounter with this woman that so transformed her view of life. They missed the first-hand opportunity to witness the heart-work that Jesus so skillfully performed in this situation. They witnessed the after-effects but they could only learn second-hand what had caused a whole town to suddenly change their attitudes and perceptions toward a group of Jews that normally they would hate.

I also wonder about similar situations today. Is it possible that sometimes Jesus has to wait until all the religious people with their entrenched preconceptions are out of sight before He can effectively speak to the hearts of some individuals? It is possible that maybe even in church it is extremely difficult for some people to hear the voice of God because of the presence of prejudice and assumptions about religion that keep some from hearing the voice of God?

I believe that God desires to connect with His people corporately when possible. But I also see many times where it is very hard to hear messages from God in what we assume to be the body of Christ in the denominational church setting. Our assumption is often that our local church is God's chosen group through which He is supposed to convey His will to us. Yet the very word denomination denotes division, separation, even prejudice. Nearly every denomination claims to be God's chosen people and to have the right truth apart from the others. Yet every church I have attended has many blocks that inhibit some people's ability to feel free to open up to God and become transparent in their life.

This woman's reaction to her encounter with Jesus was stunning – really. When she later went into town and simply exclaimed, “Come, see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” the effect on the town was electrifying. And even though technically Jesus had not actually detailed everything that this woman had done throughout her lifetime, the transparency that she experienced in the presence of this God-man who had revealed Himself to her as the Savior of all mankind was nothing short of shocking. It was this shock factor that grabbed the attention of the townspeople and it will be this same kind of transparency that will get our attention today whenever someone encounters Jesus like this woman did.

Most people are afraid of transparency. They want to be very guarded about their inner life just as this woman was when she first began talking with Jesus. And I guess the question still remains open, could this have turned this way with the same results if anyone else had been present during this interchange between Jesus and this well-known sinner who was afraid of nearly everyone at this point in her life?

One more point that I notice about this story. Just as Jesus expressed some of His most profound statements about God to this woman alone, in the last chapter He expressed some of the most profound teachings about the Kingdom of God to a man alone at night without any other witnesses. It seems that Jesus was ready to meet people alone and open things to them that may not be so easy to do when there are more people around.