Simplicity of the Gospel

Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." (John 4:10)

I love how God sometimes arranges for me to hear things from different places that all dovetail together to help me know Him better and understand His Word. I happened to be listening to some sermons lately while I drive to and from work by Bill Liversidge, and in one of them he discusses this story in some detail. To hear Bill talk about something from the Bible is almost a guarantee that you are going to learn something new, for Bill Liversidge is one of the best teachers in the world of the inductive Bible study method. Nearly everything he uses from the Bible is presented more or less using this method.

So when I heard him start talking about the story of the woman at the well a couple days ago I knew that I was in for some good inspiration and assistance in unpacking this story for me personally. I was thrilled that God had arranged for me to hear this right while I was studying it inductively myself. In addition, Bill shares many stories of his own both from the mission field and from around the U.S. more currently that illustrate the reality of the gospel and God's power to save and transform lives that are very vivid and compelling. I find myself drawn out to want to know God much more after listening to Bill's humble and strong testimony for God.

One of the things that he brought out about Jesus' first response in His discussion with this woman was that there are three things mentioned here that actually constitute the totality of the gospel and how a person is to relate to it.

1. If you knew the gift

2. If you knew who I am

3. You would have asked

Each of these are key elements to both understanding and responding effectively to the gospel. Remember, the word gospel simply means “good news”. And the most powerful good news that has the ability to totally transform everything about our perception of reality is to discover the real truth about how God feels about us. That in turn exposes myriads of lies about Him that most of us have believed all of our lives. For it really is the dark pictures of God that we have been taught from very early on that keep us from believing and trusting and resting in Him and letting Him save and transform us.

Jesus was not saying these things in an attitude of condemnation for this woman. He was not implying in the slightest that she should have known better, that there was something wrong with her for not being aware of the gift of God or who He was. He was simply introducing both the truth about how God felt towards her and the reality that this gift was literally standing right in front of her waiting to be recognized and accepted any time she was willing. And furthermore, Jesus was actually revealing and affirming that He knew her heart's desire because He declared that if she had the right information He knew that she would have already responded by asking Him to impart to her this incredible gift.

Outlined here is the wonderful simplicity of the gospel message as exposed by Jesus and amplified in the rest of the New Testament. Unfortunately we often make it so complicated that we confuse both ourselves and others with our complex explanations and convoluted definitions much like the Jews obscured the law of God with their multitude of rules and stipulations and regulations. The gospel is far simpler than most of us are willing to acknowledge and it is far more powerful than most of us can imagine. I realize that I am only scratching the surface of it myself and my heart yearns to be freed of the inhibitions that hold me back from plunging even more fully into this glorious reality and having my life become a vivid experiment of grace in the hands of a perfect Savior.

But I am not content to stay where I am spiritually. I continue to pursue to know the real truth about this gift of God and I crave to taste much more deeply of this living water that brings real life and deep satisfaction to the deepest longings of my soul.

Beyond that, I seek to know much more intimately the real truth about the heart of the one called Jesus who says that He can save me from this darkness, ignorance and fear that have kept me at a distance from Him all my life. I too live in a society full of prejudices, bigotry, misconceptions about God and distorted religious ideas just like this Samaritan woman Jesus was talking to. This is not just a story about some isolated woman centuries ago, this is a living story that can be reenacted and re-experienced over and over again by anyone willing to allow its message and power to come alive through their own encounter with Jesus.

There is one more element of this core presentation by Jesus that is very important beyond just knowing about the gift and knowing who Jesus really is. God is incredibly polite because He is perfect love and love is polite. Love always needs permission to move forward into the area of the heart. It can do all sorts of things to get our attention and educate us as to its intentions and desires, but to really connect and come in to fill our heart and create the bonds necessary to increase love, it needs our permission to form those bonds. Love needs to hear a request to come in and do whatever love does to bring life and joy and peace and all the things that love can bring to a heart.

You would have asked Him, and He would have given you...

And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. (Matthew 21:22)

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

This brings me back to the main desire of the heart of God – joy. I have learned that the true definition of joy is the experience the heart feels when someone is glad to be with you, when you sense that you are the sparkle in their eye, the object of special affection in their heart and they long to just be with you all the time no matter what you may be going through or feeling. Jesus talked about joy a great deal and it was almost always in reference to wanting us to be with Him because He wants us to be where He is and experience His joy. This is brought out more clearly in the book of Hebrews.

...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

So, what I am starting to see here is that Jesus was demonstrating an attitude of contagious joy to this woman. Joy has an attraction about it that is very powerful like an emotional magnet, especially for people who have long been deprived of joy in their lives. This woman had become more and more emotionally and socially isolated as partly revealed by the fact that she was coming at an odd time of day to draw water and doing it alone. More clues are revealed later in this discussion that reinforce this. The Samaritan woman was likely starved for joy and Jesus was offering her something called the water of life that could satisfy this deepest longing of her heart. But it was not for hers only but anyone who comes to realize their inner need for real joy and accepts this standing offer of Jesus.

These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (John 15:11)

Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. (John 16:24)

Jesus, I need much more joy in my own life. Your Word says that oil represents joy and that one of the only things that distinguished the wise from the foolish virgins in the parable of the ten virgins was that the wise had an extra container of oil. I am convicted that I do not have that extra container yet because I have so little joy in my life. I feel isolated inside much of the time and do not feel joyfully connected with Your body here on earth. I need much more joy in my soul.

You told this woman that there were three things in the gospel that need to be in place. Help me to be much more aware of these three things and to experience them myself. And as for the last one, I am asking you right now to give me that living water, give me Your heart of love and compassion and fill my life and heart and soul with floods of joy that will spill over and attract others to come for a drink too. You said that if we ask in Your name that we will receive. I am asking and I am ready to receive for Your name's sake, for Your reputation's sake.