There is Opportunity Everywhere

There is opportunity everywhere.

Chapter 4 of the Gospel of John is one of my all time favorite chapters in the Bible. It tells the story of the woman at the well.

John 4:1-6 NASB

1 Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John

2 (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were),

3 He left Judea and went away again into Galilee.

4 And He had to pass through Samaria.

5 So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

Now I know that the scripture says Jesus was weary from His journey. While looking at this something stood out to me. On His way to Galilee He went through the country of Samaria and stopped at a city called Sychar.

From the Greek Samaria means, guardianship. The name of the town Sychar from the Greek means, “drunken.” I am not suggesting that He wasn’t tired. I am suggesting that Jesus stopped at this city because the name itself presented opportunities.

Every day of our life we are presented with opportunities to share the story of Jesus. To help someone in need. Share an encouraging word. Simply put, someone in your world needs you.

One of the definitions of compassion from the Greek is, active compassion. In other words, if something moves you, this compassion would ask you to do something about it.

You wouldn’t be able to say I feel sorry for you and leave it at that.

Active compassion was the very heart of Christ. Faith moved him, and need moved Him. These things moved Him to do something.

In this dog eat dog world we must rise to the same level. Do it like He did it.

John 4:7-14 NASB

7 There *came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus *said to her, “Give Me a drink.”

8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

9 Therefore the Samaritan woman *said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

10 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.”

11 She *said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?

12 You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”

13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;

14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 4:14 AMPC

But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life

John 4:14 Message

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

Two words need some attention. “Living Water”

The word living comes from a Greek word and is used metaphorically. It means, “to live, breathe, be among the living. Having vital power.”

Water, also metaphorically from the Greek means, “of the primary element of which the world arose.”

Eternal creativity. It is in us!!!! It will consistently satisfy our thirst for God. For Eternity!!

John 4:15-20 NASB

15 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw.”

16 He *said to her, “Go, call your husband and come here.”

17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus *said to her, “You have correctly said, ‘I have no husband’;

18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

19 The woman *said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

20 Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

Jesus is giving her a picture of who she is. This is the benchmark of His ministry. Revealing Himself by His compassion for others. Breaking two very serious customs during this time to do so. Samaritan-Woman

What was He doing? He was tearing down walls of religion.

John 4:21-26 NASB

21 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.

22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

25 The woman *said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.”

26 Jesus *said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

The words spirit, and truth are used metaphorically in this passage. Spirit means, “the power by which the human being fells, thinks, and decides. Truth means, respecting God and the execution of His purpose through Christ.”

Then He tells her straight out who He is.

Remember, do it like He did it. It will reveal Jesus to the world.