Daily Good News – The Dawn of Christ’s Truth

May 5, 2015 1322

 

“The woman said, ‘I know that Messiah [called Christ] is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.’ Then Jesus declared, ‘I who speak to you am he’” (John 4:25-26).

Why did Jesus openly reveal to this Samaritan woman that he was the Messiah, when he forbade his disciples telling the Jews—the people chosen to prepare the world for the coming of the Messiah—that he was the Messiah (Matt. 16:20)? The difference was between having an open mind to what God had to teach, and having a closed mind because of false beliefs.

Jesus had a very deep and challenging discussion with this Samaritan woman. He told her things that must have confused and bewildered her. She would have known that the Jewish holy men accused the Samaritans of worshipping in ignorance and fear. They had a long list of gods who they worshipped – the Jewish Jehovah was only one of many. But this woman anticipated the coming of the Messiah as someone who would explain everything to them. She, a foreigner, seen as a second-class citizen by the Jews, looked forward to the coming of the Messiah.

Our personal interpretations of Scripture should never be set in concrete but always be held in suspension because along the way the Holy Spirit may have better understandings of those passages for us. The truth is God’s word, not necessarily our interpretation of God’s word. This Samaritan woman must have felt that the sun had come out from behind a cloud. That is what happens when we realise that God is speaking to us.

 

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