John 4:1-6 New Living Translation
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
4 Jesus[a] knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 3 So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
4 He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noon time.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
When in Bible Study, when we try to share a brief story of Jesus with others, we often focus on his birth, his death for our sake, and his resurrection. We might also mention some of those amazing things about his teachings and miracles.
But how often do we talk about or think of what Jesus’ day-to-day life was like?
Jesus was fully God and fully human, which means that he got thirsty, tired, and hungry. We are going to go on, presume being human, he had normal bodily functions, had to go to the bathroom to relieve himself sometime during the day, perhaps several times, one way or the other, every single day from birth.
Several passages in the Bible describe Jesus’ spending time with his followers and doing very human things: he feasts at a wedding, he walks, travels with his disciples, and in our reading today we observe that he also gets tired and gets weary and has to sit down by a well, where he asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water—ends up in a friendly chat, telling her that he is the Messiah!
I wonder how many meals Jesus ate with his followers, how many walks he went on, and how many jokes he cracked over a campfire at night. I wonder if he ever took time out from the seriousness of his ministry and mission to just have some serious and prolonged efforts at just “cutting loose,” fun with the guys?
Did the infant Jesus burn his hand on a hot pot which was that day’s dinner? Did he as a growing and maturing youth and teenager, play neighborhood games?
I wonder how much the disciples learned by just seeing their Rabbi act just like one of the guys, smiling, crying, getting angry, chit chatting about who cares?
I wonder how much of Rabbi Jesus “rubbed off” on influencing his disciples just simply by his day to day actions, chit chats, calm moods, ‘in a crisis’ behaviors?
Mark 4:35-41 New Living Translation
Jesus Calms the Storm
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
I wonder if Jesus’ disciples experienced God’s glory as much through Jesus’ everyday conversations and the way he lived each day as they did through his teachings, his ministry and mission, parables and miracles among the people.
We read much in the Gospels of the profound impact Rabbi Jesus had in drawing great crowds of the curious, the followers, the healed, the fed, the enlightened.
John 6:22-24 English Standard Version
I Am the Bread of Life
22 On the next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 Other boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.
Maybe reading and studying and fellowshipping, we might come to see and to identify with Jesus and his disciples and come to the conclusion living a life like Jesus shared daily with his disciples is not nearly as intimidating as it sounds.
It should not be that difficult for us to see He did lots of ordinary things in his day-to-day living, just as we do. How can we help to bring the presence of Jesus in ordinary ways as we spend time with the people God has placed around us?
1 Corinthians 11:1 Amplified Bible
Christian Order
11 Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Apostle Paul writes to the followers at Corinth
“imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”
Was this meant that Paul had divine powers and the Corinthians should likewise display their divine powers as Paul did who was imitating Savior Jesus Christ?
Not by a long shot …
Paul knew he had no such divinity, did try to pass himself off as having them.
Neither were the Corinthians being led to believe that they had divine abilities.
Matthew 5:43-48 Amplified Bible
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor (fellow man) and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, [a]love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [show yourselves to] be the children of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on those who are evil and on those who are good, and makes the rain fall on the righteous [those who are morally upright] and the unrighteous [the unrepentant, those who oppose Him]. 46 For if you love [only] those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers [wishing them God’s blessing and peace], what more [than others] are you doing? Do not even the Gentiles [who do not know the Lord] do that? 48 You, therefore, will be perfect [growing into spiritual maturity both in mind and character, actively integrating godly values into your daily life], as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Paul is here teaching them to be Imitator’s of Christ Like Behaviors … Love, Mercy, forgiveness, compassion, generosity, service, living Spiritual Gifts, actions towards towards God, one’s enemies, towards each other’s neighbor, getting your hands and feet and the rest of yourself into the work of ministry.
1 Corinthians 15:55-58 Amplified Bible
55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin [by which it brings death] is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory [as conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord [always doing your best and doing more than is needed], being continually aware that your labor [even to the point of exhaustion] in the Lord is not futile nor wasted [it is never without purpose].
What Jesus Did for us everyday! ‘Became A Weary Savior!’
John 4:4-6 Amplified Bible
4 Now [a]He had to go through [b]Samaria. 5 So He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; 6 and Jacob’s well was there. So Jesus, tired as He was from His journey, sat down by the well. It was then about the sixth hour (noon).
Jesus took the “shortcut” between Judea in the south and Galilee in the north. He went through Samaria. He was weary and tired, thirsty and hungry from his long journey around his homeland – we can truly envision he was exhausted.
He rested by the historic site of Jacob’s well.
So much history and promise come together in this moment.
We expect something grand to happen. Jesus has come to the well dug by Father Israel. (Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. [1]) [1] Genesis 32:22-28.
What great word do we hear from Jesus?
What triumphant deed does he do?
None. At least, not at first.
Jesus’ primary initial action was simply to sit down.
He was a weary Savior.
He was an exhausted Savior!
He was thirsty, hungry and exhausted just as we would be on that journey.
Sounds almost bizarre as our hearts exalt, hold Jesus in the highest of places.
At the same time, something wondrous is once again revealed to us all: Jesus became flesh. Human flesh. Mortal flesh. Wearying flesh. He knows us not only because he is God, but also because he was one of us whose feet got dirty, whose arms and legs grew very tired, and whose stomach growled when it was empty.
Jesus is a Savior who knows us; he knows us not just because he is God, but also because has lived in our world, sharing our burdens, and feeling our weariness.
Can you begin to connect with, relate to Him who came to us to love, redeem us?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams,
God, I long for you.
3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God!
When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night,
while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?”
5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me,
how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God,
with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs
observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for the salvation that comes from his presence.
7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast,
I remind myself of you
from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon,
from the hill Mizar.
8 (7) Deep is calling to deep
at the thunder of your waterfalls;
all your surging rapids and waves
are sweeping over me.
9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace,
and at night his song is with me
as a prayer to the God of my life.
10 (9) I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
under pressure by the enemy?
11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel
as if my bones were crushed,
as they ask me all day long,
‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast?
Why are you groaning inside me?
Hope in God, since I will praise him again
for being my Savior and God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 