Firsthand Information

Day 125: John 4:4-42

“They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”' - John 4:42 ESV

Jesus, instead of doing what good Jews usually would do (go around Samaria through Perea), went straight south to have an encounter with a wild woman who obviously had an interest in theology. Jesus divulges a lot of information to this woman. He's actually more direct with her than He was with most people. He tells her about living water. He introduces her to the concept of not needing to only worship God in one place. Jesus even plainly tells her that He is the Messiah.

Their conversation has such an effect on her that she can't keep it to herself. She tells everyone in town what Jesus told her, and apparently, their interests are piqued to know more.

This last verse in our reading is so powerful. It is the heart's cry of every parent that wants their child to know Jesus. It is also the thing we desire most when we share the gospel with a close friend.

We want them to hear for themselves how amazing Jesus is; because if they do, we are confident that their lives will never be the same.

"In paganism of the first century, 'savior' was a technical term that described divine or semidivine deliverers, especially the Roman emperors. Inscriptions that read 'savior of the world' frequently applied to Hadrian (A.D. 117–138). Zeus and the healing god, Asclepius were regularly given the title, as were also the gods of the Mystery religions; for example, Isis and Serapis. Borchert called attention to the use by early Christians of the symbol of the fish as an identifying mark: the Greek word for fish was ἰχθύς (ichthys), whose letters stood for Ιησους Χριστος Θεου Υιος Σωτηρ (Jesus Christ, God’s Son, Savior). The term 'savior' took a prominent position in the confessions of faith in the New Testament and the early church." - Bryant, B. H., & Krause, M. S. (1998). John (Jn 4:42)