John 4:1-16 brings us to the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. The story of the Samaritan woman. Do you know what I see here? Jesus has a love that has no boundaries. He crossed to a place where most would not go and reached out to a woman that many wouldn't would have ignored.
This woman was a social outcast. Human love is not apparent in her life although she continues to seek it. She continues to come up empty handed after she has given all that she has to give. But here, Jesus shows her compassion and a love that is undiscriminating.
While at the well, this woman comes to know Jesus. A Jesus who already knows all about her, but the wondrous thing here, the fact that He is still accepting of her. In verse 16 He tells her to go and get her husband. Jesus already knows she is not married to the man she is with today and He too knows of all the other men that have entered into her life. He wants to be the love of her life. He wants her to let all go and to stop seeking a love that will never satisfy or complete her.
This is what I love and what brings me humbly to my knees. Jesus knows every detail of my life. He knows every dark corner of my past, every thought I encounter today and what I will act upon in my future and He still continues to love me. He chooses to love me. He chose me after all! There is nothing I have done in my past that He doesn't know about. He knows my thoughts, my dreams and my fleshly desires.
He comes to us and just wants us to sit with Him a while. He wants to be the Water we search for to quench our thirst. He wants to be the Bread that we seek to fill us. He wants to be the love of our life and He is willing to go to any cost to bring us to see His love. He went to the cross. A place none of us would want. But He did. He did it all for love.
Can you imagine this Samaritan woman as Jesus is telling her He already knows? I can almost see her eyes as He tells her. I can feel her hands shake as she is sitting before Him. I can understand how she must feel at this very moment realizing every act and every word spoken has gone before His eyes. Jesus didn't want her to feel broken and battered. He wanted her to see beyond her sin. He wanted her to see a new way, a better way. He was ready to comfort her and wash her in His grace. His love was there to cover her sin and bring her to redemption. Here at the well she finds a new release on life.
I think of it as a "Life Trailer". We have trailers for movies and books that give us a small glimpse into what we are about to see, but Jesus doesn't just have a glimpse. He has total view. He has the unedited version. You know, the version we want no one else to see.
Can you see the tape running? No commercials. Just Jesus and our humble hearts as each scene of our life is being viewed by our Savior. There is no one sitting in front of Him to block His view. He has a front row seat. About this time we are wishing we were sitting in the back row so we could sneak out. You know those bad parts we wish we could hide our eyes to keep from watching the horror before us. Even our heart is there in full view.
We see the times we thought no one else was watching. Those messages and texts we send in hopes that only that person will see them. We sit before Him humble and broken and in need of His grace. The beauty? Jesus takes that video and destroys it. He doesn't shelf it to watch over again. He doesn't put it out there for all to see. He brings it to a close and graciously extends His hand of grace and gives us a new tape. No rewind. No fast forward. Just right now, today, in this moment. He erases our past with just, "Forgive me".
He gives us a new scene to explore. A do-over if you will. What we do with the rest of those scenes is totally up to us. This is why scene by scene we need to face the Director. We need to visit the Producer of our great story and act out each scene according to His script. He doesn't need me to improvise. He wants me to take His direction and follow His lead.
He knows the next scene of my story. He knows the last scene and just how it will take place. Through His great motivation and experience He will get us through this scene and the next if we will only take His direction. Even when it's hard for us to get it right and perform with excellence, He knows just what it is going to take bring out the best in each of us.
"For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-12 NASB
"Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You."
Psalm 25:4-5 NLT
