The woman at the well

[Cassia]

An ordinary day, just as sheppards of OT such as Rebecca, Zephorah,David and Moses were having before God changed their lives.
We see a new shepard emerging from those considered despised and the Lord is about to reap a reward of harvest.
He is alone, the disciples are away buying food. Jesus' brief request breaks thru all social rules that were meant to isolate the woman at the well.
Social rules demanded indifference but Jesus intentionally joined into her reputation as being unclean, yet they didn't imprison Him,
instead they shattered the myth.
It blew the mind of the woman and the disciples when they returned (John 4:9, 27)
What began as a basic creature need became the revelation of Jesus as the One to meet that need on the highest level.
He introduced the temple of spirit and truth composed of those declaring Him as savior of the world (John 4:42)
The blind because of circumstances of birth could now see.

The disciples's return and offer of food was met with
"I have food that you know not of"
and in so doing Jesus declared that the very substance of His highest life
consisted in doing the heavenly Father's will and accomplishing His work.
His edification came from both having their thirst quenched.
She received the Living Water and thru her it flowed to others, producing a harvest to the Father.
(Later we see that the 70's harvest produced that pertaining to material and was never brought in)
Christ's Presence, His Spirit, co-operating with the human spirit, in truthfulness (ie: reality)
holds edification and satisfaction that no former lord or master can. Christ, as the reality, has come..
.He is the True Husband....removing all shadows and types (John 4:25-26)

Amos 9:13
Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper,
and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed;
and the mountains shall drop new wine, and all the hills shall melt.​

So, Jesus continues on His journey with the disciples returning to the place of the wedding
Here He receives to Him those who are of the despised (Galilee) and weak (Cana) that receive Him.

John 4:43-46
But after the two days He went forth thence and went away into Galilee,
for Jesus Himself bore witness that a prophet has no honour in His own country.
When therefore He came into Galilee, the Galileans received him,
having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem during the feast, for they also went to the feast.
He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine.
And there was a certain courtier in Capernaum whose son was sick.​

Notice that the Samaritans receive eternal water, the centurian receives the word of life for the here and now.
(John 4:43-54)

 

[MoreCoffee]

An ordinary day, just as sheppards of OT such as Rebecca, Zephorah,David and Moses were having before God changed their lives.
We see a new shepard emerging from those considered despised and the Lord is about to reap a reward of harvest.
He is alone, the disciples are away buying food. Jesus' brief request breaks thru all social rules that were meant to isolate the woman at the well.
Social rules demanded indifference but Jesus intentionally joined into her reputation as being unclean, yet they didn't imprison Him,
instead they shattered the myth.
It blew the mind of the woman and the disciples when they returned (John 4:9, 27)
What began as a basic creature need became the revelation of Jesus as the One to meet that need on the highest level.
He introduced the temple of spirit and truth composed of those declaring Him as savior of the world (John 4:42)
The blind because of circumstances of birth could now see.

The disciples's return and offer of food was met with
"I have food that you know not of"
and in so doing Jesus declared that the very substance of His highest life
consisted in doing the heavenly Father's will and accomplishing His work.
His edification came from both having their thirst quenched.
She received the Living Water and thru her it flowed to others, producing a harvest to the Father.
(Later we see that the 70's harvest produced that pertaining to material and was never brought in)
Christ's Presence, His Spirit, co-operating with the human spirit, in truthfulness (ie: reality)
holds edification and satisfaction that no former lord or master can. Christ, as the reality, has come..
.He is the True Husband....removing all shadows and types (John 4:25-26)

Amos 9:13
Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, when the ploughman shall overtake the reaper,
and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed;
and the mountains shall drop new wine, and all the hills shall melt.​

So, Jesus continues on His journey with the disciples returning to the place of the wedding
Here He receives to Him those who are of the despised (Galilee) and weak (Cana) that receive Him.

John 4:43-46
But after the two days He went forth thence and went away into Galilee,
for Jesus Himself bore witness that a prophet has no honour in His own country.
When therefore He came into Galilee, the Galileans received him,
having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem during the feast, for they also went to the feast.
He came therefore again to Cana of Galilee, where He made the water wine.
And there was a certain courtier in Capernaum whose son was sick.​

Notice that the Samaritans receive eternal water, the centurian receives the word of life for the here and now.
(John 4:43-54)

I am having some difficulty sorting out the meaning of the words "His edification came from both having their thirst quenched." My guess is that it says that Jesus' edification (teaching perhaps?) came from both "doing the heavenly Father's will and accomplishing His work" but when I read "having their thirst quenched." I am not sure what your intended meaning is. Please explain.

I also wonder if "(Later we see that the 70's harvest produced that pertaining to material and was never brought in)" is a reference to the 70s AD or to the 1970s AD. I am guessing it is the 70s AD but clarification will help.

 

[Cassia]

I am having some difficulty sorting out the meaning of the words "His edification came from both having their thirst quenched." My guess is that it says that Jesus' edification (teaching perhaps?) came from both "doing the heavenly Father's will and accomplishing His work" but when I read "having their thirst quenched." I am not sure what your intended meaning is. Please explain.

That (Jesus' teaching) quenched the thirst with eternal living water, but on the level of reality (which they both are) His physical thirst was also quenched.

Do you have another explanation for His reasoning of being fed?

I also wonder if "(Later we see that the 70's harvest produced that pertaining to material and was never brought in)" is a reference to the 70s AD or to the 1970s AD. I am guessing it is the 70s AD but clarification will help.

70 disciples went out and thier harvest was lost John 6

 

[MoreCoffee]

That (Jesus' teaching) quenched the thirst with eternal living water, but on the level of reality (which they both are) His physical thirst was also quenched.

Do you have another explanation for His reasoning of being fed?

No, not really, I was interested to see how you developed your themes.

70 disciples went out and thier harvest was lost John 6

I see, so the 70's is a reference to the 72 disciples who went out to preach in the towns and villages of Judea.

Then the seventy-two returned with gladness, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us, in your name." And he said to them: "I was watching as Satan fell like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Yet truly, do not choose to rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20​

I am not confident that John 6 happens after the 72 mentioned in Luke 10:17 returned. The chronology of events in John's gospel is not easily linked to the chronology of events in the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

 

[Rens]

I am having some difficulty sorting out the meaning of the words "His edification came from both having their thirst quenched." My guess is that it says that Jesus' edification (teaching perhaps?) came from both "doing the heavenly Father's will and accomplishing His work" but when I read "having their thirst quenched." I am not sure what your intended meaning is. Please explain.

I also wonder if "(Later we see that the 70's harvest produced that pertaining to material and was never brought in)" is a reference to the 70s AD or to the 1970s AD. I am guessing it is the 70s AD but clarification will help.

She was thirsty for someone to fill her and the 6 guys couldn't.
We have an old Dutch song my mom used to sing. I think of that when I bike in the sun hill up with no water.
Panting deer escaped from the yaught doesn't long more for the pleasure of the cool water streams than my soul longs for God.
Lol yaught I mean hunt.

 

[Cassia]

No, not really, I was interested to see how you developed your themes.

I see, so the 70's is a reference to the 72 disciples who went out to preach in the towns and villages of Judea.

Then the seventy-two returned with gladness, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us, in your name." And he said to them: "I was watching as Satan fell like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the powers of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Yet truly, do not choose to rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:17-20​

I am not confident that John 6 happens after the 72 mentioned in Luke 10:17 returned. The chronology of events in John's gospel is not easily linked to the chronology of events in the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

That may be but it makes no difference to the overall content of the story.

 

[Brighten04]

She was a broken woman made whole by His presence.

 

[Rens]

She was a broken woman made whole by His presence.

and she started a revival in the city

 

[Cassia]

She was a broken woman made whole by His presence.

1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,
but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.​

Yes, wholeness is such an important word to the body of Christ, being perfectly fitted together. The Jews were always looking for signs to substantiate what was preached and the Greeks depended on the wisdom of philosophy. But the woman at the well took Christ as the power and wisdom of God and as such received the eternal living water, in turn bringing wholeness to her and her village.

Psalms 95:1-7
“Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods. In His hand are the deep places of the earth; the heights of the hills are His also. The sea is His, for He made it; and His hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand.”​

:amen: Jesus told her that those who worship will worship in spirit and in truth so the revival would be a lifestyle change I would think (altho we aren't told anything further of the villagers) , like an ongoing response to God because of the living water within.

and she started a revival in the city

 

[Brighten04]

Trying to put myself in the woman's place and trying to imagine what she was feeling; I think a lot of Christians hide their brokenness from others. This woman came to the well in the heat of the day. I imagine she avoided the cool morning hours because the other women would be there.She evidently was surprised to see someone else at the well at that time of day.She was definitely surprised that it was a man, and a Jew to boot. And Wow! He speaks to her and asks her for a drink!:shock: How outlandish! :shock: .I bet she didn't think He would read her brokenness so easily.She was probably ostracized by the community. I wonder what happened to all those husbands she had. Did they die? Did they divorce her? Why was she with this last man? It could not have been for status. Maybe it was economics. Maybe she had no other way to feed herself. Surly the other women were jealous of her, especially the unmarried ones.She had had so many husbands and some of them had not had one. She was probably called a lot of unflattering names.She was probably shy, introverted, and paranoid. She was definitely broken. I am just thinking of her state before she met the master.

 

[MoreCoffee]

and she started a revival in the city

More like a significant number of conversions than a revival - after all they were Samaritans not Christians so they were not being revived so much as being a mission territory

 

[Cassia]

Trying to put myself in the woman's place and trying to imagine what she was feeling; I think a lot of Christians hide their brokenness from others. This woman came to the well in the heat of the day. I imagine she avoided the cool morning hours because the other women would be there.She evidently was surprised to see someone else at the well at that time of day.She was definitely surprised that it was a man, and a Jew to boot. And Wow! He speaks to her and asks her for a drink!:shock: How outlandish! :shock: .I bet she didn't think He would read her brokenness so easily.She was probably ostracized by the community. I wonder what happened to all those husbands she had. Did they die? Did they divorce her? Why was she with this last man? It could not have been for status. Maybe it was economics. Maybe she had no other way to feed herself. Surly the other women were jealous of her, especially the unmarried ones.She had had so many husbands and some of them had not had one. She was probably called a lot of unflattering names.She was probably shy, introverted, and paranoid. She was definitely broken. I am just thinking of her state before she met the master.

To me brokenness is essential just as Jesus in death had the outer shell broken to release lifeforce within, brokenness constitutes a termination of natural life to reveal in the believer a new genuine nature of the spirit.
Probably all of the circumstances had bearing on her receptivity but also the villagers were under the same oppression of being considered dogs in the eyes of those who called themselves God's elect.
They received Hope/Faith from the Messiah (to her He did reveal Himself) to experience the joy for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose that included them! This was news to them! As well as the boldness to come to Him outside the camp, for neither there nor in Jerusalem was the place of worship. ONLY in truth and in Spirit is true worship found.

 

[Brighten04]

To me brokenness is essential just as Jesus in death had the outer shell broken to release lifeforce within, brokenness constitutes a termination of natural life to reveal in the believer a new genuine nature of the spirit.
Probably all of the circumstances had bearing on her receptivity but also the villagers were under the same oppression of being considered dogs in the eyes of those who called themselves God's elect.
They received Hope/Faith from the Messiah (to her He did reveal Himself) to experience the joy for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose that included them! This was news to them! As well as the boldness to come to Him outside the camp, for neither there nor in Jerusalem was the place of worship. ONLY in truth and in Spirit is true worship found.

Yes, I also think brokenness is essential. But hiding it does not help the healing process. Only exposure to the Light (Jesus) was able to mend the woman and give her the boldness she needed to run to the town to share the Light( Jesus) with the town folk. That they believed her and went out to meet Him, speaks volumes to her testimony about Him. Maybe she was animated, glowing,and joyful, as she never was in their presence. Maybe there was so much conviction in her testimony that she could not be ignored. Maybe that is what is needed in believers today so whole towns can be delivered and set free.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I've never thought of Jesus' crucifixion as breaking an outer shell. He died. When he rose again he rose in the same body in which he died - that is why there were nail prints in his hands and a wound in his side. Jesus rose and received whatever changes go hand in hand with glorification. I can't find any scriptural references to releasing a life force within.

 

[Cassia]

I've never thought of Jesus' crucifixion as breaking an outer shell. He died. When he rose again he rose in the same body in which he died - that is why there were nail prints in his hands and a wound in his side. Jesus rose and received whatever changes go hand in hand with glorification. I can't find any scriptural references to releasing a life force within.

His divine element was concealed within the human element like the shekinah glory was contained in the tabernacle.
John 12:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

The outer shell dies to reveal the seed of life within. In baptism and identifying with His death we arise into His resurrected life which produces a new lifestyle with it. ( as the villagers are said to have .. or according to the quote from Psalms .. which is the normal Christian reaction to receiving His new life) ) The old nature is shed and a new nature is revealed. Glory unto glory

 

[MoreCoffee]

John 12:24 says a grain falls to the ground and dies in order for a plant to grow. I've heard Buddhists and the like speak of the body as a husk or shell that is cast aside at some point but that is not a specifically Christian perspective on what a human body is.

 

[Brighten04]

His divine element was concealed within the human element like the shekinah glory was contained in the tabernacle.
John 12:24
Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless the grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

The outer shell dies to reveal the seed of life within. In baptism and identifying with His death we arise into His resurrected life which produces a new lifestyle with it. ( as the villagers are said to have .. or according to the quote from Psalms .. which is the normal Christian reaction to receiving His new life) ) The old nature is shed and a new nature is revealed. Glory unto glory

Yeah, my old pastor (R.I.P.) explained faith to me in this way Cass. When I was young and very inquisitive trying to understand my faith,he used the seed analogy to explain how every born again believer receives from God THE measure of faith in seed form. But I like the way you used it to explain the glory of the Holy Spirit contained within the human body.

 

[psalms 91]

John 12:24 says a grain falls to the ground and dies in order for a plant to grow. I've heard Buddhists and the like speak of the body as a husk or shell that is cast aside at some point but that is not a specifically Christian perspective on what a human body is.

Why not? Like God we are also a triune being, body, soul, spirit.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Why not? Like God we are also a triune being, body, soul, spirit.

God created man (and woman) as material beings in a material creation, he endowed Adam (and eve) with the breath of life and so Adam became a living soul. One is "unclothed" according to Paul between death and the bodily resurrection and that language makes it untenable to speak of human nature as being whole and complete without a body. Matter is not the source of sins but disobedience is.

 

[Cassia]

Yeah, my old pastor (R.I.P.) explained faith to me in this way Cass. When I was young and very inquisitive trying to understand my faith,he used the seed analogy to explain how every born again believer receives from God THE measure of faith in seed form. But I like the way you used it to explain the glory of the Holy Spirit contained within the human body.

Thank you Brighton, it's nice that you had a preacher working to give you the tools you needed but rarely is that the case. Most preach only what they think you want to hear and at that thru a cloud of meaningless words. It's good wnen we hear that of some that have the Body's best interest at heart.

Romans 7:6
But the Law no longer rules over us. We are like dead people, and it cannot have any power over us. Now we can serve God in a new way by obeying his Spirit, and not in the old way by obeying the written Law.
Romans 8:4-8
He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires.
People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things.
If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.
Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws.
If we follow our desires, we cannot please God.
Galatians 5:16
If you are guided by the Spirit, you won’t obey your selfish desires.
Galatians 5:22-23
God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful,
gentle, and self-controlled. There is no law against behaving in any of these ways.
Galatians 5:25
God’s Spirit has given us life, and so we should follow the Spirit.​

Romans 7:22 says to be delighting in the law of God according to the inner man, Eph 3:16 tells us to be strengthened with power thru His Spirit into the inner man 2 Cor 4:16 tho our outer man is decaying yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. Like the alabaster jar of pure nard the inner man is poured out only when the outer man is broken to release that which is imprisoned, contained and blocked within us and in extension within the church. The church not so much lacks the earthen vessels as it lacks the treasures contained within. All of us need to become broken and contrite before the living God. For some He does that quickly and for others He takes longer according to His Wisdom. His aim is to remove self-love so that we see His Hand working in our lives. Sometimes it's thru suffering that allows the inner seed growth thru which the light is seen thru the scars. Once that outer man is broken it doesn't stand in opposition to the inner man that is focused on the Holy Spirit. The outer man isn't removed in this lifetime but it becomes subservient to the inner man and the new nature can respond in a correct manner to God instead of being an independant act on it's own, like a train running wild. Our problem often is that when God does apply the breaks it's blamed on something else so instead of seeing God's hand we quench the Spirit and blame our "donkey" for halting.

What I liked about your former pastor is that he gave you a tool of discerning for yourself that has served you well all these years by the sound of it. What remains untouched in us will remain something with which we can never touch others with, thereby never being able to pass on the life giving Spirit to others.