We Have Heard for Ourselves - John 4:39-42

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup

The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, John 4:39-42. In this passage of Scripture, John records a conversation Jesus has with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Our hearts beat with hers and the people of Sychar as they meet Jesus for  the first time, and hear the gospel preached. As we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup, we remember His kindness for them and us as He sacrificed His life for us that our sins might be forgiven through faith in Him. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "We Have Heard for Ourselves." I read from John 4:39-42 (NIV). All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version (NIV) and are used with permission.

39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

The story of the Samaritan woman at the well is filled with bold moves by Jesus. His first bold move is to take the northern route through Samaria to return to Galilee. As the relationship between Jews and Samaritans was not good, most Jews avoided this route altogether. His next bold move was to speak to a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. Even the Samaritan woman was surprised, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" His next bold move is the frankness of His conversation with her; it is both deeply personal and spiritual. At the end of this conservation, Jesus reveals to her that He is the Messiah. Jesus says, "I, the one speaking to you-I am he." To date in His ministry, this revelation had been reserved for only a few, which the Samaritan accepts without reservation. She told the people of her village, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?" His next bold move is His decision to stay with them for two days! As Jesus explains to His disciples, this work is His food, to do the will of the Father, and share the good news of the gospel. To me, the most moving part of the story is the response of the people of Sychar, "We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world." As we look at this story, I submit that this meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman was not a coincidence, it was a divine appointment with her and the people of Sychar. It's one thing to hear others talk about Jesus and have your interest piqued, but it is altogether different to meet Him face-to-face and come to realize that He is the Savior of the world, and more specifically, you. Gladly, this happens every day around the world, and for those of us assembled around the table of the Lord today, we remember the day our eyes were opened. Sadly, the backdrop of our joy was the somber reality that our Savior, Jesus, had to die for us, and we remember His sacrifice every time we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup; it is a bittersweet moment for us. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. We recognize the kindness of our Savior, Jesus, in how He conversed with the Samaritan woman at the well because it is the same kindness He showed to us when we came to Him. We are thankful we know Him and grateful that He died for us that our sins might be forgiven. We remember His sacrifice just now as we partake of the bread and drink the fruit of the vine from the cup. We look forward to the day when we can see our Savior face-to-face and spend eternity with Him. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26:26-28 (NIV).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6:24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!