“Come See a Man” (Part 4 of 4)

Never Jesus had a conversation with someone about their sin and their need for salvation, he did not shy away from uncomfortable topics. He faced them head on.

He addressed them directly, always with both truth and grace. Today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explains how Jesus' frank and genuine interaction with an outcast woman in Samaria led to a village-wide invitation to come see a man. Meanwhile, verse 31.

Meanwhile, back at the well. The disciples are urging Jesus to eat. You catch that, don't you? Rabbi, eat something.

And then this little dialogue that follows borders on the humorist, doesn't it? Jesus said to them, verse 32, I have food to eat that you know nothing about. And the disciples began to look at one another and said, Did somebody bring him food when we were away?

Now look at the disclosure. Verse 34. The disciples' complete misunderstanding opens up the way for Jesus to teach them this vitally important lesson. My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Now, this is a theme which runs throughout the Gospels, certainly throughout the Gospel of John. You go back to verse 34 of chapter 4. My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Now, keep that word finish in mind, because it is the same route that you will find if you read all the way to chapter 19, and you find Jesus upon the cross. And from the cross, remember one of the things he says.

It is finished. Not a cry of despair, but a declaration of the fact that he has completed what he set out to do—namely, to die in the place of sinners, so that those who deserve God's judgment and his wrath may not experience that judgment and wrath, because by grace, through faith, they have come to believe in the sacrifice of Jesus, who in this moment is explaining to these disciples that food and meat and drink for him was simply to do what his Father had sent him to do. And that becomes the occasion of him saying, And I'd like you to wake up and see the harvest. Isn't that the phrase there in verse 35?

I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields. This is a wake-up call not just to these fellows on that day, but it is a wake-up call to all who are the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because it is a reminder to us that very easily, like these fellows, we can become preoccupied with what is mundane and miss the overarching mission to which we're called.

We can actually get preoccupied with the doing of church and the way everything works and fits together and who's where and why and when, and forget the fact that Jesus is saying to us, I want you to wake up and see the harvest. I want you to open your eyes, not simply when you're in here in order that you might read the Bible, but when you're out of here in order that you might see the people. And what he's saying here is that the seed that is sown—the seed sown in this woman's life—is already bearing fruit in the harvest of the advancing Samaritans. Now, this parable of one sowing and another reaping is capable of all kinds of interpretation. Some have said that Jesus is referencing John the Baptist and his preparatory work, and now his disciples are entering into the benefits of reaping what John himself had sown. There are all kinds of legitimate ways, I think, in which we might make application of this, but it's hard not to see ultimately John chapter 12 and verse 24 in Jesus' statement.

And for this, you're going to have to turn to it, otherwise it will make no sense at all. The people had come and wanted to see Jesus. Verse 23, on hearing this, Jesus replied, The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.

I tell you the truth. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Now, Jesus is predicting his death, isn't he? It is only as the seed of the life of the Lord Jesus is sown in death, the death of the cross, that the fruit of eternal life may be reaped by anyone. And in an ultimate sense, it is Jesus who has finished the work, so that we might enter into the benefits of that for which we did not sow. For we have reaped from his work eternal life. And when that takes hold of our lives, then we will understand that he intends for those who have been so changed to be the agents for change and for reaping in the lives of others. That's why last time we tried to anchor chapter 4 and chapter 3, and I invite you to turn back one page to chapter 3 to verse 16 all over again. We said it was the most famous verse, probably, in John, maybe in the Bible.

Look at it again. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. What does it mean that God has loved the world? Well, it means that the message of the good news is not restricted to the Jew. It breaks the boundaries of that and bleeds over into the Samaritan world. And indeed, the harvest amongst these Samaritans is the indication—the first indication in John's Gospel—of the fact of the inclusive nature of the gospel, that it is for all men and all women everywhere. God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, and that there is eternal life, as we saw in verse 15 of chapter 3, for all who believe.

Now, let's just underline this. God is a seeking and a saving God. That gives the lie to the notion that in actual fact men are seeking for God, and God somehow is hiding from them.

No, that's not true. Men and women today may be seeking for peace, they may be seeking for fulfillment, they may be seeking for all kinds of things, but they are not seeking God. But God is seeking them. He is the God who comes to Adam and Eve in the garden and says, Where are you?

If we were to believe the way it is told to us by anthropologists and sociologists, it is the absolute reverse of that, isn't it? That God is away hiding somewhere, and Adam and Eve are going around the garden going, Where are you? Where are you? I'm looking for you.

No! Adam and Eve are hiding. Look at John chapter 3. What does it say? This is the verdict.

19. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light, because their deeds were evil. So you have these two things set side by side—men and women hiding in the darkness, and the light of the world coming to penetrate that darkness. Here the darkness is represented in the actual experience of this no-named woman at the well, and into the darkness of her life comes the light of Jesus—which, first of all, is a painful light in that it shows up her dark spots.

But it is a purifying light insofar as it shows her condition in order that it might radically change her condition. That's why we said last time that the work of the gospel is not simply to expose our search for satisfaction but is to expose our need of a Savior. And God's great purpose for a world that is rebellious and lost is a purpose of grace and salvation. He seeks out all kinds of people— religious fellows with a background and an intelligence.

As in chapter 3, and disenfranchised women, as in chapter 4. I'm so very grateful for parents—and I reiterate this as an encouragement to other parents, I want to do it always and vigorously—I'm so grateful for parents who did not listen to my nonsense when it came to my desire to remove myself from the teaching of the Bible in every shape and opportunity. I'm glad that they put me places I didn't want to go, in order that today I might be in a place I never planned to be. And on a Sunday afternoon, having already been out in the morning and getting ready when I finished this to go and sing in the junior choir, which was a great punishment to the choir teacher, and that for an hour before the evening service began, I spent the time between 2.30 and 3.30 in the afternoon in a boys' Bible class.

It was there I learned this song. He did not come to judge the world. He did not come to blame. He did not only come to seek. It was to save he came. And when we call him Savior, and when we call him Savior, and when we call him Savior, then we call him by his name.

And you will give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Jesus does not sit at this well as an example to this woman of how she could live her life if she could only sort herself out. He does not stand before her as an example that she may begin to approximate to.

What a sorry, hopeless charge that would be for those of you who play golf and play in the company of those who are good at golf. You realize that the example that you have of those who are very, very good is so paralyzing, ultimately, because we can see what they do, but we cannot do what they do. Because it takes them to do what they do. But of course, if their genius could come and inhabit me, then I could do what they do.

But if it's only a picture or a pattern, I can do it. The message of the gospel is that Jesus comes to live within a person, so that the pattern that he has established is a pattern that is fulfilled in the power that he provides as we live in the presence that he grants. Saves people from evil and from helplessness. Saving people from the chains that tie us to our past. Providing what is necessary to live as he demands. Well, what's the point?

Well, there may be a number of points, but this is the one I want to make. Since God is a seeking and saving God, those who are God's children should be about the business of seeking too. That's why he turns to these fellows and he says, Wake up and see the harvest.

Open your eyes. I know the standard thing is four months, he says, but I'm telling you it's now. It's hard for me not to apply this, however illegitimately, and say, Some of us are waiting to get serious about this business until we get through this next phase, you know. Well, when I complete my studies, when I sell my company, when I marry my fiancée, when my children are gone, when I graduate—all of these things that we think somehow or another are legitimate excuses allowing us to sidestep the implications of simply doing whatever we do every day to the end that unbelieving people might become the committed followers of Jesus Christ. It's not necessarily that our circumstances are about to be radically altered.

Perhaps it is simply that the way in which we engage in what we do is radically changed because of our perspective. Oh, look at all these lonely people! Where do they all come from? Look at all these lonely people!

Where do they all belong? That's it, he says. That's what I'm on about.

That's what I'm on about. If we're going to take such a commission seriously, then it will mean that we emulate Jesus in this respect. Jesus does not come with a prepackaged formula to Nicodemus or to the woman of the well, or indeed to anyone. He gets everybody ultimately to the same place, but he is masterful in the way he reaches his destination.

He doesn't use prepackaged language, and he doesn't have some kind of standard schtick that he always uses as his introduction. He starts with this lady where she is. Where's this lady? This lady has got a thing about relationships, and this lady's probably got a thing about sex.

This lady is a contemporary lady. She's been looking for love in all the wrong places. She's had five husbands. We don't know the details. She has a live-in lover. Jesus treats her with courtesy, with respect, with dignity, but he does not sidestep the issue. Go call your husband and come back.

I don't have a husband. Good. Now we're going to talk about what we really need to talk about. If you and I are going to take seriously the commission, then we're going to have to be prepared to talk to people about the areas that are represented in their lives—relationships, sex, whatever it might be—and to tread the narrow path between the idolization of sex and the denigration of sex, neither of which is biblical, but to recognize that there isn't a magazine in the checkout that doesn't sell something on the basis of human sexuality.

To recognize that there's hardly a day passes whereby all of the imagery that is confronting us vis-à-vis advertising is directly related to all of these things, and we live in that world. How are you going to handle this kind of woman? Well, I can't believe that you've had five husbands. I mean, that's absolutely disgraceful. Goodness gracious, one is bad enough. I hate to think what five would be like. And I would think after you've had five, what do you got another guy in the house for?

Goodness gracious! What are we to do with the fellow who by his choices has taken himself completely outside the bonds of God's pattern and plan? And he's here today, and he's wrestling with a homosexual lifestyle.

He says he's very pleased, but he isn't. Are we brave enough to exhibit love rather than hostility or to retreat in fear? You see, we can learn from Jesus' love. There is no love like the love of Jesus. There's no love like Jesus' love. Father, your love is a faithful love expressed in Jesus. And we can learn from Jesus' language, can't we?

No tribal language, no pious language, no technical language, not a bunch of jargon laid on the lady, nothing that is disdainful, nothing that is embattled, none of that at all. I don't know, but I would imagine this lady was on a quest for freedom. If you saw the New York Times, there was a picture of a lady there, a hippie.

I didn't know there were hardly any left. But she was there, and she was under a rainbow, and it was the rainbow day, or the rainbow weekend, or whatever it was. And they were all out there, and it described all these people from, I don't know where, Santa Cruz or whatever, and they had all got together.

I looked at it, and I thought, It looks pretty good to me, in one sense. You can go there and be yourself. You might even go there and find yourself. I would think this lady would have liked that event. Looking for freedom, looking for authenticity, actually maybe trying to find what it meant—find out what it meant for her to be her. And in that respect, she's a very contemporary woman.

And these are our friends, and these are our neighbors. And to them we go with the good news that only in Christ is there true freedom to be found without being enslaved, and only ultimately in Jesus is there kind of acceptance and community that will allow you to be who you really are under God while living in the discovery of his plan for your purity. And that was a woman's discovery, and with that we end. I ended by putting down my Bible, and I just sat for a moment or two, and I said to myself, I wonder if this woman ever made it to Jerusalem on the day that the sun turned dark. I wonder if this woman ever snuggled in with the rest of the brave women around the cross.

It's pure conjecture on my part. But if she did and she looked up to the cross with the women there, she would have been present to hear the end of the story, if you like. She would have heard Jesus say to Telestai, It is finished. And she might have said to herself, When I told him all the sins I'd ever done, and he said, I've got you covered, maybe this is what he meant.

Can it possibly be, she would have said, that this Jesus is hanging there in shame so that I might stand here in glory? Because that's the gospel. He takes what he doesn't deserve—our sins—so that he might grant what we don't deserve—salvation, forgiveness, freedom, hope.

And it all starts with, Could I have a drink of water, please? And advances profoundly with this statement, Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did. And it's the testimony of some of you, but not all. But it may be, because everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.

Taking a punishment he did not deserve so that we could receive forgiveness and freedom. That's a humbling thought about the sacrifice Jesus has made on our behalf. Today's message is titled, Come See a Man. You're listening to Truth for Life with Alistair Begg.

Please keep listening. Alistair will be back in just a minute to close with prayer. If you'd like to learn more about what it means to accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers, we hope you'll take a minute and visit our website. Watch a brief video called The Story. This is a beautifully animated presentation that will help you better understand the life-saving message of the gospel.

You'll find the video at truthforlife.org slash the story. Today's message is a reminder that meaningful conversations about the gospel can begin with simple questions. Oftentimes, discussions with others happen not because we've rehearsed a script, but because we are overwhelmed by our own experience of new life, and we want to share that good news with others. If you've wondered how you can develop a greater passion for telling people about Jesus, we'd encourage you to read a book called Facing a Task Unfinished by Roger Carswell. This is actually a 52-week devotional that brings together scripture passages, prayers, lyrics from well-known hymns. In this book, Carswell explains that as we become more like Jesus through studying God's Word, we develop an overwhelming desire for people to come to faith in Christ.

Facing a Task Unfinished takes us beyond the how-tos of evangelism and encourages us instead to spend time praying and asking the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our efforts. We'd love to send you a copy of this book today when you make a generous one-time gift or when you become one of our monthly Truth Partners. A Truth Partner is somebody who agrees to uphold this ministry through prayer and regular financial support.

You choose the amount of your monthly donation, whatever works for you. Truth Partners make it possible for people all around the world to hear God's Word taught with clarity and relevance on this program, and be assured we teach the Bible every day of the year here at Truth for Life, knowing that God's Word can do God's work in the lives of all who listen. Remember to request your copy of Facing a Task Unfinished when you become a Truth Partner or when you make a one-time donation.

Simply go to truthforlife.org slash truthpartners or give us a call at 888-588-7884. Now here's Alistair to close in prayer. Father, we pray that as surely as the woman looked into the gaze of Christ and saw the wonder of his love, so that those who today are uncovered by his gaze may find in him their only refuge, and that you will stir up our hearts as we think of the opportunities for the gospel that abound around us. May your grace and your mercy and your peace from Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be our portion now throughout the hours of this day and forevermore. Amen.

I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for joining us today. Be sure to listen again tomorrow for a new message in our series called A Light in the Darkness. We'll learn how God's work was displayed in the life of a man who was born blind. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.