John 4:42 – Give Your Testimony

“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.”  John 4:42

The Samaritan woman at the well returned to her community and shared her testimony. She must have shared it in a way that reflected the life changing interaction she just had with Jesus because their response was to go and see for themselves. I’m sure her testimony was filled with the amazement of meeting the Messiah, and the tremendous relief and joy that comes from knowing the One who, “came into the world to save sinners,” (1 Tim. 1:15). I am sure she was honored, humbled, and overjoyed that Jesus chose to, “display his immense patience,” through taking the time to speak with her and show her mercy (1 Tim. 1: 16). This woman’s experience with the Lord Jesus reflects His invitation to us all who struggle under the burden of sin, guilt, and shame, to “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,” (Matt. 11:28-30).

She was not able to answer every question about who Jesus was, why He came, why He chose to take time to speak to her, or any of the big questions we contemplate when considering our role in God’s grand design, but she knew her testimony and what it meant to her that Jesus took hold of her life. The Samaritan woman at the well sets a model for us in how we too can spread the Gospel, and we should follow her pattern. Acknowledge our need for a Savior, accept Jesus as our Savior, allow Jesus to wash us clean of guilt and shame, live as a person restored and daily nourished by Jesus, share our testimony with our words and with our life, and direct others to Jesus.

When Jesus told Simon to, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch,” and through Simon’s obedience the Lord delivered “such a large number of fish that their nets began to break,” at no point did Jesus say go catch the fish with a deceptive lure or bait concealing a sharp hook, then yank that hook through their cheek and drag them into the boat, (Luke 5:4,6). Instead, Jesus gathered them into the net and into His possession, and we must trust that it is Jesus who does the gathering. Our role in bringing people to Christ is not to lure or bait them into belief. Our role is not to win the argument against the lost. Our role is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that the lost might come to know the joy and relief that we share with the Samaritan woman by knowing Jesus as Savior. We can do that by giving our testimony with our words and by living out our testimony day-by-day, by sharing Jesus’s word, and by helping to lift the scales off the eyes of the lost by living lives transformed by Jesus and reflecting authentic love for Jesus and dependance on Jesus both personally and as a church.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving us, for showing us mercy, and for taking the time to speak to us. Help us to live boldly for You, living lives that reflect the relief, joy, and restoration that You provide. Give us courage to boldly spread Your Gospel message through sharing the testimonies that You have given us and living them out day-by-day.