John 4:16-26
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Reflection
The gospel is good news for those who know the bad news. The living water of grace is sweet only to those who know the bitter taste of their sin. This broken woman needed what Jesus alone can give. She had been a poor manager of her thirst (John 4:7–15) —a thirst only Jesus can satisfy. Though she had spent most of her life running to broken cisterns that hold no water (Jer. 2:13), she is now offered the only water that will truly satisfy the soul —the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
By nature, we are allergic to grace. We resist it. Like this woman, we look for ways to avoid Jesus. As Jesus pursued her heart, she switched the subject to talk about different perspectives on worship. In his mercy Jesus used this to pursue her further, teaching her that all of life is about worship. We can make substitute gods out of anything—relationships, religion, and especially ourselves. In a last-ditch effort to escape Christ’s penetrating insights, the woman attempts to put the conversation on hold until the Messiah comes (John 4:25). Little did she know, the Messiah had arrived (v. 26).
Titus 3:4-8
4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
Reflection
Note Paul’s use of the word “appeared” (Titus 3:4; see also 2:11–14). Christ’s appearance among his people to display “the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior” is presented as the means by which his people are motivated “to devote themselves to good works” (3:8). All true godliness is a consequence of understanding that God mercifully came and found us. He “appeared” to us. We did not first seek after him.
When Christ appeared, Paul says that God and God alone “saved us,” not due to any contribution we make but solely due to his own mercy (v. 5). We learn that this mercy gives us new birth, or “regeneration,” the inner renewal of who we are by the Holy Spirit (v. 5). We learn that this regeneration washes us —messy sinners get clean not by washing themselves but by being washed by the Spirit poured out on us (vv. 5–6). We learn that justification—being declared righteous in God’s divine courtroom —is only “by his grace” and makes us not only righteous but heirs, with Christ, of all things through the hope of eternal life (v. 7).
Salvation through the gospel is a total salvation, and is totally by God’s own free grace. The good news of Christ’s salvation is what enables us to live with godly devotion (v. 8) —living for Christ without being intimidated by the world or enslaved by its motivations.
Psalm 22:19-21
19 But you, O Lord, do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! You have rescued me from the horns of the wild oxen!
Because of his great love for us, God pursued us even when we were resistant to him (John 4:16–26). Pray that his persistent grace would overcome the rebellion of those in your life who are running from Christ.