“27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no-one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?” 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way towards him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

              This morning as we look at the text, I want to make some instructional insights into the text itself and will follow that by giving what I think is the message of the text.

              The first instructional insight I want to give you is to observe that at the very moment Jesus says, “I am he, I am the Christ, I am the Messiah,” the disciples return and the conversation ends.  I am sure the Samaritan woman has more questions, but she stops asking them because the disciples return at that instant.

              She leaves in a hurry.  She does not leave because of the disciples, she leaves because she is in a hurry to go back to the village and let them know about Jesus before he takes off.   They start coming down to the well right away.

              A second instructional insight is found in her comment, “Could this be the Christ.”  In the Greek language it is very clear that she has an element of doubt.  Greeks could ask a question one way implying that the answer was “yes” and another way implying their uncertainty or their doubt.  The word “could” in the Greek language tells us that she is still not convinced.  Why?  Because the disciples interrupted the conversation.

              The same case can be made for the disciples comment in verse 33.  They ask if anyone else could have brought him food.  But the way they say it implies doubt that anyone else in this foreign land came and offered him food.

              The last instructional insight is that it took about four months for wheat to grow.  When it was ripe, it turned from green to white.  If a person planted, they could expect a harvest, but four months later.

              The scene the disciples come on must have been shocking to them:  their rabbi alone with a woman in the middle of the day.  It is so shocking that they are afraid to ask any questions. 

              Have you ever been alone with someone, nothing bad has gone on, but someone opened the door or came around the corner, and everyone was aware of the fact that they were in an embarrassing situation.  But no one said a word.

              Jesus uses this situation as a teaching moment.  In this moment he teaches the disciples something that will benefit them for eternity.  But he also intended for us to read this.

              I don’t believe the whole conversation is recorded.  I believe that John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave the highlights.  The parts that are missing are not necessary for us, or they would have been given.

              So why do we have what we have before us?  It is for our benefit.  God gave us His word so that we could learn.

              What are the high points that Jesus wants us to learn?

              First, we learn that he wants to teach his disciples.

              When Bob Jacks was here, he made the comment that Jesus sent the disciples away because they would have interfered in the conversation between Jesus and the woman. 

              In this passage I see the woman leaving so Jesus can instruct his disciples.

              Jesus wants us to be disciples.  What are disciples?  Disciples are people who learn from a master teacher so they can implement his teaching in their lives and pass that same teaching on to others.

              Are you a disciple?  Are you learning anything from Jesus so you can apply it in your own life?  Are you also trying to teach others what you have learned from Jesus?

              If not, it is our role as a church to encourage you to do so.  Jesus told his disciples to “teach them to obey all that he had commanded them.”  It is our responsibility to teach you to teach yourself and then teach others all that Jesus has to say.

              Notice how Jesus turns the tables.  In other places, he told them what they were thinking privately and then tried to straighten them out.  In this situation, he avoids discussing the woman and waits for them to ask him if he wants to eat.  He replies that he has food to eat that they know nothing about.  Sounds as though these disciples were at the same level as the woman at the well.  She didn’t understand about living water and the disciples didn’t understand about this talk of food.  They wonder if someone brought Jesus food.  They don’t think so, but are not quite sure.

              Out of this comes our second point.  Not only does Jesus want us to be his disciples, he wants us to be like him. 

              Paul says in Romans 8 that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.  In other words, God has prearranged that every Christian will be like Jesus.

              In Philippians it says “It is God who works both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”  God is working in our lives his good pleasure, to make us like Christ.

              In order for us to be like Christ, we need to know what Christ was like.

              He sums it up in this verse.  “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work.”

              Jesus wants us to be like him. What was he like?

First, He wasn’t self-centered; he was God centered in his life.  He didn’t think about what he could get away with, he didn’t ask how small a commitment he should make, he didn’t complain about being with God’s people or contributing his share to the temple or the state. 

Instead, he was God-centered in all he did.  Notice the words here.  He wanted to do the will of him who sent him and to finish his work.  Nothing about self in this.

That is what God wants for all of us.  He wants the glory, he wants us to center our lives around doing his will, around worshiping his person, around helping others into the kingdom of God.  Christianity is not self-centered, it is God centered.  And this is what Jesus tried to teach his disciples and wants us to know.  If we are to be disciples of Jesus Christ, then he wants us to center our lives around him.

Second, he viewed life a mission.  His food was to accomplish the mission God had given him.  The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.  His whole life centered around this mission. 

It was his mission that led him to talk to the woman.  The disciples were afraid to ask what took place, so Jesus tells them, “I am 100% driven to do what I was placed on earth to do.”  That included talking to a woman, a Samaritan woman, a Samaritan woman with a bad reputation, a Samaritan woman with a bad reputation during the hottest time of the day!

We have all been called to build the church of Jesus Christ.  That means, first of all, to introduce people to Jesus Christ.  The church is made up of every born-again Christian, every person who has put their faith fully in Jesus.

Second, that means working together with other believers.  The New Testament is full of instruction on Christian unity.  Jesus included it in John 17 in his priestly prayer.  Jesus wants us to work together.

Third, that means supporting and helping Christians grow in the faith.  Some of you should be Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, youth workers.  Jesus wants you to say, “My food is to do the will of our heavenly Father and to finish the work he has given us.”

When we are mission oriented, we will look up.  Many commentators thought that when Jesus said look at the field that are white on to harvest, that he was referring to the Samaritans who were on their way over to meet Jesus.

Sometimes when we share Jesus it takes four months for the harvest.  But other times, people are ready and the harvest is now.

How do we know?  When we have a mission mindset, as Jesus did, we keep throwing out seed until it catches root.  We don’t know what kind of spiritual soil is in anyone’s life.  But if you consistently put out the word of God in people’s lives, love them as Jesus loved them, you will see a harvest.

I deeply appreciated our look back last week at some of what God has done in our church.  But looking ahead, I am putting out the call, in Jesus name, for people to commit to being disciples, followers or Jesus Christ.  Will you be one?