Flashback Episode — Stretching Your Mind: John 4:1-45

As we continue moving through Jesus’ life and the events the four gospels include, we arrive at an event where a group of people hear some information that seems unbelievable. If you have ever been told something you had a difficult time believing, you might be amazed to discover what we can learn within this event.

The event we will be focusing on in this episode is the story of the Samaritan woman who came to the well. This event can be found in John 4:1-45. All throughout this event, those present have their minds stretched, and for our time together, I want to focus our attention onto three specific groups of people. If you are not familiar with this event, I suggest looking up this event the next chance you get. Unfortunately, the passage is quite long and if we were to read everything that happened, our episode would stretch out much longer than I’d like it to.

In this event, two of the three groups of people are usually focused on when reading this event, while the third group is often overlooked. Because of this, I will summarize the first two groups before we focus specifically on the last group – the one that is the most overlooked.

The first group who had their mind stretched was a group of one – the woman who came to the well. A few things to note about this event is that she was alone with Jesus, since He had sent the disciples into town, and that this was the middle of the day, which was the least desirable time to go out to get water.

From these two details mixed with what we learn about the woman later on in the conversation, I suspect this woman probably would have bailed on her water gathering trip if all the disciples had been present. In my mind’s eye, Jesus probably sat just out of view and His request startled her to the fact that anyone was even there. We might conclude that since she had gone to get water at the least ideal time, she preferred to not be around other people.

As the conversation progresses, Jesus slowly opens her mind to the truth of who He is. If Jesus introduced Himself by saying, “I am the Messiah, now would you get me a drink?” I believe the woman would have simply turned and walked away. She likely believed that the Messiah, the One who would save Israel, would never talk to her. She may have believed herself to be the most rejected person in society.

However, Jesus did want to break through her preconceived ideas, and the only way for Him to get through to her was to slowly lead the conversation further. At each step in Jesus’ conversation with her, He stretches her mind, until at the end of the conversation, Jesus reveals who He is – and it is one of the only places where Jesus directly states to anyone that He is the promised Messiah.

The next group of people who have their minds stretched are the disciples. Here is a group of Jews, outside of a town in Samaria, who Jesus asks to go and get supplies. From a cultural standpoint, the Jews hated the Samaritans, and because of this, the Samaritans didn’t really like the Jews either. The first thing that stretches the disciples’ minds is the act of going into an unknown, and perhaps even an unfriendly, town.

Next, their minds are stretched when they return and find Jesus talking with a woman. In the first century culture, this woman was the lowest on the “gender” class because she was a woman, the “ethnic” class because she was a Samaritan, and the “social” class because she was there alone in the middle of the day, which is something that only social outcasts would do. Regular people would at least bring a friend for conversation and perhaps protection.

Seeing Jesus talking to this woman, and at the point of their arrival, noting that it was a very candid conversation about her past, and specifically who He was, would have been enough to stretch their minds.

However, what happens after this woman leaves and the disciples return is what I want to focus on in this episode. Let’s read what happened after the woman left to go back into town. Our passage is found in John’s gospel, chapter 4, and we will read from the Holman Christian Standard Bible. While we have summarized the first portion of this event, jumping into the passage in verse 31, John tells us that:

³¹ In the meantime the disciples kept urging Him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

³² But He said, “I have food to eat that you don’t know about.”

³³ The disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought Him something to eat?”

³⁴ “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work,” Jesus told them. ³⁵ “Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, for they are ready for harvest. ³⁶ The reaper is already receiving pay and gathering fruit for eternal life, so the sower and reaper can rejoice together. ³⁷ For in this case the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ ³⁸ I sent you to reap what you didn’t labor for; others have labored, and you have benefited from their labor.”

³⁹ Now many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of what the woman said when she testified, “He told me everything I ever did.” ⁴⁰ Therefore, when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ Many more believed because of what He said. ⁴² And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

⁴³ After two days He left there for Galilee.

In this conclusion to our passage, we read that the disciples’ minds were not done being stretched. Jesus then tells them that He has food that they don’t know of. Jesus is talking of spiritual food, and the satisfaction that comes from doing God’s will.

Jesus then continues stretching their minds by talking about a spiritual harvest. The temptation we all face is thinking that there must be a great season of “sowing” before we can eventually “reap” or harvest. Jesus counters this mindset by stating that spiritually, there is sowing and reaping happening simultaneously. Each person might fill a different role in the process of leading someone to Christ, but we must not assume there will be a delay. This teaching at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, which He shared while traveling through the land of Samaria, leads into the biggest mind-stretching event for the disciples: The whole town comes out to see Jesus.

The big mind stretch in this passage comes in the third group of people – those living in the town who came out to see Jesus.

Their story begins with the transformed life and character of the woman who they all knew, and who was acting significantly differently than at the beginning of this event. At the beginning, she was shy, timid, and quiet – wanting to be hidden from sight – while now she is bold and telling everyone about this odd person, and sharing the idea that the Messiah might have come.

The townspeople seemed interested enough in Jesus that they ask Him to stay with them for a few days. John doesn’t tell us what Jesus shared during those few days, but we do see the final result: Many of the people in the down put their faith and trust in Jesus. At the end of this passage, John writes that they tell the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”

The townspeople have their mind stretched personally by Jesus and then proclaim along with the woman that Jesus really is the Savior of the world.

Jesus stretched the minds of three very unique and distinct groups of people, and each person in this event would never be the same. When Jesus has stretched your mind, it can never shrink back to its original size.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life. Let God stretch your mind to the size He wants it to be, and don’t be afraid of going into the places and situations God tells you to go into. Also, never discount anyone else’s experience with God. God wants a personal relationship with everyone, and that includes you and every other person alive today!

Also, continue to pray and study the Bible for yourself in order to grow your personal relationship with God. God wants a personal relationship with you, and the best way to grow a relationship with God is through prayer and studying His Word.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!