John Bible Study - Lesson 11
Read the passage
below using the 2 different Bible translations:
John
4:27-42 New International Version (NIV)
The
Disciples Rejoin Jesus
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
Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made
their way toward 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 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s
still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the
fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the
one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so
that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus
the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I
sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work,
and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many
Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the
Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s
testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So
when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he
stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many
more became believers.
42 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
4:27-42 New Living Translation (NLT)
27 Just then his
disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none
of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you
talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar
beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come
and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the
Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the
village to see him.
31 Meanwhile, the
disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
32 But Jesus
replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
33 “Did someone
bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
34 Then Jesus
explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me,
and from finishing his work. 35 You know the
saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look
around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. 36 The
harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to
eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! 37 You
know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. 38 I
sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work,
and now you will get to gather the harvest.”
Many
Samaritans Believe
39 Many Samaritans
from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me
everything I ever did!” 40 When they came out to
see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two
days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his
message and believe. 42 Then they said to the
woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we
have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the
world.”
Note:
Here are the 3
questions for you to answer. I have given some basic answers below the
questions to help you understand the passage. Answer the questions first
yourself before you look at my answers. Take a moment before you begin and ask
God to help you understand what you are reading.
3
questions to answer:
1. Content: What
is this passage about?
2. Lesson: What
do I learn from this passage?
3. Application: How
can I apply what I have learned to my life?
Answers
to the questions above and some background:
Content: What is this passage about?
·
The
disciples returned and were shocked that Jesus was talking to the Samaritan
woman
·
The
Samaritan woman returns to her village to tell everyone about Jesus
·
The
disciples try to get Jesus to eat something but Jesus uses this opportunity to
teach about spiritual food
·
Many
of the Samaritans believed the woman due to the fact Jesus was able to tell her
about everything she ever did
·
After
hearing the woman’s testimony the Samaritans from the village came to Jesus and
asked Him to stay with them
·
Jesus
stayed for 2 days and taught them about the kingdom of God and the Good News
·
The
Samaritans declare Jesus to be the Savior of the world
Lesson: What
do I learn from this passage?
·
The
Good News is for everyone
·
Those
who come to know Jesus experience a joy and life change that extends on through
eternity
·
Jesus
knows our needs, desires and heart, and understands fully our spiritual
condition
·
The
disciples did not fully understand Jesus’ spiritual teaching
·
Jesus
tells us that man needs more than just to be fed physically”
Matthew 4:4 New International Version (NIV)
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not
live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
·
Jesus
also said: My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and
from finishing his work
·
Jesus
plants the seeds of faith and His disciples are called to help people receive
Jesus as Lord & Savior.
·
Jesus
gave us the great commission to remind us of our role as His disciples:
Matthew
28:18-20 New International Version (NIV)
18 Then Jesus came
to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age.”
·
When
we become believers, we desire Jesus to remain in our hearts and minds in the
same way the Samaritans desired for Jesus to stay with them in their village
·
When
Jesus supernaturally softens our heart, we are able to receive the message of
hope and embrace it
·
The
Bible talks about the importance of hearing the Good News:
Romans
10:17 New International Version (NIV)
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing
the Good News about Christ.
·
We
all must come to a decision to either receive Jesus or reject Him
Application: How
can I apply what I have learned to my life?
·
Jesus
speaks to a Samaritan woman even those it was culturally and religiously inappropriate.
We are to speak to anyone with the idea
that God may have brought them our way to hear the truth of the Gospel.
·
(1) Jews weren't supposed
to speak to Samaritans. (2) Men weren't permitted to address women without
their husbands present. And (3) rabbis had no business speaking to shady ladies
such as this one. Jesus was willing to toss out the rules. With all this in mind, like Jesus, we are to look to the Spirit of the
law which frees us to evangelize:
Evangelism: Evangelism is the announcement, proclamation, and/or
preaching of the gospel (1 Corinthians
15:1-4), the good news of and about Jesus Christ.
Evangelism, the communication of the gospel message includes:
·
A warning, an explanation, and a call. Evangelism includes
warning people about sin and the consequences
of sin
·
It includes an explanation of God’s remedy for sin—the gospel
·
And it includes the clear call to repent (to turn from sin
and to turn toward God) and believe the gospel, by faith
·
Take
time each day to be fed spiritually.
·
Be
spiritual disciplined in your life: Pray, Read and Study the Bible, fast,
Worship, confess, meditate on God’s Word, seek to love others, be an ambassador
for Christ.
·
Remember
what God has called His people to do and do it
·
Never
be ashamed of your identity in Christ
Don’t forget:
John’s main purpose
in writing this Gospel:
·
To
tell the world that Jesus is the Messiah for the Jews and Gentiles
·
The
events were recorded so that we might believe and have eternal life
John 20:30-31 New International Version (NIV)
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in
the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have
life in his name.
Questions
to ponder:
·
Who
have you shared the Good News with lately?
·
Will
you get out of your comfort zone and initiate conversations with people you don’t
know?
·
Are
you willing to put away your stereotypes and get to know a person without
prejudging them?
·
How
much spiritual nourishment do you think you need to live abundantly in a fallen
and broken world?
·
Do
you want to feed on God’s Word or do you think you have all the answers?
·
Do
you think God has the perspective you need?
·
Do
you think God has a good purpose for your life even when life becomes hard?
Have a great
week…………….Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment