​We have come to the end of our John 1-6 Study.  I hope and pray that you have been blessed and encouraged by our time following the footsteps of Jesus through these six chapters.  I believe that it is fitting to end our study during Passion Week, a time in which to reflect on the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ. 
 
Jesus was a flesh and blood human who did indeed walk this earth during the first century.  He was fully God and fully man.  The divine WORD made flesh.  Emmanuel—God with us.  Though He left the splendor of heaven, He came humbly to the earth, walked among ordinary men, and ministered among the least likely of society.  

​While Jesus performed many signs and wonders, the greatest miracle of all was that He saw and called people by name.  First He called His twelve disciples, and then He spent time talking with Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at the well, the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, and countless others that He intentionally saw and made time for. 
 
But the first six chapters is just the beginning of the story!  John continues to give us a rich account of the rest of Jesus’ life and ministry, His teaching, and His heart for people.  Therefore, I encourage you to keep reading and studying this powerful gospel.  While this Bible study is stopping here, you don’t have to end your study at this point.  Keep digging, keep pressing in, and continue following the footsteps of Jesus through the pages of John’s gospel.  I guarantee that you will not be disappointed but will be greatly enriched by the wonderful nuggets in this gospel account.
 
Several years ago I did my own in-depth study of the entire Gospel of John and shared my reflections and revelations on John 7-21.  If you would like to continue studying this amazing book and would like to continue reading my writings, you can jump over to that study.  I pray that it greatly blesses and encourages you in your walk with Jesus.
 
As we conclude this Bible study, let’s take a moment to ponder and reflect on all that God has shown us over the past couple months.  What new insights did God give you?  Has this book caused you to view Jesus in a different light?  As you read about the life and nature of Christ, have you become more grateful and awed by His incredible love?  Have you fallen deeper in love with your Savior?
 
Many of the first century Jews rejected Jesus.  They did not recognize Him as their long awaited Messiah and thought He was simply a carpenter from Nazareth.  However, with the hindsight of history, we know the truth.  But the question remains, will we accept and believe it? 
 
Jesus came to earth to give us a priceless gift.  However, we must be willing to receive and accept the offer He extends.  Therefore, let’s believe and receive with gratitude the gift Jesus came to give and receive the adoption and rebirth as sons and daughters of God.  

​Jesus’ message and ministry had great impact during His lifetime.  However, at the same time, it was counter-cultural and repulsive to a lot of people.  His messages were not easy to stomach and required a level of faith and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone that not everyone was prepared for.  While the first six chapters of John cover the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry, here at the end of chapter six, we see people are already walking away. 
 
Jesus’ miracles and gifts of healing and food were always welcome and drew a crowd; however, when He began teaching and explaining the truth of why He had come and what was required to follow Him, people turned back. Therefore, after the feeding of the five thousand and Jesus’ subsequent teaching on the bread of life, John records this sobering result.

​The many wonderful things Jesus did leading up to the feeding of the five thousand became renowned through the region and attracted a large following; however, what happened to these people by the end of chapter six?  Those same people who had watched Jesus heal and had eaten the miracle lunch He provided on the mountain top walked away.  The message got hard and the road required more commitment, so the fans slipped away.  One by one they turned back and stopped following Jesus.
 
Signs and wonders will draw a following.  Truth will not.  Hardcore, biblical truth will not be accepted by the masses.  Most will be turned off by it and will stop following the miracle worker.  And if this is how things went during Jesus’ ministry, why should we expect anything less?
 
In our results and statistics driven society, we are easily tempted to measure the size of our impact on the world by the number of people who come to Christ; experience spiritual renewal; or follow our blog, platform, or ministry.  However, that’s not the measure God uses.  His kingdom is upside-down and backward when compared to the world’s system.  God looks at the heart and wants a handful of committed, all-in followers rather than crowds of curious, comfort-seeking fans.
 
So after Jesus’ message on the bread of life and what is required to receive eternal life, many of His newly acquired followers left.  As John stated, they “turned back and no longer walked with him.”  I love the word image of walking with Jesus.  While Jesus was on earth, following Jesus did require physically walking with Him, traveling and accompanying Him on His various trips to Jerusalem and around the Sea of Galilee.  Walking with Jesus denotes a daily commitment and personal investment.  It’s a one foot in front of the other type of action.  The disciples didn’t always know where Jesus was going, but they walked with Him wherever He led.
 
While we cannot walk with Jesus in the physical, literal sense, our spiritual walk with Jesus requires the same level of daily commitment to follow the Savior one step at a time.  It’s a decision to keep going even when the road gets rough, the way gets narrow, and the journey gets long.  It’s identification with a person even when others may walk away.  It’s resolving to stick by Jesus’ side no matter the cost.
 
Most of Jesus’ followers were not willing to make that commitment.  So they turned back and no longer walked with the Savior of the world.  They weighed the pros and cons and decided that the cost was too high, the way too uncomfortable, and the journey too difficult.  So they went back to their little lives and missed out on the incredible adventure walking with Jesus always entails. 
 
But Peter chose a different path.  When Jesus turned to His disciples and asked if they were going to follow the crowd and walk away, Peter made a bold declaration and clearly showed where he stood on this topic.

​This is a powerful statement of faith and commitment, and one I want to echo in my own life when faced with a crossroad.  Despite the fact that Peter did not understand everything Jesus taught and even though following Jesus lost popularity, Peter resolved to stick with Jesus no matter what because he believed that Jesus was the Savior of the world and Son of God.
 
Do you share that some conviction?  If Jesus asked you whether or not you’ll join the crowds walking away, how would you answer?
 
I hope and pray that we will honestly and sincerely join Peter in saying:  “To whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  Let’s commit to walking with Jesus all the way to the end--no matter the cost—following Him wherever He leads, one step at a time.

​Bread is an important life staple.  Almost every culture and people group have used some sort of grain to create a bread-like item that sustained them and was a source of food.  The feeding of the five thousand included bread and an extreme surplus.  Remember that even though Jesus multiplied both the loaves and the fish from the original lunch, it was the bread that filled twelve baskets of leftovers afterwards.  Bread doesn’t spoil as quickly as meat, plus it is easy to transport and also filling.  Therefore, it isn’t a surprise that bread has become an important source of sustenance for mankind.
 
However, the nourishment that comes from bread is temporary.  We eat it and become hungry again within a couple hours.  While bread gives our bodies what they need in the moment, it never fully or permanently satisfies.  But the bread Jesus offers not only fills our spiritual needs and wants, but it gives life eternal.

​In the gospel of John, Jesus makes seven “I AM” statements.  These statements harken back to Exodus 3:14 and the burning bush when God revealed Himself to Moses and declared: “I AM WHO I AM.” God is the “I AM”, YHWH, the self-subsisting One.  Therefore, when Jesus makes these “I AM” statements He is clearly identifying Himself as God, which is why the listening Jews often tried to stone Him after each statement. 
 
The first “I AM” statement Jesus makes is found here in John 6.  “I AM the bread of life.”  Jesus is the source of life.  He is the bread from heaven.  He is the One who satisfies and sustains us.  Earthly, physical bread will quench hunger temporarily, but the bread Jesus offers will fully and eternally satisfy and give us life.
 
Jesus compares Himself with the manna God gave the Israelites in the wilderness.  While the manna was a miracle and a daily gift and provision from God that kept the Israelites alive for decades, it was only good for one day before it spoiled.  It also only filled their physical hunger and could do nothing for their spiritual needs.  Everyone who ate the manna got hungry again and eventually died. 
 
But the bread Jesus offers gives eternal life and is a gift He freely offers.  So will you accept and partake of the life-giving bread Jesus died to give?  The invitation and offer is open to everyone who will accept and partake.
 
The first-century Jews were unable to wrap their minds around Jesus’ teaching and the concept that God would give Himself as bread that gives life.  So they rejected the invitation of eternal life through the Bread of Life.  However, Jesus makes it very clear that the only way to receive the gift of life He offers is through eating this heaven-sent bread.
 
Therefore, what will you decide?  Will you eat of the Bread of Life and receive eternal life or will you reject it and keep searching for something that cannot truly satisfy the deepest hunger of your heart?  The bread Jesus offers is the only thing that can truly satisfy, and it gives life eternal and abundantly.  So let’s choose to partake of this wonderful gift and receive the Bread of Life today.

​The feeding of the five thousand was an amazing miracle meant to build the disciples’ faith, reveal Jesus’ power over all things and ability to create food from nothing, and show the world Jesus’ compassion and provision for needs.  However, after that mountain top moment, Jesus withdrew from the crowds and His disciples and retreated to spend some quiet time alone with God.  Eventually the day came to a close and the disciples decided it was time to head towards their home base in Capernaum even though Jesus was nowhere to be found.  But this didn’t seem to faze the experienced fishermen, so they got in their boat and started across the Sea of Galilee.    

​The Gospel of Mark also gives an account of this event and provides more details, including the fact that the disciples did not recognize Jesus at first and thought He was a ghost, which would definitely add to the terror of the situation.  In both gospel accounts, the Bible says that the disciples were frightened or terrified.  Remember that most of these men were experienced, sea-weathered fishermen.  They had experienced their fair share of storms and bad weather and had been around Jesus long enough to know that He didn’t always do the expected.  However, the entire situation still filled them with fear.  A knee-knocking, heart-thumping, sweat-inducing type of terror.
 
But what does Jesus say?  “It is I; do not be afraid.”  In the midst of the raging sea and blowing wind and into their deep fear, Jesus speaks the only words that could bring His disciples true, abiding peace.  He assures them of His presence and the fact that He has come so they need not fear. 
 
Have you been in a situation like the one the disciples were in?  Are the waters of life raging around you in a fierce storm that seems to be tossing your world into upheaval?  Do you feel like you’re making little headway in the direction you feel called to go because of rough seas and buffeting from life situations and circumstances?
 
The disciples knew the feeling.  Notice that John states that they rowed for three or four miles.  They were not floating aimlessly and allowing the storm to have its way with them, they were toiling to reach their goal and working hard at the oars to get their boat back on track.  However, in their own strength their efforts were in vain.  But that’s when Jesus came walking on the water.
 
Walking on the water—not walking through or above or below.  Jesus came walking on top of the raging waves.  He had full contact with the churning sea and was not untouched by the storm.  Yet in the midst of it, He was able to walk calmly, surely, and with utmost confidence on top of the tumult.  In the midst of chaos, His gait was sure and steady.  He was unfazed by the crashing waves and strong wind and kept walking right on top of it all.
 
This reminds us that Jesus is above life’s problems.  As our great High Priest who can sympathize with our every weakness, He still knows and sees the pain, heartbreak, challenges, and trials we face, but He is above it all.  He is sovereign and in control, so in the midst of life’s storms He can come to us, walking on the water.  And the same words of comfort and hope Jesus gave to His disciples, He gives to us: “It is I; do not be afraid.”  In the middle of life’s hardest moments and most turbulent seasons, Jesus comes and reminds us that we have no need to fear for He is with us, walking steady and sure on the waves that seem so big as the storms rage. 
 
The disciples immediately clung to Jesus’ promise and welcomed Him into their midst and onto their boat, and as they did so what happened?  John tells us that they were immediately transported to the other side, away from the storm, fear, anxiety, and strife and directly into peace and safety. 
 
While we might not be physically delivered from our trial, painful circumstance, or challenging situation, the moment we accept Jesus’ presence and promise of peace, we can obtain immediate spiritual deliverance from the fear, anxiety, and disquiet in our souls.  We can experience the abiding hope and confidence Jesus gives as we take our eyes off the storm in our life and focus them on His shining face.
 
So as you navigate the storms of this life will you look up and see Jesus walking toward you on the water?  Will you have eyes to see your Savior above the trial and difficulty and accept His promise of “I am here, so do not fear”?  Will you embrace Jesus in your midst and allow His presence to bring you the peace, hope, and faith you need to not only survive the storm you’re in but thrive in it?
 
Life is full of many storms.  We will not be able to avoid them.  But as we face the storms, may we remember this lesson from John 6 and cling to the promise that God is always with us, upholding and protecting us in the midst of life’s most difficult moments.

​As we near the end of our time in John 1-6, we read one of Jesus’ most well-known miracles in His entire ministry:  the feeding of the five thousand.  So many truths and lessons can be gleaned from this miraculous story of five loaves and two fish, but I want to focus our attention on one specific truth:  our God is a God who multiplies exponentially above and beyond all we could imagine.

​The story starts with an insurmountable problem.  Thousands of men, women, and children had gathered to be near Jesus.  While the narrative makes it clear that these multitudes needed food, I find it interesting that the passage never mentions the people actually asking for it.  Jesus was the one who brought it up.  As is often mentioned throughout the Gospels, Jesus saw the crowds, knew their needs, and felt compassion, which prompted Him to act. 
 
Jesus also knew the hearts of His disciples and where their faith was at.  So instead of simply providing the food needed, as a great teacher, Jesus used the opportunity to teach an important lesson of faith to His closest followers.  Notice that the text says that Jesus already knew what He was going to do.  The only reason He asked Philip a question regarding the situation was to open up their minds to what was about to happen and the significance of the moment.
 
I can picture Philip standing there next to Jesus and looking out on the multitude as he tried to answer Jesus’ question.  As he takes quick stock of just how many people were gathered, his mind whirls with numbers and is quickly overwhelmed by just how much food would be necessary to feed such a crowd.  A denarius was a standard day’s wage, so Philip’s quick math estimated that it would take over two hundred days’ worth of money to buy enough bread for each person to have a small snack—not a full meal that completely satisfies but just a bit to take the edge off of hunger.
 
However, Philip wasn’t using kingdom math.  In God’s economy, math works much differently.  Five loaves and two fish turned into enough food to feed what scholars estimate to be at least fifteen thousand people.  However, that small lunch that served as the initial offering didn’t just feed the crowd and provide a full meal, but there were leftovers.  In fact, the leftovers far outnumbered the original meal brought to Jesus.
 
This is the above and beyond that God brings.  While God will often provide exactly what we need and no more, there are times when He does exceedingly above and beyond all we could ask or imagine so that our faith might grow and we could see that nothing is impossible for Him.
 
In this story, there was an impossible situation with thousands of people in need of food that could not be provided or acquired with the resources available to the disciples.  However, Jesus was in their midst.  The Bread of Life and Creator of all things.  He is the Source and Giver of all that we need, and from His hand He multiplied what was given.
 
Notice the numbers.  Twelve baskets of leftover bread.  One for each disciple. In case the disciples lost sight of what Jesus did that day or what really took place on that mountain side, they walked away from the event with a basket full of bread that was impossible for them to possess. 
 
As we reflect on this powerful moment in the life and ministry of Jesus, let’s examine our own lives.  Have we experienced moments where God has provided in above and beyond ways?  Has He multiplied what we had to offer and caused it to grow exponentially?  And what baskets of bread do we have in our arms that remind us of God’s faithfulness and ability to do the impossible?
 
God is always working and providing for the needs of His people.  Just as Jesus saw and knew the needs of the crowd before the topic of lunch was even brought up, so also He sees and knows our needs before we can even acknowledge them or think of seeking provision for them.  And just as Jesus already knew how He would provide food that day before the subject came up, He knows how He will provide, bless, and work in our lives before we are even faced with the challenge or problem. 
 
Therefore, as we move on from this beautiful story of provision, faith, and grace, may we never forget the central truth that God is our Provider who delights in multiplying what is in our hands and doing far above and beyond all that we could ever ask or imagine. 

From the very beginning of His earthly ministry, people struggled with Jesus’ status as the Son of Man and One equal to God the Father.  The Pharisees denied it and sought to kill Jesus because of His claims of divinity.  Skeptics to this day still question the divine nature of Jesus and whether He truly was fully human and fully God.  However, when the Jews raised private questions regarding Jesus’ claims of being equal with God, Jesus gave a lengthy discourse on this subject and revealed how interconnected in heart, motive, action, and intent God the Father and God the Son are.  While the two are separate persons of the Trinity, they are also One and both equally God. 
 
Therefore, let’s examine what Jesus has to say about His status as God the Son and His relationship with the Father.

​Before the New Testament, God the Father could not be seen or experienced in a physical sense by mortal men.  However, Jesus came to change that.  He came to reveal who God is because He is God.  He walked among the inhabitants of the world so that mankind might be able to see, touch, hear, and behold their Creator.  He was and is Emmanuel—God with us. 
 
However, many did not recognize Jesus as God even though everything about Jesus testified to His right standing as being one with the Father.  Jesus is the revelation of God.  He is God in human flesh; 100% divine and 100% human.  In Him we are able to see, know, hear, and witness God the Father.  However, if we reject Jesus, then we are also rejecting God the Father, for the two are One. 
 
The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, point to Jesus as the fully human, fully divine promised Messiah in whom there is eternal life and salvation.  The pages of Scripture in and of themselves cannot give life.  They only point to the One who has that power:  Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we can read the Bible as much as we want, but if we reject Jesus, we reject God and the gift of eternal life He gives.      
 
The first century Jews were guilty of being religious Bible readers but blind to the fulfillment of the promises they so rigorously studied.  They knew the words of God, but not the God of the Word.  Therefore, even though the Bible clearly testifies and bears witness to Jesus, they were unable to recognize their long awaited Messiah.  So they rejected Jesus and thereby rejected God the Father and the gift of eternal life available through Christ.
 
During His time on earth, Jesus made His identity as the Son of God clear, which is why the Jews wanted to kill Him.  His claims of being One with the Father while also being human was just too much for the religious Jews to tolerate.  So they rejected Jesus.  However, by doing so they rejected the God they claimed to serve.  And they were not the only ones throughout history who could not accept the fact that Jesus is fully God and fully man. 
 
Therefore, the question for us today is what are we going to do with Jesus?  Will we reject Him as the Jews did?  Will we be students of God’s Word but unfamiliar with the One it’s all about?  Will we allow skepticism keep us from the gift of eternal life and the relationship Jesus is extending to us?
 
The decision is one only we can make as an individual.  The stakes are high.  So choose wisely.

​Life can become routine and habitual.  It’s so easy to get stuck in the same old rut and lose sight of the miracle-working power of our Savior.  We can easily become entangled in works-based religion or tradition and forget to walk in the grace and mercy Jesus died to give us. 
 
John 5 opens with a powerful story of a man who was stuck in a life rut and was blind to the potential of what Jesus could do for him.  After spending 38 years as a cripple waiting to be healed through the tradition and myths of the time, this man had no idea what was possible when Jesus walked up to him that day.  This is his miracle story, when God chose him out of all the other invalids lying around that day to receive the life-giving words: “Get up and walk.” 

The man at the pool was stuck in tradition and religious superstition.  The belief was that an angel occasionally stirred the water at the pool of Bethesda and whoever could enter the water first when it was stirred up would be healed. So this man spent 38 years beside the pool hoping for a miracle.  But his hopes were in vain.  He was alone with no one to help him into the water, and with his disability, he was unable to get down to the water before others.  So almost four decades later, he was still lying beside the pool, waiting for healing. 
 
But in an instant, everything changed.  With no preamble and no questions regarding faith or belief, Jesus instantly healed this man.  The conversation went from “why are you lying here” and “do you want healing,” to a simple command:  “get up and walk.”  Jesus freely gave this gift of healing to the crippled man.  There were no prerequisites that the man had to meet, doctrines he needed to correctly believe, or even faith to believe Jesus could heal before the miracle.  Rather, Jesus simply gave this priceless gift and then walked away. 
 
But the miracle did require the lame man to test the words of Jesus.  He had to actually get up and try standing on his own two feet.  He needed to obey the command to get up and walk.  And he did. 
 
After spending 38 years pinning his hopes on an unattainable cure, the lame man received the miracle he was hoping for in one second.  In one moment, his world was completely turned upside down.  At the words of Jesus, his life was altered, and he walked away from the place of dashed dreams, painful years, feelings of rejection, moments of depression and despair, and brokenness to a new life.
 
So what does this story teach us?  What can we learn from the healing of the lame man at the pool of Bethesda?
 
Jesus wants to set us free from the shackles of tradition and religious superstition.  He wants to give us healing and wholeness.  And as the case with this man, the path to healing is found in following Jesus’ simple command:  get up and walk.
 
Get up and walk out of the shame that has held you captive for far too long.  Get up and walk away from the legalism that has you shackled to your sin.  Get up and walk free of your past and the condemnation Satan is trying to burden you with.  Get up and walk from the habitual sins that are weighing you down. 
 
Get up and walk forward into the grace and power available in Jesus.  He came to redeem and set the captives free.  And just as He interrupted the lame man’s day and unexpectedly gave him one of the greatest gifts possible, Jesus sometimes interrupts our day to pour blessing into our lives even when we’re not looking for or specifically requesting it.  He knows what we need before we even think to ask, and sometimes provides answers to those needs before we are even aware of them.
 
The lame man at the pool of Bethesda would never have dreamt that Jesus could and would heal him.  However, when he heard the command he had enough faith to test it and thereby walked into a brand new life.  Are we willing to test the promises and commands of God?  Are we willing to walk forward into the gifts Jesus has freely given us and experience the healing, restoration, and wholeness He died to give us? 
 
May we learn from this crippled man and follow Jesus’ command to get up and walk forward into the abundant, new life Jesus came into the world to give. 

​Stories are powerful.  There’s a reason why fiction is a top selling genre and the movie industry is so big and influential in our culture.  People connect with stories.  It resonates with them on a personal, emotional, and experiential level.  Stories can shape people’s opinions, perspectives, values, and worldview.  They also have the potential to impact people’s future and change the trajectory of their lives.  

​Nonfiction, real life stories carry even more weight because it involves real people and their real experiences.  Therefore, as we seek to change the world and build the kingdom of God on earth, one of the most effective tools God has given us is our testimonies.  The story of a life changed by the power of God has more influence than thousands of well-articulated, power-packed sermons.  This truth is evident at the end of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4. 

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’  So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.  And many more believed because of his word.  They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”
~John 4:39-42​

​After encountering Jesus, the woman at the well returned to her town and shared her story.  Remember this is the same woman who was trying to keep a low profile and avoid the awkward stares and whispers of these same townspeople by going to the well at midday.  However, her life-changing conversation with Jesus altered everything. 
 
No longer was she a broken, ashamed, rejected, and guarded woman with a past.  Now she had a story to share of a man who “told me all that I ever did” and still sat with her and talked to her with love and compassion.  The Samaritan woman’s life was radically changed that day and she immediately told others about what had happened.  And it was this immediate sharing that sparked revival in Samaria. 
 
John tells us that many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of this woman’s story.  However, the Apostle John further highlights that it wasn’t just her testimony that saved them, but these townsfolk came to believe in Jesus because they too heard and saw Jesus and through that experience realized that He is the Savior of the world.  A changed life has great power to spread the gospel; however, a personal encounter with Jesus is still required in order for others to experience the same life transformation.  It wasn’t enough for the Samaritans to just hear the woman’s testimony; they needed to hear Jesus’ message for themselves.
 
Therefore, it is important for us to remember that while our testimony is the greatest, most effective witnessing tool at our disposal, it is just an avenue through which we can bring people to the feet of Jesus.  Lives will not be changed by our testimony alone, but only by the life-giving power of the words of Christ. May we, therefore, always share our stories and use our testimony to spread the gospel in a way that draws people into a personal encounter with the risen Lord.  May those we talk and share with repeat the words of the Samaritans:

​Have you ever experienced burn out?  After an extended period of pouring effort, time, and energy into a project, job, or relationship, have you ever felt that it was all for naught?  It’s a sinking, discouraging feeling that can drain all the motivation and enthusiasm for future endeavors right out of you. 
 
While this is not a positive experience for any part of life, burn out and discouragement while serving the Lord is detrimental to our spiritual health.  We are called to a life of sacrificial service which will require pouring time, energy, and effort into people and opportunities that may or may not reap immediate rewards.  So as we do life and follow Christ’s call to sacrificial living, how do we avoid burn out and spiritual complacency from discouragement and fatigue

​The answer is by looking at Jesus.  He lived a very busy life pouring into the lives of countless people and ministering day and night without burn out.  While His teaching drew crowds, the net result of His entire life ministry was people wanting Him crucified and His closest followers abandoning Him.  So I don’t think we can honestly say that His ministry was “successful” in the modern sense nor was it high yielding in tangible fruit and impact.
 
However, that doesn’t mean that Jesus’ life ministry was unimportant.  On the contrary, He was fulfilling the will and purposes of God, which is all that matters.  Although His life was filled with drama, fatigue, lack of receptivity, and eventual rejection, He never lost sight of His mission or experienced burn out because He understood this truth:  serving the Lord should never deplete but rather replenish and sustain.
 
Jesus talks with His disciples about this important topic immediately following His divinely appointed conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Let’s take a look at what Jesus has to say.

​Serving the Lord can be draining—emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually.  However, if we serve with the right motives, it should ultimately energize us.  Jesus told His disciples that doing the work of God feeds Him.  While He used the picture of physical food, I found in my own life that serving the Lord can replenish and feed my soul.  
 
When we keep our eyes and motives fixed on God and pleasing Him through our service, we will find that doing His work is extremely rewarding.  We will also discover how to not grow weary in doing good and that our labor in the Lord is never in vain.  Also, if we heed Paul’s exhortation that in whatever we do we work as unto the Lord, then we will avoid burn out in ministry and experience the replenishment it’s meant to bring. 
 
Watching people’s lives change is the most fulfilling thing ever.  And as we make Christ the center of our lives and seek fulfillment in Him alone, no matter the results of our efforts in the short or long term it will always possess eternal value since we are serving God and not man.  Therefore, let’s get out and start being about the Father’s business!  We don’t have to fear burn out if our eyes are fixed on Him.  And as Jesus told His disciples over two thousand years ago, the fields are ripe for harvest.  And this is truer today than ever before.
 
Furthermore, as we lose our lives for Christ’s sake, we find true life.  This is the upside, paradoxical truth of the Christian life.  Therefore, let’s be ready to lay our lives down and invest in the work of the Father, finding lasting fulfillment and refreshment in heartfelt service to our King.

The narrative of the woman at the well in John 4 is a beautiful story of redemption, compassion, and unconditional love.  Many excellent teachers have given powerful messages on this passage of Scripture; therefore, I am not going to attempt to unpack the many levels of deep truth and implications from this story.  However, there are a couple points that are worth pondering before we leave this passage.
 
As we noted last time, Jesus broke the mold and crossed cultural boundaries to make this story possible. However, Jesus also went to the least likely and embraced her for who she was and sought to give her life and hope.  He wasn’t put off by hard exteriors, and He wasn’t afraid to look people straight in the eye in the midst of their pain.  In fact, Jesus wasn’t hesitant to probe the wounds in order to bring healing, for he knew that before healing and restoration can be given, the pain and brokenness of the past must be dealt with. 

​Finally, Jesus didn’t care about his reputation.  He didn’t wonder what people might think if he met a woman with a dark past at a well in the middle of the day.  He wasn’t concerned about losing credibility in the eyes of His disciples nor was He worried about what the religious leaders and authorities might think of His actions.  On the contrary, Jesus ignored the opinions and thoughts of men and sought to please His Father alone.  And on this day, pleasing and obeying the Father required a conversation with a broken woman at a well in a rejected society during the heat of the day.
 
Meanwhile, the Samaritan woman was completely the opposite.  She was very much aware and concerned about public opinion, so she came to the well in the middle of the day to avoid the judgment and social awkwardness of the community.  She was guarded. Deflection was her go to mode of self-defense.  Her heart had been torn and trampled on by too many people.  She had no confidants and did not feel safe enough to talk openly with others because she had been rejected by too many people.
 
But Jesus broke through her barriers by having a conversation and loving her despite her past.  By seeing the woman at the well and looking past her hard exterior and into her wounded heart, Jesus was able to bring hope and light.  The sacrifices Jesus was willing to make in time, reputation, comfort, and public image were all leveraged to reach out to this woman and change her life.  He left the 99 in pursuit of the one.
 
This is an important lesson for us to learn from.  In our faulty human nature, we often get caught up in numbers.  How many people were saved?  How many lives were touched?  How many attended and were blessed by the event?
 
However, God is interested in people one at a time.  Jesus often left the crowds unexpectedly, but He never abandoned one-on-one conversations.  In fact, as with the woman at the well, Jesus often went to great lengths to facilitate these life changing conversations.  Truth and love can be communicated to large crowds, but the most effective way is through individual relationships.  Therefore, as we seek to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and reach out to others with His love, this is an important lesson to learn.
 
While sin should never be condoned, it also shouldn’t completely disconnect us from others. It is one of the few things all of us universally have in common.  We are all sinners saved by grace.  We have all fallen short and done things we are not proud of.  Therefore, as we watch others stumble through life and experience the pain and baggage of sin, we should not sit watching in self-righteous indignation at their foolishness, but should rather be like Jesus who went out of His way to meet the Samaritan woman and offer her newness of life.
 
So will we choose to see people as Jesus does?  Will we step outside our comfort zone and meet our personal versions of the Samaritan woman?  Are we willing to look past the hard exterior and broken lifestyle and see the hurting person behind the mask and the human being created in the image of God and immensely loved by Him?
 
While the disciples were clueless and ignorant of many things, they had been around Jesus long enough to know that He often did unpredictable and unconventional things.  Therefore, when the disciples arrived at the well after grabbing some supplies, they knew better than to ask questions.  They didn’t question Jesus’ conversation with the woman or the fact that He was even talking to a woman.  I’m sure they wondered and had plenty of questions they could have asked, but they had been with Jesus long enough to know that Jesus didn’t always do the expected. 
 
May we be like the disciples and be prepared for the unexpected as we follow Jesus.  And who knows?  We may find ourselves in an unlikely place having an unusual conversation with the least likely person at the most unexpected of times.  God moves in mysterious ways.  Our job is to simply follow Him and love the people He places in front of us.