The Nearness of Christ
Jesus is here!
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.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
John 4:25-26
Here is an interesting passage in the gospel of John. Jesus is talking to a woman who has no idea that she is conversing with the Son of God. The woman is longing for a future breakthrough where the Chosen One will come and provide deliverance for her and her people, and reveal to them the life-giving truths of God. She is expressing the hope that in the future, life will be better than what it is right now. Suddenly, Jesus reveals to her that everything that she has been hoping for, praying for, is right in front of her eyes!
John chapter 4 is unfathomably deep with revelations about God and His heart for us—there is so much here you can dig into and chew on for a long time!
In the passage the woman believed that God is distant—God doesn’t speak to her. God hasn’t spoken to anyone for 400 years, and whenever God does speak again (to the leadership), she will probably be already dead by that time, and it will be a future generation that God will speak to.
Have you ever dreamed for something for so long, and because it hasn’t happened, you have lost all hope? You just resign yourself to living an ordinary life, in survival mode. This woman has not encountered God at all in her entire life up to that point. Why would she expect anything different for the rest of her life?
Also, it is unthinkable that the Messiah would come and speak individually to her, a sinful outcast. She already had five husbands, and the one she is with currently is not her husband, as Jesus pointed out supernaturally (John 4:18).
One would naturally expect the Messiah to arrive with much fanfare and be treated as royalty, and that the Messiah would only speak to high-ranking, important people, such as kings and priests. The Messiah would never come near her neighborhood or her community (or so she thought).
The woman believes that she is not worthy for God to speak to. The woman believes that she is insignificant and worthless. The woman is full of shame (this was why she was there at the well to draw water in the middle of the day, when no other women from the city is there, as she wanted to avoid meeting them). Just imagine her shock when she realized at that very moment she has been speaking with the Messiah!
Jesus knew all this beforehand and it was He who planned this “unexpected” meeting with the woman (while the disciples went into the city to buy food, John 4:8). Jesus met her one-on-one, face-to-face, and He shattered all her beliefs about who God is and what He is like!
So, what can we learn from this passage? The answer is, God is closer than you think! God is not a distant God. God is not somewhere out there floating in heaven far, far away, unconcerned about your desires and needs. God is not an unknown foreign entity that you can never grasp with your mind.
God is here! The Son of God is right in front of you. He is the one seeking you. He is the one who is orchestrating everything in your life so that you can spend a moment in face-to-face conversation with Him.
Jesus is the one who is pursuing your heart, drawing you to Him. Jesus is pining to speak to you. Jesus is the hope you have been longing for. Jesus is the breakthrough! He is available to you right now!
All you have to do is pray, and speak to Him by faith. Salvation is only a prayer away. You will hear His voice. You will know Him!
Jesus is everything you have been looking for. He is the treasure you have been searching for. He is the One you have been waiting for. And He is not coming to you in the distant future. He is coming right now. He is here. And He is speaking to you.
You are worthy. You are significant. You are cherished. You are loved!
