THIS next part of the story of Christ's dealings with the Samaritan woman is full of instruction and revelation.

In the first place we see the wise, gentle but firm way Jesus dealt with this woman. The woman is stuck in the groove of worldly thinking, as we all are until we have our understanding opened by the Holy Spirit. When Jesus spoke of giving living water, the woman only saw things in earthly terms and supposes Jesus is speaking about some supply of natural water which would free her from the drudgery of coming to draw water every day from the well.

The first thing Jesus did was to bring conviction of sin and failure to the woman. He does not judge and condemn her in the way others had treated her. Instead he asks her to go and bring her husband to be with her. This was a reasonable request, because the husband was the head of the household, and any change in the circumstances of the family would be his concern. Jesus knew the condition of life of the woman, and so by this reasonable request Jesus caused the woman to face directly, in a gentle way, her way of life, without causing fear and resentment. Before any real good and salvation blessing can be brought to any person, there must be conviction of sin, and the appreciating of our need before God as sinners.

Because there is little real conviciton of sin in the church today, Christ and his saving work is not appreciated.

Secondly, Jesus is faithful in exposing this woman's sin, and causing her to face her way of life. The woman says she has no husband. By this she meant that she was not married. Jesus does not accuse her of immorality, but exposes her sinful ways by teaching her God's truth concerning marriage and sexual relationship. First he agrees with the woman that she was not married. She had no husband. Then he presses home the fact that sexual intercourse constitutes marriage in the eyes of God, and so the woman had been married to five husbands. (Jesus showed the woman the truth about God – he knows everything about us, and reveals himself as God by his knowledge of the woman's life). He concludes by pressing home that the man this woman was living with, she should not be living with as her husband.

One of the facts about human failure and sin is that we don't appreciate or realise the truth concerning God's holy requirements, and what is sin in his view. Again in the church today, there is little explanation of the law of God, and its holy requirements. In the sermon on the mount Jesus exposes this problem in the Jewish church of his time. The teaching given by the teachers of the law fell very short of the true explanation of the law, and that it covers our inner thoughts and desires as well as our outward actions.

Thirdly, we see how Jesus leads this woman to face her way of life, without judging or condemning her, and what true worship of God really is. Like everyone of us, when we are brought face to face with our sin, we change the subject, or turn away from the truth which is painful. She acknowledges Jesus is a prophet, but speaks of general spiritual things, contrasting the spirituality of the Samaratans with that of the Jews. From this Jesus leads the woman on to think of what true spirituality is, which is not just outward veneration of a religious system, but religion which comes from the heart. True worship must be from within - is spirit - and it must be true – in truth, that is without any hypocrisy or hiding from the truth.

By this means, Jesus brings the woman to face her sin and need of repentance. He points out that without this nobody can find acceptance with God, because this is the kind of worshipper the Father seeks.

Jesus exposes here the falseness of all religion that does not lead people to face the holiness of God and our inward corruption, and does not turn people to God in heartfelt repentance. Only such worshippers truly see their need of Christ and his salvation.

Fourthly, having brought this woman to face the truth about sin and the attitude of God to it, Jesus opens the woman's understanding of himself as the Saviour from sin.

The woman still is finding it hard to come to terms with all that Jesus was convincing her of, and in her perplexity speaks of the promised Messiah who would take away all perplexity, and make everything clear. The woman is plainly seeking a Saviour. This being so Jesus reveals himself as the Messiah, that he is the one that can save and resolve all the woman's problems.

It is interesting to see how Jesus gives such a clear revelation of himself to this Samaritan woman. She was one both despised by the Jews because she was a Samaritan, and by her own people because they despised and condemned her way of life. Jesus reveals himself to such a person, and not to other self righteous people. How this proves the words of Paul - This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all to be received, that Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Everyone and anyone who comes as sinner to Jesus will find Christ's words true - He that comes to me I will in nowise cast out.