Lent Devotionals – Day 6

John 4: 1 – 42:

For those who have been to a Christ Church Manchester meeting, you will know that we do communion in a rather odd way. As the anchor details how we logistically eat the bread and drink the wine: ‘First you take the bread and then the juice, dipping the bread in the juice before eating it’, we all sit and wait to share in communion.

Now, for many from others from various different churches, that is not quite the procedure. For me, as a fresh-faced 18-year-old entering a new city, away from the comforts of home for the first time, at a church that I’d never been to before, sat next to people who didn’t even know my name, I was alarmed and slightly confused when it came to this rogue way of doing communion.

As the bread came round, I took a piece and, in full confidence, ate it.

It was at this point that the panic set in.

I then saw a glass of juice coming towards me. People were dipping their non-eaten bits of bread in the juice and then eating the bread. Revolutionary, I thought.

So, without wanting to miss out on the importance of communion, I made a rather rash and reckless decision. I drank the juice, feeling the sloppy bits of bread collide with my tightly closed lips as I tried to focus on Jesus, not the mushy mess that was trying to slide its way into my mouth.

This was my first service at CCM and for some insane reason, four and a half years later, I still find myself at the church. Now, though, I find myself dipping the bread, not eating it.

The reason why I tell you that story is partly because it’s funny, but also because it shows the same rather naive, innocent but ultimately important intentions as the woman we see in this passage.

The ‘Woman at the well’ story that is detailed in John 4 is one of the more famous interactions we see between Jesus and the general public. If you were to listen to preaches, or read articles, or delve deep into a study bible, you will find many people showing how this woman would have been shamed by her society, that she was embarrassed by who she was and what she had done and that Jesus, despite all of her flaws, in an utterly revolutionary and controversial way, chose to speak to her, to love her and to reveal His true identity to her.

While that is all true, what I want to show you is that this woman was, above all, welcoming of Jesus and willing to pursue Him. She showed the same intent.

Reading through Jesus’ and the woman’s dialogue, she becomes more and more intrigued with who Jesus is, what He is on Earth to do, believing His every word, accepting that He is the Messiah that has been testified in the Old Testament.

She then goes and tells the whole town about the wonders of the odd man that she has just met. Jesus proceeds to stay an extra two days, teaching and preaching, hanging out with the Samaritans that lived in the town. And all because this shamed, unloved and unwanted woman was eager to know more about Him and willing to testify His name.

So, much like this woman, can we pursue Jesus with greater intensity and greater integrity? Whether we change a town or merely make an embarrassment of ourselves, chasing after Him, being changed by Him and leading others to Him in the process, should be the primary concern of our lives.