LESSON 4 - JESUS CHRIST MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL [John 4:1 - 42]

With the need to attend the funeral of my grandfather and other issues to work out we are now back to continue the study of the lessons we can extract from the story of Jesus Christ meeting with the woman at the well. The next two post will take us to the concluding parts.

For our lesson today, we have given it the title "THE TRUTH SHALL SET YOU FREE" and we shall pin our study on the verse 16 to 18 of John chapter 4
[4:16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
4:17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.]

Yes I have ever lied but I have grown to learn and understand that if you want to be free, simply tell the truth in all things. Jesus Christ knows all things. He knew everything about the woman and still wanted to know or hear whatever it is from her own mouth. The woman I don't think was under any pressure. She could have lied and presented herself clean before the Lord.

In life, we are associated in different circles. We meet people who knows us very well but still want to ask and we meet others who do not also know anything about us. Just look at your profiles in social network sites like facebook, twitter, skype, etc. How truthful were you in filling out your profiles? At the very first stages of your relationships, what lies did you tell just to win that man or woman?

Lies when told makes one feel good but such a feeling is for a short time. It only sets you free at that very moment but not forever. As a child, one or two times I had to lie to have my way but one thing I realized was that I was finding work for myself always. I was employing myself to do a work that I was not going to be paid for. The job of lying always to make my first lie seem true and as a result of doing that, I keep lying all around. Meanwhile, if I were to tell the truth, I would have been free to live my normal life afterwards. Sometimes we tell lies because of quite some number of reasons. For example, looking at our case study, we read further that everyone in the town at that time was aware of the job the woman was doing. Now if she was to be pretending during the day and doing her own things at night, she could have lied easily. Therefore, pretending is one of the reason or causes for lying. Pretending to be who you are not. Just be who you are. Since the woman was herself, there was no need to lie to Jesus about who she was not and that really made her free. Also, we lie because we fear punishment. Fearing punishment also means most of us hate correction. If you do something wrong and instead of telling the truth you tell lies, you won't be corrected and you will forever stay on the blind side. Telling lies because of the fear for punishment robs you off an oppurtunity to be corrected and to know the right thing.

The Samarian woman told the truth. She had no husband and that really set her free and she had the available help. What are you hiding from your wife, husband, parent, teachers, managers, employees, employers, friends, children etc? Can't you see you always have to do something to keep that thing still hiding? Why don't you simply tell the truth and be free?

Remember the Bible tells us of a place prepared for lairs etc. It is real and shall surely come to pass. Let us learn to tell the truth to people whether known or unknown. The person you may the thinking to lie to because you think he or she does not know you is very much aware of all facts about you. He or she knows you very well. Just as Jesus Christ knew the samaritan woman very well but still asked, the same way someone knows about you but still wants to know. Simply tell the truth and it shall set you free.

Father Lord we pray thanking you for our lives. We thank you for the word and we pray that you help us learn to tell the truth at all times. We pray for your Holy Spirit to stay in our heart and alert or prompt us anytime our tongue shows interest in telling lies. This we ask in Jesus name. Amen!!!!!

LESSON 2 - JESUS MEETING WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

[John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans]

The above verse ushers us into our second motivational/inspirational lesson we are trying as much as possible with direction from above to extract from the story about Jesus Christ meeting with the Samarian woman at the well.
Now from the verse, we see clearly the woman setting boundries around her self by the use of her ethnicity or place she is coming from. First she meets Jesus Christ who tried to start a conversation by asking for water only for Jesus to be told that because of where He is coming from, it is not possible for Him to be served the water.

The behaviour/nature/character or attitude of the Samarian woman is still present with us. It is in our homes, schools, work places and even in the church. In the church, we do not want some people to sit by us or we sitting by them. We are selective and want to sit by or with people we already know. At work, some managers or even recruitment officers are not employing some people simply because the applicants are not from their country, town, church etc. We see ourselves not to have any dealings with them.

Sometimes, such words are really hurting. When you were in high school or college, was there a guy or lady that you loved or liked as a friend but you were stopped from going further because of his or her family background or were you stopped from marrying someone because your family did not like the others family? Sometimes, it is not just about not coming from the same family background. I remember when I was in my high school going age I heard some parents telling their children not to associate themselves with other children who are not academically good. In Ghana, some people prefer to marry from a particular tribe and not from others. I am thinking the misunderstanding between the Samaritans/Samarians and the Jews was there before the woman was born or grew. I am sure she was born into it but instead of correcting that when she applied the rule and followed the tradition. Some of us want to continue the ways of our families without even trying to know why. Your parents are not on talking terms with your neighbours. Instead of you asking your parents why they have no dealings with people from some tribe etc, we grow into it and continue the "tradition". Those who were really involved are gone. The innocent are suffering.

We have formed or created artificial boundries around us using a character or nature of being selective and unnecessary seperation tactics placing ourselves in a "high" position whiles seeing others as either inferior or "not our class" as the foundation. The boundry or wall you have built around you is driving people away. The poor, needy, sick, oppressed, disappointed, widow, orphan as well as the good or blessed ones are around waiting to come to you. God sent His son Jesus Christ to save us all. He came for all of us with no limitations. The sinful, righteous, sick, healthy, poor, rich or wealthy, tall, short, fat, thin and humans from all walks of life were welcome. Jesus was not selective when feeding the 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes so if really God created us in His own image and that the spirit of God is in us, why should we greet some people at the office whiles passing by others without even saying a word and even trying as much as we can not to have anything to do with them? Why should we distribute or share food during festive seasons to some particular people leaving the rest out knowing very well they are in need? Why should you drive your kids to school and pass by fellow children who are in the same school with your kids walking or standing by the road side simply because you as a parent you have nothing or no dealings with them?

Lesson 2: Setting boundries around us do us no good. Not only does it limit us in our exploration but it prevents us from receiving the good things others have for us.