There was once a time when the world knew not of its Savior. Yet there was hope because it had been foretold that a child would be born and called Emmanuel – God is with us. In Lent, we prepare for his coming anew. During this season, we discover for ourselves the call of salvation and the promise of eternal life.
A woman needs to get necessities. She goes to a place where she can get water to bring home. There she encounters a man who introduces himself. He asks for a drink of the water she just collected. The woman, not knowing the man, questions if it is appropriate that he make this request. After all, he sits there alone with no possessions and with nothing to offer in return. The man then claims that he can offer her the greatest gift of all, the gift of eternal life.
Astonished at his words and all that he knows, the woman wonders if the man is a prophet. She wants to know where people should go to give him praise and worship. The man says worship is not directed to a place in time, but, rather, to God in Spirit and in truth. She says she has heard of the Messiah—the Deliverer—and believes he is coming soon. Then the man declares:
“I am he.” (John 4:26)
The woman drops the water and rushes back to tell her neighbors that she has found the Savior. They come to meet this man, Jesus, and invite him to visit with them in their remote town of Samaria. He stays there two days sharing his teachings. Afterwards, the people tell the woman they had previously cast out as a sinner that they, too, believe Jesus is the Savior of the world.
In the Old Testament, the Book of Isaiah professes the coming of God to earth with these words from chapter 7, verse 14:
“A woman shall bear a child and he shall be called Emmanuel—God is with us.”
In the opening chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus is revealed as the Word of God made flesh. Later in chapter 14 of John’s Gospel, Jesus tells the apostles that the one true way to know God is through him. In this story of the Samaritan woman, Jesus greets an outcast woman from an exiled community. He reaches out to her not from a position of power or by virtue of his prominence, but in fellowship and kindness; humility and acceptance. He reaches out to her as one person seeking to develop a friendship with another. He reaches out so that she can get to know him and by knowing him, know God.
Jesus is sent to earth so that we can know God more. By knowing God more, we deepen our faith and strengthen our resolve to love and serve Him. By knowing, loving, and serving God, we become heirs to the endowment of eternal life that Jesus has promised.
And it starts with Jesus Christ extending his hand in friendship and introducing himself:
“Hello, I’m God.”
These Gospel stories are re-imagined in the book series:
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