John 4:31-42
There are two things happening here. The first is that the Disciples rejoin Jesus, the second is that many Samaritans believe. In The Message these verses are tied together and it is suggested that the harvest field Jesus is talking about is the Samaritan village. Jesus teaches his disciples that the food they should desire is to do the will of God. We are all called to spread the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the world. Often it seems to be wasted. We behave in a Jesus-like way. We witness through our lives, sharing God’s message where appropriate and nothing seems to happen. We pray for people for years, earnestly, and those people remain unsaved. This passage is the reassurance that our efforts are not in vain. We may meet someone others have prayed over for years and have witnessed to. We walk into their lives to receive them as they accept Jesus as their Saviour. Many years ago, when my oldest child was just a toddler, I taught Scripture classes in school. It was dispiriting work with children who didn’t seem to want to learn. We used to have a prayer meeting between the morning and late morning sessions. At that prayer meeting one of the other women who sat at home praying for us while we taught reminded us of this verse.

We may sow and see nothing. We may wonder if we are making any impact at all, but we do not know what seeds have been sown in the minds of others. Often, we sow but we do not reap. That is for someone else to do. Meanwhile, our food is to do the will of God who has sent us to spread the good news. So if you are feeling dispirited today, know that you are doing exactly what your Father in Heaven asks you to do, and know that He loves you.

John 4:28-30
The disciples having returned, it is obvious to the Samaritan Woman that Jesus has finished their conversation. So she excitedly runs back to her village telling everyone to come and see the man who has told her everything she ever did. A bit of an exaggeration, but Jesus obviously had a great impact on her. It seems that impact was contagious because the people of the town ran out to see Jesus. The woman witnessed what Jesus said about her and believed He was the Messiah. The proofs were convincing enough for the people of her village to think he was the Messiah too. There are other references in the gospels to the people witnessing Jesus’ miracles and accepting these as convincing proofs of His Messiahship. (For example John 7:26, 31 and Matthew 12:23). To understand this, we need to understand what the expectation was about the Messiah.
In the Old Testament the Messiah was the anointed one, appointed to redeem God’s people. He would judge his enemies and would have dominion over the nations and be the agent of God. This can be seen in Isaiah 45 and 47. The Old Testament is full of references to a Messiah who would fulfil those five points just mentioned. The first reference is in Genesis 3:15 when God promises the serpent the woman’s offspring will crush his head. This is the promised victory of Jesus over sin and death and the defeat of satan. Genesis 49:9-10 relates the prophesy by Jacob about Judah. This is considered a reference to the Messiah, and certainly Jesus is often referred to as the “Lion of Judah”. There are several references in the Psalms to the Messiah, one of the most famous is Psalm 110. Isaiah 40-55 describes the Servant. There are many other references, too many to mention here. The Old Testament is full of references to the Messiah. People did recognise the miracles Jesus performed as being evidence of Him being the Messiah, yet they ultimately rejected Him. They saw the Messiah as being a mighty warrior who would lead the Jewish people to victory and cast off the yoke of their oppressors (in Jesus’ time the Romans). Why did they get it so wrong? There are many reasons. One is that the people did not have the word of God written on their hearts as happens to us when the Holy Spirit dwells in us at conversion. But that is not enough to prevent misconceptions happening. Another thing is that the people did not have access to scriptures to the extent we can access our Bibles. Another is that the people wanted to believe God would send a mighty warrior to free them. They dictated what they wanted God to be. That is a common failing. We all do it when we decide God should give us an easy life, or we should get the things we want, or that little child we love shouldn’t die. We need to be wary to keep our eyes on God and our Messiah Jesus. We need to read our Bibles and pray and not fall into the sin of dictating terms to God!

John 4:27
In this verse the disciples find Jesus at the well talking with a woman. In the custom of that time no religious leader talked to a woman in public Yet here was Jesus, who was clearly superior to them, talking to a woman in a public place. It is interesting that by this stage in Jesus’ ministry the disciples had learned that Jesus did not follow convention. He challenged what people assumed was ‘the right way to behave’. Instead he chose God’s way. At least His disciples had gained enough understanding to not ask why He was not following the custom. Another belief about ‘proper’ behaviour no doubt bit the dust that day.
I wonder how many Christian ‘rules of living’ would be broken by Jesus if He were on earth today? How many legalisms have we come to believe in? How much of God’s work are we thwarting by strict adherence to legalisms? It certainly pays to carefully analyse our thoughts and attitudes and discuss them in prayer with God.