Now We Believe - John 4:42

John the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “Say not you, There are yet four months, and then comes harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit unto life eternal: that both he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One sows, and another reaps. I sent you to reap that whereon you bestowed no labor: other men labored, and you are entered into their labors. And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word”, and in chapter four and verse forty-two of his book, John shared how the people of the city, “said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying” where we read:

And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.

The verse reads, “And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying:”. John began with the words, “and said unto the woman” or “and uttered, declared and proclaimed to the woman at the well from Samaria”, “now we believe” which means “at this time, henceforth and hereafter we, the people of Samaria, think to be true, are persuaded and place confidence”, “not because of your saying” or “not by way of your, the Samaritan woman, uttering, declaring and proclaiming”. John shared how the people of Samaria told the “woman at the well” they “trusted and had confidence” in Jesus not just because she testified about Jesus.

The verse goes on to say, “for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” John continued with the word, “for we have heard him ourselves” which means “because, since and on account that we, the people of Samaria, have been given the faculty of hearing, attending to, conceiving and perceiving Jesus our own selves”, “and know that this is indeed” or “and perceive and understand that Jesus is even so and also” “the Christ” which means “the anointed One, the Messiah and the Son of God”. John shared how the people of “Samaria” listened to Jesus Himself, and they understood Him to be “the anointed One” of God.

When we consider John's words in this verse, we learn how the people of the city in “Samaria” told the “woman at the well” they “trusted and had confidence in” Jesus not by her words only, but by Jesus' words as well. When a person truly “hears” Jesus speak, it is very natural for them to “believe and trust” in Him. God wants to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and when they put their trust in Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”, they will receive “forgiveness” of their sins and inherit everlasting life with God.

Next time John shares, “after two days he departed from there”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".