Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John. John 4:1 WEB
The popularity of Jesus’ ministry rose quickly from the beginning. And Christ understood the jealousy of his religious opposition. To avoid trouble with the Pharisees, Chris left Judea. The Lord traveled through Samaria on his way back to Galilee. Along the way, Jesus encountered a Samaritan woman. In their interaction, the Lord impressed the woman with revelations of his divine origin and purpose.
To the Samaritan woman, Jesus openly reveals that he is the Messiah. But first, he teaches God’s desire for sincere worshippers. Jesus teaches to worship in spirit and in truth. He said in John 4:23-24, “But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. WEB”
The Messiah
Jesus had more disciples than John and he was just getting started. The longer he ministered, the more disciples he would make. With his disciples and influence, John the Baptist caused concern for religious leaders. But, with Jesus, the concern was even greater. Jesus challenged the religious elite of the day and shared the truth of his divinity with the common people, even Samaritans.
If Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, they would charge him with blasphemy and have him executed. But as Jesus revealed himself to the Samaritan woman, his message spread, creating more disciples. Teaching sincere repentance and genuine worship of God in spirit and in truth, Jesus ignored his critics in his passion to serve the will of God.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for the truth of the gospel message. Thank you for my salvation in Jesus Christ. As I worship you in spirit and in truth, guide me to do your will with my life. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: Trespasses and Sins
