The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.” John 4:19 WEB
This quote comes from Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Traveling with his disciples from Judea to Galilee, Jesus stopped at the well in Samaria to rest and refresh himself. There, at Jacob’s well, the Lord began a dialogue with a woman living in a sinful lifestyle of adultery. Upon learning of the eternal satisfaction of the lifegiving water that is the Holy Spirit, the woman asks Jesus to give her this water. Ultimately, she places her faith in Jesus as he reveals that he is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
When people encountered Jesus in the time of his ministry, very often they perceived his holiness. Like many who fail at first to see the divinity of Christ, the Samaritan woman thought of him as a prophet. After hearing Jesus’ words about life giving water and having the circumstances of her sinful lifestyle revealed by a stranger, the Samaritan woman formed an opinion about the Lord. Assuming that only a holy man could know what he knew, she says to Jesus, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.”
Jesus Is the Messiah
The Samaritan woman’s words demonstrate her awareness of Jesus’ association with God. However, her response in acknowledgement of Jesus as a man of God is followed by these words from John 4:20, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. WEB” In an attempt to distract from Jesus’ focus on her adulterous lifestyle, the Samaritan woman calls to attention a conflict between Samaritans and Jews.
Jesus uses this distraction to highlight the fact that she and her countrymen worship what they do not know. The Lord then reveals his purpose. He came to cause men and women to worship in spirit and in truth. Rather than worship with religious rigidity based upon the traditions of men, Christ came that men and women would worship sincerely by repenting from sin and devoting our lives to God in obedience to his word and will. Finally, as the woman who said, “you are a prophet” shares what she has heard of the coming Messiah, Jesus reveals to her that he is the Messiah.
Prayer: “Father God, thank you for convicting me of my sins. Thank you for revealing the spiritual nature of the worship you desire. Guide me to live in accordance with your word and will. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to you. In Jesus name – Amen”
Yesterday’s Devotional: That Which Is to Come
