Terry Storch

Writing about life, leadership, faith, and anything else I find interesting.

John 4:1-6 - The only way out is through

 

John 4:1-6 - The only way out is through

The only way out is through. I am not sure where I heard this saying, but I loved it the second I heard it. Maybe it is how I am wired as a Challenger; maybe it the pressure I feel when I listen to it. I am not sure, but it really seems like a good life statement. 

Today’s powerful and well-known story jumps out at me as one of those through it moments. Let’s dive in and check it out. This is the Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well story. 

“Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— although it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭4:1-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

A lot is going on here in just six verses, so let's pull some layers back and see what we see. The opening verse plays off of what we talked about yesterday; Jesus was gaining all the crowds and baptizing more than John. Here we read that Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard...what is important with this, or what is this telling us? Well, Jesus had been outed, He was growing in popularity and rise of the Messiah rumors were running through the lands. This was going to bring significant pressure and challenged to His ministry, so he knew it was time to exit and get back to Galilee. Jesus knew his time was coming, but it was not yet the right time. 

Next, something really cool lifted off the screen, and I wanted to dive into it a moment. v2, in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. Jesus, the Son of God, the creator of all things, chose to use others from the very beginning. Up until now, we just heard Jesus was drawing the crowds, and Jesus was pulling all the people away from John the Baptist, baptizing. But now we see that all may be true, but Jesus pulled his disciples into the process and allowed them to do the baptizing. The God of the Universe invited those around him to join in the ministry, and that invitation is still extended to us. We have this same opportunity today to join Jesus in his ministry and work. 

v4 Now he (Jesus) had to go through Samaria. The fact is, you do not have to go through Samaria to get to Galilee from Judea. Yes, it is a quicker journey to go that direction, but you do not “have to” go this way. So, why did John say Jesus had to go then? Many scholars and I also believe that John said this simply because the Samarian people needed His message; they needed Jesus. This was also the great and built up culture clash between the Jews and the Samarians. It was real, tense, and challenging, and Jesus knew it was His calling and mission to deliver. I think Jesus knew, The only way out is through.  The challenge, the tension, the realities of these culture clashes would not go away, they needed to be attacked directly. Jesus had to go through Samaria. 

My sidebar on this for a moment is to internalize and process this mini message. Jesus could have avoided Samaria. Jesus was leaving Judea, avoiding that pressure...there are times we need to do that. But here, Jesus had to go through Samaria. I believe this is something we all need to recognize and understand, often the only way out of what we are navigating, the only way for the pressure to come off, the only way for the pride to go away, the only way for the ego to reduce, the only way for the greed to go away, the only way for the entitlement to be crushed, the only way for the pain to subside is to continue through it. The only way out of __________ is through. We often want a get out of jail free card, a quick fix, an escape hatch, or an arrow prayer answered, and the reality is we have to fully walk through it to get out of it. James talks about this, Paul preaches this over, and over and here, Jesus modeled it. 

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” - ‭‭James‬ ‭1:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” - ‭‭Galatians‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So do not miss the connected points here. If you have been invited to baptize along with and in Jesus' ministry and are navigating challenges, feeling the pressure, and walking through trials of many different kinds...recognize that those actually go hand in hand. The only way out is through, and going through it with Jesus will create the blessing He has in store. 

I am going to close today with that; tomorrow we will pick up the rest of the story. Until then, recognize the power of going through it. I realize the tendency and desire to get out of “it” to pray for “it” to go away, and for there to be a spiritual escape button. But, when those feelings come, or they are sitting on us today, let us remember Jesus had to go through Samaria. There is a great purpose for us in the middle of our current situation, we just might not see it right now. Lord, let us not become weary in the journey. Let us not become weary amid our circumstances. Lord, give us the strength and courage to continue to do good, to bring you glory in the middle of it all. Amen and Amen. 

other writing
John 20 - The Gospel

John 20 - The Gospel

The Gospel, the Good News! Jesus, Son of God, was born of Mary, lived as the Son of Man, died, and rose to life to rescue the world and bring about a new life. The central message of the gospel. Jesus, the centerpiece! John 19 & 20 cover the brutal death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

In this scene, I can not imagine how the disciples felt. John describes them as overjoyed...but those words just fall short of what I can imagine this moment was like.

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

John 19 - The Magnitude of the Cross

The day of Jesus' crucifixion fulfilled 28 Old Testament prophecies. Scripture was fulfilled! Beyond that, trying to wrap my mind around what happened this day, on the cross, and fully grabbing the magnitude of the cross is mind-boggling.

Sure, we can dumb this down or simplify it to a place where I just don’t believe it is anywhere near accurate. We can get into penal substitution and argue over was God full of love or was God full of wrath and hate that he killed his son. To me, John 3:16 is pretty clear on the love part.

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

John 18 - Jesus levels an army

In John 18, we come to the great betrayal. Judas came with the soldiers, officials, and chief priest and Pharisees. We know the scene. But this morning, I saw something I don’t remember reading and surly don’t remember learning about.

“So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭18:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 - The Lords Prayer

John 17 is Jesus looking heavenward and praying to God the Father. So much beauty and mystery in this prayer. One thing that jumps out to me is that Jesus, fully God, and fully man prayed. Jesus is God fully. Why did he need to pray, He was One with the Father, He was God...and yet he prayed. This is so powerful;

“And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭17:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

John 16 - What does it take to believe?

By the end of John 16, Jesus had done countless miracles, preached some amazing sermons, transformed so many lives, and developed a close and personal relationship with his disciples. So, when reading these verses, I am just utterly confused on so many levels.

“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.” Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech. Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.” “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:28-31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

John 16 - Undervaluing God in Spirit

Jesus’ time on earth is quickly coming to a close, and he finishes up his last sermon or teaching to his disciples as they walk to Gethsemane. This final teaching was a heavy one that no doubt left his disciples with a heavy heart. Jesus said it this way;

“...None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Rather, you are filled with grief because I have said these things.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭16:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus goes on to say;

John 15 - Constant Growth

John 15 - Constant Growth

We were built for growth, constant growth. From birth, all the way until our death, we were designed by God for constant growth. The problem is, we often can find ourselves stuck in a belief, a phase, or a part of life where we stop growing.

One of the most brilliant investors embodies this understanding. Charlie Munger, at 96 years old, is still learning and growing as a person. I love this quote:

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
- Charlie Munger

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 - The Gift of Peace

John 14 opens with Jesus, saying, Don’t let your hearts be troubled. And the chapter closed down with Jesus saying Don’t be troubled or afraid.

A message that needs to resonate with our spirit and our inner self. This was such a good reminder, reading through John 14 over and over. This passage lifted off the screen.

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart…

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

John 14 - Troubled Hearts

The world today seems so volatile and chaotic. Everywhere you look, whatever we read and see on TV just seems to be troubling. Last night, I noticed my lovely wife Tweeted this;

“I can’t be the only one who watches the news and is simply embarrassed right now, right? (Dear Jesus, we tap out. Come on back.)”

I find this first humorous, but then I also find it sad. It’s true, watching the news as a Christ-follower is pretty embarrassing. In John 14, we see Jesus…

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

John 13 - Unselfish Concern

Summarizing John, chapter 13, looks like this. The Lords Supper takes place. Jesus washes the disciple's feet. Jesus calls out Judas, and Satan enters him. Night comes, Judas leaves, and Jesus says he must go, and where I am going, you can not come. To cap it all off, Jesus also calls out Simon Peter and tells him that he will deny and completely disown Jesus three times. Whoa, a really full chapter, and historical day.

Nestled in the wrap up of the day is the parting message Jesus leaves his disciples, a message Jesus is sharing with us right now.

 
thoughtsTerry Storch