"Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did" (John 4:29).
Matthew Henry observed, “Those who have been with Jesus, and have found comfort in Him, should do all they can to bring others to Him. Has He done us the honor to make Himself known to us? Then let us do Him the honor to make Him known to others.”
After coming face to face with the Messiah, the woman left her water pot and ran into town to tell others the good news. Notice how this woman, who had previously been so preoccupied with physical things, left worldly concerns behind. A day that began with the ordinary routine of drawing water from the well ended with the salvation of her soul. So great was this change that she could not remain silent. She proclaimed what Christ had done in her life so that others might come and meet Him.
Once she left Jesus, who had been rejoined by His disciples, she went to the men of the town (the elders at the gate or others in authority). And notice what she did not say to them. She did not say that she met a man who explained a religious concept that she had been contemplating. She did not ask their view on the conflict between Jerusalem and Mt. Gerizim. She did not tell the men how much she had learned about true worship and the nature of God. But she did tell them that she had met a man who told her all the evil things she had ever done. The very thing she was most ashamed of, her own immorality, she confessed before others. This was her focus. She met a man who revealed those things that only God and her conscience knew. This man by the well laid her heart and her life bare, and in doing so, brought conviction of her sins.
While religious knowledge can certainly serve our evangelistic efforts, it is not enough. Conviction of sin lies at the heart of our redemption. This was the woman’s testimony—a testimony that included the realization that only the Messiah could bring such conviction. The men, who no doubt knew the woman’s reputation, could not resist the call. Drawn by the power of the Spirit, they went out to find this man who could bring light to a darkened soul.
If you were asked to give a testimony of Christ’s redemptive work in your life, what would you say? Write out your testimony or say it aloud to yourself sometime today. Does your testimony include how Christ caused you to see your sin, your need of Him, and His ability to save you? Compare your testimony to that of the Samaritan woman.
