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Leaving It Behind By Cindy Hess Kasper January 17, 2015
Read: John 4:9-14,27-29
The woman then left her waterpot [and said,] “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” —John 4:28-29
In the year or so after our teenage son got his driver’s license and started carrying a wallet, we got several calls from people who had found it somewhere. We cautioned him to be more careful and not leave it behind.
Leaving things behind, though, is not always a bad thing. In John 4, we read about a woman who had come to draw water at a well. But after she encountered Jesus that day, her intent suddenly changed. Leaving her water jar behind, she hurried back to tell others what Jesus had said to her (vv.28-29). Even her physical need for water paled in comparison to telling others about the Man she had just met.
Peter and Andrew did something similar when Jesus called them. They left their fishing nets (which was the way they earned their living) to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:18-20). And James and John left their nets, boat, and even their father when Jesus called them (vv.21-22).
Our new life of following Jesus Christ may mean that we have to leave things behind, including those that don’t bring lasting satisfaction. What we once craved cannot compare with the life and “living water” that Jesus offers.
Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me;
There’s love and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee. —McGranahan
Christ showed His love by dying for us; we show ours by living for Him.
INSIGHT: First-century Jews avoided traveling through Samaria. When making the journey from Galilee to Judea, they would cross the Jordan River and travel the east side before re-crossing to make their way to Jerusalem once they had passed Samaria. The reason for this was that Samaritans were seen as ceremonially unclean. Jesus, however, had no such qualms, breaking tradition to connect with a Samaritan woman in need.
Read: John 4:9-14,27-29
The woman then left her waterpot [and said,] “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” —John 4:28-29
In the year or so after our teenage son got his driver’s license and started carrying a wallet, we got several calls from people who had found it somewhere. We cautioned him to be more careful and not leave it behind.
Leaving things behind, though, is not always a bad thing. In John 4, we read about a woman who had come to draw water at a well. But after she encountered Jesus that day, her intent suddenly changed. Leaving her water jar behind, she hurried back to tell others what Jesus had said to her (vv.28-29). Even her physical need for water paled in comparison to telling others about the Man she had just met.
Peter and Andrew did something similar when Jesus called them. They left their fishing nets (which was the way they earned their living) to follow Jesus (Matt. 4:18-20). And James and John left their nets, boat, and even their father when Jesus called them (vv.21-22).
Our new life of following Jesus Christ may mean that we have to leave things behind, including those that don’t bring lasting satisfaction. What we once craved cannot compare with the life and “living water” that Jesus offers.
Now none but Christ can satisfy,
None other name for me;
There’s love and life and lasting joy,
Lord Jesus, found in Thee. —McGranahan
Christ showed His love by dying for us; we show ours by living for Him.
INSIGHT: First-century Jews avoided traveling through Samaria. When making the journey from Galilee to Judea, they would cross the Jordan River and travel the east side before re-crossing to make their way to Jerusalem once they had passed Samaria. The reason for this was that Samaritans were seen as ceremonially unclean. Jesus, however, had no such qualms, breaking tradition to connect with a Samaritan woman in need.