“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”
(John 4.29).
Her encounter with Jesus all came down to Jesus letting her know that he knew all about her, especially the darkest places of her life.
The Samaritan woman had five husbands and the man she was living with wasn’t her husband. Jesus brought up her history of failed relationships to show that he was a more than a prophet. He knew things about her that no outsider should know. Think about what it would be like to be in line at Caribou, and a stranger comes up to you and tells you that he knows your deepest, darkest secret. This woman is confronted with Jesus’ knowledge of her.
Knowing everything about her, and especially her sins, Jesus still offered her eternal life. Let that sink in for a moment.
But Jesus offers us relationship. Eternal life is not just about dying and rising again, it’s about a relationship with God that not even death can take away (John 17.3).
We can’t earn it, and the good news is we don’t have to try to earn it, because Jesus has already earned it for us. Jesus offers us eternal life as a gift.
Let it sink in to your heart today. Just as Jesus knew everything about the Samaritan woman, and went to great lengths to bring her eternal life, Jesus knows everything about you, even the darkest places, and he has gone to great lengths to bring you eternal life. With Jesus, you are fully known, and you are fully loved. Let that sink in...