Finding Rest and Restoration in Jesus (John 4:3-42)
1. Through powerful imagery and profound theological insights, John reveals the nature of Jesus as the Son of God, the light of the world, the bread of life, and the hope of Israel. The Gospel of John has been called an, “intimate gospel,” for the way that Jesus personally interacts with others. The main point of the weekend’s message was using rest as a means of hearing from the Father so that we are able to Live like Jesus, Love like Jesus and to Lead like Jesus. What we see earlier in the book of John is that Jesus had a personal conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3. This weekend we saw another personal conversation with a woman in chapter 4. It’s important to know that there was a history of animosity between the Jews and Samaritans. Most Jews would have never traveled this path to Galilee even though it was shorter; they would have traveled by the Jordan River to avoid the Samaritans. Have the group read John 4:3-42 Has there been a time when you felt compelled by the Holy Spirit to do something? What was the result? What do you think happens when we act in disobedience in those moments?
2. This question is meant to prompt thinking more about our role in the lives of those who may be far from God or even have felt alienated or excluded from the, “church/ religious people.” Has there ever been a time in which religious people may have been a barrier to your faith or growing in faith? There are times in the Christian life that we should excuse ourselves from situations or even from some people. However, on most occasions we need to be the light of the world. Where do you need to have greater engagement with those around you who are far from Jesus? Are there ways that we can avoid contributing to someone else’s negative Christian experience? What are ways we can help to bridge that gap?
3. Jesus was an exceptional listener. We need to think about our own ability to listen and engage. Most of the time we are in a hurry or have other things on our minds while we are being talked to...while other times we may even find ourselves being talked at. We should reframe these moments and set healthy boundaries to become better at conversation.What are some major distractions that we usually face when having conversations with friends? How about our kids? Spouse? What about those outside the church? Such as in our workplaces? What do you think are some barriers to, “listening well?” While asking this woman for a drink, Jesus is able to turn the conversation from physical to spiritual (read John 4:13-20). This represents a pivotal moment in the conversation because it led to the woman believing in Jesus. Thinking about Jesus’ interaction with this woman, what can we learn about engaging people in spiritual conversations?
4. Jesus knows the areas of our life that are broken and in disarray and may use our suffering so that in return we can comfort others. In 2 Timothy 2:24-26: And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. According to the passage, how can we lovingly expose sin in someone’s life while showing grace upon grace? As the story comes to a conclusion, we read that Jesus teaches the disciples how to talk to all the, “wrong people,” read John 4:31-42. Thinking about the harvest, where do you see God opening doors in your life to share the love of Jesus?
