Friday, February 27, 2026

Opening Scripture

“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:8-9

Opening Prayer

Most Merciful God, I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry, and I humbly repent. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me, that I may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

John 4:27-42

Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.

They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Reflection  

The disciples returned (presumably with food) and were surprised by what they saw. At some point, they would surely grow to expect Jesus to do the unexpected, but this interaction was way beyond their comfort zone.

The woman’s shock at being personally and respectfully engaged by a Jewish man (Rabbi? Prophet?) was infinitely reframed and expanded when she realized He was actually the promised Messiah!

In her sudden excitement, she forgot about her water, and Jesus never got his drink. Instead, she joyfully ran back to town to share her amazing discovery.

Her initial statement sounds like Andrew and Phillip three chapters earlier when they first met Jesus: “Come and see!” That sincere invitation to others is a natural result of encountering the Son of God.

The next part no doubt raised some eyebrows. A man who told her everything she ever did? The townspeople had gossiped about that for years, but who was this stranger? Had she been with more than six men? And were those other six guys now nervously wondering if He knew about them, too?

Her final expression was wisely presented as a question. The citizens of that place would not have responded positively to a woman with her well-earned reputation making a dogmatic religious declaration. “Could this be the Christ?” provokes the kind of curiosity that initially drew her in.

And so, the people stopped what they were doing and made their way about a half mile to the well. The day suddenly got a lot more interesting!

The disciples, still focused on their lunch assignment, struggled to make sense of what was going on. Jesus, previously tired and thirsty, was no longer interested in food and drink. His priority was doing the Father’s will, to seek and to save the lost.

Things were about to get even more bewildering for the disciples. Not only had they gone throughSamaria instead of around it. Not only had they found Jesus talking alone with a Samaritan woman. At the invitation of these “questionable” people, they were about to spend (meno = abide) two days in a Samaritan town! Talk about being stretched.

The result was salvation. Revival. God used the most surprising of evangelists to share the most significant of news, and many came to faith in Jesus. Truly, the fields were ripe for harvest!

Flourishing Habit

Happiness and Satisfaction

Where do you see yourself in this story? What role would you like to be playing here? Ask God to help you abide in Him so that you will be ready to serve in whatever capacity He calls on you.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!