[U]ntil all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love. Ephesians 4: 13-16, NRSV.
Gracious God, we are very thankful to You for this opportunity to meet around Your Throne of Grace in prayer, and bible study. Please meet with us ,and teach us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
As we continue our study today, it is interesting to note, that all the “growing up” that we are aspiring toward, is with the purpose of “building up” the body of Christ, the Community of Faith, the Church. You will notice that our Scripture speaks about “growing up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”
This thought helps to keep us focused. This is not about us. It is about Jesus. As members of His body, we learn to be sympathetic one with another, in the same way that different parts of the body “hurt” when one member of the body is affected. We learn, early on, that we were created to bring glory to God. As we keep this thought ever present, we learn to work together, helping one another, to “grow in grace.”
Today we will look at another instance in which Jesus, “spoke the truth in love.” The woman at the well. I believe that this is the single most commented Bible character of mine. I have preached more sermons on her, than on any other person in the Bible. There is such a rich play of humanity, and empowerment, and love, that I keep going back to that well, to drink, and be encouraged, by the love of God toward His creatures.
When Jesus asked this woman for a drink of water, and she questioned His motives, that was an open door for Him to begin displaying His credentials, and giving her every reason why it was to her advantage to serve Him, a drink of water. Notice the angle from which Jesus made His comments, and the passive voice He used. Instead of, “Do you know who you are talking to?” He said, ” ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him and he would have given you living water’ ” (John 4: 10). “If you knew.” Jesus is giving her the credit of the doubt. I am sure that you do not know that it is I. Because if you knew, the tables would turn. You would ask me, for what you really need. And I would give it to you.
Jesus immediately did two things in this encounter. He empowered her by allowing her to see that she had something worthwhile to offer. And as I said on other occasions, water was considered, “the gift of God,” in the Middle East. In her hands was the gift of God, to offer to this Jewish man! The second thing He did was to offer her what He knew to be her real need, “living water” that satisfies the soul, and renews the body! Therefore, when He finally got to the place of her vulnerability, she was strong enough to bear it. When he saw her thirst for this “living water” He sent her for her “husband;” and then He read her life, as you would a book. He told her “everything that she ever did,” but He told it to her, “in love.”
She now had the strength to go and face the very people, that in the past, she recoiled from. She had been going to the well in the “heat of the day,” because the heat of the sun, I imagine, was more merciful, than the heat of their comments, and stares. She could now go and face them, in the strength of Jesus’ words of truth, “spoken in love.”
When was the last time you and I, told someone “everything they ever did,” and empowered them, because we told it to them in love? May God help us!