4/3 John 4:42

42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."


Jesus stopped to rest at a well in Samaria while the disciples went to buy food. While He rested alone there at midday, a woman came out to draw water. Jesus' words convinced her that He was the Messiah. The Samaritans, like the Jews, looked forward to a coming Messiah. She ran to the nearby village and told everyone that this man at the well must be the Messiah, for He told her all that she had done.

The Samaritans came out to see Jesus for themselves and invited Him to stay for a while in their town. This must have made the disciples very uncomfortable because Jews believed the Samaritans were evil and evil could enter into a person through touching things they had touched. After a few days, the Samaritans in that village were convinced that Jesus was indeed the Savior of the world.

Most Jews were still reluctant at that time to call Jesus the Messiah, but these despised people of a mixed race were already calling Him the Savior, not just of Abraham's descendants, but of the world. Why is it that the least in the eyes of the world seem most ready to see Jesus for who He really is (1 Corinthians 1:26)? Could it be that they have less pride getting in the way?

Consider: God delights in giving hope to the widows, orphans, and those whom society sees as insignificant. Do you?