In this episode of The Takeaway, Pastor Henry Barens continues the story of the woman at the will, a woman who met Jesus in her shame and left transformed by his grace. What began as a private moment of revelation now becomes a public movement of witness. Through her story, we see how God's command not only reveals sin and grants grace, but also sends his people into mission, turning personal salvation into public testimony. Join Pastor Harry as he unpacks Living Water Part 2, The Harvest.

Hello, and welcome again to the Takeaway. I'm your host, Pastor Harry Barens, and in today's message, we're continuing our study of John chapter 4, The Living Water Part 2, The Harvest, where we see God's command reveals grace and glory through his people. Now last week we saw Jesus meet the Samaritan woman at the well. He had gone through Samaria. This was a divine appointment set by the Father. We saw that grace came first. Jesus was already there, waiting for her in her shame and isolation. And when she encountered him, she didn't yet know who he was. All she knew was that a Jewish man was talking to her, something entirely out of place. But that moment was more than an awkward encounter. It was a picture of God meeting us in our isolation and desperation. He meets us gently, lovingly, not condemning us, but drawing us near through his mercy. Often we don't even recognize that he's there, but he is. It reminds me of the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection, walking, talking with Jesus, not realizing who he was until the moment he revealed himself. And then they said, Did our hearts not burn within us while he talked to us on the road? That's what grace does. It stirs something deep within before our eyes are even opened. That's what happened with this Samaritan woman. At an appointed time, the revelation came. Just like Nicodemus, just like us, Jesus meets each of us at a divine moment in a divine place when the Father calls. Then comes the command. Give me a drink, that revealed her need. Call your husband, that revealed her sin. And then came grace, connecting her need and her sin to the only one who could satisfy both. Finally, glory. I who speak to you, I am. That's the pattern. Command, revelation, grace, then glory. Now, today we continue the story, where one transformed sinner becomes the spark of an entire town's salvation. Let's begin in verses twenty-seven to thirty of chapter four. Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, What do you seek? Or why are you talking to her? So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ? They went out of town and were coming to him. Now we see the fruit of transformation. The woman who came to the well in shame now runs back to her town in joy. She leaves behind her water jar. This is the very symbol of her old life and her old thirst. That's no small detail. Grace changed her priorities. She didn't sit there soaking in more teaching. She didn't say, Tell me more. She ran. She went to tell others. Grace didn't produce selfishness, it produced selflessness. The natural response of a heart reborn, it is to share. She didn't pray for a pray a formal prayer. She didn't make a public confession of faith. What we see is the result of grace working in her. Jesus did the work, and the evidence is the transformed life. Her testimony was simple. Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. She didn't argue doctrine. She didn't defend theology. She invited others to see what Christ had done. That's what genuine faith does. It compels us to say, come and see. And that raises a question for us. What do people see when they look at our lives? Are we inviting them to church? Or are we inviting them to Christ in us? The people listened to her because something about her had changed. The outcast was no longer hiding. The ashamed was no was now fearless. The woman who once avoided her neighbors was now running toward them. They saw something divine, the evidence of grace, and they wanted to see the source. When grace truly takes hold of a heart, witness follows naturally. Look at verses 31 to 34. Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, I have food to eat that you do not know about. So the disciples said to one another, Has anyone brought him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Now the disciples are still focused on physical needs here. And Jesus points them to spiritual purpose. His nourishment is obedience. To obey is to be filled. That's what he's saying. My food is to do the will of him who sent me. Many in ministry grow weary because they feed on results instead of obedience. They want to see fruit before they feel satisfied. But true satisfaction comes from doing the Father's will, not from seeing the outcome. Have you ever experienced that? You're tired, hungry, maybe even discouraged, but then the Holy Spirit moves through you. And suddenly you're re-energized. You proclaim the goodness of God and your physical needs fade away. That's the nourishment Jesus is describing. The strength that comes from obedience. The flesh can't feed the spirit, but the spirit can sustain the flesh. Look at John 6.63, what it says. Now, when we walk in obedience, we find joy that no meal can give. Verses 35 to 38. Do you not say, There are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor. And Jesus commands his disciples, lift up your eyes. This isn't a suggestion, this is a divine imperative. They were so caught up in the natural food, water, schedules, that they missed the spiritual. But the harvest was happening right in front of them as they returned with food. An entire town was already coming out to meet Jesus because of one transformed life. They hadn't sown the seed, Jesus had. Look at First Corinthians chapter 3, verses 6 to 7. It says, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. Perhaps they assumed he stayed behind to avoid becoming unclean among the Samaritans, but now he was showing them that what God has cleansed no one can call unclean. He began with the outcast of the outcast, the most unlikely person, and through her he redeemed a whole community. When Jesus said, Lift up your eyes, he was saying, Open your spiritual vision, see what God is doing. The harvest isn't the future, it's right now. In verses 39 to 42, and many Samaritans from the town believed in him because of the woman's testimony. So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days, and many more believed because of his word. 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. The harvest Jesus described is now unfolding before their eyes. The woman's testimony brought them near, but his word brought them to faith. Our words can invite, but only his word can transform. The gospel alone has the power to save. It was never about the eloquence of the messenger. It's always about the power of the message. She came to the well empty and left full. She came thirsty and left overflowing. She came ashamed and left proclaiming. One sinner, one savior, one town transformed. That's the rhythm of redemption. Command comes, revelation is given, and grace all for his glory. So the takeaway is this the story of the Samaritan woman is the story of us all. God's command exposes sin, his grace redeems, and his glory multiplies. She came in isolation and left in imitation. She came condemned and left commissioned. And through her, the whole town came to see the Savior of the world. If God can use her, he can use you. He doesn't call the perfect, he perfects the called. He sends broken people filled with his Holy Spirit to reveal his glory in the world. One transformed life can change everything. The living water becomes a river that flows into others. God's command is still calling his people today. Lift up your eyes, join the harvest, and magnify the Savior of the world. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the living water that not only satisfies our thirst, but turns us into fountains of grace. Thank you that you meet us where we are in our brokenness and transform us into witnesses of your mercy. Lord, give us eyes to see the harvest around us. Let us not grow weary or distracted by the natural things, but find our nourishment in doing your will. May our obedience bring you glory, and may our lives invite others to come and see Jesus in us. Empower us, Holy Spirit, to be laborers in your field. Use our stories, our weaknesses, our scars to reveal the beauty of your redemption. We ask all this in your precious name, Jesus. Amen. Now, next week on the takeaway, we'll follow Jesus as he departs from Samaria and enters Galilee. The story doesn't end, it expands. We'll see how God's glory is revealed even when honor is denied and how his mission continues despite rejection. Join me as we explore no honor, still glory, and discover what it means to stay faithful to God's call when the world refuses to see his worth. Now, as always, I want to thank you for joining us today, and I hope this episode has helped you take a step closer in your relationship with Jesus and that you now have a deeper understanding of just how much God loves you and wants you to know him. Now, if today's message encouraged you, would you please take a moment to follow the takeaway and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it? Your support helps us reach more people with the hope of the gospel. And if this ministry has been a blessing in your life, we would love to hear from you. Just leave a quick word of encouragement or share how these messages are impacting your walk with Christ. It's our desire that this ministry be a tool to reach the lost and equip the saints for a life that brings glory to God. God bless, and we'll see you next time on the takeaway.