John 4: 17-18
“‘I have no husband,’ she replied.
Jesus said to her, ‘You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.’”
When Jesus tells the woman to “Go, call your husband and come back,” she is confronted with a conundrum: Make up a story to explain her lack of husband, or tell him she’s been married and divorced so many times that she had a serious rejection complex.
Not wanting to admit her shame, she simply tells Jesus that she is not married. Her answer is true but only half true. Jesus tells her that he knows the other half of her truth in excruciating detail. When Jesus reveals that he knows the whole truth, it has the effect of a confession. What was hidden was now out in the open. What is missing from this picture is the condemnation and shame that usually goes with such a revelation.
The woman clearly understands that having had five husbands is not something one brags about, yet she has had to deal with this reality in her life. She does not break down in tears at the revelation but simply continues with the conversation. Jesus, for his part, does not condemn.
Q: How does knowing that our Lord does not condemn, but forgives, affect our willingness to confess everything to Him?
The world condemns all that do not follow its standards. A nephew once asked a brother, what does uncle Ron do? My brother told him, your uncle Ron does anything he wants to do.
I knew I live at odds with the ever changing standards of this world, but at least I was consistent. I never pretended to be anything but an outlaw, but an outlaw with lots of money, alcohol, drugs and women to keep me occupied and numb to the convicting of the Holy Spirit.
One day Our Lord arranged a time when I was not under the influence of any of these things, we were alone and He very gently revealed to me, exactly what I was ” ACCORDING TO HIS STANDARD.” And the consequences to be paid.
He did not reveal everything, just enough to scare me into getting my gun and choosing to end my life rather than endure the future He revealed.
I know this sounds stupid, but I had no concept of eternal life & death, I did not realize my human side was choosing eternal death.
Our Lord revealed another path, this took me to a church where He had a man from BSF waiting, I joined BSF, accepted Christ, and as directed by God separated myself from all my past, lived in my own home alone for 5 years and studied Gods word.
That was 40 years ago, God continues to open my heart to sins in my life and I have come to look forward to these revelations which prompt me to become more Christlike, and draw me closer to Him.
I live to share what He has given me, as gently as He has given me.
One thing we see from this passage is the truth that we cannot successfully lie to God (Hebrews 4: 13). Knowing that He knows all, it is comforting that He also can forgive all. Our best and truest course is an honest look in the mirror and honesty before God, calling on His forgiveness and His ability to change us to look more like Christ. We can also model His mercy in our relationships with others (Matthew 5: 7).
I think another important point from this passage is how God moves past people’s shame – shame for what they’ve done but also shame for what has been done to them. It is interesting to note that we don’t know all the circumstances in what Jesus reveals about this woman’s life. Is she a repeat widow? Is she a concubine? Was she forced into that life by family, the husbands, or even extreme poverty? Whether it be her own doing or the actions of others she has immense shame. Jesus acknowledges this shame and at least her current sinful relationship, but moves past it to forgiveness.
We have a God who removes sin and shame, we hurt ourselves when we don’t confess our sin to him.
It’s a daily process for me,..picking up my cross to follow Him,..everyday I thank Jesus for the forgiveness He has provided for me on that old rugged cross,..forgiveness for me and those that have hurt me,..that’s not easy but it is a must,..
When I was kid,..I was molested by a man,..had doors opened that shouldn’t have been opened,..wounds I had no idea were there,..scars,..mental darkness to the point I was on my knees worshiping satan because I thought God had left me and didn’t care,..being baptized was just something we all did in church,..yeah satan is a liar,..he took me down the same type of road Ron was on,..alcohol and drugs,..trying to mask the problem,..it wasn’t until after I practically ripped my family apart through my masking the pain that I decided to seek some psychiatric help,..then after a year of that my daughter invited me to come to her church,..that was the start of the process through confession, repentance and reconciliation,..what a process this has been,..that’s why it’s daily for me,..at times the memories come back and temptation lurks in the back door of my mind but I know Who stands at the front door and now I have no problem at opening up this door and letting Jesus in,..yeah the inside is a mess,..but He sure knows how to teach someone to clean things up,..I am very grateful for my Teacher Jesus Christ,..
Confession, repentance and reconciliation. When coupled with the power of a loving God, they are incredible words. As pointed out today in these awesome comments they chart the path to healing and renewal in the hands of our living and very real Maker.
Thanks for sharing John. God will use you to minister where very few can go.
God is sovereign and His ways are far, far beyond our understanding. He sought you out, called to you and when you showed Him your dark heart, He said come to me and I will clean you up. What a wonderful God we have.
God Bless Brother.
Ron
He has a lot to clean up in my heart but he has started.