Five Minute Friday: Remedy

Today I am participating in Five Minute Friday, where a group of writers get together and free write about a one word prompt for 5 minutes. Today's word is "remedy." Usually I take the Five Minute Friday word prompt, and expound on a passage of Scripture. But today I decided to do something different and write a story. 

There was no remedy for what her heart felt. She was alone, although she was constantly at a man’s side. She never got a break. Since she was 15 years old, there had always been a man. Some were good, and some were not. The first one was the one she had chosen, but it was only short lived, because she wasn’t good enough for the family. How they talked him into the divorce, she didn’t know. After that, it just became one blur after another, being passed from man to man, like a coin, in exchange for whatever their need was. She wasn’t a prostitute, but the way the men had just married her, then dropped her. These were the thoughts that went over and over her mind each day on her walk to the well. Well, she was alone then. But still no remedy for the ache in her heart. As she approached the well that day, she saw a man sitting there. She could see the tzitzit, the blue tassel that alerted her he was not one of her people, but a Jewish man. “Great,” she thought. Another man to confront. Another man to deal with. Would there ever be a remedy for the aches of her heart?


“Please give me a drink,” Jesus said to her.

*This story is based on the account of Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman in John 4. I used the tzitzit as an identifier for Him because the Bible doesn't tell us how she knew He was a Jew and not a Samaritan. After some research, I found out that Samaritans also wear the tzitzit on their garments. I am not sure when they began doing that.

Bold Women in the Bible

When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

-Acts 4:13 (Berean Study Bible)

Boldness. The word in the Greek is “parresia.” It means freedom of speech or confidence. So, the word has to do with confidence in what we say.

There were many bold women in the Bible. I put together a short list that I thought would encourage some of us when we speak. Some of these women were bold in their actions as well. If her name is highlighted, you can click on it and go read where I have written more about her story in another post.

Tamar -Genesis 38

Tamar's story is found in the book of Genesis. While we might not agree with her actions, nevertheless she was bold in securing her rights that were actually set in place by the law. She is also the first woman listed in the genealogy of Jesus. (See the Gospel of Matthew chapter 1.)

Deborah-Judges 4

Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.-Judges 4:4

Deborah led men in the book of Judges. She was the only female judge in Israel that is listed. To lead an army and be a judge would require some boldness.

Rahab-Joshua 2Rahab was a prostitute that hid the two spies when they came to spy out Jericho. She helped them escape and her family were the only ones who were saved when Jericho was destroyed.

Jael-Judges 4
Jael was also included in the same story of Deborah. She risked her life and is the heroine of the story. When the enemy invaded her house, she used a hammer and tent peg to end his reign as an adversary.

Naaman’s servant girl-2 Kings 5

Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.

-2 Kings 5:1-4


Phoebe-Romans 16Phoebe is one of the women listed in Romans chapter 16. Paul said she was a deacon at the church of Cenchrea. It is widely held by many scholars that Phoebe was the one who delivered the epistle to the Romans to the Church at Rome. Not only would that have been a dangerous journey during the time, but it was a very important letter!

Mary of BethanyMary is found in all four Gospels, always sitting at Jesus’ feet. She was ridiculed on multiple occasions, first by her sister and then by other disciples for her actions. She was brave and set a precedent for what women in the Church should be like now.

Martha-Luke 10, John 11
Martha was brave in her outspokenness in her conversations with the Lord. In Luke 10, she refers to him as Lord, but in an extremely exasperated and sassy way. Jesus answers her statement but does not rebuke her boldness. In John 11, we see her have a monumental theological conversation with Jesus that is pivotal in our understanding of Jesus and who He is.

Women in Luke 8
There is a list of women in Luke 8 that supported the ministry of Jesus out of their own financial means.

Priscilla -Acts 18
Priscilla and her husband were both companions of Paul. She is said to have “risked her life for the church” and on one occaision corrected another male believer in his theology, albeit privately.

Lydia-Acts 16
Lydia was the first European convert in the book of Acts that we know about. After her conversion, she boldy invites Paul and his team to come and stay at her house, if they consider her a Believer in the Lord.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul writes to Timothy,


For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

That is the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, who lives inside all Believers. He gives us boldness, just like he did Peter and John.


The book of Acts is still being written. The Holy Spirit wants us to continue to proclaim Jesus with boldness, as women, as men, as the Church.



May you continue to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus,
Beth

31 Days of Jesus: Jesus Gives Us The Gift

Today's word prompt for the 31 Days Five Minute Friday Writing Challenge is Gift.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”-John 4:10

John chapter 4:1-26 is the account of Jesus’ interaction with a woman at a well. He is talking to her in the middle of the day, in public. And he is explaining spiritual truths to her.

And in this passage he refers to a gift of God. What is that gift?

I think if we look at the process of the passage we can discern some of the meaning. He goes through what seems like a pattern. He is talking. He mentions the gift. Then He refers back to himself. Then back to the gift.

At first I wanted to say the gift was Jesus, but I don’t think he is the gift in this passage. I think he is referring to the living water. And if we investigate the word a little further, we will discover that the gift has a different meaning than him.

One way to further explore the meaning of the word is to look it up in the original language. When we do that, it makes clearer how the author intended to use the word.

According to my Greek Dictionary, the word “gift” in the passage of scripture above is the word “dorea.” It means a free gift and is always used in regards to a spiritual or supernatural gift.

In Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan woman, He is talking about giving her a gift that only He can give her. Jesus is physically standing their with her, and he wants to give her something else. He wants to give her living water.

Earlier in the Gospel of John, the prophet John the Baptist explains about Jesus, that he will baptize with the Holy Spirit. That is the gift Jesus is sharing with the woman in John 4.

Later in Acts 2:38, Luke recounts Peter’s message after they have all been baptized in the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost.

Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Gift in that passage is also the word “dorea.”

Jesus is not the gift in the passage, but he is the means through which the gift comes.

Jesus is the one who baptizes us in the Holy Spirit, and that is the gift we receive. We cannot do anything to earn it, or buy it, or merit it in any way. It is a free gift that comes to us when we believe in Jesus.

Have you received the Gift?

 To read more in the series, please go to 31 Days of Jesus.

Jesus' Conversations with Women: The Water Jar

I have been thinking about the woman at the well that is found, in John 4. Mainly I have been thinking about her water jar. That water jar represented shame to her. The Bible says it was the sixth hour when Jesus sat down at the well. That would have been about noon. Then comes the woman to draw water.

Coming to the well at this time of the day would have been unusual. The job of drawing water was the job of a slave or women, and they would have done it earlier in the day when it was cooler, so this woman was coming to the well when she could avoid other people.

Her tone seemed a little sharp when she talked to Jesus, and we can tell that she was brave when speaking with Him. But she carried that shame because she avoided those who would shame her.

They have a conversation, she and Jesus, and discuss theological things. He offers her living water They discuss Jacob who built the well. His words tell her he knows her and what has happened to her in her life. And then they come to the most pivotal point.

Jesus tells her He is the Messiah. He reveals His true nature to her, and what He wants to do for her.

And she leaves her water jar.

She leaves the thing that is a representation of her shame. She lets it go, runs away, and tells other people about Him.

I believe, that when we all have a true encounter with the living Jesus, we will do the same. It will cause us to let go and leave our shame. We will leave all those things that have been holding us back, with Him, and we will run and tell others about Him.

He wanted her to come to know Him, That was His purpose in talking to her and still is His purpose with us.

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.-John 4:25-30 (NKJV) 

My prayer is that we would all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him,

Beth

Women in the Life of Jesus: Women and Ephesians 4

I hope if you have made it this far with me, that you have enjoyed my series, Women in the Life of Jesus.  It was a lot of fun to write, and I learned so much along the way. Women are valuable to God, and He takes great delight in us.  We are not inferior to men, but equal in humanity and in the call He has on our lives.  That is so important to know in the age of the Church.

The Lord spoke to me earlier this year and told me that the reason there are people in opposition to women in leadership in the Church, is that they don’t understand Kingdom dynamics.  We are not called to Lord it over individuals but to serve.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.  And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”-Mark 10:42-45

All women have been given gifts in the Body of Christ.  Some of them are called to the list in Ephesians 4. If you will see my post about Mary the Evangelist, I explain more about this passage there.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, -Ephesians 4:11-12

Examples of women from the Bible who possibly walked in the ministry gifts in Ephesians 4 include:

Apostle-Junia (Romans 16)

Prophet-Deborah (Judges 4), Anna (Luke 2), Phillip's daughters (Acts 21)

Pastor (Shepherd)-Lydia (Acts 16), Priscilla (Romans 16)

Teacher-Priscilla (Acts 18)

Evangelist-The Samaritan Woman (John 4), Mary Magdalene (Mark 16)

This is a short list. There are many other women listed in the Scriptures, and down through Church history that served this way. If you find these women in Scripture, you find them in the Body of Christ today.  All of these woman are a picture of how other women are supposed to be functioning in the Church.

Jesus loves women. We see Him teaching women great spiritual truths throughout the Gospels. We see them functioning and active in the Early Church. And we should see them ministering to others in whatever way the Lord has gifted them today.

I believe there are lots of women out there who, though they may not have a job in a physical church building, you may not see yourself doing anything for the Body of Christ.  That is not true. The Body of Christ is not in a building.  It is in the people who come in the building. Jesus lives within you. Much of the ministry that took place within the Early Church as found in the book of Acts happened outside of a building. I am not saying that it is not important for Believers to meet together because it is. Connection to the Church encourages and strengthens us.  But you carry the Kingdom of God wherever you go.  He has placed you where you are now with purpose and given you gift of the Holy Spirit and ministry gifts to carry out His plans for your life, to tell others are about Jesus and to call other people into the Kingdom of God.  Just keep stepping forward and get to know Him and all that He has done for you. Then you will be able to lead many others to Him.

Recently, I wanted to look up some information about women in the book of Romans, so I pulled this book off my shelf called, "What the Bible is All About" by a woman named Henrietta Mears. This is a very well known book, and I highly recommend it for your Bible study. It contains a short synopsis of each book of the Bible along with some other information about Biblical history for your study.

As I was flipping through the pages I came to the section on Judges, and my eyes fell on this, a commentary by Ms. Mears about the prophetess Deborah. It was so cool that I had to share. It reads,

"Now a prophetess arises in Israel (Judges 4:4) She was one of those rare women whose heart burns with enthusiasm when people's hearts are despondent. Many a queen, like England's Elizabeth II, has reigned with honor and wisdom, and often a woman's voice has struck a deep note that has roused nations." (page 113, "What the Bible is All About")

Isn't that an amazing tribute? There are many woman in the Bible whose voice has changed circumstances and turned the tide of events for people. There are many countless women throughout Church history whom this could also be said about. And God is still raising up women for this purpose today!

Many blessings to you as you grow in grace, peace, and love in Him,

Beth

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus. 

Women in the Life of Jesus: The Samaritan Woman at the Well

Scriptures where she is found: John 4:1-42

Setting: Sychar 

Her story:

So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.”

Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”

 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”

Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

My thoughts:

I have written about this woman before.  She is kind of amazing. You can read that post here.  I still have so many thoughts about her encounter with Jesus.  It just makes me love Him more.

When she comes to the well, Jesus is already there.  He is alone because his disciples have gone into town to get food.  But Jesus starts up a conversation with her anyway.  Alone.  Did I say that already?  Alone.  

Jesus doesn't appear to be bothered by the fact that she is a woman and they are having a conversation about spiritual things without anybody else around.  In fact, He is teaching her. He takes this moment, this opportunity to teach this woman.  

She seems to already have a knowledge of the things of God.  She is able to converse with Him about spiritual things.  They are dialoguing and Jesus is teaching her!

To me, this is amazing.  She is obviously not living right, but Jesus doesn't seem hindered by that. He is teaching her, trying to draw her into what He has for her, eternal life.  

There are many women in the Body of Christ, who for whatever reason, might not be living for God at the moment.  Jesus wants to draw you back into fellowship with Him.  He has things for you to do.

At the end of the passage above, Jesus tells the Samaritan woman, "I who speak to you am He."  That statement makes me want to jump up and down just reading it.  I can imagine what it did for her. She leaves her waterpot, and goes into the city and starts telling everyone about Jesus!  Woohoo!  Her life was forever changed because He saw the value in her, and demonstrated that by spending time with her, teaching her, loving her, and giving her acceptance.  He gave her what everybody gets who comes to Him, regardless of what they have done, ETERNAL LIFE.

To read more posts in this series, go here to Women in the Life of Jesus.

Called by God: The Samaritan Woman

"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' (called Christ) 'is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.'

Then Jesus declared, 'I, the one speaking to you—I am he.'"-John 4:25-26 (NIV)

The Lord wants to speak through women.  Women have gifts that Christ gave to contribute to the church.

For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn.-Romans 11:29 (NLT)

In John chapter 4, after Jesus speaks with the Samaritan woman at the well, she goes out and tells her whole town about him.  A woman preaches to the town that Jesus is the Messiah.

"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?'"-John 4:28-29 (NIV)

And what happens?

It opens the door for a lot of people to become Believers in that town.  And Jesus stays with them 2 more days.

"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.'"

The Lord wants to speak through women.