John 4:27–42 Living Water, The Harvest

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A single conversation at a well turns into a townwide awakening—without a strategy meeting, a platform, or a polished script. We follow the Samaritan woman’s journey from shame to fearless witness and explore why Jesus calls obedience his food, not his reward. It’s a story that refuses to stay in the past, because the pattern still plays out in our lives: command reveals need, grace redeems the heart, and glory sends us into a harvest already ripening around us.

We unpack the power of a simple testimony—come and see—and why authenticity resonates more than arguments. As the disciples debate lunch, Jesus points beyond the immediate to fields white for harvest, reminding us that some sow, others reap, and God gives the growth. The woman’s invitation draws her neighbors near, but the word of Christ anchors true belief. Along the way we address ministry weariness, the trap of outcome-driven joy, and the liberating shift to obedience as nourishment. Expect practical insight on how to recognize divine appointments, how to share your story without performance pressure, and how to cultivate spiritual vision for the people already walking toward you.

By the end, you’ll have a renewed sense of calling and a clear next step: lift up your eyes. Whether you feel unqualified, unseen, or unsure where to begin, this conversation shows why God delights to send imperfect people filled with perfect grace. If this message encourages you, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a quick review to help more listeners discover the gospel’s living water.

If The Takeaway has encouraged you, we’d love to hear how you found the podcast or how God is using it in your life. You can reach out anytime through the “Text Us” link in the episode description.

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Please visit www.chosenbydesign.net for more information on Pastor Harry’s new book, "Chosen By Design - God’s Purpose for Your Life."

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:32):
In this episode of The Takeaway, Pastor Henry
Barens continues the story ofthe woman at the will, a woman
who met Jesus in her shame andleft transformed by his grace.
What began as a private momentof revelation now becomes a
public movement of witness.
Through her story, we see howGod's command not only reveals
sin and grants grace, but alsosends his people into mission,

(00:55):
turning personal salvation intopublic testimony.
Join Pastor Harry as he unpacksLiving Water Part 2, The
Harvest.

SPEAKER_00 (01:12):
Hello, and welcome again to the Takeaway.
I'm your host, Pastor HarryBarens, and in today's message,
we're continuing our study ofJohn chapter 4, The Living Water
Part 2, The Harvest, where wesee God's command reveals grace
and glory through his people.
Now last week we saw Jesus meetthe Samaritan woman at the well.
He had gone through Samaria.

(01:33):
This was a divine appointmentset by the Father.
We saw that grace came first.
Jesus was already there, waitingfor 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 Jewishman was talking to her,
something entirely out of place.

(01:54):
But that moment was more than anawkward encounter.
It was a picture of God meetingus 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 recognizethat he's there, but he is.
It reminds me of the discipleson the road to Emmaus after the

(02:17):
resurrection, walking, talkingwith Jesus, not realizing who he
was until the moment he revealedhimself.
And then they said, Did ourhearts not burn within us while
he talked to us on the road?
That's what grace does.
It stirs something deep withinbefore our eyes are even opened.

(02:39):
That's what happened with thisSamaritan woman.
At an appointed time, therevelation came.
Just like Nicodemus, just likeus, Jesus meets each of us at a
divine moment in a divine placewhen the Father calls.
Then comes the command.
Give me a drink, that revealedher need.

(03:01):
Call your husband, that revealedher sin.
And then came grace, connectingher 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, thenglory.

(03:24):
Now, today we continue thestory, where one transformed
sinner becomes the spark of anentire town's salvation.
Let's begin in versestwenty-seven to thirty of
chapter four.
Just then his disciples cameback.
They marveled that he wastalking with a woman, but no one
said, What do you seek?
Or why are you talking to her?

(03:46):
So the woman left her water jarand went away into town and said
to the people, Come, see a manwho told me all that I ever did.
Can this be the Christ?
They went out of town and werecoming to him.
Now we see the fruit oftransformation.
The woman who came to the wellin shame now runs back to her

(04:07):
town in joy.
She leaves behind her water jar.
This is the very symbol of herold life and her old thirst.
That's no small detail.
Grace changed her priorities.
She didn't sit there soaking inmore teaching.
She didn't say, Tell me more.
She ran.
She went to tell others.

(04:28):
Grace didn't produceselfishness, it produced
selflessness.
The natural response of a heartreborn, it is to share.
She didn't pray for a pray aformal prayer.
She didn't make a publicconfession of faith.
What we see is the result ofgrace working in her.
Jesus did the work, and theevidence is the transformed

(04:51):
life.
Her testimony was simple.
Come, see a man who told me allthat I ever did.
She didn't argue doctrine.
She didn't defend theology.
She invited others to see whatChrist had done.
That's what genuine faith does.
It compels us to say, come andsee.
And that raises a question forus.

(05:11):
What do people see when theylook at our lives?
Are we inviting them to church?
Or are we inviting them toChrist in us?
The people listened to herbecause something about her had
changed.
The outcast was no longerhiding.
The ashamed was no was nowfearless.

(05:32):
The woman who once avoided herneighbors was now running toward
them.
They saw something divine, theevidence of grace, and they
wanted to see the source.
When grace truly takes hold of aheart, witness follows
naturally.
Look at verses 31 to 34.
Meanwhile, the disciples wereurging him, saying, Rabbi, eat.

(05:55):
But he said to them, I have foodto eat that you do not know
about.
So the disciples said to oneanother, Has anyone brought him
something to eat?
Jesus said to them, My food isto do the will of him who sent
me and to accomplish his work.
Now the disciples are stillfocused on physical needs here.
And Jesus points them tospiritual purpose.
His nourishment is obedience.

(06:18):
To obey is to be filled.
That's what he's saying.
My food is to do the will of himwho sent me.
Many in ministry grow wearybecause they feed on results
instead of obedience.
They want to see fruit beforethey feel satisfied.
But true satisfaction comes fromdoing the Father's will, not
from seeing the outcome.

(06:40):
Have you ever experienced that?
You're tired, hungry, maybe evendiscouraged, but then the Holy
Spirit moves through you.
And suddenly you'rere-energized.
You proclaim the goodness of Godand your physical needs fade
away.
That's the nourishment Jesus isdescribing.
The strength that comes fromobedience.

(07:00):
The flesh can't feed the spirit,but the spirit can sustain the
flesh.
Look at John 6.63, what it says.

(07:22):
Now, when we walk in obedience,we find joy that no meal can
give.
Verses 35 to 38.
Do you not say, There are yetfour months, then comes the
harvest?
Look, I tell you, lift up youreyes and see that the fields are
white for harvest.

(07:43):
Already the one who reaps isreceiving wages and gathering
fruit for eternal life, so thatthe sower and the reaper may
rejoice together.
For here the saying holds trueone sows and another reaps.
I sent you to reap that forwhich you did not labor.
Others have labored, and youhave entered into their labor.

(08:05):
And Jesus commands hisdisciples, lift up your eyes.
This isn't a suggestion, this isa divine imperative.
They were so caught up in thenatural food, water, schedules,
that they missed the spiritual.
But the harvest was happeningright in front of them as they
returned with food.

(08:25):
An entire town was alreadycoming out to meet Jesus because
of one transformed life.
They hadn't sown the seed, Jesushad.

(08:47):
Look at First Corinthianschapter 3, verses 6 to 7.
It says, I planted, Apolloswatered, but God gave the
growth.
So neither he who plants nor hewho waters is anything, but only
God who gives the growth.

(09:13):
Perhaps they assumed he stayedbehind to avoid becoming unclean
among the Samaritans, but now hewas showing them that what God
has cleansed no one can callunclean.
He began with the outcast of theoutcast, the most unlikely
person, and through her heredeemed a whole community.

(09:36):
When Jesus said, Lift up youreyes, he was saying, Open your
spiritual vision, see what Godis doing.
The harvest isn't the future,it's right now.
In verses 39 to 42, and manySamaritans from the town
believed in him because of thewoman's testimony.

(10:00):
So when the Samaritans came tohim, they asked him to stay with
them, and he stayed there twodays, and many more believed
because of his word.
They said to the woman, It is nolonger because of what you said
that we believe, for we haveheard for ourselves, and we know
that this is indeed the Saviorof the world.
The harvest Jesus described isnow unfolding before their eyes.

(10:22):
The woman's testimony broughtthem near, but his word brought
them to faith.
Our words can invite, but onlyhis word can transform.
The gospel alone has the powerto save.
It was never about the eloquenceof the messenger.
It's always about the power ofthe message.
She came to the well empty andleft full.

(10:43):
She came thirsty and leftoverflowing.
She came ashamed and leftproclaiming.
One sinner, one savior, one towntransformed.
That's the rhythm of redemption.
Command comes, revelation isgiven, and grace all for his

(11:04):
glory.
So the takeaway is this thestory of the Samaritan woman is
the story of us all.
God's command exposes sin, hisgrace redeems, and his glory
multiplies.
She came in isolation and leftin imitation.
She came condemned and leftcommissioned.

(11:26):
And through her, the whole towncame to see the Savior of the
world.
If God can use her, he can useyou.
He doesn't call the perfect, heperfects the called.
He sends broken people filledwith his Holy Spirit to reveal
his glory in the world.
One transformed life can changeeverything.

(11:48):
The living water becomes a riverthat flows into others.
God's command is still callinghis people today.
Lift up your eyes, join theharvest, and magnify the Savior
of the world.
Let's pray.
Father, thank you for the livingwater that not only satisfies

(12:08):
our thirst, but turns us intofountains of grace.
Thank you that you meet us wherewe are in our brokenness and
transform us into witnesses ofyour mercy.
Lord, give us eyes to see theharvest around us.
Let us not grow weary ordistracted by the natural
things, but find our nourishmentin doing your will.

(12:29):
May our obedience bring youglory, and may our lives invite
others to come and see Jesus inus.
Empower us, Holy Spirit, to belaborers in your field.
Use our stories, our weaknesses,our scars to reveal the beauty
of your redemption.
We ask all this in your preciousname, Jesus.

(12:51):
Amen.
Now, next week on the takeaway,we'll follow Jesus as he departs
from Samaria and enters Galilee.
The story doesn't end, itexpands.
We'll see how God's glory isrevealed even when honor is
denied and how his missioncontinues despite rejection.
Join me as we explore no honor,still glory, and discover what

(13:14):
it means to stay faithful toGod's call when the world
refuses to see his worth.
Now, as always, I want to thankyou for joining us today, and I
hope this episode has helped youtake a step closer in your
relationship with Jesus and thatyou now have a deeper
understanding of just how muchGod loves you and wants you to
know him.
Now, if today's messageencouraged you, would you please

(13:35):
take a moment to follow thetakeaway and share this episode
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(13:57):
lost and equip the saints for alife that brings glory to God.
God bless, and we'll see younext time on the takeaway.