Come, See A Man
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Come, See A Man!
John 4: 27-30
Come, see Jesus seeking for a single soul.
Today many preachers must have large congregations.
Not many today are interested in witnessing to just one person.
Today, everything must be spectacular with bands and orchestras, or else there is no reason
to expect people to be interested in spiritual matters.
We must pray to be concerned with the value of a single soul.
In the heat of the day, the Lord Jesus found rest and refreshment in speaking to a woman
whom many would not even look upon.
If they did look upon her, it would be with eyes of scorn.
We must pray to have the compassion of our Lord's heart.
Read this fourth chapter carefully, and notice the skill with which Jesus demonstrates His compassion.
Notice, how ready He was to talk with her and take her questions.
Many have come to know Jesus as Saviour because of the gentleness and wisdom, such as Jesus
used as he talked to this wayward woman at the well.
Jesus led her to the truth with a few short but wonderful sentences.
Then, turn away from Jesus for a moment, and notice the attitude of His disciples.
They have been into the city to buy food.
This was a most needful errand.
Everyone needs to eat to live.
But when they see Jesus talking with a woman, they are dumbfounded.
They have no explanation for this.
It possible that some of the disciples, if they had dared, would have called to the woman
and ordered her away from Jesus.
They might have even asked how could she even dare to speak to Jesus.
Maybe they wanted to say your approach dishonors Him, so leave.
They didn't say any of these things, but they did say so with their eyes.
These disciples of Jesus were steeped in the customs of their day.
It was offensive that the person with whom Jesus was talking was a woman.
Women owe so much to the Gospel.
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus raised women to their proper place.
The rabbi's said, "Rather burn the sayings of the law than teach them to women."
They also said, "Let no man prolong conversation with a woman; let no one converse
with a woman in the streets, not even with his own wife."
Women were thought to be unfit to for profound religious instructions.
Women were considered inferior beings.
We should know better today.
We should all know that in Christ Jesus, there is neither male or female.
Jesus has lifted women to their true place, side by side with man.
Even the apostles were tainted at first with that horrible prejudice, which made them marvel
that Jesus openly talked with a woman.
They probably recognized her as a wayward woman.
They thought, "How can he talk with such a woman?"
It was obvious that they did not yet understand His mission to rescue the perishing
and save the lost.
So the disciples shied away from her, and could not understand why Jesus did not do the same.
How could a Man, so good, mix Himself up with such people?
Another question could be asked.
How could these disciples marvel that He talked with anybody, after choosing them
and calling them?
Had they forgotten who they were?
Have they forgotten the loving grace of which they had been recipients?
We must never look down upon the worst of people, but we should follow the example of Jesus.
and seek to lead them to our Lord.
We must pray to have the compassion that He has.
As the disciples arrived, the meeting between Jesus and the woman came to a close.
It ended just as Jesus had said, "I that speak unto thee am He."
It is here that these unsympathetic disciples arrived.
They were true disciples.
They were thinking about the food, and the Saviour's need of it.
Their thoughts were proper, but not very spiritual.
They come wondering that Jesus speaks with a woman, and the conversation between
Jesus and the woman ends.
They are there, so the woman must go.
Since the woman cannot sit and enjoy being in the presence of her Lord, she leaves to go
into the city and be His missionary.
This is the way it should be.
When our hearts are filled with Jesus, we cannot keep ourselves from glorifying Christ.
When we leavee our private communion with Christ, we are ready to publicly serve Him.
We are ready to be His witnesses.
This woman left to become a messenger for Christ.
She has been talking with Him, and now she goes to testify about Him.
We must not stop short of our mission.
We must try to do more than we can.
If we only try to do what we can, we will do little; than when we attempt in faith to do
what we can not alone accomplish, God will provide His strength and resources.
The woman leaves her waterpot.
She was in a hurry.
The waterpot would have hindered her speed.
This waterpot was a big jar of earthenware that she carried on her head or on her shoulder.
This was a heavy weight for her to carry.
So, she left her waterpot in order to run quickly to the village.
Many think that she left her waterpot because she was so taken up with her errand that she forgot it.
This is a blessed forgetfulness, when our mind is absorbed with a spiritual mission.
When God's business requires haste, it is wise to leave everything behind that would hinder.
When we feel the power of eternal things, we forget some earthly matters.
Leaving her waterpot was a sign that she was coming back.
It was like she was saying, "I have an urgent mission, but I will be back -- I must come back
and listen again to the great Teacher.
I want to know more about Him, and I want to trust Him more fully."
It was significant that she left her waterpot.
There are times when we need to leave our place of business to witness to a soul
who needs Jesus.
There are times when we need to forget that we are hungry when there are eternal matters
that require our attention.
There are times when we must leave our games to present the gospel to one who is lost.
I believe the woman took her waterpot again and continued to attend to her earthly responsibilities.
I also believe that she was never the same again.
Notice her method of communication.
She came to the men in the village, and said, "Come, see a Man, that told me all things
that ever I did: is not this the Christ?"
When she was went back to the village, she had one purpose.
She was determined to bring them to Jesus.
She cries, "Come, see!"
She did not try to reform them.
She did not attempt to tell them how they had sinned.
She simply called them to come and see Jesus, Who could make all things right for them.
She knew that if she could bring them to Christ that all things would come out right.
This is something we must learn.
When you pull back the arrow, shoot at only one target.
If you try to shoot at several, you probably miss all of them.
This Samaritan woman aimed at her object: "Come, come, come, see a Man
that told me all things that ever I did."
"Come, every one of you; come, see for yourselves, a Man which told me all things that ever I did."
She was speaking, as though she had forgotten herself, and yet, she seemed to remember all about herself.
"Come, see a Man, which told me all things that ever I did."
She quoted herself, and yet, if she had thought of herself, she would not have said a word
on the subject of her own life.
She might have been afraid that the men would have replied, "Some story that must be!"
They knew her well, and might have said, "Who do you think you are to talk to us like that."
She was ready to let them talk about her, if they pleased.
"Come, see a Man, which told me all things that ever I did."
This was a genuine simplicity on her part.
We must never try to be something that we are not.
If we have been a great sinner, we should be ashamed of it, but we must not be ashamed
of that love which saved us from it.
We must not refuse to bear witness of Jesus who saved us.
We must not allow ourselves to think of what people will think of us.
We must simply look to what they will think of Jesus, who has forgiven you,
and has given you eternal life.
"Come, see a Man."
Those words are alive.
It was so sensible.
"Come, see a Man which told me all things that ever I did: Can this be the Christ?"
She did not say He was, but she suggested it to the men to which she witnessed.
She believed that Jesus was the Christ, but she knew that men did not like to be taught
by women, such as herself.
So, she humbly threw the question out for their examination.
"Can this be the anointed One whom we are expecting? Come and judge."
She did not express all she believed.
She did not provoke them to opposition and debate.
She was wise -- she had learned quickly from the Master Teacher.
"Come, see a Man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this possibly be the Christ?"
This led them to come, if it was only to set the woman right.
They might have thought how mistaken she was, but in their superior wisdom, they would
look into the matter.
The argument is exceedingly strong, "This Man has told me all things that ever I did."
She might have said, "He must be the Christ!"
She didn't say this, but observe her wise reasoning to the men.
They were thinking that if this Man had the power to read her heart, and enable her to really see herself,
it was conclusive evidence to her that He was Someone special.
The Invitation
It is a genuine and heartfelt invitation.
She says, "Come, see."
She does not say, "You must and shall believe what I say."
No, no!
She says, "Come and see for yourselves."
That is what I say to every unconverted person here this morning.
The Lord Jesus is the most precious Saviour.
Come and test Him.
He is all together lovely, and He has blessed my soul unspeakably.
I do not ask you to believe because of what I say: come and see for yourselves.
Isn't that a fair question?
Seek Him by prayer.
Trust Him by faith.
Test His gospel for yourselves.
This is an old-fashioned invitation: "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good."
And again, "Prove Me now, saith the Lord of hosts."
In fact, this is Christ's own word to the first disciples, "Come and see."
The disciples used it when pleading with others, saying to them, "Come and see."
This woman's invitation throws the responsibility upon them.
She says, "Come and see."
Come and see for yourself.
If you do not, then the blame must rest with you.
If you do, then your personal investigation will be sure to end in a blessing.
I would do every possible thing I could to get you to Jesus; but it is a personal matter for each one of you.
I pray that the Holy Spirit would lead you to come for yourself to Jesus.
It must be your own act and deed through His blessed work upon your soul.
You must come.
you must repent.
You must believe.
You must receive eternal life for yourself.
This woman's call was a great invitation in that respect.
Then notice, that she does not say, as she might have said, "Go, see a man."
No!
She said, "Come, see a Man."
She was saying, " Come with me and I will go with you and lead the way."
She did not say I have seen enough of Him, and I don't care to go back.
She did not say you can go there alone because I am tired of Him.
Oh, no!
She said, "Come! Come along; come with me -- we will all go together.
The more I have seen of Him, the more I want to see.
Come, see this wondrous Man."
Christians, when you attempt to lead a soul to Jesus, do not use the "go" method,
but use the "come" method.
"Come," let us lead the way.
This woman does not say anything to make the Samaritan men admire herself, but she draws
them to Jesus with the invitation, "Come, see a Man."
What she does mention about herself is with the intention of exalting the Saviour.
This invitation should be copied by every Christian witness.
The Argument
There is a concealed argument here.
Look at the text for a moment, and you will discover it.
She conceals it because she is persuaded that they have already agreed to it.
This is the argument: "If Jesus be the Christ, the anointed, then it you should come
with me and see Him."
She does not argue that point, because every Samaritan agreed to it.
If Jesus be the Christ, then we ought to go and listen to Him, look at Him, and become His followers.
I believe that many of you are like those Samaritans.
You believe that Jesus is the Christ.
I would think that every man and woman and boy and girl believe that.
Then, why do you not believe in Jesus as your Saviour?
If He is the Saviour whom God hath sent to take away your sins, why have you
not come to Him to have your sins forgiven?
There can be no reasonable answer to these questions.
It is illogical and irrational.
This woman did not argue the point, because it did not need arguing.
It goes without saying, and there it stands.
But what she did argue was this: "This Man, Who was sitting on the well,
is He not the Christ?"
How did she prove it?
She did as much to say, "He must be the Christ, because He has revealed me to myself:
He has told me all things that ever I did."
The words are extensive and exhaustive.
Woman, surely He has not revealed all your life, certainly not in words.
He might have revealed your immoralities, but nothing else.
But she was right.
Have you ever looked out into a dark night, when a single lightning flash strikes.
It only struck the tree in the field, but in doing so, revealed the entire landscape.
It struck one object, but everything all around was as light as day for the moment.
So, when the Lord Jesus Christ revealed this woman's immoralities, she saw clearly
the whole of her life in a single moment.
The Lord had indeed told her all things that ever she did.
Is it no wonder that she said, "Is not this the Christ?"
Jesus caused this woman to see her sin, and that sight proved that He was the Messiah.
When you first meet Jesus, you will see yourself as a sinner.
You must see yourself as a sinner before you can know Christ as a Saviour.
There is no binding of the heart that was never broken.
There is no comforting one who has always been comfortable.
A person has no need of righteousness, who believes that they are already righteous.
Jesus goes straight to the truth with this woman at the well.
Her argument is -- He must be the Messiah, for He revealed me to myself.
Then, He must be the Messiah, for He has revealed Himself to me.
She was saying that when she saw her need, she also saw that Jesus was ready to cleanse her.
A sinner is never ready to see the Saviour until he has first seen his sin.
Jesus has revealed Himself, and now she says, "I see that He knows me,
and knows all about me."
She is telling them that He must be the Anointed, who would bind up the brokenhearted,
for He has bound up my broken heart.
"Come and see!"
She was saying that when I came to the well, He did not look daggers at me; and when I did not
give Him water, He did not grow angry with me, and say, "Disrespectful woman, I will not
speak to you again."
"Come, see a Man Who was kind and considerate.
Come, I will introduce you to Him."
I wish I knew how to say the words that would cause all who are unsaved to come to Jesus.
But if anything ought to do so, it is this -- suppose you never come to Christ in this life,
and die without Him.
You will be awakened by the blast of a terrible trumpet, and you will hear the cry,
"It is judgment day." "Come to judgment!"
"Come to judgment!"
You will face God sitting upon the great white throne, judging the nations.
He will tell you all things that you have ever done, and perhaps, the scene of this morning
will be remembered.
You will remember, "I was at the church that morning.
I heard the gospel.
I knew that I should have trusted Christ as my Saviour.
Despite the gracious invitation from God, I turned away."
Now, He is no longer your Saviour, but your Judge.
"I call, but you refused. You refused mercy. You rejected Jesus.
You turned away from salvation.
Now, depart for Hell where you will spend an eternity in the everlasting fires of torment."
God grant, that no one here may ever come to that!
There is no need for anyone to come to that.
You can come to Jesus and have your sins forgiven.
You can come now!
Come and see!
Sermon by Dr. Harold L. White
Email Dr. White at hleewhite@aol.com