[Sunday, December 21, 2025] Come and See | John 4:27–42

[Sunday, December 21, 2025] Come and See | John 4:27–42

Sermon by Rev. Jinkook (Danny) Sohn (Hope of Heaven Baptist Chuch) 

 

2025. 10. . 주일예배 설교- 요한복음 강해 
본문: 요한복음 4:27–42
제목: 와서 보라

설교자: 손진국 목사 (하늘소망교회)

 

 

Last Sunday, we said that Jesus went into a place that Jews would not go. Where was it? It was the land of Samaria. We said that in the town of Sychar, He met someone He should not have met or spoken with. Who was it? A Samaritan woman. Jews did not even treat Samaritans as people and therefore did not meet them, yet Jesus, who was a Jew, met a Samaritan. Moreover, at that time it was also taboo for an adult man to meet a woman from another household, yet Jesus met the woman and initiated a conversation with her.

We also said that the situation itself was something that would not normally happen. The two met at noon, the hottest time of the day, when people did not usually come outside. Noon was a time when people stayed inside their homes, rested in the shade, or ate lunch. The reason this woman came alone to draw water at noon was because of the shame and disgrace of her life, in order to avoid people.

This woman met Jesus, who was waiting by the well, and as she talked with Him, she realized that Jesus knew even about her husbands, which had been her shame. She then confessed Him as a prophet and learned and came to know about true worship from Jesus.

What this woman did next after meeting Jesus is truly astonishing. She went into the town where the Samaritans lived and cried out to the people, “Come and see.” Do you see the remarkable change in this Samaritan woman?

 

1. A person who meets Jesus has a change in the direction of life.

[Verse 28] Then the woman left her water jar and went into the town and said to the people. Is this not amazing? We see an astonishing change in this Samaritan woman. First, her focus in life changed. Why had she come to the well? It was to draw water. It was to meet the needs of her life. Yet she left her water jar behind. Meeting the needs of life is important. However, when one encounters something more important, one can sacrifice something less important. What do we call this? The priorities of life.

Her priorities changed. A person who meets Jesus has a change in priorities. Salvation is not merely the forgiveness of sins but a turning of life’s direction. Most people in the world live for the needs of this earthly life. However, those who believe in Jesus know those needs are necessary, yet for greater and more fundamental needs, they are people who lay those things down.

Jesus also spoke about this. [Matthew 6:31–32] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. Here, what we eat, drink, and wear are the needs of this earthly life—things we need in order to live. Jesus did not say that these things are unnecessary or that we do not need them. He said that even God our heavenly Father knows that we need all these things. What does it mean that our Father God knows? It means that God takes responsibility for them.

Therefore, Jesus tells us to entrust those needs to God and to seek what we should pursue and focus on in this life. What is it? [Matthew 6:33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This is an important spiritual principle and priority of life. What we must seek first is the kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. When we seek and live for these, God promises to add to us the needs of life that are required for living on this earth. Do you believe this? There are not many people who say “Amen” at this point. That is why Jesus calls those who live with such priorities “those who enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow path.” [Matthew 7:13–14] Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The Samaritan woman in today’s passage forgot that she had come to draw water and left her water jar behind as she went into the town. But after meeting Jesus, there was another priority in her life that she forgot. What was it? It was her pride—her sense of dignity and face. The reason she came to the well at the hottest time of the day, noon, was to avoid people because of her sin, shame, and disgrace, trying to protect the last remaining bit of her pride. Yet where did she run now? She ran to the town where people were gathered. And she spoke to the very people she had been avoiding. She did not only forget about drawing water; she also forgot about her pride, shame, and dignity.

Is there anyone who has no shameful or disgraceful things they want to hide in life? That is why some people avoid others, and even those who meet people live with anxiety, fearing that such things might be exposed. But when one meets Jesus, one comes to realize that such things are not so important that they can ruin one’s daily life and existence. Even if one’s pride is somewhat crushed, and even if one’s shame and disgrace become known, one realizes that these things do not have the power to destroy one’s life.

Why is that? Satan whispers to us that we must protect our pride and that if our shame is revealed, something terrible will happen. Thus, he causes us to hide and conceal such things. Why? Because sin, shame, and disgrace grow in darkness. When they are brought into the light, sin, shame, and disgrace lose their power. The evil spirits that were growing in our hearts while clinging to those things also lose their power. We must not hide them but rather cut off the influence of sin by exposing them.

Where does the power to expose and break them come from? When we meet Jesus and come to know and believe who He is, that faith overcomes the power of sin. The process by which this Samaritan woman came to know Jesus is clearly shown in this passage.

At first, what does she call Jesus? [Verse 9] The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) She regarded Jesus simply as a Jewish man. Then, [Verse 11] The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” Here, “Sir” does not mean God but is a term of respect for a man; in English Bibles it is translated as “Sir.” When Jesus spoke about the husband she had hidden, she came to think of Him as a prophet. [Verse 19] The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.” And when Jesus spoke about worship, she left her water jar and went to the townspeople and confessed the identity of Jesus whom she had met in this way: [Verse 29] “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?”

She went from seeing Jesus as a Jewish man, to calling Him “Sir,” to recognizing Him as a “prophet,” and finally confessing Him as “the Christ.” Because she came to know that Jesus was the Savior, the Messiah, the Christ whom God had promised to save this world, she forgot all her needs, shame, and disgrace, left her water jar behind, and ran to the people. This shows that the direction of her life and her priorities had changed. A person who meets Jesus experiences a change in life’s direction and priorities. Such a life is no longer one oppressed by needs, pride, and shame, but one that is transformed into a life of freedom and peace in the Lord. Who are these people? They are those who meet Jesus and confess, “Jesus is the Christ, God Himself, my Savior who saved me, the Lord who leads my life and takes responsibility for it.” They are you and me. Hallelujah!

[Application] After meeting Jesus, how have the priorities of my life changed? What is the “water jar” that I have laid down after meeting the Lord?

 

2. A person who meets Jesus bears witness to Jesus.

When this woman who met Jesus at the well ran to the townspeople, what did she say? Let us look again at verse 29. [Verse 29] “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” As she spoke of her faith in believing that Jesus is the Christ, she spoke a very short sentence as in verse 29. She did not speak at length, nor did she list evidences proving that Jesus is the Christ. What did she say? She said that she had met a man who told her everything she had ever done, and therefore told them to come and see for themselves. This is evangelism.

When it comes to evangelism, many people are afraid of this: “What if I share it incorrectly?” “What if I deliver the gospel wrongly and ruin God’s work—that would be terrible.” But the God we believe in is far greater than we think. God’s glory is not obscured because we say something wrong. Do not worry. Instead, remember this: evangelism is not accomplished through a perfect explanation, but through the authenticity of an encounter. You only need to share the Jesus you have met, to the extent that you know Him. Do you know what happened to many people in that town when they heard this short statement from the woman? Repeat after me—“They believed.” “They were saved.”

[Verse 39] Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.”

This Samaritan woman came out to the well at noon, and through a brief conversation with Jesus, she confessed Him as the Christ. She then went around her town sharing the Jesus she had met, and many people believed in Jesus through her words.

If I have truly met Jesus, I will want to share the Jesus I have met. Even if I do not know how to explain it well in words, like the Samaritan woman, I will voluntarily go to people and say, “Come and meet the Jesus I met. Come and see for yourself.” Under normal circumstances, the people who met this woman would have frowned and ignored her. But because they saw that the direction of her life had changed after meeting Jesus, they could not ignore her words. This is how the freedom and joy that naturally overflow from the lives of those who have met Jesus lead others to Jesus.

This Thursday is the day we commemorate that Jesus came to this earth in the form of a human being. What day is it? Christmas. I mentioned this in last Sunday’s sermon, didn’t I? What makes Christianity different from other religions is that God Himself became human and came to us. To those who do not yet know Jesus, those who do not attend church, and lonely neighbors, say, “Come and see,” with this wonderful good news of the incarnation. This was a method of evangelism frequently used by those who met Jesus. This is also what Philip said when he went to his friend Nathanael after meeting Jesus. [John 1:46] Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”

In fact, this way of evangelism—saying “Come and see”—was learned from Jesus Himself. When Jesus called His disciples, He did the same. [John 1:39] Jesus said to them, “Come and you will see.” So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour.

This Christmas, we will gather at 10 o’clock to hold a Christmas worship service, and then have a barbecue party, sharing a meal and enjoying Christmas together. I bless you in the name of the Lord to become more saints who, through the simple method of evangelism—“Come and see”—lead even one soul to the Lord.

[Application] Am I not evangelizing because “I am not good with words”? Who is the Jesus I have met? How did I meet Jesus?

 

3. When we meet Jesus personally, our faith grows.

How do the townspeople respond when they hear this woman say, “Come and see”? [Verse 30] They went out of the town and were coming to Jesus. The people of this Samaritan town come to Jesus, who is a Jew, and make this request: [Verse 40] So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Those who would never have associated with Jews asked Jesus to stay with them, and Jesus remained there and preached the word. Amazing change also takes place in those who meet Jesus personally and hear His words. [Verses 41–42] And many more believed because of His word. And they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is truly the Savior of the world.” Those who met Jesus personally saw that the roots of faith were planted and that their faith grew. And we see that they did not rely on words handed down to them, but encountered the Word personally and confessed their own faith.

Beloved saints, it is important to listen to the preached word. But what is even more important is to meet the living Lord personally. I hope you will read and meditate on the Word yourself and experience that Word working directly in your life. Jesus did not ascend to heaven 2,000 years ago and remain far away from us. Even at this very moment, He is with us. [Matthew 18:20] For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them. In whose name have we gathered here to worship? We have gathered in the name of Jesus Christ. This is the church. The Lord promised that He would be with this community of faith. That is why we strive to gather in the name of Jesus.

Believing in Jesus is truly important in our lives. But giving even greater glory to the Lord than that is for our faith to grow. When does our faith grow? It is when we meet Jesus personally. It is when we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. Then we grow into complete faith like Jesus. [Hebrews 12:2] Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

Faith may begin with another person’s experience, but it must be completed through one’s own encounter.
It is said that when Pastor Charles Spurgeon was young, on a day when a snowstorm was raging, he entered a small church and heard the message, “Look to the cross,” through which he met Jesus personally. After that, he confessed like this: “I met not another man’s Savior, but my own.”

I bless, in the name of the Lord, that everyone gathered here today may meet our Savior Jesus Christ, who is with us every day, personally; that you may sink the roots of your faith deep, endure and overcome every circumstance in this world by faith, and follow the Lord by walking the narrow road and entering through the narrow gate.

[Application] Is Jesus to me someone I know only by hearing, or someone I have met personally? Is my faith growing today?

 

하늘소망교회(담임 손진국 목사)는 뉴질랜드 오클랜드 북부 실버데일에 세워진 한인교회로 '하나님의 마음으로 사람을 살리는 교회'입니다.

Hope of Heaven Baptist Church (Senior Pastor: Rev. Jinkook Sohn) is a Korean church established in Silverdale, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a church that saves people with the heart of God.