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THE KING’S BUSINESS
and it was clear that He knew all the rest. Such a man was worth seeing, indeed it was imperative that they see Him. Her words, ‘‘Come, see” were very urgent and very insistent. They just must come. Oh! that more of us today had this holy insistency in urg ing men to come and see Jesus for themselves. Her description of Jesus, “a man, who told me all things that I did” is most natural and true to life and marks the verbal accuracy of the account. John did not hear this, but the Holy Spirit did and He is the real author of the account. The form of the woman’s question in the Greek suggests the probability of a negative answer and is Detter ren dered “Is this the Christ?” or “Can this be the Christ?” She really hoped that He was but there was still a rem nant of fear that He might not be. The form of question is the same as that used in Matthew 12:23; 26:22,25; John 8 :22; 18:35; James 3 :11. It may be that the woman was quite certain in her own heart that He was the Christ, but uses the form of expression that merely suggests the possibility of such a thing, rather than directly and dogmatically asserting it out of shrewd consideration for the state of mind of her hearers who had not seen and heard Him for themselves, that they might come and judge for themselves. This is implied in the “Come, see.” One often gains a point better by not asserting it too directly, and thus arousing antagonism. A question that arouses attention is often more ef fective than direct assertion. There can be little doubt from the rest that the woman said, and from her actions, that in her inmost heart she was satis fied from what Jesus said and did that He really was the Christ (note verses 39, 41, 42). It was an exhibi tion of persuasive prudence on her part to put it this way and also to withhold at first Jesus’ own statement
“I am the Christ” (cf. v. 26). She would have them come right to Him and judge for themselves'. That is always the better way. Personal ex perience is more satisfactory than ar gument (cf. ch. 1:46). Get men right to Jesus Himself if you would have them get the most solid and satis factory faith in Him (see vs. 41, 42). V. 30: “Then (omit, then) they went out of the city, and came (rather, were coming) unto him.” The deep earnestness of the woman carried im mediate conviction to the minds and hearts of her hearers. They hastened at once to see and hear this wonderful man of whom she spoke. They could easily have raised many objections to what she said, and suggested, it would seem in the highest degree im probable that the Messiah would ap pear to such a person as she was known to be, and at such a place, and at such a time, and in such a manner. But they do not stop to ask foolish questions, or to raise apparently wise but really foolish objections, they eagerly hasten at once to Jesus Him self to see Him and hear Him and judge for themselves. Such souls though humble and uneducated are the ones who get the light, far sooner than those who are so full of confi dence in their own wisdom that they wish to have all their shrewd questions answered and all their specious objec tions removed before they will stir one step toward Jesus Himself. In this verse we have an illustration of the mighty power of testimony (cf. ch. 1:41, 42, 45-47). A whole city came to Christ as the result of one woman’s hearty testimony, and she a poor, ignorant, depraved creature at that. Jesus’ conversation with Nico- demus, a man, a leader, ruler and teacher of the Jews, would seem vastly more important at the first glance than His conversation with a woman.
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