Grace Guy - www.graceguy.org

I am more...
than what I look like
than what I say
than what I'm good at
than what I like
than what roles and titles I have

I am more...
than what I think about
than what I dream about
than what I know
than what I believe

I am more...
than what I have done
than what I can do
than what I want to do
than what I will do

I am more...
than how fast I run
than how strong I am
than how high I jump
than how smart I am

I am more...
than the successes I had
than the people I love
than the money I have
than the smile I wear

I am more...
than the mistakes I made
than the people I have wronged
than the money I lost
than the scars I wear 

I am more...
than where I've been
than where I am
than where I'm going

I am more...
than when I was born
than when I will die

I am more than who others think I am.

I am more.

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10

- GraceGuy

It's taken me some time to realize that some concepts are not related to others. I would find it easy to love those who loved me back, to believe in what I can touch, to hope when all evidences point to a certainty, to be happy when everything goes my way and to feel graced when I worked hard at doing good around me.

All lies. All illusions. All smoke and mirrors.

When I put my ego aside a moment, I discover that:

'Love has nothing to do with what I feel or others' love towards me
Faith has nothing to do with what I see
Knowledge has nothing to do with my reasoning
Hope has nothing to do with hard data
Joy has nothing to do with my circumstances
Grace has nothing to do with my deeds'

This reminds me of what I wrote earlier:

'Riches have nothing to do with what I own
Wisdom has nothing to do with what I know
Salvation has nothing to do with what I do
Freedom has nothing to do with what I choose
Glory has nothing to do with how others see me
Food has nothing to do with what I eat or drink
Value has nothing to do with my accomplishments
Beauty has nothing to do with what I see
Strength has nothing to do with what I can bear
Pleasure has nothing to do with me
Power has nothing to do with what I control'

Ouch.

When I let the circumstances dictate my joy...
When I feel lonely in a crowd...

When I am right and others are wrong...
When I am wrong and others are right...

When I feel I am better than others...
When I am too weak to go on...

When I rebuke and discipline those under my authority...
When I lose patience with the ones I love...

When I take for granted the blessings around me...
When I fail again in my weakness...

When I let past mistakes and hurts poison my present...
When I let worries and doubts creep into today...

When I get caught up in trying to fulfill my own needs...
When I forget the importance of meeting others' needs...

When I am drowning in myself
When my flights are fueled by my ego

When guilt clouds my outlook
When forgiveness seems impossible to give

When I pursue vain accomplishments...
When I don't have time for those who matter...

When I neglect to spend time with my Creator...
When I forget what my Savior has done...
When I choose to stray from my Lord's plan...

... I need Grace.

Once in a very rare blue moon, a story comes along that takes my breath away, pulls out the tears hidden deep in my ducts and rips my attention away from everything else. In return, the story gives back an undying admiration to the graceful choices made, the inspiration to live courageously and a fresh perspective on 'sweating my small stuff'. 

But beyond the touching story, beyond the singing talent, beyond the courage to go on stage, I am in awe of the mother's compassion, mercy and grace. Moira Kelly chose to care for and raise abandoned and disabled brothers she found at an orphanage.

I can't help but see this as an example of God's Grace towards me. I was crippled by my sin, helpless and abandoned in a shoebox without hope and facing certain death. He reached down, through Christ,  to find me, to take care of me, to love me, to guide me and to give an eternal hope for an eternal home.

Enjoy the blue moon.

At this point, after having exposed Grace, Jesus shifts gears and makes the conversation personal. His goal is to demonstrate her need for the gift of Grace he was talking about, without making her feel the shame and rebuke society has placed on her.

It is VERY important to note that Jesus knows her. He knows her life, her thoughts, her feelings, her past, her sins, her insecurities and her fears. He had the  'advantage' of being God and being able to see her heart. For us to attain that level of intimacy with the people we are talking to requires an enormous amount of listening, asking questions and showing genuine care for their lives.

It is by listening and caring for others that will bring them to listen and care about what we have to say. Not the other way around. We cannot expect people to listen to us just because we have the Bible. The pill of Truth cannot be swallowed without the water of Grace. 

Jesus, the three-times holy God, was speaking with a six-times sinful woman by a well. Knowing the depth of her depravity, there are so many statements He could have uttered to her at that point. 

He could have said:

• Do you not know who I am ? I am perfect ! and you most certainly are not.
  
• Do you know how many times I have watched you sin ? how many times you have hurt me ?
  
• How could you have done all you did ?
  
• How could you look at yourself in the mirror ?
  
• Aren't you ashamed of yourself ?
  
• Don't you see what you've become ?
  
• Don't you see how others see you ?
  
• Don't you realize the sin you are in ?
  
• Didn't you know that sexual sins is the worst kind of sin ?
  
• Don't you think you deserve the social rebuking done to you ?
  
• Five husbands ? That's disgusting !
  
• You're living with someone who isn't your husband now ? In sin ?
  
• How can anyone ever love you again ?
  
• Don't you know what the Law says about you ?
  
• What would 'your father' Jacob say if he saw you now ?
  
• You know someone like me shouldn't be talking to someone like you right ? I'm doing you a favor!
  
• You know you are going to hell right ?
  

Sound familiar ? Those judgments leave our lips and or enter our ears far too often.

Amazingly and against all expectations, he doesn't say anything remotely close to that.

John 4:16: Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 

What just happened ?

He makes a request knowing well what her state is. She answers back, truthfully I might add, probably looking at the ground in shame. Then Jesus does something remarkable. He states the fullness of her sin and then... stops!

He doesn't go into a long tirade about the gravity of the sin, about the depth of her depravity or about the guilt she should be feeling. He could have done so, He is God! Rather, He states it as it is and then changes the subject to talk about worship.

Jesus demonstrates that there is a line where it becomes important to stop when diving into the past. He does not shy away, belittle or bury the sin. That's Truth. He addresses it and shows her that the gift is for her... and then moves on to her other concerns. 

That's Grace.

The beginning of the interaction with the woman from the well is a fascinating one. There are intricacies of Grace that speak volumes to the way I should approach others thirsting for it. 

*Side note: I realize there are many doctrines that can be exposed from this passage. The following view of the John 4:7-15 passage is done simply by looking through the lens of Grace... as with everything else at graceguy.org. 

v7. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8. (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 

- These are Christ's first words to her
- He is proactive in establishing contact
- He joins her in what she is doing
- He talks to her even if there are a million reasons not to

v9. 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.) 

- The woman reacts normally (see why here)
- She questions the interaction, the request itself
- She brings up the obvious racial and gender differences between the two

v10. Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 

- Jesus goes beyond the physical question and answers a spiritual question she did not ask
- He looks to her spiritual needs, not her physical ones
- He immediately begins by describing ... Grace!
-- As a gift from God
-- As himself being the provider of this great gift
-- As something that is readily given following a simple, honest request
- It's amazing to me that the Creator of the universe, the Sacrificial lamb, the three-times Holy God doesn't start with critical judgements, sin, hell, but starts with Grace.

v11. 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? 12. Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 

- The physical and the spiritual clash in her mind 
-- She hears living water but does not see anything physical to draw it with
-- She takes the spiritual gift of living water and compares it to the physical well given by Jacob
- She questions Christ's credibility by comparing His worth to Jacob, the patriarch
- She doesn't understand Christ's initial description of Grace

v13. Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14. but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

- He is patient with her and listens to her questions
- He doesn't interrupt or belittle her
- He doesn't go into heavy doctrines or theology
- He acknowledges that she is struggling with the physical and spiritual differences
- He repeats and completes the description of Grace (again, forgoing judgement)
-- He is the giver of this gift
-- The gift is different from everything else that exists
-- The gift is all-satisfying
-- The gift transforms from within
-- The gift brings eternal life
-- Accepting the gift once means one never has to ask for it again
- He vulgarises what living water means to her
- He personalises the message to how it could meet her precise need

v15. The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 

- She realises the need for such a gift
- She still believes that it is something physical and not spiritual
---

Oh that I should have the wisdom in my witnessing to start with Grace and to listen patiently to their needs.

In the following part of this amazing interaction, Jesus, full of Grace and Truth, considers the sin in her life.

This is the second of a multi-part part series about the interaction Christ had with the woman at the well in John 4. It is a rich, intense, inspiring, deep and profound story with many lessons on Grace. (First part here)

Before we look at the actual interaction, I thought it important to explore the vast chasm of hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans. Here was Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, talking to a Samaritan woman of ill-repute at a well. 
John 4: 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 
9 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. 


It was a mind-boggling portrait of contrasts. Even the Samaritan herself and and John underscore the magnitude of it in John 4:9.

Why did they have no dealings ? What was the history there ? Where did the profound hatred come from ? Turns out, it's quite deep-seeded.

The year was 772 B.C. Hoshea, Isreal's last king, was an evil king who had made a tribute pact with Assyria. He then betrayed Assyria by sending the tribute money to Egypt, essentially declaring war on Assyria. 

'The king of Assyria invaded the entire land, marched against Samaria and laid siege to it for three years. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria (the capital of Israel at the time) and deported the Israelites to Assyria. He settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Harbor River and in the towns of the Medes.' (2 Kings 17:5-6)

'The very poor were allowed to remain behind in the land of Israel. Foreigners from Babylon and surrounding territories were brought to the devastated region, and these intermarried with the Israelites which had been left behind. To this mixed population was given the name Samaritans (after Samaria, the metropolis, founded by Omri). The colonists from foreign lands were not pleased with conditions as they found them. They found the country overrun by wild beasts, and they correctly ascribed this plague to the displeasure of Jehovah whom they had offended. They begged their monarch to send them an Israelitish priest, who would teach them “the law of the god of the land.” 

And so it came about that an adulterated Judaism was grafted on the pagan cult. When a remnant of the Jews returned to the land of the fathers (chiefly, but not exclusively, from those who had been deported in the Babylonian Exile of 586 B.C.), built the altar of burnt-offering, and laid the foundation of the temple, jealous Samaritans and their allies interrupted the work (Ezra 3 and 4). The reason for this was that they had been refused permission to cooperate in the work of rebuilding. They had asked:
“Let us build with you; for we seek your God, as you do; and we sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assyria, who brought us up hither.”

The answer which they had received was as follows:
“You have nothing to do with us in building a house unto our God.” Having received this blunt refusal, the Samaritans hated the Jews (cf. also Neh. 4:1, 2) and subsequently built their own temple on Mt. Gerizim. This was destroyed by one of the Maccabean rulers, John Hyrcanus, about the year 128 B.C. The worshipers, however, continued to offer their adorations on the summit of the hill where the sacred edifice had stood. They do so even today. At Passover the entire community leaves home and camps on top of Gerizim where, when the full moon rises, the highpriest intones the prayers, and the slaughterers cut the throats of the lambs just as they did many, many centuries ago. Of the Old Testament they accept only the five books of Moses. ' (Bible Commentary)

For a Jew, being called a Samaritan was the worst insult to recieve (Lu. 9:53). Permanent walls of bitterness had been erected from both sides. The hatred was deep, historical, intense and very real. 

And yet, Christ's grace broke down all those man - made fortresses. It didn't matter that He was a man and she was a woman (sexism). It didn't matter that He was a teacher and she had a disgusting reputation (elitism). It didn't matter that He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan, an oppressed minority, a 'mongrel Jew' as the Jews called them at the time (racism). It didn't matter that He believed in the whole Torah and she only had heard of the Pentateuch (religionism). It didn't matter that He asked to drink from an impure vase (legalism). 

It didn't matter. None of it did.

All that mattered was that she was desperately thirsty for Grace and Truth and He wanted to give her an eternal drink. What's more... He went to die on the cross for her.

There are therefore NO excuses to write ANYONE off for anyone who seeks to emulate Christ. As long as there is breath, there is hope for Grace to be demonstrated and accepted.

This is the first of a multi-part part series about the interaction Christ had with the woman at the well in John 4. It is a rich, intense, inspiring, deep and profound story with many lessons on Grace. 

Here is a word-for-word representation of the story, taken from the very accurate movie 'Gospel of John'. 

And here is a touching modern day monologue of what that woman must have felt. It speaks for itself.

The detailed analysis in parts 2+.

I have recently been re-exposed to the fragility of life : how it hangs by a very thin thread, how we can't control what happens to us and how Grace is all that really keeps that thread from breaking at any moment. 

I then started reflecting on epitaphs, those sentences we leave on our tombstones for all of prosterity to see. The questions started flooding in: What sentence would define me ? What words would best describe my dreams, my goals, my aspirations, my achievements, my relationships ? We are such complex people, how can it all be reduced to one last saying ? If the passerby knew absolutely nothing about me, what could I tell them ? What do I really stand for ? What is at my core ?

I searched my soul for the basic truths I hold more than anything else. I have found 3:

1. I was loved enough for Him to send his Son and graced enough to put my faith in Him
   
2. The highest achievement I could reach is to be like Christ. And I take John 1:14,17's description of Him as my personal daily guide : 'filled with Grace and Truth'
   
3. My purpose on this planet is to receive from God what he sends me and share with others
   

And while I don't expect my epitaph to be written soon, it was a blessing to reflect on what it would say. 

Enjoy.

I often find myself expecting Grace to be given after a few prayers or an intense but short time with God. And then, I get disappointed or give up on the request when it doesn't come at my speed. It mustn't be in God's will, I foolishly rationalize.

I am then reminded of the heroes of faith, who were promised a certain Grace and had to wait years for it -  despite some often questionable actions during that waiting period. 

Noah was promised to be saved from a devastating flood at 500 years old. He built an ark for years (100 at most) while being mocked by his peers. He was then in the ark for a little more than 1 year. He was graced with life and he saw the promise-rainbow.

Abraham was promised to be the father of a great nation, at 75 years old, while being childless. He waited 25 years in which he lacked faith, took some horrible decisions to accelerate God's plan, assumed his way was better than God's. He was graced with a child.

Isaac, Abraham's son, was the child of promise and was saved from being sacrificed. He waited 20 years before he was graced with twin boys.

Jacob waited 14 years to marry the woman he loved. He waited more than 20 years to reunite with a favored son he thought was dead. He was graced with joy and a full life.

Joseph dreamt of greatness. He was then sold to slavery by his brothers, unjustly sent to jail for keeping his integrity and forgotten in jail by those who promised to vouch for him. Joseph waited nearly 20 hard years. He was graced with greatness.

Moses was 40 when he decided to associate himself with Israel as their deliverer.  It was not in God’s timing, and after having taken matters into his own hands and killing an Egyptian, he fled into the wilderness of Midian.  There he married, had two sons, and met God at the burning bush when he was 80.  So at 80 years of age, Moses marched back into Egypt and demanded the release of the Jewish people, which he led out of Egypt across the Red Sea.  Then, after Israel's disobedience, he wandered for another 40 years in the desert. Moses waited a total 80 years before seeing the grace God promised him: the Promised Land.

Job did not even know what was happening to him. The richest man in his time, he lost everything (including his children) and had no explicit promise of grace to hold on to. For months, he suffered the worst kinds of pain, unswayed by his friends' bad advice, staying faithful to God. He was graced with double of everything he had.

David was annointed king at around 20 years old and waited until he was 30 to be crowned. He waited another 7.5 years to reign over all of Israel. During that time, he killed Goliath, he played the harp in Saul's court, he fled to the wilderness to evade Saul's pursuit and he became the champion of the oppressed. He was graced with a kingdom and a lineage that would produce the Saviour.

Simeon the Righteous was promised to see the Christ before his death. He was an old man when he was graced to hold Jesus in his arms. The prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying for close to 14 years. She was graced to see him at 84 years old and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Jesus spoke in the temple at 12 years old and then waited 18 years to begin his public ministry. He knew of the hardships to come and yet still pursued. During His ministry, He was mocked, hated, used, misunderstood and reviled. Before Jesus arrived at the cross He patiently trained the disciples. Even after His miracles and proclamations of being the Son of God, the disciples were often confused as to who Jesus was. Jesus was still trying to teach them how to persevere in prayer up until the moment He was taken in the garden to be crucified. At the cross, He endured the worst death penalty created by man to give believers access to the Father. He was Grace and Truth incarnate. He recieved resurection, glory, power and dominion over everything. 

He is the ultimate example of waiting for the promised grace God gives us.

Grace. It sometimes takes time... but it's worth it!