“Then the woman left her jar of water and went into the city, saying to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Could he be the Christ?'” (John 4:28,29).
Life is full of decisions, and our religious life is especially so. If we are serious about having a right relationship with God, we must sort out the many choices presented by the world around us and determine what His will for mankind really is. But first, let’s go back two thousand years.
When the Samaritan woman in our text quickly came back into town after talking to Jesus, she asked the people, “Could this be the Christ?” His question reflects two things: (1) the people were in a state of expectation that the Messiah would soon appear, and (2) deciding whether a certain person was actually Was The Messiah was a matter that required careful consideration. If you were looking for the Messiah, Jesus wasn’t the only one making this claim. You have to consider various claims and choose the right one.
If you were Jewish in the Roman era, there was another choice: which synagogue to attend. According to some estimates, there may have been several hundred synagogues in Jerusalem, and perhaps even more in larger cities such as Alexandria and Rome. No two synagogues were alike in demographics, doctrine, or practice. Would you rather go to a liberal Hellenistic synagogue or a conservative Hebrew synagogue? Would it be easier to go to your friends, who shared your traditions, your likes and dislikes?
Today, if you begin to live as a Christian, you must decide what your relationship will be with other Christians. Just as in the first century when many synagogues claimed to follow Moses and many claimed to be the Messiah, there may be many churches near you that claim to follow Christ. The question of “church” is important. If you are serious about pleasing God, you will want to worship where the scriptures are most followed.
Complexity drives some people crazy; They just give up. I hope you don’t do that. Instead, I hope you will pray and ponder the scriptures diligently. If you really want to do what’s right, you’ll have the information you need to make your choice. But be careful. Not all roads lead to God – And making wise choices can be a difficult task.
“Choices in time are binding in eternity” (Jack MacArthur).
Gary Henry – WordPoints.com AreYouaChristian.com
