From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who bore witness, “He told me all the things that I have done.” So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 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.”
John 4:39-45
And after the two days He went from there into Galilee. For Jesus Himself bore witness that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast.
Introduction
After Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well, she went back to her people and told them all about Him. She told them what He had done in revealing her past to herself, and presumably she told them about the things He said about Himself. Hearing her testimony drove them to believe. They did not have to meet Jesus to believe in Him. The word, even of this woman, was sufficient for them. And then when they finally did see Jesus, their faith still was based on what they heard rather than what they saw. They heard for themselves what Jesus had to say, and that was enough for them to believe.
Contrast that with the Galileans. For their part, they received Him only after having seen what He did in Jerusalem. There in Jerusalem, Jesus confronted the money changers at the Temple during the Passover feast, followed by a series of signs before His departure. And He would not trust Himself to the people who believed in Him at that time because He knew what stirs in the hearts of men. He would entrust Himself eventually, but that comes at the end of His earthly ministry when the people of Jerusalem betray Him and call for His crucifixion.
The next big thing
In John 20, Jesus reveals Himself to the disciples after His resurrection. Just prior to this, Thomas had been saying that he would not believe in the resurrection, “unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side.” Honoring this request, Jesus gives Thomas precisely what he asked for, but then warned him by saying, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed.”
But why is it more blessed to believe having not seen? Remember: the people in Galilee who received Jesus did so after seeing His works in Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem wished to receive Him after seeing. And yet they betrayed Him in the end. But perhaps an even more poignant example can be drawn from the earliest of scriptures.
In the second book of the Old Testament, Exodus, God gloriously delivers His people Israel out of slavery to the Egyptians through a series of plagues that demonstrated God’s power over not just the Egyptians and their so-called gods, but over all creation. He turned the Nile river to blood, darkened the sky, killed every firstborn in Egypt save those covered by the blood of the Paschal lamb, and parted the red sea for His people’s escape. He brought them out from Egypt and gave them a visible guide to follow day and night as He committed to guiding them through the wilderness. And yet, as Moses ascended the mountain to meet with God, the people rapidly turned from Him and worshiped a god of their own making (Exodus 32).
The magnificent and terrifying works of God meant little to a people eager to follow the next big thing. This is not unique to the Exodus or to the people of Israel, though. One only needs to look at modern day politics to see how quickly allegiances can change for what would otherwise be uncompelling reasons.
Hearing is believing
The Samaritans are held up in contrast here for their faith which was based on hearing rather than seeing. They, the tribe of Israelites who mixed with the nations, who were considered worse than Gentiles, had the kind of faith that God calls “more blessed.” This is a recurring theme throughout the gospels: that the people who were supposed to be holy, righteous, and faithful ultimately reject the Messiah, while those who were thought to be abandoned by God to their own ways were blessed to receive Him.
And so the question is raised: why is it better to believe and not see? Put simply, a faith that is wrought out of hearing is based on the power of God in that person’s life (1 Corinthians 2:5). It is not a faith swayed by spectacle or argumentation. It is a faith that recognizes the work of God in the person of Jesus Christ and believes.
It is easy for us to see God work a miracle in someone else’s life and think, “If only God would do that for me, my faith would be stronger.” Maybe. But maybe instead, He has strengthened your faith instead by their testimony. Maybe, by laying the foundation of your faith on His word rather than a showcase, you are better prepared to withstand the storms that are coming your way. You, who have not experienced a miraculous healing or sign, are less prone to doubt your faith when a charlatan is exposed for misleading people through false miracles. And God honors your faith with life anew, preparing you to enter into eternity with Him.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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