Mr. Grace

John 4:16
Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”

What was Jesus saying; what was He doing? Obviously, from the text we can gather that He was telling her to go get her husband. But from the conversation that follows, we learn that she isn’t married. In fact, she is living with a man who isn’t her husband, and she had already been married five times before. (Jesus tells her this after she answers Him saying “...I have no husband...” John 4:17)

So why did He ask her that question? Was it so that He could reveal to her that He knew everything about her life? I’m not sure; yes and no. I believe that this woman was literally with her sixth man, but given the fact that the preceding verses and the verses that follow revolve around a spiritual message, I think He was making a spiritual point. His message to her was physical and spiritual; to us, it’s spiritual. That’s why this passage is in the Bible.

The way I see it, we’ve all, at some point or another, been the Samaritan woman. We’ve been married countless times, right? Some of us have been married to our jobs, others, to our children’s future. Some of us have been married to cocaine and drug addiction, and some pornography. Some of us have even married our ministries at the church. Most importantly of all, nearly every single one of us have been married to Mr. Law.

You know him, he’s the do-guy. He never helps; he only demands. Every one of his demands is impossible to meet. He makes you do everything to please him, then says “It’s not good enough.” If you fall short of his requirements, he points out your shortcomings and cuts you down with guilt. He’s perfect in every way and unless you are too, he cannot tolerate you.

You see, the message Jesus was bringing to this Samaritan woman was the Gospel of Grace. He was telling her, and He was telling us, that we’ve been married to the wrong guy all this time. Whether you’ve been married to a drug addiction or the Ten Commandments, you’ll never succeed in meeting their expectations. Jesus, however, is the Husband who gives. He told this woman, “...but the water I shall give... (John 4:14)

I’m not saying that the Ten Commandments are sins, but to be the bride of Christ means we can’t be married to Mr. Law. We have to be married to Mr. Grace. We can’t overlook the numbers in this story. Five husbands: the law was given in the first five books of the Bible. She married each of these men, living according to law. Guy number six she lived with out of wedlock. Six is the number associated with man, with sin, with the devil. The first five represent her inability to keep the law. The sixth guy represents any sin in her life. But, lucky number seven; He’s the Christ.

Seven is the number of perfection and completion. On the seventh day God rested. Jesus came to give us rest (Matthew 11:28) Jesus wants us to be married to Him, and to His ever abundant grace. He wants to do for us what we have been doing for our former husbands all these years. Jesus wants to be the Man in our lives that we’ve all, as brides, longed for. He is our shield and strength (Psalm 28:7); He is our provider (Psalm 23:1); He is our reward (Isaiah 49:4); He is our salvation (Psalm 27:1)!