Recently, Ezra and I were reading in John 4, about the Samaritan woman. You are probably familiar with the story. Jesus and this woman have an encounter at the well, and he shows His authority and omniscience by making clear that He knows details of her life that she has not told Him.
After this encounter, the woman goes back to the village:
"So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” 30 They went out of the town and were coming to him."
The unfolding story continues a few verses later:
"39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves,and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”"
As I read this passage, I realized how parallel this story is to my hopes and deepest longings for Ezra and any other children the Lord might give us. Do you see what is going on here?
First, the Samaritans are persuaded because of what they have heard the woman say about Christ. And that's not a bad thing. Our children more than likely will begin to be curious about this man we call Christ because of our witness.
But at some point, they must come to experience Him and His Word for themselves, just as the Samaritans did. They "believed because of his word" (emphasis mine.) That is how and why I want my children to believe. Not because of my testimony, not because of what I tell them about Jesus. But because they have encountered His living, active, powerful word themselves.
Lord-willing, they will be my most joyful days, when I hear my children say something like the Samaritans, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
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