February 21, 2023
Divine Appointments
“Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So, He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well was there. So, Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.” John 4:1-6 (NASB)
Years ago, as a deputy sheriff, I had encounters with the same juvenile burglar. After several years of arrests or investigating his crimes, one day he left. He was incarcerated. When he got out of detention, I was determined to reach him. Something had to change. One day, I went to his home. His father asked (as usual) “What did he do now?” I explained I wanted to reach him. He was on probation though. When he came to the door, I asked him about his hobbies. He said surfing. I asked him if he had a board. “No.” I knew what to do and I left. I told him if he could stay trouble free, I would try to reward his behavior. A few months before, I spoke to a retired principle in the community. He was interested in helping and would support efforts. As I left their home, I went to a local surf shop. I told the owner I had someone who would probably pay for a new surfboard for a boy. After a few minutes of looking, the owner selected a new one and said, “Here you go.” He said, “No charge.” Wow! I waited. Four months went by. The boy kept his commitment. It looked funny hanging out of a police car window, but I brought the new surfboard to his house. Once again, his dad answered the door. I told the dad the community made an investment in his son and wanted to reward it. As the boy came out of the house, and saw it in the car, he broke into tears. He hugged me too. I told him people believed in him. He had a new surfboard. Fast forward: he is now an adult, and never arrested since. He is married with two children. We have to be intentional each day.
“He left Judea and went away again into Galilee. And He had to pass through Samaria. So, He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar.” Jesus left and went north from Judea to a city called Sychar. He had a divine appointment. He also knew traveling on an inland road would avoid any further disputes from the Jews. The Jews would also take the longer coastal road to avoid the Samarians because of their hatred for them. They also were intentional in their hatred.
You see, when Jesus left, He knew where He was going. He was intentional about His direction. He had a divine appointment to keep. He would travel through Samaria because this was His destination. This appointment would be completely different than the one with Nicodemus, with two completely different people. “Nicodemus was a devout Jew. The woman at the well was an immoral Samaritan. He was a learned theologian; she was an uneducated peasant woman. He recognized Jesus as a teacher sent by God; she had no clue who He was. He was wealthy; she was poor. He was a member of the social elite; she was in the dregs of Samaritan society...”[1] You and I need to be intentional about our actions each day. Know where you are going each day and have purpose. When God leads the direction of our life, He may choose a road that is not particularly an easy one but keep the appointment. Then you will experience a divine appointment.
[1] (John MacArthur, 2006) pg. 140.