Noise reduction

If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that says to you, “Give Me a drink;”  John 4:10

If You Knew – Have you ever noticed just how odd Jesus’ conversations are?  If we encountered Him today, and spent a few minutes talking with Him, we might walk away shaking our heads and muttering, “What’s wrong with him?  He must be a little slow or something.”  Why would be draw that conclusion?  Because Jesus often answers questions that were never asked and makes statements that appear to be irrelevant.  Instead of noticing this peculiarity, and reflecting on what it means, we are so used to the stories that we ignore the discontinuity.  We stop listening to what we are reading.  What a shame!  If we only listened to what Jesus really says, we would discover something very powerful; something that reminds us that our own lives are far removed from the intimacy He had with the Father.

Jesus is desensitized to the “noise” of this world.  He answers questions posed by the Father, not by the man or woman in close proximity.  He makes statements based on the Father’s advice, not ones related to the “visible” circumstances.  That’s why He tells us that He only says what the Father tells Him to say.  He is a man of Proverbs, restraining His tongue until the Spirit gives Him the correct response.

We, on the other hand, are attuned to the cacophony of distraction.  As a result, we are susceptible to the “blurt” response.  We fail to hear the whispers of the Spirit because we are listening to the 100db volume of the world.  “Quiet time” is an oxymoron in this life.

What would happen to your day if you actually heard God’s directions before you answered?  How much of your conversation would evaporate into mindless silence if you didn’t speak until you knew what God wanted you to say?  That’s the little insight in this verse.  “If you knew,” says Jesus.  Ei hedeis.  Not “if you had factual knowledge” but rather, “if you were intuitively aware.”  The root is eido, not ginosko.  Eido is knowing in the sense of complete inner awareness.  Eido is a gift, not a process of acquisition.  Jesus is not commenting on the woman’s educational background.  He is remarking on the state of her spiritual blindness.  She is so filled with the facts and fantasies of her life that she is not able to hear the truth of her life.

What about you?  Would Jesus come to you and say, “If you only knew?”  Careful.  Before you answer, remember He’s listening.