The Day-to-Day Life of Jesus
Scripture Reading — John 4:1-26
Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
— John 4:6
When we try to share a brief story of Jesus with others, we often focus on his birth, his death for our sake, and his resurrection. We might also mention some of the amazing things about his teachings and miracles.
But how often do we think of what Jesus’ day-to-day life was like?
Jesus was fully God and fully human, which means that he got thirsty, tired, and hungry. Several passages in the Bible describe Jesus’ spending time with his followers and doing very human things: he feasts at a wedding, he travels with his disciples, and in our reading today he gets tired and sits down by a well, where he asks a Samaritan woman for a drink of water—and ends up telling her that he is the Messiah!
I wonder how many meals Jesus ate with his followers, how many walks he went on, and how many jokes he cracked over a campfire at night. I wonder if Jesus’ disciples experienced God’s glory as much through Jesus’ everyday conversations and the way he lived each day as they did through his parables and miracles.
Maybe living a life like Jesus is not as intimidating as it sounds. He did lots of ordinary things in his day-to-day living, just as we do. How can we help to bring the presence of Jesus in ordinary ways as we spend time with the people God has placed around us?
Lord God, thank you for sending Jesus to live among us. Help us to see and share with others the ways you are working in our daily lives. Amen.
About the author — Kevin DeRaaf
Kevin DeRaaf is the director of Resonate Global Mission, the Christian Reformed mission agency working in more than 40 countries around the world. With a focus on encouraging others to join in God’s mission where they are, Kevin believes that God’s purpose for the local church is to shine as a community of love and grace, showing in tangible ways that Jesus is the hope of the world. He and his wife, Jacquie, have three children and four grandchildren and live in Burlington, Ontario.
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