June 27, 2024 Devo

“It’s All About Jesus!”
“The Woman at the Well”
“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.” 16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her. 17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied. Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” – John 4:15-18 (NLT)
“Take Off the Mask”

Boom! With one sentence Jesus reveals the deep pain of this woman’s life. It’s the reason she’s at the well at noon, instead of in the morning or the evening. It’s the reason she avoids people, avoids conversations, and avoids sharing much about herself. Her response to Jesus’ encouragement to go get her husband was what we would call a “white lie.” She may not have been legally married, but she did have a man she lived with. Her response was accurate but deceptive. She wanted Jesus to believe there was no man in her life. The truth was just too hurtful and shameful to share.
The woman’s response was more of a mask than a lie. It was her way of hiding. Hiding the rejection she’d experienced. Hiding the poor choices she’d made. Hiding the loneliness, fear, and sadness that was an everyday part of her life. Better to say, “I have no one,” than to say, “I’ve been had by many.” Jesus cut through all the layers of disguise that the woman put on each day to get to the great pain that drove her, depressed her, and defined her. She felt like a loser…an object…a piece of property. That was the reality she hid from. Every. Single. Day.
And she’s not alone. Lots of people wear masks. Maybe you. But Jesus comes as both truth and grace. As truth He desires us to take off the masks. He wants us to stop hiding from our fears, to stop running from our past, and to stop trying to cover up our sins and failures. Jesus didn’t tell the woman to go and get her husband so He could humiliate her. He told her that to get her to live in truth. Because it’s only as He gets us to truth that He can set us free. Come before Him today. Stop pretending, stop hiding, and take off whatever mask of deception you’re wearing. Truth and grace are waiting for you today. You can’t embrace the grace until you come clean with the truth. Take off the mask. That’s God’s Word for you today.