He Was Headed Home To Teach [#7] (John 4:4-43)

He headed home to teach in context tough,
And met that woman – tired, he’d said, “Enough –
I’ll rest a while, you guys go off and buy
Some lunch for all of us” – then with a sigh –

Sat back to wait on their return with food;
The rest for Him was welcome, it felt good
To put His feet up, rest beside the well
Which Jacob made, as folks near there would tell.

The details of their tête-à-tête are there
Some banter back and forth expressed the care
God has for all mankind throughout the globe;
Response (the harvest bright) made quite a load.

His guys still could not see in culture there
The hunger and thirst, did not compare
It to their own deep longings in their souls
To find the peace of God – to be made whole.

But then he turned things ’round and said, “It feeds
A person when he meets another’s needs;
So don’t think food and drink are all there is –
These rhema-words, when done, is how one lives”.

He’d said, “Lift up your eyes and have a look –
The hunger met with food is all it took
To have these people shift to living ways,
And find their lives enriched for coming days”.

They stayed around two further days to talk
With locals, then continued on their walk;
“We’re heading home, I’ll teach you where it’s tough
But this is where were headed when enough –

“You’ve learned, and battle-weary you’ve become –
Back home where you are brother, uncle, son,
And folks can’t hear the new for all your old;
And life with Me will test what you’ve been told.

“For when you’ve crossed some culture’s boundary fair,
And found receptive hearts which start to care
For people in their culture who have need,
They’ll face the task you face when souls they feed.

“For they’ll be ‘home’ just like you’ll be quite soon,
And face the stiff resistance, find no room
To be allowed to speak for family ‘knows’
Too much about their lives – they’re more like foes.

“But if you’ve no idea what they face,
Too glib you’ll be about their shifting case;
So let’s go home and see what there’s to see;
Just watch – take note of what they do to me.”

navigation