Come!
John 4:27–42
Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. John 4:29

I wonder if you have ever thought about the specific invitation to the men of the city offered by the Samaritan woman. There are three great words, each beginning with the letter C, that are the evidences of the fact that she had been born again—a confession of faith in Christ, a change of values, a concern for the lost. Three great words beginning with C! But here is a fourth, the word come. This was the heart of her invitation, and she had learned it (as she had learned everything else) from Jesus. What had Jesus said to her? Jesus had said, “Go, call your husband, and come here” (v. 16). Now she, who had come, repeated the invitation, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”

Come! This is a great word of the Christian gospel. It has brought peace to millions of restless hearts and satisfaction to many that were empty and lonely.

Think of the great verses that contain it. It was God’s word to Abraham, “Come into the land which I shall show thee” (Acts 7:3 KJV). It was God’s call to Moses to be Israel’s deliverer, “Come, I will send you to Egypt” (v. 34). David wrote, “Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth” (Ps. 46:8). God spoke through Isaiah, saying, “Come now, let us reason together, . . . though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool” (Isa. 1:18). The angels spoke the word to all skeptics as they pointed the disciples to the empty tomb, “Come, see the place where he lay “ (Matt. 28:6). It was Christ’s invitation, “Come, follow me” (Mark 10:21). “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest “ (Matt. 11:28). Finally, it will be the song of the angels as they invite the redeemed to the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:17) and of Jesus himself as he says to his own, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world “ (Matt. 25:34).

If you have heard this invitation from the lips of the Lord, it is your privilege and duty to pass that word on. As in the case of the woman of Samaria, God’s “Come!” must become our “Come!” Come! It is the greatest invitation in the universe. Won’t you come? If you have already come, won’t you share the invitation with another?

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.