Daily Lectionary | Genesis 8 & John 4:27-end
Genesis 8
Summary
In Genesis 1:1, the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters, and on the second day of Creation, the waters above and waters below were separated by a firmament. In Genesis 8:1, the waters below and the waters above (the foundations of the deep and the windows of heaven) are closed. God does this by his wind, which is the same word for Spirit used in Genesis 1:1. The Spirit of God blows over the waters once again and the waters below and above are once again separated. Noah sends a raven out to see if the waters had subsided, but the raven returns. He sends out a dove who returns with a “freshly plucked olive leaf.” Noah sends the dove out again, and this time it doesn’t return. Now, Noah and his family can leave the ark.
Reflection Questions
1. What does Noah do as soon as he leaves the ark (Gen. 8:20)? Why is this important? How does the Lord respond?
2. How does Genesis 8 echo the original creation of the world?
3. Where else in Scripture do we see a dove and water together?
John 4:27-end
Summary
The Samaritan woman goes and bears witness to Jesus in her town. On account of her testimony, many believed Jesus was the “Savior of the World.” There’s a progression in this chapter from the woman perceiving Jesus is a prophet, to the Messiah, and now the city seeing Jesus as the world’s savior! Jesus, still in Samaria, baffles his disciples. Jesus, who has just identified himself as the one who can give living water, now talks about his food as the doing the will of God. Jesus tells a proverbs about sowing and reaping. One way to understand this is that Jesus is the sower, in context the evangelistic Samaritan woman is the reaper—through her testimony she is bringing in a harvest to Jesus. The disciples need to see that even Samaria is white for the harvest now, not later!
Jesus finally leaves Samaria and returns to Cana where he performed his first miracle. An official goes to Jess and asks for healing for his son. Jesus doesn’t go to his son but tells him that his son would live, and the official believed the word. His son recovers at the very hour Jesus spoke the word. The signs in John are numbered, and this is the second sign.
1. What does the Samaritan woman teach us about evangelism?
2. Food and water are essential to life. Consider how Jesus talks about food and water in John 4 and how he gives us food and water.