The Gifts of the Spirit in the Life of Jesus
Primary Reading: John 4:1–42
(Read the full passage before reflecting below.)
When we read the account of Jesus and the woman at the well, we are not only witnessing compassion and evangelism—we are watching the gifts of the Spirit in operation.
Paul later writes, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:7, NKJV). In John 4, we see that manifestation perfectly expressed in Christ.
Jesus did not approach the woman with spectacle. He began with simplicity: “Give Me a drink.” Yet as the conversation unfolds, something supernatural begins to surface.
When Jesus tells her, “Go, call your husband,” and then reveals, “You have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband” (John 4:16–18), we are witnessing what Paul later calls a word of knowledge—divine insight into facts naturally unknown. Jesus exposes hidden history, not to shame her, but to awaken her. The revelation breaks through her defenses. She immediately responds, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.”
But the gifts do not stop there.
Jesus also demonstrates what Scripture later calls a word of wisdom. He does not merely reveal her past; He redirects her future. When she raises the debate about worship—Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem—Jesus answers with heavenly clarity: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23). He unveils the shift from location to revelation, from ritual to relationship. This is wisdom from above—divine perspective applied to present reality.
We also see discernment of spirits. Jesus recognizes spiritual hunger beneath her questions. He sees beyond social barriers, theological confusion, and moral brokenness. He discerns thirst.
And the result? Transformation.
The woman leaves her waterpot—the very reason she came—and runs to the city. Her testimony becomes the spark of revival: “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did” (John 4:29). Many believed because of her word. Then more believed because they heard Him themselves. The gifts served their purpose: they revealed Christ.
This is crucial.
The gifts of the Spirit in Jesus’ life were never self-exalting. They were redemptive. They pointed people to the Father. They opened hearts to eternal life. The gifts were expressions of love in action.
And the same Spirit who operated in Jesus now dwells in His body.
Jesus promised that the living water would become “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). The Spirit does not only regenerate us; He equips us. The gifts are not given for spectacle or comparison, but “for the profit of all.” They serve the harvest. They serve love.
In Samaria, we see the pattern:
Revelation → Invitation → Transformation → Testimony → Community faith.
The gifts make room for encounter. Encounter produces belief. Belief produces life.
As we reflect on this passage, we should not merely admire what Jesus did—we should recognize what He modeled. The Son lived in perfect submission to the Father and in full cooperation with the Spirit. His life reveals what Spirit-filled obedience looks like.
Today, ask the Lord for this alignment:
Not power for display,
but power for redemption.
Not insight for influence,
but revelation for restoration.
The gifts of the Spirit are not ends in themselves. They are expressions of God’s love flowing through surrendered lives.
And when love flows rightly, cities can be changed by a conversation at a well.