Faith always has a beginning. For many Christians, that beginning starts in early childhood with their parents teaching them about Jesus. For others, faith begins when they first pick up a Bible and read about God and His great love. My wife’s faith journey started with the neighbor taking her to Sunday school as a child. For the Samaritans, their faith began when the Samaritan woman told them that Jesus knew everything she had ever done. Her question, “Surely he can’t be the Messiah, can he?” caused them to reason within themselves. Faith comes from within; it is created by our feelings and thinking and interacting. Faith is not something that we can inherit, purchase or catch. Faith is conceived when a small spark of hope gives birth to belief.

Faith in Jesus is not a dead and static action from our past. Faith is the beginning point of a journey that does not end. Faith is alive and it grows. The small spark of faith that caused the Samaritans to seek Jesus on nothing more than the word of a woman, could have shriveled and died. Jesus was waiting there at the well to introduce himself to those who came to hear him.

They came with hope, but also with doubts. When they met Jesus, He spoke words of truth and their doubts were swept away. They were not content to simply believe while remaining in ignorance. They asked Jesus to remain with them and answer their questions and to enlighten them. The response of the Samaritans pleased Jesus, and He remained and taught them for two days. When He left, Jesus left behind many who had experienced saving faith and were still believing. They had a testimony that in the beginning they only believed because of what the woman said, but now they believed because they met the Savior of the world. Jesus changed their lives forever. Faith, no matter it’s beginning, only becomes saving faith by leading us to know Jesus.