Jesus abruptly switched the conversation with the Samaritan woman from living water (John 4:10-15) to her marriage relationships. In asking her to call her husband (a proper way of relating in those days), Jesus precipitated an exposé of her personal life. When she said that she had no husband, Jesus proceeded to tell her the details of her marital and divorce history. That clearly came as a surprise to her, and she was forced to accept that He knew what God knew.

As she started to wonder about who Jesus was, she correctly assumed that the man she was speaking with must know the mind of God. And yet He did not reprove her for her lifestyle. However, such a penetrating assessment of her life which could not have been known by a stranger, particularly somebody who was an orthodox Jew, cut deep down. The man who was speaking to her knew everything about her, but she did not know who He was. This awareness troubled her greatly and later she said to people in her town “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29).

Although we like to style the way we present ourselves to people, in order that they may think well of us, the uncomfortable fact is that God knows absolutely everything. But this only remains uncomfortable if we want to continue pretending and do not want Him to change us. Whenever people read the Bible with an open heart God will not only reveal something of Himself to them, but also show them what they are like. It is all part of the process of conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit. When people become aware that God knows more than they want Him to know - they may be defensive or even struggle internally to push Him away. However they are always left with the awareness that God knows and until He is given authority to deal with it, the issue remains outstanding. It is foolish to rationalise such thoughts and dismiss them. God is speaking in order to do business with you and your friends.