Sometimes important things are discovered in what is not in the text. John 4:3 is a good example. The verse reads:

He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.

Most of us would think there isn’t much in this verse. After all, it’s just a report of Jesus traveling from one place to another. We skip ahead to the “important” story of Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. But perhaps we are in a bigger hurry than Jesus was.

Look again at the setting of this verse (John 4:1). A controversy is brewing. The Pharisees were beginning to notice the accelerating popularity of Jesus. More people were following Jesus than John. Of course, the Pharisees and other religious leaders were vitally interested in this phenomenon. John had already given them plenty to worry about. They tried to push him for answers on his role, but he was always vague. Then Jesus appeared. The tide began to shift toward this new preacher from the backwoods. As the Jesus movement grew, the Pharisees sought opportunities to challenge this new man on the scene. They were looking for controversy, argument and debate. They were anxious to examine this man, Jesus, in order to squelch any possibility that he would disturb the status quo.

Jesus did something most of us would never do. He left. He didn’t enter into the confrontation at all. He actually took off, away from the conflict and the spotlight. Consider how amazing this behavior really was. How many people do you know who would walk away when they were rising as the new star? How many politicians do you know who scamper off the stage when confrontation with opponents looms? How many of us, knowing that we are completely right, would simply turn tail and run? Observed from the outside, this behavior has all the appearances of being “chicken”. The Pharisees must have clucked to them, “Well, that was easy. One little move on our part and he runs away. I guess we have nothing to fear from him.”

Did you notice something else about Jesus’ departure? It is found in John 4:4. Jesus deliberately went through Samaria. This really makes his journey look bad. In Jewish culture, Samaritans were the social and ethnic outcasts. Blood relatives by a bad seed, thought the Jews. They were the constant embarrassment to the orthodox Jews because these people had an unforgiven history (unforgiven by pure blood Jews) of defiled origin, compromise with foreign kings and divisions over religious beliefs. No upstanding Jew would have anything to do with them.

Jesus could have taken the long way around, like all “good” Jews did when they traveled from Judea to Galilee. By choosing to go through Samaria, Jesus insured that not a single Pharisee would follow him. In fact, as we know, only his disciples tagged along and even they were embarrassed about the situation. This action made Jesus look like he was really running into hiding. As far as the Pharisees were concerned, it confirmed that he could not be much of a teacher of righteousness because he defiled himself by his own decision to travel that way.

Now that we see the background, let’s take a closer look at the verse. There are two important verbs, apheke (he left) and apelthe (departed). The first verb is from the root aphiemi. When it is used metaphorically, it does indeed mean, “to leave”. The second verb, aperchomai, means “to depart or to go away”. But this is curious. Why would John use both verbs in the same sentence? After all, it would be sufficient to say that Jesus left for Judea or that he departed for Galilee. Why use both words?

Perhaps we can answer this question, and discover something much more interesting at the same time, by noticing that the primary use of the first verb is much more personal. Aphiemi means, “to dismiss, to send away, to let go”. Each of these primary meanings carries the idea of personal involvement. Consider this word in light of the circumstances. Jesus is not simply leaving for Judea. He is dismissing the possible confrontation. He is letting go of the potential argument. He takes a deliberate step to send away the antagonists by choosing a route they will not follow.

This is the “left unsaid” treasure of John 4:3.

Jesus does not engage in confrontation even though he easily could have debated the Pharisees. He “left” because it was the Father’s will to do so. Jesus is entirely focused on one single objective – to do the will of the Father. So, he turns his back on the detractors and dismisses them by walking away. He pays no attention to the perception of these men. He does not care what they think of his actions. He plays for a difference audience. Jesus just “let it go” because it was not what he was called to do that day.

This is the great lesson of John 4:3. Jesus only does what the Father wants him to do. He pays no attention at all to the circumstances, the outside criticism, the external perception or the demand for confrontation. He just goes about the Father’s business.

How would our lives change if we adopted this method of living? What would our lives be like if we did only what the Lord asked us to do this day? Do you see the utter simplicity of life under these conditions? Jesus demonstrated a life that placed no concern on personal environment, endorsement or endeavor. Jesus shows us that we can live only for the will of the Father. In fact, that is the only reason we can adopt Jesus’ command to stop worrying about all of the other cares of life and seek God first.

Even more to the point, Jesus dismissed the conflict that was brewing because it did not fit into the purposes of the Father. Is that how we respond to confrontation? Are we so in tune with the Father’s will that we simply walk away? There is a marvelous symbolism here. Jesus left but he went immediately to a place where his critics would not follow. Perhaps we need to do the same.

John 4:3 is a powerful statement of single-purpose living. What it does not say is incredibly important. What God wants from us is nothing more than walking according to His directions. So, “let it go”, “leave”, “dismiss” and depart for the next place God wants you to be. What is left behind can be left unsaid.