Who Is Jesus? Series

Who is Jesus?

John 8:48-58, 4:1-42

Online Sermon: http://www.mckeesfamily.com/?page_id=3567

When Jesus addressed the people, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life," His statement stirred significant controversy among the Pharisees (John 8:12-20). Jesus declared that He was not of this world but from above, and that when He would be lifted up as the Son of Man, they would then recognize His identity and understand that He lived according to His Father's will (John 8:21-30). Many Jews believed in Him that day, and to them, Jesus promised, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). However, to the Pharisees who refused to accept Him as God, Jesus said they sought to kill Him because they belonged to their father, the devil (John 8:44). Infuriated, the Pharisees resorted to name-calling, accusing Him of being a Samaritan and demon-possessed (John 8:48). Jesus responded by emphasizing that He did not seek His own glory, but that His Father, who sought glory for Him, was also their God and judge (John 8:49-50). When Jesus proclaimed that their father Abraham rejoiced at seeing His day, the Pharisees mocked Him, saying, "You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?" (John 8:57). Jesus then made the profound declaration, "Before Abraham was born, I am!" (John 8:58).

How I loved reading from the book of John! While the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke focus primarily on Christ’s life as a fulfillment of Scripture, His miracles demonstrating His sovereignty over all things seen and unseen, and parables that elucidate His teachings, John’s focus shifts towards Christ's identity and the divine reasons for His incarnation. While John, like the Synoptic Gospels, recounts the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, which clearly showcases His divine power and compassion, he also delves into its theological significance: Christ is “the bread of life. Whoever comes to Him will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Him will never be thirsty” because “everyone who looks to the Son shall have eternal life” (John 6:35-39). Unlike the Synoptic Gospels, which do not mention the death and resurrection of Lazarus, John presents this miracle as an opportunity to highlight Christ’s profound statement, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die” (John 11:25-26). John further reveals Christ as the Light of the World (John 8:12), the Door (John 10:7), the Good Shepherd (John 10:14), one with the Father (John 10:30), “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and the Vine (John 15:1). Let us now review the story of the Samaritan woman to understand why these seven “I AM” sayings of Christ are so important to us today.

The Samaritan Woman

The story begins with Jesus arriving in the Samaritan town of Sychar. Tired from His journey, He sat down beside Jacob’s well (John 4:1-6). When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus asked her, “Will you give me a drink?” She responded, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (John 4:7-9). To understand the significance of this interaction, it's important to consider the historical context. The Jews and Samaritans had a long-standing animosity. The Jews did not associate with Samaritans because the Samaritans had intermarried with foreigners, believed in many gods, and only accepted the Pentateuch as their Bible. The Samaritans, in turn, resented the Jews for excluding them from the rebuilding of the temple under Ezra and Nehemiah and for rejecting Mount Gerizim as a legitimate place of worship. The hostility between these two groups was so deep that they would typically avoid any contact with each other. This leads us to our first roadblock to knowing Jesus that the Samaritan woman gives.

Why Would God be Interested in Me?

Not only was the woman struggling against these racial and gender stereotypes, but she also faced severe self-esteem issues, being an outcast from society due to having had five husbands and living with a man who was not her husband. While societal pressure discourages belief in Christ from a world that hates Him (John 15:18-25), the main reason people view the cross as foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18) is their sin reigning in their lives. John states, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their evil deeds will be exposed” (John 3:19-21). The sin this woman had committed was a great source of shame, making her feel unworthy of God’s love. Many nonbelievers offer excuses to avoid approaching a holy God, saying things like, “You don’t know who I am, you don’t know what I have done, you don’t know what I have been through, I have sinned too often, I am too far gone, and I am unredeemable.” However, in this story, Jesus, who “knew everything she ever did” (John 4:39), boldly tells her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (John 4:10).