Jesus And The Woman At The Well Series

Many years ago in St. Louis, a lawyer visited a Christian to transact some business. Just before the two parted, his client said to him, “I’ve often wanted to ask you a question, but I’ve been afraid to do so.” “What do you want to know?” asked the lawyer. The man replied, “I’ve wondered why you’re not a Christian.” The man hung his head and said, “Doesn’t the Bible say something to the effect about drunkards having no place in heaven?” "You’re avoiding my question,” continued the believer. “Well, truthfully, I can’t recall anyone ever explaining how to become a Christian.” Picking up a Bible, the client read some passages showing that all are under condemnation but that Christ came to save the lost by dying on the cross for their sins. “By receiving Him as your Substitute and Redeemer, you can be forgiven. If you're willing to receive Jesus. Would you pray with me to receive Christ?” The lawyer agreed, and when it was his turn he exclaimed, “Jesus, I am a slave to drink. One of your servants has shown me how to be saved. O God, forgive my sins and help me overcome the power of this terrible habit in my life.” Right there, he was converted. That lawyer was C.I. Scofield, who would later edit a reference Bible that bears his name.1

The 40-Day Challenge is a series of sermons designed for your growth. It’s designed to motivate you to grow spiritually by forming 7 habits that Christians have used for centuries to grow in their faith.

Please put this in front of you for the next few minutes.

I want you to take a 40-day challenge with me.

40 days of Bible reading.

40 days of prayer.

40 days of serving.

40 days of giving.

I want to challenge you specifically by encouraging you to make a personal commitment to sharing the gospel this year. In a recent survey, Christians were asked how many times they shared the gospel with someone. Around one of every two believers had not shared the gospel in the past six months.2

The survey shows we are more likely to share the gospel with friends and family than a stranger. If this is you, I want to challenge and encourage you to change this. There is no greater honor in life than sharing the life-saving message of the gospel.

I invite you to turn to John 4 with me.

If I were to go to a thousand churches this morning and say the words “Jesus and the Woman at the Well,” nearly every one of them would know immediately the story I’m talking about. Today, Jesus meets a social, moral, and religious outsider.3

Here is a simple conversation about something as basic as getting a drink by an ancient well. Yet, it turned into one of the most memorable events in this lady’s life and a conversation for the ages. We just don’t have as many evangelistic conversations as we know we should. The message that has gripped our hearts and formed the centerpiece of our lives remains unspoken.

1. This Woman

“The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” (John 4:17-18).

She was startled when a Jewish man asked for a drink. In the minutes to come, she expressed her dislike of Jewish people. And she was flippant about religion.

1.1 Jesus at the Well

Jesus is traveling with His disciples through Samaria, which is outside of Judea. When He gets to the town, His disciples leave to get something to eat. Jesus is very weary and thirsty. And at the sixth hour, which is noon, in the heat of the day, Jesus goes to a well. He has no way of getting water out of the well because He does not have a water jar. So, He asks the lady for a drink. Jesus took advantage of a simple opportunity to make an eternal impact on this lady’s life.

1.2 Samaritans

Jews and Samaritans were bitter enemies. Centuries before our conversation, most of the Jews were exiled to Babylon by their conquerors. Some of the Jews who stayed behind intermarried with other Canaanites and essentially formed a new tribe, the Samaritans. The Jews who came back to their homeland after a long time away didn’t intermarry. The Samaritans took parts of the Jewish religion and parts of the Canaanite religion and created a syncretistic religion. In time, the rejection was so strong that the Samaritans built their own temple. They didn’t accept all the Old Testament, but just the first five books or the Pentateuch. So, the Jews considered the Samaritans racially inferior and heretics.