A Place For Tired People Series

THE WELL – A Place for Tired People

John 4:6-8 February 6, 2022

Introduction:

Last week we discovered that the well is a place for divine appointments...a place where our lives intersect with Jesus, but the well can also be a place where our lives intersect with others...providentially. That certainly was the truth for Jesus and a Samaritan woman.

Today we discover that the well is also a place for tired people. Jesus was tired when he got there...amazing that God would put himself in a body that is limited like ours, huh? But he did...“Tired as he was from the journey He sat down by Jacob’s well to rest...it’s about noon.”

But he’s not the only tired person to show up at this well. “A Samaritan woman came to draw water.”

She may be one of the most weary people ever encountered in scripture.

She’s a woman in a society that places them as 2nd class citizens. She’s a Samaritan, that means she’s bi-racial, and that comes with its own set of judgments, she’s a divorcee 5 times over, failed relationship after failed relationship. To the point where the guy she lives with now isn’t her husband...trading sex for some kind of protection...some kind of security...on a worldly value scale from 1 to 10...she’s a negative 4.

If Jesus tarries we’ll spend a Sunday looking at how our past can be forgiven at The Well, but for today let’s look at the effects of her life.

She’s at the well at noon...the hottest part of the day...not the time there would be a crowd there, it seems she’s even startled to see a Jewish man sitting there. Chances are her defense mechanisms are in place. Her expectations for this encounter probably come from all the other encounters she had with men...(force field up...sarcasm at the ready, set on stun...)

This woman has made bad choice after bad choice. She’s lived a lifetime of mistakes enough to wear her out, enough to make her conclude her life is scarred beyond hope. She comes to the well at this time to avoid respectable women. But the well is just the place for people like her and Jesus is just the answer for her weariness.

It’s so important we understand this truth:

I. SATAN IS THE GOD OF WEARINESS

Our culture seems to bow down and worship the god of weariness...we use it as a proof of our value, and a badge of suffering...don’t believe me...ask someone how they’re doing. 9 out of 10 times you get this response...“Man, I’m busy...” Basically this declaration is followed by a lengthy list of things required at their job, activities that require their participation for their kids, even Church stuff can be thrown in there for good measure.

How you doing? “Man I’m busy right now!” How you feelin’? “I’m worn out buddy.”

Sometimes it can even become a competition about who’s the busiest and who’s the most worn out.

This isn’t just for men...it’s for women, students, our children, the god of weariness attacks at all levels. He’s an equal opportunity “life stealer.”

In her book called, “Not So Fast: Slow-Down Solutions for Frenzied Families,” Ann Kroeker writes this: “America, the land of the high-achieving, multitasking speedaholics. We’re in perpetual motion, never resting, and never quite satisfied...American families are sucked into a vortex of activities and obligations. We pile on appointments, lessons, practices, games, performances, and clubs, and then shovel in fast food...western civilization’s high-speed, fast-paced, goal-oriented life has propelled us into a state of minivan mania.”

Kroeker also refers to a great book called, “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” by John Ortberg in which he tells about the time he asked a friend for some spiritual direction. Ortberg described the pace of life in Chicago, the rhythms of his family life, and the condition of his heart. He wanted to know what he could do in order to be spiritually healthy. After a long pause his mentor answered, “You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.” Ortberg wasn’t satisfied with this answer so he asked what more he could do. “There is nothing else, “the man said. As he reflected on that advice later, Ortberg made this observation: “Hurry is the great enemy of the spiritual life in our day. Hurry can destroy our souls. Hurry can keep us from living well...for many of us the great danger is not that we will renounce our faith. It is that we will become so distracted and rushed and preoccupied that we will settle for a mediocre version of it.”

Listen I know that laziness can be a problem too...but our reaction to laziness shouldn’t be “prove you’re not by how busy you are and how tired you are.” Both of those are more about what others think about us...instead of living life in abundance with a real purpose.