Go To The Well

In the Scriptures that we read in John chapter 4, we read a very familiar story of a Samaritan Woman and Her encounter with Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus was in Samaria – That alone would make the headlines of any Jewish newspaper of the day.

You see Jews did not particularly like Samaritan’s. They believed them to be impure.

The Samaritans were half a half-breed .. half Jew and Half Gentile. This mixing of races took place when the Jews were in Assyrian captivity.

And as time went on a large divide occurred with those that considered themselves pure Jews. They didn’t like Samaritans and Samaritans knew it.

Yet as much as they Jews denied it .. Samaritans were still part Jewish and because there heritage was part Jewish they kept some of the customs of the Jews.

One of the customs was to worship God!

However, they had a major problem.. Worship for the Jews was in Jerusalem and since the Jews did not accept the Samaritans, the Samaritans decided to build their own temple on Mt Gerizim.

This fanned the flame of resentment and hate in the Jewish Samaritan relationship.

So much so that the Jews wouldn’t even take foot into Samaria.

If they had to travel to a destination, rather than going through Samaria, they would take the long way around so not one foot would step on Samaritan soil.

But look at Jesus… Instead of accepting and holding this racist view… and that’s what it was!! He not only Goes through Samaria… But it says he must go through it..

You see Jesus came to show man that ALL have the availability for Salvation.

While Jews thought they had God’s plan of Salvation gift wrapped and under their tree.. Jesus by his actions and message tells a different story!

So they go to a city in Samaria, specifically to Sychar where there was a well.

Here in the City Jesus meets a Samaritan woman whose life was about to be turned upside down and then right side up.

John 4:6-10

First look at the request: Give me to drink. Vs 7

That was not an ordinary request for any Jew to any Gentile. It catches her off guard so much that she says…

Now her response:

1.) How is it that you a Jew would even speak to me. Jews don’t associate with us?

2.) You don’t have anything to draw out with. Vs 11

• Jesus just by speaking to her made a statement,

• Jesus just by showing her she was valued .. impacted her greatly

• Jesus even did something more remarkable.. he showed he would intimately know her.

Yeah… illustration.. Bottle of Water and Angel.

He had no dipper, but she did!!

He was saying I will drink from your container!!

Yeah the blacks and Whites even in the 50’s and 60’s had places where if black you couldn’t drink from a white fountain.

Yet Jesus Showed that even Samaritans could intimately know Him.

This encounter with Jesus led this woman to eventually find out that Jesus was the Messiah. And as she found this out she went to tell it to others.

Now I want us to think about something metaphorically that is going on in this text.

The other week I was in a conversation and was talking to another preacher about the dry spells that us preacher’s sometime encounter.

You know it is tough to present a sermon in a creative and memorable way, week in and week out. Sometimes you get some stale bread and sometimes you get a hot loaf.

This is because preachers are human, our creativity goes through cycles like anyone else. Sometimes you feel like a conduit channeling the very words of God with power, poise, and productivity.

And Sometimes… Not So. You may be dry and stale, mentally uninspired.

And it is at those times that the proverbial saying is necessary. “Go to the Well”

What does that Mean? That means go back to a source that will give you inspiration”

When Life is drying out and getting stale,

When things aren’t going like they out to,

When you need to break from the pressures of life,,

GO TO THE WELL

AT THE WELL YOU WILL

1. You will be confronted with yourself

The Woman at the Well like most of us had some deep seeded issues.

It was there AT THE WELL that she was confronted with herself.

See, She was looking for something deeper in life yet she was looking in all the wrong places!

She sought meaning through relationships.

Jesus said go get your husband… She said I don’t Have one..

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. John 4:18 (KJV)