Jesus - Face To Face Series

Jesus – Face to Face

Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman

People who care about and who are able to make others feel important stand out, because they are a rare commodity. A commodity is something that is useful, and it is usually considered to be of high value. I’m sure you know some people like this.

They stand out because they are not like most people.

Typically, people are more interested in doing things and interacting with others in a way that is self-serving, or selfish. They are usually on a quest to satisfy their own egos, or to build themselves up in the eyes of others.

Being selfless is not the norm in our world, or in our culture.

Therefore, a selfless attitude is quickly noticed.

Jesus Christ is the master teacher of all times. He teaches in a variety of ways.

While he frequently spoke to “The Multitudes”, he also spent considerable time in one-to-one situations. He gave great attention to individuals.

The people who appear along the way in Jesus’ travels prove this to be the case.

Their interactions with Jesus reveal what He thought was important, and they tell us how he used his time and his energy.

They show us that Jesus was selfless, and caring of others.

The title of this message is Jesus – Face to Face.

It is based on a passage of scripture from the Gospel of John.

The Gospel of John provides several unique situations in the life and ministry of Jesus.

They are unique because they are not provided for us in any of the other Gospel accounts.

These situations represent the core of why many people have referred to the Gospel of John as the most personal and spiritual view of Jesus.

Now, let’s look at one of these situations.

We are going to look at the interaction that Jesus has with a Samaritan Woman.

This interaction is packed full of information and things we get to learn about and from Jesus. Given that we had the time, we could spend a few hours discussing this single interaction.

Right now, however, I want to examine with you some of the key characteristics of Jesus.

Specifically we are going to look at:

1. His Personality,

2. His Priorities, and

3. His Power.

We’re going to be in the Gospel of John, Chapter 4, and we’re beginning at verse 4.

Now he (that’s Jesus) had to go through Samaria, so he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (Jesus was by himself, as His disciples had gone into town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink? (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

The Personality of Jesus

Let’s examine the personality of Jesus in this situation.

First, we see that Jesus suffered the same physical conditions as other people.

He was tired and needed to rest.

We talk about Jesus being God, and he is. He was also fully human, and sometimes we neglect the full implication of what that means.

Hebrews 2:18 tells us that, “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”

This let’s us know that Jesus is aware of the things that we are going through, and that he is able to help us.

Next, let’s look at the sentence: “It was about the sixth hour.”

This was most likely Noon, but some translations designate it as 6:00pm.

With all of the other information provided, I believe the time to be Noon.

In this culture, it was customary for women to draw their water in the evening.

This woman, however, was drawing water in the heat of the day (at noon).

Regardless of the exact time of day, however, a question comes to mind which is, "Why was this woman drawing water alone when none of the other women are?"

At a point in their conversation, as noted in verse 16, Jesus tells her, “Go call your husband and come back.” “I have no husband”, she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is quite true.”

Given that the woman has had five husbands, and that she was currently with a man who was not her husband, I feel confident in saying that this woman was probably shunned and treated as an outcast by the people in her community.