Jesus had been in Jerusalem, where he met with a religious fellow named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a good man, yet Jesus told him that he needed to be “born again”.
• Sometimes it was about the crowds…5,000 fed, women touching His hem while pushing through the crowd….taking off the roof to get round the crowd. But it was also sometimes about individuals who were way from the crowd.Here is an unsuspecting, undeserving in her mind woman who like most other days took a trip to a well.
WHO GOD SPEAKS TO IS BECAUSE HE MAKES THE CHOICE TO DO SO: 5 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph ; 6 and Jacob's well was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 6th Hour was hottest part of the day – Terrain was very mountainous and hilly so Jesus would be humanly very tired and thirsty.
• We read this with little disruption in our emotions but for a Jew to read this there were THREE GLARING ISSUES at work here.
a. The SAMARITAN Issue: Jews hated Samaritans. Took the long way around the area so they did not step on Samaritan soil. They were the half breed leftovers from the Assyrian Captivity.
Israel was divided into 3 regions – Judea in the South / Samaria in the middle – Galilee further North. The Areas of Judea and Galilee were populated by Jews – but Samaria – belong to the Samaritans.
1)There was a long standing 400 yr feud between Jews and Samaritans.
The Samaritans were known as half breeds { After the fall of the Northern Kingdom – to the Assyrians
1) Assyrians infiltrated the land and intermarried with the Jews there.
When the Assyrians came they brought with them their pagan religions and practices – When the Jews returned from exile during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah –
1) The Samaritans offered to help in the construction – but were denied by the Jews
They didn’t worship in Jerusalem – but instead built their own temple at MT Gerizim.
1) Their temple was later destroyed by the Jews
b. The SOCIAL Issue: She was a WOMAN – Men and women did not mix socially like this especially over religious issues. There was a Court of the Women separate from where the men were. Men, especially religious men did not speak to women in public.
c. The SIN Issue: This SHE was not only SAMARITAN but also had gotten pretty good in the SIN department.
1) 5 husbands so far. She considered herself the last person God would ever reach out to.
2) In fact very few if any people went to the well at the hottest time of day. 105 possibly. This would keep her from seeing people who surely scorned her because of her past and present behaviors. THERE IS JESUS WAITING. A man, a Jew, a Teacher from God Interesting that He would come to place when people usually aren’t there and not bring His own bucket.
3) Jesus initiates the conversation.
• Point to consider is that DIVINE APPOINTMENTS are the norm and should be considered as we go through our day or take time to pray.
WHAT GOD OFFERS IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE CAN FIND ANYWHERE ELSE: 10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
• Jesus tells here that God has something much better than she is finding in this life if she only knew enough for it and from Whom to ask it.
• LIVING WATER:
HOTELS: Often have area with optional snacks and water. Don’t ever drink the water not because it is bad but because it is expensive. That are of stuff costs as much as the room.
BRAZIL in 2009 our group was checking out. Wayne came to me asking about all the added expenses that were on my room. I said I didn’t know of any. While we were giving each other confused looks some giggling started off to the side. Some of the others had started putting their stuff from the front desk, like water, on just my and Lynne’s room. God expensive but had to have fresh water there.
Water was essential and often took much time and effort to obtain in Jesus’ day. No tap water anywhere: long walks, heavy containers, much time … Nothing more valuable but Jesus said there was Water that was much more life giving than this she was seeking that day. Is there anything really ‘living’ in the lives of most people?
WHAT GOD OFFERS CAN ONLY BE GIVEN GOD’S WAY: 11 She said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water? 12 "You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"
• This woman must be related to Nicodemus: She immediately starts to try to understand how this could physically even happen just like he had tried to understand the new birth. JESUS HAD NO BUCKET TO ATTATCH.
1. This Water is GIVEN: 13 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
2. This Water is SATISFYING: 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
• The result of this water is that something/Someone is alive in us and springing up through all we do.
WHAT GOD OFFERS CAN ONLY BE GIVEN TO THOSE WHO ASK: 15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."
Although she asks she is like most today who perceive what God wants to do in their life as a way of making thing EASIER for them. not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw."
• She thinks Jesus wants to make her life better but He is offering her a BETTER LIFE than she has. He reminds her who she is and what needs to change.
• She would not be ADDING this Living Water to her life but it would now be her life.
16 He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17 The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband '; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband ; this you have said truly."
• Jesus asks about her husband and she has a ready answer that is technically true but not really true at all.
a. No present husband but 5 in the past and living with a man now. This used to shock people but Elizabeth Taylor makes this woman look like a lightweight and now it very common to see such a past people’s lives.
19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
What would you ask if you had a prophet in front of you? This woman has a spiritual side and asks Jesus two questions that many in her day must have had.
1. WHAT ABOUT WORSHIP? 20 "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 "You worship what you do not know ; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth ; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
2. WHAT ABOUT THE MESSIAH? 25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us."
26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." 27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, "What do You seek ?" or, "Why do You speak with her?"
• Two answers: First was very informative but the Second was a jaw dropper or a POT DROPPER.
28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29 "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done ; this is not the Christ, is it?"
• What have you left? Peter left boat and business…
• Realizing who she has met she does what all of us should do in sharing our faith: She runs to her town and regardless of her past or reputation or the risk she openly shares what she has seen and heard.
30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.
• Such a great evangelistic moment and then here comes those who think they know better than God when He does what He does.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."
• Disciples had shown back up and all they could think about was their mission, their area of concern which was to go get the food. They went and got and and people or no people getting saved Jesus was going to eat.
THREE QUESTIONS:
WHAT IS YOUR GREATER HUNGER? 32 But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" 34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.
• Jesus tries to explain what should truly matter in our lives: What we should hunger for, crave to experience and build our lives around.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATER CONCERN? The disciples were so focused on themselves they were missing something great that God was doing. 35 "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest '? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes(from yourselves) and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 "Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal ; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored ; others have labored and you have entered into their labor."
• Some people are not impressed with a field of watermelons because they don’t like watermelon. Some don’t like squash…cauliflaur. The disciples didn’t care about a field of SAMARITANS getting saved. Jonah Syndrome.
WHAT IS GOD DOING TODAY? 39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."
Blessing to know that others are no longer just following your witness but are now experiencing Jesus for themselves.
• On this day God was saving Samaritans and using some of the most unpredictable tools in His tool box. A woman with a pot for earthly water became the vessel God used to dispense LIVING WATER.
• What is God doing today? Who is hearing His voice and being a vessel and responding to His call for Living Water?
