INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• Today as we continue with our Deep Thoughts with Jesus, we are going to look at an event that gets a great deal of coverage because Jesus offers some deep teaching on the logistics of worship.
• Today, we will listen in to the conversation Jesus has with the woman at the well.
• When we look at this exchange today, I want us to look at this event from a different perspective.
• We are going to see one woman’s journey from not knowing who Jesus was, to seeing Jesus change her life.
• The journey that the woman known simply as the woman at the well resembles a similar trek we all follow as we decide whether we are going to follow Jesus.
• As we try to introduce Jesus to those who do not know Him, we need to understand that for those folks, they too will follow the same path, so we need to be patient and we need to allow folks the room to be able to process who this Jesus is.
• Our deep thought with Jesus is that growing in Him and knowing Him is a life-long process and that as we try to introduce people to Jesus, that we have to not be discouraged of they do not jump on board immediately.
• The woman at the well shows us the progression that takes place to get one from not knowing Jesus, to allowing Him to change one’s life!
• Let’s turn to John 4:1-10, so we can examine the first step in the progression. I will put verse 7-10 on the screen.
• SLIDE #2
• John 4:1–10 (CSB) — 1 When Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard he was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus himself was not baptizing, but his disciples were), 3 he left Judea and went again to Galilee. 4 He had to travel through Samaria; 5 so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, worn out from his journey, sat down at the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. Who is this man?
• I want to give you a little background as to why this woman is so surprised by this man asking her for a drink of water.
• Without going into all the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans that went back centuries after the Kingdom of Israel was divided 931 BC under Solomon’s son Rehoboam.
• Anyway, the Jews and Samaritans did not get alone, and the Jews who wanted to go from Judea to Galilee would take an indirect route in order to avoid going through Samaria.
• SLIDE #4 SEE MAP!
• RED TYPICAL ROUTE, BLUE, JESUS ROUTE.
• So, Jesus is tired, He is in a place that a typical Jew would not travel. He is one the way to Galilee, yet He does not take the Jewish route He heads straight North right through the heart of Samaria!
• Jesus is worn out, He is alone as the disciples went into town to get some food. He sits down at the well to get some rest, and low and behold a Samaritan woman approaches the well to get some water.
• Now it is time for Jesus to enter her world!
• He asks for a drink and the woman is astonished.
• 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans
• Jesus came to her world and she did not know who he was, He definitely did not look like He belonged there.
• When we try to bring Jesus to people, He sticks out like a sore thumb, He does not fit into their current world.
• Here shock leads her to say I CANNOT IMAGINE YOU ASKING ME FOR A DRINK.
• So, the woman gets introduced to a man she does not know.
• When you try to share Jesus with people, even if they have heard of Him, they do not know Him, so do not be surprised when they are shocked or astounded by you introducing Him to them.
• Jesus for His part acknowledges that she does not know Him; however, instead of being upset, offended, or feeling rejected, He goes into a deeper conversation with her.
• Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
• Jesus offers to do something for her.
• When we talk to folks about Jesus, we need to make sure we include on our conversation and introduction, WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR US!
• Jesus offered her something that she really did not understand; however, it piqued her interest to engage her in deeper conversation!
• This leads us to the next phase found in verses 10-15.
• SLIDE #5
• John 4:10–15 (CSB) — 10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.” 11 “Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. So where do you get this ‘living water’? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.” 13 Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again. 14 But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.” 15 “Sir,” the woman said to him, “give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and come here to draw water.”
• SLIDE #6
II. Can He make my life easier?
• Jesus offered to give the woman something that drew her into a deeper dialogue with Jesus.
• She heard Him offer her something that could make her life easier than trudging down to this well all the time to get some water.
• This is the WHAT IS IN IT FOR ME, OR WHAT CAN THIS MAN DO FOR ME PHASE.
• People rightful so, want to know what Jesus can do for them before they go any deeper.
• The woman explains her dilemma, that she does not have a bucket and that it is not easy to come to this well to get water all the time.
• Jesus goes deeper explaining that the water she is talking about will cause her more and more work, but the water He offers to her will quench her thirst forever!
• Jesus knew what she needed and He explained to her that he could satisfy her need.
• When we bring Jesus to people, we need to know them well enough to be able to show them that Jesus can meet their needs.
• Everyone has problem spots in life, we need to show them how Jesus can take care of those needs, how He can make life easier for them.
• Think of all the stress that people deal with, that alone can be something we can share how Jesus can take our stress away; however, if I am running around with my hair on fire all the time, it will be hard to sell that to folks.
• The woman is not understanding what Jesus has to offer to her yet, because she is wrapped up in her world problems.
• This is something we need to understand when we try to bring Jesus to people, they will look at Jesus through the lens of their world.
• Now as she ponders the issue of the well, she is starting to get more curious concerning Jesus.
• She asks if Jesus is greater than their common ancestor Jacob, who gave them the well.
• In verses 13-14 Jesus begins to clear up her misconception about what He is referring.
• He is offering her the water of eternal life!
• This is the ultimate gift, it surpasses all of the issues this woman is facing in life.
• He moves her from her perceived need to her real need and in a moment, He will point out something that will punctuate her real need.
• Let’s look at verse 16-19 to see the next step in the progression.
• SLIDE #7
• John 4:16–19 (CSB) — 16 “Go call your husband,” he told her, “and come back here.” 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” 19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that you are a prophet.
• SLIDE #8
III. There is something different about Him.
• HERE IS THE POINT WHERE HE IS REELING HER IN!
• Jesus asks the woman to go get her husband.
• Now it is getting personal. Jesus is digging into her life.
• The problem is, she knows He does not know her. It is not like today where Jesus could look for her on Facebook or Google, Jesus has laid out her life before her.
• Look at verse 17-18 again.
• 17 “I don’t have a husband,” she answered. “You have correctly said, ‘I don’t have a husband,’ ” Jesus said. 18 “For you’ve had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
• This woman was honest with Jesus, she knew He knew her to her core, but she did not know how He knew her.
• This made her realize that there was something different about this man.
• Jesus was no ordinary person, He was something more.
• She begins by surmising that He was a Prophet. We see this in verse 19.
• Then when what does she do?
• It seems like she is changing the subject, but I really do not think that is what she is doing, I believe she has a burning question that she would like answered.
• She has a question concerning worship and Jesus answers her question.
• He tells her that God wants folks to worship in Spirit and truth, that the location of worship is not the central issue, but rather it is the heart of the one worshipping that God looks for.
• Then we move to verses 25-26
• SLIDE #9
• John 4:25–26 (CSB) The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”
• His intimate knowledge of her life coupled with His ability to answer her tough question led her to ask about the coming Messiah, Jesus tells her that He is the one!
• When we share Jesus with people, we too need to make sure we share with them that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God!
• Now the disciples come back and according to verse 27, they are amazed that Jesus is talking with the woman, but none of them said anything.
• SLIDE #10
• John 4:28–30 (CSB) — 28 Then the woman left her water jar, went into town, and told the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They left the town and made their way to him.
• SLIDE #11
IV. A changed life!
• Now we see something great happen, this woman left her water jar and went back into town a changed woman! Her life would never be the same.
• One of the marks of a changed life is telling other people.
• She was convinced enough that Jesus was the Messiah that she left it all and told others!
• She asked the question of the townspeople in such a way that it drew them into wanting to know for themselves.
• In this context, a question implying doubt would be more effective in getting people to come and listen to Jesus than would an expression suggesting complete assurance.
• A statement of assurance would merely have stimulated controversy, rather than serious inquiry. Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993). A handbook on the Gospel of John (pp. 125–126). New York: United Bible Societies.
• When you drop down to verses 39-42, it confirms this thought.
• Jesus stayed with the townspeople for 2 days after they asked Him to do so.
• SLIDE #12
• John 4:42 (CSB) And they told the woman, “We no longer believe because of what you said since we have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”
CONCLUSION
• Jesus made the most of the opportunity, He placed Himself in the world in which the woman at the lived.
• She had a progression of that brought her to knowing that Jesus was the Messiah and that knowledge forever changed her life.
• The first thing she did was to leave her water jar behind and go and tell others.
• She did it in such a way that it drew then into wanting to see for themselves who Jesus was.
• Our deep thought with Jesus is the fact that coming to faith in Jesus is a process and spiritual growth is a lifelong process.
• We have to give folks the opportunity to work through each stage of the process and not give up on them the first time they seem to reject Jesus.
• Remember, they do not know Him and what folks do not know brings them fear.
