A thirsty heart!
John 4:4-42
May 13, 2018
VIDEO - Scripture from youtube.
I thought we would do something a little different so that we can experience a little of the scripture, instead of me just reading a long passage to you. As a disclaimer, this was a video version and not an exact quote of scripture. But I wanted you to get a feel for what was happening.
MESSAGE
It was high noon in Sychar and it was blazing hot outside. Jesus and the disciples were on their way to Galilee, and they made a stop over in Sychar. They were hungry, and the disciples continued on into the village to get food. But Jesus, who was weary from the trip stayed at the well to rest. Now this was Jacob’s Well. It was made by the grandson of Abraham, the father of the Jews. This was a special place with great significance. But today, it was simply a resting point for Jesus.
Now, there’s something unique about this trip.
Look at the map. It’s a straight shot from Jerusalem to Sychar. And then it’s a straight shot from Sychar to Galilee, maybe they would go to Cana or Nazareth, which were in Galilee. But there was a problem. Sychar is in Samaria, and no good Jew would ever travel into Samaria.
The Jews from Jerusalem and the Jews from Samaria hated each other. The Jews from the south, Judah, considered the Samaritans as half-breeds. After they were conquered by the Assyrians, they began inter-marrying the Assyrians and that led to idol worship. The Samaritans also didn’t follow the OT the way the southern Jews did. You basically had a civil war.
The trip to Sychar was 40 miles and to Galilee was another 25 miles. It was about a 2 ½ day walk.
However, if you were a real Jew, a good Jew, then you wouldn’t have taken the route Jesus took. They would have gone along the Jordan river, then up to Galilee, bypassing Samaria altogether. It would’ve added 2 more days to the trip.
Now, back to the story. This woman would have been shocked that Jesus spoke to her. Firstly, men didn’t publicly speak to women. This didn’t happen. If you did, you were sending wrong messages to people. Secondly, as I said, Samaritan Jews and southern Jews didn’t talk to one another.
It was high noon, it was the hot, and that’s when this Samaritan woman came to get water. The fact that she came there at noon was very odd. That just didn’t happen. Most people avoided heavy labor at that time of day.
The women followed the same basic routine. When they were getting water, which was very heavy, they would do it early in the morning or in the later afternoon when it wasn’t quite so hot. Secondly, they never went alone. Not because of safety, but it was a social event. It was time when the women would be able to socialize and enjoy one another’s company. But here is this woman coming out all alone and at the worst time of day.
Jesus starts the conversation. He simply asked her for a drink of water. She asked how He a Jew could ask a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Then, Jesus takes the conversation in a different direction.
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
She’s confused by Jesus’ comment. What’s He talking about? What do you mean, you would have given me water ... living water? What’s this guy talking about?
11 She answers Jesus, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
Jesus has piqued her interest. He’s really telling her - - - “Child, I want to give you what you’re really looking for. You’re thirsty, but it’s not water that you’re really after. That will never fully satisfy you.”
She responds, 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”
She’s not sure where this conversation is going. But she can’t see what this strange man is going to do for her. After all, he’s certainly not greater than Jacob and he doesn’t have any way to draw water. So - - - -
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.
The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus is digging. He wants her to realize there’s more out there. But she needs to uncover the heart she’s hiding. You know what I mean. Can’t you just see her? She’s constructed layer after layer, brick on top of brick protecting her already wounded heart.
She’s been hurt over and over again. She’s protecting herself from getting what she really needs.
Can you identify with this woman? Maybe just a little - - - if you’re willing!? You know how we protect ourselves from letting go too much. We want to be healed, but we’re kind of comfortable in our crazy, chaotic life, so when Jesus knocks on the door of our heart - - we say no thank you.
When we’re filled with anger and bitterness in life . . . and Jesus comes and sits with us and tells us I’m here for you. I’ll take that anger, as righteous as you think it is, I’ll take it for you and release you, you can soar and live - - but somehow, in some backwards way, we relish that bitterness and anger. So, we hold onto it.
When life looks good on the outside, but we’re struggling on the inside, Jesus walks beside you, puts His arm around you and says, “child, you’re weary and heavy burdened, let me take that weight from you - - and I will give you rest.” But for some reason we don’t want to let go of our burdens.
It doesn’t matter what it is . . . sometimes we’re just like this woman at the well. We don’t crack too easily.
Jesus is telling her, what I have for you - - you are not going to find in this well. She’s still fighting though. You can see it in her next statement, saying,
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
She’s so close, yet so far away from receiving what she really wants, really needs. She’s focused on the physical, not the heart, spirit and mind.
Now, with one more comment, Jesus hits it. He knows what she’s struggling with, He knows where the pain is . . . and now it’s time to bring healing. And healing CANNOT come without an admission of the hurt, the longing and the sin. It can’t come until we admit it. . .
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
And now the flood gates have opened. Jesus tells her the truth about herself. For whatever reason she’s been with 5 different husbands, and the guy she’s now with is not her husband. I don’t want to speculate the reasons why. That’s not what we’re here for. We know there’s a ton of hurt. We can guess, but why do that! That changes the subject. We don’t want others to guess about us, do we!?
Sometimes, it’s hard to know about people. It’s hard to know the deep truth about them. We see the surface issues, we see the ugliness, the dysfunction, the sin, but we don’t see why and don’t know why. The reasons never justify the actions, but they sometimes help explain the person, and we gain empathy.
On Wednesday night I spoke about a woman I knew who was one of the meanest, angriest and bitterest Christians I’ve ever known. On the surface, it was not a pretty sight. She didn’t treat her kids well. Then I heard the story . . . Ah, the story - - - The abuse, verbal and physical, beaten, and finally during one of his rampages - - one of her sons shot her husband, his dad - - dead. It ended one trauma and opened another. Especially in a small town. Now, I could gain a little more understanding and sympathy for her.
Or maybe it’s the person who appears perfect. You know them. Their clothes are perfect. Never a stain, never a wrinkle on their clothes. Their hair is perfect, their home looks like a picture book, their lawn is perfect. You envy them, because they have it all together. Yet, you don’t realize the pain and insecurity that haunts them every day. Is anyone going to dislike them? Will they say the wrong thing? They are driven by their insecurities. They must be perfect to be liked and loved. It’s not about their heart and spirit, but they fear constant judgement.
I know I’ve been there. I still am. As much as I really don’t care if someone likes me, I do care. It comes out of insecurities. It comes from being told I’m not good enough. It’s being told enough time times that you’re not smart, so you believe the lies. I can’t say what I was told, because you’d be more focused with the words than the damage. It causes me to strive to do better. Because this weeks sermon must be better than last weeks and next weeks better than this weeks.
It’s the intensity in the way I compete in sports, even when I simply shoot baskets, it’s the expectation that I will never miss. I’m finally becoming more comfortable with sitting after a long day, instead of accomplishing one more task.
If we were to be really honest this morning, most of us have something inside of us which we need healing from. There’s those wounds - - - AND we’re not too different from the Woman at the Well. We might not have 5 spouses, it’s a different ailment, a different disease of the heart which plagues us, as well.
I don't know what lies this woman believed. But I do believe many of the folks we come in contact with on a daily basis are hiding secrets they don’t want to admit or have stored away for so long, they don’t even remember their disease.
They've figured out a way to navigate through life. It’s often easy to point out the issues others have, but today, if you were to look at your heart - - -
How is your heart? Let me ask you . . . are you thirsty this morning? Does your heart, spirit, mind and body long for something more? Something that can clean and heal and wash away your dis - ease?
Because that something is a someone. Jesus is the One who can fill that deepest longing. He can heal what’s broken, if only you’ll admit it.
As Jesus is finishing His conversation with the woman, she said to Jesus
25 “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ). When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
She thinks Jesus is a prophet, she’s not quite there yet. But now He brings her to decision time.
26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27 Just then His disciples came back. They marveled that He was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?”
28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people,
29 “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” – John 4
Friends - - CAN THIS BE THE CHRIST? If YES, then I have a message for you this morning: The Savior has come to meet you today. Are you willing to begin to deconstruct that wall you have set up to protect yourself and keep others, Jesus included out?
Jesus comes to heal what is broken. He comes bearing the living water which gives true life, so we can live the abundant life in this world. So we can worship with power in the Spirit of God.
We need to be like that woman at the well. We need to stay long enough and allow the Master to dig into our heart, spirit, mind and body, so we can be healed.
The world tells us there are many paths to finding God. That whatever you want God to be, that works. But that will only lead to more disaster and no healing. What Jesus said is true - -
13 Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I give will never be thirsty again.
The water I will give you will become in you a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:13-14
In his book, the Ragamuffin Gospel, Brennan Manning told this story ~
A number of years ago, there were rumors that a Catholic woman was having visions of Jesus. So, the archbishop decided to check her out.
He asked her, “Is it true, ma'am, that you have visions of Jesus?”
The woman told him, “Yes, I do.”
He asked her, “the next time you have a vision, ask Jesus to tell you the sins that I confessed in my last confession.”
Ten days later the woman notified the Bishop she spoke with Jesus.
He raced over and asked her, “What did Jesus say?”
She took his hands in hers, and she gazed deep into his eyes, saying, “Sir, these are His exact words: I CAN'T REMEMBER.”
What powerful words, as Paul tells us, “If you claim Christ, you are not condemned.” – Romans 8:1
As the writer of Hebrews tells us ~ 12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. – Hebrews 8:12
Isaiah writes ~ 25 I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins. – Isaiah 43:25
Jeremiah tells us the same thing ~ 34 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. – Jeremiah 31:34
The psalmist tells us ~ 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. – Psalm 103:12
Friends, the invitation is always present - - Come to the well. Drink deeply of His grace and mercy, and experience the power, the strength and hope in Jesus.
Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up and Burnt Out (Portland, Ore.: Multnomah Press, 1990), 116-117
