"The Barrier Breaker"

So I prayed, very simply, ‘God, if you really are there, would you show me that you are so I can believe?’ That was it. I even forgot later that I had prayed that prayer. And nothing happened right then. But I believe that at that moment I was as this woman at the well who had very suddenly been made aware that there was something more she could have that none of the men in her life had been able to provide, and that the water from Jacob’s well could not supply. She may not have known what she was asking, but I believe she had a sudden, inexplicable thirst such as I had in the quiet of my bedroom when I was 15 years old… and Jesus was about to fill that need.

But there was an issue that had to be addressed first. And this is always the case. You’ve heard me say it many times if you have been exposed to my teaching, and you have heard if from other preachers if they have been preaching the Gospel.

Her sin needed to be confronted. That is the New Testament pattern of evangelism. It always calls first for recognition of sin and a turning from that sin toward God. Always.

So Jesus attacks this very powerful barrier with an invitation He already knows she can’t keep, and brings to light a truth that she will not be able to avoid.

“Go, call your husband and come here.”

Now why do I call this a barrier? Sin is always a barrier. It is the great barrier between God and men. Sin is death and since all have sinned, all are dead until they are regenerated by the Holy Spirit – that is, ‘born from above’ – given life that comes from above; from God.

So sin has to be confronted and that barrier broken down between the sinner and a Holy God.

“Go, call your husband and come here”.

What were her options? You know, she could have said, she might have said, ‘Mind your own business.’ and grabbed up her vessel and headed back to Sychar.

She could have tried to claim her husband was busy or off on a trip.

That’s what people do, isn’t it? Isn’t it what we do or have done when confronted by our sin? Either get defensive or try to dance the wide step around the issue?

This was an honest woman, and Jesus commended her for her honesty. I want you to notice that. She said, ‘I have no husband’, and Jesus said, ‘That’s right, you shameless hussy!’ NO, He didn’t!

He commended her for speaking truthfully and then He told her things about herself that no stranger could have known. Jesus does that.

He just brings out truth, not in a condemning, guilt-trip way but just a revealing way because sin makes us blind and self-deceived and we can go for a very, very long time – a lifetime if left to it – ignoring and remaining ignorant of sin in our life because if no one else knows then there’s just no need to stir up the stink.

THE UNBELIEF BARRIER

And again she responds well. She still hasn’t figured out who Jesus is, but she now believes she is in the presence of a prophet, which is pretty amazing since there hasn’t been a prophet in Israel for 400 years.