Let me read you the face to face encounter with Jesus we're gonna talk about this weekend..John 4
Now folks - we're gonna get right at it today as we look at this story in a way that you may not have seen it at first..We're gonna study mostly what surrounded Jesus meeting with this woman and I think you'll be surprised by what we find..The first thing we find is this.
1. Jesus went out of his personal comfort zone intentionally.
Now, I don't know all of you..I don't know what kind of week you've had..and maybe you're already thinking "I didn't need another challenge this week. I don't need another push out of my comfort zone..With this week I've had all I want is a bit of comfort and rest." In fact, with the weather this week what we all want is a warm blanket and a fire (not another challenge). So if you've had those feelings this week, there will be a little something for you at the end. But for now, muster up your courage..even just a bit and we'll look at the choices Jesus made to step out of his personal comfort zones.
Verse 3 says this - "Jesus left Judea to return to Galilee." which was a few days walk - about 40 miles/70 km. Now the straight road led right through Synchar - a village about 25 km out of Jerusalem. But Synchar was in Samaria..
and Samaria was an area that was populated with non-Jews. In fact, this area hundreds of years before had been populated with Assyrians and these Assyrians mixed and intermarried with Israelis..and now there was a mixed race living there..called the Samaritans. And they were considered impure in the opinion of the Jews and so the Jews hated these Samaritans and did everything they could to avoid traveling through this area. And so Jews would always go around it when they traveled to Galilee in the north.
In fact, no good Jew would ever, on purpose, travel through Samaria. And what we always must remember is that Jesus was a Jew - that was his background..but verse 4 says "He had to go through Samaria." Interesting use of words. "He had to." Well the truth is he didn't have to..In fact, he had every reason not to go through there. But it says he had to. Well, on first read you might think, "Well, Jesus might have been in a hurry. Maybe that's why he took the straight route." No. Because later on it says he and his disciples spent 2 days there. Well then I got thinking some more..Maybe he knew what was coming. I mean, he was God after all.
Maybe he saw what was gonna take place and chose ahead of time to go there..Well this is nice thinking but not very real. See, Jesus was fully human as well and whenever he was asked what he was doing in life or why he was doing something, he would always answer the same thing. "I am doing the will of my Father," he would say..In other words, he listened closely to God and followed what God told him to do and where God told him to go. Now folks, there's a lesson in here..because he followed by faith - not because he knew what was ahead for sure..but Jesus did what he did in life based on God's direction, not by knowing the outcome. And folks, so often with us we want to know the outcome first. We want to dot all the i's and cross all the t's before we move on to what we think God is calling us to..Catch it - this is not the principle displayed by Jesus..Stepping out in faith means you're not always sure where or when your feet will land.but you step out anyways.
Back to the story..I think Jesus had to go through Samaria for a couple of reasons. The first was to stretch his boundaries culturally..
See, Jesus knew that it was more comfortable to go around Samaria. He knew it was easier and more accepted to not go to Synchar..He knew his disciples wouldn't argue. In fact, no one would say anything if he didn't go. But he knew that the people there needed the truth about God too..and he knew they had been hated and oppressed and poorly treated for generations. And Jesus knew what that could do to a people's spirits. And he knew that they had been abandoned by the church. The Jews - the people of God had abandoned these off-colored, racially mixed Samaritans. But Jesus knew that he must shine the light of God differently and the only way to make that happen was to go..to push the boundaries down personally and choose to do something uncomfortable..
The second reason he went was to show his disciples another way - to lead them into stretching their boundaries as well.
Now folks, I grew up in Archerwill, SK and I grew up near 3 Native reservations. But you know what? None of us ever went there..and we never drove our cars through there. And in fact we felt sorry for the farmers who lived by there. So let me ask you..how many of you have ever been to a reservation? Now don't feel bad, because it's not all your fault.
The Government mostly gave them land in the middle of nowhere and then built the highway systems on other routes. Now you can say they chose that land, and that they need to preserve their culture by being together and that's all true. But I can't help but see the segregation as a little more poorly motivated than that. Got me thinking..perhaps that's our Samaria that we've got to choose to go through. It's a choice.
Let me ask this..what would you do if you went there? (It's good to think about.) Maybe Samaria is on 20 th Street..And maybe it's not all about the Native population in the city. Maybe Samaria includes those folks who are not as educated or not as wealthy or have addictions and issues that are different from our addictions and issues. But ask yourself this. Why don't we drive down 20 th Street very often? Why does it seem so far from where most of us live? See folks Jesus knew that life is never just about taking the shortest route.
My neighbor Doug has a store on 20 th Street. Now, it's a camping store - nice tents, canoes, kayaks, and backpacking stuff. Well guess what? His clientele isn't all based on 20 th Street. His clientele is us - Upper middle class white folks who go camping and hiking. Got me thinking this week. Doug's doing more to breathe life and light onto 20 th Street with his business than we are as a whole church. He's helping mix cultures. He's going to work in Samaria every day and loving it. Just made me think this week - of stuff we could be doing..maybe some of us need to get intentional about walking through and working in and living our lives in Samaria..right here in Saskatoon (segregation). Maybe we need to push ourselves out of our comfort zones a little farther..Maybe that's where the good stuff is spiritually. (Just a thought)
2. Jesus broke barriers constantly to build relationships.
So after Jesus is well on his walk through Samaria, he comes to this well at Synchar. He's hot and tired. Feet are dirty and it's noon. The sun is high in the sky and he needs a rest. So he sends his disciples into town to grab some fast food lunch - Synchar subs and wraps.
Vs. 6 says "He sat wearily beside the well at noon time." And soon a woman came to draw water..which was not a big shocker really -
because mostly it was women who came for water outside the town. But the difference was most women came early in the morning and then in the evening..but probably to avoid meeting people who knew her reputation this woman came to get water at noon - alone.
Now listen to the conversation as it develops: Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, 'Please give me a drink.' The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, 'You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?'" (John 4:7, 9)
You immediately see the separation she felt..the reality of her situation..
She was a Samaritan, he was a Jew.
She was a woman, he was a man.
And as we'll see in a moment, he was a Rabbi - a Jewish teacher - a holy man, and she was on her 6 th husband and living deeply in sin.
There was immediate separation and tension in the air. But Jesus just cuts right through every one of those barriers. Again, very intentionally.
I'll remind you again that he didn't have to. He was hot and tired - probably didn't feel like helping anyone else at that moment. Probably didn't feel like answering all her questions - probably just wanted a drink. But he gets over all that to build a friendship - to build a bridge relationally to this woman.
Let's be clear on what he did. By simply speaking to her he broke down 3 or 4significant barriers..cultural, religious and racial and gender barriers. First, no God-fearing Jewish man in that day would ever talk to a woman in that situation. It just wouldn't have been done..in a public place - talking to a Samaritan. Those hated mixed people..and not just a Samaritan, but a woman. And not just a woman, but she was clearly living in sin. That was so far out of bounds. It would be like seeing me having a coffee with a native hooker on 20 th Street. Highly irregular..and what would you think? Scandalous..but Jesus did it. I love how the story unfolds..because in verse 27 his disciples return to the well.. "Just then his disciples arrived. They were astonished to find him talking to a woman, but none of them asked him why he was doing it or what they had been discussing." (John 4:27)
Why? Why didn't they ask? It's pretty simple really. They were too concerned about eating their subs (typical men) and wondered why Jesus didn't see lunch as a high priority in that moment..They were pretty caught up in their daily tasks. Listen to how clued out they were..
"Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus to eat. 'No,' he said, 'I have food you don't know about.'" 'Who brought it to him?' the disciples asked each other." (John 4:31-33) They didn't even see the woman's need or catch that she was seeking spiritually. They didn't even try to understand the spiritual implications of the moment.
And here is Jesus' response: "Then Jesus explained: 'My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, and from finishing his work. Do you think the work of harvesting will not begin until the summer ends four months from now? Look around you! Vast fields are ripening all around us and are ready now for the harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike.'" (John 4:34-38)
Jesus was saying - "forget your subs for a minute..because it's harvest time spiritually. Your lunch can wait." You know, my dad used to say "Make hay while the sun shines boy." Well that's exactly what Jesus said to his disciples. "How can you think about your stomachs when eternity is at stake for this town. How can going for lunch be more important than a soul being lit up with God's light? Get your priorities in line boys - there's spiritually lost people who need to be found and they're not in Jerusalem in a Jewish synagogue. They're right here in Samaria..and they are seeking and hungry for God."
See, Jesus wanted to create a little vision and a little urgency in his followers..Seeking people need to be found by God and it's our job, he said, to show them how to get found. So forget your cultural separation for a minute. Forget your religious code of behavior for a minute. Forget the racial lines you've drawn and start loving people and building bridges to people who are different than you.
See, some of us (all of us) need a reminder that there are thousands (hear that), thousands of people in this city who are seeking spiritually - who are culturally oppressed - who are racially segregated - and who want to be found by God. But the church is 1,000 miles away from them. Look around you - we've got a great church - no question. But we're pretty white. Why? I think it's because we've been walking around Samaria. Folks, I'm speaking to me as much or more than I am to you. I've got so much red-neck baggage to lay down before I can get this done with integrity - but let me tell you - God is calling me to it. And He's calling us to it.
I don't know the form it's gonna take yet but it's gotta start with a conversation and it's gotta start with intentionality. And it's gotta be about sharing the light and love of Jesus in a practical way. Care Ministry - partnering with The Bridge - inner city soup kitchen. Care Ministry partnering with Habitat for Humanity-building homes for underprivileged families. Care Ministry - helping us partner here and around the world with organizations that are making a difference in the inner city and around the world.
Folks, hear this. 5 years from now Lakeview Church will not be this white..because this authentic community we're becoming has nothing to do with being white. There must be no boundaries culturally - or racially - or with religion or with gender. Somehow we've got to get out of our comfort zones and engage in something more. We've got to learn to build bridges relationally..It's what Jesus is asking us to do. It's what Jesus is asking us to become. And folks, we need to move down that road as a community - it's a better place.
Now, catch this third point clearly..This is the why behind Jesus' actions. See, he wasn't just being a nice humanitarian breaking down racial barriers.
3. Jesus provided life-changing spiritual truth.
John 4:10 - "Jesus replied, 'If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.'"
Now listen to her response - she's seeking but confused. John 4:11-12 - "'But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket,' she said, 'and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water?'"
"Jesus replied, 'People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.'" (John 4:13-14)
Now listen to her excitement.
"'Please, sir,' the woman said, 'give me some of that water! Then I'll never be thirsty again.'" (John 4:15)
See, now she begins to seek with more hope spiritually. And look what happens next..Jesus points out how she's been trying to quench her thirst and where that got her. "'Go and get your husband,' Jesus told her. 'I don't have a husband,' the woman replied. Jesus said, 'You're right! You don't have a husband--for you have had five husbands, and you aren't even married to the man you're living with now.'" (John 4:16-18) He begins to show her why she's thirsty in her soul.
Then comes the racial question to mask her hurt.
"'Sir,' the woman said, 'you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?'" (John 4:19-20)
Now, you gotta read between the lines. She was saying, "Why are you the only Jew who's ever talked to me?"
"Jesus replied, 'Believe me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming and is already here when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship him that way.
For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.'" (John 4:21-24)
Jesus said - catch this..The church isn't perfect..and it never will be. But if you want to know God, then connect with Him - spirit to Spirit. Worship Him in your spirit and in truth. Give Him your life and give Him your sin. Give Him your past and your present and your future. And then you'll never be thirsty in your soul again.
There's a couple different messages in here for a couple different groups of people. First, for those of you who are Christ-followers. Remember that you hold the cup of living water - you have Jesus in your life.
You are the one who could share the truth with those who are seeking, by stepping out of your comfort zones and building relational bridges and by breaking down cultural and racial barriers. By serving people in practical ways...you will be speaking about the love of God by your actions. You'll be planting seeds. And then you may also be given opportunity to speak the truth into someone's life and reap a spiritual harvest.
Folks, be bold with your faith steps. Step out of your current comfortable surrounding intentionally. Sign up (Care Ministry) or go yourself. Step out and watch what God does with your life. He'll change the life of someone else..
There's also a whole message in here about what we try to quench our thirst with in this life.This woman had been trying to fill up her life and her soul with sex and human love and multiple relationships and partners. And Jesus knew there's nothing more damaging than being used sexually. And he knew that there are few things that make your soul more thirsty than broken relationships. And he knew she needed some water for her soul. Folks I want you to hear this next truth. When we try to fill up our souls with stuff other than Jesus, it's gonna make us thirsty. And there's lots of things we try to find soul satisfaction in. We chase money and recognition, hoping a bigger paycheque or bank account or promotion will fulfill us. And some day we'll realize it won't. We chase relationship and sex, hoping that the next one will bring wholeness..and it won't. We chase booze and drugs or a hundred other addictions that we hope will get us through or take us higher than our real life. Folks, there's lots of stuff to try and fill up our souls with but none of them will quench your thirst. Only Jesus will. Only Jesus lasts. Only Jesus expands your soul - heals your past - gives you rest. Only Jesus has the power to transform your life.
So folks, hear that. Let him into your soul. Let him forgive your past. Let him begin to lead your future. Give him your thirsty soul and let him pour in living water. That's where real life is found - that's where fulfillment and wholeness and peace and adventure lies. Follow Jesus..his way is undeniably the best route to follow in life. |
