Lent 2 -- February 17, 2008

"The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee."

Jesus and His disciples had been working in the southern part of Israel, in Judea, but when Jesus’ enemies caught wind that of the news that His disciples were now baptizing more people than John the Baptist and his disciples were, note that Jesus avoided any possible strife. He left the area, and tactfully returned to Galilee so that no one could try to "play one person off of the other."

It’s ironic that the rejection of Jesus by these Jewish enemies forced Him to head north, back up to Galilee -- and while on the way -- this town of Gentiles (non-Jews) gets to hear the Gospel message:

"Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour."

Note John writes: "He had to go through Samaria," but does not tell us the specific reason why. Was it simply a matter of where Jesus left from, that the most direct way to Galilee would be through the middle of Samaria? Or, was it because Jesus in His omniscience (all-knowing) knew that this woman (and the entire town) needed to hear God’s Word? After all, "He came to seek and to save that which was lost," (Luke 19:10).

John also identifies the time of day that it was: "the sixth hour." Quite a few people over the years have made a big deal about the time of day that this happened -- and some have taught some huge points about what time of day it was -- but several Bible scholars tell us that John sometimes used the Roman way of telling time, versus the Jewish way. If John is recording the Jewish way, it’s 12 noon; if it’s the Roman way of telling time, it would have been 6 p.m. So, one might be wary of teaching things based upon putting too much emphasis on the "exact time" of day it was.

"When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)"

Jesus gives this woman a very polite request: "Will you give me a drink?"

It is an astonishing request, though, because even the woman is startled by it, note how she responds: "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" Commentators will tell us that is was not commonplace for a man to speak to a woman in public -- and we’ll see that type of attitude from the disciples in a few verses when they return from their trip into town. But human customs andtraditions are not what Jesus is going to follow -- if it means getting in the way of saving souls.

John does explain: ("For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.") At first glance, this statement may seem "unkind," or based upon "snobbery." But really, what the Israelites were doing by not associating with the Samaritans -- was practicing PROPER FELLOWSHIP PRINCIPLES.

We have to go back to 2 Kings, Chapter 17, in the Old Testament, where we hear how three to five different "peoples" were "imported" into Samaria -- after the Israelites were taken away into captivity. These newly relocated people did not worship the true God, in fact, they worshiped various idols. After the Lord brought some problems upon them, the king who relocated them there sent some Israelite priests to teach them about the true God, and how to worship Him. But even after they were taught the truth about the Lord, they also continued to worship their false gods. They were practicing religion in a way that was wrong, and broke even the First Commandment.

The Samaritans would accept only the first five books of the Old Testament, Genesis through Deuteronomy.

So over the years, the Israelites practiced proper fellowship principles, and refused to associate and worship with them, which was also what God had commanded the Old Testament believers to do.

"Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.' 'Sir,' the woman said, 'you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?' "

Note the progression of how Jesus continued to pique her interest, by starting out talking about the topic of water, but leading to Himself as focal point. She still seems to think that Jesus is talking about physical water, because she notes that he’s got nothing to draw from the well with. (If scholars have identified the right town today as Sychar, that same well is still there! And, it’s a very deep well. To get water from it, the bucket needs to be dropped around 100 feet.)

But, she also seems to detect that there’s something special about Jesus: "Are you greater than our father Jacob...?"

"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.' The woman said to him, 'Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.' "

Notice that the woman still seems to be thinking about physical water, because she says: "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

When’s the last time you had to walk out to the well, fill your buckets and lug them back into the house? Haven’t we become a little spoiled with all our modern conveniences? In other words, we can’t fault her for this kind of a desire! Wouldn’t we just love it if after today, we could go home and not have to worry for two or three weeks about either cooking, or washing and cleaning up after meals? That would be pretty nice, wouldn’t it? (And we complain even when all we have to do to wash the dishes is to turn on the faucet to get our water -- and even just turn the "hot" one on -- and it comes out hot! Sometimes to wash the dishes, all we have to do is to load or unload a dishwasher...)

Now please note HOW Jesus describes this LIVING WATER: "whoever drinks the water I give him will NEVER THIRST..." Now, He is not talking about physical water, but spiritual water.

I have a question for you. When is the last time, you really wondered, you really worried about and were struggling with the whole question of "why am I here?" or "what’s going to happen to me when I die?" When’s the last time you really didn’t "which way was up" (spiritually)? Or have we forgotten or taken for granted just how well and how completely God has quenched our spiritual thirsts, that we haven’t even had to worry about those types of things, because WE KNOW (and have known for some time) just why we’re here and where we’re going after we die? Hasn’t God completely taken care of our spiritual thirsts by forgiving us of all our sins through His Son Jesus?

Note that this woman needed to know, and Jesus was going to get her ready for that...

"He told her, 'Go, call your husband and come back.' 'I have no husband,' she replied. Jesus said to her, 'You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.' "

The woman answers Jesus’ first request very diplomatically (almost as well as a good lawyer would have done). But Jesus, who knows all things, could agree with that truthful (but evasive) statement: "You are right when you say you have no husband. {18} The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

Then Jesus turns her to her sins, and shows that her life has neither been according to God’s Word (or even possibly in line with her conscience). Note that Jesus uses the Law, God’s holy demands of us, and shows her that she has fell far short of them.

" 'Sir,' the woman said, 'I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.' Jesus declared, 'Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.' "

The woman has a curious way of responding to Jesus, after He had pointed out her life of sin (many husbands and divorces): "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." Why did she answer Him this way?

There might be two possibilities:

a.) You know how when we’ve been caught doing something that maybe we shouldn’t have, we like to try to change the subject? Could she simply have been trying to change the subject? OR,

b.) The woman maybe be convicted of her sins, and now she wants to worship God properly -- and so she’s seriously asking how she’s supposed to go about doing it.

I tend to think that the second possibility is the case, also because of how Jesus answers her...

He reminds us also through this is that proper worship is not so much about the externals, but the internals: "worshiping the Father in spirit and truth." There’s a reminder to us that God wants our hearts and minds devoted to what we’re doing in worship - not vain or empty mouthing of hymns and prayers - but "in spirit and truth."

On that same vein of truth, Jesus does not mince words: "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews." "What you (Samaritans) are doing religiously is wrong," Jesus lets her know.

"The woman said, 'I know that Messiah' (called Christ) 'is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.' {26} Then Jesus declared, 'I who speak to you am he.' {27} Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, 'What do you want' or 'Why are you talking with her?' Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 'Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?' "

Now we see that although the Samaritans did not accept the entire Old Testament Scriptures, this woman knew very clearly the teaching about the Savior whom God had promised to send, as He had promised it first to Adam and Eve. Here God’s Word has accomplished that fact for her, and Jesus is able to declare to her: "I who speak to you am He." Jesus clearly declares: "I am the Savior of the world." (Your Savior too.)

Immediately, what does the woman do ? She leaves her water jar sitting right there at the well and runs back to town to tell the people. God’s Word had done its work, and she now goes to tell others who she has met: "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. COULD THIS BE THE CHRIST?"

Note that the disciples, as surprised as they were that Jesus had been talking with this women - didn’t ask Him , "why?"

"They came out of the town and made their way toward him. Meanwhile his disciples urged him, 'Rabbi, eat something.' But he said to them, 'I have food to eat that you know nothing about.' Then his disciples said to each other, 'Could someone have brought him food?' 'My food,' said Jesus, 'is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, "Four months more and then the harvest"? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. {37} Thus the saying "One sows and another reaps" is true. {38} I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.' "

Now Jesus uses the opportunity to instruct His disciples (and all believers). The Prophet Isaiah’s prophesy is fulfilled that the sowing and reaping is happening at the same time -- may we not miss this point -- as we’ll summarized after the next and final section:

"Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, 'He told me everything I ever did' So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, 'We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.' "

First of all, please note who did the "evangelism work" here in our text: was it Jesus? Was it Jesus who went and spoke to all the people of the town of Sycar? No, it was this woman. She was the one who spoke to and share with these people the exciting news that she had met the Savior! And they came out to see Him!

Please also note that if we would meet someone like this woman in our live, HOW would we have responded to her (after all, she’d been divorced possibly five times!). What would our natural reaction or inclination be to think about her (or other "sinners" like her)? BUT, God’s love and mercy called her to repentance, and God’s good news was meant for her too. DO NOT LET OUR "EXPECTATIONS" OR BIASES GET IN THE WAY OF US SHARING GOD’S WORD WITH OTHERS (EVEN "SINNERS"). That’s why Jesus came, and that’s who He died for: "To justify the wicked." Heaven was meant for her, too, because Jesus died for her, too.

Finally, just as this one woman went out and brought all these people to Jesus, think carefully how you and I have the opportunity at times to speak to many -- maybe sometimes just one person -- but stop and think how that one person may be like this Samaritan woman who brought MANY people to Jesus! Don’t forget for a moment that God might be putting YOU in contact with THAT ONE PERSON WHO NEEDS TO HEAR ABOUT JESUS, (and don’t be worried about preaching LAW) because every sinner needs both Law and Gospel.

That’s how God worked in us, and continues to work in us, as Jesus showed here, and may we confidently use His Word to carry out the work He has given us to do, amen.

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