Word of Salvation – Vol. 29 No. 34 – September 1984
Jesus Meets People
(The Samaritan Woman)
Sermon by Rev. Keith Moerman, v.d.m. on John 4:7
Scripture Readings: John 7:30-39; John 4:1-29, 39
Suggested songs: BoW Hymn 7:all
Ps.H. 252:3; 396; 410; BoW Hymn 811:1,2 and 5
Congregation of Him Who supplies Living Water,
Jacob’s well at Sychar is the scene. The place where Jesus, the Son of the living God meets a woman. And what sort of a woman. One with a “bad” reputation.
The Bible says, “it was about the sixth hour.” That’s high noon – 12 o’clock at midday, the hottest and sultriest time of the day. No one in his right mind would walk the dusty and hot road outside the city in the blazing sun to draw water from the well. Only people who were outcasts; not welcome to join the other women who came “in the cool” of the day.
But Jesus goes to meet her, a woman with a past; a talking-point, an ideal subject for gossip. Jesus meets THAT woman. Rejected by the community, not on speaking terms with the other women. Jesus singles her out. Jesus MEETS people. And when Jesus meets people ALWAYS something is bound to happen.
Here in our Bible passage Jesus crashes the barriers of tradition and prejudice; He goes against the rules of the establishment.
Jesus meets an immoral woman, at whom the whole town turned a cold shoulder:” SHE? I wouldn’t want to be seen with her”. Jesus crashes the barriers, and then CHANGES OCCUR.
* * * * *
Francis of Assisi, by many looked upon as a saint, who sold everything he had and then followed Jesus, wrote a poem “about Jesus who wants to be recognized by people for what He is: the Saviour who came to radically change the life of people.” In his poem Francis of Assisi let Jesus say:
“I am the Light of the world, but you do not see Me;
I am the Way, but you do not follow Me;
I am the Life but you do not seek Me;
I am the Head but you do not obey Me;
I am your Friend, but you do not love Me;
If you are unhappy, please, do not blame ME.”
When Jesus met the Samaritan woman, how unhappy she was. She did not recognize Him as the Son of God.
He was every inch an ordinary man. Tired from the journey, the walking in the hot sun; and thirsty like everybody else. Well, He surely did not look like the world’s Saviour.
Jesus meets the Samaritan woman. She was…. SAMARITAN, and Jesus was a JEW. And we have to remember that there wasn’t much love lost between these two groups of people, they avoided each other as the proverbial plague. The Samaritans were a sort of a mongrel race, a mixed breed; at least that was what the Jews thought. According to them the Samaritans had taken the Jewish religion and mixed it, lowered it with many other elements. We would say: no longer doctrinally sound; “Beware!”
Jews would have no dealings with Samaritans; were not on speaking terms. O no, Jews despised Samaritans.
There was a further problem. This particular Samaritan woman was a marked woman. Jesus knew she had ruined her life. Of course He knew. The Bible says, “He had to go through Samaria” (vs 4). It was no co-incidence or accident. JESUS KNEW. Her life was an open book to Him. Jesus came to Jacob’s well with a purpose, a mission: Similar to the mission HE CAME INTO THIS WORLD FOR: TO SEEK THE LOST, TO BIND UP THE WOUNDED, TO MAKE HAPPY THE SAD ONES, ΤΟ SAVE SINNERS, TO HEAL LAWBREAKERS (which by the way – IS THE MISSION of the CHURCH now).
If ever there was a lawbreaker, a sinner, we find one here in this Samaritan woman who had been in search for happiness all her life. Do you hear this? IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS. She had gone about it in the wrong way, but IN SEARCH OF HAPPINESS. And isn’t that what most people are doing?
Five husbands she had had and now she was living with a man without being married to him. What a tragedy to read in that single statement. Five times; and now?
When she got married for the first time she may have expected “heaven on earth, a bed of roses”, like other brides. BUT WHAT DID SHE GET? Hell on earth instead. It may well have been her own fault, but still, “hopes were dashed.” for who does not reach out for happiness? The second time round she still may have had high hopes; not as high as the first time, BUT, THIS TIME, SURE, IT WOULD WORK. But, it didn’t. Another failure; another disaster!
Yet she wanted so very much to be loved, to be wanted, to be cared for, to be protected. But the third time was again a flop. Another “hell on earth”. The fourth and fifth time round she got finally bogged down; confidence gone; love gone; respect for marriage gone. After all that, she probably did not even care whatever would happen. What a human tragedy. Let the people gossip; no happiness for me, and who cares? So she went to live with number six, and did not bother “to go through the books.”
Times haven’t changed much, have they? Pick up your glossey magazines, and you can read the latest about an Elizabeth Taylor or Zsa Zsa Gabor, and many other stars and idols. It’s all too often one long sad story of unfaithfulness, divorce, re-marriage, legal battles for children or property settlement. Yet, whether it is the 20th century man or woman or the Samaritan woman they all have this one thing in common: SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS, for SECURITY, for LOVE. They try to grab for a bit of happiness and fail.
GRAB FOR A BIT OF HAPPINESS, isn’t that what so many are doing? Isn’t that what life is all about? Also for our young people and if they cannot find it could that not be the fault of the parents, WHO WERE NOT ABLE TO SHOW THEIR CHILDREN THE RIGHT KIND OF HAPPINESS, because they were not happy themselves? Maybe the church (and the church is people, WE!) is partly to blame for this as well. Because our CHRISTIANITY too often becomes a caricature, where love, warmth and happiness cannot be tasted. And then children, young people can no longer see the ABUNDANT JOY AND HAPPINESS, WHICH CHRIST CAME TO BRING. Is it therefore perhaps that some of our young people start looking around for substitutes in discos, dances, films, drugs or cheap sex; as long as they get a kick out of it?
Jesus met a woman WHO HAD LOST OUT IN HER SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS; one who had become bored, and had run from one guy to another. Jesus met that woman. And He knew. For He had a deep interest in the private life of people. He still has that interest in your life and mine.
Jesus met that woman and He knew the mess she’d made of her life. Jesus meets you and me, and KNOWS our failures, and the mess we have made. O yes, Jesus knows everything there is to know about you and me.
Is that a scary thought to you? Not, that there are any in our churches who have been divorced five times. Yet many are TANGLED UP, MIXED UP, CONFUSED and searching for happiness. Never forget: HAPPINESS WALKS OUT THROUGH THE BACKDOOR OF YOUR LIFE, THE MOMENT SIN ENTERS THROUGH THE FRONTDOOR. HAPPINESS and SIN just do not go together; do not match; are no partners.
Jesus met the woman at the well, and started a conversation: “give me a drink, please?” Possibly in a way altogether different from what we would have done. He KNEW her past and present. Did He rebuke? Did He start to preach to her? Did He hit her hard over the head? NO. He saw a broken life; He saw a woman in need. He didn’t say: “look, lady, you are making a big mess of your life; you’d better be careful otherwise you will finish up in hell, or on the scrapheap. No, nothing of the sort. He simply asked for a drink, that was all. A point of common interest, of common need, I am thirsty, “Give me a drink.”
THAT really surprised her. For Jews do not talk to Samaritans. That was what she told Him. “How come that you do such a thing? You are not supposed to be on speaking terms with me. I am nothing to you.”
But Jesus did not get angry… did not slap her around the ears. Instead He came back with the most intriguing, puzzling answer: “If you really knew who I am, YOU would have asked ME for a drink, and I would have given you LIVING water.”
Jesus KNEW she was a thirsty woman. Thirsty for happiness!! I can give you LIVING water; I can quench your thirst, woman.
That answer really surprised her. Who was this strange man, anyhow? He did not even have a bucket with Him. And the well deep. What sort of a nonsense was He talking about? “Are you perhaps greater than father Jacob who built this well?”
Then Jesus turned the whole conversation to the heart of the matter. He started to bring GOSPEL, GOOD NEWS: “I am not talking about water that quenches the thirst of the body, I am referring to WATER which becomes a WELL OF WATER in man and bubbles over to eternal life. I am referring to HAPPINESS OF THE HEART; I AM REFERRING to QUENCHING THE THIRST OF THE SOUL. I am referring to water that really satisfies and will never make you thirsty again.”
Then Jesus startled her by saying, “Go and get your husband.” Jesus started to probe the heart. And, of course, she had to say: “I haven’t got one.” And how did Jesus follow this up? By revealing to her what He knew about her. He reached out to her in compassion and from His mouth started streams of LIVING WATER. He was offering REAL HAPPINESS and PEACE and LOVE. He was offering her LIFE. He told her Who HE was, “I am the Messiah; I am He,” and spoke about the wonderful opportunities and new possibilities of life for those who believed on Him. How through His power lives could be changed; everything could become NEW; barriers between Jews and Samaritans would crash; and no one would have to say anymore, “pray on this mountain, or go to Jerusalem,” for ALL who would seek the Lord, all who would want to worship Him, could do so, and BOW DOWN BEFORE HIM wherever they were and SERVE HIM in spirit and in truth. “And I will give you this LIVING WATER and I offer it to you FREE. Come to the waters, and drink.”
Jesus, of course, spoke in symbols. We find the same again in John 7 where the symbol is explained: “If a man is thirsty let him come to me and drink. And whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this He meant the Spirit.’ (John 7:37-39).
The LIVING WATER stood for the Holy Spirit. Those who believe in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit. That’s God’s great present to man, and that’s like being born anew, starting all over again. Starting NOW with and in the power of Jesus. And THAT means HAPPINESS and STRENGTH and POWER to resist and fight against sin; that means being NEW CREATURES. Behold, I make everything new. Christians ARE NEW PEOPLE. Sure they are. If you cannot see that; if other people cannot see that, perhaps there is something basically wrong.
THE LIVING WATER which Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman would change her whole life. She could forget about her failures and immoral past. She could forget about her lack of security and her drifting from one fellow to another. NOW HER ANCHOR WOULD BE CAST IN JESUS.
And that’s exactly what happened. The Bible joyfully concludes THAT SHE CAME TO BELIEVE and even that she ran back to the town and told others (who had despised her before) about her GREAT DISCOVERY, her great change.
You see, when Jesus touches people through His Spirit we may forget about the past; we do no longer care about what others may say or think about us. That’s all past then.
The woman was overpowered by what she heard. In meeting with Jesus she forgot everything, even her water jar, and she ran back: “hear, hear; GOOD NEWS; FUTURE, HAPPINESS, LOVE and REAL LIFE. And that’s what Jesus has to offer to all of you in town. To all of you here in church.
She told (she shared with) the people in town EVERYTHING JESUS TOLD HER. Jesus had put her back on her feet. Jesus had given her reason for living again. She went into the town, and they listened. She was accepted by the community. Once people have been accepted by Jesus THE COMMUNITY MUST welcome them back WHATEVER THEIR PAST MAY HAVE BEEN.
Jesus had offered her real values and lasting ones, and CHANGED her life. Then she said, “come and join me.” And they did.
LOOK AT MY FIELDS. THEY ARE RIPE FOR HARVEST.
Look at the fields around you: RIPE FOR HARVEST.
Let us rally then together TO MARCH, TO WALK OUT, TO SHARE THE LIFE-GIVING MESSAGE with those around us. It will change lives: it can even change communities.
Maybe Jesus never got His drink of water, BUT SHE SURELY GOT HERS.
Are YOU thirsty too?
Amen.