Thirst Quenching

     Please turn to John 4:5-30; 39-42.  Did you noticed that verse 4, reads Jesus had to go to Samaria?  This was uncommon as most choose to avoid Samaritans.  Jesus needed to go to the well and have this interaction with an unnamed, marginalized, outcast.  Who, other than Jesus, would have expected her to become a difference maker?  We, each of us, are created for a purpose and on purpose.  We need to be aware of the opportunities presented and trust God’s plan for our lives.  

     Samaritans were shunned to say the least and hated by most.  They were an impure mix of Judaism.  Jews believed that interacting with a Samaritan made them ritually defiled.  Imagine the surprise of this woman, when Jesus, initiated a conversation, asking for a drink.  As it was, to avoid judgment, she went to the well in the heat of the day, strategically planning to be alone.  Confused and caught off guard, she engages.  This message is one for us too…he first loved us and then waits for us to respond.  

Jesus turned to her for help.  She was someone who was used to being ignored, ostracized, embarrassed and disrespected, and being treated with kindness was foreign to her.  Jesus did not need her, yet he invested the time to value her.  He values each of us, too.  Broken, ashamed, and embarrassed of our decisions at times, we matter and are loved by Jesus.

      As the story unravels, we learn she has been married five times and is now living, unmarried with a man.  Do we find ourselves judging her?  Something I once read helps me when I find myself going down that rabbit hole.  It read, “Do not judge someone just because they sin differently than you do.”  We all sin, we all fall short of the glory of God.  Judging is God’s job; our job is to address our own shortcomings.  We should use our time to pray for them and for us, to extend grace that we receive, to respond in a way that is Christlike.  

     During the conversation Jesus gave her a test, charging her to call her husband.  She told the hard truth and Jesus commended her, unveiling her peppered past.  In his conversation he found something to celebrate about her.  Her truthfulness was highlighted.  He took a woman from the heat of shame and transformed her, giving her the grace to make right what she could.

     During their conversation the relationship shifted. She initially referred to him as a Jew, then as Sir, and then as a prophet.  Her curiosity piqued.  She challenged him, testing his spiritual insight.  She needed a void filled and wanted to know more about the gift from God, living water. A thirst that is satisfied with the knowledge of knowing God and confident that all that is needed is provided by Him.  Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”  He chose to tell her (not a king or rabbi) but an unnamed Samaritan woman. 

      At the well, the woman’s thirst was quenched…but did you notice, Jesus never did get a drink of water from her.  Tired and hot, he put aside his own need to satisfy hers.  There was nothing in it for him, yet he had to go there.  Why?  Jesus cares.  Jesus loves.  Jesus offers hope.  

In verse 15 she asks for the gift of living water.  She did not understand everything but acted on faith.  Faith cannot offer that full picture, that is what faith is, believing what we cannot see.  Jesus explained the water he gave as a spring welling up to eternal life and she knew that was what she wanted.  She knew she needed grace and the opportunity of cleansing and renewal and was overwhelmed by Jesus’ promise to never thirst again by entering this life-giving relationship.  

     Friends, she left her water container.  Something she needed to deal with something of much greater importance. Her physical thirst was secondary to quenching her spiritual craving.  She rushed to go (the first evangelist) and tell her unfriendly community, about the life-giving news of Jesus.

What’s interesting is that educated Nicodemus (whom we spoke about last week) hesitated but the Samaritan woman did not.  She trusted Jesus.  She believed; she exhibited faith.  Why? Maybe because she had known trouble, been through trials, and felt deep pain; she knew that she needed a Savior.  

     Where do you find yourself on the spectrum today?  Are you needing a little more before you completely believe or are you running to tell others about Jesus? What we need to remember is that Jesus does not like lukewarm.  We need to take a stand.  God is calling and He wants a response.   

And what Jesus did for her…he does for us, sinners, outcasts, criminals, and prostitutes.  Knowing that Jesus chooses you should give you the confidence to persevere through your challenges.

     At the onset, I asked what you knew about the Samaritan woman at the well…it is my prayer that you realized her purpose, verse 39 reads, “Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.”  Jesus could not stay, but we, believers, are his representatives commanded to tell others the greatest news of all.  And all God’s people say, amen.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Kerry

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