Lost Sheep
Notes
Transcript
John 4:1-26
John 4:1-26
The first truth we see about God is He pursues us! Look at verse 4
4 And he had to pass through Samaria.
What did John mean that Jesus had to travel through Samaria. Because the reality was most Jews didn’t.
Who were the Samaritans?
If you remember, during the reign of Solomon's son, Rehoboam God divided the Israel into two kingdoms. The northern kingdom if Israel and the southern kingdom of Judea. So after Solomon, there was always two kings in Israel. And when God could no longer stand the wickedness of Israel he sent the Assyrians to conquer them.
They established as their center of worship a temple on Mount Gerizim, claiming it was where Moses had originally intended for the Israelites to worship. They had their own unique version of the five books written by Moses, the Pentateuch, but rejected the writings of the prophets and Jewish traditions. The Samaritans saw themselves as the true descendants of Israel and preservers of the true religion, while considering the Jerusalem temple and Levitical priesthood illegitimate.
~ biblestudytools.com
So what compelled Jesus to go through Samaria?
4 “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
The second truth we see about Jesus, He doesn’t care about cultural norms.
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
The third and final truth about Jesus, He doesn’t judge us based on our sin. Instead He invites us into relationship with Him.
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
The Jewish leaders would have deemed her a sinner and would have had nothing to do with her even if she was a Jew.
27 After this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.”
28 And leaving everything, he rose and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at table with them.
30 And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.
32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
What does our passage tell us about people? We are all seeking to fill the void created by the fall. You were created to been in relationship with God. If you do not have a relationship with Him, you will try and fill it with something. Look at verses
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’;
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
What did you come here this morning seeking? The woman at the well come seeking water. And she left with a spring of living water welling up with in her. What will you leave here today with?
The willingness of Christ to receive sinners is a golden truth, which ought to be treasured up in our hearts, and diligently impressed on others. The Lord Jesus is far more ready to hear than we are to pray, and far more ready to give favours than we are to ask them.
All day long He stretches out His hands to the disobedient and gainsaying. He has thoughts of pity and compassion towards the vilest of sinners, even when they have no thoughts of Him. He stands waiting to bestow mercy and grace on the worst and most unworthy, if they will only cry to Him.
He will never draw back from the well-known promise, “Ask and ye shall receive: seek and ye shall find.” The lost will discover at the last day, that they had not because they asked not.
~ J. C. Ryle
Let this not be true of us.