I Am –The Giver

Introduction

The most lavish gift-givers are those who will do what it takes to find out what you want or need, and then they deliver above and beyond those desires. I am sure many can think of that type of gift giver. Maybe it was a grandparent, a parent, or possibly a husband or wife.

I have read that Augustine said, “Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.” The gift-givers I mentioned just now fit this description well. They find pure joy in giving and will sacrifice much for you. We all know this type of person. This person will do whatever it takes to get the gifts others desire and never ask for anything in return.

These givers will deliver all they have for others and never seek anything from anyone. The givers just mentioned will always say, “I am good; I don’t need anything.” This kind of giver is this way because they get all they need when they give to all they give. But even in their most generous giving, they pale compared to the giver we will examine from John chapter four.

Before we examine this section of Scripture, let us remember that the givers just mentioned usually give to those they love. Some of these givers give to charities and other places that help people in need, but even then, they give through places they trust. The difference between them and the giver is that the I Am of giving gives everything to all, not only those He likes or trusts. Let us examine John 4:1-26.

John 4:1–26 ESV

1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John 2 (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), 3 he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. 4 And he had to pass through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour. 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.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 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.” 19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”

Within these verses, we see just how good the giver, the Messiah, is. The first thing we see is that He goes out of His way.

He Goes out of His Way

From the beginning, we see that Jesus went out of His way to meet the Samaritan woman. Granted, passing through Samaria was the quickest path; it was not the path any Jew would take.

In verse nine, we see why a Jew would not go through that way. John wrote that “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.” They avoided Samaria because “there was a long-standing, deep-seated hatred between them and the Samaritans.”[1] This was because the Samaritans were a mixed race of Jews and Gentiles whose genealogies could not be proven.[2]They were not pure, and the Jews rejected them. One could say the feeling was mutual, as we see in verse twenty about the proper place to worship.

The fact that Jesus went this way shows that He goes out of His way to give the gift He brought. Jesus is not bound by the boundaries we people place around us. Jesus is not worried about what others think or say. Jesus was humble and loving and knew that all people need Him. No, Jesus will go to those who are scorned, and He will interact with them just as He did with this “despised woman by respecting her and asking her for water to quench his thirst.”[3]

He gave this woman, who is despised not only by Jews but by her own people, a great honor by asking her for a drink. Jesus acknowledged her and showed her that she had value and that not everyone was only after her for her. He, a Jew, was willing to drink from her polluted vessel without worry. Needless to say, this shocked her.

That is what Jesus did and still does. He goes out of His way to show us He is for us. Think, He came to this earth from glory for us. He not only came here, but he got down into everyday life with people. He showed compassion and love for those who no one loved. Jesus went out to all people. Do not let anyone tell you that He only came for a select few. Jesus came for everyone to have life in Him, but not all want this. Sadly, too many are “blinded by tradition” and “hold to the man-made ‘oral law’”[4] and reject this savior who goes out of His way for us.

He has gone out of His way for you and me. Do we realize how amazing and awesome this is? Do we think how great it is that Jesus came here for us? It truly is something to think about because He not only went out of His way but also went to the needy and rejected.

He Goes to the Needy and Rejected

In this section, we see that this woman was in need of something so much more than just water (vv. 9-10). She needed something to fill that void she had tried to fill from other sources.

She was in shame by the time she came to draw water. She was ashamed because she said she was unmarried when asked about her husband but tried to change the subject quickly. As Jesus asked about her husband and responded that she had been truthful, she shifted to saying she perceived He was a prophet. But Jesus redirected her to what was of the most concern: her need for living water.

But before we get too far into that part of the discourse, let us look at the fact that Jesus gave this woman attention. Again, Jews did not have anything to do with Samaritans. Jesus broke that barrier and showed this Samaritan she was of value. In going out of His way for the needy and rejected, Jesus opened the way for all people.

Jesus demonstrated that even those who feel unworthy and are called unworthy are capable of receiving Him. The Samaritan woman was understandably confused that this Jewish man spoke to her and asked her for a drink. Then He told her that if she knew who He was, she would have asked Him for living water (vv. 8-10). She was blown away by the conversation and even more when this Jewish man told her about her life and relationships (v. 16-18).

Maybe you are blown away by Jesus. Maybe you struggle to grasp His love for you. Maybe you think you are too bad and too far gone for Jesus. Just like Jesus told this Samaritan woman, I am telling you that you are not. You are not because, just like her, you are hearing about this great gift the great I Am of giving offers you. But in your confusion, don’t walk away before you hear what He offers.

Maybe you are ashamed of your life and situation. Maybe you would rather change the subject and try to return the focus to something less personal. But this great gift giver is just like those you know who give great gifts, unstoppable until He gets you what you need.

You see, Jesus already knows all your personal details. He knows those sins you have hidden in your heart. He knows those struggles you have. He knows that you put up a good front in public. He knows that your life is hard and that you struggle.

He knows all this and still comes to you and speaks with you. Jesus knows that you need so much more than you even realize. Jesus knows what you need.

He Knows What we Need

Again, the woman is confused and asks for the water so she will never have to come to the well again (v. 15). Jesus knew why she was saying this, which is why He brought up her “husband.” He knew she was not living right and was in a bad relationship after a bad relationship.

She had deep shame and did not want to have to appear in this place again and risk being seen. He did this to reveal to her what she really needed. He broached a hard topic with her so she would see her need for what Jesus was offering her.

She again shifts and speaks of the divide between her and Him when she mentions the difference in worship. Jesus corrects her and says that true worship is not in places but in spirit (vv. 19-24). This statement set her back because the Jews were emphatically dogmatic that worship was in Jerusalem. Now, this Jewish man just said that true worship is in spirit. She knew then that something was really different about this man, causing her to say, “I know that the Messiah is coming (he who is called the Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things” (John 4:25).

From this, Jesus tells her, “I Am He” (John 4:26).

I can only imagine the shock and realization that came over her. She had to have gasped and set back a bit. The Messiah was speaking to her, a Samaritan dirty woman with no power or authority. He spoke to her and told her of life everlasting.

He does this with all of us. This is what Christmas is all about. Jesus came into the dirty world to save dirty people like us. Why do we feel shocked to hear that the Savior wants to save people like us? Remember, this Savior entered the world into a nation oppressed by another. He was born in the lowliest of lowliest ways. He came for all humanity, not just the wealthy and powerful but for the weak and lowly. Jesus came for the needy and rejected as much as for the full and accepted.

He is the great I Am giver that wants to give you life. He wants you to know about His fantastic gift for you. He has exactly what you have always needed in your life, even if you have never thought you needed it. He knows what you need and offers this to you today just as He did the Samaritan woman. I want to hit on one final note that may be holding you back from being like the Samaritan woman, running and telling all about this fantastic gift: He knows us regardless of what we hide.

He Knows us Regardless What We Hide

Looking back through this section of Scripture, we see that this woman tried to hide her life. She was embarrassed about what she had done and lived. She feared that this man would be like all the others and would condemn her.

But look back at John 4:4. it says that Jesus “had to pass through Samaria.” No, He did not have to pass through there. He could have gone around like all other Jews did. But He had to go because He knew this woman would be there, and He went so He could give her life.

Jesus already knew all she had done in her life. Jesus already knew she would try to change the subject and shift the conversation due to fear. He also knew she would feel shame and pain when her story came out. But He went knowing that she needed life. She needed the living water. She needed the greatest gift that could ever be given. She needed Jesus as her Savior.

He came for you, too. He already knows what you have done in your life. He already knows that you are justifying or shifting the story in your head. Jesus knows that your life is not full but empty. He knows all this, which is why He, the Messiah, came.

He has gone out of His way to come into this world for you and me. He knows we are needy and rejected. He knows that you and I need life. Remember the story of the Good Shepherd, where Jesus said that He came to give life and life abundantly? (John 10:10). This is what this living water does. This is what the Messiah gives all who look to Him.

Life abundantly is not only your eternal life but also your life now. Why live in shame and fear of what will happen next when you can live with joy knowing you have the Messiah? William Varner says of this, “Have you bowed in humble acknowledgement [sic] that you are a sinner in need of salvation and the forgiveness which Jesus offers? As long as you pride yourself in your wisdom, your knowledge, and your intellectual and social achievements, Jesus will have no attraction for you.”[1]

The great gift giver, the I Am–Giver, has come to give you the greatest gift imaginable. He came into this world for you. He is for you just as He was for this Samaritan woman. Look to Him in this time and let Him fill you with the life and joy we all desire so much.

Conclusion

Max Lucado tells well of the birth of Christ. He speaks of how great this gift is to us.

It all happened in a moment, a most remarkable moment that was like none other. For through that segment of time a spectacular thing occurred. God became a man. While the creatures of earth walked unaware, Divinity arrived. Heaven opened herself and placed her most precious one in a human womb. God as a fetus. Holiness sleeping in a womb. The creator of life being created. God was given eyebrows, elbows, two kidneys, and a spleen. He stretched against the walls and floated in the amniotic fluids of his mother. God had come near. No silk. No ivory. No hype. To think of Jesus in such a light is— well, it seems almost irreverent, doesn’t it? It is much easier to keep the humanity out of the incarnation. But don’t do it. For heaven’s sake, don’t. Let him be as human as he intended to be. Let him into the mire and muck of our world. For only if we let him in can he pull us out.[1]

Let Him pull you out of the muck the world has placed on you. Let Him give you this glorious gift that no one can match. Let Him fill you with an overflowing filling of life and joy. He truly is the most lavish gift giver because He is the I Am of Gift giving.

He came out of His way for you because you are needy and rejected, and He knows what you need. He knows you, so don’t try to hide yourself from Him. He sees you, and He loves you. Just look at His coming to this earth for you. He left glory for you and me. He did this because He wanted to give us the best gift imaginable. I pray that you will let Him fill you today and that you will live that abundant life He offers you where you will never thirst again.