He Gives us Eternal Life

Warren Brosi

January 28, 2024

Dominant Thought: The Savior of the world gives eternal life to those who trust Him.

Objectives:

I want my listeners to experience the conversation Jesus has with the Samaritan woman from John’s perspective.

I want my listeners to realize the gospel of Jesus is open for all kinds of people.

I want my listeners to talk to someone who is searching for Jesus.

[First person narrative sermon from the Apostle John, the Beloved disciple of Jesus]

Read John 4.1-14 to introduce the sermon.

For our time today, I’d like to share the experience of Jesus and the Samaritan woman from the perspective of the one who wrote down the account for us, John, the disciple Jesus loved, who we believe wrote the gospel of John.

[Enter John]

We had been baptizing more and more followers of Jesus. All of us were baptizing people. Peter, Andrew, James, myself, Thomas. I think I even saw Judas baptize someone. Jesus was gaining more followers than His cousin John and the Pharisees—those are the religious leaders in Jerusalem—they were receiving reports of these followers of Jesus.

So, Jesus told us it was time to leave Judea and travel back again to the north to Galilee to many of our hometown areas.

We went a few miles north when we came to a fork in the road. Normally, we would travel east and cross the Jordan River so we wouldn’t set foot in Samaria. You see Samaria sat between Jerusalem to the south and Cana, Nazareth, Capernaum in the north. Samaria was home to a despised people group. Samaritans were half Jew and half Gentile. They were mixed blood. They only followed the first five books of Moses. They had their own temple to God on Mount Gerizim. When we were young boys, the Samaritans struck back at the Jews. The Jews wouldn’t allow the Samaritans inside the temple. So, the Samaritans spread dead bones in the temple of Jerusalem during Passover between A.D. 6 and 7 (see Josephus, Antiquities 18.29-30).

On another occasion, we were on the advance team for Jesus mission and went to some villages in Samaria, but the people would not welcome Jesus (Luke 9.52-53). My brother James and I were infuriated. We came up to Jesus, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” (Luke 9.54). Jesus gave Jimbo and me a stern talkin’ to and we went to another village.

So, here we were at the fork in the road. Every other good Jew would travel east across the Jordan River to avoid gathering even the Samaritan dust on our sandals, but not Jesus.

Jesus said, “I must go through Samaria. I have a divine appointment.” He said lots of things we didn’t understand at the time, but we followed our Rabbi.

We toiled along the trail during the late morning to midday when we came near the village of Sychar. We saw a welcomed sight, a well. And not just any well. It was Jacob’s well. Jacob, one of our ancestors, the father of the twelve tribes. Jacob dug a well near Shechem and gave it to his son Joseph. And if I’m not mistaken, our ancestors carried Joseph’s one from Egypt, through the wilderness and buried him nearby (See Genesis 33.19; Joshua 24.32).

It was lunch time. So, Peter, the voice of the group said, “Fellas, it’s chow time. Let’s go into town to rustle up some grub.” You didn’t have to tell us twice that it was time for lunch. Matthew did the math and Judas brought the lunch money and we headed to town for lunch. We looked back and Jesus was sitting down by the well. “Jesus, you coming?” “No, I have an appointment coming. Go on without me.” We head into Sychar for lunch.

While we were out for lunch, Jesus sat down. We had all toiled and trudged the trail to Samaria, so he sat down for a rest. The sun was up at high noon. And then, she came. Her hair was a little unkempt. She had to yoke across her back carrying her water jars from the town to the well.

She didn’t make eye contact with Jesus. She lowers the bucket into the well to fill her water jar. Jesus asks her, “Will you give me a drink?” (John 4.7).

The woman caught off guard by this request replies, “How you a Jew to me a drink you ask? I’m a Samaritan woman.

Even the woman recognized that Jews and Samaritans associate, deal with one another, use common vessels.

You see there’s a lot wrong with this scene. (Mark Scott preached a sermon describing the wrong place, wrong face, wrong race). Jesus was in wrong place. Jews don’t go through Samaria. This woman had the wrong face. Males and females didn’t talk with one another. This woman is from the wrong race—a Samaritan. The woman may have been thinking the same thing. Jesus what are you doing here and why are you talking to me.

Jesus replies, “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” (John 4.10). That statement got the woman’s attention. “Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this water of life?” (John 4.11). Then she questions Jesus, “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?” (John 4.12). Seems to be a fair question. Are you greater than the one who gave us this well?

Jesus continued, “Everyone who drinks this water [pointing to the well] will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst (into the ages). The water I give them will become in them a spring of water leaping up to eternal life” (John 4.13-14).

The woman is interested in this offer. “Sir, give to me this water so that I won’t thirst and not keep coming back to this well to draw water” (John 4.15).

Jesus then gets to the heart of the matter, when He says, “Go, call your husband and come back” (John 4.16).

Now we understand why they are the only two at the well in the heat of the noonday sun. A tear starts to form in the corner of her eye. She replies, “Not I have a man....I don’t have a husband” (John 4.17).

Jesus said to her, “That’s correct you say that a husband you don’t have. For you’ve have five husbands and no the one you have is not your husband. Your answer is true” (John 4.17-18).

She’s moved from man to man throughout her life. Maybe they were abusive. Maybe she was displeasing. After a couple of them I’m sure she had some trust issues. She was the one that was divorced. She was the one left to figure out what was next. She was the one the women would talk about when they’d gather at the well in the cooler parts of the day. It was simpler to endure the heat of the day than the weight of their whispers and the judgment of their eyes. She was the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

She chooses to change the subject. “Sir, I perceive you to be a prophet. Tell me…Our fathers worship on this mountain, Mount Gerizim. But you say that in Jerusalem is the right/necessary place for worship” (John 4.19-20). “Where am I supposed to go if I need God?” (from The Chosen, season 1, episode, “I am He”).

Jesus replies, “Trust me, woman, that an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem” (John 4.21). “You worship what you don’t know. We worship what we do know because salvation is from the Jews” (John 4.22). “But an hour is coming and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Yes, for the Father is seeking these worshipers. God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4.23-24).

The woman said to Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming, the one called Christ. When that one comes He will announce to us all things” (John 4.25). “When Messiah comes, He will sort out this mess including me” (from The Chosen, season 1, episode, “I am He”).

Jesus said to her, “I am, the one speaking to you” (John 4.26).

We came back from our lunch break in town and were amazed to see Jesus speaking to this Samaritan woman. However, none of us had the courage to ask what Jesus wanted or why He was speaking to her.

The woman left without the water she had come to draw from the well. She left her water jar. She went back to town. There was a spring in her step like she was leaping for joy like she had drunk from the water of life that had begun to leap out of her life a fresh spring. “Come, see a man who tole me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (John 4.29). For the first time in her life, the people listened to her and gave her the time of day. They followed her out of town toward the well to meet Jesus.

After she left, we offered Jesus some lunch. “Rabbi, eat something” (John 4.31). We know you’ve toiled on the trail and have to be famished. Jesus looked at us and said, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about”(John 4.32). We looked at each other. “Someone else bring him some lunch? Did that tramp offer you some lunch? Jesus you want a quarter pounder or big Mac?

“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish His work. Don’ you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the field! They are ripe for harvest” (John 4.34-35). As she talked about the field ripe for harvest He cast our attention to the crowd of Samaritans who were coming from the town following after the woman.

“Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 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” (John 4.36-38).

Many Samaritans in that town trusted in Jesus because of the words of the woman. She said, “He told me everything I ever did.” The Samaritans urged Jesus to stay with them. Can you believe it? The Samaritans welcomed Jesus and his followers into their homes. Jesus spoke the words of eternal life to all who would listen. Many trusted in Jesus over those couple of days. The fields were ripe for harvest those days. They people declared, “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” (John 4.42).

That’s why I wrote that story down for you. I wrote this gospel so that you may believe that Jesus is the King, the Son of God, and that by trusting in Jesus you may have life in His name (paraphrase of John 20.31).

[Exit character of John]

We have at least three responses to this story. One response is of disbelief. This didn’t really happen. A second response is apathy. This is a nice story, but it make no difference to me. A third response is belief. I believe this story happened and I want to do something in response. I want to act upon my belief.

To help us respond, it may be helpful to hear another story.

Paul Boatman tells the story of a lady he met through his work with Safe Haven Hospice. She was 83 years old. She described her family as a child as poor. She says, “We were poor people.” At the churches invited us to VBS. They attended the VBS, but never knew a church as my church. It appears that they wanted us for VBS, but not to be part of their church. And here she was at 83 years of age never having a church home and never been baptized. Paul asked her if she’d like to be baptized. She said yes. He asked her, “Who do you think Jesus is?” She replied, “He is my Lord and my God.” He took that as confession of faith. The care facility where she was living had a therapy pool with one of those lift chairs to lower a person into the water. She was lowered into the water and baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

Who are the people that may not be our kind of people that need the good news of Jesus? Let’s help change someone’s story so they won’t have to wait until their 83 years old to have the opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life.

How will your respond to the offer of Jesus for living water leaping up inside of you to eternal life? Have you met Jesus, the one who can tell you everything you ever did? If so, have you submitted to Him as your King? As the woman said, “When Messiah comes, He will sort out this mess, including me?” Have you surrendered to His lead? Have you stepped into the living waters of baptism to unite with Jesus?

What about the Samaritans in our community? I hope and pray people won’t have to wait 83 years to encounter the good news of Jesus and receive an invitation to life with Jesus and His church. How are the people you consider Samaritans? Those you wouldn’t want to set foot in this building? Jesus came for the whole world. Those who talk, act, dress, and look differently. As followers of Jesus who have received the generous gift of God—eternal life, we have a responsibility to live generously by sharing His love and mercy with everyone. You can use the time, talents, and treasures God has given to you to invite those who are outside of Christ to become one with Christ. Who is that person that comes to mind right now?

The sermon in a sentence is this: The Savior of the world gives eternal life to those who trust Him. I pray we will respond to our generous giving God with generous living. We want to bless those whom society deems untouchable so they can experience eternal life with Jesus and never thirst again.