Woman at the well - VBS

Good evening boys and girls! I am so excited you are all here!

Who is having fun at VBS so far?

We are learning about the good news that Jesus brought to the world this week.

For today’s story we are going back to when when the religious leaders were first starting to hear about Jesus and what He was doing. Jesus and his disciples left Judea and were traveling to Galilee but on the way they passed through a place called Samaria.

At the time Jesus lived it was well known that Jewish people (like Jesus and his disciples) didn’t like Samaritans. The Jewish people usually did everything they could to avoid the Samaritan people.

When they arrived in Samaria Jesus stopped to rest by a well. Similar to this one. While Jesus rested his disciples went into town to buy some food. Does anyone know what a well is used for? You can just shout out your answer

That’s right! It is used to get water from deep in the ground!

While Jesus was resting a woman came to the well to get water. Jesus asked her “will you give me a drink”

The woman was shocked that Jesus was talking to her. There were a couple of reasons she was shocked. First the Jewish people did NOT like the Samaritans and also this woman was an outcast even within her own people. Which is why she was at the well alone.

In these times the well was a social hangout place, people would gather there and socialize “hangout” while they got their water. But she had made a lot of mistakes in life and had been married 5 times and was not currently married to the man she was in a relationship with and that made her fellow Samaritans look down on her.

Regardless of where this woman came from and what mistakes she had made Jesus still loved her just like he loves each and every one of us.

When the woman questioned why Jesus was asking her this question he responded and said “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.

The woman questions Jesus again and says but you don’t have a rope or bucket and the well is very deep so where would you get this living water?

Jesus tells her “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

The woman asks Jesus for some of the water so she would never be thirsty again.

Jesus tells her to go and get her husband. Jesus was not shocked when the woman replied “I don’t have a husband”.

Jesus tells her “You’re right! You don’t have a husband – for you have had five husbands and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now, you certainly spoke the truth.”

When Jesus revealed this to her she knew he had to be a prophet or something so she asks Jesus “Why the Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place to worship but her people claim the only place to worship is on the Mount”

Jesus tells her “The time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on the mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jew. But the time is coming – indeed it is here now when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit so those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.

The woman replies she knows the Messiah is coming and he will explain everything to them when he comes.

Jesus says “I am the Messiah”

Just then his disciples come back and they were shocked to see Jesus talking to a Samarian woman but they were too chicken to bring it up to him.

The woman left her water jar and ran back to the village to tell everyone the Messiah was here.

She told the people in the village that Jesus had told her all about her life and they went to see him!

This story teaches us that God is for everyone not just for the Jews. Jesus came to earth and died on the cross for everyone not just the Jewish people.

Water bottles

On the table here I have some vessels. You will notice there are all different kinds of containers. Tall ones, short ones, ones with lids, ones without, different colors, different widths, some are big and some are small but there is 1 thing they all have in common. Anyone know what that is?

They can all hold water.

Now these water bottles represent Jesus and his 12 disciples. You see the disciples also thought that Jesus was just for the Jews but here is where they learn that Jesus cares about everyone.

The disciples thought the only way to be filled with the living water aka Jesus was if you were a Jew or a water bottle just like this. But here in this story Jesus shows us that it doesn’t matter what the vessel looks like it can hold water.

We are all different vessels some of us are boys, some are girls, some tall, some short, some old some young, some big and some small, and all different colors and style preferences. But just like the water bottles we all have one thing in common.

Jesus wants to fill us with the living water, he wants us to accept him into our hearts and make him the Lord of our life. When we are filled with Jesus he helps us everyday get through the stuff that is hard for us, he comes into our lives and gives us a new life. He gives us the fruits of the Spirit when we allow him to live in our hearts. The fruits of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Without Jesus in our lives we are like this cup with holes in it. Even if Jesus tries to give us the living water and fill us with the fruits of the Spirit it doesn’t stay. It takes us accepting Jesus into our hearts to make us hold so he can fill each of us.