Living Water: Are You Thirsty?
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Introduction
Introduction
Thirst is one of the most powerful spiritual symbols in scripture.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.
Nicodemus sought Jesus out
6 I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.
In our scripture text this morning Jesus has an encounter with a Samaritan woman who even though she was drawing water from Jacob’s well she had a deep thirst that even she was unaware of.
Samaritan woman experienced a divine encounter
Illustration
Illustration
The story is told of a young student who went to his spiritual teacher and asked the question, "Master, how can I truly find God?" The teacher asked the student to accompany him to the river, which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the teacher said, "Please immerse yourself in the water." The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the teacher put his hands on the young man’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle.
The master held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the master held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The teacher waited for a few moments and then said, "When you desire God as truly as you desired to breathe the air you just breathed -- then you shall find God."
“So he left” =
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “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.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 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?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “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.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 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?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Nicodemus Samaritan woman
Jewish man Samaritan (mix of religions)
Educated / Orthodox Uneducated
Influential leader Nobody / Outcast among outcasts
Upper middle class Lower class
Morally upright Immoral
He sought Jesus out She had no idea who this stranger was
Night At noon
Slowly and rationally Quickly and emotionally
Jesus loved them both! He came to seek and to save all types of people.
are as different as they could be. He was a Jewish man; she was a Samaritan woman. He was educated and orthodox in the Jewish faith; she was uneducated and heterodox. He was an influential leader; she was a nobody. He was upper middle class; she was lower class. He was morally upright; she was immoral. He sought out Jesus because he recognized His merits; she had no idea who the stranger at the well was, who sought her out. He came to Jesus at night; Jesus and the woman met at noon. Nicodemus responded slowly and rationally; she responded quickly and emotionally. But Jesus loved both of them. He came to seek and to save all types of people.
"The Samaritan woman is a timeless figure—not only a typical Samaritan but a typical human being."
Author unknown
How to quench your spiritual thirst …
1. Jesus Will Go Out of His Way To Quench Our Thirst (vs. 1-4)
1. Jesus Will Go Out of His Way To Quench Our Thirst (vs. 1-4)
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria.
“So he left Judea” (3a)
This area of Palestine is only 120 miles long from North to South. In Jesus’ day there was three main territories.
(1) Galilee to the north
(2) Judea to the south
(3) Samaria in the middle
“he had to go through Samaria” (4)
Jerusalem to Galilee (passing through Samaria) took 3 days.
Alternate route was to cross the Jordan near Jericho and travel the eastern bank (Transjordan) through Gentile territory and cross back over near the west bank of the Sea of Galilee (6 days)
Josephus stated that even though there was much hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans that they still preferred the shorter route.
Background on Samaria
Assyrians captured the city around 722 BC
Deported the middle and upper class and imported foreigners who intermarried with the remaining Israelites
Many continued to worship foreign gods (&18)
Over time the Babylonians conquered the Assyrians
Eventually the Babylonians allowed the Jews to go back to their home land and rebuild. (Nehemiah) The Assyrians refused to help in the rebuilding.
They built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim opposite Shechem about 400 B.C.
The result was continued hostility between the two groups. The Samaritans continued to worship on Mt. Gerizim and only accepted the first five books of the Bible (Pentateuch). (Some Jews today can trace their ancestry back to Samaritans)
They built a rival temple on Mt. Gerizim opposite Shechem about 400 B.C.
These actions all resulted in continued hostility between the two groups. The Samaritans continued to worship on Mt. Gerizim, and accepted only the Pentateuch as canonical. A small group of Israelis who claim to be able to trace their ancestry back to the Samaritans survives to the present day.
“had to” (a must or it’s necessary) refers to God’s will for Jesus to pass through Sychar in order to have a divine encounter with a sinful Samaritan women who was an outcast even among the immoral of Samaria.
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,
4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
2. Jesus Will Confront Our Sin In Order To Quench Our Thirst (vs. 7-19)
2. Jesus Will Confront Our Sin In Order To Quench Our Thirst (vs. 7-19)
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “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.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 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?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water” (7)
The Pharisees made a law that the Samaritan women should be treated like a woman who perpetually on her menstrual cycle. (perpetually unclean)
The Pharisees actually prayed that no Samaritan would be raised in the resurrection!
When Jesus' enemies wanted to insult Him, they called Him "a Samaritan" (8:48)
Her response was both of shock and sarcasm (you talk to me only when you want something)
Jesus answered her, “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.” (10)
Breakdown Jesus’ Response
“Gift of God” - salvation
“Living Water” is a concept that His people should understand …
9 For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light.
3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
But this is the condition of most in Jesus day and many still today …
12 Be appalled at this, you heavens, and shudder with great horror,” declares the Lord. 13 “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
People still “dig their own cisterns” = “If i’m good enough”
“Jesus exposes our sin not to shame us but to change us”
Steven Furtick (Pastor of Elevation Church)
God’s invitation has always been to satisfy our thirst for Him …
1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.
Jesus doesn’t just expose sin but He also reveals our brokenness. Discuss this woman’s living condition … divorce was ramped in these days, (#1 reason - not able to have children) Most likely this woman abused
3. Only True Worship Will Quench Our Thirst (vs. 20-26)
3. Only True Worship Will Quench Our Thirst (vs. 20-26)
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
Closing Illustration
Closing Illustration
The story is told of a young student who went to his spiritual teacher and asked the question, "Master, how can I truly find God?" The teacher asked the student to accompany him to the river, which ran by the village and invited him to go into the water. When they got to the middle of the stream, the teacher said, "Please immerse yourself in the water." The student did as he was instructed, whereupon the teacher put his hands on the young man’s head and held him under the water. Presently the student began to struggle.
The master held him under still. A moment passed and the student was thrashing and beating the water and air with his arms. Still, the master held him under the water. Finally, the student was released and shot up from the water, lungs aching and gasping for air. The teacher waited for a few moments and then said, "When you desire God as truly as you desired to breathe the air you just breathed -- then you shall find God."
23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.