TMC-MTM-Sept2018Devotions

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 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.”

Introduction/Context

First Context

Take a poll on how long we think we can live without Food?

Take a poll on how long we think we can live without Water?

Some interesting statistics on Water in our Body - https://www.businessinsider.sg/how-many-days-can-you-survive-without-water-2014-5/?r=US&IR=T

This is the first context of this morning Text. Jesus left Judea and departed again for Galilee and He has to pass through Samaria. And Jesus came to a town called Sychar near the Jacob’s well. Jesus was wearied and he sat beside the well. It is was about the sixth hour. What is sixth hour? During Jesus’s time, they count hour from Sunrise to Sunset. So roughly 6am to 6pm. The sixth hour mean around Noon time.

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Second context of timing of drawing water by the Samaritan women. To avoid the rest....and they are the outclass?

“Jews and Samaritans typically had a mutual hostility based on ethnic, religious, and political barriers.

Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.”

Meditations: 1) Jesus offered the stream of living water, even to the Woman from Samaria....and not only just someone from Samaria.....but someone with a dubious background....someone with 5 husbands. I think offers of salvation from Jesus is extended to ALL! to Everyone! to not just people like us! to not just people with good brought up from a Christian home or from a Mission School. Salvation from Jesus is available and offered to all - who chose to believe in him.

Meditations: 1) Jesus offered the stream of living water, even to the Woman from Samaria....and not only just someone from Samaria.....but someone with a dubious background....someone with 5 husbands. I think offers of salvation from Jesus is extended to ALL! to Everyone! to not just people like us! to not just people with good brought up from a Christian home or from a Mission School. Salvation from Jesus is available and offered to all - who chose to believe in him.

For us, we need to extend bring the Good News of living waters to ALL, regardless of what their background and brought up and experiences.... Jesus is modelling what we need to do as a believer. It is not good that we have stream of living water to ourselves. We are all called to share that good news. Are we all doing that? Start simple. Start small. Start with your closest family member. Start with your closest non-Christian friend. Start with your friendly neighbour. Start with the favouriate hawker uncle or auntie.

Meditations: 2) Show video of Bukit Timah Reserve Flowing Stream...

One of the favourite activity during my day off is to visit a Park. To be in touch with nature. I can’t really put my hands to it..but being in touch with nature always refreshed me. It gives me the energy and strength to work through a hard week…or felt rested after a hard week. I don’t know whether is the exercise or the fresh air or the positve ions in the air.

Meditations: 3) Belief! Faith

English Standard Version Chapter 4

The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life

38 Whoever believes in me, bas6 the Scripture has said, c‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of dliving water.’ ”