He Is Living Water

Introduction

When Rachel and I were first married, we sometimes found ourselves polishing off a 24 pack of Mountain Dew in just about a weekend. I could drink it all day, right up until bedtime and now I can’t drink it at all. Once in a while at a grad party or something I will try again and I just think…what was I thinking?

Nowadays I primarily just drink water. In the morning I run it through some ground up coffee beans but the rest of the day I drink it like this. Clear. Clean. Water. High quality H20.

But water is a liquid and like all fluid things it needs boundaries. This pitcher is serving as a boundary for the water right now, and pouring water into the jar gives it a new boundary…but when liquids are not contained by a boundary…oops!!!…well they run all over the place. So a glass of water like this is great to be able to drink from because it has some boundaries, but without these boundaries the water no longer has the same benefit.

The same thing has been said about our lives, that healthy boundaries can be a great benefit, they can help us to avoid making some serious messes.

But sometimes, in our desire to avoid “messes” we can put so many boundaries in place that the boundaries themselves become unhealthy. It would be like me putting a lid on this jar and keeping it there. While I have increased the boundaries for the water so that it cannot make a mess anymore…I have also kept the water from it’s purpose. I can’t drink it and/or share it with anyone else.

This also rings true in our lives. Just as healthy boundaries can be a great benefit, excessive boundaries can close us off from the purposes that God has intended for us.

Tension

So where am I going with this? Well our CHRISTOS series is bringing us into a story where Jesus breaks through a lot of boundaries. He crosses over geographic boundaries, cultural boundaries, gender boundaries and even the racial boundaries of his day. Basically, Jesus does things in this story that no other Jewish man would ever be caught doing.

And some people have used this story, and others like it, to paint a picture of Jesus as a first century rebel who was fighting against any and all boundaries…always looking to stick it to the man, and not doing what anyone else said... but that is not really an accurate picture.

Jesus never broke through boundaries for the sake of rebellion in an of itself, He only broke those boundaries that stood in the way of His mission and purpose. In this way Jesus’ life gives us the perfect example of what living with healthy boundaries really looks like.

Because He affirmed the kind of boundaries that we need to hold fast to, because they keep us from making a mess of our lives.

But at the same time he also rejected boundaries that needed to be let go of, because they were keeping Him from obeying the mission that God had given Him.

So let’s take a look at how Jesus handled this from the story in John 4, page 888 in the Bible’s in the chair. I’ll pray and we will see how Jesus handled boundaries in this story.

Truth

Our first them for this week is that...

Jesus reaches beyond boundaries to offer salvation to all peoples John 4:4-9

John 4:4–6 ESV

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.

A couple of weeks ago we talked about how Jesus was always being led by the Holy Spirit into the plan that the Father had laid out for Him. We saw this in how John uses the phrase “His hour had not come” and then eventually “His hour had come”. And in truth, all of us who call ourselves “followers of Jesus Christ” have appointments like this. We also have the Holy Spirit to guide and lead us into occasions and appointments that have been pre-designed for us. Just as King David wrote in...

Psalm 139:16 ESV

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

It’s a sobering thought to think about, and this was just as true, if not more so, in the life of Jesus, and it poses an interesting question for us from verse 4. What did it mean that Jesus “had”to pass through Samaria. What was the motivating force behind this “had”?

One one hand, if we take a look at a map of this area, we can see an apparent geographic motivation for the “had”. Hopefully this map is starting to become somewhat familiar to you, but you can find the famed city of Jerusalem down in the region of Judea in the southern part of the map and then the region of Galilee with the city of Nazareth where Jesus grew up is up there in the North.

So if we were simply going by the map, then sure to get from Judea to Galillee Jesus “had” to go through Samaria…but the thing is....most of the Jews in Jesus’ day didn’t go that way.

The traditional route, marked with a blue dotted line was the route that most Jews would take. John of course would have known this. Jesus would have known this, in fact, he likely had traveled that other way several times as a boy - but here John tells us that Jesus “had” to go through Samaria.

You see I don’t think this “had” was about the map. I don’t think it was about finding the shortest distance between two points. I think it was about an appointment that Jesus knew he needed to keep. An appointment that would show how He was willing to reach beyond the boundaries of the day to offer the good news of salvation to all people.

And this is how that this appointment went. Jesus is siting here at Jacob’s well, weary from His journey and...

John 4:7–8 ESV

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.)

Just like last week with Nicodemus, John is sharing with us an encounter that Jesus had with one individual person. The Disciples had left and it was just Jesus and this woman there and He asks her something. He asks her for a favor. That is really how the conversation started. The woman had come prepared to draw water from the well, but Jesus had not come prepared for that. She had a bucket and Jesus didn’t, so He asks her for a drink, which seems like pretty boring dialog from our perspective, ...but it ignited something significant.

John 4:9 ESV

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.)

So it is pretty clear that there was a lot of bad blood between the Jews and Samaritans, I mean they were willing to go way out of their way just to avoid having to set foot in Samaria. And this was about more than just the color of their skin. The Jews believed that sharing anything with a Samaritan made them ritually unclean. That is why, especially on their yearly pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem, they would travel so far out of their way. They were heading to Jerusalem to offer their ritual sacrifices - they couldn’t very well show up ceremonially defiled!

But the phrase “have no dealings” comes from one Greek word συγχράομαι (synchraomai) and literally translated it means “to make joint use of, to avail oneself of; to borrow jointly; from”.

Obviously this didn’t mean that they never dealt with Samaritans in any way - since the disciples were at this very moment in town buying food from Samaritans- but just that they would not do anything that would show their acceptance of Samaritan. So things like break bread together, sharing a meal or a drink from the same container would all say that you accept this person, and to the Jews, Samaritan’s were not acceptable. They were “unclean”.

This is where the woman’s question comes from, A Jewish man would typically not even acknowledge a Samaritan woman in a setting like this, let alone ask her for a drink from her bucket.

But Jesus “had” to be here. So he breaks through geographic, cultural, gender and racial boundaries in order to engage with this woman at this well in this moment. And understand, it was not about rebellion for rebellion’s sake - it was all in line with the mission that He had been given by the Father. A mission that reached beyond man-made boundaries in order to offer the salvation of God to all peoples.

As the Old Testament prophet Malachi said:

Malachi 1:11 ESV

11 For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.

We will talk more of this later, but just know that Jesus was doing the right thing in engaging with this woman in this moment. He was crossing boundaries to accomplish the mission that the Father had given him, revealing himself as the one who will bring salvation to all people.

This is what he shares with this woman next, as…

Jesus identifies our need for Him in our lives John 4:10-18

This woman seems taken back by Jesus’ bold request for this favor, but in verse 10...

John 4:10 ESV

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.”

I love Jesus’ response here because it is like He is saying

“If you only knew who you were talking to right now then you would not be so concerned over our differences. Instead of resisting my request for a drink of water, you would falling all over yourself to ask me for what I have for you. That which I want to give to you is much more precious and life giving than the dirty water at the bottom of this well.”

But the woman doesn’t know Him, not yet, and so...

John 4:11–12 ESV

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.”

She is still distracted with their differences, even offended that maybe Jesus is saying that this well may be “good enough” for a Samaritan, but not for a Jew like him.

This big argument between the Jews and Samaritans was about who could rightly be called the “Children of Jacob” or the “Children of Israel” for Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. After the foreign Empires were allowed to conquer God’s people in His judgement over them, half of the Jewish people were dragged off in chains and the other half stayed back. This was done to intermix the many cultures of the Empire and to diffuse their loyalty.

The Samaritans were the ones who were left behind. And instead of holding on to their Jewish roots, they intermarried with the people who were brought in from many other cultures and started a new “brand” of Judaism with a new set of laws, a modified Torah, and a new high place for Worship.

So after 70 years of exile, when God gathered his people back as He promised, the Samaritans were seen as “sell-outs” who didn’t keep their peoples faith, culture or family line pure. And things got ugly. When the Jews finally were ready to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and reinstate the old way of following the Torah - the Samaritans opposed them in mockery at first and then in war.

So you can imagine how Jews carried greater disdain for Samaritans than they did Gentiles because Gentiles couldn’t help being born Gentile - but these “half-Jews” chose to compromise, and there was no way any Jew was going to allow a Samaritan to claim Jacob to be their Father…them be fighting words...

But Jesus doesn’t allow her argument to distract him from His mission, He continues to show her how he has something that she needs more than anything else she is currently depending on...

John 4:13–15 ESV

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.”

She was just fighting for the honor of the water from this well, but now she is beginning to see how she needs what this man who sits before her is offering. Sounds good, Sir, I would like to have some of that...…but she still doesn’t really know what He is talking about, so Jesus turns the conversation to something deeper than the well...

John 4:16–18 ESV

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.”

I love how John chooses to give us this story right after the story of of Nicodemus. Because Nicodemus is the polar opposite of this Samaritan Woman. He was a wealthy, respected, powerful man of great Jewish influence and in contrast today Jesus is talking with a poor, disrespected, powerless woman of great Jewish disdain, yet when alone with Jesus - they both make the same mistake. They both mistake Jesus’ statements on spiritual matters for physical ones.

For Nicodemus, Jesus pushes him into the Old Testament texts to see his need to be “born again”

For this woman, Jesus pushes into her painful life experiences, to show her need for a different way.

Jesus wanted this woman to know that he sees her…and He knows her…all of who she is…and yet His message is still for her. He still wants to give her this “life-giving” water.

So lastly,

Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah who is truth and salvation. (John 4:19-26)

John 4:19–20 ESV

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.”

Things got personal and the woman tries to draw Jesus back into this age old debate on where is the proper place to worship. Did you know that even today, Samaritans still host their own version of Passover on Mount Gerizim each year. But remember what God said through Malachi said “...and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.”

This is a distraction but Jesus answers her patiently

John 4:21–24 ESV

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.”

Do you hear how Jesus is affirm boundaries here? Just as God’s Word promises, the source of our salvation is not to be found from the Samaritans, but from the Jews. As it says in:

Romans 9:4–5 ESV

4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

Yes, salvation is from the Jews, but it is for all people, and it’s source is standing before her!

John 4:25–26 ESV

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.”

This is huge, guys! Remember how we said that Jesus was slowly revealing himself though signs and wonders, and yet here he is openly declaring to this woman that He is the Messiah. That He is the Christ. His disciples have not even fully figured this out yet, but Jesus “had” to come tell this Samaritan.

And not just any Samaritan, a Samaritan Woman. Not just any woman - one who has burned through 5 husbands and is now not even married to the man she is living with. Why this woman? Why begin with her? He didn’t openly reveal himself to Nicodemus, the great religious leader, why this woman?

Because he “had” to. It was an appointment that the Father had designed in the perfect timing of His plan. I would encourage you keep reading the rest of the chapter this coming week to get the full story but in short the disciples showed up with the food they had bought and this woman took off into town to tell everyone about Jesus. And a great number of people came out to meet Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.

While she was gone though, Jesus began to teach the Disciples. They were encouraging Jesus to eat the food that they had brought back from town - but Jesus’ mind was not on physical food...

John 4:34–35 ESV

34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

Jesus is talking about thia woman and her fellow Samaritans who then came out and even invited Jesus to stay with them. What a contrast between what Jesus the Christ experienced in the famed Jewish city of Jerusalem where he had just all but been kicked out of town and here these Samaritans are asking him to stay.

John 4:40–42 ESV

40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. 41 And many more believed because of his word. 42 They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

This is one of only two places in the New Testament where Jesus is called “The Savior of the World”, the other is in 1 John. The idea being that the Jewish Messiah, the Christ is not only good news for Jews but for all people.

Because Jesus reaches beyond our boundaries to offer salvation to all peoples.

He identifies our need for Him in our lives.

He reveals Himself as the Messiah who is truth and salvation.

Gospel Application

This is great news for all of us, that no matter where we are on your journey, Jesus will meet us there. Not to lead us into a rebellious destruction of any and all boundaries, but to show us what boundaries matter and which ones don’t. When we finally choose to open ourselves up to Jesus he has a way of stripping away our distractions, dodges and arguments so that all we are left with is the question:

What will you do with Jesus! How will you respond to Him?

If you have never come to realize your need for Jesus Christ like the Samaritan woman did that day then today could be your day. Today could be the day when your deepest questions of longing and acceptance gets answered in Him. Just like the Samaritan Woman Jesus knows you. The real you. Not just the you that you let slip out for others to see, but the one that wrestles deep inside with questions that you hope no one ever sees - Jesus knows those things about you too and still He is reaching out across those boundaries to you. He want’s you to know that He is the Savior of the World! And that includes you.

And If you have already come to the place where you trust in Jesus as the Christ, then who might He be asking you to talk to about your relationship with Him. Is there a place or a person that you “have” to go talk to as Jesus did that day? Is there a place where the fields are white and ready for harvest. It may be in a place that you never thought would be ready, a place like Samaria, but God has prepared them to hear the message from you.

Landing

When Jesus left he gave us our mission, the one thing that we should break through any boundary to be about. He said:

Acts 1:8 ESV

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Let’s pray into this together, as we prepare our hearts to share in communion together.