He told me all I ever did

The quest for acceptance

All of us are searching for acceptance

Academic institutions

Job acceptance

Friendship

Companion ship

Children seeking acceptance of their parents

Church - keep it together though inside we are broken

Putting forth our best to find acceptance

Resumes

make ridiculous jobs/experiences sound great

Social media avatars

no one puts their morning face/bed head picture

Children hid their struggles because they don’t want to disappoint their parents or bring un-wanted comparisons

Too frequently when we put our best forward to gain acceptance we still find ourselves empty and alone

Empty and alone is how we meet the Samaritan woman in John 4....but its not how she leaves

Empty and Alone

The mystical conversation reaches a climax when Christ asks go call your husband

Don’t know the details of the 5 previous marriages

Jewish tradition was lenient till 3

She had 2 more

At present she had abandoned any ritual recognition of a marriage and done things her way

Safe assumptions

Social, emotional, sexual trauma

Life of brokenness

Guilt and Shame lay down with her every night

People knew of her life and she had experienced rejection, humiliation, judgement, and likely social ostracism in response.

The logical response is to hide oneself

Which is why she walked to the well empty on the inside and literally alone devoid of any semblance of acceptance and intimacy

KEY POINT: Too many of us live in this state; empty/alone, struggling with guilt/shame....so we hide!

from our loved one

communities/friendships

confession

We become very good at concealing who we are and what we struggle with in hopes that it may open the door for closeness with someone

While it may work initially the relationship will remain superficial.

Key to acceptance

Skipping ahead...

The Woman becomes an evangelist and her witness to her transformation is summed up...”he told me all I ever did”

The life she attempted to hid, leaving her alone and empty, became the avenue for fulfilment and true intimacy

Jesus and the towns people knew her lifestyle and current situation, but the response was different.

Key takeaways

Intimacy is a product of vulnerability

We need to look upon each other with compassion and acceptance

Accept is not the same as approve

Christ accepted her but didn’t approve....he lead her to repentance