(037) The Gospel of John XI: Not Worried About Reputation
The Gospel of John IX: Not Worried About Reputation
John 4:27-42
July 6, 2008
Prep:
· UnChristian (Anti-homosexual and Hypocrite)
· Last week, Phil XII
opening/Prayer
Like most sermons, this was written at the Co-op. Have a cool display for “Dunga Orphan Project.”
· Invited to share prayer requests on card.
· Thank you for this country.
Rainbowfest
UnChristian: Most common perception of Christians is “anti-homosexual.” I don’t want “anti-anything” to be main identity.
One point was that the book made is that most Christians don’t know any gay people, just stereotype and condemn. I realized that I don’t really know any. At that time, MVHS had a “Over the Rainbow Festival” by GSA.
Q Should I go, not to support what they are doing, but to understand the individuals and demonstrate God’s love?
A lot of different opinions, some though it was a good idea, some were worried that it would communicate approval or hurt my reputation as a pastor. No easy answer.
· In today’s passage, Jesus did something that his disciples thought was even more controversial.
Recap of Samaritan
We are in John 4:27-42, the second half of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan. We will see two individuals who cared more about others than protecting their reputation.
In case you weren’t here last week, or were in a heat induced slumber, here’s the recap:
The Jews and the Samaritan hated each other. The racial tension between them was like the racism of the 50’s in the Deep South.
While Jesus and his disciples were deep in Samaria, Jesus took a break while the disciples went into town. He struck up a conversation with a Samaritan woman, but not any woman.
· She was an outcast (at the well alone) and had been married 5 times and living with a guy (loose woman).
I picture her not as a sweet, naïve young lady, but as a rough, jaded, lady worn by hard living with a cigarette permanently attached to her lower lip.
· The disciples must have passed her along the way into town, and I believe they made all sorts of snotty comments.
In contrast to that, Jesus demonstrated love and grace to this prodigal daughter. When we left off, Jesus had just revealed to her that he was the Messiah.
No reputation
John has a real flair for telling stories dramatically, because immediately after this surprise revelation, the disciples walk on stage, and what they saw left them shocked and dumbfound.
· Their leader was doing the unthinkable: Talking, to a woman, a Samaritan woman.
· This would have been as surprising than seeing Billy Graham in a gay bar having a beer with a cross-dresser.
John 4:27-42 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Good Jews didn’t talk to woman, especially Samaritans, and especially didn’t discuss theology. His contemporaries thought that was a damnable (literally) waste of time.
· They’re shocked, but knew their boss well enough to trust him.
Here’s the cool thing: Jesus cared very little about his reputation or what the religious community thought of him.
It’s not that a good name isn’t important (Proverbs is clear that it is), but we should be driven by living lives that glorify God, and everything important will fall into place.
· Strive to have a good name, by pleasing God, not by pleasing humans.
We can’t and shouldn’t make everyone happy – in fact there are some folks that I am glad to offend, as Jesus did the Pharisees. Again, live to glorify God, that’s all that matters.
· If others more clearly see how loving and good and holy God is, you’re on track.
Q Do you want to know if I went to that Rainbowfest?
I chickened out. I said it was because there was a scheduling conflict, but really it was too far out of my comfort zone and I was worried about what people would think.
· Maybe I was right, maybe it would have done more harm than good, but I can’t help but think that Jesus would have gone.
All I have to say is that I am glad that Jesus reached out to those rejected by religion, not excusing sin, but loving the sinner. And I am glad that his followers have done the same, or else we would not be here.
Ä Like Jesus, the Samaritan woman cared more about her townsfolk than patching up her reputation.
Her testimony
28 Then, leaving her water jar [nice dramatic effect], the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did [by revealing her life, but hyperbole]. Could this be the Christ?” [Hopefully cautious] 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Remember that she is going back to the people that have rejected her. These are also the people who know her sinfulness.
· Perhaps she was worried that her message would be rejected or ignored, yet she was so excited that she had to tell them.
Even though she had a bad reputation, they still came. Perhaps something about her earnestness persuaded them. Or perhaps they were afraid the Jesus had the goods on them:
· “People” literally “men,” some were ex-husbands and lovers.
Q And what was her great witnessing technique?
“He told me how sinful I am!” That’ll pack the house!
Q If you met a guy who could tell everyone your deepest sins, would you be inviting all of your enemies to meet him?
· I have to ask myself why she did.
You see, it was not unusual for people to be drawn by Jesus’ miraculous power, but usually it was things that directly benefited them – food, healings, etc.
But Jesus offered this woman was truth about her sinfulness and freedom from that sin, true life free from her self-destruction. Her sin no longer held her.
· Because it no longer held her, it wasn’t something to hide, but a testimony to God’s grace.
I’m a hypocrite, so are you
In contrast to that, our tendency as humans is engaging in what Rick Warren called “depravity management.” We want to appear less bad than we are, and sometimes we believe it.
· Sometimes the first step is to grips with our own failures.
Also in UnChristian, the authors note that Christians are known for being hypocritical, which is not a surprise. If you claim to have standards, but fail to keep those, you will be hypocritical, especially if you pretend that you don’t fail.
But what surprised the authors is that hypocrisy was not as big of a deal to these generations. They live with the expectation of hypocrisy, though we usually call it “spin.”
We grow up with so much spin, courtesy the media, that we pretty much assume that we are always being lied to. And then we also engage in our own spin. Just look at some of the retouched photos on Facebook and MySpace.
· By being brutally honest, we can be counter-cultural.
Mission: Striving
In our new mission statement (still in progress), we say “we strive to glorify God,” “strive” is crucial, it means that we know that we are works in progress, short of the goal.
I want this church to be a place that is shockingly honest about our failings. As Christians, we frequently fail to live up to Jesus’ example, and everyone knows it.
Rather than pretend and dishonor God, we should be honest and God will be glorified as people see the work God is doing in us.
· I love that the Samaritan woman is that she was completely honest about her failings.
Her former sin gave her a platform. Her courage gave them courage to face their sins, it convinced them to meet Jesus.
· “If God could love her, then he could love me.”
When we are open and honest about our failures, both past and present, I believe it makes us much more effective in sharing God’s love.
· In premarital counseling, we’re very honest about struggles.
Ä While all this is happening in town, Jesus is having an interesting conversation with his disciples.
Preparing for the harvest
31 ¶ Meanwhile [back at the ranch] his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
Typical guys: When they don’t know what else to say, they say something completely bonehead. “Wow, this is awkward...let’s eat. How about them M’s?”
32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
In the same way that the Samaritan woman had misunderstood Jesus comment about water, the disciples thought Jesus was talking about physical food.
· I have a hard time with this – it’s always a good time to eat!
But his excitement at the prodigal daughter brought home, food seemed unimportant. Some events are so important that they render regular routine insignificant.
· When I found out that Marilyn liked me I couldn’t eat anymore, and I had paid $5 for that meal!
Ä This is a teaching moment to prepare the disciples for the work they are about to do.
35 Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
The Holy Spirit had been preparing people to hear the Good News of salvation, and Jesus had sown the seeds through his conversation. Now all they had to do was reap the harvest.
Likewise, as we share Jesus to our spheres of influence, we have no idea what God has already done to prepare them to hear.
· And we have no idea how God might use our words to prepare.
All we can do is show God’s love and glory to everyone, to let them know how cool God is and what he has done in us, through our actions, our transparency, and our word.
Ä I imagine that when Jesus said “open your eyes and look at the fields” he saw the Samaritans walking towards them. It was time for Jesus and disciples to get to work.
Living in the ghetto
39 ¶ Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers. 42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
John concludes the story with Jesus blowing away religious convention by living with the Samaritans for two days.
In this time Jesus and the disciples taught these people and many came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah and the savior of the world – he is more than a moral teacher, but the one who washes their sins, and ours, away.
closing/Application
An entire village was reached because Jesus and the Samaritan woman cared more about them then protecting their reputation.
And through this all, the disciples also learned the far reaches of God’s love, beyond anything they expected. And they learned to accept the unacceptable, for Jesus accepted them.
Our mission as a church is to glorify God and engage our culture. And, in fact, one of the ways we glorify God is by engaging every part of our culture.
This means showing God’s love even to those we avoid and it means being honest about our own failings.
Prayer:
Guard us against thinking too highly of ourselves, forgetting our deep need for you.
· Help us worry more about your glory than our reputation.
· Help us fearlessly show your love even to those we don’t like.