Worship call 0648 Talking outside the cultural norm

Friends , character counts! Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them. Bobby Jones was one of the greatest golfers to ever compete, uniquely known for winning the "Grand Slam" of golf winning all four major tournaments in the U.S. and Britain in a single year. In 1925, early in his career, having reached the final playoff in the U.S. Open, at a certain point in the match, Jones was setting up to strike his ball which was in the rough just off the fairway. His iron accidentally touched the ball. He immediately became angry with himself, turned to the marshals, and called a penalty on himself. But the marshals had not seen the ball move, so they left the decision to Jones, whether to invoke the penalty -- a two-stroke penalty. Bobby called the penalty on himself, not knowing that he would lose the tournament by a single stroke. When praised for his honesty, he replied, "You may as well praise a man for not robbing a bank!" Jones may have lost the tournament, but his character was legendary and today the United States Golf Association's award for sportsmanship is known as the "Bobby Jones Award." It's been said, "Character is what you do when nobody is watching. Character is how you treat people who can do absolutely nothing for you. Character is how you react when the pressure is on. Character is deciding beforehand that you are going to do the right thing." Friends, every day we're faced with decisions -- many of which are made when no one is watching, at least no one we can see. But let's purpose in our hearts to do the right thing -- because character truly counts. We may not see the dividends immediately -- but be assured that God is keeping track of our decisions, and He will make good on every one! Your family in the Lord with much agape love, George, Baht Rivka, Elianna & Obadiah (George, Obi and Elianna, Baltimore, Maryland -- Baht Rivka, Israel)

And this is another fine day in the Lord!

John 4:26 (NASB95) — 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am.”

ἐγώ εἰμι, ὁ λαλῶν σοι.

I am who speaks to you

Probably the two most powerful words in the whole bible

“I am:

Could this be the same I AM that was written in the book of The Exodus?

Exodus 3:13–14 (NASB95) — 13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

The people of Israel understood when they heard Jesus claim of “I AM.”

John 8:58–59 (NASB95) — 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”

And would the response of the people fall down and worship Jesus?

No.

59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

It was the power of these words that caused the temple soldiers to lose all muscle control.

John 18:4–6 (NASB95) — 4 So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him, went forth and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” 5 They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. 6 So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.

The Scripture does not tell us that the Soldiers also loss all bladder control as well, but that would have been humorous to tell.

The “I am,” reveals himself to this despised of the Jews, who is not only a woman but a Samaritan woman. Would any one suspect that the Jewish Messiah who would come for the lost sheep of Israel show reveal himself to this ilk?

But Jesus did.

Also looking back in the Tanakh. Was there not a woman that by a well that they Angel of the Lord, the preincarnate Christ appeared to. A gentile woman?

Hagar the Egyptian Maid servant of Hagar Genesis 21:17-19

John 4:27 (NASB95) — 27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?”

The Disciples had gone previously and left Jesus alone and now they had returned.

Amazed maybe in a critical sense or in at least surprised for said reasons that the Rabbi would not only speak to a woman but a Samaritan woman none the less. Jesus is breaking the Norms of the Jewish people. While the hold distain for the Samaritans, their understanding would be that certainly their messiah would also take less kindly to such a people.

His disciples would not so bold and blatant as the Pharisees when questioning about Jesus dining with sinners. They withheld their tongues and kept from speaking what was on their minds at the moment.

Proverbs 30:32 (NASB95) — 32 If you have been foolish in exalting yourself Or if you have plotted evil, put your hand on your mouth.

Psalm 39:1 (NASB95) — 1 I said, “I will guard my ways That I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle While the wicked are in my presence.”

Luke 7:37–39 (NASB95) — 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet He would know who and what sort of person this woman is who is touching Him, that she is a sinner.”

Remember the promise given to Abraham

Genesis 12:3 (NASB95) — 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

John 4:28–30 (NASB95) — 28 So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”

The woman came to the well going about one of the details of life. that is she brought her Jar down to fill it with water and to take it back to her home.

Her concern was with water which would be drawn from the well. When she heard of the living water, she wanted some of that that she might not have to any longer make the trip to the well under the noon day son and carry it back.

When the disclosure came and the great “I AM” reveals his identity to her and the eyes of her heart is opened, she leaves behind the details of life for at the moment nothing else mattered. In her mixed emotions the excitement, maybe the embarrassment as she stood naked in her sins before the, “I AM” she ran.

Carrying the pot itself would have been a burden and would have slowed her down for she would so much want others to come and testify to the fact that this was who he said he was.

Not only did she leave behind the details of her daily life, but she also left behind her own prejudice and political tension between the peoples. It did not matter that this was a Jew. This is the great I AM!

All things that ever I did(παντα ἁ ἐποιησα[panta ha epoiēsa]). ἁ [Ha], not ὁσα[hosa] (as many as), no “ever” in the Greek. But a guilty conscience (verse 18f.) led her to exaggerate a bit. Can this be the Christ? (μητι οὑτος ἐστιν ὁ Χριστος; [mēti houtos estin ho Christos?]). She is already convinced herself (verses 26f.), but she puts the question in a hesitant form to avoid arousing opposition. With a woman’s intuition she avoided οὐκ [ouk] and uses μητι[mēti]. She does not take sides, but piques their curiosity.

John 4:30 (NASB95) — 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.

Things were quiet at the well as Jesus waited. I have to think that the Disciples might have not been so easy at this point being on hostile territory and the woman beat feeting away is such a rush.

And not long would there appear a group and then a possession of men coming their way as the woman continued evangelizing as it were telling all she could find about this one she had encountered at the well.

Thus far who do we have as evangelist in the Life of Christ?

The Shepherds who were considered low lifes due to their profession.

The Magi from the east certainly not Gentiles.

And now the Samaritans

And while there were Israelites who were following Jesus for whatever reason, Nothing seems to inform us that the Israelites were accepting the fact yet of the Lord’s messiahship

John 2:23–25 (NASB95) — 23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. 24 But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

What miracles did Jesus perform before the woman at the well aside from knowing her and revealing to her His knowledge of her sins?

And yet she apparently believed.

One day it will be the Israelites turn to announce the Messiah to the world when the 144000 will be the witnesses for the Christ.