John 4:1-38

Introduction

A value that we have at KCC is reltionships over rules.

In other words we have a high tolerance for relationships: all kinds all people

And we have a low tolerance for rules: running in church, tattoos, hats, clothing, schedules

This is not because we are worldly or because we want to neglect holiness. It should go without saying that we dont frown upon personal holiness or desire our kids be disrespectful or agree with social norms

But some of yall be making rules that just dont make sense and then accredit it unto righteousness.

Long hair? Black and white marriages? Suits in church?

Today we are going to look at a story in scripture and continue our study in the book of John 4 . Last week JTB testifies Christ must become greater and we must become less.

Lets start in vs 1

The New International Version Chapter 4

Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John—2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

So Jesus is leaving Judea and heading towards galilee. This is one transitional sentence in the greek from John. This is the next story or conversation that he tells. Jesus might have told him the details on this but most likely it would make sense that the details of this story came from the woman herself.

We are transitioning from one story to the next, and remember that John writes chronologically. There is such importance to the story of Nicodemus being held next to the story of the samaritan woman. I believe these are contrasted on purpose and when we finish this story today we will end by comparing the two, but keep in mind the details of who Nic was in comparison to the details of this woman at the well.

The New International Version Chapter 4

4 Now he had to go through Samaria.

He did not really have to in terms that we think but to fulfill the prophecy and to fulfill the will of the father. There is a straight path through Sychar which technically is an easier way but it is not the path that Jews go, they avoid samria it all costs. They were dogs and crossbreeds and it would have been against their “teachings” to do this. Jews go the long way through Perea and around Samaria in order to get to Galilee. But not Jesus. He goes straight through and because of it, lives will be forever changed.

If you and I only stayed in the path of rules, we would miss out on seeing lives changed. If the disciples had not followed Jesus they would have missed out on this incredible example. If we only listened to those that said tattoos are a sin then we would miss out on the opportunity to see lives changed at the tattoo convention.

We must go out of our way and out of our own comfort zones in order to see the work of Jesus. Jesus does not work within our standards. he doesnt make exception for our preferences. He commands us to go and to love one another. And yes I know its difficult and I know it makes you uncomfortable, but if you will just trust Him and Go you will see the eyes of the blind opened.

The New International Version Chapter 4

5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

So many rules broken in this short beginning of this conversation. 1. Jews dont speak to samaritans. 2. Men dont speak to women. 3. A rabbi would rather go hungry and thirst to death as opposed to speak to a stranger.

The greek word synchrontai is what is used in do not associate with Samaritans but the closer rendering of the word is to “use together”. This is a grotesk example but understand the custom of this time. As a Jew, you could not associate with even a jewish woman when it was her time of the month. A samaritan woman was taught by the jews that they were always on their time of the month and considered constantly unclean. Jesus is speaking to this woman and asking to even share a drink with her!

Some may use this an example that you have to get dirty to do the work of Jesus. But even when we say this we place ourselves as a higher authority. While there is some truth to be found in this, the lesson we should realize is that we are all dirty and in need of Jesus to cleans us.

He dod not come to say look thats icky stay away, he came to say to the icky come to me and I will make you clean.

The New International Version Chapter 4

10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus says “ If you only KNEW WHO I ACTUALLY WAS.

And that is the truth. As is repeated time and time again in John. Jesus knows the heart of every man. She does not know who He was and she wasnt getting there any time soon. She is blind to the truth so how could she.

She thinks Jesus is speaking in literal terms and says you dont even have a bucket. This well whicj still believed to be in modern day tal-battah is the deepest in the area. It was no easy task.

So she is thinking, “you call yourself the gift of God, you have no bucket so how can you do what you say, do you think you are great than Jacob who dug this himself????

In my prep for this sermon I got caught on the first phrase from Jesus here, “if you knew”......

If you are around me or KCC you often hear me use the phrase the simple gospel. This is not a phrase I use to minimize the magnitude and greatness of the gospel. It means I often feel that many complicate the gospel in such a way that it confuses so may people, when indeed it is simple. The gospels often say this. Matthew tells us to just ask. How simple is that. John says to just believe and know. All are saying the same thing.

Why dont the people in this community that are lost and wandering believe in Jesus and give their lives to Him. BECAUSE THEY DONT KNOW HIM.

Why do people choose a sinful lifestyle and their own passions instead of a life surrendered to Jesus and glorifying Him because they dont know Him.

Why will many spend an eternity in hell departed and seperated from God and Jesus will look at them at the day of Judgement and He will say

IF YOU ONLY KNEW

This is our job as the messengers, it is to help Know and see

And folks to Know Him indeed is to Love Him

The New International Version Chapter 4

13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus delivers a gospel message and she doesnt get it.

Her first instinct is to say “what a dream this would be to not make this climb for water over and over. Give me this

This is where prosperity gospel starts and stops. it is a promise of meeting your physical needs. Its not bad to have physical needs met. But it isnt salvation. It just gives you a full belly on your way to separation from God. Jesus knows she isnt getting it and that this is not what he wants.

There is also a lesson to us that we cant just use spiritual words and explanations and expect people to believe and know. Its when we show them that we KNOW THAM AND HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.

The New International Version Chapter 4

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”

17 “I have no husband,” she replied.

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”

Since she did not understand what jesus had already said, Jesus does what he does best and speaks directly to this womans heart.

Jesus begins to speak to the deepest pocket of shame in this woman. The small talk is over and Jesus reveals the nasty baggage that the samaritan woman has carried for so long. She must be stunned at this point and maybe even embarrased.

So she does what a lot of people do when faced with their own sin, they bring up theology to prove a point or to distract from the real heart of the matter.

Jesus is probing at a relationship with this samaritan woman. The God-Man is here seeking interest in your sin with all intention to save you from that very sin, but instead you point back to rules, you point back to your disagreement.

She says that you must be a prophet but this is not a recognition of Jesus as the messiah.

She brings up a conundrum and debate between samaritans and jews. You must worship on this mountain is Sychar or in Jerusalem.

We have arguments like that today. THis building. this type of music. this type of clothing. this type of politics.

The woman was not off basis though. You did indeed in those times go to a place to worship God. IE temple or tabernacle. But the story was only half way written and the great fulfillment of that story was right in front of her.

We worship now in THE Spirit and truth. Jesus is the way the truth and the life. He has now come and we worship God in the Spirit and through Christ.

He declares to the samaritan woman I am he

Now we will stop here in this story today but I want you to draw back to this comparrison in Nicodemus and the samaritan woman in these conversations

man woman

Jew samaritan

By appointment By Chance

at night midday

Theological practical

Nicodemus initiated Jesus initiated

highly respected jew despised woman

Polite then fades out hostile then respect

no mention of end salvation

Both had needs that only Christ could meet

deliveries may change and methods may need to differ but the message is the same and the percievably clean and dirty both need Jesus