Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Have you ever had the experience of being in a conversation with someone and then suddenly you discover they are not who you thought they were? Perhaps it was someone you hadn’t initially recognized and as the conversation progressed suddenly you realized they were a friend from way back in your past.
Join me today in the town of Sychar, north of Jerusalem, in Israel. We are with Jesus and an unnamed Samaritan woman who unexpectedly met at the town well. She had no idea who He was. He, being Jesus, knew everything about her. Yesterday we watched as Jesus shocked this dear woman by telling her that she had been married 5 times and the man she was currently with was not her husband. What word would you use to describe what she probably felt in that moment? How about ‘discovered’? She had come to the well to draw water, as we presume, she did every day. It was shocking enough to meet a man there who asked her for a drink and then declared that He had ‘living water‘ to give her as a gift from God. She recognized Him immediately as a Jewish man, although she knew absolutely nothing about Him. Not His name, nor why He was in their town nor where He had come from. She went about her business of drawing her water and respectfully engaged His questions and strange comments, but she had little interest in remaining at the well any longer than absolutely necessary… until! Until He told her that He knew about her five husbands. That intrigued her. How could He possibly know? And if He knew that about her, what else did He know?
May I ask what may appear to be a simple yet is a profound question? What does God know about you and me, my friends? Maybe the better question is this: “Is there anything God does NOT know about you or me, from the moment of our conception all the way into eternity future?” The correct answer is NO… there is NOTHING God doesn’t know about us. Because that is true, it’s only logical that we would want a very close relationship with God so he could advise us in how to live our lives in view of His unlimited knowledge of us past, present and future… am I right? And yet how often do you and I and every person insist that God NOT be involved in our lives and that He leave us alone, to make our own choices, define our own values and priorities and build our own reputations and legacies!
In her shock at Jesus’ comment to her about His knowledge of her five previous husbands, this Samaritan woman said to Him: “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is Jerusalem.” (John 4:19,20) That is so interesting to me! I would have thought she’d inquire about where this man got his information about her personal life or what else he knew about her? Instead, she shifts into a spiritual discussion about where the right place for worshiping God is? Why? Is this simply her effort to deflect His focus away from her personal life and into an area of debate that captured many people in her day, especially religious people? Perhaps, but what it did was provide Jesus the opportunity to make several radical, very powerful statements.
First, Jesus said: “Believe Me woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (John 4:21) For the first time Jesus used a phrase in referring to God that was radical… ‘the Father’! In fact, John uses that phrase 250 times as he writes his story of Jesus. 250 Times! John and Jesus were very good friends, and out of that friendship relationship, John grew to understand the unique, loving and powerful relationship between Jesus and His heavenly Father, God the Father. Had Jesus spoken to this woman about God, especially a legalistic, holy, harsh God who was deeply disappointed in her marriage track record, she probably would have said something like… “Yes, that’s what I thought. I’ve disappointed every man who has ever been part of my life, so it doesn’t surprise me that I’ve also disappointed God.” But by using the word “FATHER” do you see Jesus was touching her heart and trying to help her understand God’s compassionate love for her even if she had experienced the shredding pain of 5 marriages each of which ended prematurely.
Next, Jesus said “…salvation is from the Jews.” (John 4:22) By this Jesus meant the Savior of all the world was coming into the world through a Jewish lineage. Both Matthew and Luke give us a glimpse at the lineage of Jesus, showing that his family line was that of both Abraham and David.
Then Jesus said something to this woman that has reached to every person in the world: “A time is coming when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit and His worshipers must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23,24) Do you see profound truth here my friends? God is a Spirit being. God is so far beyond our comprehension that as we worship God, we must NOT try to restrict Him to be in some man-made image or form, nor some imagined mystical myth, but we must worship the Almighty, Holy, Creator God in spirit and in truth. What truth? HIS truth! God describes Himself to us and we must be careful to not redefine God or reshape God simply to meet our need for a visible image to see or a simple ritual to do or even a very complex religious system or dogma or doctrine to preach.
When God drew Moses to that life changing encounter at the burning bush (Ex. 3:3) you may recall God spoke in the language Moses knew and called him by name. (Ex. 3:4) God told him to remove his sandals because he was having a holy encounter with God. (Ex. 3:5) Then God said He was eternal and personal, having been the God of Moses’ ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. (Ex. 3:6) Then God told Moses He had SEEN all that had been done to the Hebrews in their slavery, (Ex. 3:7) and God assured Moses He had HEARD their cries because of their misery. (Ex. 3:7) God even told Moses “I am concerned about their suffering.” (Ex. 3:7) And if all that wasn’t enough, God told Moses He was coming down to earth, to do something about the injustice these Hebrews were suffering. God was going to unleash His mighty power and convince the Pharaoh to release these 1 million Hebrews, and then God was going to lead Moses to lead the people from their slavery to a land God had promised to their ancestors. And finally, when Moses asked how God wanted Moses to explain God to the people when Moses would return and tell them about this burning bush encounter, God said “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” (Ex. 3:14)
While this Samaritan woman didn’t know it, she was having an encounter with God very similar to what Moses had. Instead of a bush it was a well. Instead of a hillside in the desert it was a town square. Instead of a voice coming from a burning bush it was a voice coming from a man she’d never seen before, but who was more compassionate and respectful than any man she’d ever met. Like Moses who was focused on a herd of sheep and the mundane day in day out role of herding sheep, this woman was in the mundane, day in and day out role of caring for a man she lived with but who didn’t love her enough to marry her! And yet both Moses and this Samaritan woman found themselves in an unexpected, life changing encounter with Almighty, Holy God!
A bit overwhelmed, and I’m sure not exactly what to say next, perhaps even like Moses wanting to run away but restrained by an unseen hand holding her there to continue in this encounter with God. Finally, she spoke… “I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” (John 4:25) Even though branded a half breed, unworthy Samaritan woman, she was a woman of great faith in God. She evidently was holding on tightly to the Old Testament prophecies as she had heard them, of the day God would send His Anointed One, Messiah, who would bring God’s truth and rescue believers from the darkness of this world. She had boldly proclaimed her faith, her hope. I suspect in her mind the conversation was over, and she reached again for her water jar, ready to head back home to her mundane life. Whoever this prophet was, she was grateful for His kindness, but such wishful thinking, spiritual conversation needed to give way to the work of caring for a house and an unethical, unloving man.
As she turned away, Jesus made one of the most powerful statements He ever made while on earth: “I who speak to you am HE!” (John 4:26) She stumbled. Her heart skipped a beat or two. She caught her breath and set down her water jar. She turned and stared again at Jesus, covering her mouth with her hand, almost ready to scream! Nearly stumbling, she turned and ran… back to town, to those she knew. But what could she say? Would anyone believe her story?
About that same time the five guys who had been traveling with Jesus returned to the well from their lunch shopping trip. They could not possibly imagine what had happened here at this well. All they saw was a full water jar abandoned, and the woman running from the well toward town. Let’s pause again right here at this well. What would the woman say to the people? What questions would the men ask Jesus? What do you understand is the world impacting significance of these words Jesus had just said to the woman? “I who speak to you and ME.”
And here’s a song to help us consider it all, my friends. . .
Today’s Scripture is John 4:19-28.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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