(John 15:13, NIV). They were a mixture of Israelite and heathen elements. Using Jesuss encounter with the Samaritan woman (recorded in chapter 4) and his previous encounter with Nicodemus (recorded in chapter 3), John presents fundamental and profound spiritual truths, and yet the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus could not be more different from each other. And he is seeking her through Jesus. For the solution to her problem was sitting right there at the well, in front of her. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.. You can also subscribe without commenting. She senses some kind of claim to superiority here. And the time was not yet. He is omniscient. Come and drink. In the end, all youre left with is a dry and dusty taste in your mouth. People look in many places to try to satisfy their thirst. It was just another ordinary and busy day in which she carried out her routine household duties. So that area around Samaria was off, even from the outset. The Cross And Our Response to Trials (1 Peter 4:12-19), 8. The disciples returned and were surprised that He was talking to the Samaritan woman. John 4:9 Therefore the Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) As Jesus looked at this woman he saw a Samaritan, a woman, a sinner one who needed to hear the gospel one who the Father was seeking. Your feedback is very important to us. He wants to use us to bring others into his family. But man made rules never controlled Jesus. Indeed, if we could see what God could see (which we never will, because we will never be infinite), you would see millions upon millions of purposes in every action of the Son of God. This man really is the Savior of the world. He means to have her in heaven. And what difference does that make? He knows that she has led a scandalous life. But John had just said in John 3:35, The Father . Now in the Bible, there are many examples of encounters. God is never doing just one thing in what he does with us. Nevertheless, take heart. It would be a great encouragement to me and a contribution to the edification of the Church. I heard the voice of Jesus say, There was one fountain in Sychar. By the way, if you are reading this sermon online please feel free to leave your comments at the end. In John 4, Jesus has a life-changing conversation with a Samaritan woman who is gathering water from a well. We cannot make true friendships when we always wear a mask to protect ourselves and hide our real self. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But it was unusual for a woman to come out there at that hour. You must decrease; I must increase. The first type is individual transformation. The well that Jacob had dug 2000 years before was still supplying water. We are introduced to two types of transformation. What will it take to break through to her? The story in John 4 about Jesuss meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well reveals woeful truth about ourselves and wonderful truth about Jesus. I want to share with you five truths about encounters I learned from this passage. In order to avoid a direct clash with them at this time He started back to Galilee. . All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Jesus will not give up. It is eternal, everlasting life, life that overcomes even death itself. Do you think he is greater? Only an encounter with God can reignite the fire within us. Can you imagine what her self image was. And so the Samaritans had gotten off track from the accepted norm. This water gives eternal life (verse 14: . 4Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John(A) 2although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. Nicodemus is a person of reputation. Others have gone to help those who lost everything in Katrina and other disasters. Sermon: Faithfulness is the Key to God's Blessings, Sermon notes: 6 things that the Lord hates and the 7 things that are detestable to Him, New Year Sermon: An old Challenge for a New Year, Fathers Day Sermon: Qualities of a Godly Father. Jesus said: I have new birth for you (living water), and he said, Where is a womans womb big enough for me to crawl into? She says, You have living water for me (new birth); wheres your bucket? This is a picture of us. He is infinitely wise, and everything he does relates to everything else that he does, sooner or later. But Jesus was all about calling sinners to repentance, that they would realize their sin, sense their need, and find their forgiveness in him. It points to the diversity among the early Christian communities, and it legitimizes the discipleship of women. Many references in the Bible to water do not mean H2O, but refer to the Word of God or salvation. This is Johns version of the prodigal son (Luke 15) only here it is a prodigal daughter. And the Father is seeking her worship. He did not compromise the truth to win her favor. He knew the hour of his death, and how it would come. Web(John 4:21-24) The woman didnt get it. On the other hand, we do not want to dump the whole truck load at our first encounter. A. Sure, there is a risk involved. Jesus speaks the very words of God. They were both at the well needing water. She had two choices: faith or rejection. ) Why is that? Its all by grace. Like you didnt belong? C. Encounters are ways God deals with the sin among his people (one of the many ways) Dont bail yourself out of the experience when the Holy Spirit confronts you during an encounter. She rushed back to tell others about the man she just met. But Jesus did not lose patience with her. Jesus ministry had begun in earnest and it was attracting attention. B. Jesus words ignited in her a fire more powerful than any religion. In the O.T. While he wasthere he heard an audible voice, which said: You have come to the wrong place. He realized this is indeed the Lord Jesus speaking to him. He revealed the invisible God, our heavenly Father to us in His words, attitudes and actions. That is why we sin. His acceptance of the woman did not mean ignoring her sins. Theyve been on the road for some hours now, its midday, and theyre tired and hungry. (AG) 36Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests(AH) a crop for eternal life,(AI) so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 42They 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.(AM). And the sign over it said, Colored Samaritan. Verses 68 say, Jacobs well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well [literally, on the well]. Related Topics: Christology, Evangelism, Soteriology (Salvation), Women, Mrs. Vickie Kraft, a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, served as Minister to Women at Northwest Bible Church in Dallas for over 13 years. He will show you how to approach a person and what to say. It recalls the lodestar verses of John 1:14, 16: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. C. An authentic encounter will always be followed by individual transformation as well as a transformation of ones community. It was about the sixth hour. Remember, Jesus and his disciples had already been walking for a number of hours. Do we believe or reject him when He says that suffering is a major instrument used by God to build into us the character of Jesus Christ? This the only time before His trial that Jesus stated this so clearly. The premise is that as we try to win people to Jesus Christ, we must attempt first to become their friends, talk to them, listen to them, invite them to our homes, go places with them, show them love, help them in their need. So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come (John 7:30; 2:4; 8:20). No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord (John 10:18). The Jews looked down on the half-breed, semi-pagan Samaritans and would not associate with them. Scripture passage and lesson focus: John 4:25-42. Jesus had to go through Samaria because he had to show us where he abides. . Samaritans worshiped ignorantly. And now I live in Him. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. Only men could initiate divorce. Dont miss the five things he says about the water that he gives and offers you today. . Start for FREE. The Father is seeking (pursuing!) Nicodemus was male, a Jew, educated, and What would this womans response be: Faith or rejection? Comment document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute( "id", "a986a0c0b8f02456eb897fb07d711d14" );document.getElementById("f8470a62dd").setAttribute( "id", "comment" ); Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We must learn how to make friends, and be a true friend to them just as Jesus was. All friendships for believers must have a spiritual aspect, either for evangelism or for encouraging and building others up. The truth about Jesus that I want us to focus on in verses 115 is: The repetition of grace three times is intentional. My superiority is your salvation. He, a Jewish teacher, struck up a conversation with this womana Samaritan woman, no less. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. So she says in verse 12, Are you greater than our father Jacob? (Ps. Now does Jesus accept you? When this Jewish man asks her for a drink, she says, How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria? And our text adds to explain, For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans., Now this Samaritan woman is down in the count, 0-2. Gerizim, was the place to make sacrifices and sin offerings to God. WebFred B. Craddock is professor of preaching and New Testament at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Jesus asks her for a drink and engages her in conversation. She is just like Nicodemus. Start your free trial today! You have thirst. So they went around two longer routes to avoid them. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. It was so exciting that she left her water jar there at the well and went back to the town and started telling people about what had happened. He accepted the Samaritan woman, in spite of her faulty theology that needed correction. And my gift is superior. But do you realize that we who have trusted Him already must make the same choice daily? Now she sidetracked him into a religious discussion. Talk about an encounter! If you go back about 900 years before Christ, the united kingdom of Israel got divided, split in two. This woman was living with a man outside of marriage. What does the Bible say about using pirated software? Christ and the Samaritan Woman, by Bourdon Jesus has taken a boring and ordinary situation and has made it astonishing. Just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus told his disciples, Go and make disciples of all nations. Access 50+ premium resources. Most women would come out to the well earlier in the morning, before the heat of the day set in. The Cross And Unjust Suffering (1 Peter 2:19-25). This man Jesus gave the Samaritan woman the gift of God: acceptance, forgiveness for her sins, living water, and eternal life. Jesus accepts you. That the Samaritan woman finally understands that Jesus refers to water which is more than physical is made clear by 4:28: she leaves her waterpot behind because (at least for the point our author is making) she wont need it to carry the kind of water Jesus now has her interested in! He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock. Is Jesus greater than Jacob? The pagan influence would have a negative effect on the beliefs and practices of a people who were already off the beam, religiously. So he is not leaving Judea because he is afraid of the Pharisees. Where do you look to quench your thirst? Red Letter Art Christmas Ornaments & Christmas Cards, Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost Church Worksheets, The Top Ten Reasons to use the Historic Lectionary, Concordia, Wisconsin woes administration cancelling its own professor for whistleblowing, Commemoration of Saint Paul McCain, Theologian and Publisher. The disciples were as literal in their understanding as the woman was. Now as they were gathered by the well, Jesus turned their attention to the town on the hill. What would her response be? WebUse the Samaritan Woman at the Well - John 4:1-42 Coloring Page as a fun activity for your next children's sermon. 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 Part 1, Sermon Notes: A Three-Fold Response to the Great Commission. Detail from Polish painter Henryk Siemiradzki, 'Christ and the Samaritan Woman' (1890) 106.5x184 cm, Lviv National Art Gallery, Ukraine. A tired Jesus is sitting at the well, waiting for the disciples, when a woman appears. (J) Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water(K) welling up to eternal life.(L), 15The woman said to him, Sir, give me this water so that I wont get thirsty(M) and have to keep coming here to draw water., 16He told her, Go, call your husband and come back., Jesus said to her, You are right when you say you have no husband. You can also subscribe without commenting. Do we believe or reject Him when He says that no one comes to the Father except through him? Stay thirsty, my friends. He did this by being attentive about what Our heavenly Father wants our worship to be in spirit and truth. This man welcomes sinners. And he does something far better than just tolerating your sin or excusing it. This is hard to do, but if we are going to tell them that God loves them, it might be a good idea to let God demonstrate that love through us from the start. Here Jesus identifies living water with the Holy Spirit who indwells each person the moment that we put our faith in Christ. That isnt done. 48Unless you people see signs and wonders,(AS) Jesus told him, you will never believe., 49The royal official said, Sir, come down before my child dies., 50Go, Jesus replied, your son will live., The man took Jesus at his word and departed. You obviously are a prophet sent from God, so you must know. But Jesus doesnt send her to either place.
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