Reading …

  • If you knew the gift of God and who it is who asks you for a drink, you would ask him and he would give you living water … John 4;9
  • I know that Messiah is coming … I am he… vs 25,26.

Introduction …

  • Let me start by reminding you of the purpose that John gives for the writing of this book … John 20;31
    • These things have been written that you (I)  may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you (I) may have life in his name 
  • John the Baptist says …
    • Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for the wrath of God remains on him… John 3;36
    • It is important to note that …
      • If you reject the Son you REMAIN subject to the wrath of God 
      • Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but he who does not believe stands condemned ALREADY… John 3;18
  • But Paul writes to the church in Rome asking 4 questions…
    • How can they call on the one they have not believed in. 
    • How can they believe on the one they have not heard. 
    • How can they hear without someone preaching to them … 

How can they preach unless they are sent… Rom 10;14

  • Can we see and appreciate the massive responsibility we as believers have …
    • We have the words of life and the responsibility to distribute truth.  

Must just means must …

  • So John says in our reading …
    • He must needs go thru Samaria …KJV … John 4;4
    • Must …dei …
      • The necessity of happening, no option, It had to happen, imperative
        • For Jesus there was no alternative.
        • He did not go thru Samaria because It was an easier route or shorter or safer … irrelevant …
        • He went that way because there was an undertaking he had to (Must) perform.
    • Elsewhere the word must is used to Nicodemus…
      • You MUST be born again … John 3;7,14
      • And here …MUST worship in Spirit and Truth …John 4;24
    • There is no alternative  …
      • All that the father gives to me will come to me and whoever comes I will not drive away … John 6;35
      • So there was a purpose in Samaria,and so he must go …
      •   So even as the Spirit sends Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch…Acts 8;28 
        • So  Jesus must go to Jacobs well so that they can hear the truth and believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.
  • Am I making my point …
    • Jesus came to this earth because there is a need of salvation… 
      • In Nicodemus …and this lost woman …
        • He crossed social, moral, religious  and racial lines …
          • To reach the whosoevers …
      • In turn Jesus sent his disciples … go into all the world 
      • And to you and me he says  … 
        • You are a royal priesthood …
        • I’m sending you to preach to the world. 
  • So the challenge we face thru this chapter is one about telling people about Jesus …Rom 10;15
    • We are a sent people… and we MUST go.

A woman of Samaria  …

  • In 930 B.C., after the reign of Solomon the kingdom of Israel was split in 2. 
    • The northern kingdom consisting of 10 tribes (Israel) and the southern kingdom , 2 tribes (Judah)  …
    • King Omri built a new capital and named it Samaria … 1 Kings 16;14
    • But in 722B.C. Shalmaneser the Assyrian king conquered the northern kingdom and took all the wealthy and educated people as slaves. 
      • He replaced them with foreigners from other tribes …
      • The result was the remnant of Israel intermarried with the foreigners 
      • And Judah regarded them as traitors, law breakers and half-breeds. 
    • Nevertheless they carried on a form of worship relative to the first 5 books of Moses and even built a temple on Mount Gerizim in 400 BC. 
      • But in the 2nd century the Hasmoneans from Judah attacked and destroyed the temple on Gerizim. 
      • Add all of these goings on together and you can see how the animosity between the 2 countries evolved. 
  • So when Jesus asks this Samaritan woman for water she voices her surprise …
    • You ask of me … Raising 2 thorny issues …vs 9
  • A woman…
    • A rabbinical citation from that age read as follows …
      • One should not talk to a woman on the street, not even your own wife. 
      • And certainly not someone else’s wife. 
      • It is forbidden to give a woman any greeting. 
  • Of Samaritans …
    • For the Jews do not associate with Samaritans … vs 9
    • Because Samaritans had lost their religious and racial purity.
  • But Jesus must deal with those given of God… The whosoevers … 
    • So he disregards  the question altogether …
      • And starts to deal with her real problem …
        • If you knew the gift of God and the giver … vs 10
          • You would ask of him 
    • Do you get it …
      • How can they believe on the one they have not heard of …
        • So he starts to tell her.
  • Today that need to tell is greater than it has ever been…
    • The number of people exposing themselves to the Word of God has dropped off remarkably.
    • The number of churches giving their congregations solid teaching concerning the gift of God and the Giver of the gift, are minimal.
  • We must ask ourselves …
    • Am I able to adequately answer my closest friends' questions about the identity of Jesus.
    • In line with Peter’s instruction …1 Peter 3;15-16
      • Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have.
        • Prepared means work out a detailed answer beforehand so that you can present it whenever asked to.
    • But Lawrence, I don't have the gift of teaching …
      • That verse has nothing to do with preaching  …
      • Peter is addressing “All of you”
      • He is referring to day to day interactions …
        • And being pre-pared to answer questions.  

Lessons on Testimony …

  • This chapter gives us some good advice to follow in interacting with people seeking answers about the gospel …
    • There are many lessons we can learn from Jesus as he deals with this lady on a one to one basis … 
  • Relevance …
    • Jesus is no bible puncher …
      • He speaks to her in a language she understands …  water
    • She lives in an arid land and has to go to the well and collect water every day … water is life giving. E.g. Elephants and water
    • So Jesus introduces himself by asking for water 
      • When we witness we must be relevant whether it be …
        • Interest in sport, work, family, health etc
  • Staying on course …
    • Jesus is here to direct her into truth … 
      • The water I give is a spring welling up to eternal life…. Vs 14
        • And she responds … Give it to me ..
      • But to get there he must go into the real issues of morality …
        • But she tries to distract him… vs 19 
    • People will always raise irrelevant issues to side track our testimony..
      • But our stand is simple …The Bible says…
        • E.g. Billy Graham 
  • He treats her with respect …
    • He knows all about her lifestyle but never looks down on her …
      • Jews despise Samaritans…
      • The disciples are surprised to see Jesus talking to a woman, especially a Samaritan woman… vs 27
    • In answer to his instruction in vs 16 she tells a half truth …
      • I have no husband … 
        • The truth is she was shacked up with another guy who she does not mention …
      • Nevertheless Jesus’ reply is respectful and is not accusing …
        • You are right … he says …vs 17 …
        • But at the same time he confronts her with the truth …
          • You have had 5 husbands 
        • We are not told how this came about …
          • Did they all die …
          • Did she divorce them … up to 3 divorces were acceptable by rabbi’s
          • We just assume she was grossly immoral
        • Jesus says … what you have just said is true … vs 18
      • Too often we look down on people and we blame them for their circumstances …
        • Alcoholic, druggy, pregnant school girl, unfaithful spouse.
          • We are all sinners … and can’t cast stones 
  • The patience in revelation of truth …
    • The real issue here is the gift and the giver … vs 10
    • But it is all flying above her head …
      • She is only thinking water and now.
      • It would seem she has little or no spiritual understanding …
        • She had a bit of knowledge from the pentateuch …
        • But her lifestyle did not reflect that, hence the shack-up
    • This water is taught in the prophets that she did not believe in …
      • Samaritans only believed in the books of Moses…. pentateuch
        • I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean … Ez 36;25
        • Israel have forsaken me the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water … Jer 2;13-14
          • She did not appear to understand these truths.
      • In an arid country the best place to live was near a reliable source of water…
        • Imagine having a spring bubbling up pure life giving water at your back door. 
      • His teaching was very relevant and real …
        • So real that she says …
          • Give me the water …vs 15
    • She has bought into the idea …
      • But she is missing the boat altogether.
    • He must now convince her of her spiritual need of Gift and Giver.
      • And he does this by revealing who he is. (the Giver)
    • Our approach must be a humble one … yes we should know much more about the bible than they do but that does not make their thinking intelligent …
      • Patience is important … Some people take years to convince. 
  • The Gift and the Giver …
  • So he tells her that he knows all about the 5 husbands and the shacking up with another man …vs 17
    • And that convinces her that this man is no ordinary man … vs 19
      • He told me everything I ever did … vs 39
  • But again  she starts to argue about irrelevant issues … of who is right and who is wrong.
    • Jerusalem vs Gerizim … vs 20
    • But Jesus blows her away saying … both are wrong …
      • In the future we must all worship …
        • Not in a geographical place 
        • But in Spirit and Truth … vs 24.
          • Because God is Spirit. 
  • Now the penny is beginning to drop …
    • Could this be the Messiah … vs 29
    • Which is interesting as she would have been expecting Taheb …
      • The restorer… Deut 18;15-19
    • But she is starting to see the truth about the giver …
    • She is starting to understand and believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God ….
  • So she rushes back to the village and they come to Jesus…
    • And ask him to stay, and he stays for 2 days… vs 40 
  • As a consequence Jesus teaches them the truth about the gift and the giver …
    • And their testimony is …
      • We no longer believe because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves and we know that this man really is the Saviour of the world… vs 42

Conclusion …

  • Jesus must needs go  …
    • He was obedient to the father in his call to go …
      • To just one woman …
    • In the end Jesus laid the foundation for Philip to come and preach “the Christ” 
      • And the multitudes gave heed to the things said… Acts 8;6
    • We to must go …
  • How can they preach if not sent…
    • Jesus was sent to preach as was Philip, Paul, Timothy, Billy Graham. …
  • How can they believe if they have not heard …
    • The Samaritans said now we have heard and believe…vs 42
      • We are the royal priesthood who must bring the Word to the people
  • We must be prepared in order to tell …1 Peter 3; 14-15
    • Therefore we must prepare ourselves so that we can tell … 
      • The giver … Christ the Son of God …only way 
      • The gift … Salvation the gift of God. 
  • Go into all the world …
    • Jesus did not hold any prejudices …
      • Everyone needs the word of God
    • Overcoming our prejudices is a massive challenge.