Lent 3

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John 4:5-26
"What does this man want from me???" This is probably what came to that woman's mind when Jesus
asked her for a drink. The surprise and awkwardness is not that Jesus was a total stranger to her, but that he was
a Jewish man and she was a Samaritan woman. As John explains, these two groups have no dealings with one
another, except maybe for commercial purposes. This division and even enmity has been going on for around
400 years since the return from the Babylonian captivity. The Samaritans were basically descendants of
Israelites and gentiles and so they were regarded as impure and unfit to be the chosen race of God. And so when
the Jews returned from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, they refused help from the Samaritans.
Nevertheless, they still believed in the God of the old testament, but they only adhered to the first five books
written by Moses, unlike the Jews who included the other writings. Even with just the five books of Moses, they
understood that there's a promise of the messiah or the Christ, who is even greater than Moses and he would
teach the truth to his people (Deut18). However for the Samaritans, the true place of worship was not in
Jerusalem but on mount Gerizim, which is what this woman was referring in verse 20.
With all this history, why would this Jewish man want anything from her, why would he even speak to
her? What does this man want from me??? This is actually a question that we all need to ask today because you
are here in this man's church. What does this Jesus want from you today? What does the church or the pastor
want from you? For the woman, it was just a cup of water, but what about the church? Is it money? A bit of
your time for volunteer work? What is the church really for and if you are part of this church (not just the local
congregation) then do you have the same goal?
Well of course one of the standard answer is the "great commission" from the end of Matthew 28, which
is to make disciples of all nations through baptism and teaching. And we actually see that in this story. The
woman went to her town and brought people to faith. But this was only a result of something greater, something
far more important that Jesus wants from this woman. Without this, she wouldn’t be witnessing to her
neighbors, without this greater thing the church's mission would mean nothing. What Jesus wanted was not only
a drink but that this woman would also have a drink from the water of life through the true worship in spirit and
truth. But what does that really mean for you today concretely? What is worshiping in sprit and truth? Jesus
doesn’t actually explain but rather in a very subtle way helps the woman move in that direction, from the things
down below to spiritual things, and when that was complete, it ends with her sharing her faith in joy and
excitement. So how did this happen?
It starts with Jesus offering her this living water that would quench all thirsts forever. Of course it just
sounded ridiculous that this man who looked no better than a beggar, who just asked for a drink, could actually
give her something far greater than what she has. And so she asked if he was even greater than Jacob who gave
his descendants this well. Jesus goes on to explain that his water gives life, even eternal life. But it seemed that
she didn't quite get it, she was still thinking about this life and the physical needs and so she asks for this water
in verse 16 so that she doesn’t need to come and draw water.
Here we are not sure of her tone, she could be genuinely asking for this miraculous gift, or she was just
being sarcastic. Either way, she was still willing to entertain this strange Jewish man. She was interested
because this man is offering something, though it's something that she still did not quite grasp. And so Jesus
moves to something higher and yet deeper into her heart. Almost like a sudden change of topic, he asks for her
husband. Now we see a deeper thirst in this woman's life, a thirst not in the throat that can be quenched with
normal water. Now we see why she came to draw water by herself at the 6th hour, which was noon hour.
Normally women drew water together, not alone, and certainly not at noon when the sun is right above your
head. She was in fact a social outcast, probably because of all those husbands that she has had and now living
with a man who is not her husband. The interesting thing is that she confesses, though not in its entirety and
Jesus helps her with it. He completes her confession and she did not deny it. It's not a confession of sin in the
traditional sense of the word or as we would like it, but Jesus accepted it. The woman also accepted it, that what
she has done and the life that she is living now is not on par with the word of God.
At this point, she had another opportunity to tell this man to mind his own business and then walk away,
but she did not. She did not because she understood that this man did not come to condemn her even though he
knows more than he should. And remembering his words about offering the living water to eternal life, she is
intrigued. How can he, if he really has this miracle water that gives eternal life, how can he give it to me, an
outcast, an adulterer, a sinner? Surely not even this good man, even if he is a prophet come from God, can be so
gracious and kind to give a gift to a sinner. And so she asks about worship, perhaps thinking that if she worships
in the right way, at the right place, then perhaps this eternal life can be hers.
But Jesus was quick to tell her that true worship does not depend on the location, nor does it depend on
the worshiper for that matter, because it is a matter of spirit and truth, which are both found outside of man.
Now finally, this woman has nothing but to hope in the coming of the messiah or the Christ, both mean "the
anointed/chosen one" from Hebrew and Greek respectively. She confesses her faith in her savior, though like
previously, it's not complete, until again Jesus helps her with it by telling her that this promised one is himself,
but he is more than just a prophet, more than great teacher. The English translation for verse 26 and throughout
the rest of John's Gospel actually misses the force of what Jesus says. Literally, he says, "I AM, the one
speaking to you." Similarly at his arrest in John 18, when they said they were looking for Jesus of Nazareth,
Jesus answered, "I AM," and they all drew back and fell to the ground. Jesus was using the name of God, he
was not only claiming to be a prophet of God, the messiah, but that he himself is God. Now her confession of
faith is complete, her faith is perfected because the one whom she has longed for is here. He has come to give
living water welling up to eternal life. At that moment her worship is also complete because worship is not
about where or how one worships, but it is about how one receives eternal life.
This is what Jesus wanted from this woman, just a drink. But it was a drink from the water of life, from
God himself who gives abundantly and freely to all. He helped her to confess her sins and also to confess her
faith in her savior. This is what true worship is all about, in spirit and truth. As we also say at the beginning of
the service: if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is NOT in us, but if we confess our
sins, God, who is faith and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1Jn1:8-9). Also,
Paul writes that no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except in the Holy Spirit. Worship is living in both of these, to
acknowledge your sins, whatever those sins are, and at the same time looking to the one who took care of your
sins, the God who poured out his blood for the forgiveness of sins.
When the woman received these, when she confessed both sin and the savior, she has true worship,
though she probably didn't realize it at the time. But you can see the joy and excitement when she went and told
everybody about her experience. This is the result of having true worship, it is that you want to share this joy
with one another, so that worship is not just about yourself but with others who also need the forgiveness of
sins.
And so this is what the church wants from you today. This is why Jesus established his church on earth.
It is for you to worship, but properly understood, it is worship in spirit and truth through the outpouring of
Jesus' life for us. Like the woman at the well, we see first of all that this Jesus is here to give, though at first
sight it seems like he's demanding something from us. But all he wants is for us to know his invitation and the
gift of eternal life so that we would not run away but openly confess our sins and believe in him who came to
die for those sins.
And so today, yes this day, this very minute, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts but come to
him and he will give you his drink. Come to him without fear and confess your sins and receive from him the
forgiveness of sins. Drink from him and you will have life eternal. And this drink will well up from inside you
and spill all over to others so that your neighbors may also get a taste of this good news. You see this happening
with the woman, who now breaks her own social barrier to witness her faith. Her words were simple, but it
means a lot. Her words does not mean that Jesus was a fortune teller who could tell about her life, but that this
man would accept her just as she was even knowing full well of who and what she is. Here is a man and also
God who comes to receive her and give her new life. Here is the promised one who would crush Satan's head,
destroy sin, and kill death.
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