Well, it’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year that most men love and some women hate. It’s the time of year when, for some of us, the weekend becomes even more exhausting than the weekdays. It’s the time of year when there’s less yard work getting done on Saturdays and Sunday naps seem to disappear. You guessed it; it’s football season. It’s almost here. It’s so close that we can taste it. In fact, most high schools around here have already played some type of exhibition game and are set to begin their season in less than a week. The same can be said about my personal favorite, college football, which returns to us this Thursday night. To me, there’s nothing like the college football experience. Some of my earliest memories are going with my dad to college football games all throughout the southeast. I don’t even want to think of the miles that we put on that mid 80s GMC Sierra that he drove until it literally blew up. My passion for college football, while sometimes bordering on unhealthy, has been a point of humor for Amy throughout our time dating and then our marriage. You see, for me, gameday starts somewhere around 5:30 or 6:00 in the morning. It’s a matter of personal pride for me to be one of the first ones out tailgating and to see the sun rise up over the stadium. Quite honestly, she thinks there’s something wrong with me. It’s like a holiday that comes around once a week. It’s equivalent to if Christmas morning came for my kids each and every Saturday.
I’ve been to numerous college football stadiums and caught many games throughout my years, but there is one particular trip that stands out above all others, and oddly enough it has nothing to do with my beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs. A good friend of mine in college came walking into my room one Friday after class and asked me what I was doing for the weekend. I replied, “I don’t know; probably just sitting around. How about you?” Drake responses, “Well, I think I may drive up to Knoxville; wanna come? Tennessee’s at home this weekend.” After a few seconds of thinking about it, “Sure, why not?” Now, keep in mind that Knoxville is about 6 ½ to 7 hours and almost 400 miles away from where I was attending college, but I had never been to the University of Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium and seen a game before. I had heard all about the atmosphere there from family that I had in Tennessee. They used to tell me that there was nothing like the sound of 100,000+ TN fans screaming for the Volunteers when they were on the field. Keep in mind that this was during their most recent time of success; when they were a national power and competing for national titles just about every year. As we drove up to TN, my friend began to describe the scene for me a little better. You see, he grew up close by and had been to numerous games there over the years. This did nothing but to heighten my anticipation. Eventually, gameday arrived and something that I had looked forward to for so long was here. I had heard for many years about the experience of being in this place and watching a game at this iconic stadium, and it was finally about to happen.
In our text today, Jesus is making a return to the city of Cana in Galilee, the site of his very first miracle. I know that it’s been a while, but about a month and a half ago we looked at Jesus’ first miracle; his turning water into wine at a wedding festival. If you recall, we read that almost immediately after this festival was over, Jesus and his disciples left town to continue on with his earthly ministry. I can’t help but imagine that word slowly started to spread about what Jesus had done. Although the servants who assisted Jesus didn’t say anything about what he had done in that moment, eventually word got out. “Hey, you know that really good wine that was served at the end of the wedding festival? Well, Jesus actually made it that night out of water. Yeah, it was a miracle.” Add to that the fact that at least some of what has happened in other parts of the world has made its way back to Cana by now and you have a group of people who are probably very anxiously awaiting Jesus returning to them. They have heard so much about him, but they have never had the chance to experience him in person since they found out about what he did that day and what he has done since that wedding.
As he returns to the city of Cana, there is one man in particular who has heard the stories and has a real problem on his hands at the moment. There was this official who had a son who had a particular illness. Now, we don’t know exactly what illness this boy had, but we are told that he is on his deathbed. This official, or nobleman, had some wealth and status and had most likely taken his son to numerous physicians prior to coming to Jesus. They hadn’t been able to do anything for him and he is now down to his last (and greatest) hope. He probably didn’t even believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be, but he was willing to give it a try. When we’re desperate, we’ll try anything. Here was a man who most likely didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but he’s heard some things about what he has done and he is willing to give it a shot. He comes to Jesus and tries to get him to come and heal his son. He comes to him simply wanting something from him. He wants to fix an earthly need instead of wanting to gain something in terms of salvation. After hearing the official’s pleas, Jesus responds to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” Jesus is rebuking this man, and that’s not an uncommon occurrence during the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus is still having to rebuke his very own disciples even after his death and resurrection. One of the members of our men’s Bible study on Wednesday morning astutely pointed out that quite often during Jesus’ ministry it was only after seeing him perform a miracle that many people actually believed Jesus to be who he claimed to be. So let’s don’t be too harsh towards this official, but understand that Jesus did indeed sternly rebuke him.
However, the official doesn’t really seem to care about Jesus’ rebuke or anything that Jesus has to say at this point in time. He is only concerned with one thing, and that is the heath of his dying son. So, the official begs Jesus once again to come and see his son. It’s almost like he’s saying, “Ok! I really don’t care about that right now. Are you going to help me or not? Come on Jesus.” Notice that Jesus doesn’t cave into the demands of the official in one sense, but simply tells him, “Go; your son will live.” Jesus never leaves with this man to go and see his son. We’re told here that the man believed and went away, but I have to think that there must have been some sliver of doubt in his mind. The entire way back to his house, he has to be trying to imagine what he is going to return to. Then, some of his servants meet him and tell him that his son is getting better. After speaking with his servants, the official realizes his son began his recovery at the very same moment that Jesus told him that his son would live.
John, the author of this gospel, rerecords the words “and the man believed” again here, and I think that there is a lesson behind that. You can believe something, but not really believe it until you have experienced it for yourself. Jumping back to my story about going to Knoxville, TN and Neyland Stadium for the first time; the words and stories that I had heard for so long fell far short of the actual experience. We happened to luck up and get tickets on the first row of the upper deck on the 50 yard line. Tennessee was playing Arkansas and the game ended up being a 6 overtime game, the longest game in NCAA history at the time. As each play happened, the intensity of the crowd grew and grew; they seemed to live and die with each completed pass and missed opportunity. I have never been to a game that rivaled that one, and I wasn’t necessarily a fan of either team. All that I had heard about Neyland Stadium being one of the best places to watch a college football game at the time were confirmed and then some.
This official, while maybe mostly believing that Jesus could heal his son, I don’t think completely bought into the words “your son will live” when he first left Jesus’ side. After all, Jesus hadn’t touched the boy or even seen him; how could he heal him? Thoughts that had to go through the man’s mind as he made his way back home, but after hearing the words of the servant, “yesterday his fever left him” the official believed in Jesus. This wasn’t just believing that Jesus could perform a miracle. This wasn’t just believing that Jesus had the power to turn water into a sweet tasting wine. This wasn’t just believing that Jesus had some supernatural sort of healing power. This was believing that Jesus Christ, this man who he had just seen and felt and spoken with, was indeed the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Savior, come to earth.
Friends, there are numerous things in life that don’t live up to the hype. We’ve seen things over and over that don’t quite meet our expectations, but there are numerous things in life that do meet our expectations and even exceed them. My experience in Knoxville was once of those things. But there is nothing in this world that holds a candle when compared to knowing and truly believing in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is a feeling that this official felt this day, and it’s a feeling that we have all had the privilege of feeling at numerous times in our lives. Think about the first time that you knew that God was real. It may have been when you were a small child or in the last several years. Think about the feeling that you had in that moment. And then there are things that happen throughout the course of our lives that leave us knowing without a doubt that God is real. I know that when my children come to me each night and give me the hug-kiss-love you routine that my God is real. I know that giving me such wonderful children and such a beautiful wife are things that I don’t deserve and it isn’t even close. Despite all that I’ve done and the countless ways in which I’ve messed up, He continues to bless me with moments that let me know that He is real and He is ever present in my life. Don’t just dismiss those moments in your own lives; relish those moments. Savor those times and take them completely in. I guarantee you that this official savored those moments after his encounter with Jesus. For the Messiah has come and paid the price for all of us, so that we may have eternal life and enjoy the fullness and richness of God’s merciful blessings. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Sunday, August 19, 2012
John 4:31-45 "And They Believed"
We come this Sunday to our third and final installment of Jesus at Jacob’s well. The past two Sundays, we have looked at a conversation that Jesus had there with a Samaritan woman. At the end of their conversation, this woman acknowledges Jesus to be the promised Messiah. After stating as much, she then goes back into the city (Sychar) and tells those in this town about Jesus and where they can find him. About this same time, Jesus’ disciples come back from their trip into the town of Sychar to get food. That’s where we find ourselves at this point in the narrative. Let’s look at what John has recorded for us as the conclusion of these events.
[Text]
This text, this conclusion to this particular narrative, tells us a great deal about the person of Jesus; it tells us a great deal about who he is. The disciples, we are told, urge Jesus to eat something. He responds to them by saying that he had food already. Notice the similarity between this response, and the one given to the woman in verse 10 about Jesus having “living water.” The disciples are confused. They begin to wonder if someone else has shown up and given Jesus something to eat; they hadn’t seen anybody along the path leaving and coming back to Jesus. After all, the entire purpose of them going into the city was to get food. They have to be wondering why they were sent into the city if Jesus already had food. I mean, time is of the essence, and they have just wasted time by making an unnecessary trip into Sychar. Then, Jesus responds to their questioning and confusion by describing this food that he has. He tells them that his food is to do the will of the one who sent him and to finish his work. It’s this statement that really tells us who Jesus is. His food and drink, what he needs to survive, is to do all that the Father sent him to do. Notice that I didn’t say that it was to do mostly everything that he was sent to do, but to do all that he was sent to do. Jesus knows the end to this story; the ultimate end. He knows that this will end at a tree in Calvary. It’s this ending and completed work that fuels Jesus for the duration of his earthly ministry.
Jesus follows up this statement about completing his work with this illustration about farming. Pardon my phrasing here, but Jesus is teaching the disciples how “ripe” the time is for this earthly ministry and completed work to come. Make no mistake about it; the disciples are very much in need of Jesus’ teaching at this point. After all, this ripe area (most likely meaning Samaria) was largely ignored by the disciples. They had even just passed by the woman whom Jesus had been talking to without even saying one word to her. If you’ve ever done any farming then you know that there is a finite window for getting the best crops. You don’t want to pick that tomato off the vine before its ready, but you don’t want to leave it on there too long and let it get withered. When you leave it out there too long without being picked, then you either lose it, or you end up eating tomatoes every meal so that you can say you didn’t waste anything; so you can say you didn’t waste an opportunity.
Jesus is telling the disciples that the time is right for ministry, particularly in Samaria. But it isn’t just in Samaria, it’s all over. Jesus is saying to the disciples, “You see the fields, they’re completely ripe. They’re covered in those that are so ready to be picked.” Growing up, when we would go and visit my dad’s family that lives in the Yazoo County, MS in the Mississippi Delta, I would look out the windows of our station wagon (many times from that funky rear-facing seat that we had, y’all know the one) and I would see so much white that I would think that it had snowed. My dad’s uncle used to refer to the combine tractors as Mississippi Delta snowmobiles. There was white seemingly everywhere. When the cotton crops are ready to be picked, there’s no mistaking the sight of it. Jesus is saying that there is no mistaking it; the time has come for his earthly ministry to begin its ascension to its final and greatest act.
Jesus tells his disciples that “already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying hold true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” This statement by Jesus, while on the surface a simple statement about farming, is a great summation of what Christian work and missions is. The phrase “others have labored” is something that we ought to keep in mind. So often, we think in terms of success and victory in ministry by judging what we can see on the surface, but that isn’t exactly the best idea. There is a reason why ministry is so often referred to as sowing seeds. We may never actually see the good that our witness and ministry accomplishes. I’m here to tell you, there are some retired Sunday school teachers from Meridian, MS who have almost needed a defibrillator when they heard that Tommy Robinson is now a Presbyterian minister in Houma, LA, and the Houma, LA part isn’t what surprises them. Seeds were sown and a ministry planted long before the visible ground, what was on the surface, resembled anything that looked like the life of a pastor. So as we witness to those around us, we must not be discouraged by what we don’t see. Friends, we have to continue onward, because instead of being the ones who reap, we may very well be those others who have labored and sown.
We’re told here in our text what comes about as a result of the woman’s spreading the news about Jesus in the city of Sychar. We’re told that many of those in the city came out to see Jesus and upon seeing and hearing him they came back to the woman and told her, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” And it’s this attitude and this notion that the Reformed doctrines of irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints find some scriptural backing. These two doctrines tells us that (1) ultimately God wins in the hearts of those that He has called to be His own, and (2) that once He has called us, that we will never fall away and be forsaken and forgotten. Once someone has seen Jesus, truly seen him, they lose all uncertainty. Perhaps the best and one of the most famous examples of this is the brilliant writer C.S. Lewis. Lewis, the author of the Narnia series, Screwtape Letters, and numerous other works, was at one time an atheist; he didn’t believe in God. As a matter of fact, Lewis began his study of the Christian faith and religion in an attempt to disprove God. His masterful work Mere Christianity reveals some of his thought process as he went about this task. Piece-by-piece, brick-by-brick, as Lewis began to connect all of the ideas, facts, and notions, he was left with one undeniable truth: there is a God. And he didn’t just come to the conclusion that there was just any God, but the God of the Bible, the Christian God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Folks, throughout the entirety of this account of Jesus at Jacobs well, we have seen one ultimate truth at the foundation of everything else: Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the one who was sent by the Father, to pay the price for our sins. Yes, it’s true that at this point in time that the only one who really understands the magnitude of this fact is Jesus himself, but that’s not the case for us today. Somehow, we have become immune to the fact that the Messiah came. We think of it as being just part-of-it, but it’s so much more. It’s not just a part-of-it, it’s the whole thing. All that we are and all that we have are because of this saving work carried out my Christ during his earthly ministry. Let us never lose sight of this fact and seek daily to proclaim God’s word and live lives that point others to the cross. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[Text]
This text, this conclusion to this particular narrative, tells us a great deal about the person of Jesus; it tells us a great deal about who he is. The disciples, we are told, urge Jesus to eat something. He responds to them by saying that he had food already. Notice the similarity between this response, and the one given to the woman in verse 10 about Jesus having “living water.” The disciples are confused. They begin to wonder if someone else has shown up and given Jesus something to eat; they hadn’t seen anybody along the path leaving and coming back to Jesus. After all, the entire purpose of them going into the city was to get food. They have to be wondering why they were sent into the city if Jesus already had food. I mean, time is of the essence, and they have just wasted time by making an unnecessary trip into Sychar. Then, Jesus responds to their questioning and confusion by describing this food that he has. He tells them that his food is to do the will of the one who sent him and to finish his work. It’s this statement that really tells us who Jesus is. His food and drink, what he needs to survive, is to do all that the Father sent him to do. Notice that I didn’t say that it was to do mostly everything that he was sent to do, but to do all that he was sent to do. Jesus knows the end to this story; the ultimate end. He knows that this will end at a tree in Calvary. It’s this ending and completed work that fuels Jesus for the duration of his earthly ministry.
Jesus follows up this statement about completing his work with this illustration about farming. Pardon my phrasing here, but Jesus is teaching the disciples how “ripe” the time is for this earthly ministry and completed work to come. Make no mistake about it; the disciples are very much in need of Jesus’ teaching at this point. After all, this ripe area (most likely meaning Samaria) was largely ignored by the disciples. They had even just passed by the woman whom Jesus had been talking to without even saying one word to her. If you’ve ever done any farming then you know that there is a finite window for getting the best crops. You don’t want to pick that tomato off the vine before its ready, but you don’t want to leave it on there too long and let it get withered. When you leave it out there too long without being picked, then you either lose it, or you end up eating tomatoes every meal so that you can say you didn’t waste anything; so you can say you didn’t waste an opportunity.
Jesus is telling the disciples that the time is right for ministry, particularly in Samaria. But it isn’t just in Samaria, it’s all over. Jesus is saying to the disciples, “You see the fields, they’re completely ripe. They’re covered in those that are so ready to be picked.” Growing up, when we would go and visit my dad’s family that lives in the Yazoo County, MS in the Mississippi Delta, I would look out the windows of our station wagon (many times from that funky rear-facing seat that we had, y’all know the one) and I would see so much white that I would think that it had snowed. My dad’s uncle used to refer to the combine tractors as Mississippi Delta snowmobiles. There was white seemingly everywhere. When the cotton crops are ready to be picked, there’s no mistaking the sight of it. Jesus is saying that there is no mistaking it; the time has come for his earthly ministry to begin its ascension to its final and greatest act.
Jesus tells his disciples that “already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying hold true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” This statement by Jesus, while on the surface a simple statement about farming, is a great summation of what Christian work and missions is. The phrase “others have labored” is something that we ought to keep in mind. So often, we think in terms of success and victory in ministry by judging what we can see on the surface, but that isn’t exactly the best idea. There is a reason why ministry is so often referred to as sowing seeds. We may never actually see the good that our witness and ministry accomplishes. I’m here to tell you, there are some retired Sunday school teachers from Meridian, MS who have almost needed a defibrillator when they heard that Tommy Robinson is now a Presbyterian minister in Houma, LA, and the Houma, LA part isn’t what surprises them. Seeds were sown and a ministry planted long before the visible ground, what was on the surface, resembled anything that looked like the life of a pastor. So as we witness to those around us, we must not be discouraged by what we don’t see. Friends, we have to continue onward, because instead of being the ones who reap, we may very well be those others who have labored and sown.
We’re told here in our text what comes about as a result of the woman’s spreading the news about Jesus in the city of Sychar. We’re told that many of those in the city came out to see Jesus and upon seeing and hearing him they came back to the woman and told her, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” And it’s this attitude and this notion that the Reformed doctrines of irresistible grace and perseverance of the saints find some scriptural backing. These two doctrines tells us that (1) ultimately God wins in the hearts of those that He has called to be His own, and (2) that once He has called us, that we will never fall away and be forsaken and forgotten. Once someone has seen Jesus, truly seen him, they lose all uncertainty. Perhaps the best and one of the most famous examples of this is the brilliant writer C.S. Lewis. Lewis, the author of the Narnia series, Screwtape Letters, and numerous other works, was at one time an atheist; he didn’t believe in God. As a matter of fact, Lewis began his study of the Christian faith and religion in an attempt to disprove God. His masterful work Mere Christianity reveals some of his thought process as he went about this task. Piece-by-piece, brick-by-brick, as Lewis began to connect all of the ideas, facts, and notions, he was left with one undeniable truth: there is a God. And he didn’t just come to the conclusion that there was just any God, but the God of the Bible, the Christian God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Folks, throughout the entirety of this account of Jesus at Jacobs well, we have seen one ultimate truth at the foundation of everything else: Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the one who was sent by the Father, to pay the price for our sins. Yes, it’s true that at this point in time that the only one who really understands the magnitude of this fact is Jesus himself, but that’s not the case for us today. Somehow, we have become immune to the fact that the Messiah came. We think of it as being just part-of-it, but it’s so much more. It’s not just a part-of-it, it’s the whole thing. All that we are and all that we have are because of this saving work carried out my Christ during his earthly ministry. Let us never lose sight of this fact and seek daily to proclaim God’s word and live lives that point others to the cross. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
John 4:16-30 "She Finally Gets It"
Now, if you recall, last week we began looking at an encounter that Jesus had with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in Sychar in Samaria. We ended our look with the woman saying that she wanted this “living water” that Jesus was telling her about, but her understanding wasn’t exactly what we might think of at first. We ended with the woman telling Jesus to give her this water. Well, she did say that and it was the proper response, but her thinking at this point is only in the physical sense. She is thinking here about not having to endure the hardships of fetching water and transporting it any more. Jesus, however, doesn’t allow her the chance to misinterpret or underestimate his words to her. He seemingly changes the subject rather abruptly. He tells her to go get her husband. Now, this isn’t done because he will only speak with another male, but he is setting the stage for what comes next. The woman tells Jesus that she doesn’t have a husband. Jesus says, “I know, you’ve had five, and now the guy who you’re living with isn’t even your husband. So, yes, you’re right you don’t have a husband.”
Think about the surprise that this woman has to be feeling at this time. She’s never met Jesus, nor are they from the same area. She could understand if he lived in this area and had heard from others about her past, but being a Jew it is likely that his time in Sychar would have been limited at best. Also, it’s not as if there is some sort of database or courthouse that kept marriage records on file so that Jesus could have done his research beforehand. It’s even likely that at this point the woman has yet to reveal her name to Jesus, so how could he know anything about her past prior to this event here at Jacob’s well? Not only does he know something about her, but he knows the thing that she probably most wants to hide from. At this point, she has to be on alert and I would imagine that her attention has completely turned to her conversation with Jesus if it wasn’t there already.
Wanting to steer the conversation away from here faults, which she’s doesn’t deny, she thinks Jesus to be a prophet. She knows that his information about her must have come from God, and prophet is all that she can imagine. So she decides to try and distract this man of God a little with some theological questioning, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” You see, the Jews and the Samaritans had theological differences. We mentioned last week that the two groups had little to do with one another from a cultural perspective, and much of that stems from their theology. The Samaritans rejected the entirety of the Old Testament except for the Pentateuch (Torah, Law, etc.), or the first five books of the Bible. Their holy place was Mount Gerizim, the site of Israel’s celebration after entering into the Promised Land of Canaan at the conclusion of their 40 years in the wilderness. The Jews, who accepted the whole Old Testament, with Mount Zion as their holy place, had their temple in Jerusalem. While she may have actually been interested as to whether Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim was the proper holy place, it is most likely that she just wants Jesus to talk about something other than her past and her shortcomings.
Jesus doesn’t really fall for it. He goes on to talk about his hour coming, and that Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim doesn’t matter, and true worshippers worshiping the Father. And it almost seems that at first glance that he’s saying that both Jewish and Samaritan worship will give way to this new, coming worship, but that’s not exactly the case. Yes, Jesus is saying that the place itself won’t matter, but we have to deal with this statement “for salvation is from the Jews.” If the notion that both faiths were falling away was true, Jesus wouldn’t be able to make such a statement. Jesus himself even makes mention of the Samaritan woman and those like her not understanding what they worship whereas the Jews do know about what they worship. After all, the Jews are descended from the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God.
As Jesus continues to talk about faith and worship that flows from this “living water”, it becomes evident here that when we truly worship God, that we ought to seek to know him to the best of our abilities. And it’s this notion that I think that many Christians in this day-and-age are missing. There are many Christians today that are Old Testament ignorant. There are many Christians today who have little-to-no knowledge of the New Testament beyond the Gospels. How can we worship God to the fullest extent when we don’t know who He is? The Old Testament tells us who God is; it lays out for us why the events of the New Testament, in particular the Gospels, must occur. About this notion, R.C. Sproul writes, “We somehow think that Christianity centers exclusively around Jesus. Obviously we are called to honor, exalt, and worship Christ, but we need to remember that Christ came in the first place to reconcile us to the Father.” We must strive to grow in our biblical knowledge if we are going to fully worship God. I’m well aware that God can reach to us without us “studying” His Word, but He gave us this Word for a reason. It is our sword and shield against the forces of evil in this world.
In our world today, there are numerous snares and traps out there waiting for us to slip up. Several years ago, Amy and I went out to Bandera, TX with her family. While driving out there, we passed through San Antonio. As we’re driving through San Antonio, we went by this building that looked like a church with a big sign out front that said “30 Minute Worship.” My attention was grabbed, so I began to do some research after we got home. This was a place that confined worship to 30 minutes: 15 minutes for the sermon, 10 for songs, and 5 for prayer. Their motto was “Fitting in worship when you don’t think you have the time.” Excuse me! You mean to tell me that worship is so far down on the priority list that we have to make time for it. It seems pretty clear to me, especially with the emphasis that Jesus is placing on worship here, that worship ought to be the priority. It ought to be that if we can fit other things in around our worship, then that’s alright, but we ought to place worship as the top priority. I’m no fool; I well know that in today’s world that is a much easier statement to make from the safety of this pulpit than from where you are sitting. My own children aren’t old enough to take part in sports or other activities that would cause them to neglect worship. We haven’t gotten to that point yet. How will Amy and I handle that when the time comes, we really don’t know. I can tell you this however, we will handle it with prayer in spirit and truth. We will handle it by the principles laid out for us in God’s word.
This Samaritan woman follows these words by Jesus about properly worshipping God by admitting that she knows that the Messiah is coming. She knows that when this Messiah comes, he will tell everyone what they are to do and who worships the right way and there will be no more confusion. Jesus responds to her, “I who speak to you am he.” When I read these words, I’m imagining Jesus standing there, looking at this woman just saying, “HELLO!” This Samaritan woman finally seems to get the message; a fact that we will revisit next week. She finally understands what Jesus has been talking about this entire time. She even takes this message back to the city. Meanwhile, the disciples return from the city only to find Jesus talking to this woman. They are just as confused by this site as the woman was when Jesus first spoke to her, but notice that none of them rebuke Jesus or vocalize their confusion in any way.
Thus far in our look at this series of events at Jacob’s well, we have seen a complete 180. We’ve seen a woman go from avoiding Jesus to a woman who just wants to be drawn closer to him. We’ve seen a woman who thought Jesus to be crazy transform into a woman who admits that he is the promised Messiah. There is no mistaking the truth; the Messiah has come and his name is Jesus. A truth for this woman just as much as it is a truth for us. In just a few moments, we will celebrate Jesus’ coming, specifically his ultimate sacrifice, with the Lord’s Supper. As we partake of this sacrament, this sign and seal of the covenant of grace, I want all of us to remember the saving work of Jesus Christ. For it is only because of this saving work, that we call allow this “living water” that we have been talking about flow freely in our hearts. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Think about the surprise that this woman has to be feeling at this time. She’s never met Jesus, nor are they from the same area. She could understand if he lived in this area and had heard from others about her past, but being a Jew it is likely that his time in Sychar would have been limited at best. Also, it’s not as if there is some sort of database or courthouse that kept marriage records on file so that Jesus could have done his research beforehand. It’s even likely that at this point the woman has yet to reveal her name to Jesus, so how could he know anything about her past prior to this event here at Jacob’s well? Not only does he know something about her, but he knows the thing that she probably most wants to hide from. At this point, she has to be on alert and I would imagine that her attention has completely turned to her conversation with Jesus if it wasn’t there already.
Wanting to steer the conversation away from here faults, which she’s doesn’t deny, she thinks Jesus to be a prophet. She knows that his information about her must have come from God, and prophet is all that she can imagine. So she decides to try and distract this man of God a little with some theological questioning, “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” You see, the Jews and the Samaritans had theological differences. We mentioned last week that the two groups had little to do with one another from a cultural perspective, and much of that stems from their theology. The Samaritans rejected the entirety of the Old Testament except for the Pentateuch (Torah, Law, etc.), or the first five books of the Bible. Their holy place was Mount Gerizim, the site of Israel’s celebration after entering into the Promised Land of Canaan at the conclusion of their 40 years in the wilderness. The Jews, who accepted the whole Old Testament, with Mount Zion as their holy place, had their temple in Jerusalem. While she may have actually been interested as to whether Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim was the proper holy place, it is most likely that she just wants Jesus to talk about something other than her past and her shortcomings.
Jesus doesn’t really fall for it. He goes on to talk about his hour coming, and that Mount Zion or Mount Gerizim doesn’t matter, and true worshippers worshiping the Father. And it almost seems that at first glance that he’s saying that both Jewish and Samaritan worship will give way to this new, coming worship, but that’s not exactly the case. Yes, Jesus is saying that the place itself won’t matter, but we have to deal with this statement “for salvation is from the Jews.” If the notion that both faiths were falling away was true, Jesus wouldn’t be able to make such a statement. Jesus himself even makes mention of the Samaritan woman and those like her not understanding what they worship whereas the Jews do know about what they worship. After all, the Jews are descended from the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God.
As Jesus continues to talk about faith and worship that flows from this “living water”, it becomes evident here that when we truly worship God, that we ought to seek to know him to the best of our abilities. And it’s this notion that I think that many Christians in this day-and-age are missing. There are many Christians today that are Old Testament ignorant. There are many Christians today who have little-to-no knowledge of the New Testament beyond the Gospels. How can we worship God to the fullest extent when we don’t know who He is? The Old Testament tells us who God is; it lays out for us why the events of the New Testament, in particular the Gospels, must occur. About this notion, R.C. Sproul writes, “We somehow think that Christianity centers exclusively around Jesus. Obviously we are called to honor, exalt, and worship Christ, but we need to remember that Christ came in the first place to reconcile us to the Father.” We must strive to grow in our biblical knowledge if we are going to fully worship God. I’m well aware that God can reach to us without us “studying” His Word, but He gave us this Word for a reason. It is our sword and shield against the forces of evil in this world.
In our world today, there are numerous snares and traps out there waiting for us to slip up. Several years ago, Amy and I went out to Bandera, TX with her family. While driving out there, we passed through San Antonio. As we’re driving through San Antonio, we went by this building that looked like a church with a big sign out front that said “30 Minute Worship.” My attention was grabbed, so I began to do some research after we got home. This was a place that confined worship to 30 minutes: 15 minutes for the sermon, 10 for songs, and 5 for prayer. Their motto was “Fitting in worship when you don’t think you have the time.” Excuse me! You mean to tell me that worship is so far down on the priority list that we have to make time for it. It seems pretty clear to me, especially with the emphasis that Jesus is placing on worship here, that worship ought to be the priority. It ought to be that if we can fit other things in around our worship, then that’s alright, but we ought to place worship as the top priority. I’m no fool; I well know that in today’s world that is a much easier statement to make from the safety of this pulpit than from where you are sitting. My own children aren’t old enough to take part in sports or other activities that would cause them to neglect worship. We haven’t gotten to that point yet. How will Amy and I handle that when the time comes, we really don’t know. I can tell you this however, we will handle it with prayer in spirit and truth. We will handle it by the principles laid out for us in God’s word.
This Samaritan woman follows these words by Jesus about properly worshipping God by admitting that she knows that the Messiah is coming. She knows that when this Messiah comes, he will tell everyone what they are to do and who worships the right way and there will be no more confusion. Jesus responds to her, “I who speak to you am he.” When I read these words, I’m imagining Jesus standing there, looking at this woman just saying, “HELLO!” This Samaritan woman finally seems to get the message; a fact that we will revisit next week. She finally understands what Jesus has been talking about this entire time. She even takes this message back to the city. Meanwhile, the disciples return from the city only to find Jesus talking to this woman. They are just as confused by this site as the woman was when Jesus first spoke to her, but notice that none of them rebuke Jesus or vocalize their confusion in any way.
Thus far in our look at this series of events at Jacob’s well, we have seen a complete 180. We’ve seen a woman go from avoiding Jesus to a woman who just wants to be drawn closer to him. We’ve seen a woman who thought Jesus to be crazy transform into a woman who admits that he is the promised Messiah. There is no mistaking the truth; the Messiah has come and his name is Jesus. A truth for this woman just as much as it is a truth for us. In just a few moments, we will celebrate Jesus’ coming, specifically his ultimate sacrifice, with the Lord’s Supper. As we partake of this sacrament, this sign and seal of the covenant of grace, I want all of us to remember the saving work of Jesus Christ. For it is only because of this saving work, that we call allow this “living water” that we have been talking about flow freely in our hearts. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
John 4:1-15 "Living Water"
We begin the 4th chapter of John’s gospel the same way that we began the 3rd, with a conversation between Jesus and another person. John 3 began with Jesus talking with Nicodemus: a man, a scholar, a Pharisee, and a member of the Sanhedrin. By all accounts, Nicodemus was the epitome of morality and honor at the time. Here, in John 4, we find a conversation with Nicodemus’ complete and total opposite. Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman while at Jacob’s well in Samaria. Now, normally Jesus would have gone around this area of Samaria when traveling because of the tension that existed between the Samaritans and the Jews. For some reason (we don’t know exactly why) Jesus had to go through this region at this point in his ministry. That’s when he comes across this particular woman, and she wasn’t just any woman. In addition to being a woman from Samaria, she was a woman of some immorality. We’re told later on in this chapter that she had already had 5 husbands and is currently living with a man who is not her husband. That’s three strikes: female (at least at this day-and-age), Samaritan, and questionable morality. I think that as we look closer at this conversation and exactly what Jesus has to say, we need to keep in mind that this woman has these three things against her. We need to be of the fact that she isn’t the most culturally accepted of persons during this time period. This fact will help us to understand the magnitude of Jesus’ words even better, because if they are true for this woman, then there is no person on this earth who they do not apply to. With that in mind let us look at this conversation at the water cooler.
You see, what we have here is a conversation at the “ole waterin’ hole” about water. I know, it sounds odd, but that’s what it is. It’s noontime (the sixth hour) and the sun is at its highest point. It’s as hot as it’s going to be that day and Jesus is thirsty from his travels. While he is sitting at this well, this Samaritan woman approaches. She can tell that he is a Jew by his appearance and so she takes great care to not get in his way or speak to him. Much to her surprise, this Jew looks at her and says, “Give me a drink.” She is absolutely flabbergasted. She can’t even process what has just happened. She even goes on to ask him why he would even be talking to her.
It’s at this point where Jesus begins to teach and explain who he is to this woman. He says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Much the same as we found with Nicodemus in John 3, the woman doesn’t understand Jesus’ words. About this verse, John Calvin writes, “Christ now, availing himself of the opportunity, begins to preach about the grace and power of his Spirit, and that to a woman who did not at all deserve that he should speak to her.” So, she begins to point out the reasons for her confusion. First, how could he give her anything to drink when he had nothing to draw water with from the well? Normally, a person would have had a bucket or a goatskin for fetching water, but Jesus had neither. Add to that that this well is estimated to be around 100 feet deep and he has no rope. Secondly, there is the problem of this phrase “living water.” During this time, living water was often understood to mean water that was in motion like you would find in a spring or a stream. Water in motion was considered to be better than stagnant water like you would find in a well. In our modern world we feel the same way since the motion helps to decrease the bacteria in the water supply. Well, this woman thinks Jesus is nuts for having this notion. After all, Jacob was the one who built this well. If there was any “living water” anywhere near there, he wouldn’t have worried with digging this massive hole. She thinks this guy is nuts. It’s almost as if he thinks he’s great than Jacob, and that’s crazy. There’s no way this guy is great than Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, at least in her mind.
Rarely, if ever, do many of us struggle with being truly thirsty in this country. There is water all around us, and pretty much all of it is safe for us to drink. Some folks are a little more peculiar than others, but there are those of us who wouldn’t give a second thought to picking up the water hose outside and drinking from it. Pretty much, unless we know that there is a problem, then we don’t think twice about it. When I was in Haiti last November, I experienced thirst. We would spend a minimum of 8 hours a day working in the sun with no shade anywhere around. If you were in the shade, it meant that you were working in an enclosed room, where the temperature was even higher than it was outside. Add to that, that none of the water that came up from the wells that were dug on the grounds was safe for us to drink for health reasons. The only source of water that we had were these little bags of water that were about the size of a bean bag that you would toss. Before we could even drink one of them, we had to wipe down a corner of the bag with some type of cleaning wipe, tear open the bag, and then get our few ounces of salvation from the heat. The problem was that there were a limited number of bags available per day, but there was almost no end to our thirst. You see, our physical bodies need water to survive. Our souls, they need living water to survive.
Jesus answers the woman’s questions and confusion with these words, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” Jesus is the living water. Jesus is who and what our souls need to survive. He is the source of such life-giving nourishment that there is no need to look elsewhere for sustenance. He continues his exposition, saying, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Have you ever tried to fill a hole, because that’s virtually all a well is is a hole. A well is a hole that is dug so deep and relatively narrow so that it holds water so that areas that are landlocked may have some water supply. A well is pretty easy to fill up and make the ground as if it never existed. A spring, however, is another story. A spring is naturally occurring, whereas a well is man-made. I have a good friend of mine who works in foundations and moving dirt prior to the building of a structure. He told me one time that there is nothing more difficult than dealing with springs because you never know what you’re getting into or if you’re even making any progress. You fill it, compact the dirt, fill it, compact it, fill, compact, fill, compact, and so on. The problem is that no matter how much you put on top of this spring, it continues to come through. The amount of dirt that you place on top of the spring really only affects how long it will take for the water to come back up and leave the ground a muddy mess. There must be something else done other than just throwing dirt on top of it.
When we think in terms of Jesus’ language here and his saying that he will be a spring in us, we have to ask what “dirt” we have tried throwing in this spring to fill it up. This particular woman from Samaria has tried love and relationships. She has been convinced that once she finds that one person that she will be complete and her life will be perfect. Well, she’s right in one sense, she is looking for one “person” so-to-speak. What dirt have you tried filling the spring of Christ with in your heart and in your life? Have you tried filling it with money, material possessions, friends, knowledge, or any other thing? It’s not that any of these things are inherently bad, but they cannot be what takes precedence in our lives.
After hearing what Jesus had to say, this woman expresses great joy. Her words are very similar to what our words ought to be after hearing the good news of the gospel, “Sir, give me this water.” Give me Jesus; give me Christ. After hearing all about the debt that was owed, the price that was paid, and the gifts that God freely gives to us out of his loving kindness, all we want is to be given this water. Friends, there are those out there who are hopelessly throwing dirt into the spring that exists within them. Their lives, while seemingly calm on the surface, are on a shaky and muddy foundation. We all need to pray for these people. We all need to reach out to these people. We need to long for God to make known to them and reveal to them that no amount of dirt, no earthly rewards, will fill in the spring of Christ. We, as children of God, will only be complete when we allow the spring of Christ to flow freely and unobstructed in our lives. Let’s stop shoveling dirt and let the living water flow within us and from us. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You see, what we have here is a conversation at the “ole waterin’ hole” about water. I know, it sounds odd, but that’s what it is. It’s noontime (the sixth hour) and the sun is at its highest point. It’s as hot as it’s going to be that day and Jesus is thirsty from his travels. While he is sitting at this well, this Samaritan woman approaches. She can tell that he is a Jew by his appearance and so she takes great care to not get in his way or speak to him. Much to her surprise, this Jew looks at her and says, “Give me a drink.” She is absolutely flabbergasted. She can’t even process what has just happened. She even goes on to ask him why he would even be talking to her.
It’s at this point where Jesus begins to teach and explain who he is to this woman. He says, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Much the same as we found with Nicodemus in John 3, the woman doesn’t understand Jesus’ words. About this verse, John Calvin writes, “Christ now, availing himself of the opportunity, begins to preach about the grace and power of his Spirit, and that to a woman who did not at all deserve that he should speak to her.” So, she begins to point out the reasons for her confusion. First, how could he give her anything to drink when he had nothing to draw water with from the well? Normally, a person would have had a bucket or a goatskin for fetching water, but Jesus had neither. Add to that that this well is estimated to be around 100 feet deep and he has no rope. Secondly, there is the problem of this phrase “living water.” During this time, living water was often understood to mean water that was in motion like you would find in a spring or a stream. Water in motion was considered to be better than stagnant water like you would find in a well. In our modern world we feel the same way since the motion helps to decrease the bacteria in the water supply. Well, this woman thinks Jesus is nuts for having this notion. After all, Jacob was the one who built this well. If there was any “living water” anywhere near there, he wouldn’t have worried with digging this massive hole. She thinks this guy is nuts. It’s almost as if he thinks he’s great than Jacob, and that’s crazy. There’s no way this guy is great than Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, at least in her mind.
Rarely, if ever, do many of us struggle with being truly thirsty in this country. There is water all around us, and pretty much all of it is safe for us to drink. Some folks are a little more peculiar than others, but there are those of us who wouldn’t give a second thought to picking up the water hose outside and drinking from it. Pretty much, unless we know that there is a problem, then we don’t think twice about it. When I was in Haiti last November, I experienced thirst. We would spend a minimum of 8 hours a day working in the sun with no shade anywhere around. If you were in the shade, it meant that you were working in an enclosed room, where the temperature was even higher than it was outside. Add to that, that none of the water that came up from the wells that were dug on the grounds was safe for us to drink for health reasons. The only source of water that we had were these little bags of water that were about the size of a bean bag that you would toss. Before we could even drink one of them, we had to wipe down a corner of the bag with some type of cleaning wipe, tear open the bag, and then get our few ounces of salvation from the heat. The problem was that there were a limited number of bags available per day, but there was almost no end to our thirst. You see, our physical bodies need water to survive. Our souls, they need living water to survive.
Jesus answers the woman’s questions and confusion with these words, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.” Jesus is the living water. Jesus is who and what our souls need to survive. He is the source of such life-giving nourishment that there is no need to look elsewhere for sustenance. He continues his exposition, saying, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Have you ever tried to fill a hole, because that’s virtually all a well is is a hole. A well is a hole that is dug so deep and relatively narrow so that it holds water so that areas that are landlocked may have some water supply. A well is pretty easy to fill up and make the ground as if it never existed. A spring, however, is another story. A spring is naturally occurring, whereas a well is man-made. I have a good friend of mine who works in foundations and moving dirt prior to the building of a structure. He told me one time that there is nothing more difficult than dealing with springs because you never know what you’re getting into or if you’re even making any progress. You fill it, compact the dirt, fill it, compact it, fill, compact, fill, compact, and so on. The problem is that no matter how much you put on top of this spring, it continues to come through. The amount of dirt that you place on top of the spring really only affects how long it will take for the water to come back up and leave the ground a muddy mess. There must be something else done other than just throwing dirt on top of it.
When we think in terms of Jesus’ language here and his saying that he will be a spring in us, we have to ask what “dirt” we have tried throwing in this spring to fill it up. This particular woman from Samaria has tried love and relationships. She has been convinced that once she finds that one person that she will be complete and her life will be perfect. Well, she’s right in one sense, she is looking for one “person” so-to-speak. What dirt have you tried filling the spring of Christ with in your heart and in your life? Have you tried filling it with money, material possessions, friends, knowledge, or any other thing? It’s not that any of these things are inherently bad, but they cannot be what takes precedence in our lives.
After hearing what Jesus had to say, this woman expresses great joy. Her words are very similar to what our words ought to be after hearing the good news of the gospel, “Sir, give me this water.” Give me Jesus; give me Christ. After hearing all about the debt that was owed, the price that was paid, and the gifts that God freely gives to us out of his loving kindness, all we want is to be given this water. Friends, there are those out there who are hopelessly throwing dirt into the spring that exists within them. Their lives, while seemingly calm on the surface, are on a shaky and muddy foundation. We all need to pray for these people. We all need to reach out to these people. We need to long for God to make known to them and reveal to them that no amount of dirt, no earthly rewards, will fill in the spring of Christ. We, as children of God, will only be complete when we allow the spring of Christ to flow freely and unobstructed in our lives. Let’s stop shoveling dirt and let the living water flow within us and from us. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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