Our gospel lesson this morning features 3 different characters, the Samaritan Woman, Jesus Christ, and the disciples. I would like to take an in depth look at each character to see how they made this story so very interesting. I say, character, because the disciples spoke to Jesus as one, when they returned from town with the supplies.
I would also like to suggest, to those present, who studied this woman in depth in the Scope lessons, that the tradition of this Samaritan woman being a sinful woman, a woman of the street, a woman with a bad reputation, might not be correct. Remember Margaret Wold explaining that this woman might had five husbands because, One: the man had complete control over his wife as it says in Deut.24:1-4 and could write her a bill of divorce and send her out of the house for such a simple act as burning the barley cakes. For it says clearly in Deut.24: "When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes, because he has found some indecency in her, he may write her a bill of divorce and put it in her hand and send her out of this house...." Another possibility, besides this woman being divorced five times for burning the barely cakes, could have been the idea of the "levirate" marriage, where if a man dies and they have no children, the brothers of the dead husband must take her to be his wife, as was the case with Ruth, who became the wife of Boaz in this manner. This could of happened to her 5 times, or she could have been divorced 5 times because she couldn't bear children. And the man she is living with now is not her husband, but could have been a relative of one of her late or divorced husbands.
In any case, Jesus had a good long talk with this woman at the well. This conversation with this woman is the longest conversation that is recorded in the gospels that Jesus had with either men or women.
The woman came to the well in the middle of the day, because she didn't want to be around the other women who probably didn't like her much for whatever reason. Her being divorced 5 times, or not being able to bear children, or what tradition tells us of her. She came with a troubled heart, and I am going to suggest for this morning, her problem was not her sinful lifestyle, but her inability to bear children which made her situation so desperate. She had reached her level of endurance. She thought she was going to be alone, but a man, a Jew, was sitting on the stone that covered her well. Also, Jesus spoke first, which is highly unusually, so her first reaction is one of being defensive, as she says: "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Seymour"?
Then Jesus sensing her situation in life, one of an outcast, reaches out to her with the gift of love, the gift of God, as 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.'"! Now the woman is very curious and asks about this "living water". She senses in Jesus, I think, a compassion, a kindness, she had not seen nor felt from anyone, let alone from a man, for a very long time. I think she kept the conversation going, because she felt something different inside as she visited with Jesus. She felt her despair, her loneliness, her guilt, her brokenness, all coming to the surface of her heart, mind and soul. Somehow, she felt free in His presence, to release, to let go of all that was making her feel less than God intends anyone of us to feel.
I can relate to this woman very well, can you? Can you relate to the despair, the brokenness in your own life as you sense her battle with all the brokenness in her life. As we are honest with ourselves, we come to realize all of us at one point or another live in brokenness and despair. We live in period of time when life seems to be out of control, when we wonder why, or we ask God how did I deserve to have this happen in my life.
Janet Block is writing a series of poems for me to use during this Lenten Season. One of her poems relates to this child-less woman and all people who are feeling the brokenness, and despair of this world. Janet says," How often I have heard myself say.... "I don't deserve this....!" Being forced to make my own way.... A chance I would rather miss......"I don't deserve this....! I shouted and accused the Lord....You promised me babies and bliss....And divorce is Not a just reward.....But somehow in my agony....I heard Him gently whisper----"I'm here, I have not left thee,.... through Me your pain is shared....By the Sharing of the burden........And the grace of God above.....I know no man or woman.......Could have a greater love......Now,.... in joy, I say....."I DON'T DESERVE THIS.....!!
Do you see and feel the despair of that woman, or any person who is feeling the brokenness of life. All of us feel at some point that we don't deserve the brokenness in our lives. We do,.. we are allowed to cry out to God with our anger, our frustrations, our despair as we fully realize how personal this relationship with God is through His Son.
Notice please in this conversation, that it begins with some very general things and in a big hurry it gets to some very personal and troubling items in this woman's life. It goes from a misunderstanding of the "living waters", to an understanding that Jesus Christ is the "living water", from an unbelief about worship, to believing that Jesus is the Son who is to be worshiped. This conversation brings this lady into a very personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
As story continued, after pouring her heart out to Jesus, after asking for the living water, so she might not thirst, she says to Jesus,"I perceive that You are a prophet." Then after some more conversation about worshiping, she confesses that she believes the Messiah is coming, Jesus answers He is the Messiah, then in verse 28 it says: "Then the woman left her water jar, went back to the town and said to the people there,"Come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done. Could He be the Messiah?" (Good News Bible) Do you sense the release, the freedom, the redemption that woman felt in her life as she encountered Jesus at that well. She had come alone so she wouldn't have to face the people, but now, now, she runs back to town with the news that she may have, or she did have, a conversation with the Messiah. I believe her question to be a rhetorical one stating the fact she does indeed, believe that Jesus is the Messiah. Notice what it says in verses 39, 40 & 41, "Many of the Samaritans in that town believed in Jesus because the woman had said, 'He told me everything I have ever done.'So when the Samaritans came to Him, they begged Him to stay with them, and Jesus stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His message." (Good News Bible) Do you see how really great, how powerful, how far reaching this simple encounter at the well was for Jesus, for that woman and for the town people. Jesus saw through the brokenness of that woman and gave her hope, comfort, a renewed sense of self-worth, and the courage to go back to town and not avoid people, but proclaim to them the great news that she, SHE, a woman, an outcast had seen and talked with the Messiah. What a day, what an experience for her.
Now to look at Jesus. Did He plan this encounter? Did He know this woman was going to be coming, so He sent His disciples into town for food, so He could be alone with her? Did He sense that she would be receptive to His message of grace, freedom, forgiveness and love? She was hostile at first, she was defensive, but then, then, in that magic moment she felt the love, the forgiveness, the comfort, the hope, the mercy, the surrounding power of Christ to change one's whole life. She saw in Jesus, not the wrath of the law, not the conviction of society, not the wrath of an unjust God, not the will of God to bring brokenness into our live, on -the- other-hand, she saw, and felt, the love of God, period.
May I ask you, when you picture Jesus, when you picture God, what is the first image that races to the front of your mind? Is it one of justice, or cruelty, of God causing brokenness and evil in this world? Many people have that image of God as illustrated in the following: Pastor Robert Hock says in the Augsburg Sermon Book Series A,"I remember when my wife gave birth to twins years ago and the doctor took me aside and told me they wouldn't live, and he added: "Please try to accept God's will." Again, just 2 years ago when my wife contracted cancer herself, a surgeon tried to comfort me with: "We have to accept God's will" BALONEY!!! The will of God is LOVE and GRACE and MERCY. If the cross teaches us nothing more, surely, it teaches us that at the heart of the universe there is a heart, beating and throbbing, full of love --unconditional love, " a love that will not let us go," as the old hymn puts it. And that's precisely the love Christ exemplifies there at Jacob's well, with that Samaritan woman, just as it's the same love of God teaches us about in His parable of the prodigal son; nor is He the kind of God that wills evil, or brings cancer upon His children, or makes little babies die. Christ brings us the "living water" of grace, mercy and peace. His love goes all the way to the cross so the brokenness of her childless life, and all the rest of us prodigals, might be loved into the very newness of life! That's the gospel!!! Pastor Robert Hock continues, "I believe that Jesus' coming into the world, the cross that we focus on during this season of Lent, His great love and mercy; all show us that in God's eyes we are truly worth saving. Or to put it yet another way, if we don't have any worth, as some of the doom peddlers today would have us believe, then God in Christ sure did go to a lot of trouble for nothing!! Peter put it:"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people...Once you were no people but now you are God's people".(I Peter 2:9,10) The difference between night and day; between no life at all, and new life in Him!!
Now that brings us to the last character in this story, the disciples. As it says in vs. 27," At that moment Jesus' disciples returned and they were greatly surprised to find Him talking with a woman. But none of them said to her,"What do you want?" or asked Jesus,"Why are you talking with her?" But the thoughts in their minds were disturbing enough. They were saying, weren't they: "Jesus why are you talking to that kind of woman? Don't you know she is a Samaritan woman? Don't you know that the whole town talks about her?" Yes, wasn't there a judgmental attitude on the part of the disciples as they returned seeing their master talking with someone who was not like them?
Isn't this how it usually is? Jesus finds someone who needs to be comforted, cared for, someone who needs his mercy, and the disciples do not understand what His mission is all about? They cannot see that His mission is for and to the outcasts of society? Can't they see that His "living water" is for all people, not just the righteous, but for the outcast as well?
This woman had developed in that short period of time, a relationship with Jesus that freed her so much that she was able to go into town, face the people, and bring them out to see Jesus and hear His message. But the disciples didn't understand. They had not yet fully understood His mission, they had not gotten into that close, personal relationship with Him as that Samaritan woman did? She understood, they didn't.
I wonder how many of us from time to time are like those disciples? How do you see your personal relationship with Jesus? Are you close? Are you as free as that woman? Or are you still bound up in all the laws, in all the brokenness of this world?
I wonder what my reactions and your reactions would be to the following:
"The Rev. Henry Maxwell of the First Church had just finishing his sermon when the entire congregation was startled by the sound of a man's voice. It came from the rear of the church. The man came forward, stood on the cancel steps and said, "I've been wondering since I came in here, if it would be just the thing to say a word at the close of the service. I'm not drunk, and I'm not crazy and I am perfectly harmless, but if I die, as there is every likelihood I shall in a few days, I want the satisfaction of thinking that I said my say in a place like this, and before this sort of crowd." No one tried to stop him, not even Rev. Maxwell, as he leaned over the pulpit looking at the man. He continued: "I lost my job 10 months ago as a printer. The new machines made my job obsolete, I don't know how to do anything else; I've tramped all over the country trying to find something. There are good many others like me. I'm not complaining, am I? As I listened to the sermon from the back pew, I heard your pastor say: 'that it is necessary for the disciples of Jesus to follow His steps, and he said the steps are 'obedience, faith, love and imitation.' But I did not hear him tell you just what he meant, that to mean, especially, the last step. What do you Christians mean by following the steps of Jesus? I've tramped through this city for 3 days trying to find a job; and in all that time, I've not had a word of sympathy or comfort except from your minister here, who said he was sorry for me and hoped I would find a job somewhere. I suppose it is because you get imposed on by the professional tramp that you have lost your interest in any other sort. I'm not blaming anybody, am I? Just stating facts. Of course, I understand you can't all go out of your way to hunt up jobs for other people like me. I'm not asking you to; but what I feel puzzled about is what is meant by following Jesus. What do you mean when you sing,"I'll go with Him, with Him,all the way." Do you mean that you are suffering and denying yourselves and trying to save lost,and suffering humanity just as I understood Jesus did?" He continued saying; "But what would Jesus do? Is that what do you mean by following His steps?" At that moment, the man passed out. He was taken to the parsonage, the service end. In a couple of days the man died. Pastor Maxwell, the following Sunday, had a most unusual sermon where he asked members of First Church to stay after if they wanted to and pledge for a year to ask the question, "What would Jesus Do?" before they did or planned any action in their lives. This is a very interesting little book and I don't have the time to tell you the whole story, but the main point is easy enough. As you and I live our lives, shouldn't we be asking that question:"What would Jesus Do?" How would Jesus want me to act, think or feel about events, people, places or things? (In His Steps by Charles Sheldon)
Can I be like Jesus in all my relationships? Could I have accepted that woman at the well? Could I have treated that tramp with kindness, and a little understanding? Could I have tried in some way to find him a job, or even offered him a cup of coffee and listened for a few moments to his plight? Can you or I be like Jesus, seeing past the outside facade of a person to the real person beneath?t Can and will we accept people as they are, for the own self-worth as children of God? WHAT WOULD JESUS DO?? HOW WOULD YOU LIVE WITH THAT QUESTION ALWAYS ON YOUR MIND?
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale