February 17, 2003
March 23
___John 4:4-30, 39-42
If you are willing, then you are able
___By Paul Kenley
___Just as Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus in chapter 3 is an instructional model for witness, so is his conversation with the woman at the well in chapter 4.
___The recipients of his witness, however, have little in common. Nicodemus was a highly-respected religious leader. The woman at the well was of ill reputation and tainted character. The one was a male of authority; the other a female from the dregs of society. Remarkably, Jesus treats both with equal patience and respect.
___In Nicodemus, we learn of Jesus' ability to adapt his presentation of the gospel to one well-versed in religion. In the Samaritan woman, we observe his respect for women, even for one who was experienced in making poor life choices. The need for God's saving love was the same for both.
___Samaria--A different
___sort of place
___In the biblical record, Samaria is first mentioned as a purchase by Omri, king of Israel, who made it the capital of the Northern Kingdom. The name, which was first that of a city, later became the designation of the entire region.
___In the time of Christ, western Palestine was divided into three provinces--Judea, Samaria and Galilee. Samaria occupied the center of Palestine (John 4:4). It is called in the Talmud the "land of the Cuthim" and is not regarded as a part of the Holy Land at all.
___ Of particular interest is that the distance between Samaria and Jerusalem, the respective capitals of the two kingdoms, is only 35 miles in a direct line. The long-standing enmity between the two provinces, as Samaria frequently changed hands, came to a head under Roman rule when Caesar Augustus gave it to Herod the Great as a province of his rule.
___Historically, the Jews looked upon Samaria with disdain. The racial, social, religious and cultural prejudices between Jew and Samaritan hit a fever pitch during the time of Christ--so much so that a Jew headed from Jerusalem to northern Palestine would travel far out of his way, crossing to the east side of the Jordan River before heading north through Perea, just to avoid passing through Samaria.
___Why even go there?
___Verses 1-3 tell us the departure of Jesus from Judea that took him through Samaria was necessitated by his increased fame in Jerusalem--even greater than John the Baptist. He evidently withdrew to remove himself from the spotlight, choosing Galilee as his destination. Such a trip when traveled directly would take him through Samaria, a course which undoubtedly caused his disciples no small amount of discomfort.
___As Jesus approached the village of Sychar, he came upon Jacob's Well on a piece of ground Jacob had given his son Joseph (v. 5). There he encountered a woman he asked for a drink. Worthy of note in verse 6 is that Jesus was physically fatigued, an important insight into his humanity. Since the disciples had gone into town to buy food (v. 8) and were temporarily out of the picture, the stage was set for Jesus' personal conversation with the woman.
___A socially unacceptable conversation
___The fact that he would speak to this woman at all amazed her. Not only was she a Samaritan, but female at that. Jesus plunged immediately to the point. In verse 7, he shifts the focus from his need to hers. The expression "living water" forms a subtle introduction to the numerous "I am" sayings of Jesus in John's gospel. ("I am the light of the world," "I am the door to the sheepfold," "I am the bread," "I am the vine," to name a few.) Common to all these metaphors is Jesus' use of something in the physical world to explain his purpose in coming.
___Verse 11 makes clear that the woman failed to grasp the meaning of "living water." She was still thinking in terms of water from the well. (That she calls Jacob "father" demonstrates that the Samaritans believed themselves to be descended from Jacob through Joseph.)
___Here Jesus drives home his point. What he offers her is living water that "becomes a well springing up to eternal life" (v. 14). She immediately asks for this water, but first Jesus finds it necessary to explore her current life situation and how the "living water" must come to bear upon it.
___A colorful past
___In verses 16-19, Jesus explores the woman's way of life. His perfect ability to perceive the details of her many relationships bared her personal life in a way that would make anyone uncomfortable. He recounted to her the number of "husbands" she had, making clear that none of the previous five nor the present one were ever actually her husband. Yet Jesus spoke not one word that belittled or condemned. She was so taken aback by hearing such details from a total stranger that she could only react with an understatement: "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet."
___A vital part of Holy Spirit conviction in any of our lives surely must be the knowledge that we can keep nothing from God. That he knows everything about us, yet loves us still, draws us to him like no other.
___We can only marvel at the way Jesus affirmed this woman of a sordid past, particularly in a time when women were generally denigrated. That he valued her as a person cannot be questioned. She is so flabbergasted she can do nothing but change the subject.
___A mountain of worship
___The woman was familiar enough with Jewish worship to contrast it with that of her own people. His statement in verse 22, that "salvation is from the Jews," is of great significance.
___Certainly salvation was intended to begin with the Jews and then be conveyed to the world through them. Since the Jews rejected the Messiah, however, they were circumvented in this process. Nevertheless, because Jesus was himself a Jew, salvation has literally come to the world "out of" them.
___As to true worship, Jesus tells the woman that neither a mountain nor any other particular location is critical. He foretold of a time when true worship would be spiritually centered as the spirit of man communes with the Spirit of God.
___Notable to Jesus' thinking is his description of God as Spirit. Herein lies a word of warning against worship becoming mechanical, where the emphasis is on location or setting. The mechanics of worship are never as important as the act of worship itself. The evolution of worship has not been good when it directs our attention to style of music, types of instruments or quality of lighting.
___What truly commands our attention is exalting and blessing the nature, the character and the works of God. For worship to be truly meaningful, prayer, praise and proclamation must exalt the God of grace who has acted for the redemption of the human race by taking on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
___The Messiah identified
___The woman's stated expectation of a coming Messiah in verse 25 indicates her background was not void of religious teaching, or at least of historical events. Samaritan history had recorded the presence of a number of false prophets claiming the role.
___According to Josephus, even Pontias Pilate has been involved in quelling one such uprising. In contrast to these, however, the woman stated clearly how the real Messiah would be different. "He will declare all things to us."
___Jesus responds in plain language that he is that true Messiah. Considering how he had described the woman's life situation in detail, she surely must have been ready to accept his claim. Certainly her first witness in the community reflected such belief--a witness that urged others to come meet the man who "told me all the things that I have done" (v. 29).
___A qualified and
___effective witness
___In verses 39-42, John records the results, not only of Jesus' witness to the woman, but also of her witness to those around her. Here we find an uneducated woman with a tainted past and a questionable reputation witnessing powerfully and effectively of her faith. So dynamic was the impact of her witness that the townspeople urged Jesus to stay on in Sychar two more days.
___While the people who heard Jesus seemed to discount the woman's testimony because they had now heard him personally, we dare not join them in such an assessment. Indeed, the faithful witness of this woman had pointed others to Jesus, and that is perhaps the best witness of all. She could not save any of them, but she directed them to the One who could. Such is the calling of any child of God. She could not explain what had happened to her in theological terms, but she was clear on the end result.
___The expression "Savior of the world" indicates the general expectation of a coming Messiah, and that they now believed Jesus to be that Messiah.
___So what is the bottom line? A vital, underlying teaching in this passage must surely be this: If Jesus could use such a woman as this to turn her village upside down, he can use any of us who are willing and submitted. Like the woman, we cannot save anyone, but as did she, we can point people to the One who can.
___Questions for discussion
___What can we learn by comparing Nicodemus and the woman at the well as to the need for the gospel by every kind of person?
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