"Go Out and Go Deep"
John 4:7-26
Sunday, July 1, 2012

Introduction: In our passage this morning we see one of the few times that Jesus breaks away from the disciples. Normally, Jesus wants the disciples to see what He is doing. Much of how Jesus taught the disciples was by them watching Him deal with people, and loving people, and healing people. But in this case, Jesus is tired and sits down at the well to rest as the disciples go on ahead to buy some food. This gives Jesus the opportunity to encounter the Samaritan woman at the well. There are 2 reasons why Jesus does it in this way: first, Jews were not to talk to Samaritans; and second, men and women (especially those who are strangers) did not interact with each other. So the disciples, if they were there, would have made it difficult for Jesus to have this discussion with the woman.

            Jesus knows that He has a great opportunity for ministry to happen when He encounters this woman. Jesus understood that this woman, who was from Sychar, had traveled about a half of a mile outside the city to get water, when there was water in Sychar. Jesus understood that she was an outcast because of something she had done. Jesus took the time to minister to her. 

This morning we are going to look at how Jesus was able to reach out to her by finding a way to connect with her first, then finding some common ground to use for  discussion, and finally reaching the point of sharing a truth with her that would lead her to overcome the bondage she was under.

I.                   Be Willing To Be Served- (John 4:7)

a.      Helping others to feel needed- In the movie “Failure to Launch,”

Sarah Jessica Parker plays a woman who helps parents get their adult children to move out of the house. She does this by getting into a relationship with the men, and leading them to believe that it would be better to live out on their own. And so in one of the scenes in the movie, Sarah Jessica Parker is employing one of her strategies to reel the guy in, and this strategy is to allow the man to “teach her something.” She believes that if the man is put in this position of “instructor,” that it will lead him to feel more wanted and needed.

            This concept of connecting with people in a way that allows them to feel wanted and needed, can be a valuable way to build relationships. But unlike Sarah Jessica Parker, it needs to be sincere. When you can find a way where another person can help you, when you can seem to have a need met by another, it is humbling for you, and empowering for them.

            In fact, we see Jesus doing just this in our story. Jesus is sitting at the well, He is thirsty, but the well is too deep for Him to get any water. Then this woman comes along, and she has a bucket to get water. This is a great opportunity for Jesus to break the ice, and to have a need met by another. So He says to the woman: “Give me a drink.”/              This surprises the woman that Jesus, a Jewish man, would speak to her, a Samaritan woman. And yet, just by getting her to speak this statement, Jesus has broken the ice. Because she has spoken, it opens the door for Jesus to respond and begin a discussion.

b.      Helping another who is burdened- Now before we get into analyzing

this discussion, I want to point out something else that is important. I’m sure that this discourse, in John chapter 4, is not the whole discussion that took place. It is probably a summary that was told to the disciples and which John placed in his gospel. It is like the minutes of a meeting. It gives you the overview of the important points, but does not include everything that was said. I make mention of this, because I think that this woman was burdened by her predicament of having had several husbands; burdened by her failure in her relationships; burdened by being an outcast. And I’m sure that she saw love and compassion in Jesus’ eyes. In Jesus, she saw someone who wasn’t going to judge her, but would listen to her and be there for her.

            EX. I have seen this happen in my own life as well. I have always seemed to have this gift where people will share their troubles with me. When Tyler and Tiffany were in elementary school, I would drop them off at school. Every so often I would get into a conversation with one of the other parents. As I talked to them, I could  tell they felt burdened about something, and the more we talked the more they shared their predicament. And as they shared, I could see that their burden was being lifted off of them, because they finally had found someone who would listen to them, without judging them. Even though our talking didn’t solve the problem, it was still helpful because I could guide them to Jesus, and let them know that I would pray for them.

            I believe that this happened with Jesus and the woman. Jesus is willing to converse with her, and she senses Jesus to be someone with whom she can pour out her soul, and maybe even find some help and release from her inner turmoil.

            By asking for her help, Jesus in a sense humbles Himself to her, and she feels a sense of empowerment. This gives her the courage to speak out to Jesus.

            And so, I ask the first question of the day: “Who is someone that you know who might be burdened? How can you ask for their help, and by doing so open up the lines of communication for discussion in a way that might let you help them in their burden?” It could be that you need to borrow some sugar from your neighbor, or maybe something has broken and you know someone who could help you fix it. There are many ways in which you can ask for help and create an opportunity.

II.                Find Common Ground- (John 4:7-15, 21-23)

Jesus knows that there are some barriers as He talks with this woman: he is Jewish and she is a Samaritan; she is a woman and He is a man. Jesus can tell that  she feels they have nothing in common. So Jesus begins to further the discussion by showing her the things they do have in common.

a.      Water- The first is water. She is seeking to get water that will satisfy

her thirst. Jesus wants her to know that there is a thirst in her, in us, that is greater than physical thirst. It is our spiritual thirst. While our physical thirst seems to be a greater need, because it is always there before us, our spiritual thirst is more hidden and needs to be brought to our attention.

            Isn’t this true in our world? People are seeking the physical. Whether it is relationships, or sex, thrills or possessions, the physical needs seem to be most important. And yet, the spiritual is a vital part of who we truly are. The truth is our spirit is the only thing that will live on after we die. And so caring for the spiritual is a greater need./  In verse 10 we read: “Jesus answered her, ‘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.’”/  Jesus surprises her with this statement. I believe this answer is very clever of Jesus, because now Jesus has this woman’s curiosity going, and from this point on she will lead the conversation forward. Jesus takes the topic of water, and leads her into a spiritual discussion!

b.      The well- The second thing that they have in common is the well.

Jesus’ statement in verse 10 causes the woman to respond in verses 11 & 12: “…. ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well..?”/  Wow. The woman has now opened up the conversation to “living water” and “Jacob.” What a great opportunity for Jesus to move forward in a spiritual discussion. What a great opportunity Jesus has of challenging the woman in regards to faith.

            Jesus responds in verse 13: “… ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’”/  After this statement, the woman wants what Jesus has for her. She is hooked by His truth and by the fact that even someone like her, burdened by her past, can receive this eternal life./     But Jesus knows that she is not ready yet. She has to admit her sin and unburden her life. So Jesus asks her about her husband. “I have no husband” she responds. Jesus tells her that He knows all about her life; her 5 husbands before, and now she is living unwed with a man!/

Jesus says this in a way that is truthful and yet not judgmental. We see this to be true by her response in not shying away from Jesus, or turning and running, but to call Jesus a prophet and to talk about worship./  This opens another door.

c.      Worship- The third thing that they have in common is worship. And

in fact, Jesus knows that other than salvation, worship is the most important aspect of life. Jesus knows that all people have been created to worship God, but that so many worship the wrong god, or worship in the wrong way. So Jesus tries to educate the woman on worship; its importance and how it is to be done.

            He flat out tells the woman that she is worshipping wrong. Jesus has now established Himself enough to speak with this kind of forwardness and truth. She is worshipping the wrong god! And Jesus has the opportunity to tell her this./   How often do we realize that someone is worshipping the wrong god, and not tell them?

EX. A number of years ago we had some neighbors move in across from us. The family consists of 3 children, a mom, and a dad. Our children started to play with them and become friends with them. They are Catholic, but do not go to church regularly. I started to talk with the mom about faith issue. One day I noticed that some Mormons were starting to visit her house. This concerned me, so I prayed to see if God wanted me to help educate her on how Mormons were not Christians. God gave me an opportunity, and after that she didn’t let the Mormons come anymore.

We should tell others when they are seeking after the wrong gods! And Jesus did tell this woman. But even more, Jesus told her who she should worship, and how she could worship. Jesus tells her that the God of the Jews is the true God, and that Jesus is the Messiah, the One who will lead all people to the true God. And so it is through Jesus only that we can worship God.

      But even more than that, it is through our spirit that we worship. Because God is Spirit, not physical, we have to find a way to connect our spirit to the Spirit of God. That is what a worship service is designed to do, connect our spirit with God’s spirit. That is where prayer, and singing, and the Bible, and confession come in. These aspects of worship lead us to the inner part of our being; to our spirit. And as we open ourselves to God in worship, God can then fill us with His Spirit and lead us forward.

III.             Speak the Truth- (Galatians 6:1; John 4:16-20, 24-26)

The last point I want to make this morning, is that you can be straight with

people, you can be truthful with people, and still be loving. The apostle Paul reminds us in Galatians 6:1- “My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness.”

a.      In love- The whole concept of speaking truth is to restore others to a

right way of living, and a right way of worshipping. But this is to be done with gentleness and love. When Jesus spoke truth to the woman, He didn’t want to embarrass her, or put her down, but rather to help her to move to a place where she realized that she was not living right, and to help her to be right with God. I believe this is why Jesus spoke to the woman without the disciples. This whole encounter would have been embarrassing for her in front of others. And yet it was needed, so Jesus did it one on one. As you speak the truth in love with others, do it one-on-one.

            Illus. - I’LL CATCH YOU- One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee to the roof. The father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, "Jump! I'll catch you." He knew the boy had to jump to save his life. All the boy could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, he was afraid to leave the roof. His father kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But the boy protested, "Daddy, I can't see you." The father replied, "But I can see you and that's all that matters."

            Often, when we encounter others who have gone astray, and we speak the truth to them, they are not always willing to listen and change their ways. They are like the boy who couldn’t see his father, and because they can’t see the way to go, we have to assure them that we can see and we will get them there safely. Jesus was letting the woman know that He knew the truth and could guide her to where she needed to go. If she trusted Him, He would get her out of her sinful life, and into a wonderful and worshipful relationship with the true God!

b.      Without judgment- But on top of this, Jesus didn’t judge her.

Although it might seem like He was judging her, telling her that she was living in sin, and telling her that she didn’t worship the right God, in fact Jesus was trying to help her see the error of her ways./  If Jesus was judging her, He would have told her there was no hope for her.

            Let me show to you that Jesus wasn’t judging her by sharing again with you some statements He made to the woman: verse 10, “if you knew the free gift that God is offering you..”/   In answer to her statement “I have no husband,” Jesus concludes: “What you say is true.” And then He goes on to help her see whom He is, and whom God is, and how to worship this God. And when the disciples come and ask Jesus why He is talking to her, Jesus goes on to talk about doing the will of His Father, and that the fields are ripe for harvesting the lost.

            As I said before, the woman didn’t feel judged, or she would have left, or tried to defend herself. But instead she made statements like: “Sir, give me this water,” and “I see you are a prophet.” And then when she goes and talks to the people back in the city. She tells them about Jesus being the Messiah./   Even though Jesus is the One person who could judge her, He doesn’t. WHY? This wasn’t the time to judge her, and judgment wouldn’t serve God’s purposes. God’s purpose for Jesus, and for us, is to go out into the world and without judgment share God’s truth of love and salvation.

Conclusion: God’s call on our lives, as individuals, and as a church is to build bridges with those who are lost or have gone astray. In our scripture passage today we saw a wonderful example of how Jesus built a bridge with the woman at the well. We saw how this allowed Him to capture her interest, so that He could share God’s truth with her. Just as the well was deep, so Jesus was able to go deep with this woman. I pray that we would find ways to have deep spiritual conversations with those in our lives who haven’t yet found the truth of God. And when we do, may we do it in a loving and non-judgmental way. Let us commit to do this for the Lord now and always. Amen.