Well or Spring? (2)
John 4:1-26
A Samaritan woman, who lives
an immoral life, who is alone, who tries to hide her problem… is facing Jesus.
Maybe it is the first time
this woman is talking with a man who respects her and give solutions to her
problems. In the Armenian sermon, I was pointing out that Jesus broke all the taboos in order to bring one more person into the
We sometimes argue how we
should worship. Which style is the right one? Which musical instrument is the
right one? The place, which church… and on and on.
Jesus is challenging the woman
and us today. “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth
for they are the kind of worshipers that Father seeks. God is spirit, and his
worshipers must worship in spirit and truth.” (23-24)
“Blessed are the poor in
Spirit,” says Jesus. It means you have emptied yourself so that God will fill
you with the LIVING WATER. I usually stress this point. Please do not come to the
worship service full- your mind closed, your heart hardened, or temrads (half-asleep).
There will be no place for God. You need to be poor in spirit, in order
be rich in God’s Spirit, the LIVING WATER
Thirst is one of the most powerful spiritual symbols in all
scripture.
David says:
As the deer pants for
streams of water, so
my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the
living God. When can I go and meet with God? (Psalm 42;1,2)
I spread out my hands to
you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched
land.(psalm 143:6)
Jesus said:
“Blessed are those who
hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
“On the last and greatest
day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is
thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me,
as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from
within him.” (John 7:37-38)
Jesus is saying to this woman, “Stop drinking
from this ‘worldly well’. You are always going to be dissatisfied. Five
husbands did not satisfy you; nothing can satisfy you.” We do look for our satisfaction all over and we think we found it...
but then we are thirsty again.
First,
to have the Living Water, to have the spiritual spring, we MUST
DESIRE for God’s WATER.
When Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman
about the water that gives eternal life, she misunderstood. She was thinking in
worldly terms. Most likely, she said in her mind, “How nice it will be to have a
spring at home. We will not have to come to the well to draw water; we are not
going to be thirsty again.” Her mind was
full of worldly things. She could not understand what Jesus was trying to tell
her.
It happens with us. When we are occupied,
extremely occupied, we cannot see
anything. We need to have the desire
for God’s water. Listen to what Jesus is saying, “If anyone is
thirsty…” Before having a close relationship with God, one has to have the
desire and thirst for that. That desire cannot stop. It should always be there.
Second,
we need to recognize that Jesus is the Messiah. He is the only solution for our
problems.
The Samaritan woman eventually got the
message when Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah. She left her jar and ran to her village, (to the gossip group) (28). She found out that the “jar” is not doing its
role in her life. She finally understood that the issue is to find the Spring
of Living Water and not the water of the well. Finally, she realized
yes, there is someone bigger than Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Consider Solomon, his wealth and wisdom. What
did he write in the book of Ecclesiastes?
First,
he tried a wild life- partying all the time
1I
thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out
what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 10 I
denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart
took delight in all my work, and this was the reward
for all my labor.2 "Laughter," I said, "is foolish.
And what does pleasure accomplish?" He
tried all the pleasures of life and nothing made any sense. 700 wives and 300
concubines!
Then,
alcohol could not solve his problems:
3 I tried cheering myself with
wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see
what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their
lives.
Then
he tried wealth that might solve his problems: 4 I undertook great projects: I
built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made gardens and
parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made
reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and
female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more
herds and flocks than anyone in
Then
he arrived at wisdom. He asked for wisdom and wisdom in itself was not enough. 12 Then I turned my thoughts to
consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor
do than what has already been done? 13 I
saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
Finally, he found meaning only in God, in
relationship with God.
This is the message that Jesus is trying to
give to the woman and to us today. Stop turning around and around your
problems. Jesus has the Spring of Living Water.
I love the way the story ends; in fact, it
begins. This woman whose name we do not
know, goes and finds her people and tells them about Jesus. She is the first
missionary for that Samaritan town.
Who is the Samaritan woman today in your
life?
Maybe you are one of those who gossip about
the “Samaritan woman.” Can you examine your life? Can you tell them about the
spring of Living Water that gives then real satisfaction?
Are you the Samaritan woman looking for
water? Do not leave this place without allowing Jesus to give you water from the
Spring of Living Water.
Amen