Sunday, February 24, 2008
By pastor John Jorgenson
“The Woman At The Well” is one of the many interesting stories of Jesus that we have in the New Testament. These stories are very helpful in our learning what makes up the essence of our Faith. The stories offer a practical and useful and effective way of expressing that Faith.
For example, here in the Gospel of John, Jesus challenges Judaic cultural traditions when He asked a Samaritan woman for a drink of water. Traditionally, Samaritans were looked down on as being less than Jewish people. This prejudice discouraged and even prohibited any recognition of or conversation with any Samaritan individual. Then to add to this the accepted prejudice against women as being possessions of men added to this prohibited action of speaking with a Samaritan, especially a Samaritan woman.
Her response to Jesus opens an interesting dialog between the two by and through which we learn how simple, yet how profound and full of meaning that our faith in God and our response to life can be. Take a pen and mark these comments of hers in the Gospel lesson as we proceed this morning.
We begin with comment #1. On page 9, line 3, we read: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” Now Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem and had stopped for a rest at Jacobs Well, a place well known for its historical nature. While sitting there He saw this woman coming to get some water and he asked her for a drink. Her response may have been nasty or impolite or sarcastic. Or it may have been incredulous. She could not believe what she had heard or was experiencing. Jesus responded simply that if she had asked He would have given her “living water” and her life would be completely changed. She did not understand what Jesus was referring to or how He could get any water at all.
So she replied on line 7: “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, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Again Jesus replied patiently to her second question. Jesus explained that what He was offering would change her life and her understanding of eternity.
Now her attitude began to change. On line 13 she asked: “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Then Jesus suggested that she go and get her husband so they could talk further about this living water idea. Jesus did this to satisfy the prejudice of not talking with a woman without her husband present.
Her reply was simple and humbling. On line 15 we read her reply: “I have no husband.” Again Jesus replied directly that she was correct and that actually she had been married five times and the man she was living with was not her husband.
Now her attitude really changed and she began taking the conversation much more seriously. On line 17 she replies: “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus replied that worship is not dependent on any particular place or culture where you worship but rather worship is the result of our acting together while expressing spirit and truth.
Now she became very serious and she said on line 26: “I know that Messiah is coming (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus replied simply that He was the Messiah.
His disciples came with lunch and wondered why in the world He was talking with some woman, especially a Samaritan. But no one dared challenge him.
Meanwhile the woman left without her water jar because she simply could not believe what had happened and she said to the people she met on line 32: “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can He?” The people became curious and went out to see this Jesus of Nazareth and hear what He was saying.
Meanwhile Jesus explained to his disciples that they were to look around and see what was going on in the world. “But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds 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.”
On next page, line 8: “Many Samaritans from that city believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony. ‘He told me everything I have ever done,’” she said.
So the Samaritans came and asked Jesus to stay and explain what was going on and many more came to understand and believe what Jesus was talking about. They said to the woman on line 12: “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”
Seems to me this is one of the more helpful stories of Jesus actions in that it demonstrates how important it is that we are not distracted by traditions, customs, or prejudices when we consider what it is that God expects of us. God has blessed us with a multitude of gifts, talents and resources to be used to care for, enrich and enable people to be the thankful people God created in the first place. In this story Jesus points out how that can be done. Jesus also points out that we work together to accomplish what God wants done.
Finally, I believe that is why it is so important that we share our thoughts and ideas. We are all called to serve using the many special talents we have been given. For this we are thankful and we respond to that call just as we are without question. We are called and we respond.
Amen.