JOHN 4:1-19

¹ Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John ² (though Jesus himself didn’t baptize them—his disciples did). 

³ So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

⁴ He had to go through Samaria on the way. ⁵ Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. ⁶ Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. ⁷ Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” ⁸ He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

⁹ The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

¹⁰ Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”

¹¹ “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? ¹² And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

¹⁵ “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

¹⁶ “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”  ¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.

 1. Jesus seeks the thirsty

In our passage—a Samaritan woman came to draw water. She needed water for her daily supply for drinking.

My father’s childhood was mostly spent in a small town. Every day, in the morning, at noon, and late in the afternoon, he would carry water from the well for drinking, cooking or washing dishes. He carried water from the river to water their plants or wash their pigs and pigpens.

I also spent my fair share of fetching water when our family lived in that same small town. The same town my father and I share as our actual hometown still shared the same issue of having no running water. I thought my father was being too harsh for making me fetch water but unlike his long hours of carrying buckets of water multiple times, I only had to fill a drum and even then, I had the help of my sisters and my cousins.

You can imagine the importance of water. You can also imagine the physical demand of carrying water from a well using a heavy clay jar. This is not to mention the heat of the sun. How about some scolding from parents for failing to fill the jars of water to the brim?

Winnipeg has no problem for lack of water. Aside from the once in a blue moon water main break or a company drilling through a water line, running water is not something to worry about.

The Samaritan woman in our passage needed a source to get her daily supply of water. She must have been tired of drawing water from the well of Jacob that she then needed to carry to her home.

When Jesus offered her the Living Water she immediately asked for it so she would no longer have to go back and forth carrying water from the well.

We are like the Samaritan woman who understood the living water in relation to her earthly need of drawing water from the well every day. We understand every word of Jesus in relation to our needs and understanding.

We are like Nicodemus—in John chapter 3, who understood being born again as going back to the womb of his mother because that is the natural way of being born. Can you see yourself having this same mindset?

When we were spiritually dead, we think of going to Worship Services Sunday after Sunday is to receive material blessings or financial blessings or great physical health. We thought that attending a church gathering will guarantee us the feeling of being blessed every single time. Sadly, that is still the mindset of many who attend worship services.

Test yourself with these verses:

John 10:10 … I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Philippians 4:19, And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

      Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

 Do you see yourselves asking for material blessing from the verses I read for you?

If you say yes, you are not alone. Seldom can you find a person seeking Spiritual Blessings from those verses.

What I am trying to convey here is: Let us look at ourselves being placed in the shoes of the Samaritan woman.

The Samaritan woman understood that the Living water—that what Jesus was offering here is likened to the water she carries from the well of Jacob.

We are like the Samaritan Woman in the eyes of Jesus.

We also need the Living Water because we are thirsty.

We thirst for everything but never attain satisfaction.

We do our best to accumulate material things, houses, cars, money and many more. Yet you know that when you have all those things you still are not fully satisfied. You find yourself wanting just a little more.

We reason out: it is a necessity not luxury.

We still thirst for more.

Observe those who are not believers of Christ. Those who are not Christians driving Big SUVs. Seldom or maybe do not have a single smile on their face. They look so problematic.

Why is it also that those so-called Christians bear the same gloomy, unhappy faces?

Material blessings are good, but they cannot satisfy the thirst that only the Living Water can satiate. The Living Water which only Jesus Christ can give… would and could give.

Jesus said in verses 13-14, ¹³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. ¹⁴ But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

When the water in the well does not spring up out of the well, it is stagnant, dormant, inactive. Or it becomes a breeding place for mosquitoes.

The intention of having Living Water is to become in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

When the Living Water in us is not welling up…When the Living Water in us is not flowing through us but is stagnant, it visibly shows on our gloomy faces.

 Geyser

Yellowstone National Park, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, though it also extends into Montana and Idaho. Yellowstone was the first national park in the world, and is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most popular features in the park.

A Geyser (/ˈɡaɪzər/) is a spring characterized by intermittent discharge of water ejected turbulently and accompanied by a vapour phase (steam). The word geyser comes from Geysir, the name of an erupting spring found in the Haukadalur valley in Iceland; that name, in turn, comes from the Icelandic verb geysa, “to gush”. This verb comes from Old Norse.

      A Geyser is like a natural fountain. My father has mentioned it would’ve been nice if TMEC had a fountain in front of our building and use it for Water Baptism.

APPLICATION:

It is so beautiful to watch the Geyser. But with it’s close to 100°C hot water, it’s not advisable to be near it even when it’s in a higher elevation like Yellowstone, the water temperature still reaches to 93°C. Now compare that sight to a fountain that to a fountain that shoots upward cool water that is refreshing to the touch when you feel the mist slowly drifting in the wind.

It is wonderful to watch Christians letting the Living Water spring up through them. There is freshness around when the Living water springs up from every Christian’s life. Instead of spewing out hot tempered discouragements to one another, let us instead encourage one another and build each other up daily in our walk with God.

If you are still wondering if you have that Living Water in your life…if you are not sure, pray and receive Jesus if you want your thirst to be satisfied.

No matter how abundant you are with material things, you will still long and thirst for something that the Living Water—Jesus Christ can give you.

This Living Water that Jesus will give you is like a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Pray with me… Lord Jesus, please give me the Living Water. Come into my life so that I may never thirst again. Amen.

If you have the Living Water in you, let the Living water in you flow and not become stagnant and collect moss.

If you say that you have the Living Water and it is not flowing, then maybe you received the wrong water?

The purpose of the Living Water is to flow through you and not become stagnant. Let others experience that Living Water.

Our Lord Jesus seeks the thirsty and…

2.  Jesus seeks the repentant (v.16-18)

¹⁵ “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”

¹⁶ “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

¹⁷ “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.

Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— ¹⁸ for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”

Why did Jesus not give the Samaritan woman the Living Water immediately, but paid attention or looked at her private affairs?

When a person is truly thirsting for the Living Water, repentance is a need. We know that because of sin we were separated from God.

Jesus is God.

He knows every secret we have.

He knows if there are things that we do not like to be removed in our hearts like hatred against others. Addiction in many things… television… movies… food… drinks… shopping… videogames… social media…

The things that you do not like others to know that you are doing. The things that you are too ashamed to tell others.

Would you put drinking water in a glass that is dirty?

The Bible teaches that to be angry with a brother and to murder will both receive the same kind of punishment.

Lustful look on someone is adultery.

We are in the same shoes with the Samaritan Woman who previously had 5 husbands and living with another man.

The passage we are studying is about us, adulterous, murderous and sinful people.

We keep on killing our brother or sister because our anger when we think about them keeps occupying our heart and mind. Lustful looks make us adulterous in our hearts… that is the reason… Worship Leaders should not wear provocative clothing to stand up here.

If you have problems in removing those unwanted attitude, habits that destroy your testimonies, this is the time to prove that Jesus really cares for you.

Sincerely ask Jesus to remove those unwanted things in your life.

Ask Jesus to give you the Living Water to wash away every dirt in your mind, in your heart, in your actions, in your words.

Our attitude should be like that of the Samaritan woman when confronted with our sins. The woman was not angry when confronted with her sins. Instead in verse 19, ¹⁹ “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. The woman recognized Jesus as prophet. A prophet is a messenger of the Word of God. The woman heard that God is speaking to her through Jesus.

Can you see yourself here? Can you see yourself in need of the help only Jesus could give—the help He has been wanting and waiting to give you? Is Jesus leading you to repent?

ILLUSTRATION:

It was winter time during World War 1. A platoon of American soldiers was about to traverse or pass by a snowy valley where land mines were planted.

They did not have any choice but to cross that snowy valley full of land mines because the enemies were running after them and they were short of ammunition.

The commander told his men to follow every footstep he made some distance apart so that if he ever steps on a landmine, there’s space between him and the others to avoid collateral damage.

Skipping to part 4 of the video series, all of them were saved because they followed the footsteps of their Platoon Leader.

APPLICATION:

Following Sin is at the opposite direction of following Jesus. To follow Jesus is to turn your back to sinning.

Repentance is turning your back to sin and following Jesus.

Jesus wants us to repent of our sins.

To repent of our sins is the first action of following Jesus.

To get most of Jesus help, we need to confess our sins.

Jesus seeks the thirsty and the repentant and we will learn more on part 2 of this sermon series.

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