Sermon: A Samaritan's admission (John 4:4-26)

TENTATIVE ADMISSIONS AND TRUE CONFESSIONS:
By a Samaritan (John 4:4-26)

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Dr. Paul Manuel—2004

 (This is the second in a series of four sermons)

Things are not always what they seem, and if we allow our preconceived notions to color our expectations, we may miss something important.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto went camping in the desert. After they got their tent set up, both men fell asleep. Some hours later, Tonto awakens the Lone Ranger and says, "Kemo Sabe, look toward sky, what you see?" The Lone Ranger replies, "I see millions of stars." "What does that tell you?" asked Tonto. The Lone Ranger ponders for a minute, wondering how best to answer such a deeply philosophical question, then says, "Astronomically speaking, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Time wise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three in the morning. Theologically, the Lord is all-powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What's it tell you, Tonto?" ..."It tells me someone stole the tent."

In the text of our sermon this morning, Jesus encounters a woman, whose preconceived notions he challenges. It is the second message in the series, Tentative Admissions and True Confessions, this one By A Samaritan.

Reading the New Testament, we encounter several groups, one of which is the Samaritans, so-called because they live in the central region of Israel known as Samaria. How they originated is not entirely clear (Anderson 1992).

• Some biblical scholars believe them to be the descendants of foreigners that Assyria transplanted in the land after it deported Israelite residents in 722 B.C.
• The Samaritans themselves claim to be descendants of Israelite residents that Assyria left in the land.

Whatever their origin, Samaritans have their own history and beliefs that distinguish them from Jews, and relations between the two communities have been more adversarial than cordial. In the first century, they are barely on speaking terms. So, when Jesus happens to be passing through Samaria, his conversation with a Samaritan woman is unusual, to say the least.¹ Please turn to John 4.

John 4:4 Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.² 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

As far as this woman is concerned, their conversation should not be taking place, because they have nothing in common, as we see from...

I. The woman's assumptions (John 4:9,20)

In v. 9, we note that...

A. She is different ethnically (Samaritan vs. Jew).

As I intimated before, Jews do not consider Samaritans to be true descendants of Abraham, and because Samaritans claim to be just that irks many Jews, especially when Samaritans also insist that they represent the faithful line of Abraham's descendants. Consequently, Jews do not have a high regard for Samaritans. In fact, one way to insult someone is to call him a Samaritan.³ This woman is, doubtless, aware of that practice, which does not set the stage for polite conversation here.

As if the ethnic differences were not enough to discourage interaction between Jesus and this woman...

B. She is different socially (female vs. male).⁴

Jewish men, especially those concerned with maintaining ceremonial purity, will often keep a discrete distance from a woman who may be menstruating. Touching her garment or even sitting where she sat could render him unclean and require his ritual immersion before he could enter the temple. To avoid that inconvenience, it was generally easiest to avoid all contact with female strangers. Hence, this woman wonders why Jesus is so willing to speak with her and even to accept a drink of water from her.⁵

As if the ethnic and social differences were not enough to discourage their interaction, in v. 20, the woman notes that...

C. She is different theologically (Samaria vs. Jerusalem).

John 4:20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.

A major point of disagreement between Samaritans and Jews concerns the proper place for worship. This is not about local congregations, which Jews and Samaritans both had. This is about the one place where God chose to manifest His physical presence and the only place where the people are to offer sacrifices.⁶ For Samaritans, that place is Mt. Gerizim, in the central part of the land.⁷ For Jews, that place is Jerusalem, in the southern part of the land.⁸

Jesus allows the first and second differences this woman raises to pass without comment. Apparently, he does not consider them significant enough to address. The third difference she raises, however, he does answer, stating that when it comes to worship, Jews have it right and Samaritans have it wrong. Look at John 4:22.

You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

The woman's assumption reflects a faulty understanding of God that will hinder what Jesus wants to communicate, so that is what he addresses.

When you interact with people who are different, especially about matters of faith, they may raise objections to what you are trying to do. "Why are we even talking...?

• You couldn't possibly understand where I'm coming from.
• We see things too differently to agree on anything.
• Given what's happened in my life, it's obvious that God hates me.

Just as Jesus does not answer every objection the woman raises, so you need not answer every objection as you speak with people. Some objections, though, are significant enough to warrant comment, because they relate to the point you are trying to make. Of the three objections I mentioned, which should you not let pass without comment? [Repeat] The third assumption is the one to challenge and correct. The person's difficult circumstances may be God's loving attempt to get his attention. For you, as for Jesus, an assumption that reflects a faulty understanding of God will hinder what you want to communicate, and that is what you should address.

In the course of their conversation, Jesus' remarks gradually bring the woman closer to the heart of what he wants to tell her. That progression is evident in...

II. The woman's questions (John 4:10-26)

...in what she almost asks as well as in what she actually asks.

John 4:10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water."

What she should ask is...

A. Where can I get the gift of God (i.e., the Spirit)?

As with the first message in this series, you have probably heard this passage several times. For the moment, though, put yourself in this woman's place and imagine that you are hearing Jesus' remarks for the first time.

The phrase "living water" is a figure of speech that normally refers to running water, as from a river or stream, rather than standing water, as from a pool or cistern. It appears five times in the Pentateuch, the only section of scripture the Samaritans use, and all five times with the meaning of running water.⁹ Consequently, that is how the woman understands it.

John 4:11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"

While she understands the term one way, Jesus is using it differently, as an allusion to the Holy Spirit, which John makes clear later in the gospel.¹⁰ Continuing in verse...

John 4:13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

At this point, she must realize that Jesus is not talking about physical water, but her response suggests that she still does not understand what Jesus means.

John 4:15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."

Does she not recognize that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, or is she just playing along with someone she assumes is a bit eccentric? Either way, she is not getting his point, so Jesus takes a more direct approach.

John 4:16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back."

By now, she probably assumes that Jesus is giving up on her and would rather talk to a man, someone not as dim-witted as women often are. Her answer, she thinks, will definitely disappoint him.

John 4:17 "I have no husband," she replied.

"There. What will you say to that? You'll probably assume I'm a widow and apologize." What the woman does not realize is that, by being evasive and trying to set Jesus up, she has instead set herself up.

(John 4:17-18) Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true."

Here is her first real indication that Jesus may not be an oddball. So, she decides to acknowledge the truth of his observation.., and then to change the subject, which she does, shifting from personal morality to comparative theology. This time, Jesus plays along.

John 4:19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

Having just discovered that Jesus has prophetic insight, this woman should realize how futile it is to be evasive, but she still tries to redirect the conversation. This would have been the perfect opportunity for her to ask one of those most important questions:

• When will I meet the right man?
• What are the winning lottery numbers?
• Why is there air? (Bill Cosby, the comedian, had an album with that question as the title. He said that, as every sports-minded person knows, air exists to blow up basketballs and footballs.)

Instead of asking Jesus a really important question, she wastes this perfect opportunity on some obscure theological issue, asking....

B. Where should I conduct the worship of God (i.e., the Father)?

John 4:21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain [Mt. Gerizim] nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Jesus uses the woman's question to correct her misconception.¹¹ Unwilling to admit that she may be wrong, however, the woman defers the answer to the future.

John 4:25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to its."

This is a cop out, but she has now arrived at the question Jesus wants her to ask.

C. Where will I find the messiah of God (i.e., the Son)?

John 4:26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."

Here, this woman has an opportunity to receive the good news, and she is asking about the differences between religious denominations, about which group has the correct place of worship. Yet Jesus patiently answers her question. So it is with those you contact. You may want to get directly to the heart of the matter and tell someone: "Forget about all that other stuff. You need to get right with God." Yet answering a question that seems unimportant in the scope of a person's eternal destiny helps to establish your concern for that person as well as your credibility with that person. Sometimes an individual will use theological differences to avoid an uncomfortable theological discussion. At other times, his being able to see how those differences may not matter in the larger purview of God's plan can remove the one stumbling block that has prevented his turning to God, and your willingness to address that issue may help him to accept what else you might say.

Notice the progression in...

III. The woman's recognition (John 4:9,19,26)

...of who Jesus is. At first, she simply notes in v. 9 that...

A. Jesus is a Jew.

...someone who would not normally associate with her. As their conversation proceeds, she surmises in John 4:19 that...

B. Jesus is a prophet.¹²

...someone who knows her innermost secrets. Finally, the conversation culminates with her recognition in John 4:26 that...

C. Jesus is the messiah.

...the very one her people have been awaiting.¹³

This is how people's awareness of God usually develops: in stages; perhaps not in the course of a single conversation, as with this woman, but gradually, over a longer period. The result of this one conversation, though, affects more than this one woman.

John 4:39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did."

This, in turn, opens other opportunities to speak.

John 4:41 And because of his words many more became believers.

You will probably meet people whose understanding of Jesus is in process, who regard him as a Jew but nothing more, or as a prophet but not the messiah. Whether your encounter with someone is brief or extended, you may be able to advance his understanding of Jesus, even if only a little. And keep in mind that what you do with one can expand to reach many.

In this passage, John records how a woman's tentative admission develops into a true confession of who Jesus is. It is amazing what God can do with a seemingly chance encounter. Might He want to do something amazing with a seemingly chance encounter you have this week?

For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.