Changing the World - One Cup of Water at a Time

John 4:5-42

Delivered on 2-24-08 by Bruce Calkins

Today's text is full of surprises - and humor - and double meanings.

            I think the early readers had some chuckles and smiles and tears.

¶ From the old stories, they knew what to expect when a man met a woman at a well.

?Rebekah met Isaac at a well - married him.

?Rachel met Jacob at a well - married him.

?And Zipporah met Moses at a well - married him.

            ? a good place to meet and exchange phone numbers.

¶ Now, Jesus meets a woman at the well.

                  Something unexpected is about to happen.

¶ It begins at noon.

A woman from the village comes to fill her jug with water.

? She's witty, outgoing, bright, self-assured, ? just the right amount of sarcasm and assertiveness - maybe too much for some folks.

? She seems to reject the role that society assigned to women back then.

¶    (THE CONVERSATION)

She sees a man sitting by the well.

      "What is he doing there?

            Is he dangerous?"

She can tell by his clothes that he's not from around there.

      Her heart starts to beat faster.

She thinks, "Maybe I should turn around and go back.

      No; it's to late he's already seen me.

            Act confident!" she says to herself.

¶ She nearly jumps out of her skin when he speaks to her.

      He quietly asks for a drink of water.

She says, "Why are you, asking me for a drink?"

      "You're Jewish aren't you?

You're in Samaria now.

            And I am a SAMARITAN! - a heretic you say - your worst enemy!

                        Did you forget that?

"I'm not only a Samaritan, ? and proud of it;

            I'm also a woman ? and proud of it!

"Didn't they teach you not to talk to a women in public?"

The stranger gives an unusual answer:

"If you knew who it is who is asking you for a drink,

      you would ask,

            and he would give you living water!"

¶ She says, "HA!

      You don't have any water.

            You don't have a rope!

                  You don't have a bucket!

                        Or a cup!"

She's heard come-ons before, but not like this!

            She wonders,"Is this guy crazy, or is he just kidding?"

Either way, she's enjoying the conversation.

      She's up to the challenge!

            She can handle this guy.

                        She knows how to recognize a scam when she hears one!

She says "How are you going to get this living water, sir?

            Do you think you're better than Jacob, who gave us this well?"

¶ The stranger doesn't yell or turn his back.

      With a calm voice, he says,

            "The water I give is the source of life.

                        If you drink it, you'll never be thirsty again!"

¶ So, she takes Jesus up on his offer, but in a mocking way, 

as if she's saying "Yeah, right!"

She says, "Okay, sir, give me this water.

      Does that mean I won't have to come back to this well every day?

            Does that mean I'll have running water right where I live?

(Is this like one of those late night TV specials for $19.95?)"

Jesus shifts the discussion and says, "Go call your husband."

She says, in effect,

      "What's my personal life got to do with this?

            Besides, I don't have a husband!"

I think her voice is saying,

            "I don't depend on someone else to tell me what to believe!

That could have ended the conversation.

      She was ready to end it.

She may have started to walk away, but Jesus stuns her by saying,

"You're right in saying you have no husband.

            You've had five husbands!

      And the man you're with now isn't your legal husband."

¶ (That's a record that will stand until someone named Elizabeth Taylor comes along.)

That // gets her attention!

      Her jaw drops!

            ? There's no more sarcasm.

                        Who is this stranger?!

¶ (THE HUSBANDS)

If the word "husband" meant the same thing then as it does today, then she had a lot of trouble with long-term relationships, or with husbands who died.

¶ But John is always writing things with double meanings.

            NT scholars say there's another explanation for those five husbands.

The Book of II Kings (17:24, 30-31), Assyria sent five tribes into Israel to takeover the land and replace the Jews.

            Each tribe had its own god.

? The scholars say that the gods of these five tribes were worshiped by the Samaritans.

      They say that the five husbands refer to those five gods.

The Samaritans also worshiped Yahweh, but the Jews thought it wasn't a "real marriage;" because they worshiped on Mount Gerizim instead of in the Temple.

 When Jesus mentions the five husbands, the conversation changes.

I used to think that the woman changed the subject because it was getting too personal.

But everything in the story fits together if she understands that the word means both  "husband" or "a god!"

I think she does realize what this stranger is saying:

            The Samaritans have tried five gods.

                  They've been bouncing around from one god to another.

This conversation is suddenly deeper.

¶ The Samaritan woman asks a theological question.

            It's the old argument between the Jews and the Samaritans.

                        Where should we worship God?

This stranger speaks of a new kind of worship.

      It's not related to place.

For the first time, she doesn't know what to say,

            but she keeps talking anyway.

She comes out with a nice, safe religious cliche:

      She says, "I know the Messiah is coming.

When the Messiah comes, all these questions will be answered."

Then Jesus says, "I who speak to you am he!"

      She finally discovers that the conversation isn't about water!!

                  It's not about husbands.

                  It's not about worshiping on mountains and Temples.

All her beliefs are turned upside down!!!

?     Her belief that Samaritans and Jews should be enemies is wrong!

?     The belief about the second class role of women is wrong!

Her life is transformed!

      She can hardly wait to tell everyone!

Her cup is over flowing!!

      Tears pour down her face.

This is more love and acceptance than she has ever know before!

            She has inner peace and joy that's bubbling over.

                        She has to tell others about the Living Water - about this Messiah!

She leaves her water jug and runs back to the village.

      She's out of breath as she says,

            "I've found the Messiah!!

                  Come and see!"

And they come!

      And Jesus welcomes all the Samaritans!

            They asked him to stay, and he does!

And they say, "Now we believe that you are the Savior of the world!!"

¶ Jesus has moved from being "a Jew" to "a prophet" to "the Messiah" and NOW to "the Savior of the world!!"

¶ Jesus wasn't looking for a wife at that well but for a witness ?

            someone who would recognize him as the Savior of the world and introduce him to the people of the world.

Jesus chose the most unlikely person imaginable to be his first missionary.

            - a Samaritan and a woman - imagine that!

                        But that's how Jesus is.

¶ Jesus broke new ground on the equality of the sexes.

It took society and the church a couple of thousand years to partly catch up.

? We still haven't caught up with the way Jesus' welcomes the poor.

? And every generation has created its own brand of Samaritans.

            Every generation finds a group to treat as outcasts.

                  We still haven't caught up with Jesus!

¶ He says "I'm the one you've been looking for!

                  Ask me to stay!

                        He's not just saying this to a Samaritan village 2,000 years ago.

            He's saying this to you and me / right at this moment!

¶ He says "I'm the one you've been looking for!

                  Ask me to stay! Let me give you the Living Water!"

                        Yes, Jesus, "Fill my cup;

                              let it overflow with love!"