Notes for the message based on John 4:5-42; “A”– L3

This week’s readings are: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 95 or UMH 814; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42

You can read these readings here: NIV  //  NRSV  //  CEV  // The Message

 

Today is the third Sunday in Lent and today we heard the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. We know that in first century Palestine Jews and Samaritans did not get along. We also know that in the culture of first century Palestine, men and women generally kept a social distance from each other. That explains why the Samaritan woman was threatened and surprised when Jesus asked her for a drink. She voiced her concerns, and in return, Jesus offered her the “living water” that would lead to eternal life (here is the link to John 4:5-42).

 

Just like Nicodemus, whom we met last week, the Samaritan woman was confused and intrigued by that offer; but unlike Nicodemus, her curiosity propelled her to ask Jesus for that living water. In reply, Jesus tested her; Jesus asked her to call her husband and when she replied that she had no husband, he agreed: "You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband" (4:18).

 

There is a tradition in some churches to think of her as a woman with a shady past and loose morals. The Biblical text itself does not support that view. We do not hear Jesus telling her to “go forth and sin no more.” Jesus does not invite her to repentance and the word “sin” is not in the reading. In their exchange, Jesus treated her with respect and in return she was honest with Jesus. We know that she was open-minded. We know that she had a strong sense of empathy and that she was able to think for herself.

 

I suspect that she had a difficult and tragic life. She was probably widowed and/or abandoned by some men in her life. Living through that many tragic experiences would be heartbreaking and would harden most people’s hearts. Yet we know that she never lost her curiosity, her trust, or her faith.

The remark that Jesus made about her living with a man who was not her husband indicates that she was living with someone that she was dependent on. An example of such an arrangement would be called a Levirate Marriage and it is commanded in Deuteronomy 25: 5-6:

 

NIV Deuteronomy 25:5 If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. ⁶ The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

There are any number of ways that we can imagine her story. We simply do not know what it is, but we know that Jesus treated her with utmost respect, that she was intelligent, a deep thinker, open-minded, good hearted and inquisitive.

 

We also know that she was profoundly changed by her encounter with Jesus. Immediately after Jesus described her past, she said, "I see that you are a prophet" and wanted to discuss religion with him: “Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Last week Nicodemus asked Jesus how a grown man or a woman can get back into his mother’s womb and be born again. He was trying to wrap his brain around the information that Jesus was giving him. Nicodemus was trying to break God down to manageable pieces that he could relate to and understand.

 

By contrast, the Samaritan woman, whose name we do not know, made an affirmation of faith when she said, “I see that you are a prophet” and asked him a difficult question of faith. By doing that, she demonstrated that she took her faith seriously; she demonstrated that God is as real to her as we are to each other. What she asked was a question that Christians have struggled with for the last two thousand years, “What is church and how do we do church?” That is recognition of Jesus’ identity and a powerful confession of faith (Lose).

 

In response to her question Jesus did not argue theology with her. Jesus did not answer her question about whether it was appropriate to worship on Mount Gerizim or on Mount Sinai. Instead, Jesus offered that woman himself, Jesus offered that woman relationship with God, Jesus offered her the “living water” of faith.

The impact that Jesus had on her was so overwhelming that she jumped at the chance to share the good news with all her neighbors. For that reason, some traditions honor this nameless woman as the “first evangelist” because of her eagerness to share the message of Jesus and his offer of the “living water.” Some traditions even give her a name: Eastern Orthodox tradition refers to her as Saint Photina (the same word root as in word “photosynthesis”), Russian Orthodox tradition refers to her as “Saint Svetlana” – the bearer of light (Bellan-Boyer).

 

So what’s in it for us? How can we apply all that to our lives as we live them in 2011, as we journey through Lent and as we are working to re-imagine what our community could be.

The movie The King’s Speech was released in 2010. It is the story of King George VI of Britain (known as Bertie to his friends and family), his unexpected ascension to the throne of England, and the speech therapist (Lionel Logue) who helped the reluctant monarch to overcome his speech impediment and to become a statesman able to lead the country through the horrors of the war with Nazis and post-war reconstruction.

There is an episode where Bertie and Lionel are practicing for the coronation. We see Lionel Logue (the speech therapist) sit down on the throne of England. Bertie says to him:

Bertie: Get down! You cannot sit there! Get down!

Lionel: Why not, it is just a chair.

Bertie: It is St. Edward’s chair.

Lionel: It is just a chair...(pointing to the back of the chair) Look, people carved their names in it.

Bertie: Listen to me, listen to me...

Lionel: Why should I waste my time listening to you?

Bertie: Because I have a voice.

The whole movie is about Bertie finding his voice. “I have a voice” was a strong statement for a man who stuttered through most of his life and was deeply ashamed of his disability. By trusting and working with Lionel Logue, Bertie was able to find his voice and to become the King of England not only in the title but also in who he was.

The point that I am making is that just as Bertie found his voice through his encounter with Lionel Logue, so the Samaritan woman found her voice and dignity through her encounter with Jesus.

 

In his interaction with the Samaritan woman, Jesus teaches us that the way we relate to others can build them up or it can rob them of their dignity and ability to deal with life’s challenges. Hers is a story of the transforming power of love, the capacity to receive that love, and the ability to live into her new identity by reinventing herself (Lose).

 

That unnamed Samaritan woman was a bearer of light. She joyfully carried the good news of eternal life in Jesus Christ – the “Light of the World” – to her neighbors. Because of her Jesus stayed in that village for two days and many men and women had an opportunity to spend time with him.

 

Today I want to leave you with a few questions:

• What is your voice and how does it reflect your connection with Jesus? Who helped you to find your voice?

• How do we carry the light of Jesus to the world around us as a church and as individuals?

• How do we spread the wonderful news of Jesus beyond the walls of our church?

• How do we live the great commission to make disciples?

May God bless our efforts and our journey!

 

Works Cited

Bellan-Boyer, sa. City Called Heaven. 11 03 2011. 25 03 2011 <http://citycalledheaven.blogspot.com/2011/03/he-told-me-everything-i-have-ever-done.html>.

Lose, David. Misogyny, Moralism and the Woman at the Well . March 2011. 25 March 2011 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-lose/misogyny-moralism-and-the_b_836753.html>.

The King's Speech. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perf. Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth. 2010. <http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004R36QUE/ref=atv_feed_catalog&tag=imdb-amazonvideo-20>

= = = = = = = God is my conscience, Jesus lives in my heart = = = = = = =

Currently Pastor Asher Tunik is pastoring Christ United Methodist church located in Chestertown, MD.

Pastor Asher blogs at Zis-N-Zat; his blog is at this link.