The Samaritan Woman

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The one-on-one interview might be just the most intimate and informational style on TV today.

The Samaritan woman was interviewed by Jesus in just that way in my mind and heart. This is one of the most astonishing conversion stories and all of Scripture, you'll find it in John chapter 4. I hope we will and covering the story of the Samaritan woman our own struggle for significance at one time or another.

We all have titles attached to us daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt T wife, friend, teacher, laundress, housekeeper, best shopper ever, Salvation Army officer or employee and the list goes on.

However, do we ever suffer from.

Does it really count.

Are there ever feelings of futility that come when we look to others to fill our emptiness.

It's different for each of us listening today. We do not know this woman's name.

She's called the Samaritan woman. We do know her conversation with the Lord is his longest one-on-one chat recorded in Scripture a bit of history. Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Galilee from Judea.

Their route to get to Galilee required them to pass through the countryside of Samaria. Jews and Samaritans hated each other and it was very unusual for Jewish travelers to go through Samaria, a trip that took three days.

No self-respecting Jew would walk through Samaria they would choose to go around Samaria, which took twice as long. Look what hate can do. Don't miss the word in Scripture that says Jesus needed to go through Samaria.

He had a purpose to fulfill this woman was his reason for choosing this route and this time we know he was tired says he sat wearily beside the well, let's not miss Jesus humanity. Along comes a woman to draw water.

We know she's an outcast, as she doesn't come at the same time. The other women in the village might come usually, they came early in the morning or late in the evening.

The Bible says it's about noontime. Remember, Jesus chose this time, this place, this woman to be part of the setting will see in a few minutes.

The setting for the first time he would formally reveal himself as the Messiah. Drawing water was a social event, and she chooses to come at the hottest time of the day, possibly to avoid the other women women gossip know we know from Scripture that this woman had five husbands and the man she's with now has not even given her his name.

Can't you just hear it should he or she comes.

Can you believe her. She's at it again. She comes to the well.

Expecting silence and solitude.

Instead, she surprised to see someone is already there, a man she recognizes a Jew, no worries.

Men don't speak to women in public. Jesus startled her by asking for a drink.

Remember there's hatred between Jews and Samaritans they've blended Judaism and paganism. Despite this, she found Jesus, the one who knew her better than she knew herself look at some of the issues she faced her race or gender. Her morals, her religion, her loneliness, her self-esteem, Jesus initiates conversation with her.

Can you give me a drink. Jesus ignored race and gender issue. She surprised you're a Jew. Jesus avoids intimidating her, even when addressing moral issues. He gets right to the point if you only knew the gift of God, what you suppose is going through her mind.

Did this make her nervous. She has obviously been offered presence before the kind with long strings attached. We know that this gift that is being offered is not as she might've imagined. Salvation is free for the taking paid in full by the nails that pierced Jesus body. Jesus offers living water. The move from human thirst to eternal satisfaction had begun.

It's God's gift. She's introduced to divine things. He dismisses the feud between the Jews and the Samaritans. He raises a possible new opportunities and hence that she should know about this gift she had come to the well to draw water. Yet this stranger offered her living water. She skeptical you have nothing to draw with. There's a stumbling block. Jesus keeps pressing her wanting her to understand he is the living water despite her doubts. Jesus did not give up on the woman he didn't walk away or call her foolish. He did not stop seeking to meet her deepest need. We know the woman is thirsty, but does she realize it's not just a physical thirst, but a spiritual thirst.

She needed spiritual water to quench the thirst in her soul.

We have many kinds of thirsts security, peace, finances, family issues, God's grace allows for spiritual quenching of our thirsts. Jesus may have pointed to the well and shared that whoever drinks of that water will be thirsty again. Nothing on this earth can truly satisfy not even good things nothing but Christ can quench our spiritual longings if we settle for the water. The world offers we will soon be parched. The thirst of the Samaritan woman in the heat of the day reflected the thirst of her soul and the heat of her shame she gone from one man to the next. Perhaps she was desperate for love desperate for stability.

Desperate for life.

Only Jesus can fulfill our deepest thirst.

Jesus holds the picture of living water. It's a gift from God freely given, not earned or deserved and never runs out. There was an endless supply for this women. She was intrigued by the statement, but was still willing to settle for less, give me this water and I won't have to come back to this well Jesus wanted to give her more. She would've been happy with temporal satisfaction.

Jesus long for her experience eternal joy. Imagine life without wanting and wishing and striving feeling refreshed instead of depleted. The woman indicates she wants to drink this living water sir, give me this water go call your husband. This is the time to face the truth. Get your husband and come back.

Oh dear what a quandary. Finally, she admits she has no husband, yes. But Jesus knew the rest he tells her what he already knows. She had five husbands. He revealed that he knew her secrets. Jesus wasn't seeking perfection he was seeking honesty. She acknowledges her own guilt and then says he's a prophet, she changes the subject.

The talk turns to religion. Jesus lets her know it's not where she worships, but how she worships we worship in spirit and in truth, the woman could not truly worship until she was honest with God about who she was and confess your sins, Jesus could solve her sin problem when Jesus asked for a drink. He was full of grace when he said, go, call your husband. He was full of truth.

Jesus understood her. Jesus gives us the spiritual solution for sin, she indicates she knows the Messiah's coming. He reveals himself to her. I am he, interesting, a Samaritan, a woman, a sinner. Look who he used. To hear for the first time that he is the Messiah liquid. She leaves behind the water jug. She left behind the burden she arrived with her shame disappeared.

The insignificance of her life was swallowed by the significance of the moment. The burden of sin and guilt is lifted. She's basking in the glow of forgiveness. There was no shame she runs to the city to tell the people she had met Jesus. Jesus talks with his disciples and then salvation comes to Samaria the people asked Jesus to stay. He does and because of his words. Many more became believers look who Jesus chose to spread his news on ordinary woman on ordinary day at the well reveals an extraordinary Messiah.

Don't ever doubt yourself. I pray this week you might know God that he can show you the extraordinary in the ordinary. God bless you. The Salvation Army should doing the most good means helping people with material and spiritual needs to become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and love to hear from you. Call one 800-2299 65 email us radio at USS.Salvation Army ductwork tell us how we can help share prayer requests share your testimony. Would love to use your story on their can also subscribe to our show on iTunes or your favorite podcast work and be sure to give us a rating search for the Salvation Army's words of life, both on social media for the latest episodes extended and if you don't have a church home. The invite is glad to see this is pretty thick wedding to join us next time for the Salvation Army's life