John Day 21 - A Major Prophet Speaks
Yesterday we left off with
Nicodemus in trouble. Here is why. To be a teacher one had to memorize the
Scriptures. The Scriptures were organized into sections. The most important
section was the 5 books of Moses which is why Nicodemus would have been very
familiar with the story of the serpent on the pole. Another important section
was the Major Prophets. First in line in that section was Isaiah. Today all I'm
going to do is let Isaiah speak and you'll see why Nicodemus and his view of
the Messiah is beginning to crumble...
53:1 "Who has believed our
report?
And to whom has the arm of the
Lord been revealed?
2 For He shall grow up before Him
as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; and
when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
3 He is despised and rejected by
men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces
from Him;
He was despised, and we did not
esteem Him.
4 Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But He was wounded for our
transgressions,
He was bruised for our
iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace
was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone
astray;
We have turned, every one, to his
own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and He was
afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the
slaughter,
And as a sheep before its
shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and
from judgment, and who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land
of the living;
For the transgressions of My
people He was stricken.
9 And they made His grave with
the wicked—
But with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence,
Nor was any deceit in His mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the Lord to
bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an
offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall
prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in His hand.
11 He shall see the labor of His
soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous
Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide Him a
portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because
He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors,
and He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the
transgressors."
John Day 22 - Believe
14 "And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not
send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through
Him might be saved."
These 4 verses sum up the entire
story called the gospel (good news). Memorize these 4 verses and no one can
ever take the Story from you. In them is contained both the identity and role
of the Hero, the Anointed One, the Messiah that Israel has been waiting for.
Don't forget that they have been expecting Him. They sent a delegation to John
the Baptist to find out if he was the One. Now Nicodemus has come secretly to
talk to Jesus about His true identity. As a non-Jew living in a totally
different era you may find Jesus' words cryptic but really He is cutting right
to the chase. He tells Nicodemus right off the top that if he really wants to
see the kingdom he has been waiting for he is going to have to change his glasses,
look from the opposite angle, change the lens etc...
Now Jesus comes right to the core
of everything. He says basically "Remember that snake that Moses put on a
pole? The Son of Man must be lifted up on a pole too. Belief in Him is where
life and death center. Who is the Son of Man? He is the Son of God given by God
Himself. Anyone who believes in Him will live. The Son is not sent to hurt or
condemn anyone. The human race is already condemned. Death is the end of
everyone that comes into the world... The Son has come to offer life."
Then Jesus continues. I so wish
we were as familiar with 3:17 and onward as we are with 3:16. Here it is:
17 "For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might
be saved." 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not
believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the
only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has
come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their
deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not
come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. 21 But he who does the
truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have
been done in God.”
Life and death. Light and
darkness. Good and evil. Truth and error. These are the core of the war. These
are the choices we have.
Tomorrow we'll look at religion
and atheism and find out they are not much different. We'll compare Nicodemus'
options and worldview to the major worldviews and options we have today. Most
importantly we'll explore what Jesus' words to Nicodemus mean for us.
John Day 23
I love this revealing passage in
Ecclesiastes:
1:9 "That which has been is
what will be,
That which is done is what will
be done,
And there is nothing new under
the sun.
10 Is there anything of which it
may be said,
“See, this is new”?
It has already been in ancient
times before us."
Nicodemus is struggling to see
beyond his box. This of course is nothing new. We all struggle to see beyond
our box. What is interesting is that when we peel the labels off our boxes and
look inside things that seemed very opposite suddenly look very similar.
Yesterday I told you we would
examine religion and atheism and contrast them with what Jesus is saying to
Nicodemus. I realize this world offers many varying views but I'm boiling them
down to three: Religion, atheism, and following Jesus.
Religion was the box Nicodemus
was in. Without picking on any particular religion they all have a very similar
theme. Somewhere in the vast universe there is a god or several gods or
countless gods. No matter which variant it is this God(s) controls your eternal
destiny. If you are "good" your destiny improves and if you are
"bad" it gets worse. As individuals we determine our destiny based on
our own "performance". Atheism rejects the notion of a God or gods
and with it goes any hope of a life beyond this one unless of course science can
come up with a way to avoid death. Because atheism has done away with any life
beyond this one, it focuses very much on the here and now. Interestingly it is
precisely here that it has much in common with religion. Because this life is
all we have the focus is very much on ourselves. Because religion is all about
our own performance the focus is on ourselves making both intensely self
centered. Atheism revolves around evolution as the explanation for how we got
here which is all about personal performance. The strong survive.
Nicodemus lived in a dog eat dog
world. The Romans were currently the top dogs. They believed in many gods and
their culture was certainly a textbook example of selfishness. The belief box
that Nicodemus lived in centered around the moment, not the big picture. He was
waiting for a deliverer to free him not from sin and evil but from Roman
occupation. Again the here and now.
Let's review. Religion and
atheism have two central points in common. Self is the main focus and this life
is the main concern even if the reasons are different. In fact there was a
large faction of Jews called Sadducees who believed there was no life after
death. How much closer to atheism can religion be?
The third option is Jesus. He
cared nothing for Himself and spent zero time investing in this life. Why?
Because He had a broader view. He saw a history that extended back beyond
humanity and an eternity that stretched beyond this brief life. He had a very
opposite view of this life as well. It wasn't about personal performance. He said
crazy things like "The first will be last and the last will be
first."
In the passage we read yesterday
He affirmed atheism by stating as a matter of fact that the human race is
condemned already. Death is our inheritance. There is no performance that will see
us beyond the grave. So if no grand religious system or performance can see me
through to a better place and atheism is right in that death is my certain lot
in life what is the point?
Well that my friends is what the
good news of John is all about. If we dare peer outside our box and look beyond
the limitations of ourselves and the futility of our own performance we find a
whole other view that even religion has not grasped.
See you tomorrow.
John Day 24
Today we're not going to push
further into the gospel of John. Rather we're going to review. Yesterday we
compared and contrasted religion and atheism. What we also did without saying
so was define the darkness. Right from the very beginning John has laid out
light and darkness as a major theme. Jesus is the Light and the darkness is
something we prefer over Him. In chapter one he said the darkness could neither
comprehend nor overcome the Light. In chapter 3 he says this:
19 "And this is the
condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone practicing
evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be
exposed. 21 But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be
clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”
Are you seeing it yet? Yesterday
we said what religion and atheism have in common is that they are both focused
on the here and now and both are about personal performance. Simply put they
are short sighted and extremely selfish ideologies. This is the darkness. All
about now and all about me. Jesus the Light came into that culture of me and
now and demonstrated something radically different. It was so compelling to
Nicodemus that he risked his status and success to explore the Light. Notice
John makes it clear he came to Jesus under the cover of darkness. He is at this
point on the fence. He wants to look at the light without leaving the darkness.
We think of evil as sinister and
murderous. Evil is more subtle and insidious than that. The root of evil is
placing myself above all else. Think about it. Every mean and/or underhanded
and/or dishonest thing we do is rooted in self-preservation or self-promotion.
The Jewish culture of Jesus day was full of this ideology. Jesus spoke about it
openly. He said His people who were supposed to represent Him were just like
everyone else. They desired the highest positions. They wore fancy robes. They
wanted the best seats. They loved money and stuff.
Jesus had to use their thinking
to teach them the Light. He said things like "love others like you love
yourself". It flew in the face of everything they knew and lived and
believed. They had even created religious teachings to free them from caring
about others. They taught that if a person was sick or poor or crippled or
suffering it was a punishment from God for sin. This left them free to ignore
their suffering since they needed to suffer to "get better". This is
why the priest and Levite passed by the man beaten in the road. They must leave
him in his suffering since God wanted him to suffer.
Now that we have identified the
darkness we are on the verge of seeing the Light. See you tomorrow.
John Day 25 - Light in the Darkness
A couple of days ago I talked
about something that Jesus offered that religion has not grasped yet. Yesterday
I said we would talk about the Light today. The two are very much intertwined.
Back in chapter 1 John called Jesus the Light that came into our darkness. It's
parallel to Genesis chapter one. Then John goes on to say "We beheld His
glory..."
Before we go any further it would
be beneficial to take a practical look at light and darkness. Light exists.
Darkness does not. You can turn on a light but you can't turn on darkness. The
only way to achieve darkness is by removing all light. Light is a thing.
Darkness is simply the absence of that thing.
John is describing the presence
of Jesus as light and the absence of Jesus as darkness. The Jewish nation,
Nicodemus included, we're waiting for the anointed one, the Messiah. However
they were waiting for someone who was like them just stronger and more capable.
Jesus was not like them. He was like a flood light turned on in a dark cave
full of cockroaches. Rather than embrace Him everyone dove for cover seeking
refuge from the light.
Yesterday we described darkness
as all about me and all about the moment. Darkness is simply pure selfishness.
The Jews just wanted wealth and power. They wanted to be the Romans. Today we
live in a world where the rich are becoming uber rich and more and more of the
wealth is controlled by fewer and fewer people. This economic imbalance is
being decried by many yet how many of those complainers would give away the
wealth if it was in their own pockets? We don't hate the wealthy for their
wealth. We hate them because we want to be them. It's a case of pure envy.
Now enter religion. Religion is
like a deferred payment plan. Consider the following lyrics of a popular old
hymn:
"I'm satisfied with just a
cottage below. A little silver and a little gold. But in that city where the
ransomed will shine
I want a gold one that's silver
lined
I've got a mansion just over the
hilltop
In that bright land where we'll
never grow old
And some day yonder we will never
more wander
But walk on streets that are
purest gold
Don't think me poor or deserted
or lonely
I'm not discouraged I'm heaven
bound
I'm but a pilgrim in search of
the city
I want a mansion, a harp and a
crown
I've got a mansion just over the
hilltop
In that bright land where we'll
never grow old
And some day yonder we will never
more wander
But walk on streets that are
purest gold"
Light gives. Darkness takes.
Light seeks the good of others. Darkness seeks it's own benefit. God loved -
God gave.
Religion no matter the shape or
size is intensely selfish. It is primarily about my performance and my reward.
The truth is that heaven is a place for those who choose the Light. Those who
want rewards but no light would be miserable there.
There is much more to say but it
can't be said in a single day. It must be absorbed gradually just as the rising
sun slowly invades every dark corner until all is light. There are dark corners
in each of us that want to resist the light at all costs. That is why Jesus
said to His disciples "I have many things to tell you but you can't bear
them now."
Light is considerate and gentle.
We'll discover more and more as we go.
John Day 26
Long passage today because we're
going to finish out the chapter as it is all one conversation. More light and
more darkness...
John the Baptist Exalts Christ
3:22 "After these things
Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with
them and baptized. 23 Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because
there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. 24 For John had
not yet been thrown into prison.
25 Then there arose a dispute
between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purification. 26 And they
came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to
whom you have testified—behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him!”
27 John answered and said, “A man
can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven. 28 You
yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have
been sent before Him.’29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend
of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the
bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. 30 He must
increase, but I must decrease. 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who
is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is
above all. 32 And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one
receives His testimony. 33 He who has received His testimony has certified that
God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does
not give the Spirit by measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all
things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and
he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides
on him.”
Competition, jealousy, envy -
darkness. And what is darkness? The absence of light. Light rejoices in the
success of others. Light sees the success of others as success for everyone
since we're all on the same team and running the same race. Jesus is not taking
away from the ministry of John. He is adding to it and expanding it. If Jesus
had not come John would have been a liar and ultimately his message and
ministry would have fizzled and died out. However here we are two thousand
years later still building on what John began. Jealousy and envy are short
sighted. Satan suffered from the same issues. He was not satisfied with his
part in God's kingdom even though it was a leading part. He wanted to be the
top dog. Little does he realize it isn't possible. A created being trying to be
God is like a child trying to be the parent only more impossible. It requires
grace to know our place. It requires light. It requires trust that our greatest
happiness is found where we are, not where we imagine we could or should be.
To be the vice president is a
great honour and a high position yet it is not the president. John was given
great responsibility in God's plan. He prepared the way for the arrival of
Jesus and then he gracefully faded from the limelight. He knew his role. His
disciples tried to push him into the darkness. Under the veil of concern and
loyalty they tried to fill his head with ideas of false grandeur.
His response is one for the ages.
"He must increase while I decrease." Such humility only made the
light in John's heart shine brighter. Later Jesus said of him "None was
born greater than John the Baptist".
When we stand in the light we can
see clearly that God has a perfect plan and place for us and our greatest joy
is found right in that spot and not one step "higher" or
"lower".
See you tomorrow.
John Day 27
I was looking forward to starting
chapter 4 today but was called back. Here's why:
3:35 The Father loves the Son,
and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but
the wrath of God abides on him.”
I am often mystified when I dig
into the Greek text from which we get our english translation. I am no scholar
but I don't need to be a scholar to tell the difference between words. Just
follow the technical stuff for a moment and you'll see what I mean. So far
we've been looking a lot at the theme of light and darkness but there is
another theme in John - belief. He uses the word over and over.
In the passage we're looking at
today he uses it again. "He who believes in the Son has eternal
life". He appears to use it again in the very next verse except in the
Greek the word for believe is not there. It is an entirely different word:
apeithéō – literally, refuse to be persuaded.
This is the same word from which
we get our english word apathetic. Not at all the word that means believe.
Now let's look at our verses
again -
3:35 The Father loves the Son,
and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life; and he who refuses to be pursuaded by the Son shall not see
life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Now again John does not say
"will not HAVE life" but rather says "will not SEE life".
Remember what Jesus said to Nicodemus right off the top? "Unless you are
born again you will not SEE the kingdom of God. Here is the definition of the
word translated 'see':
properly, see - metaphorical
meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive
(with inward spiritual perception).
We're not dealing with vision
here. We're dealing with the heart and mind. Nicodemus came to Jesus. Never
forget that point. As a pastor when I see people come to my church of their own
choice "out of the blue" it is just more evidence that God is at
work. Nicodemus came because he saw (with his mind by the leading of God's
Spirit) that Jesus was more than just a teacher. He responded to that Voice by
seeking out Jesus for himself. "You will search for Me and find Me when
you search with all your heart". Interesting eh? It isn't a vision based
search like hide and go seek. It is a heart search.
So the Spirit of God prompts us
to seek for Jesus. If we respond and search and believe Him when we find Him we
have (not will have in the future but have in the present) eternal life.
However if after hearing the Voice of God's Spirit and then being exposed to a
Light that seems so contradictory to everything we have ever known we refuse to
be pursuaded guess what happens? We return to the darkness. We continue to get
what we already had. We'll never see with our understanding what could have
been. We'll remain closed in our box. Chapter 3 leaves us with Nicodemus at the
crossroads of his life. He has come face to face with the one choice this life
is all about. We can live in the darkness for our 70ish years and then succomb
to death or we can dare to be persuaded to leave our box and begin to live eternally
right now. We have everything to gain and nothing to lose because we're always
free to return to the darkness.
Will we be persuaded? Will we
dare to listen to the undeniable Voice that speaks to us? Will we dare to open
the eyes of our hearts and look into the Light? Will we believe what we see?
These are the questions of life.
Tomorrow Jesus begins another one
on one conversation with someone who on the surface appears very different from
Nicodemus. See you then.
John Day 28 - Sex
Now that I have your attention
today is very much about sex as you will see.
4:1 "Therefore, when the
Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more
disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His
disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to
go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria
which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son
Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His
journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. (Noon)
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw
water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away
into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said
to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan
woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."
When you look at a map of the
area Jesus lived and carried out His ministry you will find the Jordan River
running north and south connecting two bodies of water. In the north is the sea
of Galilee and in the south the Dead Sea. Jerusalem, the capital city of Judea
is in the south close to the Dead Sea. In the north the entire area around the
Sea of Galilee on the west side was referee to as Galilee and there were
several towns one of which was Nazareth where Jesus grew up. In between Judea
and Galilee on the west side of the Jordan was a large area called Samaria.
When Jews traveled between Galilee and Judea they either had to go through
Samaria or make the journey much longer by going around Samaria. Many because
of deep prejudice chose to go around. The history between these two groups was
long and deep. For centuries it was all the land of Israel. Then after King
Solomon died and his son Rehoboam took over the nation split over guess what?
$$$. Rehoboam had a tax plan the nation didn't like and most of them decided to
split. The region that split became known as Samaria and over time and many
issues they became enemies even though they were family. The Jews degradingly referred to them as half breeds. To say they hated each other
is a gross understatement.
Today we read that Jesus was
travelling north to Galilee and He NEEDED to go through Samaria. It's a strange
and strong statement. The truth is Jesus had travel options. He didn't have to
go through Samaria at all. What was so important that He MUST go through
Samaria? We'll find that out later...
On His way through he sits down
by a well. We're even told the time of day. Highly unusual. So it's high noon
and time for lunch. Jesus sits down by the well while His disciples go into
town to get food. We're told the location of the well. It's a well Jacob dug
and then gave to Joseph. This is of great significance to the Jews as and
historical site. It must have really annoyed them that it was in the land of
the half breeds.
OK so we're given all kinds of
details about the where, the when, and the why. Now we're about to meet a who.
The who is a woman. Three times in 2 verses it refers to her as a woman. We are
not to miss this fact. She is there to get water. At noon. Alone.
So many details surrounding an
encounter that should never have happened with a person that is less than
important. In the eyes of a Jewish man you couldn't be much lower on the scale
of human importance than being a Samaritan woman.
Should gender have any say in the
value of a person? Should anatomy define worth. Should country of origin?
Despite all the details we have so far there are many questions.
Now with all that nerdy background
out of the way tomorrow we'll explore what this encounter is all about. Sex is
going to be a big part of it in every way.
John Day 29
Before we move deeper into the
encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman I want to share with you some
further study I did yesterday. As I highlighted in the intro to Jesus'
encounter the text said he NEEDED to go through Samaria which geographically
wasn't true. He had other options. The need was different and deeper than mere
geography. There is another story that uses this same imperative word. It is
also about a one on one encounter but it's found in Luke.
19:1 "Then Jesus entered and
passed through Jericho. 2 Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a
chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but
could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. 4 So he ran ahead
and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that
way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to
him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I MUST stay at your
house.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully."
Why the strong urgent language.
Won't there be other days and other opportunities? Apparently not. You see
moments pass. People and circumstances change. You may meet a person more than
once but each time you meet them you are different and so are they. On this
particular day Zacchaeus is seeking Jesus. The Voice that brought Nicodemus to
Jesus at night has caused a rich man to climb a tree just to have the
opportunity to see Jesus. Today is the day for Zacchaeus. "Today if you
hear His voice do not harden your heart." Today. It's brief and then gone.
Jesus understood better than we ever will the critical nature of the moment
when a heart is open to Voice of God's Spirit and is searching for the One who
alone can bring us from darkness into the Light. "Zacchaeus I must come to
your house today. Hurry and come down before this life changing opportunity passes."
Jesus NEEDED to go through
Samaria. There was a woman there. One woman, one well, one day, one
opportunity. It didn't take 12 men to get lunch but He sent them all. Their
presence would ruin the opportunity. Everything had to be just right. At high
noon the Voice of God inside that woman would meet with the person of God in
human flesh and the encounter would forever change her.
Jesus NEEDED to go through
Samaria.
Moments are precious and
fleeting. Listen to His Voice. You don't ever want to miss out when Jesus is
seeking a one on one encounter with you.
See you tomorrow when we find out
what all the urgency was about and what sex had to do with it.
John Day 30 - Don't Miss This
7 "A woman of Samaria came
to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had
gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said
to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan
woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to
her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a
drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11 The woman said to Him, “Sir,
You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that
living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well,
and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to
her,“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of
the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall
give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting
life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir,
give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call
your husband, and come here.”
17 The woman answered and said,
“I have no husband.”
Jesus said to her, “You have well
said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom
you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I
perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and
you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21 Jesus said to her, “Woman,
believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know
what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and
now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25 The woman said to Him, “I know
that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us
all things.”
26 Jesus said to her, “I who
speak to you am He.”
27 And at this point His
disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said,
“What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28 The woman then left her
water pot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29 “Come, see a Man
who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” 30 Then they
went out of the city and came to Him."
In three short verses it repeats
3 three times that she is a woman and four times that she is a Samaritan. John
doesn't want us to miss these two facts. Is being a woman that big of a deal.
Is gender that great of a divide? Consider how the encounter ends. The
disciples return and marvel that He is speaking to a woman. The Greek word for
marvel is thauma from which the English word trauma is derived. Here is the
definition:
2296 thaumázō (from 2295 /thaúma,
"a wonder, marvel") – properly, wonder at, be amazed (marvel), i.e.
astonished out of one's senses; awestruck, "wondering very greatly"
(Souter); to cause "wonder; . . . to regard with amazement, and with a
suggestion of beginning to speculate on the matter" (WS, 225).
You could almost say they were
traumatized that He was speaking to a woman. There are still some cultures
today where the only women a man can speak to is his mother, his sisters, his
wife and his daughters. Anatomy does divide.
However it goes much deeper in
this encounter than just sexism. First Jesus asks for a drink. This simple act
evokes quite a response from this woman. She blurts out how "crazy"
His request is. Notice that she puts the divide between Jews and Samaritans
squarely on the shoulders of the Jews. Jesus uses the situation to open a
conversation. "If you knew..." Brilliant. We all like to be "in
the know" and we can't stand it when we think there is something to know
that we don't know.
"If you knew the gift of God
and who it is that asks..."
Gift: 1431 dōreá (a feminine
noun, derived from 1325 /dídōmi) – a gift, freely given and hence not acquired
by merit or "entitlement." 1431 /dōreá (a feminine noun) expresses a
brand of giving that highlights the beneficent desire of the giver.
Jesus has one goal always - to
dispense the Gift.
Read the encounter over again. A
lone woman has come to draw water at high noon. Women usually go in groups to
fetch water early in the morning when it is still cool. This woman is alone and
clearly wants to remain alone by coming when no one is there. Meeting people
requires emotional energy especially when there are already underlying issues.
Tomorrow we'll explore those
issues and discover something about sex that perhaps we didn't know before...
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