Law & Gospel - God wants ALL to be saved.
One thing that is important to note about John Chapter 4 is that it
comes immediately after John 3. That seems a bit obvious, :) but quite
often you and I will read about a Biblical event without considering
background or context.
In John 3, we met Nicodemus: a Jew's Jew. He is a male, a ruler, a
Pharisee, intelligent, and very admired by others, especially Jews. Then.
In John 4, we meet a nameless Samaritan who seems to be the exact
opposite. She doesn't go to Jesus at night; HE goes to her in the early
morning. She hasn't seen signs or heard His preaching; she hasn't even
heard OF Him. She doesn't seem to have high morals or great intelligence,
and she is NOT admired by her fellow Samaritans, much less by any Jews.
So here we are 1/2 chapter away from John 3:16, and Jesus desires the
same outcome for her as He did for Nicodemus. AND FOR YOU.
During Lent we focus on the reason WHY Jesus went to the Cross: our
condemnation for sin. But Jesus died not just for your sins and mine.
Christ died for all people. We need to hold tightly to that idea AND give
it away.
In John 3, the disciples of John the Baptizer had become jealous of the
disciples of Jesus because they were baptizing more people. John gave a
great witness to Jesus, but, because of the Pharisees, Jesus knew it was
time to return to Galilee. The most direct route was thru the middle of
Samaria, a place where Jews hated. WHY?
Centuries earlier, after Solomon died, 10 northern tribes of Israel
split from the 2 southern tribes of Judah & Benjamin (1 Kings 12) due to
heavy taxes. They set up a counterfeit Temple and fake king (Jeroboam ~ 980
B.C.). God sent prophets to try to turn their hearts, but the people would
not repent. Finally, in 722 B.C., God sent the Assyrian army to besiege
Israel for 3 years and then wipe them off the map and replace them with a
mixture of cultures. (2 Kings 17). They were not full Jews by heredity,
and while they claimed descent from Jacob, they did not accept any of the
Holy Bible except the first five Books. Now then.
Jesus, being fully human as well as fully God, was hungry. To travel
light, they didn't pack food. His disciples were sent into town. He was
tired from the previous day's journey: and very thirsty.
Common social courtesy demands the woman should have noticed Jesus and
given Him drink without a word. He has to tell her to get Him a drink. She
hears His Galilean accent, and her temper flares: "who do you think YOU
are!?"
Remember the background? Jews treated Samaritans as barely human.
Pharisees treated women as third-class citizens. That was just the surface.
I must mention too: Samaritans hated Jews. A lot.
Jesus was not overcome by the evil, but overcame evil with good.
(Romans 12). Jesus went without a drink of physical water for Himself so He
could give her the spiritual water of the Gospel.
Jesus answered, If you only knew the Gift of God, and Who it was that
was speaking to you! You would have asked Him and He would be giving you
Living Water!
How many people have the precious Gospel right in front of them and don't
know it! That even happens to you, today, when you tell people about God's
love and the cross of Jesus. People still act the same today.
She refuses to deal with Jesus, and gives half-a-dozen reasons why she
shouldn't listen.
Jesus doesn't give up on her. Nor should you and I give up on others
who aren't eager to hear about Christ's cross. Patiently, He develops a
metaphor. We all need water. The message Jesus has will not only satisfy
her spiritual thirst, it overflows to others.
She does not seem to fully understand, just as Nicodemus got it wrong.
But Jesus had gotten her attention. She wanted to know more about this
living water. The Gospel awakened her conscience, but she had to learn from
what.
Here is the heart of the story. This woman was living in full
rebellion against God. She did not want to obey the commandments. As a
result of her defiance, her life was a mess. For her to understand what He
was offering, she had to realize not only the consequences (5 plus
husbands), Jesus needed to show the root of her spiritual thirst. Just
changing her actions wouldn't make her right with God.
SIMPLY PUT: without the Law, there is no Gospel. Only when the Holy
Spirit is working in your heart so that you recognize your total
unworthiness and failures can you begin to grasp God's rescue in the Cross.
When a pastor or someone else comes to point out your sins, it should
never be done with the idea of condemning a person to hell. It's true, sin
condemns people to hell. But only God, the Righteous Judge, can pronounce
judgment.
Paul writes "when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a
gift, but as an obligation." You and I, like that, rebel against God in
thoughts, words, and actions. We rebel by what we have done, and by our
failure to love others as God demands. Rebellion certainly deserves a
reward even now, and those wages are eternal death.
It began to dawn on her: she had to get right with God. How? She
recalled from her Samaritan catechism she was supposed to do something for
God in worship. Where is true worship, so I can find it? Here, in Samaria?
Or must I become a Jew then go to Jerusalem and then sacrifice?
Jesus answers; it is not the place where the fathers worshipped, but
worship of the Heavenly Father that is important. It doesn't matter to God
if Christians worship in a mud hut or stained-glass stadium. What matters
above all is the place (attitude) where your heart is.
If your focus is on toe-tapping-tunes, it's not true worship. If your
mind is occupied by what clothes others are wearing; or who is sitting by
whom, it's not true worship. If your heart sinks at the thought of giving a
tithe or an offering, it's not true worship.
Whenever the focus is on you or me, it is false worship. Only when our
time is spent on God's rescue of sinners like you and me; only when worship
is centered on Christ crucified is it worship that is in Spirit and in
truth.
God's presence is not confined to buildings of man or to precisely
executed rituals or sacrifices. God promises to be truly present in His
Word and in Holy Communion. When we believe in Christ's perfect life, His
death, and His resurrection: we are worshipping in Spirit and truth. We
are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, just like
Abraham; and all Christians.
When we take a look at the Samaritan woman, we see our own lives. We
have no right to claim we are God's beloved people due to our ancestry, our
worship, or our efforts. If we are clinging to those things, we will always
wind up spiritually thirsty.
Christ had to teach the woman about her need. God's holy Law always
accuses us; it never makes us right with Him. Until YOU face up to your
failures, you can never really know His forgiveness.
Only when you can confess with Saint Paul: "Christ came into the world
to save sinners, among whom I am the worst" (1 Timothy 1:15) can you feel
the mercy God desires for you.
So Jesus comes to you and me. He wants us to believe in Him, and drink
His Living Water of the Gospel, not just go thru formal motions of worship.
When we do, our worthless and empty lives of rebellion change. Rather than
chasing after what harms us, we want that Living Water for us; and springing
up for others. ((Congregation: please read v.27-42 to see how the woman
became such a spring.))
He calls us to appreciate the Divine Service, where God serves us in
the Gospel of Christ: the total forgiveness of all our sins, and the
promise of eternal life.
This woman seemed beyond reach and not worth Jesus' time or efforts.
But Jesus cared for her. He cares for you. Whether a person is only a few
verses away from John 3:16 or hasn't even heard of Jesus: God loves them &
wants them in heaven with you.
Christ Jesus is the Only Savior. He wants people from all cultures,
families, classes, and backgrounds to believe and to be saved. Like
disciples who were surprised by Jesus' speaking with that woman, we may feel
some people are too far gone. No one is ever too far gone for the Gospel:
with God, all things (especially salvation) ARE indeed possible. Matthew
19:25-26.
Unlike Jesus, we do not know all the backgrounds. But like Him we can
seek lost souls. Just as Jesus looked to stir up her conscience and answer
questions, we can look for occasions to reach out thru foreign missions in
Africa or personal mission next door. See First Peter 3:15.
During Lent we focus on the reason WHY Jesus went to the Cross: our
condemnation for sin. But Jesus died not just for your sins and mine alone.
He died for ALL people.
We pray to God for His mercy and grace for all people. Then by His
power with penitent hearts let us each as Christians hold tightly by faith
to live as His children in the love of Jesus Christ. God grant us each a
heart for the lost. In Christ Jesus' Name. Amen.
Pastor Michael Harman `FW87
St. Peter LCMS - Newell, IA
vacancies at...
First Lutheran - Fonda (Saturday, 5:30PM)
Immanuel - Pomeroy (Sunday, 8:30AM)
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