church "High Point" NC small friendly family

LENT 3

March 27, 2011

(Exodus 17:1-7; Ps. 95; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42)

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church

High Point, NC 27262

the Rev. Ken Kroohs

Today’s gospel is especially interesting because with the exception of Holy Week, the trail and crucifixion of Jesus, I think this is the longest single episode recorded in scripture.

Notice what I said there .... longest single episode recorded in scripture. We forget that all the gospels combined only recorded a tiny portion of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We don’t know exactly how long that ministry lasted but for the sake of argument let’s say it was something less than 3 years. For example sake, use 900 days. Again we are not sure which events are recorded twice and which actually happened twice so we cannot be sure about how many days are mentioned.

For example, were there two feedings of the multitude or only one? There are enough differences between feeding of 4,000 and the feeding of 5,000 that it is possible to believe a similar miracle happened twice BUT that does demand an amazing lack of understanding by the apostles since they are surprised the SECOND time.

Point is that if we only ...wild guess ... hear about 30 days out of the 900 that leaves Jesus doing a LOT of things we never hear about. That’s why the gospel of John ends with an extremely important statement as we attempt to understand the gospels: Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.

All of that is to remind us how important it is that this is the longest single episode in the gospels. The fact that John spends so much time on it strongly suggests it is very important.

So if John thought it was that important let’s take a few minutes to examine it in detail. We know Jesus so let’s begin by trying to learn about the other principle character. As usual the woman is not named but we are told something extremely important about her. We are told she is at the well at noon. Now at that time, and I am told even today in many rural, mid-eastern areas without household plumbing, the women would all come to the well in the early morning — when it was cool. It was/is a major fellowship time. The women would talk while drawing the water.

The fact that this woman was there at noon told Jesus that she was not welcome to be with the other women. It was likely the woman was considered “unacceptable”. Later we are told she had 5 husbands. We understand that the word “husbands” does not mean there were 5 marriage licenses recorded in the county courthouse.

Let’s not be too critical. Notice Jesus never condemns her. In this era if her first husband divorced her or died she received no inheritance, her family was not likely to take her back, and the possibly of going to community college for a career as a para-legal just was not available! In other words, in general, such a woman had the choice of begging or “having 5 husbands” if she wanted to live. So let’s not be too critical of her.

But that may flavor the first couple of seconds of the interchange with Jesus. We have to be careful assuming or assigning emotional content to the words of scripture which is unfortunate because emotional content can be so important. If we tell someone something and they respond with a note, or email, or tweet that simply says “that’s crazy” — we may not know if they are (1) laughing with us, or (2) laughing at us, or (3) being critical.

That’s our problem sometimes reading scripture. We don’t know. That said when Jesus tells her to give Him water that probably was not insulting or as demeaning as it sounds to us. A traveler had the right to ask for water in the desert.

Her response also is fairly straightforward. Surprise ... Jews did not share anything with the disgusting, dirty, Samaritans. Not even a water ladle.

When Jesus jumps from a purely physical request ... a drink of water ... to something else it confuses the woman. What is “living water”? Notice she responds without touching the “living” part of it by asking how He could draw water from the well without a bucket. Is He so much greater than Jacob – our ancestor. Jacob was the ancestor of both the Jews and the Samaritans so she might be taking a dig at the separation between the two people.

Jesus ignores, for the moment, the comment about common ancestry and says anyone who drinks of this water will never be thirsty again. Remember – these are desert people! Claiming to be able to solve thirst for all time to a desert people is pretty amazing.

She reacts to him as if He is a snake oil salesman. The person who claims if you take this special concoction for only $9.95 plus shipping and handling, all your problems will go away. She reacts to Him in a very reasonable way!

She reacts ... and I suspect there is a sarcastic chuckle in her voice ... by saying to Jesus: “OK wise guy – prove it!”

So Jesus does prove it ... in a way. He tells her about her multiple husbands. She is amazed! Astonished! And decides Jesus must be something special – a prophet. One who knows about the other people.

I don’t know exactly why she changes the subject again but I have to suspect there is more than a bit of pain involved. Not even personal pain but corporate pain. “You are a prophet, a Jewish wise man so tell me: Why have the Jews rejected all of us Samaritans?”

I will get back to the “thirsty” part in a minute, but the next part is especially important and relevant to us. The interaction between a Jew and a Samaritan is interesting – but not immediately relevant in our lives whereas the next part is.

Jesus says the limitations on where you can worship will soon end. The Jews believed the “holy of holy” was in Jerusalem so that was where true worship could occur. Jesus says that will no longer be true.

Jesus says that true worshipers will worship in “spirit and in truth”. ..... Very important saying for her generation, our generation and all generations.

I suspect the word “truth” might be heard as “sincere”. That worship must be sincere.

Have you ever been in a situation, maybe at work, where you had to pretend to be impressed by your someone, maybe your boss? .... Just go through the actions that are required of your position in the organization?

Have you ever known someone to go to church and just go through the actions in the bulletin? ..... Ever been in that place yourself?

I suspect that is what Jesus is speaking about here. That true worship is a sincere connection with God and not simply going through the motions.

And the word “spirit” I believe is making the same point if from a slightly different direction. That we are to worship in our hearts, and not just our heads. That a major part of worship is “love of God” in the emotional sense — as well as the intellectual sense.

Jesus has announced that a major change is coming ... the change in where and how people will worship God. So it is not surprising the woman announces that she knows a change will come ... a change brought about by the messiah .. the Christ.

Interestingly we skim by the next statement because we know it is true. But in fact, this is one of the very few places Jesus is clear about being the messiah .. “I am He.”

I am fascinated by what happens next and can only reach one conclusion. Notice — the woman goes running in to tell the people of the village what she has found out ... but this is the woman who no one will publicly associate with. So why do the people react so immediately?

Certainly the Holy Spirit could be/was involved. But I also suspect that her announcement ... that the messiah who will change their lives for the better has arrived ... is something they so greatly desire they are willing to go check it out.

We will skip over the disciples reaction for another time and simply note that Jesus stayed, taught and the people believed.

OK ... what does all this mean for us?

We have a major problem in understanding this story, much less understanding Jesus. We are a well fed, comfortable people. Most of us would not respond to the woman’s testimony for the simple reason .... we don’t care. We are not hurting and desiring the arrival of the messiah and NOT because Jesus has already arrived but because we don’t appreciate how thirsty we truly are.

I am taking some pretty strong pain medication for an extremely sore shoulder. You might not notice it to look at me, and it is easy for me to forget the problem because the pain medication hides the problem. Our comfortable lives hide our need for God ... hide it from ourselves.

And now comes the preacher’s summary and solution! .... Sorry. Summary is easy, solution — not so much. All I can suggest is that this week be a time to reflect on our need for God. Not necessarily need for material things, or even for health. But need for spiritual depth and strength. Reach inside ourselves for the thirst ... the thirst to be more than we are ... the thirst for our lives to be more than they are ... to have more meaning. Reach inside ourselves for that thirst and then .... and then run excitedly toward Jesus who promises us we will never truly thirst again.