Inspired by Joe Varian’s First Sermon
Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 4:7-10 (Message) “A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give Me a drink of water?" (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.) Jesus answered, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking Me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water."
There came a day when I had a face-to-face encounter with our living God. In the shadowless light of His glory I saw myself for who I really was. I tried seeing only the façade that I had built, but it wasn’t the truth and in God’s light there is only the truth. I knew that He saw the truth of me too, He saw the drug addict, the party girl, He saw the times my children suffered because of my drug use, He saw the lies, the viciousness, the coldness to others, He saw me exactly as I was. In shame, I bowed my head before Him.
Jesus and His disciples are passing through the Samaritan village of Sychar on their way to Galilee. They stop and Jesus takes a seat by the well. The disciples continue on into the village to buy food. It was midday and a woman is approaching to draw water from the well. She hasn’t noticed Jesus yet, but He is most certainly aware of her. She is the reason He has come to Sychar. And He intends to rock her world.
Let’s freeze-frame the moment when the woman realizes Jesus is there and take a look at the two people we see. There is a look of puzzlement on her face, a small smile on His. He has everything going for Him. He is a Jewish man, a rabbi, popular with the people and He is God. Eternal power flows through Him. The same cannot be said for the woman. If Jesus has everything going for Him, then this woman has everything going against her. She is a woman in a male-dominated society and to make matters even worse – she is a Samaritan. Samaritans were half-breed mongrels scorned by the pure-blood Jewish people. Second class by her ethnicticity, third-class by her gender – it only gets worse. She is coming to the well at midday and she is by herself. Women generally came to the well in the morning and in the evening to draw their family’s water and trade a little gossip. This woman, however, comes at mid-day, when nobody else is there. It is because she is an outcast from her community.
When Jesus speaks to her, the woman is positively astounded. On their worst day, men did not lower themselves to talk to unknown women, and for a Jewish man to speak to a Samaritan woman was even further off the scope of reality. Surely he understood the ramifications of her coming to the well at midday. He, Who has everything going for Him, should have nothing to do with a woman who has everything going against her.
Then the story gets even more interesting. They talk for awhile and then Jesus says, “Go get your husband” The woman hides behind the façade of her half-truth, “I have no husband.” “Actually,” Jesus answered, “The truth is that you have had five husbands, and you are living with a man who is not your husband.” The woman is shocked that Jesus knows the truth about her and immediately starts a debate on whose religion is right. Jesus taught her that it isn’t the religion of God; it is the relationship with God. He knew her but He did not condemn her. Then He makes one of His first declarations that He is Messiah. The woman immediately left her pitcher at the well and went back to the village. It did not matter anymore to her that she had everything going against her, it only mattered that she told everybody about her encounter with God. “Come and see the man who has told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” And then in verse 39 of John 4 – “Many of the Samaritans of that village believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony.”
This woman, who had everything going against her, had a face-to-face encounter with God and it changed her into a woman who had everything going for her. How do I know that she had everything going for her? Because she immediately went into the village that scorned her and said, “Come and see the Man….” And because of her changed life and because of her testimony of what Jesus had done for her many of the Samaritans of that village believed in Him.
In my own face-to-face encounter with God I also had everything going against me. I had accepted Christ as Savior when I was a child, but had purposely turned my back on Him to pursue a life of pain, anger and immorality. When I turned back to Him and stood in the light of His truth I saw the same thing that the Samaritan woman saw. He knew me completely but He did not condemn me. He opened His loving arms and welcomed me back home. Like the Samaritan woman, I, who had nothing, was given everything. Also like the Samaritan woman, I won’t stop telling others about what Jesus has done for me.
Have you had a face-to-face encounter with God? It is nothing to fear. Sure, you will have to face the truth about yourself – but, if you are honest with yourself, you know that truth already. In the light of His truth and glory you will not find condemnation. Only love. He wants you to come home to Him and you will find His arms open wide to accept you.
If you would like to know more about being face to face with God please contact either myself, one of our pastors at (559) Bap-tist – or go to our website at www.fresnofirst.org and go to the tab named “Knowing Jesus.”
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
Posted by Valerie at July 8, 2007 12:35 AM