Quenching Thirst

Written by Ed Kauffman

Quenching Thirst

March 27, 2011  Lent III

Scripture: John 4: 5-42, Romans 5:1-11

 

We have heard the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well now several times, and it provides us with the context for the message this morning.  I must admit I had some trouble deciding on an approach to this story, and the theme for today, partly because there are numerous directions one can go.  The over-all theme that the writers of our material for this Lenten season chose was Becoming Human.  What does it mean to be human, and how are we shaped by the Jesus we encounter in these stories from the Gospel of John?

Certainly one of the deepest needs we have as humans is for water.  No animal can live long without water, and we all know what dehydration does to us.  I can’t say that I’ve ever gone long periods of time without water, but I do know that after drinking warm lake water for 5 days, there is nothing quite like that first drink of cold water after coming off the lakes.  Water is something we naturally long for, and thirst can drive people to extraordinary measures.

So we find Jesus, on his way to Galilee from Judea, and passing through Samaria.  This was the short-cut route, which many Jews didn’t take, opting rather to take the longer journey on the west side of the Jordan River thus avoiding Samaria.  The Samaritans were the Metis of Israel, and were looked down on by most Jews.  They were considered half-breeds, unclean, to be avoided if at all possible.

Yet, there in the middle of Samaria was Jacob’s well, a place revered by all Jews as well as Samaritans who both claimed Jacob as their ancestor.  It was at this well that Jesus stops for a lunch break, and his disciples go off into town to buy some food.  It’s the middle of the day, in an arid environment, and Jesus has been walking all morning.  One would expect to be thirsty.  Enter the Samaritan woman.

Now we really don’t know a great deal about this woman, although there has been a lot of speculation.  Certainly noon is not the usual time for most women to come for water, that being an early morning task, and in most cultures, gathering water is a communal event.  So a solitary woman coming to the well at noon may have been unusual, but we really aren’t given much information about her.  One can speculate that she is probably not the best candidate for “Woman of the Year” in Samaria. 

Taking all this in, Jesus says to her, “Woman, you are a sinner, with multiple marriages and currently living in sin. That is unacceptable.   Do you repent of your sins and ask for forgiveness?  Here are the three easy steps to receive my living water and be saved.”  Had that been his approach, I suspect the story would have ended right there.

But that was not the approach Jesus took.  He began with an acknowledgement of his own need.  “I’m thirsty, can you give me a drink?”  Here was a person, according to society’s standards, much more powerful – a male, and a Jew- asking a Samaritan woman for a drink of water.  She would have expected to be ignored at best, perhaps insulted at worst.  But here was a man who came with a different approach.  And it is interesting to note that, even after Jesus asks about her husband, that does not become the focus of the discussion. 

And from that initial request by Jesus came the opportunity to engage in the further conversation, a conversation that ranged over theology, worship, and relationships.  Like Nicodemus, the initial exchange is confusing to her.  “Living water” could mean “running water or spring water.”  And she can’t see how this traveler could offer any water at all.  But as the conversation proceeds, she begins to see that this is no ordinary traveler, and she even dares to ask the ultimate question that separated Jews and Samaritans, namely where the proper place of worship was.  And Jesus doesn’t dismiss her, either as a woman, or as a Samaritan.  Rather he engages her in conversation, answers her questions, and offers her a new and different perspective.

Not only that, but this conversation with the woman also prompted further conversation with the disciples, and eventually with the people of the town.  One of the perhaps overlooked outcomes of this encounter is that Jesus, and presumably the disciples, stayed in the town for two more days!  I doubt that had been on their itinerary.  Yet this encounter led to many believers in the city, not finally because of what the woman said about Jesus, but because the people encountered Jesus themselves.

Here is Jesus living out those instructions he gave to the 70 as he sent them out as recorded in Luke 10 telling them to accept the hospitality of the people they would meet, eating what was set before them, and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God had come near.  Here is Jesus proclaiming “peace” to the people and finding people who received his peace.  Here is Jesus meeting someone where they are at, and acknowledging that they can also offer something to him.

In so doing, Jesus offers the woman something she perhaps had never had before, an identity and dignity as one loved by God and taken seriously by another, a man no less.  And when she receives that gift, she comes to see who Jesus is.  What a contrast to Nicodemus whom we met last week, male, educated, used to being in control, who couldn’t understand and didn’t see.  Yet this unnamed woman not only sees, “I see you are a prophet.”, but is ready to go and tell others about Jesus, the first person in John’s Gospel to do so.

Just as we long for water, many people today long for that sense of understanding, dignity, and personhood that Jesus provides.  We too long to be recognized as persons with ideas, able to speak of things we have questions about.  And people all around us are longing for a spiritual home, a sense of worth.  That is what Jesus offers.  And he offers it to us without restriction, as Paul says in Romans 5, “God proves God’s love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.” (v.8) 

And Jesus gives us a model for how we can approach people to offer them this living water.  Let me suggest some of the things we might learn.

First of all, Jesus treats her as an equal.  There is no condescension, no calling attention to their differences in status or race.  In fact, he gives her power.  She is the one with the bucket, and he is thirsty.  Rather than beginning with what he can offer her, he begins by becoming dependent on her, requesting something she can give to him.  That in itself gives her a dignity and place she may not have expected.  Only after some conversation does she begin to realize he may have something to offer her.

Secondly, as I noted earlier, even when her multiple marriages are revealed, this does not become an issue.  We don’t know the circumstances of her situation.  Certainly in that culture, it was not the woman’s prerogative for divorce, so why she had 5 husbands is not clear.  They may have all died, or been killed in some way.  Perhaps they had decided to look elsewhere.  Nor is it clear what her current situation is.  But whatever the case may have been, that is clearly not the focus of Jesus’ questions or discussion.  He doesn’t say, “Well, let’s clear this up first and then we can discuss theology and worship.” Or “Let’s clear this issue of the marriages up and then we can discuss the living water.”  Rather he begins with where she is at, accepts her situation as it is, and proceeds to offer her a new perspective and a new identity.

And by offering her that acceptance and love, she responds.  Because of her, a whole village is introduced to Jesus and are intrigued enough to ask him to stick around.  And he does!  And eventually people say, “Now we believe, not because of what this woman said, but rather because we have also met Jesus, heard his words, and seen his actions.”  Our task, like the woman’s, is to introduce people to Jesus and tell others what Jesus has done for us, and then allow them to have an encounter with the living Christ who comes and stays with them for a time. 

As one commentator noted, all too often we spend our time in this story analyzing the woman, her character and past deeds.  And all too often that’s where we start with the people we meet, people who may not even know what they are longing and thirsting for.  But that’s not where Jesus started with the Samaritan woman, and that’s not where God started with us. 

In fact, Paul calls us “enemies” of God.  While we were still weak, Christ died for us.  God does not wait until we are all cleaned up and perfect.  In fact, Paul says, it’s really quite rare that someone would die even for a good person, and yet, God showed love for us, while we were still considered enemies of God.  And if we have been treated like that, should we not also treat others who are thirsty in the same way?

As I noted at the beginning, the overall theme for this Lenten season has to do with Being Human, what does it mean and how does our encounter with Jesus make a difference.  Being human means that we are sinners, all of us.  And yet we are accepted by God, all of us.  God accepts us for who we are, and with what we have done.  And when we have experienced that grace and the new identity that comes with encountering Jesus, we will want to tell others as well and invite them to meet Jesus.  And they can do that no matter who they are, or what their life circumstances may be.

We don’t know what happened to this woman, we are never given even her name.  Yet because of her many others came to believe.  And the good news of the Kingdom of God spread.  May we follow the way of Jesus and offer living water to those we meet on the way, beside the well, or in our neighborhood.