A Look At The Samaritan Woman Religion Essay Essay Example

A Look At The Samaritan Woman Religion Essay Essay If I was asked to propose one word which sums up John s Gospel, it would be the word brush. The word became flesh and dwelt among us brush. Look, the Lamb of God brush. John goes on to enter many of the people whom Jesus met in the class of His ministry. He invariably drew these people to Himself. He was the reply to the great religious demands of their life. Regardless of who they were, their basic demand was to run into with Him, for an brush with Jesus. In Ch 3 there is the brush between Nicodemus, the instructor of Israel, and Jesus, the Jesus of the universe. And so in stark contrast here in Ch4, the adult females of Samaria brushs Jesus of Nazareth. We will write a custom essay sample on A Look At The Samaritan Woman Religion Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on A Look At The Samaritan Woman Religion Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on A Look At The Samaritan Woman Religion Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Jesus meeting with this adult female was at midday. Jesus was absolutely weary, physically exhausted. He sat on the wall around Jacob s well. Note in go throughing that, though Christ is the ageless Son of God, He was besides genuinely human, the Word become flesh. He knew fatigue, thirst, unhappiness, enduring and finally decease. Two whole and perfect natures in one individual. It is a comfort to us to cognize our Saviour is cognizant of our earthly batch. He is able to understand our demands every bit good as holding the supply of grace to assist us in our clip of demand. It is the grace of Jesus which is the first thing the adult female experiences 1. The Grace of Jesus is displayed We learn a great trade about Jesus from His traffics with this adult female. The astonishing fact is that He took the first measure the enterprise was His. He made a simple petition give me a drink. It appears like a simple gesture, but it explodes the age old myth that God is distant and distant. In existent fact God is close and immediate, and this is so because He comes. He takes the enterprise. What is even more singular in this first century civilization was the fact that He spoke to a adult female, and to intensify it all, a Samaritan adult female at that. Strict societal and spiritual regulation held sway among Judaic rabbis prohibiting them of all time to talk to a adult female in the street non even his ain female parent would be acknowledged some of the Pharisees had arrant disdain for adult females, they would daily thank God that He had non made them a adult female. And in peculiar, Samaritan adult females the acrimonious wrangle had gone on for 400 old ages, the Jews of pure blood despised the half-blooded Samaritans who were misbelievers. Orthodox Jews going from Judea North to Galilee where Jesus had grown up went a traffic circle manner to avoid traveling the direct path through Samaria, even though it doubled their journey from three to six yearss. Even if a shadow of a Samaritan fell on an Orthodox Jew, he was considered dirty. If a Jew did take the short cut through Samaria on his manner to Jerusalem, the Samaritans would non sell him necessities of staff of life and H2O. There was common abhorrence and misgiving. But there s more. Not merely was she a adult female, non merely was she a Samaritan adult female, but besides she was sexually immoral and promiscuous. She had had five hubbies, and the adult male she was populating with now was non even one of them. A bidey in. No admiration she was at the well at midday alternatively of the usual eventide hr for pulling H2O. She wanted to avoid cognizing expressions and crisp linguas of other adult females who would contemn her. Yet despite all that, Jesus shows perfect courtesy and grace in inquiring her a favor. He knew all about her. If no 1 else in the universe cared for her, He did, and He longed for her to cognize the peace and life He entirely could give her. And to convey things right up to day of the month, the world is that He has the same understanding for us in our wickednesss and failings. He longs to offer us His love and power. He offers her H2O of a really different sort from that which he s merely asked her for life H2O that would fulfill her spiritually. Water elsewhere in John s Gospel is a symbol of new life through the Holy Spirit into the bosom through religion in Christ ( e.g. John 7:37-39 ) . The H2O I give him will go in him a spring of H2O welling up to ageless life ( John 4:14 ) . This H2O which Jesus gives is so wholly fulfilling that whoever drinks of it will neer be thirsty once more. These are words of Jesus that speak really straight to our deepest demands. How many of us, one time the masks and disguises we wear have been taken off, can attest to the deep unsated yearning within our psyches? How frequently when people talk about the alteration that Jesus has made in their lives do they talk of emptiness and dissatisfaction that was there earlier? How they tried everything to run into that demand, but all in vain boulder clay they came to Christ. Augustine said, Thou hast made us for Thyself and our Black Marias are ungratified till they find their remainder in Thee. There was an old vocal which summed up the difference that Jesus makes Now none but Christ can fulfill. There is none other name for me. There s love and life and permanent joy, Lord Jesus, found in Thee This is what Jesus is seeking to acquire across to her. I can provide you religious demands, you spiritual thirst and hankering by offering you H2O which will jump up within you the life that Jesus gives is no tame or dead thing. It is abundant life, life in all its comprehensiveness, that sparkles, bangs and satisfies. This is the admiration of cognizing Christ and the great approvals imparted by Him. If anyone is thirsty Lashkar-e-Taiba him come to me and imbibe ( John 7:37 ) , says Jesus on another juncture. In Jesus they will be good supplied by an ever-flowing watercourse, which neer runs dry. Yachting! ! Unlike the universe, Christ offers a existent and permanent satisfaction. If we drink at the universe s fountains, we are satisfied for an hr. If we drink at Christ s fountain, we have ageless satisfaction. It is non dependent on hardship or prosperity, fright or joy. This good keeps jumping up, and it is all a free gift. 2. The demand for Jesus is awakened But we notice from John s history that at foremost the adult female misunderstood Jesus. She took Him literally, and replied that he did non hold a pail. The well was in fact 100 pess deep. Nicodemus had made the same error in taking Jesus literally ( How can a adult male enter his female parent s uterus for a 2nd clip and be born once more? ) . In both instances, Jesus was talking of religious things. But it begins to rouse a sense of demand in the adult female. To demo her how much she needed this new religious life He was offering He puts His finger on the failing, failures and wickedness in her life things that deep down she was cognizant of, but likely had neer openly admitted to anyone earlier. She admitted to Him her current life agreements. He knew her private life absolutely. He knew she had broken the 7th commandment. And now she knew it excessively. He did nt impeach, nor did he wag his finger or face her with her wickedness. He merely touches her scruples, and encourages her to call her ain wickedness. And so she reacts. She s all of a sudden faced with herself as she is, as God sees her, and she wants to alter, she longs for this new life, a better life the full life, the clean life. She s had sufficiency of the wagging linguas and turned dorsums. She longs to belong, to be portion of her community one time once more. We neer truly see ourselves until we are in Jesus presence. The Christian experience begins with a sense of wickedness. We are awakened to ourselves, our demand of God, of forgiveness and cleaning and life. Not till we see the beauty of Christ do we understand the ugliness of our lives. But now she s experiencing uncomfortable. She tries to alter the topic, but what a error. She enters into theological treatment with the Son of God. If Nicodemus, the instructor of Israel was out of his deepness, what hope had she? But it was merely a recreation. She entered an statement about the right topographic point of worship. She hoped to deviate from Jesus indicating out of her wickedness by demoing Him she did hold sufficiency of faith to acquire by. It s about as though she s stating, good, I go to church, and at least I go to the right one we Samaritans worship in the right topographic point. But Jesus answer pulls her dorsum to His point. It does non count where you worship, every bit long as you worship in spirit and in truth. Right back to the basic issues, it s non about the signifiers of spiritual observation, it s non about which church you go to or non, it s the province of your bosom that affairs. Religion is non approximately outward signifiers and ceremonial s. Jesus looks at the bosom, the province of the interior life. Yet still today people love an statement how to construe the creative activity narratives in Genesis 1, where did Cain s married woman semen from, ( literalism! , ) what hymn book should we utilize, how should the church be governed, what signifier of baptism, should we utilize set supplications or free prayeraˆÂ ¦ . These are non the existent issues. The inquiry in the head ought to be what is the province of my bosom? Am I right with God? Do I hold new life in Christ Jesus? Ultimately have you accepted the gift that Jesus offers new and abundant life? 3. The gift of Jesus is received It bit by bit dawns on the adult female that she was in the presence of no ordinary individual. He knew her private life and secrets. He knew all about God and His worship. And so He reveals He is the promised Saviour and Messiah that the Samaritans, like the Jews, were waiting for. He presents Himself straight as the reply to the adult female s job. He is the One sent by God to be the Saviour of the universe, of Jew, Samaritan and Gentile likewise. How ready Christ is to uncover Himself to the psyche of evildoers. I am the 1 you are looking for. Paul Swinson What is it you are looking for? The existent inquiry is, Who are you looking for? What is the province of your interior life tonight? Behind the facade, is at that place loneliness, emptiness, insufficiency, and hungriness? Are you in hunt of satisfaction? Have you tried everything but still experience the same? Jesus reaches out in his grace to you this evening. He wants to rouse that demand of Him in you tonight, and offers you the gift of life, which will bubble up within you like populating H2O. Yes He must set His finger on the wickedness that has to be forsaken and forgiven. Sin has to be brought to the surface. But his desire is non to reprobate you, he does nt desire to upbraid you, He merely longs to salvage you, and fulfill the deepest yearning of your bosom. Hear His voice and respond to His invitation If anyone is thirsty, allow him come to me and imbibe.