Sermon Text: John
4:5-26
Title: Living
WaterI. Water quenches our thirst, but over time we grow thirsty again.
II. Living Water quenches our thirst, and we will never grow thirsty again.
JESUS CHRIST QUENCHES OUR PARCHED SOULS WITH THE LIVING WATER OF SALVATION.
The sermon text for this Sunday, is taken from the Gospel
lesson just read. I would read again
these verses…
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but
whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever.
The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up
to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this
water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I.
Have you ever been working really hard out in the summer sun
and no water is in site? I remember this kind of thirst when I was in high
school and I was on the soccer team. Now even if you know nothing about soccer
everybody knows that you run, run, run! And yes – I know – it’s hard to see me
in this role today, but believe it or not I used to be able to run like the
wind. All of that running, in the hot August sun led to the greatest thirst I
had ever known. Day in and day out for four years I ran my tail off – and each
day, half way through practice we were allowed to go to the hose for water.
What a thirst we all had. Guys would stand there doubled over drinking long
drinks of that cool water. It tasted like nothing else. I think you could have
offered us just about anything in place of that water and we would have turned
you down flat. Water never tasted so good!
In the Gospel lesson today Jesus speaks of thirst and water.
He tells the Samaritan woman at the well that He is thirsty. This is a miracle
in and of itself that Jesus is speaking to a Samaritan. The Jews and the
Samaritans are not the best of friends and you might even call them
enemies. Yet Jesus – this Jewish man – speaks
to this Samaritan woman.
Why does Jesus say to her that He is thirsty? For one – He is simply thirsty. Remember Jesus is not just true God – He is
also true Man. He is human just like the rest of us. He must work and sweat and be hungry and
tired and yes – even thirsty. Jesus and
His disciples were in the Judean countryside and were on their way to Galilee
which meant either taking the long way around Samaria or going through it.
Jesus chose to go through Samaria and it is in the text today that we see why
He chose to do so.
Jesus arrives at Jacob’s well and there He meets this
Samaritan woman. He is tired and He is
thirsty. John writes…
There came a woman of
Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away
into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is
it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews
have no dealings with Samaritans.)
Jesus speaks to the woman and tells her to draw water for
Him. The woman is shocked at this gesture. She is dumbfounded and asks Him why
He would ask such a question of her – a woman and a Samaritan woman to boot.
Jesus answers her…
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is
saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have
given you living water.”
Jesus has already turned the conversation from one about base
needs for the body to one of base needs for the soul. Here Jesus points to her
lack of spiritual knowledge when He says to her, “If you knew the gift of God.”
He says this because if she had known who He is – meaning that He is the
Messiah – she would have asked Him for the Living Water that only Jesus – the
Son of God – can give.
But she still isn’t quite there yet, is she? We see this in
her response to Jesus. She says…
“Sir, you have nothing
to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12
Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from
it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.”
Now, she does at this point call Jesus “Sir” so there is
something going on there, but she doesn’t call Him LORD – not yet. She begins
to point out the impossibilities Jesus faces in giving her water. She says that
He has no bucket. She says the well is deep. She asks where He can get this Living
Water from. She asks if He is greater than Jacob. She points out that this
water has been good for hundreds of years. For many generations of people have
come to this well to water their livestock and themselves. How can you do this?
Sounds a bit like us doesn’t it? We, many times in our lives, wonder in our
minds – and even out loud – how it is that God can help me this time? How can He possibly get me out of this
jam? How can someone I’ve never met help
me? Does He love me? Why did He let this happen to me? Why did my friend have
to die? Why was I left behind? Why did I lose my job? Why LORD? Why!? Watch and
learn.
Jesus answer to the Samaritan woman’s questions is simple.
He says…
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty
again…”
Isn’t that the way it is for every human being on the face
of God’s green earth? We are never satisfied when it comes to many things in
life, but especially when it comes to thirst. We drink and drink and
drink. If you went to the parsonage right
now and opened up the fridge you would find no less than two gallons of milk,
two gallons of kool-aid, a gallon of tea, a gallon of water, a couple of two
liters of Diet Coke and perhaps a German beverage or two. Drink - we can’t live
without it. Jesus is right, we will be thirsty again. This is the Law of the
text – that we need not only water to quench our dry and parched throats – but
more importantly we need Living Water to slack the thirst of our very souls –
and only Jesus can ladle out this Water.
II.
Then Jesus gives the Water soaked Gospel in all its purity
and glory and satisfaction. Jesus says…
but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
Jesus is offering the Water of Life to this enemy. Jesus in
this small section of Scripture no less than five times uses the word “give.”
Do you think this word is important to the text? Remember what I said Wednesday night – when
the LORD repeats Himself in Scripture it’s important. Jesus has come into the
world to “give” the gift of Life and
salvation through the forgiveness of sins. Here at the well with this Samaritan
woman Jesus is working. That is to say, He is in the mode of evangelizing this
sinner – this unchurched Samaritan. He is reaching out to her and giving her
the gift of Life, the gift of Living Water.
Jesus has reached out to all of you too. He has preached
this message time and time again to each and every one of you. You too, like
the Samaritan woman are a sinner in need of the Life giving Waters of Jesus
Christ. And it is on His Cross that Jesus earns the salvation of the
world. We stand beneath that cross and
the Waters of Life cascade over us from our Savior’s side. It is here in this Baptismal flood that we
are receiving the Living Water that Jesus speaks of today. What a wonderful gift the LORD has given us,
and we will never thirst again. Amen.
The peace of the LORD – which surpasses all understanding – will
guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ – the Living Water. Amen.
+ Soli Deo Gloria +
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