Breaking the Sound Barrier

Aug 21, 2016    Jim Donohue

Scripture: John 4:3-18

How did Jesus reach this woman? (8 things)
1. Jesus cares, John 4:3-4
• “He had to pass through Samaria.”
• He actually didn’t have to.
• Strict Jews would not go through Samaria to get to Galilee in the north.
• They would go out and around because Jews hated Samaritans.
• They were considered half breeds and were utterly despised – unclean.
• So Jews would avoid them and travel around them.
• But not Jesus – He had to pass through Samaria.
• Why did he have to travel to Samaria…why was it necessary?
• Because Jesus cares about people that are far from God…hurting…lost… broken…empty…hopeless…destructive…going to hell.
• This woman was being deceived and destroyed by sin.
• She was in great danger and she had no way of rescuing herself.
• Jesus had to go through Samaria because Jesus cares about the lost.

2. Jesus blows through barriers, John 4:7-9
• This is absolutely scandalous.
• Not only does Jesus decide to go through Samaria, but now he sits down and talks to a Samaritan (Jews are not supposed to talk to Samaritans).
• And not only is she a Samaritan, she’s a woman (Jewish men are not supposed to talk to women in public).
• And not only is she a woman but she’s an immoral adulteress (Rabbis are not supposed to talk to immoral adulteress).
• What Jesus is doing is absolutely unheard of.
• It’s shocking.
• He is blowing through social, racial and religious barriers because he has to reach her with the gospel.
• Don’t you love this about Jesus?
• Everyone else is avoiding and rejecting and judging this woman.
• Her life is so messed up and so steeped in sin that she doesn’t want to be seen.
Like going to grocery store in middle of night so don’t run into someone.
• This woman might be rejected by the whole world but she’s not rejected by Jesus.
• His love is unhindered by her reputation and her sin.
• Don’t you love to see how Jesus loves people…gives them grace?
• He is passionate about giving people grace and forgiving their sins.
• If Jesus doesn’t take a risk here, cross these massive boundaries and offer her living water, who will?
• Who is going to save this immoral woman from hell?
• She was all alone – came at noon in the hot sun to avoid the other women and to avoid condemnation and shame.
• Imagine what life felt like for this woman.
• She is working on her 6th husband, probably knows this one won’t work either.
• She probably feels trapped and hopeless and broken.
• Many people find themselves in the same place.
• Sin has isolated them (trapped) and hope has disappeared.
• Jesus had to talk to her because she would have never talked to him.
• He didn’t assume that he should just sit by the well until a spiritual seeker came along and asked him a question.
• He took the initiative.
• He asked her a question.
• Do you realize that most unbelievers will not voluntarily come to us?
• Most of them won’t take initiative to start a spiritual conversation because they don’t know that they need to have a spiritual conversation.
• Most of them won’t take initiative to build friendships with us.
• We have to go to them.
• In vs. 40 we learn that Jesus stayed with the Samaritans for two days.
• What do you think the disciples thought when Jesus told them they were going to spend the next couple of days with the Samaritans?
• They probably thought things that they would need forgiveness for later.
• They hated these people and had no desire to love them or reach them.
• They were unwilling to cross these kinds of boundaries.
• I think that sometimes we can be unwilling to cross boundaries.
• It’s much easier to relate to people who are like us – aren’t messy and needy.
• It’s easy to avoid situations that might feel awkward or uncomfortable.
• Don’t you love that Jesus runs right over the boundaries?
• No race barrier…economic…moral…social barrier can stop Him.
• His heart is so filled with love that nothing can keep Him away.

3. Jesus shows mercy, John 4:10
• Non-Christians don’t know what they’re missing.
• They don’t know the gift of God – can find forgiveness and satisfaction in Christ.
• A satisfaction that is so superior to what the world offers, it’s like the superiority of the grand canyon compared to a hole in the ground.
• They don’t know the gift and they don’t know where they can get it.
• They don’t know that Jesus is the one that can give them the gift.
• So they look everywhere and never find it.
• Jesus is saying to this woman, “If you knew what God could do for you and if you knew who I was, you would have asked me for something.”
• “I’m just asking you for a little drink of water but I also have something to give to you that’s far greater than what I am asking for.”
• Despite her rebellious, filthy lifestyle and her blatant rejection and disregard of God – Jesus wants to give her living water!
• Jesus wants to give her satisfaction and forgiveness.
• Jesus is saying, “Just ask me – ask me.”
• What a stunning picture of the Savior.
• Here is a perfect man looking at a filthy woman and saying to her, “If you only knew what I could give you, you would ask.”
• “I am so willing. I am not rejecting you, I am inviting you to get what I have.”
• “I want to share it with you.”
• He wants to give this immoral woman, eternal life.
• Jesus is infinitely willing to show mercy to sinners.

“All day long [Christ] stretches out His hands to the disobedient and gainsaying (those who oppose). He has thoughts of pity and compassion towards the vilest of sinners, even when they have no thoughts of Him. He stands waiting to bestow mercy and grace on the worst and most unworthy, if they will only cry to Him …The lost will discover at the last day, that they had not because they asked not.” ~J. C. Ryle

• What mercy Christ has for those who are lost.
• I don’t know what you think about Jesus – but maybe you don’t see him as merciful and kind (an angry judge or at least someone who is hard to please).
• Nothing could be further from the truth.
• If you haven’t trusted your life to Jesus, He is willing to take you right now.
• It doesn’t matter how badly you’ve sinned or how much you’ve messed up.
• Just ask him – ask him to forgive you…to receive you…to give you eternal life.
• He wants to give you the gift…living water.

4. Jesus connects relationally
• We talked about this in the last session and how critical it is.

5. Jesus says some uncomfortable things, John 4:16-18
• “Uncomfortable!!!”
• Can you imagine talking with a stranger and all of a sudden they bring up your deepest darkest secrets?
• Why does Jesus do this and doesn’t it go against idea of building relationships?
• He is not trying to needlessly offend her.
• He is trying to help her.
• He wants to give her living water.
• And the only way that can happen is for her to see her sin.
• She is an immoral woman who has lived for pleasure apart from God.
• So Jesus says, “Go call your husband.”
• By saying this Jesus is putting his finger on the problem of her immorality.
• Her main problem is not that she has to draw water in the heat of the day because of her reputation.
• The main problem is her sin and Jesus goes right after it.
• “You have had 5 husbands and you are sleeping with #6.”

“Till men and women are brought to feel their sinfulness and need, no real good is ever done to their souls.” ~J.C. Ryle

• Jesus was willing to confront her sin to do good for her soul.
• Jesus had a lot of courage – I don’t have a lot of courage.
Fear of librarians.
• Jesus loved people enough to speak (to risk what they thought of him).
• He was willing to say things that might be uncomfortable.
• And God can give us courage to love people in the same way.

6. Jesus gets to the gospel
• Did you notice how Jesus progressed in his conversation with the woman?
• He moved from the natural to the spiritual to the gospel.
• And that’s a good model for us to follow when we are engaging with folks.
• Jesus started the conversation by talking about natural things first – water.
• And that’s something we could do – start conversations about natural things.
• For some it can be hard to initiate conversations (especially with a stranger).
• But people are usually very happy to reciprocate friendliness.
• We just need to take the first step, open our mouths, and say something natural.
• Talking to people shows that we care.
• It shows that we’re interested in them.
• One of best ways to do this is to ask questions and then listen (not always good).
• Some ideas:
See manual.
• Did you notice how Jesus, then, shifted from the natural to the spiritual?
• He moved from physical water to spiritual water (living water).
4th of July bike parade in my neighborhood – Drexel shirt.
Talked about Drexel, then said we had lots students that come to our church.
It was a way to move things toward the spiritual.
• You can also talk about how God has helped you through a difficult situation, an event you are doing with your small group or mention beauty of creation.
• One of the most non-threatening ways to move things toward the spiritual is to ask someone if they go to church in the area?
• Or if they grew up going to church?
• Talk to non-Christians the way you would talk to Christians.
See Spiritual Questions, Service, Invites.
• Jesus then went from the spiritual to the gospel.
• He told this woman He could give her eternal life.
• In the couple of conversations I had at the bike parade we got to the spiritual but it didn’t really swing around to the gospel.
• Sometimes it does and that’s where it gets really exciting.
See Gospel Questions.
• I know it can be scary and that’s it’s a lot easier to keep to ourselves.
• But God can help us each to take small steps of boldness by opening our mouths for Christ.

7. Jesus exhausts himself to reach this woman, John 4:31-34
• Jesus was tired.
• He was constantly ministering to people, caring, preaching gospel, healing, delivering people from demons, instructing his disciples and debating Pharisees.
• He just finished a late night with Nicodemus, rose early to commune with God and probably walked over 20 miles to get here.
• Vs. 6 says he was wearied from the journey and crashed down with his back to the well while the disciples went into town to find food.
• Imagine him sitting in the dust, leaning against the well in the hot sun, his feet aching – when a woman approaches.
Hebrews 4 says that Jesus was tempted in every way, just as we are.
I’ll tell you how I would have been tempted if I was Jesus.
I would not be thinking about reaching out or trying to start a friendly conversation with the hope of transitioning it to the gospel.
Would thinking about me – how can I get water, food and rest immediately?
• But thank God, Jesus doesn’t give into those temptations.
• What love the Savior has for the lost!
• What an incredible display of compassion and care!
• He is so filled with love that he has to speak.
• I picture him speaking to her with his head against the well – exhausted.
• He is so committed to reaching others that he has to say something.
• So, he asks for a drink and gets it all started.
• When Jesus confronts her sin, she back peddles and offers excuses.
• Then He reveals that he is the Christ.
• She goes into town and tells everyone.
• Jesus is dog tired and the disciples are urging him to eat because they are afraid he’s gonna pass out.
• The woman brings the whole village to Jesus which means he will be up late caring for as many as he can.
• But he doesn’t care about eating because he has food disciples don’t know about.
• He is not talking about physical food.
• He is saying that there is something else that sustains him and gives him energy.
• There is something that is more important than food and drink and rest.
• It’s reaching and rescuing men and women that are lost.
• His food is the mission…to do the will of the one who sent him.
• Jesus was sent to this broken, fallen world with a mission.
• He was sent to die.
• In this story – Jesus was thirsty.
• There is one other time in the bible when Jesus is thirsty.
• It’s in John 19 when he is hanging on the cross and he says, “I thirst.”
• Jesus was willing to go thirsty so that others could drink living water.
• Jesus was willing to exhaust his very life to save men and women from death.
• He gave everything he had to rescue us.
• And now he is sending us.
• Did you know that Jesus is not the only sent one?
• We have been sent as well.
• When we become followers of Christ – we are called to certain things like fellowship, prayer, listening to preaching, giving and reading God’s word.
• These are wonderful things but there is more – we are also sent out into the world to help others become followers of Christ.
• Did you know that?
• And when we reach out to people there is a spiritual nourishment we receive.
Do you feel spiritually weak or under nourished?
Maybe reaching out to the lost will fuel your soul.
• I love picture of Jesus leaning against the well talking to the sinful Samaritan woman and then struggling to his feet as the entire village surrounds him.
• I love how he overcame his weariness and tired himself out to reach the lost.
• God wants us to tire ourselves out to reach the lost.

8. Jesus urgently reached out, John 4:35
• My mother-in-law grew up on a small farm in Lancaster (Fivepointville).
• Harvesters would come, combine, work long and hard (late into the night).
• It wasn’t an option to not get this job done.
• When the conditions were right, you had to harvest the crop.
• You have a small window to get it done or the crop would be ruined.
• A harvest won’t wait – you can’t hang back.
• When the field is ripe you gotta hustle.
• Jesus is saying to us, “The harvest is ripe!”
• The time to harvest is now.
• Jesus challenges his disciples when he says, “Don’t you say 4 months and then the harvest.”
• It’s a saying they use means “don’t rush, we gotta wait, we got time”.
• When you have sown (planted) you then have to sit around and wait for months.
• But Jesus is saying we don’t have to wait – it’s time to reap.
• Jesus is exhorting the disciples, “Don’t say we can do this later! Don’t say we will get to this in a couple of months… I don’t have time… I don’t have the gifting… someone else will do this… I just have to get this area in my life straightened out… I’m too much of a hypocrite… I don’t know what to say… I’m too scared… I’ll just wait till they come to me.”
• We don’t have to wait.
• Lift up your eyes and see the fields are white for harvest.
• White harvest was probably Samaritans coming toward Jesus in their white robes.
• Do you see the ripe harvest all around you?
• Your neighbors and class mates and co-workers, family members, waitresses, people at the gym, Wegmans, bank, Starbucks, mechanic, hairdresser, mailman.
• They need Jesus – they need you to reach out.
• Lift up your eyes and see the harvest.