Sermon Cloud

© Eric M Schumacher – Preached October 28, 2007 at Northbrook Baptist Church , Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Sermon audio can be listened to here.

 

There is a person that God has put in your life. Associating with this person will be uncomfortable and will sap you of your energy. It may cost you your reputation among more ‘spiritual’ people in the church and those in your neighborhood. You may lose your friends, your health, or your safety. It will involve breaking some social taboos.

It would be much easier to avoid this person. No one would blame you if you did. In fact, you would be applauded by the more ‘spiritual’ people for doing so.

This person desperately needs the Gospel. Do you interact? Do you initiate a relationship? Or, do you bow to Pharisaical pressure, formulate your excuses and turn your back on them.

Jesus the Evangelist

I want to spend several weeks on John 4 looking at two things:

First, I want you to see who Jesus is, so that you might believe in him and believing, have life in his name. Specifically, I want you to see that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world, who offers the gift of God to all peoples, regardless of ethnicity or class.

Second, I want you to see the example of Jesus doing evangelism and missions, so that you and I might learn to imitate him—no matter what the cost may be.

Verses 1-3 – Persecution

We saw in chapter one that John the Baptist had attracted the attention of the Jews, who sent priests and Levites to investigate him. Now, we learn that “the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John.” If they were concerned about John, then they will certainly be concerned about Jesus.

John clarifies that “Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples.” Nevertheless, even if it was Jesus’ disciples baptizing as his agents, it was Jesus’ ministry and preaching that appears to have been attracting more disciples that John the Baptist’s ministry was. And that success drew the attention of the Pharisees.

Jesus and John were not popular with the Pharisees. They preached with authority that came from heaven and did not clear itself with the “Pharisee-approved school of rabbis.” They preached the need for Jews to repent in light of the coming Kingdom. And they demanded baptism as an initiatory rite, even for Jews. Each of these things threatened the teaching, position and authority of the Pharisees. And so, as we discussed last week, out of concern for their own glory, they were antagonistic toward John and Jesus.

In John 7, we are told that “they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come.” In John 10, we read that “again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.” When they came to arrest Jesus, he escaped from them. Jesus knew that there was work the Father had sent him to do, a time and place for which he came to be crucified, and he was careful to avoid having that work spoiled by a premature death. Therefore, Jesus sometimes flees from one area to another or demands silence of those who witness his miracles.

Something similar is happening here. Understanding that the Pharisees may draw premature and unhelpful attention to Jesus, or even to arrest and kill him, Jesus chooses to leave the region rather than deal with them.

In other words, apparent persecution, or at least the potential for it, is the impetus behind Jesus leaving Judea to travel back to Galilee . Jesus decision to leave Judea and go to Galilee forced him to travel through the region of Samaria . As a result of traveling through Samaria , he reveals himself to a Samaritan woman. She, in turn, introduces an entire town of people to him, who come to believe that he is “the Savior of the whole world” (39-42).

Here we see the beginning of a pattern that will be repeated in the book of Acts and throughout church history—persecution is a tool God uses to spread his gospel throughout the world.

In Acts 8:1, we read that after the stoning Stephen, “there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria , except the apostles.” And, in Acts 8:4, “Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”

Persecution that forced the early church to scatter, taking the Gospel with them to other areas. And so it has been throughout church history, as Tertullian said, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

This pattern finds its roots in the ministry of Jesus. Persecution is the tool that God used to move Christ through Samaria , bringing an entire village to faith.

One immediate application this has is: do not fear suffering, it is the tool that God uses to spread the Gospel. None of us like persecution or suffering. None of us like to be disliked. None of us like sickness and death. Nevertheless, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Just as the evil of Joseph’s brothers was the kindness of God to keep the nation of Israel alive, so the Pharisees’ jealousy of Jesus drove him through Samaria with the gospel, and so will the sufferings in your life be God’s tool to spread his gospel.

Verse 4 – He Had To Pass Through Samaria

We read in verse 4 that “he had to pass through Samaria .” Some have interpreted “had to” as some sort of divine impulse. In other words, Jesus was “constrained by the Spirit” to go through Samaria . That could be, but we don’t really see anything in the text that would indicate such.

A better interpretation comes from a simple examination of the geography. Jesus had been in Jerusalem for the Passover (2:13), which is in the region of Judea, which is the southernmost region of Israel . He is now going back to Galilee, which is in the north of Israel . Between the two regions lies the region of Samaria .

Many popular commentaries will state that the Jews so hated the Samarians that they would go out of their way to travel around Samaria rather than through it. While there is much to indicate that the Jews did not appreciate the Samaritans, there is no firm evidence that they traveled around the region. In fact, to the contrary, Josephus (a Jewish historian who wrote shortly after the time of Jesus), provides “ample assurance” that while the Jews had a strong hatred for the Samarians, they preferred to travel the shorter route through Samaria to get to Galilee .

So, the best interpretation is the simplest—traveling from Judea to Galilee geographically required Jesus to travel through Samaria .

Samaria

John is obviously emphasizing the Samarian setting for what is about to unfold. In order to understand these events, it is important to understand the significance of Samaria .

Samaria was not a separate political state in Jesus’ day. But there were clear historical and religious divisions between Samaria and Judea .

Hundreds of years before, when Israel was a divided kingdom, King Omri was reigning over the northern kingdom. He bought and fortified a hill as the capitol city. He named the city “ Samaria ,” which eventually became the name of the region.

In 722 BC, the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom. We read in 2 Kings 17-18 that they deported all the Israelites of substance. Then, they resettled the land with people from several foreign countries. (This is a strategy that is still used today. Ethnicities are mixed in order to dilute national identity and prevent an uprising against the dominant kingdom.) These imported foreigners brought their own gods with them. And, while they adopted the worship of the God of the region (Yahweh), they mixed the worship of the Lord with the worship of their national gods. And, as they intermarried with the Israelites who were left behind, the Israelites began to incorporate the worship of these foreign gods.

When the exile was over and Jews were returning, they viewed the Samaritans with disgust. In the eyes of the Jews, the Samaritans were the children of political rebels and half-breeds who had a tainted religion.

The Samaritans eventually developed their own form of Israelite religion. They only accepted the Torah, the first five books of what we call the Old Testament, and rejected the prophets. This means that they rejected the portions of the Old Testament that clarified that the Lord directed his people to worship on Mount Zion , in Jerusalem, and to build the Temple there. And, based on their reading of Deuteronomy, they believed that God had chosen Mount Gerizim . Consequently, they built a temple there in 400 BC, which was later destroyed by a ruler of Judea .

So, you can see how over hundreds of years there would be a strong ethnic, political and religious division between the Jews and the Samaritans.

The Significance of Samaria —the Gospel is for Everyone

So, what is the significance of Samaria ? To borrow the language of Revelation5:9, the gospel is for every tribe and language and people and nation.

John has been establishing a clear pattern in his Gospel so far. In chapter two, Jesus reveals himself in Jerusalem at the Passover and to Nicodemus. In the last half of chapter three, Jesus has been baptizing in the Judean countryside.

Now, Jesus moves to Samaria—to the ‘half-Jews’—and reveals himself as “the Messiah” and the “Savior of the world” to a Samaritan woman and entire Samaritan town.

After this incident, at the end of chapter 4, Jesus reveals himself through another “sign;” he heals the near-death son of an “official,” who was likely a Gentile.

So, John shows a progression in the opening chapters of his Gospel, Jesus reveals himself in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria , and to the Gentiles. That is the emphasis in our passage, John 4—Jesus is the one who comes bearing the gift of God as the “Savior of the world.”

This, as with persecution, becomes a pattern for the church to follow. What does Jesus tell his followers in Acts 1, before he ascends back into heaven? In Acts 1:8 he says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the end of the earth.”

Make Disciples of All Nations

This also has immediate application for us in at least two ways:

1) We should intentionally take the gospel to all the nations. It is significant that each of the first three Gospels ends with Jesus instructing his to preach the good news of who Jesus is and what he has done to the whole world (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:46-47).

We don’t see any explicit equivalent command recorded by John, but perhaps that is because the idea is so clearly woven into the fabric of his gospel that he doesn’t feel the need to record it. Besides, his purpose in writing the gospel is so that his readers—whoever they may be—may believe and have everlasting life.

Jesus sets us a wonderful example of what an evangelistic church should do—be intentional about taking the Gospel to every tribe and language and people and nation.

2) We should glorify Jesus and clarify the Gospel by intentionally magnifying the multi-ethnic nature of the church. Jesus is not afraid to take the Gospel to and interact with Samaritans, even at the risk of offending the nationalistic sensibilities of the Jews. In fact, he does what would outrage the Jews—he stays with the Samaritans for two days, which clarifies to them (and us) that he is the “Savior of the world.”

The fact that the church—the believing people of God—consists of people from every tribe and language and people and nation is a major theme through the rest of the New Testament.

It is what Jesus is glorified for in Revelation 5:9:

And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

If Jesus is glorified for this in heaven, we want to magnify this on earth.

The multi-ethnic nature of the church is essential to the Gospel. In Ephesians 3:1-5, Paul speaks of the “mystery of Christ.” Which he explains in verse 6, “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” The “mystery of Christ” is that Gentiles share an inheritance with the Jews, are one body with the Jews and partake of the same promise as the Jews through the Gospel.

That is what John clarifies in 1 John 1:9—“[Jesus Christ] is the propitiation for [Jews’] sins, and not for [Jews] only but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice to satisfy the wrath of God against sin. He was sent, not because God loved the Jews, but because God so loved the world. The Son of Man was lifted up so that “whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

So, if you are an unbeliever, I do not care what ethnicity or nationality you are. This offer of salvation is open to you and urgent for you. You may and you must believe in Jesus Christ. You must repent of your sins and have him as your Savior King. He is “the Savior of the whole world.” There is no other.

If “the mystery of Christ” is that believing Gentiles are “fellow heirs” with believing Jews, then the multi-ethnic nature of the church is a central theme of the Gospel. If this is so, then it follows that to confuse, downplay or deny the multi-ethnic nature of the Gospel is to confuse, downplay or deny the Gospel itself.

Verses 5-6 – Jesus the (Tired) Man

In verses 5-6, we see that Jesus arrives in a Samarian town “called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there.” I will speak more next week about Jacob’s well and the significance this plays in his encounter with the Samaritan woman. For this morning, I want you to notice the second half of verse 6: “so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.”

The hours were counted from sunrise. If sunrise was at 6am, then it is about noon—the hottest part of the day. The progress of their journey and the heat of the day have made Jesus tired and thirsty.

Notice—Jesus was “wearied from his journey.” There are two things I take from this. First of all, Jesus was a human being. He got tired from physical exertion. In John 19, when he is hanging on the cross, he says, “I thirst.” Jesus was fully God. John is clear about that. But, he was also fully man. His body hurt and grew tired.

Second, being a minister of the gospel is tiresome work. In the Gospels, we frequently see Jesus trying to withdraw, but the crowds follow him relentlessly.

There is no command here. Only an example—Jesus got tired doing the work his Father had given him to accomplish.

Taking the gospel to all the peoples of the world will be tiresome work. And, I am not speaking simply of being a missionary or a pastor. I am speaking of being a Sunday School teacher, a parent, a spouse, a neighbor, a co-worker.

It will be tiring work to bring up your children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Do it anyway!

It will be tiring work to sacrifice a bit of recreation and an evening to prepare good Sunday School lessons for your class. Do it anyway!

It will be wearisome to invest in that annoying coworker to build a relationship to share the gospel. Do it anyway!

It will be tiresome work to come home after a long day’s work and use your evening to get to know you neighbor, to build a relationship, to share the gospel. Do it anyway!

Yes, there is a time and a place for rest, recreation and sleep. Such things are necessary, biblical and modeled by Christ.

Simply be aware that we are by nature lazy creatures who avoid hard work. Follow the example of Jesus Christ, and be willing to be worn out for the kingdom. Do not use your energy to store up pleasure on earth, where age and memory fade away. Use your energy to store up pleasure in heaven.

Verses 7-9 – The gospel is not simply for every people group but for every class of people within those people groups.

In verse 8, we read that Jesus disciples left him at the well as they went into town to buy food. As Jesus is sitting at the well, a woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus asks her to give him a drink, to which she replies, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria ?” John explains her remark by commenting, “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.”

These verses show that Jesus crossed ethnic, cultural, gender, social and religious boundaries to take the gospel, not only to every people group, but to those of every class within those people groups.

This woman is a Samaritan. When John writes “Jews have no dealing with Samaritans,” the word for “have no dealing with” can literally mean that they “do not use dishes in common.” In such a culture, to eat with a person (to use dishes in common) was to be a friend.

She is not only a Samaritan, but a Samaritan woman. Jewish leaders in this period codified a law that classified Samaritan women as “menstruants from the cradle,” perpetually ceremonially unclean.

As I explained early, the Jews found the Samaritan’s disgusting. They would not eat with them for fear of ritual defilement. This was not a requirement of the Scriptures. This was a self-imposed law of the Jews. An extra law that went beyond the Bible, in attempt to keep themselves pure.

Jesus has no use for such extra-biblical, self-imposed regulations. Jesus has no use for this man-made doctrine of “secondary separation.” Jewish purity scruples are simply no concern for Jesus. He not only speaks to the Samaritan woman, he asks to share her dishes. He did not have anything to draw water with, so he would have to drink from the water jar of the Samaritan woman—something he seems more than willing to do.

Not only was she a Samaritan and a woman, but she was a social and moral outcast. It was common for the women of the town to gather water together in a group, either early in the morning or later in the evening, when the sun was not so hot. The fact that she was not with the other women hints at what we will learn later—she is a social outcast because she is a miserable, moral failure. We will learn that this woman is a serial fornicator—she is on her sixth sexual partner, who is not her husband.

Jesus—who is omniscient and therefore knows her moral state—still initiates the conversation with her and offers her the gift of God in the gospel. This is a perfect demonstration of the condescension of God in the gospel. He stoops low to save miserable sinners.

Jesus is not content to take the gospel to Samaritans, but to the worst and lowest of the Samaritans.

Nicodemus and the Samaritan Woman

Compare Nicodemus from John 3 with the Samaritan woman of John 4. They are as different as night and day:

He came at night to protect his reputation; she came at high noon because she had none. He has a name; she remains nameless. He is a Jew, she a Samaritan. He is a man; she is a woman. He is a Pharisee; she is a social outcast. He is “the teacher of Israel ;” she is likely uneducated. He is “ruler of the Jews;” she is powerless and without influence. He is respected; she is despised. He is orthodox and theologically trained; she is steeped in folk religion and error. He is meticulously, ceremonially pure; she is a serial fornicator on her sixth sexual partner.

They are as different as night and day—and they both need the Gospel.

Jesus shows us that theology is practical; it produces action. What we do and how we act as Christians and as a church is based on what we believe about the Gospel. Jesus believed that he was sent by the love of the Father for the “world.” Jesus knew that his task was to be the “propitiation for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus knew that—no matter who you are—to see the kingdom you must be born again. Therefore, he preaches the Gospel and offers eternal life to all—Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, slave and free, male and female.

This also has immediate application for us. 1) Show no partiality in evangelism and mission. We cannot pick and choose to whom we take the Gospel. Like Jesus, we must be willing to cross social, ethnic, and cultural boundaries. If we want to reach the world with the Gospel, it will involve being around people that make us uncomfortable. It will involve breaking extra-biblical taboos and being associated with people that make us unpopular with the Pharisees.

2) Show no partiality in the church. Think of Jesus’ approach to this woman as you listen to the words of the Apostle James in James 2:

My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. ² For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, ³ and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," ⁴ have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? ⁶ But you have dishonored the poor man. …If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. ⁹ But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

When we show partiality in the church based on a person’s social class, wealth, education, etc. and give preferential treatment to a person because they look good by the standards of the world, we are denying the Gospel and breaking the whole law. Secretly wanting to be and preferring to be a comfortably white, white-collar, educated, middle-class church—and giving preference within the church to those who fit that mold—is nothing less than an erosion of the Gospel.

Believers should be viewed through the lens of the Gospel. And church leaders should be chosen according to the standards of Scripture and the grace and gifts of God given to each.

Application

In all these things, Jesus reveals to us who he is: the fleeing and wearied bearer of the Gospel to all the peoples of the earth. He is the Messiah who brings the gift of God to all who will receive it.

And, Jesus provides a great example for us. He is will to be persecuted and to be worn-out as he labors to take the Gospel to all the peoples of the earth, crossing all boundaries to save those the Father has given to him. Are you willing to do the same?

Come to the movie “A Candle in the Dark” this evening (and read the insert in your bulletin) and as you watch the movie, answer these questions:

How did the life and mission work of William Carey imitate Jesus Christ and illustrate that:

· controversy and suffering serve to spread the Gospel?

· the Gospel is for “every tribe and language and people and nation”?

· the spreading of the gospel is tiresome work?

· the Gospel is for every class of people?

How should my life?