The Giver Of Living Water (John 4) by Ben Hacker

Embark on a profound journey to the heart of prayer with us at Eastside, where we uncover its life-altering power to connect us with the divine. As we weave prayer into the very fabric of our days, from quiet personal moments to exuberant community gatherings, we invite you to experience growth that transcends the routine. This episode is a beacon for those seeking guidance or grappling with life's questions, with Houston and I ready to support you every step of the way. Prepare to be both challenged and comforted as we delve into the Gospel of John, unveiling the intricate truths that await us there.

Picture the scene: Jesus, the Samaritan woman, and a conversation that transcends time, reflecting our own spiritual longings and societal divisions. Through the lens of Ireland's historic Troubles, we explore how Jesus' radical act of love bridged the deepest of rifts, offering a template for us to follow. This narrative becomes a catalyst for contemplating our role in God's inclusive plan of redemption and the eternal, quenching waters He provides. It's a tale that urges us to look beyond the temporal to the eternal, breaking down barriers and embracing the mission of bringing others into the transformative relationship offered by Jesus.

Finally, the clarion call is sounded, challenging us to be heralds of the Gospel's transformative message with fervor and authenticity. We probe the essence of what it means to deliver hope and healing to a world yearning for truth. This dialogue is an invitation to reflect on the stark contrast between offering fleeting solutions and sharing the lasting satisfaction found in Christ. As vessels of change, it's our mission to spread the good news, unlocking the ultimate fulfillment and discerning God's will for our lives. Join us in this call to action as we unite to effect tangible change in the vineyard of this world.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:38

Thanks, sam. The sermon will be just slightly shorter than that. Actually, this morning, man, I just I want to. I just want to pause for a moment here. We love God's Word at Eastside. It's just such a joy to hear it read and we know we need more help than just reading it. We need the Spirit interacting with us and we need teaching around it. But I just love hearing how God's Word is put together and there's some really sweet things in this passage. But first, how are you this morning Eastside? Good, that's great, I love it.

Speaker 1: 1:19

I want you to take your bulletins just for a moment, and right after the sermon passage, if you flip the page, you'll see the rest of the liturgy for this morning. Flip the page again, and it should. It's the very center page, I believe. Now the top left. It says the daily practice. So you want to see that.

Speaker 1: 1:43

So this we are about to head into the third week of kind of our prayer practice focus. We're spending January, february, march and April looking at the spiritual practice of prayer. We're doing it corporately. Every Sunday, when we gather, we're praying different kinds of prayers together. You'll see prayers of adoration, prayers of confession, prayers of consecration. This is normal for us, but I want you to see it with fresh eyes as we go through this season. We're also gathering monthly for prayer, and so we have our pizza and prayer rhythms. This month of February, we're going to be gathering with Redeemer City and the Vine at Redeemer City's building in Fitchburg on the 21st. It's a Wednesday evening. There's childcare available. The details are in the bulletin on the website, but the probably most regular way that we're inviting you to prayer is through personal prayer, and so each week for the last two weeks and each week for the next 12 weeks, we are going to be releasing this weekly practice, and so this is week three. We're focusing in on listening to God, and so, rather than have it just live on the website of the PDF that you download and lose somewhere in your phone or whatever else, we're printing it, and so you can take the bulletin home and follow along. We are hopeful that this will stir your prayer practice. We want you to continue to do other spiritual practices.

Speaker 1: 3:17

This isn't just about abandoning everything. I'm sorry. I'm only focused on prayer. I can no longer serve doing this thing. I'm sorry. I can't come to missional community. I need to be praying, right. No, that's not what this is about. Don't forsake community, don't forsake the other things that Jesus modeled for us, but this is a chance to take the pulse. How is it in your heart when you approach prayer, even right now, how are you thinking about me raising this idea of your personal prayer?

Speaker 1: 3:45

And so, as we continue, week in and week out, to work on our corporate prayer, we want you to continue week in, week out, to working on your personal prayer, asking the spirit to stretch you, and so these activities are designed to do that. I just want to flag if, at any time as you're going through this, you're like man, I just I don't know. I've got some questions and stuff's coming up. That's a great thing to bring into your DNA group. It's a great thing to reach out to me in Houston about. We'd love to just help shepherd you in that, as the spirit engages with your heart. So take a look at that. Feedback always welcome. Be great to hear what's striking you, and all good Slack is a great tool for that.

Speaker 1: 4:30

All right, well, this morning we're continuing our series in the Gospel of John. As you, as you heard, we're in John four, and this sermon series we've titled come and see. So far. We kicked it off with seeing Jesus as the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and Houston did a great job of just setting us up for this whole book of understanding. What is it that Jesus came to do? He came to be the, the word, the authoritative word about who God is and what he's like in the flesh. And so the point of John's book is that we would know and see that Jesus is the word of God, the Messiah come to be the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

Speaker 1: 5:17

Thank you, for the past two weeks we've been in John, chapter 2, getting an up-close look at what seems like these contrasting images of Jesus. Right, he's the Lord of the wine, stepping into mundane things like weddings in small towns. He's the Lord of the whips big stage, the temple, driving out the money changers. We're invited to see that God's ultimate plan to bring about a new kind of relationship between himself and his people is through Jesus. That we're once a relationship sorry, we're once. It was ceremony and ritual that there would actually be deep relationship, eternal togetherness.

Speaker 1: 6:06

And then, in Lord of the Whips, we see that we don't have a God who sits back. We don't have a God who condemns from a distance, but a God who gets into the muck. The mire of our lives, pulls things apart and, most importantly, we have a God who's willing to do these things at a great personal expense to himself. I think that when we see Jesus like that I don't know about you, but for me this last week my trust in Jesus rises when I see that Jesus is willing to call me to hard things and to do the difficult work in my life that often I'm too weak to do so.

Speaker 1: 6:43

This morning, as we look at John four, we're going to encounter Jesus, the giver of living water. So we're going to work through the narrative together. Then we're going to look at theological implications as we apply it to our lives. So we're going to look at the story, look at the theological implications, how it fits in with the greater story, and then apply it to our lives. That sound good, all right.

Speaker 1: 7:12

Well, before we get into it, would you pray with me? Oh God, we come before you this morning and we just we feel your presence here and that's just a kindness of yours to bring us into this place, to call us to be committed to one another. Just show up, as Uncle Randy says. There's just seems to be magic. When you just show up, father, we know that that's not mysterious. It's you at work by your spirit, and so we pray that you would be at work now. Unite us under your word, help us to see Jesus more clearly together this morning. I pray that you would take these words and sift them for people as needed spirit. We have so much trust in you. We love you, god. In Jesus name, we pray and my brothers and sisters said with me amen.

Speaker 1: 8:11

Broken bottles under children's feet, bodies strewn across the dead end street. But I won't heed the battle. Call it, puts my backup, puts my backup against the wall. Sunday bloody Sunday. Sunday bloody Sunday. Sunday bloody Sunday. All right, let's go. And the battles just begun. There's many lost, but tell me who has won the trenches dug within our hearts and mother's children, brothers, sisters torn apart. Sunday bloody Sunday. Sunday bloody Sunday. How long, how long must we sing this song? How long, how long? Who knows what that's? From you too. Sunday bloody Sunday. By you too right, even as they witness, two communities sharing an island, yet deeply divided by beliefs, identities, historical grievances.

Speaker 1: 9:14

A vivid portrayal of Ireland and Northern Ireland in the latter part of the 20th century, or, as the kids say, the late 1900s. For years, these two regions are embroiled in a conflict rooted in national identity, religion, historical grievances with one another Northern Ireland, predominantly protestants unionists, desiring to remain a part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, primary Catholic nationalist, aspiring for a united Ireland. This conflict, which is known as the Troubles, which seems like a vast understatement, was not just about territorial disputes, but it's a clash of identity, belief histories. Like many conflicts, it left the trail of just broken relationships, seeded mistrust, a legacy of pain, of division. It's a poignant reminder of how much disagreements can escalate into these lasting divisions, creating barriers that seem insurmountable. In a similar vein, we come across two nations in Jesus' time, highlighted in our passage today, that are divided the division between the Jews and the Samaritans. To understand the depth of Jesus' interaction with the woman at the well and his subsequent action, interaction with his disciples, and just this whole scene that John is retelling, we've got to just look a little bit into the history behind this. So come with me just for a moment, just a couple of minutes. We're going to do this.

Speaker 1: 10:53

Our Bible scholar hats, as Houston says, the Jews and the Samaritans shared a common ancestry. They're divided, though, by centuries of conflict, religious differences and mutual disdain. You see, the Samaritans were the Israelites who somehow managed to stay behind during the Babylonian exile, and over time they developed their own version of Judaism, accepting only the first five books of the Bible, worshiping on Mount Gerizim instead of in Jerusalem, and this divergence in religious practice and belief created a chasm between them. They began intermarrying with the peoples around them, all of the things that God had warned his people not to do, so they would stay pure and devoted in a relationship with him. And so, to a Jew, a Samaritan was a half-breed, also an apostate. The Samaritans, on the other hand, felt marginalized, mistreated. The animosity was so intense that Jews often would travel miles out of their way to avoid Samaritan territory.

Speaker 1: 12:01

You know, it would be like if us on the east side had beef with McFarland, but we really liked to go to Stoughton. Right, we would. We're not going to go through McFarland anymore. And so we would walk. Imagine walking all the way out to Highway 90, and all the way down, when you could just walk straight through McFarland.

Speaker 1: 12:28

So this is the backdrop, this deep-rooted prejudice, this deep-rooted historical conflict, Jesus encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well becomes not just a simple conversation. But we're gonna see that it's a revolutionary act and it's part of the grand story that God is telling. And so we're gonna walk through the story together. We're to see Jesus make a decision that appears practical on the surface, yet it's teaming with this profound significance. So he leaves Judea. Things are getting a little spicy. Instead of taking the well-worn path around, he sets his course through Samaria. He's going to Galilee and it's the fastest route by foot. It's a deliberate act. I Think if Jesus pulled this up on Google Maps, it would say preferred route and then it would say Optional route saves X amount of time, causes permanent reputational damage.

Speaker 1: 13:41

So here's the scene the middle of the day in Samaria, under a sun blazing in its full strength. Jesus, weary by his travels, arrives at this well. It's not an ordinary well, it's Jacob's well. John's very clear to tell us that. So it has history, religious and cultural significance to both Samaritans and Jews. It's a symbol of God's promise and Providence to his chosen people. And as Jesus sits, perhaps reflecting on all of the memories there, his ancestral memories of Samaritan woman, approaches, this might seem not that big of a deal on the surface, but the fact that John Colstra out as a Samaritan woman is very Significant. We're in Samaria, so it makes sense, but John wants us to know.

Speaker 1: 14:28

This is a Samaritan woman coming out and in that culture Wells were just more than just mere kind of water sources. They're their communal gathering places. But this woman's arrival at noon under the scorching sun, tells something different. It hints at her desire to avoid potentially the harsh stairs, judgmental views of her community Suggesting a life marked by isolation and pain.

Speaker 1: 14:55

The insult ensuing conversation between Jesus and the woman is nothing short of remarkable. Jesus, a Jewish rabbi, asks her, a Samaritan woman, for a drink, and the simple request Shatters layers of cultural and historical animosity. Jews of that era typically avoided any interaction with Samaritans. In fact, john goes so far as to say that Jews and Samaritans went all the way to never sharing dishes. A Dish that a Samaritan uses and a Jew finds out, smash done.

Speaker 1: 15:29

But here Jesus intentionally crosses this barrier. The woman is surprised, understandably. She says to Jesus how can you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? And this question underscores the profound nature of the divide that Jesus is bridging and his reply, offering her living water, transcends this immediate context of the physical thirst that he's expressing and he speaks directly to the longing in her soul, offering her relationship that promises eternal life and a love that surpasses all human understanding. And she's a little bit stumped by this. I mean, this started out simple enough. She's looking to get out of this conversation and so she says hey, wait a minute, there's this, there's a sociocultural thing going on between us. First of all, you probably shouldn't even be here. Second of all, how can you ask me for a drink? And then Jesus makes an offer of living water.

Speaker 1: 16:46

This encounter of the well is more than a personal dialogue. It's a pivotal moment in Jesus ministry. It's something that we don't want to miss. Look at verse 16. Jesus says go and call your husband. The woman answered I have no husband. She's honest, which I find remarkable given that she's just stated this is a super odd relationship that we have and says you're right, you've had five. The guy you're living with right now is not your husband.

Speaker 1: 17:27

She's put on the spot, I Imagine a little embarrassed, and maybe she starts to look around sensing is there some kind of collusion going on to this meetup in the first place? How could he know? And so she says I sense you're a prophet. She says our father's worshipped on this mountain, but you say that Jerusalem is the place where people should worship. And then Jesus reveals the heart behind his offer of living water. He says believe me, the hour is coming look at verse 21 when neither on this mountain or in Jerusalem Will you worship the father. You worship that. What you do not know, we worship. What we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, is now here, when the worshippers will worship the father in spirit and in truth.

Speaker 1: 18:24

Jesus is saying it's not about location, it's not about proximity to Jerusalem or or establishing a different location of worship. You've got it wrong. It's not about coming near to God. God is going to come near to you. And I think she's at this point like this is this is going to place that I'm not really interested in. And so she pulls kind of a Theology card. Back in college we would call this the captain spiritual card.

Speaker 1: 18:54

Try to escalate the conversation to something G you know, related to Jesus, when this case she's saying well, I know that Messiah is coming, he who's called Christ, and when he comes, he's going to tell us everything. So this is fine that you say this, but let's just wait for this Messiah to come. He'll sort it out. I think she really wants to be done with this conversation. And Jesus says, verse 26 I who speak to you and he. You see, this is more than a personal dialogue.

Speaker 1: 19:26

It's a pivotal moment in Jesus's ministry. Do you remember what he said to Mary, being a chapter 2? My time is not yet come. And here we are and he is announcing that he's the Messiah. And he's doing it not in front of his disciples, not in front of Jewish Listeners or Pharisees. He's telling it to the Samaritan Woman. We need to mark that Jesus extends an invitation of this woman and through her we're gonna see some amazing things happen.

Speaker 1: 20:04

But, just like we would expect at this moment, the disciples show up. They catch up to Jesus. We don't know where they were. Maybe they were trying to figure out whether they were gonna follow him. They came up to the fork in the road. Prefer to run up to the fork in the road, prefer route. Goes to the right. Jesus goes straight and they're like we're not really sure what's up with that. Maybe they were just gathering supplies. Maybe Jesus had sent them out on an errand, but either way, at this very moment they show up and, to their astonishment, they find him speaking with a Samaritan woman, and their reaction further highlights how kind of insane, how wild it is that Jesus is doing this.

Speaker 1: 20:45

And Jesus seizes the moment to impart a crucial lesson about his divine purpose on earth To bring God's healing and love to all, transcending societal norms and barriers. He speaks of a harvest that's ripe for reaping, symbolizing the openness of hearts around the world to the gospel message. Remember, they're coming from the religious elite starting to to kind of turn the screws on Jesus, starting to shut down his message. It's fresh in their minds and Jesus is telling them to look around. And where are they? They're in Sychar, in the middle of Samaria, and he says look, the fields are white. You said the harvest is coming in four months. I'm telling you it's white now.

Speaker 1: 22:23

And as Jesus interacts with his disciples, we get this, this microcosm of the gospel message that Jesus, through his conversation with the Samaritan woman, offers, this radical vision of God's kingdom, a kingdom where cultural, racial and social barriers are dismantled, where everyone, regardless of their past or present, is welcomed and transformed by his love, and he's calling his followers to participate in it. Do you remember what he says when they say, hey, have you eaten something? You should probably eat something. Look with me at verse 32. He said to them I have food to eat you don't know about. So the disciples said to one another has anyone brought him something to eat? And Jesus said to them my food is through the will of him, who sent me into accomplish his work. So Jesus is revealing something very significant about why he's here. Nothing in the way that he has planned his day has been an accident.

Speaker 1: 23:28

And we finish out this amazing picture of this unlikely evangelist, a woman who is likely in social disrepute, relationally just broken from the rest of her community, now coming back to them saying come and see this man who's told me everything I've ever done. And the very last verses show them coming out to Jesus and the people in the town declaring we no longer believe just because of what you told us. We've seen it with our own eyes. So why is this in our Bibles? I imagine at this point a lot of you are asking the question of like man. How come we didn't get into her past? How come. We didn't put labels on her, maybe. What's Jesus doing here? Well, we're going to walk back through it and transition from telling, retelling the story to this deeper theological implications. As we stand on this, this, this threshold of understanding this in a deeper way. And so this, this family, is where the mind, heart and the will of God, laid out in the truth of scripture, intersects with the reality of our lives. So let's dig into this together.

Speaker 1: 24:55

First, we need to turn back one page in our Bibles to see what's the setup for the story that we just walked through. You'll notice that we passed over John, chapter three. But in John three we witnessed Jesus nighttime conversation with Nicodemus. Do you remember this? He's a prominent Jewish leader and the encounter is laden with theological depth. It sets the stage for understanding the global nature of Jesus's redemptive mission. See, jesus speaks to Nicodemus of being born again, introducing a spiritual rebirth that transcends culture and religious boundaries. This conversation underlines the pivotal truth Salvation is not confined to a specific group of people, but is available to all who believe.

Speaker 1: 25:37

You remember John three, 16? How could we forget? It's one of the most popular Bible verses of all time. You must say it with me, for God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. And so, with that is the backdrop, it should make some more sense to us why Jesus is not taking the short. He's taking not the long way around, but going through some area. And now the this interaction with the woman of the well starts to take a different shade. We see the profound parallel that extends beyond just this immediate context.

Speaker 1: 26:20

I actually think that what Jesus is doing in John chapter three and into John chapter four is laying out a microcosm of the entire narrative of scripture, the entirety of God's heart for His people. This meeting of Jacob's well is far more than a chance encounter. It's a divine appointment that serves as a powerful illustration of Jesus' mission on earth. Consider this Jesus leaving Judea and venturing into Samaria reflects a much greater journey that he undertook, leaving the glories of heaven to incarnate as a human being. Just as his travel into Samaria crossed geographical and cultural boundaries, his incarnation was crossing of a divine boundary, a movement from heaven to earth.

Speaker 1: 27:10

This act is a radical demonstration of God's love, a willingness to enter into the brokenness and the estrangement of humanity. And in Judea, jesus was in a place that represented the religious center of Jewish life, a symbol of God's special relationship with Israel. However, his decision to leave for Samaria symbolizes his desire to reach all people. He's illustrating something for his disciples, for us, not just those from a particular religious or ethnic background that speaks of a God who's not confined to a temple or a nation, but one who is present in the midst of our everyday lives, even in places and among people often considered unworthy or unclean. And similarly, in his incarnation, jesus did not come as a conquering king or some kind of far off God. He came as a humble servant, born into a modest setting, living a life that exemplified love, service and sacrifice. And in becoming human, jesus fully embraced our condition, experiencing hunger, joy, sorrow, thirst, even death.

Speaker 1: 28:20

And this act of emptying himself, taking on human form, is the ultimate expression of God's redemptive plan, showing his commitment to heal, restore and reconcile all of creation to himself. And so, as Jesus talks with the Samaritan woman, he's breaking down the barriers that had long since separated Jews and Samaritans. It's a tangible demonstration of his broader mission to reconcile humanity to God, breaking down the walls of sin and separation that keep us from a relationship with our creator. And in offering the woman living water, jesus is offering the same gift that he extends to all humanity through his life, death and resurrection a restored relationship with the one true God, marked by eternal life, deep, satisfying joy. And so this journey from Judea to Samaria and ultimately from heaven to earth, is the journey of a God who relentlessly pursues his creation. It's a journey motivated by love, marked by humility, aimed at redemption, and in this divine trajectory we find our story, a story of a God who meets us where we are, knows us fully, offers us a life transformed by his grace and his truth, god who enters into a conversation with us about the real brokenness that exists in our life.

Speaker 1: 29:49

The second implication that we're gonna look at and we've encountered so far is more than a historical meeting. This is a powerful illustration of the much larger story, and so, as we engage with this story, we find ourselves not just revisiting this encounter, but we need to get into the depths of it. We need to understand how this encapsulates the human condition and God's redemptive response. So the Samaritan woman who Jesus meets at the well serves as this picture of humanity's estrangement from God. Her life, marked by broken relationship mirrors our collective quest for fulfillment in all of the wrong places. It's a quest that often leads us down paths strewn with the empty promises of this world, leaving us more parched than ever. So woman's journey to and from the well is a symbol of our own spiritual journey, marked by this incessant search for something or someone to fill the void within us, and it's constantly leaking out the bottom. And this void echoes with the emptiness of unfulfilled desire, unmet expectations, the pain of being human in a broken world.

Speaker 1: 31:12

And in this encounter, jesus offers this Samaritan woman this living water. It's a metaphor for rich, rich life. Living water the term that's used that John writes with is the idea of this running, babbling brook, it's a spring and the fact that there's an age statement kind of put on the well. Right, jacob, our forefather, drank from this well. He, his family, his livestock, he's been here for a long time, which means it's probably spring fed.

Speaker 1: 31:48

This offer transcends just a mere solution to her physical thirst and Jesus. It's an invitation to a transformative experience that addresses the most profound need of the human soul. The living water symbolizes eternal life, unending satisfaction, peace that permeates the very fabric of our being. It speaks of a life redefined by an intimate communion with God, a life where our deepest yearnings find their fulfillment and our most profound longings are quenched. I don't know about you, but how long for that Our world longs for that.

Speaker 1: 32:26

Jesus' interaction with this woman at the well transcends the bounds of personal transformation. It carries with it this global, this cosmic implication. At this moment, jesus is not just addressing the needs of an individual. He's announcing the introduction of a new way of living, a new way of living related to God. He's extending the invitation of God's peace, his salvation, to the farthest corners of the earth, cutting across all cultural, racial and historical divides. The woman at the well stands as a representative of all of humanity. We've been alienated by God because of our rebellion Drifted.

Speaker 1: 33:06

There's this great illustration that always comes to my mind when we think about going just a little bit off of the mark of what God asks for us. You hear stories of truck drivers in Montana driving these long, straight stretches of roads during whiteout conditions and just a few inches off and all of a sudden, boom, they're off the road, plowing out to the middle of the field Because they can't see where they're going. They've been blinded. Jesus offers living water. He's extending this hand of reconciliation to this woman, not just for her life of struggle, not just for her life of sin. This is a reconciliation that will be extended to all humanity through his life, his death, his resurrection. This is his mission to bring all of creation back into a relationship with God.

Speaker 1: 34:00

Jesus intentionally chooses this location and this individual to demonstrate his mission of peace and reconciliation, one that is without limitation. His peace is not an exclusive privilege for a select few. It's an open invitation to all, transcends the enriched barriers of hospitality and the, the things, the and Jesus. The walls that have long separated us from God and from each other are torn down. The transformation of the Samaritan woman from a social outcast to a messenger of the Messiah is a testament to this transformative power that's available to each one of us through this encounter with Jesus. Transformation is not just about personal salvation. It's about being reborn into a new identity and purpose. We're called to be active participants in Jesus' mission of reconciliation, charged with carrying the message of living water, the gospel, to every corner of the earth.

Speaker 1: 35:23

And I want to ask this question as we look at the story of Jacob's well, as we start to see beyond just the historical account of this happening, we see the vivid depiction of Jesus' mission to establish global peace between God and humanity, as we find in Christ not merely a temporary shelter but ultimate satisfaction for our souls, a dynamic, living and eternal fulfillment that ushers us into everlasting peace with God. The question that should be on our hearts and our minds Is do we possess this living water and, if not, do we desire it? Jesus calls to each of us, inviting us to be honest with him, like the woman. He already knows our hearts, he knows our actions, and he stands before us now with condemnation, but with love and with mercy, inviting us into a relationship with him where he can save us, where he provides us with living water that satisfies not just once, not just for a day, but forever. And for those who have tasted this living water, there's the ability to continuously drink from it. Well, the third thing I want us to see has to do with Jesus' conversation with his disciples. The transformation of the Samaritan woman, as we looked at, isn't just merely a result of hearing Jesus' words, but stems from this genuine encounter with Jesus himself, and this is the essential truth that forms the foundation of the gospel. It's not just good advice, it's genuinely good news, an invitation to an authentic encounter with Christ. And so what John is doing is helping us to see the relationship between Jesus in this interaction with the woman at the well, and then him describing the nature of his life, his goals, what sustains him to his disciples, whom he would later send out to be on mission.

Speaker 1: 37:40

Jesus' statement that his sustenance comes from doing the will of the Father is of incredible importance. Here it underscores this divine source of his mission, the purpose of his life on earth. Jesus, fully God, fully human, found his ultimate nourishment in fulfilling God's redemptive plan and bringing healing to the brokenness of the world. This is a call to communal mission. When Jesus points out to his disciples the fields are ripe for harvest, he's not limiting the scope to reaching only the Jews. He's standing on foreign soil. He's painting a clear picture that this is a message for everyone. This is a global mission, an invitation to participate in God's redemptive work. That's for all people, even those that you might consider enemies. The message transcends time, culture. In our context, this story starts to reflect our role as bearers of the good news. It comes to bear on what we do as those who possess the living water that we have received from Jesus.

Speaker 1: 38:55

The woman at the well, upon encountering Jesus, rushes back to town. Come see the man who told me everything I've ever done. Her story is an invitation to all believers to encounter Jesus personally, to grapple with the profound questions he stirs in our hearts, because she has been changed by interacting with him, not just hearing words about him. Can you imagine what would have happened if Jesus was sitting with her at the well and then his disciples come and you debrief the situation with them and he's like, yeah, I gave her some great relationship advice. She'll do some regular dates with the guy that she's with now. You know that might lead to some greater bond. Maybe they'll get married someday. Be honest, probably take a few personality tests, understand kind of what's going on with her. I mean, could you imagine if that was Jesus' approach Family, that's the water that only satisfies for a day.

Speaker 1: 40:06

Right, see, what he did is instead was he brought her the good news that everything that she understood about how she related to God was going to fundamentally change. That, instead of this battle over where was God's presence more likely to be located so we can go and worship him that there would be a worshiping in spirit, that this everlasting, satisfying water would be transformational in its way, that it interacted with her and therefore her environment, and it brought about such a change in her because she had experienced Jesus. Jesus brought her the good news of himself, the living water that only he can provide, and we have access to the living water For those who have put their faith and trust in Jesus, recognized their thirst. He gives living water A spring that wells up into eternal life. And by instructing his disciples that the fields are white for the harvest, jesus is saying what I just did, you can do. You can bring this living water.

Speaker 1: 41:41

In fact, the towns, people are on their way out right now to put on display the effect of what happens when people encounter me, when they encounter the truth about who I am, what I have come to do. It has an effect, and so are we settling? Are we settling for merely bringing good advice when we possess life transforming good news? This is a challenge to look inward, to evaluate whether our efforts to bring healing and change to the brokenness of which all of you in this space, I know, are committed to doing and desiring to do In your own lives and in the world. But are we settling for merely giving good advice instead of bringing the great news that we have that satisfaction, long lasting soul satisfaction is not available apart from Christ. It's our mission to tell the good news of Christ. We're called to share the message of the man who knows everything about us yet offers salvation, satisfaction, the sustaining power to live for God. This is the heartbeat of the gospel. It's an invitation that, amidst the rubble of our lives, to embrace Jesus as the source of true satisfaction, to do the will of God and spreading this news about Christ and sustain our life.

Speaker 1: 43:22

I've got one final thought. We live in a world that's parched, longing for living water that only Jesus provides. I want you to just take a moment, close your eyes. I want you to just think about the brokenness, the emptiness and how it shows up in the world around you. Where is the need for hope? Where is our need for transformation? Jesus says the fields are ripe for harvest and we're called to be laborers in the vineyard of God. Our mission is clear to share the message of Christ.