John 4:5-42. Thirsting
for Life??? 19/3/17
{10} Jesus answered her, "If
you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would
have asked him and he would have given you living water." {11}
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the
well is deep. Where can you get this living water? {12} Are you greater than
our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also
his sons and his flocks and herds?" {13} Jesus answered, "Everyone
who drinks this water will be thirsty again, {14} but whoever drinks the water
I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Here in this reading we have a very interesting and important
point being made, that is particularly relevant for us today as we live in our
present society. Here Jesus confronts us, together with the Samaritan women and
the disciples, with what it is that we are hungering and thirsting after, and
what it is that truly satisfies? Who and what is it that is important in life?
Where do we find that which makes for life? What is it that we should be
striving after? These and many other questions like this are at the heart of
this reading.
Now if we think about this Samaritan woman, she epitomises life
for so many people today. Even though we do not know a great deal about her, we
know that life has not been easy for her. We know also that her life seemed to
be grounded very much in this world and what it had to say life was all about.
It would also seem that when she is cornered she would make excuses for he
behaviour and situation in life. But she was also thirsting for something better from life; but like so many today
she was looking in all the wrong places.
The disciples also a little later in this story could only think
about the importance of food for the stomach. They too were so caught up in the
temporal world that they struggled to come to grips with the fact that there
was something far more important in life for them to consider; and they
couldn’t see it. This important aspect was all tied up in this Jesus and our
worship and work for him.
As with think about all of this, we see many comparisons with life
today. Today’s society is desperately hungering and thirsting for life. We are
longing for that security and happiness that we know should be there. We too
are caught up in the thinking that is so prevalent around about us.
Either this husband or wife
is not giving us what we want, so it must be another. When we tire of this one,
it must be another and another. Never finding that which we believe should be
there for us. It must be another better paying job, more control and influence
over others; a bigger house, a caravan, more fishing, something more, something
different; then we will be happy and content; then everything will be as it
should be.
Thirsting after the illusive dream, only to be even more thirsty
than previously. More and more hurt as others and life lets us down or take us
down. Surely the answer must be in the next thing; the latest invention; the
next relationship; greater control. Something must be there that will give us
what we want in life.
Even when it comes to the religious side of life: It must be this
church, or Jerusalem; or a less liturgical church; or a more experiential and
miraculous events; or women pastors; or homosexuality; less doctrine and more
feelings; it must be something more, something different. Thirsting for that
which we believe will ensure us peace and happiness. Surely it must be found in
the next guru and change that comes along.
But it doesn’t and it never will. Have a good read of the book of
Ecclesiastes and you will find the same answer. Every searching and striving
for life in this world is ‘meaningless.’
Every hungering and thirsting for the ideal world today is futile. You will
never find that which you are longing for in an earthly sense.
Every new or old relationship; power over others; thing or
pleasure; even religious experience; all are tainted with destruction: all have
come under the influence of sin. No matter how ideal a partner, friend,
colleague or working relationship; thing or pleasure; even worship service or
miraculous event; all will not be lasting or give us continual and ongoing
peace and happiness. The more we think it should and the more we try to control
it, the more we will be thirsting and parched. Life will always fall far short
of what it should be because of the sinfulness of humanity.
We all are deeply sinful and corrupt. Every one of us. God and his
word has made this very plain to us. The troubles, heartaches and death that we
all experience are clear evidence that this is true. The selfishness and
egocentricity that lies at the heart of us all will always ensure that life
here on this earth will never deliver what we long for. As long as we look for
it to, we will continue on our path of dying of thirst. Even as Christians we
are still sinful and we still have to live in a sinful world.
However, here we are reminded that this Jesus Christ comes with living water. In fact, he says: Indeed, the water I give him will become in
him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. Jesus Christ alone is the
one who can quench the thirst that lies at the heart of our lives. He alone is
the one who brings forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. He alone ensures
that the consequences of our sinful will, does not bar us from receiving the
fullness of life that God has for us in heaven, which will go on for all
eternity.
Through his coming into our world and taking on himself our sin
and dying on the cross in our place, now we have his promise that this life-giving water is ours. He has done
everything in order to ensure that we can have eternal life with God where we
will have peace, security, and joy in all its fullness. All we need to do is to
trust in all this he has done for us; and then to live in light of this life
that he has ensured for us.
But to help us as we live
out our life here in this world that is seriously flawed by sin, he first of
allows us to suffer and struggle so that we learn to look away from ourselves
to him. But he also gives us baptism so that we personally have God’s assurance
that he has forgiven us and joined us to himself and the life that he has for
us. Along with that He gives us Holy Communion so that week by week he can
remind and reassure us of this same thing. Also through his Word the Bible he
is able to continually tell us all that we need to know so that we can have and
live in this new life that he has won for us.
It is through those means that we are able to come to worship him.
Through those means the Spirit continually points us to the truth of Jesus
Christ and what he has won for us through his death on the cross. Jesus is the Messiah who has
come, and there we are reassured that we have life in all of its fullness.
We don’t have to go here or there; have this or that experience;
or to do this and that so that we can have this life. No, Jesus Christ alone
and our trust in him alone is all that is needed. Through him we can know that
we have all that will bring us security, peace, joy and everything else that we
need so that we never thirst again. To him be glory and honour, forever and
ever. Amen.
However, this not where the story ends. From here he addresses the
issue of what now is important for him and his followers as we now live out the
rest of our lives here in this sinful world. He does not tell us here to sit in
our own little worlds trying to build this new life. Nor does he suggest that
we simply ensure that we have enough daily bread to keep us alive and well as
long as God allows us to live in this world.
No, our work is to continue the work that Jesus came to do. Yes,
we know that he has done everything necessary for our salvation, but now the
ongoing work is to tell everyone around us of this good news. To point them to
the living water that truly quenches our thirst for life.
He says: Even now the reaper
draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the
sower and the reaper may be glad together.
Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap
what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have
reaped the benefits of their labour.
Jesus has done the hard work; we are simply called on to tell
others of the new life that ensures that we never need to go thirsty again.
Jesus really is the only Saviour of the
world. We can proclaim this with certainty, for he has quenched our thirst
with his life-giving water. We have the food that endures to eternal life, so
we are now able to tell the world this wonderful Good News.
What did the Samaritan woman do on coming to the realisation that
this Jesus was the Messiah and life-giving water? She left her water
jar there and went back and told everyone in town to come and see this Jesus who is all important. The result was
that many people in that town became believers; and they were Samaritans.
Yes, what a wonderful message God has given us through this story
of the Samaritan woman at the well. Here we too have our focus shifted from the
futility of the attitudes of our world around us, which thirsts after that
which only makes us thirstier. Here in Jesus Christ we have that which not only
quenches that thirst, but which wells up to eternal life.
So again we are reminded of just how great and important our Lord
Jesus Christ and his death on the cross really are for us. Let us thereby give
him all glory and honour, now and always. AMEN
Pastor Roger Atze
Glandore/Underdale Lutheran Parish
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