Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 2 Study # 8
April 21, 2024
Broadlands, Louisiana
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Thesis: "Knowing" Who Jesus is will lead to a desire to enter into a genuine, forever, relationship with Him.
Introduction: Last week we considered "the gift of God" as "The Holy Spirit" Who, like a spring of living water, will take up residence in the bodies of those who "believe into Jesus". Jesus' statement to the woman is that if she "knew" what this "Gift" is, and what He would do when He became an inner source of water for eternity, she would seek that gift from Jesus.
This morning we are going to look into the other "half" of what this woman needed to "know" if she was to become a possessor of "an inner well of Life".
- I. The Conversation Between Jesus And The Woman Of Samaria.
- A. The backdrop is Jesus' statement that if she knew the gift of God and who it is that is speaking to her...
- 1. The first of these two issues is the definition of the gift.
- 2. The order of Jesus' making her "knowing" possible is: He presents "the gift of God" (a "well of water" that makes further "thirst" non-existent); and then He presents "the 'Who' that is speaking to her after she "bites" ("Sir, give me this water..."; and then, "Go call your husband"...).
- a. She asks for "this water" though she is totally on the wrong page as she thinks He is offering to alleviate her daily task of coming to the "cistern".
- b. But Jesus moves forward because she has, at least, begun to open up to "The Who" that is offering her "The Gift".
- 1) His next step is "logical" but for a totally different reason than she thinks.
- 2) It would be out of order for him to proceed in the absence of her husband.
- a) But the issue of being able to drink His "water" is the issue of her condition in a tragic bondage to a driving thirst to have a "working relationship" that could make her "whole".
- (1) This is the common mistake of all of humanity: to seek from some "creature figure" something that only God can provide (this is called "idolatry").
- (2) This "mistake" has to be addressed: Jesus said, "If you knew Who I Am I would, upon being asked, give you living water".
- b) Thus, Jesus tells her to summon her husband and return to the "cistern".
- (1) Jesus, here, is addressing her idolatry: go get the man from whom you wish to obtain "wholeness".
- (2) This "requirement", unbeknown to her, is of the nature of a "fundamental requirement".
- (3) It is not the presence of her "husband" that Jesus is requiring, but her acknowledgement of the bondage to her sinful method of dealing with a thirst that she has not even genuinely recognized.
- (a) What good is a "god" whose interest is only in helping to deepen the hole which is being dug?
- (b) The "way of Life" is coming face to face with the identity of one's "god".
- (4) This is in perfect accord with the issue of the "repentance" that leads to the "forgiveness of sins" because it reveals how desperately she "needs" a real "relationship" -- with a real "God".
- (a) It is not so much her "sins" that are on the table as it is her alienation from the only God Who actually exists that has caused those "sins".
- (b) This "alienation" absolutely must be addressed: where there is no admission to the "need" for God, there will be no "forgiveness" and where there is no "forgiveness" there can be no "drinking of the water" which Jesus offers.
- (5) Thus, Jesus raises the real issue by simply telling her to go get her husband.
- c. Her response is deliberately deceitful because she does not want to be humiliated by the truth of her alienation.
- 1) Her answer is "technically" true, but it hides an entire closet full of "relational failures" with all of the "splatter" of those explosive proofs that she "doesn't have what it takes to live in relational harmony" -- with anyone.
- 2) She proves her inability by resorting to "technical truth" that is designed to deceive (the actual relationship "killer").
- d. But, at this point, Jesus has moved her into the "danger zone" for her, as she will now have to deal with her "reality" because Jesus will not go any further with the "Gift" if she is unwilling to "come clean".
- 1) Thus, Jesus confronts her duplicity (half truths that hide the hideous real Truth).
- 2) In the process, He gives her a strong hint as to "Who" He is: He reveals His "omniscience" to her.
