As our culture begins to become more and more controlling and limiting the freedoms of people. As the pressure to be politically correct even invades the church. Trying to pressure the believers in Jesus to bow to the cancel culture and relativistic point of view where there is no right and wrong unless you disagree with me, then you are wrong where we are a completely free society unless you dare to stand on moral principles.
Jesus battled similar pressure from his culture and from religionist. Jesus is always about truth and love…Jesus even said John 8:32
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Truth is always truth, I never fear true science because when the truth is revealed, God is always acknowledged and honored. I have an acquaintance, Dr. Don Colbert, he is the doctor to people like Pat Robertson, Joyce Meyer, Paula White, the late Bill Bright and his family, Joel Osteen. He says what better way for the enemy to hide a remedy for some ailment from Christians than to wrap it in a new age package. He searches for the truth of some medicines; things God has created to bless us despite the wrappers they come in. Ungodly kings like Pharoah Nicco, Nebuchadnezzer and others spoke truth to Israel.
The truth always sets people free, and lies always bind people up. Jesus came that everyone might know and have life and have it abundantly. He wasn’t concerned about political correctness, he was concerned about people knowing, seeing, and feeling God’s love.
Samaritans were considered compromisers by the Jews, even a different race, half Jewish and half Assyrian (at least)
. They were a blend of people and ideas but they considered themselves more pure and held to the covenant of Moses better than the Jews…It was an ethical, moral and religious gaffe to have anything to do with the Samaritans. Israel was also a very patriarchal society, much like the Middle East today where women are worth less than a man.
Many who only know religion and really don’t know Jesus miss a very important part of who he is….Jesus is for people, all people, he lifted up everyone he met, women, religious, people of different races, cultures, the poor, and the wealthy…when people left him, if they wanted, they were set free, lifted up to see their value in God’s eyes, and given renewed vision and purpose…things I hope I am successful with for you every week.
In today’s story Jesus violates all of the political correctness of his day to bring truth that sets people free
John 4:5-8
Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
Notice…Jesus got tired, he was weary. The human part of him got tired in body but that never stopped him from loving people.
- Women came in the early morning hours to get their water for the day. This woman was ridiculed and rejected by the culture, the other women so she could not come in the morning to get water but had to wait until the heat of the day
- Jesus was purposeful about traveling this way and arriving at this time of day…Jesus met her in the shame of her sin, he was not ashamed, he loved her and wanted her to know the Father’s love so he met her in her shame
- He went after her but she came to Him! It didn’t matter to Jesus her race, that she should be hated because of her culture and her sin not that her gender should stop him from speaking to her…he had hope, peace, joy, and love to give and she needed it
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
- The woman objects to his intrusion first she feels that he feels he is better than her….how many times does this happen we are accused of being better than someone because of our faith, politics, job…Notice how Jesus responds
- I’m here to give you a gift….she was angry at him, felt insecure because of the way other Jews had treated her and his response is to put her at ease to say, I have a gift for you
- Do you realize every person you know, needs the gift inside of you, this is why it is so important that you allow the Lord to heal you, as I said a few weeks ago for you to take up your mat and walk. You have the Holy Spirit within you and he carries the love, peace, joy and so much more that we need every day and we grow stronger as we give it away
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
How often do we look to solve a spiritual issue with earthly ways…she is looking to Jesus to solve the problem of how he is going to get the water. He is the living water
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
Now he has her curious… she is thinking, I won’t have to work so hard, I won’t have to endure the looks and cutting remarks, eternal life is something everybody wants….Jesus is showing us he has something for everyone, this is a Samaritan, someone who the Jews would call a pig, she is a woman, an immoral one at that, He is offering her hope not because of who she is, not because he wants something from her but because of Whose she is supposed to be and because he loves, he doesn’t see a cultural, racial, gender, religious difference, he just sees someone the Father loves
Do you see everyone regardless of position, class, race, gender, culture as someone God loves? Do you have the confidence that you have something they need?
Don’t worry if you have tried in the past and people have shot you down, this woman tried to do the same with Jesus
16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband—18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”
She, kind of told the truth, yes she doesn’t have a husband but was living with a guy, but you can’t deceive Jesus, the Holy Spirit always reveals the truth and in order to help. Jesus didn’t cut her down or judge her for her sin but instead, helped her understand that God knows exactly what she is going through….it is always important that we know God knows exactly what we are going through and He will love us through it..
Notice how Jesus goes from being called “sir” to being called a prophet, the relationship is growing…
Have you experienced when we talk to people and they sense you are real and that there is a certain holiness about us they will clean up their language, want to talk religion, or something like that…Jesus shows us how to gently handle it
21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Jesus doesn’t let the discussion get stuck on her opinion versus the Jewish point of view, he was right by the law and God’s word to argue that Jerusalem was the true place God had ordained but he didn’t he was concerned about her…He gets right to the heart….He is saying, the traditions don’t dictate our worship the reality of our relationship should make our worship alive….worshiping him in Spirit and Truth is really one word in Greek….people want real answers to tough questions…they aren’t looking for religion but relationship, truth, hope, and love
25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!”
She knew enough to know about the Messiah. Most people in America know about Jesus but they really don’t know who he is, Jesus was so loving he knew she needed to know God loved her so much that He would find her…for Jesus to tell her he was the Messiah was powerful because she was the wrong type of person for God to care about according to the culture but God loved her!
27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
It messes with religious people when we truly understand the way Jesus would respond, I saw this in my own life because of ministering to Muslims John Hagee was upset with me, I ministered to Palestinians and many who are focused more on being pro-Israel than pro-Jesus got upset with me but when we go against political correctness and we speak the truth it can impact people…how many people are in a bondage due to class, race, gender, sexual preference, job, status and they are waiting for someone to love them enough to not be politically correct and leave them in bondage but set them free…we sometimes have to take the risk of offending someone if you really love the way Jesus loves…which means you aren’t arrogant, prideful, boastful, insensitive but you are kind, loving and truthful to help set them free
To the woman Jesus is no longer “sir”, “a prophet” but now he is the Messiah, the intimacy has grown because of Jesus love…what was the fruit of Jesus being politically incorrect and loving completely?
John 4:39-41
Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” 40 When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days, 41 long enough for many more to hear his message and believe.
An entire village was changed….people need the truth that we have, to hold that truth back is to rob them of freedom….
When salvation is at risk we can’t afford to get bogged down in trivial arguments but instead need to keep people focused on God’s plan, love, and hope for them.
Jesus was not interested in getting bogged down in the trivial arguements of the day, all of these things will pass but someone will spend eternity in heaven or hell due to how we approach them and someone’s life, daily could be heaven or hell depending on how we are able to communicate the greatest love to them
How about you today? Are you allowing some non-essential thing, non-eternal thing stop you from being happy, all the Lord has called you to be? Jesus would come sit beside you today to meet you where you are in your struggles, battles, fears in fact someone who knows him well may be sitting next to you and will be willing to love you to see the freedom….this morning we really have two groups of people here…1) who knows the love of God so well they are daily being set free and are living a life free from prejudice and arrogance and 2) those who may know the Lord or may not but are stuck in a place of battle, struggle, perhaps even misery and you are in need of prayer