John 4:5-14

http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/Jesus_Meets_the_Woman_of_Samaria_at_Jacobs_Well.htm

Misconceptions are very common in our lives especially when we are dealing with our thoughts about God and the way that He works.  The Jews had many misconceptions about Messiah and what He would be like.  They had many traditions that had been established through the years and it was almost impossible for them to consider anything outside of those beliefs.  They had a very limited view of who could be acceptable to God and had a very short sighted view of what in meant to be accepted by God.  Jesus did not conform to any of these traditions and as we study His life and ministry we begin to see just how many misconceptions there were about who He was and what He had come to do.  We too struggle with these same types of misconceptions.  God has a mission that He desires to accomplish in the world today.  As believers we are expected to be fully engaged in that mission.  Too often we begin to focus on our own little world and our own lives instead of looking to the eternal destiny of the nations.  There are many lessons that we can learn about God and His mission from the encounter of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman.  We will look at two of those lessons today.   

THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERYONE: The Gospel is offered to all people without discrimination.  The fact that Jesus decided to go through Samaria on His way to Galilee was very unusual for the Jews of that day.  Samaritans were seen as half-breeds and completely undesirable.  Most Jews would go out of their way to avoid going through Samaria.  When Jesus decided to stop outside of the city for a rest this was even more surprising.  While Jesus is resting by the well the Samaritan woman comes to draw water.  She must have been surprised to see a Jewish man sitting at the well at that time of day.  It was rare for a Jew to come through the city, much less stop.  What Jesus does next is even more surprising: He asks her for a drink of water.  It was a complete surprise to her for a Jewish man to ask a Samaritan woman for anything.  She is completely surprised by the way Jesus was treating her.  Jesus wanted to demonstrate that God loves and desires to be reconciled with people of all nations, all races and all genders.  This is the mission that God is looking to accomplish in the world today.  We are all the most comfortable when we are associating with people who are similar to us.  God calls us to break out of our comfort zone and be engaged in His mission.  We must never discriminate as we proclaim the Gospel and we need to be intentional proactive in taking the Gospel to those who are different than us.   

THE GOSPEL IS FOR EVERMORE: The Gospel makes an offer that is eternal in duration.  It is so easy for us to become focused on the immediate.  The Samaritan woman was surprised when Jesus talked to her in the first place; but she was even more taken aback when He started talking about living water that would quench her thirst forever.  She could not take her mind off of the water in the well and all the work it took to draw water from it.  She is immediately interested in this water because it would bring her relief from difficult work.  Jesus wants her to begin looking at and living life from an eternal perspective.  The goal of the Gospel is not to provide temporary comfort and relief from difficult circumstances in our immediate circumstances.  God wants to give us eternal life in His presence where we are perfectly reconciled to Him through faith in Jesus.  Since “earthly life” is all that we know and experience today it is easy for us to begin to focus on it instead of “eternal life.”  Food, water, rest and comfort are all desirable and even necessary aspects of our lives on earth.  But we must not allow these things to take priority over that which is eternal.  Following Christ will often involve pain, suffering, hardship, illness and even premature death.  All of these things ought to fade from our minds when we consider the glory of eternity.  God’s grace reaches beyond the scope of our lives on earth and promises us a future that is eternal and glorious for all who trust Christ.


APPLICATION: Do not get stuck in the rut of thinking that we can only share Christ with people who are similar to us.  Look for people that are very different from us and make an effort to befriend them and show them the love of Jesus.  Make God’s mission a higher priority than our own comfort.  Live in light of eternity.  Don’t allow the sufferings of our present circumstances discourage or distract us from the mission God has called us to advance.

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