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Scriptur
07-30-2008, 12:14 AM
The Samaritan Woman

Scripture Reading: John 4.1-15,28,29

We are going to discuss a passage in the Bible which records a most wonderful incident. In the event recorded, the Lord Jesus spoke to a most degraded woman and that woman turned to believe in Him.

"He [the Lord] left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar . . . and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water . . ." (vv.3-7a). Please notice that this happened at the sixth hour when a woman came out to draw water. What time was this? We know it to have been at noontime. The Lord Jesus, wearied from his journey, sat by the well to rest awhile. At the same time, a woman came to draw water.

In reading the Old Testament we will notice that each time when women would come to draw water they did so in a group. And they usually did so either in the early morning or late in the afternoon. But here, when the sun was at its zenith and the temperature was the hottest, a woman came to draw water. Why did she not have companions? Did she have no neighbor? Would not other women come and draw water with her? Yet she had neither companion nor friend with her. Why? The following verses reveal that she was a most degraded woman and was therefore ostracized in the community. Hence she came to draw water at the hottest hour of the day.

This woman was a lonely person. No one accompanied her; none was merciful towards her. In the eyes of many of the women, she was a sinner, a defiled woman; hence they could not draw water with her. Not only were people fearful of her, she was also apprehensive of them. If she were to go out to draw water in the morning, she would be afraid people might point at her and heap scorn upon her as being a most immoral woman. If she were to go out in the late afternoon she would be fearful that people would see her and ridicule her as the most defiled of all women. So she would rather go to draw water alone at noontime. Forlorn and without sympathy, she was an isolated woman—despised by the world as well as in return despising the world herself.

However, when she came to the well, she met another lonely person. Just as she was solitary and despised, so was He. She was alone because of her sins; He was alone because of the jealousy of men. When this lonely sinner met this lonely Savior, she was saved!

"Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink" (v.7b). This is an expression of intimacy. Usually you are afraid of God, but you will not be afraid of one who asks you for water. You are fearful of God, but you will not be fearful of the God who asks you for water. You are frightened because you think of God as high and distant and terrible. But if you know that this lonely, weary and perspiring One (even as you are lonely, weary and perspiring) is God, you will believe in Him. How approachable and friendly is our Lord Jesus towards men.

"The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? ... Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (vv.9,10). The reason the Samaritan woman spoke in this manner was because the Jews and the Samaritans engaged in no social intercourse. But the reply of the Lord was that if she knew two things—(1) the gift of God; and (2) He who says, Give Me water to drink—she would have asked of Him and He would have given her the living water. How sad that many people in the world today do not know these two things. You who are now being made aware of this may also be ignorant. Perhaps you feel depressed, perhaps you are tired and fainting because of the load of sins and the dissatisfaction of life. The path through this world is indeed rugged, and the waves of the sinful sea of life are high. If only you knew these two things, however, all would be well.


I. The Gift of God

God never sells anything. "Gift" means something freely given. God always gives freely to men. And He will give to whoever asks. God gives us sunlight without charge; He gives us rainfall without cost. He will also give you spiritual satisfaction in exactly the same fashion.

Once there was a child who loved his mother dearly. He thought of buying some flowers to please her heart. He had only two pennies in his pocket. That day he saw a most beautiful garden, and entered it thinking of buying some flowers. A gentleman was there to whom he expressed his wish. So the gentleman picked some flowers and handed them to him. The boy politely said that he could not take the flowers without paying. But the man replied: "My flowers are always given freely. If you want them, I will give them to you." Who was that man? He was the Prince of Wales, and this was the royal garden. Royal things are never for sale.

If you wish to be spiritually satisfied today, you may have it immediately; you do not need to wait till you do better. To prepare a book requires a lot of effort, but to receive it is so simple. It takes much time to prepare a good meal, though it takes hardly any time for you to eat it. It takes time and thought to make a dress, but to put it on needs very little of both. In the event of sorrow within and pressure without, you may immediately obtain comfort and strength if you desire them. You do not need to do anything, for God will give it to you. The gifts of God are all freely given. He never sells anything.

The Gospel according to Luke (15.11-24) records the story of a prodigal son. When he was hungry, "he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him" (v.16). This is the principle of the world; he who has, has, and he who has not, has not—one for one, and two for two. This is also the principle of the devil. The world will only give when it is given; it will never give away anything freely. If you have nothing to give, then you must give your soul. But there was one place for the prodigal where giving was free, and that place was his father’s house. It was therefore best for the prodigal son to go home.

Earlier he had demanded of his father: "Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me" (v.12); and his father had given him his portion. But when he returned to the father’s home much later, did he have any right to eat a single meal or to wear one piece of clothing belonging to his father’s house? No, for everything now was grace since he had already squandered his portion away. So we see from this story that the way of God’s salvation is to give freely to you. It is not how much you give Him, but how much He gives you. Many think if they can do good and pray more, perhaps God will be willing to grant them salvation. This kind of thinking comes from our commercial mind. God never does things that way.

What is the gift of God? Let us read John 3.16: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." This gift is neither gold nor silver, but the Son of God. God sent His Son to die for us so that He could put all our sins on His Son. From this we can see that He is giving us such a beloved Son.

I like to read John 3.16 and John 1.12 together. The first verse says God gave His Son to us, and the second says you receive His Son. He gives and you receive. Is there anyone here who does not know how to be saved? It is simply this: just receive the Son of God. Do not imitate the way of one lady who said that she had performed thirty years of good works in hope that God might save her. Such a way can only be termed the woe of hell. The Bible declares instead: "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10.13). Simply call on His name, and you will be saved. The Bible also declares: "He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life" (John 3.36a). If you only believe, you shall be saved. This is the glad tidings of God.


II. The Christ Sent by God

We must know not only the gift of God but also Him who says, Give me water to drink. For the One who sat by the well humble and weary and despised is the gift of God. To know that God gives gifts and that He gives freely is not enough. You must know that Christ who is today being opposed by men is the gift of God. This weary One who sits by the well, this despised Jesus whom people refuse to worship and believe is the very gift of God. Many people who go to hell believe in God. The one who heads the list is the devil, for he too believes in Him. All in hell believe in God, but Jesus none there believes. This lowly Man whom men accused as being a bastard, a rebel to the Roman Empire, even an imperialist, is the gift of God. Had you known Him, you would have said: "You are the gift of God, therefore please give me living water that I may be satisfied."


III. The Way to the Living Water

"Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (John 4.10b). What kind of people may receive living water? Those who ask for it. You will get it if you merely ask Him, "Give me living water." In many places I have seen people simply say to God: "O God, save me," and they were saved at that very moment.

Do you recall from the Bible how a dirty tax-collector, who dared not raise his eyes towards heaven but beat his breast, said: "God, be thou merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18.13b)? It did not take him five minutes to utter such a prayer: it would not even take one minute. What did the Lord Jesus declare about this tax-collector? "I say unto you, this man went down to his house justified" (v. 14a). In other words, this man was saved. To put it another way, this man received eternal life.

Luke the Gospel writer also records the instance of another person who in his life had committed even more hideous sins—such as murder and arson. He was finally arrested and crucified. On that day, he witnessed the Lord Jesus also being crucified with him. At first he joined the other robber who was crucified in mocking Jesus. Later his heart was moved by hearing the prayer of our Lord on the cross ("Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do—"Luke 23.34). He began to realize there was a unique Person here. So he asked of the Lord this one thing: "Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom" (Luke 23.42). How long would the utterance of such a prayer take? Five hours? He would have died in the meantime had it required that long. No, he simply asked to be remembered when the Lord came for His kingdom. What did the Lord in reply say to him? "Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23.43). Yes, indeed, he was saved, justified, and he now had eternal life.

Is there any sinner who will at this very moment lift up his eyes and believe in the word of God? If so, he shall be saved. The Lord said to the woman: "Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water." If you have asked, you have already received living water. Oh, it is not what we do but what God does. It is not by our works but through the redemptive work of our Lord. It is not how we are but what the Lord is before God.


IV. The Dilemma of the Woman

How did the woman respond? She said, "Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water?" (v. 11) She had two problems: one, the Teacher had nothing to draw with; and two, the well was deep. What she meant was, where could this Stranger get living water since He had nothing to draw with and He did not even know how deep the well was. This is how every unbeliever will react. I would like to have living water to quench my thirst, but who can fathom the depth of this well of living water? It is way beyond the reach of human hands. I long to be saved, to have eternal life, and to have the Holy Spirit relieve my thirst, but how far away salvation is from me! How distant eternal life is from me! How remote the Holy Spirit is from me! I have no way to obtain these blessings. Oh, the well is so very deep and the bucket to draw water with is so much lacking. How very far God and Jesus are from me. The well being so deep, the living water is too far away. Salvation is too far removed from me.

Perhaps some of you will think: I have no way of being saved. I cannot ascend to heaven to bring Christ down, nor can I descend to the abyss to bring Christ up from the dead. Since all this is so impossible, how can I ever be saved? Salvation to me is but a dream; it is not something I can expect in this life.

But may I ask you to listen to God’s pronouncement: "The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: . . . If thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10.8,9). What does it say here? It says the word is not far from you and that you have no need to ask who will ascend to heaven to bring Christ down or who will descend to the abyss to bring Christ up from the dead.

This word is near you, the well is not deep at all. For the word is in two locations: in your mouth and in your heart. Do you have a mouth? You do. Do you have a heart? You do. So the word is right here, and the well is therefore quite shallow. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you have the living water. The water is close to you—in your mouth and in your heart. If you confess and if you believe, you have it. If you were to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and to believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead but you nevertheless went to hell, it would mean that God is not righteous. But God cannot be unrighteous. His word is trustworthy.


V. This Water

"Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again" (v.13). Do you know what it is to be really thirsty? Suppose a seafaring boat is sinking. All the people on it flee to the small lifeboat. In this lifeboat there is food but no drinking water. Though I am surrounded completely by water, I am becoming thirsty even to death. Physicians tell us that thirst is much harder to bear than hunger. Thirst speaks of unsatisfied desire, unfulfilled expectation.

The world in its beauty is most attractive, but even if it gives you its best, you will become thirsty. The world is great, but its greatness will never quench your thirst. For what the world can give you is always temporary, you will therefore be thirsty again soon. After one cup of wine you will ask for another. Upon seeing one movie, you will want to see another. After tasting an excellent meal, you will desire even more. Having gotten fame, you will then want wealth. Having obtained wealth, you will desire a good family. Upon securing a good family, you will seek to have good children and grandchildren. And having obtained good children and grandchildren, you will yearn for immortality. Whatever the world gives, from that you will drink but be thirsty again. You receive from the world one drink, yet it only increases your thirst for more drinks. Hence the Lord states that "every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again." "This water"—what is it? "This water" is all which the world can give to men. "This water" consists of all the worldly things which can temporarily satisfy people. The world can only whip up one’s appetite but never satisfy; the world can only make you thirsty but can never quench such thirst.

There was once a man whose father was a martyr during the Boxer Uprising in China. He thought if someone could help him finish elementary school, he might earn twenty or thirty dollars a month and then he would be satisfied. It so happened that someone did assist him through elementary school and he was able to earn those twenty to thirty dollars a month. After a while, though, he began to compare himself with other people and thought of going on to high school. Again, he was helped to finish high school. As soon as he left high school, he conceived the idea of entering college. And once again he was helped—this time through college. Upon graduating from college, he wanted to go abroad to study. If only he could obtain a PhD degree, he mused, he would then be satisfied and would ask no more. Once more he was helped in his education and he finally achieved his doctor’s degree overseas. The man returned home and became a professor in a college. But he confessed that he was no happier in having gotten a PhD degree than he had been in graduating from elementary school. One day, however, he obtained real satisfaction, and testified to what he had obtained—that he had received Christ whom the heavenly Father had given and who had died for him. He later went forth to preach the gospel and was no longer thirsty.

If anyone should reflect that if he could only be successful in education or in business he would be satisfied, I wish to state that these are but temporary satisfactions which will leave the person thirsty once again. There may be those today who have some strong desires which need to be satisfied. At present these may be mere dreams. Let me say that even if your dream becomes fact and your desire is fulfilled, you will not be satisfied. You will simply dream again and experience once more an unfilled void within you. Do realize that all these are vanities which cannot quench one’s thirst.

I know a friend and fellow-townsman who had studied in college and was once the chief of police in a city. One day he went to witness to his former colleague who was now a man of military power and influence. When the man he visited saw him coming dressed in a traditional Chinese gown, he asked my friend if he were happy. "Look at me," my fellow-townsman said, "and you will know I am quite happy." "Will you not come and join me so as to provide for the future of your wife and children?" asked my friend’s host. "There is One who cares for them, even the Lord Jesus," answered my friend. "But why do you not think of your future life?" the man of influence persisted. "God will be responsible for my future days," replied my fellow-townsman. The person visited was really surprised that a man who had been to college and had been a chief of police should have such peace in him after simply believing in the Lord. When they parted, his old colleague told my friend: "I wish I could lay down everything I have in exchange for what you have." Neither political power nor superior position can satisfy people. If anyone is not satisfied, then whoever drinks of "this water" shall indeed thirst again. The water of the world can never satisfy.


VI. The Living Water

If you really wish to be satisfied, listen to the way of satisfaction which the Lord Jesus informs us of: "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life" (v.14). Why is it that whoever drinks of the water which the Lord gives shall never thirst? Because that water shall become in him a well (or spring) of water. That you may be satisfied for three or five days? No, it will flow on to eternity. And that is what the Lord gives. Whatever comes from outside is useless in really satisfying anyone. But if a person receives Christ, the latter will become a spring in you so that you are daily satisfied. What we lack is inner satisfaction.

Once a man went to visit his doctor. He asked his doctor why he felt life was so tasteless and without hope. After he was examined, he was told that there was nothing physically wrong with him. So the man asked if there was any remedy for such depression. The doctor replied: "You should enjoy yourself. Why don’t you go see the theatrical play of a certain clown. He has great ability to make people laugh and to be happy." "I am that clown," said the man, "and I can make other people laugh, but I myself cannot laugh." How sad, yet this is only what the world can give—perhaps a few laughs and some temporary joy.

Why is it, however, that in the church Christians can be so happy though they may lose everything? It is not because of a good environment or comfortable material life: it is due only to the One who satisfies them from within, even Christ. Some missionaries are willing to sail to distant islands and live with the natives. At times they can only receive letters from outside once a year. They endure more sufferings than the keepers of the lighthouses. How can they be so joyful? There is something in them which enables them to sing, and to shout Hallelujah. I can also say that though I know no music yet I will sing; and even if I could not sing, I could at least shout Hallelujah! I have often said that we Christians do not love the world not because we are tired of it or because we have experienced so much of it that we can no longer enjoy or be thrilled by it, but we have been able to overcome the world because we are already satisfied. Because Christ has satisfied our hearts, the world’s attraction just naturally fades into oblivion.


VII. The Woman Satisfied

"The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw" (v.15). The woman now began to ask of the Lord. Did she understand? No, she did not. Despite her ignorance, however, she did ask. Would the Lord still give to her? The Lord would certainly give to her. For had He not said, "Thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water" (v.10)? A. Paget Wilkes observed that by merely asking; the woman obtained it. How true this saying is. Let us realize that it is not an asking according to our understanding but according to the Lord’s word that precipitates His giving satisfaction to us.

"So the woman left her waterpot, and went away into the city, and saith to the people, Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did: can this be the Christ?" (vv.28,29). "Can this be" means "this is." According to grammatical structure, any question which begins with "Can this be" assumes an affirmative answer on the part of the questioner. This proves that the woman had already obtained the living water. Though she did not understand or even know what she had asked, she recognized that this was Christ. And that was sufficient for her. How many today are weary and thirsty! Just believe in Him and ask of Him and everything will be well.

A. Paget Wilkes once told a story of some sailors aboard a destroyer which later docked in a certain place. These sailors went ashore and heard the gospel preached by some lady missionaries. One sailor, after he heard, believed. In the evening he knelt by his bunk bed and prayed. This man was nicknamed Old Seventy. Now among his fellow sailors he usually was the one who loved to play tricks. So when he knelt to pray, his companions said, "Look, Old Seventy is playing a new trick today; he is imitating a Christian at prayer." They threw their boots at him and made fun of him. But he paid no attention to them. They therefore said to one another: "Look here, today Old Seventy acts so real!" He got up from prayer and told them that he had indeed believed in Jesus. They would not accept this explanation and insisted that though he had been acting very real, he was nonetheless only pretending.

The next day, Old Seventy met a half-Christian. He told the man that he had just believed in Jesus. But the man responded with these words: "A person who believes in Jesus should feel peace in his heart. He will feel so joyful as though he had already ascended to heaven. Now that you believe in Jesus, do you feel that way?" Old Seventy confessed that he did not feel that way. So he was told by this man that his faith was not dependable.

Quickly he went off to see those lady missionaries. He said to them, "You say that merely by believing in Jesus, I shall be saved. Your word is not true. Others believe in Jesus and they feel very peaceful and joyful; how come I feel nothing at all?" So the missionaries said to him: "We do not ask you whether you feel any different, we only ask you if you are different." He thought for a while and then leaped to his feet and said, "Why, there is a difference! Usually I make more trouble than anybody else on the ship. Whatever they could say, I could say more. But when I believed in Jesus, I returned to the ship and noticed that the words of my companions had really pierced my ears, for their words were so dirty. And as a result, I began to think what would happen to these men who said such things. Then, too, usually it is I who beat them, but last night when they threw boots at me, instead of letting my temper go I felt sorry for them because they were so ignorant." "Good," concluded the missionaries. "It is not important whether you feel changed or not; it is enough if you have changed."

The Lord Jesus can so satisfy your heart that you will have no more vain desire. If you will say to Him, "Lord, I believe You, I give myself to You," you will be saved. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the word of the Lord shall be fulfilled. It is unimportant if you do not feel it; as long as you believe, it is done. First believe, then feel it; do not try to feel the peace and joy first and then believe.