Reading of God’s Word

John 5:19–30 (ESV)¹⁹ So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. ²⁰ For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. ²¹ For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. ²² The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³ that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. ²⁵ “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. ²⁷ And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸ Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice ²⁹ and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. ³⁰ “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Introduction

There are three major world religions which find their origin in Palestine: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity.  All three insist that there is but one God. This is the thing that the three share in common – the insistence that God is one!

One of the things that sets Christianity apart from the other two is our answer to the question, who is Jesus? The Muslims regard him as a prophet; the Jews consider him a false prophet, a false Messiah; Christians confess that he is nothing less than the Son of God.  The question, who is Jesus?, or what is the relation of Jesus to the one true God? is a question that divides.

Listen to the words of the Nicene Creed, penned in A.D. 325. It is a wonderful summery of the Christian understanding of who Christ is.

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made.

Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end…”

This is a good confession concerning Christ! This is a true confession! The expectation is not that we would fully comprehend these things – how the nature of God and man could be united in one person – but that we would confess them as true because God has revealed these things to us through his Word.

What we have here in John 5:19-30 is a very careful explanation from Jesus himself concerning the relationship between he and the Father. Read the rest of Sermon: John 5:19-30: The Way to the Father is Through the Son, for Father and Son are United as One »

Reading of God’s Word

After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him, “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.” But he answered them, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’ ” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’?” Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. (John 5:1–18, ESV)

Introduction

This story marks the beginning of a new section in John’s gospel.

Chapters two through four clearly go together. They begin and end in Cana of Galilee. Two miracles – the turning of water to wine and the healing of the official’s son – bracket the section, beginning and end. We learned a lot about Jesus from chapters two through four.

As we move forward notice that chapters five through six also go together. Both chapters are patterned in the same way. Both begin by presenting us with a miracle preformed by Jesus.

In chapter five we are told of the healing at the pool on the sabbath; and in chapter six we are told of the feeding of the five thousand. But notice also how both stories give way to long speeches from Jesus. Our red letter versions of the Bible are helpful here in that we see the pattern at a glance. Notice that 5:1-18 is printed mainly in black (the story of the miracle) whereas verses 19-46 are in red (Jesus’ teaching in response to the miracle). The same pattern is present in chapter six:  Verses 1-24 are mainly in black (the story of the miracle) whereas verses 25-71are mainly red (Jesus’ teaching in response to the miracle).

The reason I point this out is to reiterate what has already been said concerning the miracles of Jesus: they are signs. Signs have this function – they point to something greater. They are not an end to the themselves but direct our attention to some greater spiritual, heavenly, and eternal reality. And that is how John uses these miracles in his gospel. They certainly get the attention of the reader (just as they would have captured the attention of the eyewitnesses) but they soon give way to words of explanation – words of interpretation which explain more fully the meaning of the miracle – the significance of the sign.

Two things will happen in chapters five and six.

One, it will become clear that a serious division exists between Jesus and many of the Jews. The conflict was hinted at in chapters two through four, but it will grow and become more obvious in chapters five through six. The religious powers will seek Jesus’ life. The multitudes who follow him will prove fickle and will desert him in the end. There is no mistaking it in John’s gospel – Jesus is headed to the cross form the outset.

Two, Jesus’ true identity and true mission will grow more clear in chapters five and six. It is here in these chapters that Jesus will speak most directly and most clearly concerning his who he is and what he came to accomplish.

And wouldn’t you assume that the more Jesus revealed concerning himself the more people would be drawn to him? Not so. In fact the the opposite is true. The more specific and direct and open Jesus was concerning his true identity and mission, the more people rejected him. Look at the result near the end of chapter six: “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

So that is the lay of the land – that is where we have been and where we are headed.

Let’s Consider the Setting

Notice that in verse 1 we find ourselves back in Jerusalem. John is not concerned to tell us how we got there, nor is he concerned to tell us how much time has passed between Jesus’ visit to Cana of Galilee and this second visit to Jerusalem – the significant thing is that Jesus is there again. Notice that he is there at a feast of the Jews. We do not know which one. Many have speculated. This too seems to be unimportant to John. The significant thing is that Jesus is walking in the way of his people. He is observing the feast days. He is walking with his own, shining as a light amongst them. He is there in their most significant city, observing their most significant holy days, interacting with their most significant people. Jesus came to his own, but, as we will see, his own people did not receive him.

As the story picks up we find Jesus at a pool called Bethesda, which was near a very famous gate called the Sheep Gate, located in the northern part of Jerusalem, to the northeast of the temple square. The pool was probably fed by natural springs.

Notice the detail that John provides. He tells us that there were five colonnades surrounding the pool. You can picture this, can’t you? A pool of water with five large verandas, or covered patios, surrounding it. Sounds like a beautiful place, doesn’t it? But John tells us that, “In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed.” (John 5:3, ESV)

I don’t know if you have ever been in a place with a high concentration of suffering and sickness. Hospitals are a bit like this, only more sterile and organized in our day. The slums of India are like this. I’ve been to orphanages in Mexico where handicap children are cared for. Places like these have a way of stirring compassion within the heart. I think it is very significant that, of all the places Jesus could have been, he is found here walking amongst the needy.

Verse 4?

The question that naturally arises is, why are these people gathered here at this pool?  

How may of you are reading from either the ESV,  NIV84, TNIV, NLT, or NET? Do you notice something peculiar about verses three through five? Yes! There is no verse four – we move immediately from verse three to verse five.

How many of you are reading from the KJV, NKJV, NASB? Your versions contain verse four. And it reads, “For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” (John 5:4, NKJV)

How are we to explain the discrepancy? The simple answer is that certain manuscript traditions contain the words of verse four whereas others do not. In my opinion the ESV, NIV, NLT,  and NET are based upon the more reliable reading. I will slow way down when we come to chapter eight of John’s gospel and teach a bit on textual variances and the discipline of textual criticism when it comes to the ancient Biblical manuscripts. For now it will have to do to simply say that their are two readings found in the ancient manuscripts. The shorter of the two readings (the one lacking “verse four” seems to be the original).

You can imagine a scribe copying the gospel of John and, after copying verse three – “In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water” – thinking to himself, I need to explain why these invalids were gathered here. And so he wrote (perhaps in the margin) the explanation – “For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had.” Over time this note probably found it’s way into the text itself.

It is a helpful explanation, isn’t it? We, as modern readers are unfamiliar with the pool of Bethesda and so it is good to know that there were a great number of people who were sick and superstitions gathered at this pool. At certain times the water would stir.  They believed it to be an angel. And they believed that the pool had healing potential. They were superstitious.

The note of explanation is helpful, but probably not a apart of the original gospel – thus the jump from verse three to five in many of our modern translations. If you are troubled by this please talk to me, or wait a couple of months until we come to John 8 where more time will be devoted to this topic.

The important thing is to notice that Jesus was there walking amongst the very needy. There is a great multitude of them. They are clearly desperate.

The Invalid 

Notice that Jesus, though he certainly could have touched and healed every one of these, sets his attention upon one particular individual. We are told in verse five that, “One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” (John 5:5, ESV) The story zooms in upon him.

This man is desperate. He has been in this state for thirty-eight years. That is a long time. Perhaps he was thirty-eight years old, having been born this way. Perhaps he was much older than that, having been paralyzed later in life. We don’t know. But we can sympathize with him. Thirty-eight years is a long time to suffer in this way. He was desperate. He was probably willing to try anything. So far the pool of Bethesda thing was not working to well for him.  We don’t know how long he had been at the pool. The text only tells us that Jesus “knew he had already been there a long time.”

It’s hard to believe that, having been there a long time, he never made it down into the pool. I would imagine that he did. But you know how superstitions go. If you get into the water and it doesn’t work, an explanation must be provided – Well, you need to be the first one in; Or, you need to have more faith as you go in; Or, you need to say these words as you go in – or something like that. 

Clearly this man is in a place of desperation and despair. This man is buried in hopelessness. Year upon year of disappointment has been heaped up upon him.

The Sign

And then Jesus, the Son of God arrives. He – the one who spoke the universe into existence – looks upon this man with compassion and simply says, “Do you want to be healed?”

Jesus knew the answer to the question. Obviously the man wanted to be healed. Jesus asked the question to involve the man. And notice how he responds! Verse 7: “The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’” He’s utterly clueless concerning the identity of the man standing before him.

This kind of response should sound familiar to you by now.

To Nicodemus Jesus said, “you must be born again.” Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?’” (John 3:4, ESV)

To the woman at the well Jesus said, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’” (John 4:10, ESV) The woman response? “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” (John 4:11, ESV)

Jesus offers healing to this man and he, like the others, could not see beyond the things of this world. His eyes were fixed upon the here and now – upon the physical and tangible. His only hope was the pool of Bethesda – he could not see beyond that. The great irony is that the Son of God – the one who spoke the universe into existence – was speaking to him, offering him healing, and he didn’t perceive it.

Notice that Jesus heals him anyways, despite his lack of understanding.

He healed him by simply speaking a word. The eternal Word of God healed the man by speaking a word. “Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked…” (John 5:8–9, ESV)

That’s quite a miraculous thing. We talk about the miracles of Jesus often so they may become common to us. Think of it. A man could not walk for thirty-eight years and he stands up and walks when Jesus speaks a word. That is incredible. That is a miracle.

The Jews and the Man

The last six words of verse nine serve as a transition. The text says, “Now that day was the Sabbath.” (John 5:9, ESV) This will become very significant.

The scene shifts from the working of the miracle to the interaction between the invalid-man-made-whole and the Jews.

Tell me, how would expect the Jews to react to an event like this? You would expect them to rejoice! You would expect them to stand in awe! You would expect them to inquire of Jesus concerning his ability to heal.

But how do they respond to the man? Surprisingly they rebuke him for carrying his mat on the Sabbath!

This is terrible for two reasons.

One, it is an abuse of the Sabbath command. The fourth commandment forbids the people of God from engaging in work on the Sabbath. It is to be a day of rest and worship. To claim that a man – just healed – is breaking the fourth commandment by carrying the bed he had been bound to for thirty-eight years is a complete misunderstanding of the fourth commandments, and an abuse of it. As it is said elsewhere, the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Sabbath was a gift to man. It still is. We are to rest one day out seven. Now that Christ has come we rest on the first day, not the seventh, because of his resurrection. We call it the Lord’s Day. It is to be obeyed, but in the right spirit and and without the added trappings of legalistic religion. Some in Jesus’ day had transformed the Sabbath from a gift into a great burden.

Two, this response of theirs was terrible in that they were so concerned with the details of their man made religion that they were unable to see the glory of God displayed before their very eyes. A man paralyzed for thirty-eight years was walking before them, carrying the thing he was once bound to, and they are unimpressed.

I picture a child bringing an assignment home with an “A+” on it beaming with excitement. He shows it to Dad expecting the Father to rejoice with him. Instead the Father says, look you misspelled this word. You can do better next time. Such a response would be unthinkable, and yet this is how many of the Jews responded to this miracle. “It is not lawful for you to take up your bed on the Sabbath.” Wow. Talk about blindness.

The invalid made whole responded to them saying, “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’” (John 5:11, ESV)

I’m not sure I like his response.

Notice that there is a tone of blame-shifting here. “The man who healed me, that man said to me, ‘Take up your bed, and walk.’”  You would expect the man stand up to the critics and say, are you kidding me! I am walking and you are concerned about me carrying my mat. Instead he cowers before the religious leaders and shifts the blame to Jesus, though he does not yet know him by name. He does not know Jesus by name because, according to verse thirteen, “Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place.” (John 5:13, ESV)

The Man and Jesus 

Now in verse fourteen we are told of yet another interaction between Jesus and this particular man. “Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.’” (John 5:14, ESV) 

Notice that Jesus found the man; the man was not looking for Jesus. This says something about the condition of the man’s heart. Though he had been made whole at Jesus’ command he does not seem interested in finding Jesus. Instead he is enjoying his health in the temple, associating with those who had just criticized his Sabbath breaking.

Notice also what Jesus says to him. in verse 14: “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.” Some have taken this to mean that the paralysis experienced by the man was the result of some sin and that Jesus was urging repentance so that some worse physical ailment would not come upon him.

That interpretation is possible. The scriptures are clear concerning the relationship between sickness and sin.

One, all sickness is the indirect result of sin. Sickness and death did not exist before the fall.

Two, some are ill because of specific sin. For some, there is a direct link between their sin and their sickness.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1 Corinthians 11:27–31, ESV)

Three, not all illness is the direct result of sin. Jesus addresses this most specifically in John 11:4, saying,  “But when Jesus heard it [the sickness of Lazarus] he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’” (John 11:4, ESV)

So it is possible that when Jesus warned against something worse happening to the man he had something worse physically in mind.

I think it more likely that Jesus is here concerned for the man’s soul. The worse thing that he has in mind is not physical sickness, but the final judgment.

Notice that this man seems altogether uninterested in knowing and following Jesus. He was healed, and did not know the name of the man who healed him. When he was confronted by the Jews concerning his breaking of the Sabbath he does not confess Christ – he does not defend Christ – but shifts the blame to him. Furthermore, he does not look for Jesus but rather Jesus has to look for him. He simply enjoyed the blessing of physical healing and wanders freely about the temple. In verse fifteen we see that after he learns the name of the man who healed him, he actually goes out of his way to report him to the Jews. Verse 15: “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him.” (John 5:15, ESV). Also, in the following passage (the one we will consider next week ) Christ responds to all of this emphasizing two things – his ability to give eternal life and also to judge.

Therefore, when Jesus warns the man, telling him to repent so that nothing worse may happen to him, he is concerned, not for his health, but for his soul. This man is in danger of gaining the world but loosing his own soul – of being healed in body, but not in spirit – of experiencing life in the here and now but suffering eternal death at the judgment.

I think all of this becomes even more clear when we compare this story with John chapter nine and the story of the healing of the man born blind. The stories share much in common, but the response of the men who were healed could not be more different. The blind man confesses Christ, defends him in the face of persecution, and is finally expelled from the synagogue by the Jews, being comforted by Jesus afterwards.

So Jesus healed the invalid, but that was not his deepest concern. He finds him and addresses more serious things – eternal things – things pertaining to the salvation of his soul. Sadly, the healed man simply disappears from the story, which suggests that he was uninterested in following Christ – uninterested in trusting in him for the forgiveness of sin. It is a tragic story in the end.

The Jews and Jesus

The story eventually leads to the first direct conflict between Jesus and the Jews.

Verse 15:  “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath.” (John 5:15–16, ESV)

The Sabbath becomes a prime source of tension between the Jews and Jesus. They have have heaped rules and regulations upon the biblical concept of the Sabbath, Jesus keeps it correctly.

Notice Jesus’ response in verse 17: “But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’” (John 5:17, ESV)

Two things should be observed.

One, Jesus points out that when God rested from his work of creation on the seventh day, he did not rest from all his labors, he rested specifically from his work of original creation. His work of providence continued. He continued to rule and reign. He continued to preserve the world he had created. Jesus was following his the Fathers example in his observance of the Sabbath – he certainly rested from his labor, but he did not give himself over to total inactivity. He still engaged in doing acts of mercy.  We know from other texts that he still gave himself to acts of necessity (picking grains and eating with his disciples).

This is what we believe concerning the Christian Sabbath and teach our children:

Q. 65. How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?

A. The Sabbath is to sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days, and spending the time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy. (Lev. 23:3; Isa. 58:13,14; Isa. 66:23; Matt. 12:11,12)

Notice, secondly, that Jesus makes a tight link between he and the Father in verse 17.  He says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.” In other words, these works preformed by the Jesus are the Fathers works. Jesus was doing the will an work of the Father.

Verse 18 concludes, “This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath [that is, the Sabbath according to their customs], but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18, ESV)

What does this text mean?

First of all, it is important to recognize that this story is about much more than physical healing.

I suppose that some would read this text and say, do you see! Jesus came to heal physical ailments. That was his primary mission, and it is his primary concern still today – to heal those who are sick. That is the will of Jesus for you! That would be a misinterpretation of the text.

One, notice that Jesus healed one man out of a great multitude of people who were sick. If physical healing were his prime concern you would expect Jesus to set up a clinic there in that place.

Two, notice that Jesus was not finished with the man after he healed his body. He found him expressing deep concern over his soul.

Three, notice that Jesus explains the reason for this miracle in 19-29, a text we will explore together next week. There he makes it clear that this miracle was a sign which signified some greater spiritual and eternal truth – namely the Sons authority to give life to whom he choses (5:21).

Physical healing is not the main point of this text. Jesus’ ability to give life is.

Secondly, this story calls people away from trusting in superstitious religion. The man could not Jesus for who he was because eyes were so fixed upon the pool of water in front of him. He was blind to Christ because his eyes were fixed upon the things of this world.

This is common today. People are superstitious in their religious devotion They say, if only I could touch that icon, or, if only that man would pray for me, or, perhaps it is true if I sent money to that ministry blessing will come my way. We are to look to Christ, trusting in him alone, resting in his him, humbly submitting to his will for us.

Thirdly, this story warns against the absurdity of legalistic religion. Legalism in religion – that is is the adding to the commands of God, or the belief that keeping the commands of God will lead to life eternal – has a way of deadening the soul to the things of God. The legalist cannot see the glory of Christ; he can only see his rules and regulations. The cross is foolishness to him. Salvation by grace alone through faith alone is unintelligible to him. So it was with many of the Jews in Jesus’ day.

Fourthly, this story warns against the emptiness of worldliness.  The man was healed in body, but lost in soul. Many, I fear, go on enjoying the blessings of God in this life – they eat and drink, and laugh and play – and yet they do not give a thought to the God who made them, from who’s hand these blessing come. “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26, ESV)

Fifthly, this story exalts Jesus.  He is kind and compassionate. He has the power to give life. You and I are helpless apart from him. We, before we came to Christ, were in a most desperate state. The only reasonable thing is to call out to him for life. And once we have been raised up, the only reasonable thing is that we would follow after him with all we are.

Reading of God’s Word

“After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (John 4:43–54, ESV)

Introduction

As we study the scriptures together on Sunday mornings I hope you never grow tired of asking the question, what does this text mean? or what was the authors intention as he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

It’s important that we settle down in the text of scripture together – that we immerse ourselves in it – swim in it, wanting nothing more than to know what it means. It is only after we know what it means that we are able to go on making proper application to our lives. This takes work. It takes patience.

Notice that the text before us today is a historical narrative – it is a story (that is the case with the majority of John’s gospel). It’s important to keep this in mind as we approach this passage because narratives are to be interpreted in a particular way.

The narratives (stories) found in scripture and the didactic (teaching) portions of scripture have this in common: they both convey truth. The author, be it Paul or John or some other, had something particular in mind when he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Paul had something in mind when he wrote his letter to the Romans, for example. But he wrote in a most direct way. Romans is didactic literature. Paul conveyed truth there in the form of a letter. He instructed the Roman church in a most rational, linear, and black and white way.

We should remember, though, that John, like Paul, had something particular to say. There was something on his mind – some truth that he wanted to convey. He wrote, not a letter, but a gospel. He wrote, not in didactic form, but in the form of historical narrative.

I say this today because I think it is common for folks to approach the narrative portions of scripture as if they have no real concrete meaning – as if anything goes – as if the passage is completely open to one’s personal and subjective interpretation. This is not so. John is communicating something specific by telling this story as he does. We must study the passage with care so as to understand the authors intent.

When studying narratives it is important to (among other things) give special attention to the place the author gives to the story in his overall work. Also, we should be mindful of how the author introduces the story; to the things he emphasizes while telling the story, and to the things he does not emphasize. We should give special attention to the characters in the story, the way they are introduced and developed, and to the way they interact with or contrast other characters already introduced.

I would argue that this story in particular is a difficult one to understand if we fail to apply these sound principles of interpretation. The story is confusing, I think, and it looses it’s force if it is considered on it’s own and divorced from the rest of John’s gospel.

What I am saying is that this story is an important one. It has been told for a reason. It’s aim is to move us to an authentic faith in Christ.

Let’s consider it carefully together.

Consider, first of all, the placement of this story in John’s gospel

This story serves as the conclusion to a pronounced section in John.

Chapter 2 begins with the story of Jesus turning water to wine at the wedding in Cana of Galilee. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus back up in Cana of Galilee preforming yet another sign.

John tells us in 2:11 that the turning of water to wine was, “…the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory…” 4:54 reveals that the healing of the officials son “…was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.” (John 4:54, ESV)

Clearly this story is connected to what came before it. Jesus has completed a circuit, if you will, having traveled from Cana to Jerusalem to the wilderness of Judea up into Samaria and now back to Cana of Galilee. The first and second miracles preformed in Cana of Galilee serve as brackets, it you will, to this entire section in John.

This is important to recognize. It clues us into the fact that this story is not meant to stand alone. It is a part of something bigger, namely, chapters 2-4 of John, and the gospel of John as a whole.

Consider, secondly, how John introduces this story

Look with me at verses 43-46:

“After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine…” (John 4:43–46, ESV)

There are some things that need to be explained in verses 43-46.

For example, how are we to understand the words, “For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.” What does that mean?

We should remember that Jesus was born in the region of Galilee. Specifically, he was born in Nazareth. Nazareth was about 10 miles to the south of Cana where the water was turned to wine and where Jesus spoke healing to the officials son. Capernaum – the city where the official traveled from – was about 15 miles to the east of Cana. So Jesus is about return to his homeland (the word hometown that we see in the ESV can also be translated homeland).

We should also remember that Jesus had just experienced wonderful success in Samaria. Many believed in him in an authentic way in that place. He was largely rejected down in Judea where the Baptist was ministering (he gained a few disciples but had to flee the religious powers), he was received by the Samaritans, and, with that as the context,  we read in verse 43, “After the two days he departed for Galilee. (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.)”

The word “for” is significant. It indicates that there was a purpose behind Jesus leaving Samaria and going to Galilee again. He traveled to Galilee – back to his homeland, back to his fellow Jews, “For… [and here is the reason] Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown [homeland]”.  

The meaning of this is rather straightforward. Jesus left Samaria and traveled back to Galilee because he would not be honored there. This statement is confusing only because we would never do such a thing. It’s hard to understand why Jesus would leave behind success and go on to a place where he knew he would be rejected.

But this was his mission. He was to minister primarily to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. His disciples would be sent to the ends of the earth, but he came to offer himself to his own even though his own would not receive him. They would reject him. They would kill him. But this was the purpose for his coming. 

Consider also another difficulty. In verse 44 we are told that “a prophet has no honor in his own hometown [or homeland]”, but in verse 45 we read, “So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast.”

John seems to immediately contradict himself:  “a prophet has no honor in his homeland”, but then “the Galileans welcomed him”.

There is no contradiction here when we realize that it is possible to welcome Christ, but for all the wrong reasons. Why did they welcome him? Because they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. 

They were interested, not in Jesus as Jesus – but in the signs and wonders that he preformed. There is a way of welcoming Jesus that is all wrong. There is a way of believing in Jesus without believing in him at all.

This is a constant theme in John. In John we see that some reject Jesus outright while others receive him. But among those who receive him are those who reactive him truly, and those who receive him only superficially. There are those who believe, and then there are those who believe.

John 2:23-25:

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25, ESV)

And so these introductory remarks are more than just transitional details. They set the stage for what is going to happen in this place. Jesus is leaving fruitful ministry behind amongst, of all people, the Samaritans. He is going back to his own. But he going back knowing that they will reject him. They welcome him, but only superficially.

I wonder, why would the people welcome Jesus in this way?

People love to be associated with power.

People love to root for a hometown boy.

People are greedy for gain.

Consider, Thirdly, the main character in this story.

We are told in verse 46 that there was an official who lived in Capernaum who’s son was ill. When he heard that Jesus was in Cana he urgently traveled the 15 miles up to Cana to seek Jesus’ assistance.

Notice a few things about this man:

One, he was an official. This means that he worked in some capacity for the Roman government. Perhaps he was associated with Herod Antipas, who was a wicked man. This seems significant to me. He would have been viewed by the Jews as a traitor if he was Jewish, and a heathen if he was Greek. He is therefore, like the Samaritans, a most unlikely figure to get it right when it comes to the Messiah.

Two, notice that he is at a place of desperation. His son is ill and at the point of death. We see here a father deeply concerned for his son. This is no trivial thing, but a matter of life and death.

Three, notice that he runs to Jesus thinking that he would be able to help. Verse 47: “When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.”

Though this is not the meaning of the text, there is here a beautiful picture of the love that a mother and father ought to have for their children and how we ought to intercede for them.

But notice Jesus’ strange response to this man’s request. Verse 48: “So Jesus said to him, ‘Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’”

This response should not surprise us to much. Do you remember how Jesus responded to his own mother when she requested that he deal with the problem of the lack of wine? “And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.’” (John 2:4, ESV) Jesus, as I explained when preaching on that text, resisted at first in order to draw out deeper faith. The same is true here.

Also, it should be recognized that the “you” in verse 48 is plural while the “him” is singular (obviously). This is significant. “Jesus said to him, ’Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.’” It was as if Jesus were talking to the Galileans through the man. It is a criticism of them in general, and not necessarily the man.

But notice that man is undeterred. He continues on expressing his desperation – his legitimate need. Verse 49: “The official said to him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies.’” Verse 50: “Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” (John 4:50, ESV)

As the story progresses we are told that the man journeyed home on the next day (it was to late to make the journey back home on the same day, though I’m sure he was anxious to return).  As he traveled his servants meet him on the road with good news. His son was recovering. The fever had broken. The man asked when the recovery began. They reported that it because at about 1:00pm the previous day, the same time that Jesus had spoken this word.

The man believed. His whole household, following his lead, believed in Jesus.

The Point of the Story

So what is the point of this story?

John, again and again, is setting examples before us that are meant to compel us to consider Christ deeply and truly, and to welcome him, follow him, believe in him from the heart.

The disciples of John who became the disciples of Jesus are to be imitated. They followed him, listened to his teaching and believed.

Nicodemus is to be imitated. He was one of the few from amongst the Pharisees who came to Jesus inquiring deeply of him.

The woman of Samaria, and fellow townspeople, are to be imitated. They came to Christ and implored him to stay that they might hear more.  John 4:42: “They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’”

And now this man is to be imitated. He came to Jesus out of a sense of deep and legitimate need. He came believing, but his faith grew. He came to led his whole household to faith in Christ.

All of these, each of them coming from different sectors of society, are compelling us to do the same thing: to consider the claims of Christ and to believe in his name.

Do not forget John’s concluding remarks in John 20:30-31:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30–31, ESV)

In contrast to these are many others who are interested in Jesus, but for all the wrong reasons.

Some welcomed him or believed in him so long as he showed promise as a politician.

“Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” (John 6:15, ESV)

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him.” (John 6:66, ESV)

Some welcomed him so long as he would preformed signs.

“Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing. But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.” (John 2:23–25, ESV)

Many were preoccupied with the signs. They were interested in Jesus so long as he would continue to turn water to wine, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and multiply the bread fish. That was fine by them. Jesus the miracle worker was someone they could believe in.

But, as we will see in John’s gospel, when Jesus begins to suggest that he not interested in being the kind of king that they wanted, the people rejected him. When he begins to suggest that he is not primarily interested in wine and bread, physical sight and physical healing, the people are quick to leave him. When Jesus teaches that these signs are just that – signs which point to something greater – the people abandon him.

A sign is something that points to a greater reality. The miracles of Jesus are just that – signs. The sign is not the main thing – it points to the main thing.

When Jesus turned the water to wine he was not mainly concerned with the wine, but show forth his glory and to say something about how he would provide purification by the shedding of his blood.

When Jesus gave sight to bind man his primary concern was not the blind man (though he was certainly overwhelmed with compassion, but to display is ability to open the eyes of men, spiritually speaking.

I could go on and on. The point is that the people were fixated with the things of this world. They were only interested in Jesus so long as he would benefit them in a worldly way. The gospel of John insisted that we come to Christ ultimately, not for what he can do for us in the here and now, but because of what offers the human soul as it pertains to eternity.

“…these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:30–31, ESV)

Introduction

I’d like to approach this text a bit differently from the way I typically organize my sermons. Notice that verses 7-26 focused upon one scene. The camera, if you will, remained focused upon the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. We settled there for a while. Much was said. And we witnessed a progression. Jesus slowly revealed the truth concerning who he was, and the woman slowly came to see Jesus for who he was, eventually confessing him to be the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

But in verses 27-42 the pace of the narrative picks up a bit; the camera moves rather quickly from one scene to the next.

At first, in verse 27-30 we see the disciples return form their journey to town. They  find Jesus talking with the woman at the well. The woman then returns to town and the story follows her there as she tells her fellow Samaritans of her interaction with Jesus.

Then, in verses 31-38, the camera returns to the well. Now it is the disciples who are being instructed by Jesus. The woman and the disciples have exchanged places – she returned to the city and now the disciples are with Jesus at the well, and he is teaching them.

After that, in verse 39-42, the focus shifts to the Samaritans. They, upon hearing the testimony of the woman, come to Jesus to see and hear for themselves. They ask Jesus to stay with them that they might learn more, and  many come to believe.

So, there are three scenes contained within verses 27-42. I’d like take each of them, one at a time and make observations and draw application from each.

Scene 1 – 4:27-30

Let’s consider the first scene in verses 27-30:

“Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you seek?’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’ So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’ They went out of the town and were coming to him.” (John 4:27-30, ESV)

An Awkward Moment

So evidently there was an awkward moment when the disciples of Jesus returned from the city and  found Jesus conversing with the woman of Samaritan.

Remember, this woman had three things against her in the eyes of the Jew’s of Jesus’ day. One, she was a Samaritan (Jew’s would often avoid contact with Samaritans); two, she was a woman (a Jewish man would never converse openly with a women in the way that Jesus did); and three, she was an adulteress (the disciples of Jesus could not have known this, but perhaps she looked the part).

So as the disciples of Jesus return from the town and find this situation I imagine tension in the air – you know what I’m talking about. This was an awkward moment, I think. Everyone there knew what everyone else was thinking, but no one said a word. I picture the disciples avoiding eye contact with Jesus and with the woman; I picture the woman looking down at the ground, avoiding eye contact with the disciples; and I picture Jesus looking confidently both at the woman and at the disciples – his conscience was clear because his motives were pure.

The significant thing to notice here is that the mind of Christ, and the ways of Christ, were often at odds with the cultural norms – Christ’s view of the world was at odds with the worldview of his disciples in this moment. And what is Christ doing except this? He is calling his disciples to renew their minds and to see the world as he sees it.

As the disciples looked at this woman they saw a Samaritan; a woman; a sinner – one to be avoided. As Jesus looked at this woman he saw a Samaritan, a woman, a sinner – one who needed to hear the gospel – one who the Father was seeking.

It’s good for the Christian to be aware of the fact that we too have been impacted by our society. Each of us sees the world through lenses which have been colored by our culture and our life experiences. We view the world in a particular way, and we assume that the way we view the world is the right way to view it! We view the world in a particular way, and we assume that everyone else sees what we see!

But the Christian ought to live life aware of the possibility that some things that we hold to be true might in fact be wrong. The Christian should seek to know God’s thoughts concerning the world. The Christian should seek to lay ahold of God’s mind and to know God’s ways, as he has revealed them in his Holy Word. The Christian ought to ask the question, is the way I view the world correct according to God? Everyone has a worldview – a way of interpreting and understanding the world around them. The question that the Christian must ask is, do I have a correct worldview? A biblical one? A distinctly Christian one? The question is, do I have the mind of Christ – the eyes of Christ – the heart of Christ?

When we consider the disciples and their journey with Christ over the period of 3 years or so, what we see is a slow and steady transformation. Their minds are progressively renewed – they come to understand more and more – they are moved progressively to see the world as God sees it as they walk with Christ and encounter his teachings and witness his ways. You and I are on the same journey. We do not have the Word of God incarnate walking before us, but we do have the Word written, and we would do well to live in humble submission to it.

This was a lesson learned by the disciples as they walked up and witnesses their Rabi conversing with the woman of Samaria in this way. They didn’t realize it, but school was in session! And what was the lesson? It was this: One, God is concerned to save the world – yes, even the Samaritans. Two, God is concerned to redeem women – they are no less valued by God; men and woman are unique, but equal in God’s sight. Three, God is concerned to call sinners to himself. The disciples needed adjust their way of seeing the world to coincide with the way that God sees it, as revealed through Christ, the eternal Son of God.

The Woman Left Her Water Jar

The woman would soon leave to go back to her to town to tell of her encounter with Jesus. But notice the detail that John provides. He is concerned to tell us in verse 28 that “the woman left her water jar” as she went away. What is the significance of this detail? Why does John give it?

Consider three things;

One, this detail supports the claim that John, the author, was indeed an eye witness to these things. We can picture him being among the twelve, taking note of the fact that the woman, as she hurried away, left her water pot behind – he decided to include this detail in his narrative.

Two, this signifies that the woman planned to return. She ran off, not because she rejected Christ’s claim, but because she was thrilled to hear his claims, and planned to return. Wonderful things had been revealed to her by Jesus, but she was not finished. Far to many people are content with only an initial and superficial encounter with Jesus – this women believed that Jesus was the Christ, but she intended to sit as his feet even more.

Three – and I will admit that this is the most speculative of the three observations – but I can’t help but wonder if John is not symbolizing something here as he makes note of this little detail.

The woman left her water jar. Why would John take the time to tell us?

Consider this: The woman came originally to draw physical water to quench her physical thirst – Jesus offered her living water, spiritual water that would satisfy eternally. We learned that this woman’s entire life had been marked by seeking satisfaction in worldly things. She had been married to five men, the one she was currently with was not her husband. Jesus was calling her to repent of that. He was calling her to leave the worldly things behind and to seek the things that are above – things that satisfy deeply and truly and eternally. I can’t help but think that John gives us this little detail – the woman left her water jar – to symbolize this reality – that the woman went away no longer concerned with earthly water, but desiring the water that only Christ could give. There was a change of heart that took place within this woman, and perhaps the living behind of the water jar symbolized that reality.

Coming to Christ is like that. We spend our lives drinking from the cisterns of this world. We expect them to satisfy; we expect that they will quench our thirst, but they do not. And then Christ calls us to himself. Christ offers living water. And as we begin to drink of him we find that he is far better than anything this world has to offer – far more satisfying.

To walk with Christ, to worship God in spirit and truth, to live in obedience to God’s word, it not a dreary thing – it is blessed thing, a happy thing!

So many live life chasing after satisfaction and contentment, peace and pleasure in the things of this world – but it alludes them. They drink, and drink, and drink, but their thirst is never quenched. They find themselves perpetually parched, forever dry. And they wonder why that is?

God would say, you’re drinking from the wrong cistern; you’re drinking from the wrong jar – from the wrong well

All of this reminds me of the words spoken by God to his rebellious people through Jeremiah the prophet, saying,  “for my people have committed two evils: [the first one is this,] they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and [the second is that they have] hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13, ESV)

This is the essence of sin. Sin is our love misdirected. Sin is our worship misdirected. Sin is when you and I drink from the wrong cistern, seeing this or that thing as being worthy of honor and able to satisfy our souls, when in fact only God is worthy; only God is able. We are to drink of Christ.

The woman left her water jar behind. She was more concerned to drink of Christ! She was done with seeking satisfaction in the waters of this world. I think that is the symbolism here.

Come and See!

Notice that the woman immediately ran to her home town and, in verse 29, “said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?’”

Notice that this woman wasted no time in serving as a witness to the Christ.

Notice the pattern in John’s gospel. In 1:38 Andrew and John approach Jesus for the first time and ask, “‘Rabbi… where are you staying?’ [And Jesus] said to them, ‘Come and you will see’…” In 1:46 Nathaniel responds to Philip’s announcement that he had found the Messiah by saying, “‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’” And here the woman, being thrilled about what had been revealed to her runs to her home town and pleads with those she loves saying, come and see.

It seems to me that John is communicating two things by the repetition:

One, he is urging those not yet in Christ to come and see – to investigate the clams of Christ that they might also see him as the Christ, the eternal Son of God, the Savior of the World, as communicated within the scriptures generally, and to believe in his name. Come and see. A brief and superficial consideration will not do. Come and see.

Two, John is establishing a clear pattern for Christians. The pattern is this: to believe in Christ – to see him as the Christ and to follow him – naturally involves urging others to do the same. That is the pattern! Those who follow Christ in John’s gospel immediately think of those they love and they proceed to witness or testify concerning Jesus as the Christ, the Savior of the World.

Come and see, come and see, come and see, is the pattern established in John’s gospel.

Scene 2 – 4:31-38

Let’s consider scene two together. In verse 31 the camera transitions from the woman witnessing to her fellow Samaritans back to Jesus at the well with his disciples.

”Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought him something to eat?’Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.’” (John 4:31-38, ESV)

I’d like for you to notice the similarity between Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well and Jesus’ conversation with his disciples at the well. It’s as if Jesus had set up a classroom there. At first, class was in session for the woman; now class is in session for the twelve.

He had moved the woman’s eyes from a fixation upon the earthly to a fixation upon the heavenly – now he is doing the same with his disciples. The woman came to draw water, the disciples came bringing food. To the woman Jesus said,“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10, ESV) When the disciples urge Jesus to eat he responds to them saying, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” (John 4:32, ESV) The woman misunderstood, saying,“Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?” (John 4:11, ESV) The disciples also misunderstood saying, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” (John 4:33, ESV)

School was indeed in session, wasn’t it? And the lesson for the woman and for the disciples shared this in common: Christ was urging them both to look beyond the things of this world so that they might see the heavenly and spiritual reality in Christ Jesus. The woman was looking to the wrong things for satisfaction and for salvation; the disciples were looking to the wrong things for strength and purpose.

When Jesus said that he had food to eat that they did not know about, he was not talking about physical food anymore than he was offering physical living water to the woman at the well. He clarified, saying, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.” (John 4:34, ESV)

Perhaps it was that the disciples were, at this point, still preoccupied with the things of this world. Jesus pointed their attention heavenward. It’s as if Jesus was saying, you’re concerned about bread – you look to bread to move you along – I’m looking to the Father. It is the Fathers will that moves me along. Live, not for the things of this world, but to accomplished the Fathers will. Look, not only to the bread of this world, but to the bread from above for strength and nourishment. This similar to what Jesus says in Matthew 4:4: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4, ESV) 

Jesus was more concerned to accomplish the will of the Father than to satisfy his fleshly appetite. If only we would maintain this priority! Our priorities are often situated in exactly the opposite way. How quick we are to abandon any thought of living for the will of God when the flesh cries out.

Christ knew how to control the appetites of the flesh. Life was not to be lived for food, but food was for life. Life is not to be driven by the appetites of the flesh, but by the will of God. Christ was decidedly devoted to accomplishing the will of the Father. The will of God for him involved bringing in a great harvest from every tongue, tribe, people and nation.

Listen to his words to his disciples. Verse 35:

“Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor’.” (John 4:35–38, ESV)

Notice the language in the middle of verse 35: “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see”; “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see”; “Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes and see”! Christ is here doing with his disciples the very thing that he was doing with the woman at the well – he was trying to elevate their minds, to open their eyes to see beyond the stuff of this earth that they might perceive the heavenly realities that lay beyond and behind it all.

The disciples were preoccupied with bread – bread that when you eat of it you grow hungry again – bread that would mold and rot with the passing of time. Christ was concerned to bring in a harvest and to gather fruit of an eternal kind. 

“There are yet four months, then comes the harvest”, was probably a common saying amongst farmers. A farmer plants seed and then waits a few months before he sees a harvest. That is the natural way of things. Jesus is pointing out to his disciples the uniqueness of their situation. They had only been walking with him for a short time and yet the time to gather in a harvest was upon them. Verse 35: “…lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” Many Samaritans are about to enter the kingdom.

 Jesus goes on, saying,

“Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” (John 4:36–38, ESV)

These words of Jesus seem to be alluding to Old Testament promises concerning a coming age when God would bring in a great and bountiful harvest. Amos 9:13-14 comes to mind:

“‘Behold, the days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel, and they shall rebuild the ruined cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.’” (Amos 9:13–14, ESV)

Jesus is announcing to his disciples that the time for harvest is upon them. This is a time where sower and reaper will work together simultaneously. The disciples of Christ, and those who come after them, will bring in a great harvest, though it was others who sowed the seed.

The question to be asked is, who are the others that Jesus refers to in verse 38 – “Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor”?

Jesus is referring to all those who have gone before – to those who prepared the way. In the most immediate context, Jesus himself had labored as he taught the woman at the well. Now a great harvest was to be gathered because of his labors – he sowed, the disciples would reap. We could also mention the ministry of John the Baptist – his was a ministry of preparation – a ministry involving sowing, if you will. And behind him we have the Prophets of old, and the Patriarchs who labored in faith, who longed to see what these disciples were seeing, and did not see it, and to hear what they were hearing, and did not hear it (see Matthew 13:17).

Jesus is teaching his disciples. He is adjusting their worldview. They are fixated upon physical bread – Jesus is training them to set their hearts to the task of sowing and reaping a spiritual and eternal harvest.

Oh, that we would also maintain a perspective such as this! We indeed are concerned with bread and water, clothing and shelter – these are valid concerns that go along with living in this world. But the Christian is to see that life has a greater purpose than eating and drinking – we are to feast on God and give ourselves to the accomplishment of his will and his purpose.

Therefore we pray daily in this way:

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, amen.]” (Matthew 6:9–13, ESV)

Scene 3 – 4:39-42

Let’s look briefly now at the third scene. Verses 39 tells us that,

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.’” (John 4:39-42, ESV)

I see in this text the seventh and final theme, already introduced in John, but picked up here and shown to be true in real life in the story of the woman of Samaria (I have presented the other 6 in the last three sermons). Jesus did indeed come for this purpose, to gather in a great harvest of souls from all the peoples of the earth.

This really is incredible. So far only a few Jews have believed – but here many Samaritans respond to Jesus in faith. This must have been a most unexpected development.

Notice that they come to Christ because of the testimony of the woman. I’m typically leery of encouraging people to share their testimonies. The reason is because I have seen this done so poorly. People like to make much of themselves when they share their testimony. But there is a difference between a personal testimony which focus upon self, and testifying to the glory of God in Christ Jesus. The former is unacceptable, the later a most powerful thing.

Notice that the woman shared what she knew and then brought the people to Jesus.

May I suggest that you are to do the same.

Many Christians hesitate to witness because of the fear that they do not know enough. Two things needed be said. One, perhaps it is time for you to grow in your understanding of Christ? Two, notice that you do not need to know much to testify concerning Christ and to say, as the woman did, come and see.

The question is, where are you to bring people to hear from themselves? The woman took them to Jesus who was still sitting at the well. The people asked Jesus to stay with them, and he remained two days, teaching from the scriptures concerning himself. But where are you take people when you say, come and see?

You are to take them to the body of Christ which is present on earth today – to the church. If you do not have the gift of teaching or evangelism, you are to take them to those who do. Bring them to service on the Lord’s Day where the Word is preached. Bring the to class where the Word is taught. If you are unable to show them Christ in the scriptures, say come and see, and bring them to the body of Christ which is made up of many members, each uniquely equipped with spiritual gifts, so that together the church might fulfill her mission to “go and make disciples of all nations.”

The woman’s testimony was wonderful – “He told me all that I ever did” – but it was only after seeing Christ for themselves that they were wiling to confess, “this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Conclusion

Prayer

I’ve enjoyed our look at the story of Jesus and the woman of Samaria very much. It truly is rich. And I think it is rich because it set’s forth rich doctrine – that is, it presents deep and significant truths concerning Jesus, his person and work. But it does so by way of historical narrative. In other words, these rich doctrines are presented by way of real life story. We see Jesus – a real person – interacting with a woman of Samaria – a real person with real issues. We can identify with her. We know what is to feel guilt concerning our past. We know what it is to have questions concerning God. Jesus is real; she is real; and so we can relate to this story. It illustrates the way in which the truths concerning Jesus impacts real life. We see here that all of this talk about Jesus being the Savior of the world, the one through whom purification is possible, the one who reveals the Father to us, shining as the light of the world, is more than merely hypothetical, cerebral, intellectual. Jesus, who is all that John says he is, engages the person. He opens the mind, transforms the heart, and calls people in real life to follow him. It was true then, and it is true today,

The turning point for this woman, as we noted last week, was when she came to perceive Jesus as one who spoke with divine authority. She was hostile to Jesus at first, but her perception of him changed.

Let’s pick up the reading in verse 19 and read once more through verse 26. It’s going to take at least one more sermon to get through to the end in verse 42. Verse 19:

Reading of God’s Word

“The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am he.’” (John 4:19–26, ESV)

Introduction

The woman’s confession, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet”, is the turning point of this story, but clearly it is not the climax. The woman has made a good confession at this point, but not a full one. Her understanding of Jesus is not yet complete. She was right to see him as a prophet – as one who spoke with divine authority. She and Nicodemus both came to the correct conclusion as they interacted with Jesus. Nicodemus put it this way, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (John 3:2, ESV) The woman stated it differently, but meant essentially the same thing, “Sir, [because you have revealed these things about me] I perceive that you are a prophet”.

But it is essential to notice that neither Nicodemus nor the woman arrived when they they initially confessed that Jesus was someone who spoke with divine authority. We don’t know how long it actually took Nicodemus to come to terms with who Jesus claimed to be. He walks away from Jesus in chapter 3 with questions; he appears to have a some degree of commitment to Jesus as he is mentioned again in chapter 7; but he is not presented as a full fledged follower of Christ until John chapter 19.  Read the rest of Sermon: John 4:19-26: The Woman of Samaria (Part 3) »

Have you ever wondered why it is that Pastors can be preaching on the same text of scripture and yet their sermons sound very different? I suppose sometimes it is because one Pastor is right and the other wrong – that certainly must be the case if they are contradicting one another. But more often than not it is simply this: though every passage of scripture has only one meaning (the author certainly only had one thing in mind when he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit), there are a number of legitimate ways to present that one meaning to a congregation in the form of a sermon. The job of every Pastor is to take the singular and unchanging truth contained within Holy Scripture and to teach it to their congregation in a way that is understandable and applicable to their lives.

I mention that because even I, though I am only one Pastor, and not two, am sometimes indecisive when it comes to the best way to teach on a particular passage of scripture.

If you remember, last week I told you that we would deal with the story of the Samaritan woman in two parts, each part containing three points. But upon sitting down to write the second sermon, a seventh point emerged. This seventh point was to be a sub-point under the fourth according to my original plan, but as I was writing this point grew and grew until it became apparent that it would require a sermon of it’s own.

So now we have a three part series on the woman of Samaria – three points were delivered last week; one point this week; and (Lord willing) another three points next week.

Reading of God’s Word

Let’s give ourselves to the reading of God’s most holy word beginning, as we did last week, in John 4:1. We will read through verse 19.

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour [noon].

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 

The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” 

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet…” (John 4:1-19, ESV)

Introduction

So we have seven points spread out over three sermons, as I said. The important thing to remember is that these seven points have to do with seven themes that have already been introduced in John chapters 1-3 which are picked up and beautifully illustrated in the story of Jesus’ interaction with the woman of Samaria.

The first three were these: 1) Jesus is the Savior of the World, 2) Jesus Offers Living Water, and 3) Jesus Shines Light in the Darkness. These themes have already been introduced by John in chapters 1-3, here we see them in action in the life of Christ.

IV. Jesus Speaks With Divine Authority

The forth point (which is the one that rose from a place of sub-point-obscurity to sermon-worthy-prominence) is that Jesus is one who speaks with divine authority.

You might assume that the reason I missed this point in my original planning is because it is a minor point – one easily overlooked due to it’s unimportance. But actually I think the opposite is true. The reason I missed this emphasis of Jesus as one who speaks with divine authority is because it is a concept that is central to the story in a pervasive sort of way. In other words, I think it was a classic example of not seeing the forest for the trees. I was focused upon the details so much so that I am missed this general, but very important principle, that, because Jesus speaks with divine authority he is to be listened to; his words are to be taken seriously. We are to look to Christ for the answerers to life’s most important questions.

The Conversation Between Jesus and the Women Progresses

That principle is indeed at the heart of this story.

Remember that there is a progression to the conversation between Jesus and the woman of Samaria. She seemed, at first, to be rather hard towards Jesus. She misunderstood him again and again, taking him to be speaking of earthly things instead of spiritual things. But remember that Jesus broke through her hardness. He shocked her by revealing something significant about her past. He confronted her concerning her sin and her worldly ways, things that he could not know unless he were something other than an ordinary man. He broke through and opened her eyes.

I think it is interesting to note that Jesus did the same sort of thing when he called Nathaniel, the brother of Philip, to be one of disciples. John 1:47-48:

“Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’” (John 1:47–48, ESV)

And so evidently Jesus  had a habit of doing this sort of thing. He would reveal something, or do some miraculous work, in order to open the eyes and to soften hard and skeptical hearts.

Both Nathaniel and the woman at the well stood before Jesus skeptical at first, but both experienced a transformation – a change of mind and heart. And what did they both come to confess? The came to see Jesus as one who spoke with divine authority.

Nathaniel would eventually confess,“Rabbi [teacher], you are the Son of God [the one who has come from God]! You are the King of Israel!” (John 1:49, ESV)

The woman, similarly, would came to confess, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet…” (John 4:19, ESV)

And that is the one verse that I would like to focus upon today. Verse 19: “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.”

Notice a few things about verse 19:

1. First of all, notice that this confession is situated in the middle of this story – it is at the heart of it. It is the turning point in the narrative. It is the axis upon which the story turns from from negative and dark, to positive and bright. That seems to me to be significant.
2. Notice that, although this was a good confession – for Jesus was indeed a prophet –  it was still an inadequate confession – for Jesus was more than a prophet. As the story progresses, Jesus will move the woman (and those from her town) to confess something even greater than this – namely, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
3. Though this was an inadequate and incomplete confession, this woman was certainly on the right track! She had come to recognize that Jesus was to be taken seriously; that his words carried weight; that he spoke with divine authority.  His words were indeed the words of God, and not of man.

The thing to be recognized is that this is a key and essential step in the process of coming to faith in Christ. To come to Christ, and to follow him really and truly, involves coming to him, believing that he is truth – that his words are true – that they are authoritative.

Authority 

The reason I decided to devote an entire sermon to verse 19 is not because it is a difficult verse to understand or explain, but because the subject of authority is of great importance.

May I suggest to you that of all the questions a person must ask when deciding what to believe about God and about themselves and the world around them, the most fundamental question has to do with authority.

What I mean is this: a person cannot really begin to answer the question, what is truth? without first looking to someone or something as the final authority for truth? 

In other words, when a person sets out to think rightly about themselves and the world around them they must first decide where they are going to look, ultimately and finally, to find the answers to life’s most significant questions.

In reality many people live their entire lives believing certain things to be true without ever asking themselves the more fundamental question, have I looked in the right place for the answers? They assume that they have looked in the right place and, therefore, never question if what they believe is in fact correct. They assume that they have the question of authority correct, and therefore assume that the worldview that flows from that authority – whatever it may be – is also correct.

So, to what, or to whom, do people look as their final authority for truth these days?

Many look within, thinking that the answers to life will be found in their hearts, if you will. They rely upon emotions or feelings or instinct. Others look to, what we might call, the law of love, as their final authority. Whatever they perceive to be most loving they deem as true. Some look to the church – maybe it is the Roman church, or the Eastern Church, or some other religious entity or cult personality – many look there and say, that is the final authority – what he says, or what they say goes. Some look ultimately to science (which is most strange, given that science is supposed to be concerned with the unbiased observation of the natural world, and not with answering the philosophical questions of life); but many claim to place their ultimate trust in what they call science. Others trust supremely in human reason – their mind is the ultimate authority – they will only believe in what makes sense to them. Still others look to their parents or to cultural norms. The point is that people look to all kinds of people or things for the answers to life’s most significant questions.

Have you ever wondered how it is that people see the world so differently from the way that you see it? How can it be that people living in the same world can come to such different conclusion about life’s biggest questions: Is there a God? If so, what is he like? Can he be approached? Can he be known? If so, how are we to approach him? What is this world for? What is It’s end? Who are we? Why do we exist? What are we capable (or incapable) of? What is our end? Why is there evil in this world? Why is there suffering? What task should we devote ourselves to while on this earth? These are the kinds of questions that we wrestle with as human beings. But have you noticed that people come to very different conclusions when considering these questions?

Why? Why do people come to such different conclusions concerning these things? At the heart of it is the issue of authority. People come to different conclusions about the world in which we live because they are looking to different things as their final authority for truth.

The Christian perspective is that, while the things mentioned above (reason and science and the church, for example, as well as many other things) may serve as conduits for some truth, they cannot serve as the final authority for truth for at least two reasons: One, these things are, in and of themselves, limited in what they can reveal. Science, for example, while it is capable of answering questions about how the world works, is wholly incapable of answering questions about God and morality and the meaning of life. The church, similarly, though is called to testify to the truth cannot function as the final authority given it’s limitations. The church must be dependent upon and in submission to a greater authority, namely, God. These things are simply not capable to standing up under the weight of final authority. And two, we should not forget that these things have been, in one way or another, corrupted by the fall and are therefore, distorted in what they reveal. Maybe a better way of saying this is that we have been corrupted by the fall and are therefore incapable of interpreting these sources of truth without distortion, even if they remain relatively pure. It would be nice if we could simply look inward to find what it is true. The problem is that our hearts are far from pure.

The Christian is unique in this: We look to God as our final authority for truth. We confess that the final authority for truth will not be found in this world  – not in the stars, not in the dirt, not in the human mind, not in the human heart. If we are to know the truth concerning the biggest questions of life it must be revealed from above.

More specifically, we look to God who has revealed himself in human history. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden and made himself known. He spoke appeared to the Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He revealed himself to Moses in the form of a burning bush, and Moses wrote scripture, as did others like David and Isaiah, and Amos. God is our authority for truth. And he a God who has revealed himself to man in a variety of ways.

Most supremely, God has revealed himself to us through his Son – the eternal word of God – God incarnate – God come in the flesh. Christ Jesus was the pinnacle of God’s revelation to man.

This is what Hebrews 1:1-2 says so beautifully: “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” (Hebrews 1:1–2, ESV)

So here is the thing that distinguished the Christian from all others: it is our view concerning final authority. God is our final authority. He has revealed himself through the prophets, and most supremely, through his Son. And we look now to the Holy Scriptures as a inspired and authoritative, without error.

It is significant that our Confession of Faith begins with this. Chapter 1, Para 1 of the London Baptist Confession reads,

“The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.”

This is the Christian view. We look to God. We look to the variety of ways in which God has spoken in ages past. We look to Christ, the Son of God. We look to the Holy Scriptures as authoritative.

You might be thinking to yourself, then why do Christians disagree on so many things?

1. Some openly confess that scripture and some other thing serves as final authority. I of the Roman Catholic Church at this point. They too claim to have God as final authority. They too claim to believe the Bible. But they set the tradition of the church on par with that of the Word as final authority. There you will find the source of all of the differences.
2. Some Christians only give lip service to Christ and his Word as being final authority. They say, I believe the Bible! But in fact they give more weight to human reason or to feelings or to some other thing. 
3. Some Christians look to the Bible but interpret it poorly. Their principles of interpretation are flawed. They do not take into consideration the whole history of redemption or the literary genre of certain texts. They fail to allow the clear portions of scripture help within interpreting the more difficult portions, and so on. 
4. Some Christians look to Bible, but only to a limited part of it. They fail to take the whole of scripture into consideration when searching for answers.

I think there is a beautiful example of that very thing here in the story of the Samaritan woman.  

Do you remember last week when I mentioned two differences that existed between the Jews and the Samaritans in terms of their beliefs? First of all, the Samaritans believed that the proper place for the worship of YHWH was on Mt. Gerizim. The Jews believed it was Jerusalem. You might be thinking to yourself, how could these people believe in the same God, and share a common history, and yet come to such diverse opinions on the matter of the proper place for worship?

The answer has to do with the second difference between the Samaritans  and the Jews. The Samaritans  only accepted as authoritative the first five books of the Old Testament – Genesis through Deuteronomy. In other words they rejected the historical books, the Psalms and the Proverbs, and all of the Prophets after Moses. The Jews accepted the same Old Testament that we have today – Genesis through Malachi.

Notice this: It was because the Samaritans only accepted the fist five books of the Old Testament as authoritative that they believed that the proper place of worship was on Mt. Gerizim. Specific instructions for the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem came some 500 years after the days of Moses and after the writing of the Pentateuch. If you were to reject all of the books after Deuteronomy, as the Samaritans did, then you would naturally reject Jerusalem as the proper place of worship. What I am saying is that it was the Samaritan’s view of scripture – it was their decisions concerning final authority – which influenced to their understanding of the proper worship of God.

I say all of this for two reasons:

First of all, the Gospel of John has honed in upon this again and again – Jesus is truth. He is the eternal Word of God. He is the pinnacle of God’s revelation to man. No one can reveal the Father like the Son. We must look to Jesus if we are to lay ahold of the truth.

The second reason I emphasized the issue of authority is to say that this woman was on the right track at this point in the conversation with Jesus. Differences remain – questions remain – questions that need to be addressed before this woman will make a full and adequate confession of faith – but she is on the right track  when she says, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet…” She was looking in the right place for her authority of truth. It would not be long before her confession of faith would be full and true.

Application 

I would like to make application in two ways. First of all, to you as an individual.  Secondly, to us as a church.

 

Are you looking to God and his revealed word as the final authority?

Will we give ourselves to the proclamation of God word in a way that is real and true?

Conclusion

Wonderful things will happen in this story with the woman at the well and many from her home town, but at the heart of it is this – they perceived that Jesus was a prophet – that he spoke with divine authority – he reveled truth, not of this earth, but from above.