February 24, 2008

Scriptures: Exodus 17:1-7

John 4:5-42

A story is told about a woman in an East African village who always carried her Bible with her. The habit brought a fair amount of ridicule from her friends and neighbors. "Why do you carry that Bible with you all the time?" they teased, until the woman replied, "I will tell you why the Bible goes everywhere with me," she said. "There are many other books which I could read, but this is the only book that reads me."

The Bible reads us!! Scripture reflects the conditions of our hearts and souls and lives. God's word has the power to show us to ourselves in a clearer light. We see this happening in today's Gospel reading; in Jesus' encounter with the woman at the well. In the figure of the woman, we may see ourselves. In the actions of Jesus we may see God's love addressed to us in a truly personal way.

It's the story of an unexpected conversation, unexpected because of the identity of the two main characters. The man is the Messiah. The woman is an outcast. It was totally out of character for someone like Jesus to initiate this conversation.

In his commentary on this passage, Ralph Milton indicates that Jesus is "whacking away at a bunch of social taboos, any one of which would have gotten him into trouble:

1) He talks to a Samaritan,

2) He talks to a woman,

3) He talks to a woman when there was no one around to chaperone,

4) He talks theology with a woman,

5) He talks to a woman who is ostracized in her own community because of her lifestyle."

I could elaborate on each of those five points but you already know that the Lord was far ahead of those around Him in regard to breaking down social taboos of His day.

So, if you were this Samaritan woman with her history, how would you react to this stranger, Jesus? You'd probably do the same thing she did. She tries to protect herself. Her first response to Jesus; her second response to Jesus—don't reveal any more than necessary. "Where is your husband?" "I have no husband." Technically correct but there is more!

It is up to Jesus to lead the conversation to a deeper level, and He does so by revealing the woman's past. He knows all her secrets, and He lays them before her, not to accuse, but to reassure. No detail can stand between them. Even by exposing the truth of her past, Jesus is still eager to greet this woman as a sister. He considers her worthy to learn about the Messiah and to carry the truth of Christ to her village.

So there by the well, Jesus seeks to put this outcast woman at ease. Jesus says to her, "I know who you are." And then He adds, "Now let me tell you who I am. I am the living water, which never stops flowing. I am the Messiah for whom the world is waiting." And the Samaritan woman is privileged to receive Christ's self-revelation. Jesus speaks His heart to her heart, and she runs to share the Good News.

This morning, as we continue our Lenten journey into John's Gospel, Jesus draws us into the conversation as well. Last week His conversation with Nicodemus helped us see the possibility of "new beginnings." Today in His conversation with the Samaritan woman He reveals that in the eyes of God, we are all transparent. We have played the defensive role of this Samaritan before others and before God (fearful of what is in our past and what is in our hearts) and have been unwilling to reveal ourselves freely to God and others.

All this does is create a lonely isolation that stems from shame, self-criticism, and pain. It is important to recognize that the Lord didn't put this woman "on the spot" in front of a crowd, nor does He do that to us when we become defensive. In an intimate, one-on-one setting, we have a conversation of the heart with the Lord Himself.

Perhaps it is disquieting to realize that our individual hearts are open to God, that God knows our secrets, our embarrassment, our darker side. On the other hand, it can be viewed as a wonderful gift of grace that lifts a heavy burden. Since no secrets are hid from the Lord God, we don't need to pretend to be what we are not. As one has noted, "Before God our hearts are laid open, the worst is made plain, and still God considers us worthy to meet the Messiah and receive forgiveness in Christ."

Jesus knew the situation of the woman at the well. She didn't have to hide it. God knows what is wrong in our lives as well. God says to us, "I know who you are, and I love you as a parent loves a child, because you are my own. It is a love that doesn't increase with your accomplishments, a love that cannot diminish with your faults." We call this God's unconditional love, God's forgiveness. We call it God's free grace.

Again, it is vital for us to recognize that it is God who reaches into our hearts and initiates a conversation. Not just a chat at the local watering hole, but a deep exchange where we are revealed to God, and Christ is revealed to us. "I know who you are. And I want you to know who I am. I am your Savior and the Savior of the world."

The privilege of the Samaritan woman is our privilege as well, for God's very Self is revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Our casual conversations with God, our casual encounters with God are intended to deepen into soul-searching conversation. Through this conversation and by the grace of God we will find ourselves growing in God's way!

These passages from John's Gospel (conversation) are especially meaningful during the season of Lent. Our Lenten journey is meant to help us open ourselves to God without defensiveness, realizing that God knows us through and through and that God loves us through and through. The questions Nicodemus asked in last week's passage opened the door for new beginnings. This week the Samaritan woman allowed Jesus to speak to her heart.

These private conversations, because of their depth and power, over time became information for all to benefit from, conversations which tell us more about God and ourselves so that, if we listen to Jesus, we can only grow in God's way. Amen .