A sermon based on John 4:5-26 (27-30, 39-42) , Rev. J. Orlando Flahn
INTRO: New Orleans Saints tight end Benjamin Watson’s Facebook post about the Ferguson decision and the protests in Missouri went viral in November 2014.
Watson, then 33, wrote the post after a Monday Night Football game against the Baltimore Ravens.
In the post, Watson reflects on his feelings about the grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. He shares that he is angry about the persistent stories of injustice and racism in America, expressing a wide range of emotions: frustration, fear, embarrassment, sadness, sympathy, confusion, offense, and hopelessness.
In the final two paragraphs of his post, Benjamin Watson reminds us of the brokenness of our society and points to the ultimate cure for our sin—including racism—which can be found only in Jesus Christ. Let me read those final paragraphs:
I’M HOPEFUL, because I know that while we still have race issues in America, we enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships with teammates, friends, and mentors. And it’s a beautiful thing.
I’M ENCOURAGED, because ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn. BUT I’M ENCOURAGED because God has provided a solution for sin through his son Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One that’s capable of looking past the outward and seeing what’s truly important in every human being. The cure for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It’s the Gospel. So, finally, I’M ENCOURAGED because the Gospel gives mankind hope.”
T/S: In today’s reading from John 4, God calls us to be instruments of hope—agents of reconciliation who bring people of different backgrounds together in Him. God invites us to watch and learn from Jesus, our model, as He responds to the forces that divide us and build walls—like racism, discrimination, prejudice, and injustice. In this passage, we see Jesus intentionally talking with a Samaritan woman, someone who was both racially and culturally different from Him.
Jesus intentionally led His disciples to return from Judea to Galilee by traveling through Samaria—the most direct and efficient route. However, most devout Jews would bypass Samaria entirely to avoid what they considered “defilement,” choosing instead to take the longer and more difficult journey across the Jordan River on the east side.
Why? …..
Look with me at verse 9: “Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.”
Samaria was a no-go zone for Jews. There was a social barrier—Jews and Samaritans didn’t mingle or socialize, let alone date or marry. Even a simple conversation was forbidden. This racial tension had been simmering for centuries. Why was there such great friction between the Jews and the Samaritans?
Let me quickly read the root cause of all of this to you….
In 2 Kings 17, we read: “The king of Assyria transported groups of people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and resettled them in the towns of Samaria, replacing the people of Israel. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns. 25 But since these foreign settlers did not worship the Lord when they first arrived, the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 So a message was sent to the king of Assyria: “The people you have sent to live in the towns of Samaria do not know the religious customs of the God of the land. He has sent lions among them to destroy them because they have not worshiped him correctly.”
27 The king of Assyria then commanded, “Send one of the exiled priests back to Samaria. Let him live there and teach the new residents the religious customs of the God of the land.” 28 So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria returned to Bethel and taught the new residents how to worship the Lord.
29 But these various groups of foreigners also continued to worship their own gods. In town after town where they lived, they placed their idols at the pagan shrines that the people of Samaria had built. 30 Those from Babylon worshiped idols of their god Succoth-benoth. Those from Cuthah worshiped their god Nergal. And those from Hamath worshiped Ashima. 31 The Avvites worshiped their gods Nibhaz and Tartak. And the people from Sepharvaim even burned their own children as sacrifices to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.” (2 Kings 17:24-31 NLT)
This division and racial hatred dates back hundreds of years, originating during the time of the exile. The Samaritans were a racially mixed group, partly Hebrew and partly Gentile, descendants of those who remained behind during the exile and intermarried with other peoples. Their ancestors had worshipped false gods and even sacrificed their children to them, which led the Jews to consider them perpetually unclean. When the Jews returned from exile (during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah), some Samaritans even opposed the rebuilding of the LORD’s temple.
But Jesus chose to walk through Samaria, defying ancient prejudices and social norms. He traveled through Samaria with a divine purpose—to reach and save a woman who was considered racially different.
Jesus was not a typical rabbi. He intentionally journeyed through that very region, determined to go where the need was greatest, regardless of cultural or religious expectations. He prioritized doing what God required over conforming to societal norms.
Of course, Jesus knew all of this history. He was fully aware that He wasn’t “supposed” to be there, yet He went anyway. He instructed His disciples to accompany Him, even though they likely would have preferred to avoid Samaria. While they went into the city to buy food, Jesus waited at the well for the woman He had come to meet.
As a Rabbi, any conversation between Jesus and this woman would have been culturally inappropriate. They were separated by gender (male/female), ethnicity (Jew/Samaritan), social standing (Rabbi/“sinner”), religion (worship in Jerusalem vs. worship on “this mountain”), and by being strangers.
Yet Jesus defied all these norms and chose to talk to this woman anyway.
Why?
Motivated by God’s love for the lost, Jesus crossed traditional barriers to reach this woman and bring healing—not only to her, but to her entire town.
ILL: Beautiful pic of Donna Dark and little Mercy
Whenever Christians allow racism, injustice, prejudice, or social class to interfere with God’s kingdom, we distort the gospel and drag our identity in Christ through the mud.
God’s calling to His people, I believe especially in this generation, is to understand His perspective on race and culture, so that we respond biblically and to live according to that truth, rather than allowing human opinions or cultural norms to define us.
So, what is God calling us to do here at Our Savior today about bringing healing to our racially divided culture? We are called:
- To Be Driven by Divine Priority Over Prejudice
What is the one thing that should motivate our congregation? What is that single vision that should drive us?
What is calling us to focus on and prioritize? …..His kingdom expansion…..That is His agenda! ……To be passionate about seeing all people experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ…
And to fulfill that calling, we must refuse to be held back by generational traditions, norms, and prejudices that continue to build walls.
Jesus demonstrates that God values reaching out to marginalized groups more than conforming to social norms that inhibit relationships across racial or cultural boundaries.
- To Be Driven by the Knowledge That God’s Salvation Is for All People
Jesus says to the woman, “If you knew the gift of God,” Jesus said, “and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” (verse 10)
Even His own disciples must have missed this, just as many of us in the church culture have missed it….That Jesus Himself is the gift of God, sent into the world to bring healing and reconciliation—not only to this woman and her town, but to everyone who truly trusts Him.
2. By offering “living water” to a Samaritan woman, Jesus demonstrates that the Gospel transcends racial and ethnic boundaries and is available to everyone.
- To Be Driven to Discover God’s True Worship (True Worship Is Redefined)
Jesus teaches that true worship must be offered in spirit and in truth, emphasizing that salvation is available to all, regardless of racial background.
When Jesus confronted her about her character, she tried to change the conversation away from her deepest need and to cover up that need with religion. She says, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
Worship is not about where we worship, but whom we worship……
She says, “I know that Messiah is coming, and when he comes, he will proclaim all things to us” (John 4:25)………..Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (v 26)
In essence, Jesus is saying there is no true worship without Me – I am the Messiah! And secondly, no true worship that is limited or confined to a particular location…
0 Comments