Things with Jesus are never without controversy. Today’s Gospel account is no different. Jesus had revealed Himself as the Lord by His first miracle in Cana. His disciples had put their faith in Him after seeing His glory. But Christ had not come just to educate a select group of people in the truths of eternal life. He had come for all people. Although He spent a greater share of His ministry seeking the “lost sheep of the house of Israel,” He never neglected an opportunity to share His Word with the non-Jewish community.
Our text demonstrates Jesus’ love for all people, a love which finally led Him to Calvary. He had been in Jerusalem where He had cleared the temple. He had discussed the miracle of rebirth with Nicodemus. He then withdrew from Jerusalem, carrying on His work in Judea. When His enemies noticed the crowds of people listening to Him, Jesus withdrew from Judea, the seat of hostility, and returned to Galilee.
“And he had to pass through Samaria,” John records. The most direct route lay through Samaria, but most Jews took the longer route through the Jordan Valley to avoid Samaria. The Samaritans were half-breeds, who accepted Genesis to Deuteronomy as their Scriptures, but also kept many of their heathen ideas. The Jews despised the Samaritans and avoided them at all costs. But Jesus “had to pass through Samaria.” John doesn’t say that Jesus could have gone through Samaria or that He could choose to go through Samaria, but rather that He had to go through Samaria. The Savior went through this countryside on a search and rescue mission.
Christ, in love, singled out a Samaritan woman. Her past was tarnished. She had destroyed her life. Her guilt was overwhelming, but He approached her in love. He patiently led her to see in Him more than a tired, thirsty Jew. She saw in Him the Christ, the one who could cleanse her from her sin. She became a believer, for Jesus’ powerful words drew her to faith.
As we see Jesus interacting with the Samaritan woman, we see Jesus’ human nature at full force, for He arrives wearied and thirsty. John draws our attention to Jesus’ tired condition, for the Son of God truly shares our humanity and understands our needs. When the Samaritan woman first encountered Him, she would have had no reason to suspect He was anyone but a footsore traveler. She would not have spoken to this Jew, but Jesus in His compassion and love drew her to hear His words of life. He began a marvelous conversation that ended with her receiving eternal life. He began it so simply. “Give me a drink.”
For Jesus to converse with her showed how out of character Jesus truly was. She knew the Jews’ racism and discrimination against the Samaritans, and yet this Jew speaks to her. This Jew is unlike any other Jew, that He would be interested in and caring about anyone and everyone, even a Samaritan. God can’t really be like this unless He has an overpowering desire to love us all, down to the last one, even those who are looked down upon such as the Samaritan woman.
It’s a good thing that Jesus is not like all the other Jews. He doesn’t snub His nose at those who are inferior to Him, which would be everyone since He is the Son of God. No, He comes to meet us where we are, in our sinfulness and promises to lift us up out of that sinfulness. He doesn’t do it by means of being a life-coach or motivational speaker to us, telling us how we can do it ourselves. He doesn’t do it by the things of this world. He does it by willingly placing Himself upon the cross. He does so by letting the blood flow from His pierced side into the cup that He gives to you at His Table.
Jesus gives to the Samaritan woman and to all who hear a promise: “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 forever. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” That promise was given to you in your Baptism, that in that blessed water, your sins were drowned and you died, only to be born again into Christ as a new creation, one that is forgiven and made a part of the family of God.
It all comes down to a Savior. But we don’t have a singular Savior, we have saviors, plural. They’re all the same. At least, that’s how society looks at it. Each church has their particular song and dance — each one has its schtick and list of things that true disciples do. Each one presents a list of requirements for the “real” people of God. Truly, the popular view of religion is that all roads lead to God, so just pick the one with the best ride and prettiest view along the way. Even within the Church, many Christians see all denominations as equally true, despite different doctrines, as if God runs a theological smorgasbord and you can just mix and match and get the same result.
But that thinking is where you are wrong. All roads do not lead to God. All roads do not lead to Christ. All roads do not lead to heaven, despite what the world will tell you. Where all other religions are really the same at heart, Christianity is different. Yours is not a Savior who gathers you at this well in order to tell you what to do. He’s the Savior who has become flesh to live for you, die for you, rise for you. He’s the Savior who gathers you here, in this place, to give you living water — to give you forgiveness and life and salvation. As He did for the Samaritan woman, He offers you the living water of His grace, requiring nothing from you.
We must rely solely upon Jesus Christ to give to us true living water. We will often turn to the things of this world to quench our thirst. These things may quench it temporarily but the thirst will return. This living water that our Lord gives to us is given freely, without any requirement on our part, except that we surrender our sins to the One who takes away those sins.
Your Lord Jesus does not give you gifts to reward you for your holiness, but He gives you His gifts to make and keep you holy. If you were already holy without Him, you wouldn’t need Jesus to give you forgiveness. Jesus doesn’t go to the cross to give you bonus points for your own righteousness, but because you didn’t have any righteousness of your own, Christ died in order to save you.
The Samaritan woman listens to Jesus and tells Him that the Messiah is coming will explain everything. Christ is here, present in His means of grace, just as He promised. When you hear His Word proclaimed, when it is joined with water, bread, and wine, you know that it is Christ saying, “I who speak to you am He.” It is no less than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to speak His saving Word to you, to declare to you that all of your sins are forgiven. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus.