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John four, I'll begin reading 
in verse one. We'll read the verse 42 just 
to get the larger context. Before us, it's Jesus in Samaria. So beginning in verse one. Therefore, 
when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and 
baptized more disciples than John, though Jesus himself did 
not baptize, but his disciples, he left Judea and departed again 
to Galilee, but he needed to go through Samaria. He came to 
the city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near the plot 
of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well 
was there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied 
from his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth 
hour. A woman of 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. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, How is it that you, 
being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews 
have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, 
If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says 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 with, and the well is deep. Where then 
do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father 
Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as well 
as his sons and his livestock? Jesus answered and said to her, 
whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever 
drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But 
the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain 
of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman said to him, 
sir, give me this water that I may not thirst nor come here 
to draw. Jesus said to her, go call your 
husband and come here. The woman answered and said, 
I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you have well 
said, I have no husband. For you have had five husbands 
and the one whom you now have is not your husband. In that 
you spoke truly. The woman said to him, sir, I 
perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this 
mountain and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where 
one ought to worship. Jesus said to her, woman, believe 
me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain 
nor in Jerusalem worship the Father. You worship what you 
do not know. We know what we worship, for 
salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now 
is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit 
and truth, for the Father is seeking such 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, who is called Christ. When he comes, 
he will tell us all things. Jesus said to her, I who speak 
to you am he. And at this point, his disciples 
came and they marveled that he talked with a woman. Yet no one 
said, what do you seek? Or why are you talking with her? 
The woman then left her water pot, went her way into the city, 
and said to the men, come, see a man who told me all things 
that I ever did. Could this be the Christ? Then 
they went out of the city and came to him. In the meantime, 
his disciples urged him, saying, Rabbi, eat. But he said to them, 
I have food to eat of which you do not know. Therefore, the disciples 
said to one another, has anyone brought him anything to eat? 
Jesus said to them, my food is to do the will of him who sent 
me and to finish his work. Do you not say there are still 
four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, 
lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already 
white for harvest. And he who reaps receives wages 
and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and 
he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true, 
one sows and another reaps. I sent you to reap that for which 
you have not labored. Others have labored, and you 
have entered into their labors. And many of the Samaritans of 
that city believed in Him. Because of the word of the woman 
who testified, He told me all that I ever did. So when the 
Samaritans had come to him, they urged him to stay with them. 
And he stayed there two days. And many more believed because 
of his own word. Then they said to the woman, 
Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves 
have heard him. And we know that this is indeed 
the Christ, the Savior of the world. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our Father in Heaven, we thank 
You for Your written Word, we thank You for the Holy Spirit 
who gave us that Word, and we pray now that He would guide 
us in our understanding of the Word. Forgive us for all of our 
sin and all wickedness and transgression. Cleanse us in that precious blood 
of the Lamb. Wash and purify our hearts by 
faith. cause those who've come here 
today, dead in their trespasses and sins, to hear the voice of 
Jesus Christ, to hear the one in terms of salvation for sinners. And may they know conviction 
and may they know that one who is altogether lovely and chief 
among 10,000. Bless and save to the uttermost all who draw 
nigh unto you through Christ and strengthen and edify your 
people and cause this gospel to go forth throughout the earth, 
conquering and to conquer. And we pray this in the name 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen. Well, we are in the public ministry 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. And at the end of John chapter 
two, John tells us that Jesus knew what was in man. And then 
we see that immediately with his encounter of Nicodemus in 
John three. He tells Nicodemus before Nicodemus 
ever expresses his concern or his question, he says, unless 
a man is born again, he shall not see the kingdom of God. Well, 
now as Jesus moves through Samaria en route to Galilee, he meets 
this woman, this Samaritan woman. And as we find out in the narrative, 
he knows what's in her as well. So I want to look at just the 
first section this morning, verses 1 to 15. under two considerations. First, the journey through Samaria 
in verses 1 to 6, and then second, the offer of living water in 
verses 7 to 15. Now sometimes in theology, persons 
get a little bit wigged out by the use of offer. They tend to 
be our hyper-Calvinistic brethren, and sometimes even higher Calvinists 
will be a bit Put off by that word offer, but that's what Jesus 
is doing here I'm not using it in the sense of he's offering 
something in some pathetic Arminian way He's standing at the door 
and knocking and it's up to the center to open the heart without 
divine enablement or without divine grace That's not what 
I mean But what Jesus does here is that he presents this offer 
of living water to a needy sinner. And in that context, he explains 
to us his willingness as a savior to receive unto himself those 
who, by God's grace, believe the gospel of our salvation. 
It truly is amazing. He assumes that if she knew who 
it was she was speaking to, that she would have asked him and 
he would have given her eternal life. Think about that for just 
a moment if you're not a believer here this morning. You've heard 
described who Jesus is. You've heard described in our 
studies of John's gospel that he is the word who made the world 
and all things in it. And that word became flesh and 
dwelt among us. You've heard that he is the second 
person of the Trinity who for us men and for our salvation 
came down from heaven, that he assumed our humanity, that he 
lived for us, that he died for us, that he was raised again 
for us. So knowing all that, why don't you ask for living 
water? Because according to Jesus, those 
who ask receive. Call out to God, beg God, implore 
God for that grace necessary to believe the gospel of our 
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have a willing Savior for 
needy sinners portrayed in this particular chapter. So let us 
look first at the journey through Samaria in verses one to six. Notice the baptism of Jesus in 
verses one and two. It says, therefore, when the 
Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and 
baptized more disciples than John. Go back to chapter three 
for just a moment to see that this was John the Baptist disciple's 
concern as well. Notice in verse 26, it says, 
they came to John and said to him, Rabbi, he who is with you 
beyond the Jordan, to whom you have testified, behold, he is 
baptizing and all are coming to him. They're not saying this 
in a positive way. They're saying this with a note 
of concern. John, if it is the case that all come after him, 
then none will come after you. So the disciples of John the 
Baptist were concerned that Jesus and his disciples were baptizing 
more persons. Well, the Pharisees got wind 
of this as well, according to verses one and two in John four. The only difference, of course, 
is that John's disciples weren't murderous reprobates who wanted 
to eliminate their theological and political enemies. That's 
what the Pharisees were. So I think the text suggests 
to us that because of increasing opposition, Jesus engages in 
some travel here to move out of Judea up into the other... 
up into the upper regions of Israel, which was called Galilee. 
And then notice when it says he baptized more disciples than 
John. And then parenthetically, John 
the apostle tells us, though Jesus himself did not baptize, 
but his disciples. Doesn't mean he was absent, doesn't 
mean he was vacant. It means rather that he oversaw 
it. This was under his authority 
and under his direction. That's how it could be said that 
Jesus was baptizing. When his disciples baptized other 
disciples, that was attributed to the Lord Jesus. There's no 
problem in the text whatsoever in terms of confusion. Now notice 
that he departs from Judea according to verse 3. He left Judea and 
departed again to Galilee. Imagine for a moment a map of 
Israel. The northern portion is Galilee, the southern portion 
is Judah. Jerusalem is in Judah, so Jesus 
had been ministering there. Remember, he goes into the temple 
compound, and there he cleanses the temple, and there he makes 
that prophetic statement, destroy this temple, and in three days 
I will raise it up. And they, of course, rebuke him 
and said, well, it took us 46 years to build it, are you going 
to raise it up in three days? John the Apostle tells us he 
was talking about the temple of his body. So he leaves from 
the temple complex, and then he goes into the outer portions 
of Judea, and there he's met by Nicodemus. So now he's moving 
from Judea up into the northern part of Israel, which is called 
Galilee. But then notice what the text 
says in verse 4. But he needed to go through Samaria. He needed to go through Samaria. 
Up to this point, we know that Christ is one person, two natures. In the beginning was the Word. 
The Word was with God, and the Word was God. We see true divinity 
predicated of the Lord Jesus Christ. And then in 1.14, it 
says, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. So true humanity 
was his as well. So when it says he needed to 
go through Samaria, according to his humanity, that simply 
meant to get from the south to the north, you had to pass through 
Samaria. There was no other way. It's 
kind of like today. You have to take the low-heat 
highway if you want to go sort of east to west. With reference 
to this pattern or this sort of journey that our Lord was 
embarking on according to his humanity, of course, he needed 
to go through Samaria. But according to his divinity, 
it's illustrating to us something concerning his mission. At the 
very beginning of Matthew's gospel, the angel announces the purpose 
for which Jesus came. You shall call his name Jesus, 
for he will save his people from their sins. So according to his 
divinity, he must pass through Samaria. Why? So he can meet 
this woman. There's no accidents in life. 
Everything is providential. The Lord God controls every jot 
and tittle of our lives. And on that happy morning, this 
Samaritan woman woke up and she was going to meet the son of 
God incarnate. And the son of God incarnate 
would offer her living water. The son of God incarnate would 
promise her everlasting life. To the point where she's questioning 
him, are you the prophet? Are you the Messiah? And then 
she goes to her fellow village men and she says, come and see 
a man who told me all things that I ever did. It is the reality 
that according to his divinity, he must save his people from 
their sins. That's the emphasis. Now, notice 
what the text says. He comes to the city of Sychar, 
according to verse 5, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave 
to his son. Now, verse 6, Jacob's well was 
there. Jesus, therefore, being wearied 
from his journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth 
hour. So about noon, in the heat of 
the day, Jesus, again, according to his humanity, is weary. He's thirsty. It's not true of 
God that He's weary or that He's thirsty, but it's true of the 
Son of God according to His humanity. In the prophet Isaiah, Isaiah 
describes God in this way. He says, Have you not known, 
have you not heard, the everlasting God, the Lord, the creator of 
the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary? He's describing 
Christ, the Word, because according to John 1, 3, Christ, the Word, 
is the creator of all things. He goes on to say, his understanding 
is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and 
to those who have no might, he increases strength. Even the 
youth shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly 
fall. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. 
They shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and 
not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. 
What a great way for the prophet Isaiah to start a section wherein 
he not only promises the coming of the Messiah, but he ridicules 
the idolatry of men. Notice later in that section 
in the prophet Isaiah, he mocks those among Babylon who worship 
false gods. He says to them that when your 
God falls off the cart, you have to go pick him up and put him 
back onto the cart. You see, that is problematic. You don't want a God that you 
have to pick up and prop up. You don't want a God that you 
have to take care of. You want the God described in 
Isaiah 40 and the rest of the section up to chapter 66. The 
one who's not weary, the one who doesn't faint, the one who 
has omnipotence, the one who has absolute authority and power 
and ability to bless and renew with strength and vigor his people. So Christ, according to His divinity, 
doesn't weary, He doesn't thirst. But Christ, according to His 
humanity, in the heat of the day, at noontime, He is wearied 
because of His journey. And that sets the stage for His 
meeting with the Samaritan woman. A stage, by the way, that is 
set in the Old Testament. Abraham's servant meets Rebecca 
at a well. Jacob meets Rachel at a well. Moses meets his bride at a well. So much so that one has called 
this a betrothal scene, but that's not what it is. He's not betrothing 
in the terms of taking her on as his wife, but there is that 
sense where the same sort of scene has been prevalent in redemptive 
history. Cyril commenting on the weariness 
of Jesus. He says, weariness is proper 
to the human nature, not to the word when he is considered and 
is bare and in himself. Weakness is not proper to the 
word apart from the incarnation. The reason why I do this, brethren, 
is because I've tried to show you that John wants to show us 
not only the economy of salvation, not only Jesus living, dying, 
and rising again in order to save his people from their sins, 
but John is concerned with theology. John wants us to see the relations 
between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. John is Trinitarian 
through and through, not suggesting Matthew, Mark, and Luke are not, 
but rather confirming that John shows us those relations throughout 
the gospel of John. And so it is important for us 
to understand that Christ is here weary according to his humanity. Now let's look secondly at the 
offer of living water in verses seven to 15. We have first a 
request made by Jesus in verses seven to nine. Second, the offer 
made by Jesus in verses 10 to 12. And then the explanation 
given by Jesus in verses 13 to 15. Notice the question posed. Verse seven, a woman of 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. Again, true humanity. True humanity 
needs water. True humanity needs rest. True 
humanity needs food. When we see those things predicated 
of our Lord in the pages of Holy Scripture, it underscores for 
us John 1 14. The word became flesh and dwelt 
among us. Whatever is true of flesh is 
true of Jesus. Our confession says that he took 
on our humanity with all the essential properties and the 
common infirmities thereof and yet without sin. And he did this 
again in order to obey the law of his father, to die as a sacrifice 
and a substitute at the cross and to be raised again the third 
day so that all those who by grace look to him in faith will 
have everlasting life. Paul summarizes in Romans 4.25, 
Jesus was delivered up because of our offenses, and he was raised 
for our justification. So in order for him to be able 
to do that, he assumes our humanity, and so he's thirsty. So he asks 
this woman for a drink, and then this sort of statement by John 
the Apostle in verse 8 helps explain it. for his disciples 
had gone away into the city to buy food. It would have been 
commonplace for the disciples to serve the master by giving 
him water. That was a task and a function 
of a disciple in that particular time frame. But as well, it also 
explains how Jesus got this private time alone with this particular 
woman. It is curious to the disciples 
when they return with the food, according to verse 27, they're 
perplexed. Why is he talking to this woman? 
It's not the Samaritan part of her that is the issue, but rather 
it is the woman part of her that is the issue, according to the 
disciples in verse 27. So if you understand this passage 
properly, this woman has two strikes against her. She's a 
woman and she's a Samaritan. Sisters, I'm not saying that 
to upset you. Don't throw tomatoes or dead 
cats at me. But simply understand that in 
the first century, a Jew would wake up in the morning and he 
would thank God that he was not created a woman. He was not created 
a slave and he was not created a Gentile. As far as the Jews 
were concerned, those were lesser persons. So this woman, this 
Samaritan woman is the object of the son of man's mission of 
mercy in John's gospel at chapter four. She's got lots, going against 
her, but certainly what she has going in her favor is that she's 
meeting with the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, she herself is perplexed 
by this according to verse 9. So Jesus says, give me a drink, 
verse 7, and then verse 9. Then the woman of Samaria, excuse 
me for just a moment, Then the woman of Samaria said to him, 
How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan 
woman? For Jews have no dealings with 
Samaritans." Now that last statement, at least in the punctuation of 
the new King James, is given to the Apostle John. Some of 
the commentators say she said that as well. In other words, 
she said at the end of verse 9, for Jews have no dealings 
with Samaritans. Either way, it doesn't matter 
whether she said it or whether it's theological explanation 
by John the Apostle, it was true. The Jews had no truck with the 
Samaritans. So who were these Samaritans? 
I think there's a few key passages to keep in mind with reference 
to the New Testament's vision of the Samaritans. I think if 
you go back into redemptive history, specifically to 1 Kings chapter 
12, At 1 Kings chapter 12, there was a division of the kingdom 
of Israel. You had northern tribes, ten 
of them, and then two southern tribes. Jeroboam, the son of 
Nebat, led the northern tribes. He became the benchmark for wickedness 
for a long time. I think it was Ahab that ultimately 
upbraids him, and Ahab was even worse than Jeroboam, the son 
of Nebat. Now, I'm not saying anything 
specifically about Samaria, but simply to suggest this. When 
the Torrent 10 northern tribes rebel against the southern tribes 
and start their own gig, they never do well in the north. There's 
never a good king. When you read through the Kings 
and the Chronicles, you'll only read of good kings in the southern 
tribes. It is the line of David. It is 
the southern tribes of Judah that actually, not all of them, 
but actually put out or produce some decent kings. So in 1 Kings 
12, you have the division. The North doesn't do well. 1 
Kings 16, you have a king by the name of Omri, and he was 
an ungodly ombre. He was a wicked man, and he founded 
the city of Samaria. Now that's not what's in view 
here. It's the region of Samaria, but again, sort of consolidating 
that worship in terms of departure from the living and true God 
would be consolidated up in the North. And so when you move on 
from that vantage point, I think the most noteworthy place is 
2 Kings chapter 17. And what happens in 2 Kings chapter 
17 is the fall of the Northern Kingdom. So in other words, when 
those kings and when those people who followed those kings continued 
to rebel against Yahweh, when they continue to reject the word 
of the living and true God. When they say no to Yahweh and 
to his Christ and they engage in lawlessness and rebellion 
and idolatry and all manner of wickedness, then they receive 
the curses of the covenant. Deuteronomy 28 it was announced 
to Israel you go into the land and you do what you're supposed 
to do and there will be blessing you go in the land and you don't 
do what you're supposed to do there will be cursing so what 
happens when they went into the land and they didn't do what 
they were supposed to do there was cursing and one of the aspects 
of of the curse, according to Deuteronomy 28, was exile. And what that meant is that God 
would raise up a foreign oppressor, God would send that foreign oppressor 
to decimate his people. So the Assyrians had a particularly 
nasty way of conquest. Have you ever read the prophets 
and you've seen the language of fish hooks and noses? That's 
reality. That's how the Assyrians would 
sort of keep people together and move them from one locale 
to the other. So in 2 Kings 17, at the time 
of the Assyrian oppression of Israel, they took a bunch of 
the Israelites back to Assyria. But then one of the policies 
in terms of Assyrian conquest was to repopulate lands with 
persons in such a way as to destabilize them. It's really quite brilliant. Don't tell any of our political 
leaders about this, but this is what they would do. They would 
take sea peoples and put them in the mountains. They would 
take mountain people and put them at the sea. They would utterly 
destabilize society. And so at 2 Kings 17, a large 
part of the Northern kingdom is taken away to Assyria. But 
then all of these other peoples are placed in Samaria, in this 
particular region. And then when they get there, 
they start worshiping and they're engaged in idolatry and all manner 
of lawlessness. So what does Yahweh do? He dispatches 
lions and lions come and eat the inhabitants that are engaged 
in that wickedness. Again, you can read all this 
in 2 Kings 17. But then what do the people of the land do? 
They say or cry out, we need to stop this God who unleashes 
lions on us. So they fetch a priest from Bethel. 
Now Bethel was a place associated with Jeroboam. Jeroboam wanted 
to put golden calves in Bethel so that the people of the north 
wouldn't travel to Jerusalem. And so he predicates of these 
golden calves, these are the gods that brought you out of 
the land of Egypt. So when these re-populated peoples are here 
in Samaria, they cry out for assistance. Now when you read 
priest of Bethel, don't think orthodoxy, don't think godly, 
think rather a man who's going to accommodate. And so what happens 
in the land that's re-populated? You get a little bit of this 
and you get a little bit of that. You get what's called syncretism. 
So they kept all their gods, and then they simply added Yahweh 
in an attempt to avert Yahweh's anger. And the whole section 
is dripping with irony, because it says they feared Yahweh, and 
yet they worshipped their gods. The author's not endorsing that. The author's assuming that you'll 
see he is dripping with irony. Because you shall have no other 
gods besides me. You shall have no other gods 
in addition to me. You shall have no other gods, 
period. And so that's what happened in 
Samaria to produce a bastardization of what at one time was somewhat 
decent religion. But it doesn't stop there. After 
the exile, you have a couple of men by the name of Ezra and 
Nehemiah, and they're religious reformers, and they want to lead 
the project in rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and rebuilding 
the temple. Who are they opposed by? Sanballat. He was one of the leaders of 
some sort in Samaria. They didn't want the true God 
worshipped in their confines. And then history tells us that 
under the reign of Manasseh, the Samaritans went so far as 
to build a rival temple on Mount Gerizim. That's why the woman 
then shifts, after she's found out in her sin, she wants to 
talk about worship. Our fathers worshipped on this 
mountain, but you Jews say it's proper to worship at the other 
mountains. So all of that to say, she was 
messed up. She was in a bad predicament, 
not least of all because she was a woman, but because she 
had wretched theology, she had idolatry in her veins, and she 
had just some sort of perversion of the Old Testament. The Samaritans 
received the Law of Moses, but they rejected the prophets. Well, 
what did the prophets expound? They expounded the law of Moses. 
And I think from what I've read or understood, they distorted 
the law of Moses to fit their particular theological beef. Calvin says, the Samaritans are 
known to have been the scum of a people gathered from among 
foreigners. Having corrupted the worship 
of God and introduced many spurious and wicked ceremonies, they were 
justly regarded by the Jews with detestation. Here's the point. Jesus Christ is the gift given 
by God to the world, according to John 3.16. Jesus Christ comes 
to save this woman, and a very wretched woman at that. Go call 
your husband. I don't have a husband. You're 
right. You've had five of them, and the one that you're presently 
with is not your husband. This woman's not a prostitute. 
Don't make that mistake. The woman is not a harlot. She's 
not a whore. She's got problems in terms of 
marriage. So she's got issues in terms 
of sin. She's got issues in terms of 
theology. She's got issues in terms of 
her people group, Samaria. So what's the point of Christ's 
interaction with this woman? It is to display the reality 
of John 3, 16. God so loved the world. How did 
we define world there? Doesn't mean every single human 
being without exception. It means persons without distinction. It's not just Jews, but Gentiles. Not just Jews or Gentiles, but 
Samaritans. You see, that's the undergirding 
principle of the section, and the Samaritans got it. They understood. Look at the last part in verse 
42. Then they said to the woman, 
now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves 
have heard him, and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the 
Savior of the world. Well, how do they know that? 
Because they're not Jews. They're not Orthodox. They don't 
practice the true religion. They worship on Gerizim. They've 
perverted the Old Testament Scriptures. But they found Israel's Messiah. And as was promised of Israel's 
Messiah, it was too small a thing for him simply to go and fetch 
the lost tribes of Jacob. No, Yahweh gives him as a light 
to the Gentiles. So the Samaritan village learns 
all too well what this woman learned, that this is in fact 
the Messiah, the Christ of God, the one who saves to the uttermost 
all who draw nigh unto God through Him. So Jesus makes this request, 
and you can see His wisdom. His wisdom, he opens the door 
here to now discuss her soul, to now discuss even greater things. This is how we ought to model 
our sort of personal evangelism. Yeah, we can buy a blimp and 
just tell sinners repent and believe, or we can befriend them. We can talk to them. We can try 
to have inroads into their lives and such that we connect the 
physical water with the metaphorical water of spiritual life. So Christ 
is here showing us his wisdom as a doctor of the soul when 
he comes to deal with this woman. Notice in the second place, the 
offer made by Jesus. So he says, give me a drink. 
She answers, Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Now notice in 
verse 10, Jesus answered and said to her, if you knew the 
gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me a drink, 
you would have asked him and he would have given you living 
water. Just ponder that for a moment. The Lord assumes, yeah, he knows 
who he's talking to. He knows what's in man, John 
2, 25. He knows that the woman or the 
man that she's currently lying with is not her husband. He knows 
that, brethren. That's not according to his humanity. 
That's according to his divinity. That's according to the reality 
that he is the omniscient God. He is the second person of the 
Trinity. He is the word who became flesh and dwelt among us. But 
notice, he assumes that the law of Moses, the Samaritans received 
that. The law of Moses was sufficient 
to inform her as to what Messiah would look like. And I don't 
mean physical features. He has no form or comeliness. 
When we see him, there's nothing in him that attracts us to him. 
But there is enough data available in Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, 
Numbers, and Deuteronomy to tell a sinner that Jesus Christ is 
in fact the Messiah who came to save his people from their 
sins. Notice, if you knew the gift of God and who it is who 
says to you, give me a drink, you would have asked him and 
he would have given you living water. Just think about that. If you knew, you'd ask. If you know and you haven't asked, 
what do you think you should do? You should ask. You should 
cry to him. You should say, give me this 
living water. Give me eternal life. Give me 
everlasting life. We have this conception of God 
that he's about saving just this tiny handful of people. That's 
not the nature of the Messiah. If you knew who it was, you would 
have asked Him, and He would have given it to you. He would 
have delivered the goods. He would have benefited you. 
He would have satisfied you. He would have satiated you. So 
this idea that, I tried Jesus, but He wouldn't have me. No, 
you didn't, because all that the Father gives me, He'll say 
later, and all that the Father gives me will come to me, and 
the one who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. He promises 
to receive guilty, vile, helpless sinners. Do you see the reality 
involved in a passage like this? If you're not a Christian, today 
may just be your happy day. Today is the day of salvation. 
Look to this one, ask him for the living water that he's all 
too happy to give to people. Do you see the language? I'm 
not making it up. I haven't lapsed into Arminianism here. If you 
knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, give me 
a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you 
living water. Now, what is this living water? 
Well, I think in the grand scheme of things, it refers to salvation. 
But later on in John 7, notice in verses 37 and following. John 7 at verse 37. On the last day, that great day 
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone 
thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, 
as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers 
of living water. But this he spoke concerning 
the Spirit, whom those believing in him would receive, for the 
Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. More on that when we get there. 
But just to say that there is this ambiguity in the minds of 
some in terms of what is he offering here? Back at verse 10, if you 
knew the gift of God, didn't we just read in John 3, 16, God 
so loved the world that he gave the gift of God. He gave his 
only begotten son. Isn't Jesus himself the gift 
of God? When we turn back to the Old 
Testament, our brother read, at the outset of worship, Isaiah 
chapter 12. You can turn there, Isaiah chapter 
12, specifically at verse 3. Therefore, with joy you will 
draw water from the wells of salvation. This is not an isolated 
metaphor in the Bible. Jeremiah chapter 2 verse 13, 
upbraiding the nation for their wickedness. In Jeremiah 2.13, 
for my people have committed two evils. They have forsaken 
me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns, 
broken cisterns that can hold no water. We saw that reference 
in John 3 to Ezekiel 36, 25 to 27. The new birth there in Ezekiel's 
prophecy is described as God sprinkling water on them in terms 
of purification. In the prophet Ezekiel, specifically 
at chapter 47, you have eternal life, the blessing of God, the 
salvation wrought by God, seen as a river of water that is flowing. You have the prophecy of the 
prophet Zechariah. In that day there shall be a 
fountain open for sin and for uncleanness. Later on in Zechariah 
14, specifically at verse 8. And in that day it shall be that 
living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, half of them toward 
the eastern sea and half of them toward the western sea. In both 
summer and winter it shall occur. John, the apostle who wrote John's 
gospel, picks up this motif in the book of Revelation, a book 
he also wrote. In Revelation chapter 7, verses 
16 and 17, they shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore. 
The sun shall not strike them nor any heat. For the Lamb who 
is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them 
to what? Living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away 
every tear from their eyes. Same sort of emphasis in chapter 
22, specifically at verses one to five. It sounds like Ezekiel 
47, Ezekiel 47. But in Revelation 22 at verse 
one, he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, 
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle 
of its street and on either side of the river was the tree of 
life, which bore 12 fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every 
month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 
And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of 
the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. 
They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. 
There shall be no night there. They need no lamp nor light of 
the sun, for the Lord God gives them light, and they shall reign 
forever and ever. And then in verse 17, the spirit 
and the bride say, come, and let him who hears say, come, 
and let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take 
the water of life freely. I think Calvin's on the right 
path. Calvin says it's the whole grace of our renewal. This is what the living waters 
means. One modern commentator sees it 
in a Trinitarian context. He says the living water in the 
context of Jacob's well on a sun-beating day is rest and satisfaction, 
eternal life, rooted in the Trinitarian God, Father, Son, and Spirit, 
and mediated by Jesus Christ, His person and work. So what 
Christ is saying to this woman is, if you knew who it was you 
were speaking to, you would ask of Him this water. And He would 
be willing to give you this water, as He does, brethren. And one 
of the other things you should see with reference to the metaphor 
or the imagery used, it's not just a few drops. It's not just 
a little tiny bit of a dispersal. It is, and I don't mean to be 
crass in terms of what's happened in this past week, a flood of 
God's grace, the wells of salvation. Notice what he says in verse 
14. Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never 
thirst, but the water that I shall give him will become in him a 
fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life. Personally, 
to be sure, but the fact that the prophet Ezekiel prophesies 
that this water will proceed from the throne and it will canvas 
the land. And when we see that description 
of the new Jerusalem, it's not just a little bit of water. It 
is rather a flood of God's grace. And that's the point that the 
Savior is making to this needy woman, this Samaritan woman, 
this woman who had botched theology and had an ethical life that 
was described as perverse at best. So the Lord Jesus says 
there is real salvation for real sinners by a real Savior. That's the point of the passage. Notice the woman is confused 
by this. Verse 11, the woman said to him, 
Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where 
then do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father 
Jacob who gave us the well and drank from it himself as well 
as his sons and his livestock? You see, she hasn't quite got 
it yet. She's not quite tracking yet. 
She's still ignorant. She's still thinking in terms 
of physical water. She's still thinking in terms 
of just throwing a bucket into the well, bringing up the draw, 
and then taking it home and enjoying it with your family and giving 
it to your animals. That's not Jesus' point. He's 
using the real physical water as a metaphor or illustration 
for the spiritual water that he is able to give. And lady, 
by the way, yes, he is greater than Jacob who gave you that 
well. Jesus Christ is the one to whom Jacob pointed. Jesus 
Christ is the one to whom Israel was pointed. Jesus Christ is 
the end of the law for all those who believe. Now finally, look 
at his explanation on the heels of her statement of ignorance. 
Verse 11, Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is 
deep, where then do you get the living water? And then she asks, 
Are you greater than Jacob? Now notice the clarification 
in verses 13 to 15. Jesus affirms or underscores 
or highlights the insufficiency of physical water. He made water. He made the body. He made the 
creature. He made us with limitations, creaturely limitations. We can 
drink a glass of water when we finish today, and we're going 
to need another glass later. That's just the reality of it, 
right? Again, think of the wisdom of the Savior. He wants to show 
her something. He wants to teach her something. 
He wants to connect with her on something that she can appreciate 
is insufficient in and of itself. Oh, certainly it does satisfy 
for the moment, but I'm gonna be back here and I'm gonna have 
to draw again in order to take this back home. So he affirms 
verse 13a. Whoever drinks of this water 
will thirst again. But this leads him then to stress 
once again, the blessedness of the water that he offers. But 
whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. 
But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain 
of water, springing up into everlasting life. I just wanna look at two 
things here that I think bear scrutiny. In the first place, 
the grace of God is evident. She doesn't deserve it. She's 
not working for it. She doesn't have a bucket with 
which to fetch it. But look at the language of the 
Savior. Whoever drinks of the water that 
I shall give him. Salvation is by grace through 
faith in Christ Jesus. It's not cooperation. Jesus gives 
you a bit of the water, you bring some of your water, and now you're 
gonna be satisfied unto eternal life. This is a gracious provision. This is Isaiah the prophet, chapter 
55, verses one and following. Oh, everyone who thirsts, let 
him come to the water and drink. You who have no money, come, 
buy. Buy wine that exhilarates, and 
milk that nourishes, and water that refreshes you. The prophet, 
or God through the prophet, lambates the people, saying, why do you 
spend your money on that which does not satisfy? You're going 
to go spend money, you're going to buy this stuff, and by the 
end of the day, you're going to be hungry and thirsty again. 
Jesus is speaking in the same motif. You're gonna have to be 
here day in and day out fetching water from this well. But if 
you take the spiritual water, you take the living water, you 
take the everlasting water, and again, take is the emphasis because 
he's the giver. You don't earn it, you don't 
deserve it, but it's something that Christ gives to needy sinners. Notice she doesn't have a worthiness 
about her. She's the wrong race. She's the 
wrong sex. And she's certainly the wrong 
with reference to her personal ethics. She's got three strikes 
against her. And yet Christ says, I will give 
it to you. So that's one observation. The 
grace of God is evident. But then secondly, the blessing 
of God is evident. Notice what he says. Whoever 
drinks of the water that I shall give him will what? Never thirst. Now, brethren, qualitatively, 
each and every day, we want more of the presence of God. We come 
to church, not with an idea to have a cold experience, but we 
want God to rend the heavens and come down. That's not his 
point. His point is simple, that when 
you, by grace, receive the living water, you'll never thirst again. 
Your needs are met, your satisfaction is complete. It's a permanent 
transaction. You don't have to keep going 
back to the well in terms of fetching it for the first time. 
This again jives with verses 15 and 16 in John 3. What does he confer upon people? 
What does he convey upon people? Eternal life, everlasting life. It's not just for a time and 
then he takes it away when we haven't behaved ourselves. No, 
that's not it at all, brethren. He not only gives it, but He 
doesn't take it back. It is yours forever. This is 
why we teach and preach the perseverance of the saints. This is why Jesus 
and John 10 can say that no one can pluck you out of the hand 
of the Father and of the Son. This is why the Apostle Paul 
in Romans 8, after describing just about everything there is 
to describe, he says, there is nothing that shall separate us 
from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Or 
Philippians chapter 1, when the Apostle says, I'm confident of 
this very thing, that he who began this good work in you will 
complete it under the day of Christ. So not only is God's 
grace obvious, but as well, God doesn't take it away. He doesn't 
enter into this in a provisional manner. This isn't a covenant 
of works. You do your part, you behave 
the way I say, and then you will complete this transaction. That's 
not salvation in Christ. Salvation in Christ is full. 
Salvation in Christ is free. Salvation in Christ is permanent. 
Salvation in Christ is the most excellent and blessed thing that 
can ever be discussed. And that's why if this morning 
you are not in Christ, Listen to Christ, listen to the Savior. He gives it and he doesn't take 
it back. This is blessed. He's not like 
the government. He's not like your best friend. 
He's not like those persons that here for a day and then abandon 
you. Hebrews 13a tells us Jesus Christ 
the same yesterday, today, and forever. If He has once conferred 
upon you eternal life, He will never ever deprive you of it. 
That's His point. But the water that I shall give 
Him will become in Him a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting 
life. Now notice how this section ends, 
the desire of the woman. The woman said to him, sir, give 
me this water that I may not thirst nor come here to draw. 
I suspect she's still ignorant, brethren. I don't think at this 
point her eyes are opened and she's saying, wow, it's the grace 
of God. It's the reality that you'll 
never deprive me from this blessedness. But I think Calvin goes a little 
bit too far here with the woman. Listen to what John Calvin says, 
this woman undoubtedly is sufficiently aware that Christ is speaking 
of spiritual water, but because she despises him, she sets it 
not all his promises. For so long as the authority 
of him who speaks is not acknowledged by us, his doctrine is not permitted 
to enter. That's a true statement insofar 
as it goes. But man, maybe this woman is 
simply responding in the only way that she knows presently. 
She doesn't get it. Grace alone, through faith alone, 
in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. She didn't know 
the five solas of the Reformation. But at this point, she's at least 
intrigued to the place where she says, sir, if this kind of 
water exists, tell me where I may find it. Remember last time, 
or a couple times, several times ago, when we're back in John 
2, when Jesus says to Mary, woman, you know, basically, why do you 
trouble me? It's not my hour. And people see that as just rude. 
Jesus saying, woman, why would you ever? I don't think it was 
that way. It was gentle and kind. And in 
the same token, my read of this woman at this point, I mean, 
she's still moving forward. She's going to say, are you the 
prophet? And again, Deuteronomy 18 is the background. The prophet 
promised by God through Moses. That's a good question, especially 
with one who's able to deliver water. I mean, think back in 
redemptive history. God taught Israel that he's able 
to get water out of a rock. So for her to ask this and then 
for her to go so far as to say, you know, we've heard that Messiah 
is coming and when he comes he'll sort all things out. I just don't 
think she's at that place of enmity. I don't think she's arrived 
in terms of her appreciation or approbation of spiritual truth, 
but I think it's probably more mundane. Sir, give me this water 
that I may not thirst nor come here to draw. So it was probably 
in that vein, if there's a way that I don't have to schlep this 
bucket here each and every day, throw it into this deep well, 
hoist it out, head back to my screaming brats, give them their 
water, and come back and do it all over again, then I'd be interested 
in that. But I think the greater point 
that all of us need to ponder is that if her, or she rather, 
is intrigued to the point where she's asking, what about people 
in 21st century North America who've heard the Bible all their 
lives? who've heard about Jesus all 
their lives, who've heard about the reality of sin and of a holy 
God and of the provision of God in the person and work of his 
Son. Isn't there that longing in your heart, Sir, give me this 
drink or give me this water that I may drink too? Is there no 
inkling whatsoever, no desire whatsoever? I think this text 
does underscore what Nicodemus underscored as well. Unless a 
man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 
2.14, the carnal man doesn't discern spiritual things. She's 
still sort of feeling her way. She's still in the world of physical 
reality, and she's still in the world of water to satiate thirst 
temporarily. But even in the midst of that, 
she's intrigued enough by Jesus to say, sir, I'm interested. Sir, I'd like to hear more. Sir, 
I'm wondering about this water that you're speaking of. And 
yet so many times today, we have people that have been grown up 
in churches. They have zero interest in the things of God. Do you 
all understand what's at play with reference to the things 
of God? If you had been brought up in this, you know, God is 
a holy God. Scripture tells us that his eye, 
and it's speaking metaphorically, is too pure to look approvingly 
upon any evil. It is righteous with God to punish 
sinners. It is righteous with God to cut 
them off. It is righteous with God to put 
them in hell. All of that the Bible says. Now, 
when you ponder that, it's not just a sort of foray into who 
God is, but then the Bible also describes who we are. We're messed 
up. Everything that God says, we 
do the opposite. Everything that God commands, 
we forsake. Everything that God calls us 
unto in terms of faithfulness, we just say no. He tells us not 
to be idolaters. What do we do? We find as many 
idols as we can find. He tells us not to blaspheme. 
What do we do? We use His name as a curse word 
or as filler. You know, in Canada, you say, 
eh, a lot. Well, there's a lot of people that use the name of 
the Lord or Jesus in that same fashion as if he's equatable 
with, eh. You've got God calling us to 
keep a particular day. One day gives you six to do whatever 
it is you want. Not sin, of course, but one day. And this is just such a pain 
and burden for us. Come on, I can't believe he wants 
a day. It's incredible. He tells us 
to be subordinate to those authorities over us. Do we do that? Kids, 
do you do that? Do you obey your mommy and daddy? 
Do you honor them the way the Bible says to? He tells us not 
to murder. Now, these are all good and fair 
things, aren't they? He's not telling us to jump over 
the moon. He's not telling us to swallow 
swords. He's not telling us to eat fire. 
He's telling us things that are good. Don't murder people. Don't 
commit adultery. Don't steal from one another. 
Don't lie. Don't covet. And yet we do the 
exact opposite. So we are ripe for God's judgment. If you have zero interest in 
the living water that Jesus gives, you ought to repent from that, 
have concern over the reality that you will stand before God 
Most High to give an account of deeds done in the body, whether 
good or ill. And you'll either hear, well 
done, good and faithful servant, if you're in union with Christ, 
or you'll hear those words. Depart from me, I never knew 
you. Into everlasting fire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels. You ever pondered that? Hell 
is a prepared place. Jesus says, heaven is a prepared 
place. In John 14, I go to prepare a 
place for you. In my father's house are many 
mansions, and I'm gonna make sure you're stowed away safely 
when we get there. But hell is a prepared place 
as well. It tells us concerning Judas 
in Acts chapter 1 that he went to his own place. Not that there 
was some other place, but that hell was specific for the kinds 
of sin and sinner that Judas was. This ought to terrify you. Today we think about flooding, 
obviously. We think about COVID. We think 
about government. We think about a whole host of 
things. There's a lot of sick people right now. There's a lot 
of issues. There's a lot of challenges. I feel like at times my head 
can't take much more. But the most important thing 
is the reality that one day we will stand before Jesus Christ. If you have not drunk of this 
water by God's grace, if you have not believed in Him, if 
you have not repented from your sins, it will be misery, it will 
be terror, it will be world without end suffering. Don't go that 
route. When there is a Savior who, by 
necessity, goes to an accursed region, finds a sinful woman, 
discourses with her at a well, and offers her eternal life, 
that, Jesus, means business when it comes to the saving of sinners. 
And if you're a sinner needing to be saved, then look to Him 
in faith. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent, 
John 3.14, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever 
believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. There's 
no accident in the way that the Apostle crafted his gospel narrative. There's no accident that he's 
put this on the heels of that grand declaration of Jesus Christ 
being the Savior of the world. Jew, Gentile, Samaritan, American, 
Canadian, Chinese, Australian, whatever, whatever tribe, tongue, 
people, and nation. Wherever there are sinners, there 
will be a great multitude on that day who by grace have taken 
that living water and have found the faithfulness of God to have 
never deprived them, to never remove it from them, but to only 
bless them with that abundance welling up in their hearts and 
that appreciation and gratitude for what God Most High has done. 
In conclusion, we see the true humanity of Jesus. The fathers 
were right. Whatever is not redeemed is not 
assumed. Whatever is not assumed, rather, 
is not redeemed. If Christ does not assume our humanity, He doesn't 
redeem our humanity. In Hebrews 2, He does not take 
on angels. He hasn't assumed angelic being, 
so you've got elect and non-elect angels. No redemption through 
the blood of Jesus. They're either confirmed in holiness 
or they are cut off. But man, because Christ took 
on manhood, or humanity rather, and lives for us and dies for 
us and rises again, we have everlasting life in him. The true divinity 
of Jesus, the knowledge of what was in man, the fact that he 
has this necessity to pass through Samaria. Again, don't read verse 
four simply in terms of geography. He needed to go through Samaria. 
Yes, geographically, he needed to go through Samaria, but theologically, 
He needed to go through Samaria because this woman needed to 
be saved. So did her village who had come 
to learn that he was in fact the savior of the world. As well, 
he is the one who graciously gives the living water and he 
is greater than Jacob. He is the prophet Moses wrote 
about in Deuteronomy 18. And he is in fact the Messiah 
that the whole Old Testament wrote about and prophesied concerning. 
And then as well, notice just in a little bit more detail, 
the condition of the woman. There's an obvious contrast here 
with Nicodemus, isn't there? Well, first of all, he was a 
man, and she was a woman. That's low-hanging fruit, but 
I think it bears pointing out. Thank you, God, that I'm not 
a slave, I'm not a Gentile, and I'm not a woman. The difference 
in terms of the treatment of women at that time, even commentators, 
you should see how some of the church fathers, you know, when, 
go call your husband because you're too ignorant to understand 
and you need to bring him here so I can explain it to him. That's 
how the fathers, some of them, interpreted that section. Go 
get your father because you can't quite follow this argument, so 
go fetch him and bring him. That's not even the first century 
sort of Israel situation. That's the early church situation. So he was a man. She's a woman. 
He was rich. He was rich. He came from a very 
prestigious family, a very wealthy family. She was poor. She has 
to go slap a bucket down to the well and get her daily water. 
He was a teacher in Israel and she was a follower of really 
bad theology. She was a Samaritan, scum of 
the earth. He was outwardly pure and she 
was morally corrupt. We'll see that next time, God 
willing. Go call your husband. What's 
Jesus doing there? He's showing her sin. He's showing 
her her need for the living water. You have messed up, lady. He 
doesn't chastise her and rebuke her that way. He leads her graciously 
and he brings her to that realization. But that's the point. Go call 
your husband. I don't think it's because you're ignorant and he 
needs to explain it to you. That's not it. Go call him so 
I can underscore for you the nature of your sin problem and 
why you need this living water. And with reference to her response, 
she was ignorant concerning who he was. She was ignorant concerning 
his metaphorical use of water. But even in that ignorance, she 
had something of an interest in the water he was talking about. Please learn from her. Please 
understand that. And please with her say in the 
proper way, verse 15, sir, give me this water that I may not 
thirst nor come here to draw. In other words, believe in him 
and you will have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father 
in Heaven, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for our Lord's 
dealings with this sinful woman and for the fact that He is the 
one who gives eternal life. He is the one who gives living 
water. And as we see this metaphor all throughout Holy Scripture, 
we rejoice in the profusion of it. We rejoice that it's not 
just a few drops on a few people here and there. But when we turn 
to the book of Revelation, there is a great multitude that no 
man can number, that there is profusion in the grace of God, 
abundance in that grace. And so, Lord, we preach the gospel 
confidently, not confident in sinners making the right choices, 
but confident in a sovereign God, in an omnipotent Lord, in 
the one who is able to make men willing in the day of his power. 
So we ask that you would convict sinners even now, show them their 
need, show them their misery, and show them the all-sufficiency 
of Jesus Christ to save to the uttermost. And we ask this in 
his most blessed name, amen. We'll turn with me to 5, 6, 8 
in your hymn books. We'll stand and we'll close by 
singing the doxology of praise to our triune God. ♪ Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow ♪ ♪ Praise Him all creatures there below ♪ ♪ Praise Him above 
♪ Praise Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost. Amen. The Lord bless you and keep you. 
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
God, may that be our experience and may we know the joy of the 
Lord as our strength and may we know your protection over 
us and may we know your nearness as our good. Bless us on this 
day. Bless all our brothers and sisters 
going through various trials and hardships and heartaches 
and difficulties. I pray for my beloved that you 
would bless her with her siblings the discussion concerning their 
father. God, give them wisdom, give them grace, give them help. 
And we pray for Richard that you would bless this man. And 
again, may he enter into the joy of his rest at your time. 
And we ask these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, please be seated for a 
brief time of meditation.