Replicating Redemption: No Substitutions Allowed
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
Full Passage John 4:4-42
He had to go through Samaria on the way. 5 Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. 7 Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” 8 He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.
9 The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
11 “But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?12 And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
13 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
15 “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
16 “Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
17 “I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— 18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. 20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”
21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah!”
27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.
Wells, Cisterns, and Our Need for (Living) Water:
Wells:
Flowing water - stays fresh
Naturally occurring - are revealed by search or discovery
A continual source
Cisterns:
Stagnant - can become stale and unsafe
Manmade - Must be created and maintained
Temporary without being refilled
Wells, Cisterns, and Our Need for (Living) Water
Aside from some extreme exceptions, the human body can generally survive about three days without water. In an arid climate like the Middle East at the time of Jesus a well accessing fresh ground water or a natural spring would have been critical for survival. The only alternative to a well was a cistern. These were effectively large holes in the ground, dug into the clay or hewn into the rock that would serve as storage tanks for water. Cisterns, however, have a couple of downsides when compared to wells.
W: Flowing - Water in underground aquifers or from springs is constantly moving, keeping it fresh.
C: Stagnant - No water movement allows bacteria, viruses, and parasites to grow, making it no longer safe to drink (and just gross).
W: Revealed - Naturally occurring. Only access must be maintained.
C: Manufactured - Must be created and regularly maintained.
W: Continual - So long as the water table is high enough or the well deep enough, it’s a continual source.
C: Temporary - Left to its own water will eventually evaporate or in many cases simply leak out.
While the Samaritan woman understood the importance of having access to the well to meet her physical needs, her spirit had remained disconnected from the source of spiritual life that Jesus was offering.
Just like every human is designed to be physically sustained with fresh water, spiritually every human is designed to interact with our creator; to receive the living water that only he can offer. Our spirit thirsts for this (Ps 42:1-2 ESV). But this world offers, and sometimes we create, our own alternatives that prevent our spirit from engaging in with the Spirit of God. We carve out spiritual cisterns and attempt to sustain ourselves, seek fulfillment, quench that spiritual thirst with things that are less than best less than God has for us less than Himself.
Jer 2:13 (ESV) for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.
Ultimately, every cistern leaks out, evaporates away, or becomes stagnant. Every attempt to satisfy spiritual longing with something other than a direct and active relationship with Jesus will eventually end with us finding ourselves standing in the mud at the bottom of a pit.
Cisterns Become Dungeons:
Joseph (The one with the coat) - Gen. 37:24
The Prophet Jeremiah - Jer. 38:6
King David - Ps. 40:2
The Nation of Israel - Zech. 9:11
Cisterns as Prisons or Traps
Joseph - Gen. 37:24
Jeremiah - Jer. 38:6
David - Ps. 40:2
Nation of Israel - Zech 9:11
For the woman at the well, from what we know of her, she had been married 5 times before and was currently living with a guy that wasn’t her husband. She was chasing fulfillment outside of her creator and had found herself at the bottom of a pit. We don’t know the details or the history but it’s clear this isn’t the only cistern she’s trapped in.
Social Structure - Woman - Ref: Jewish morning blessing
Ethnic Bigotry - Samaritan - Worse than gentiles - Ref: Intermarige, corrupted the faith (700-900 remaining)
Religious Regulation - Specific requirements and rituals - Ref: Torah (Pentateuch) only, Mt. Gerizim vs. Jerusalem
These were all systems she found herself impacted by, though they were man-made substitutes for God’s divine order, values, and purposes.
The miracle here is not that Jesus supernaturally knew her relational situation and her history. It’s that through the revelation of who he was. This woman who would have been considered socially and religiously unredeemable, declares her faith in the Promises of God and responds to the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah.
This was possible because Jesus refused to climb down into the cisterns she was trapped in but instead called her to rise above the pits she’d dug or been forced into. He did this simply by introducing her to who He was and inviting her to function exactly how He’d designed her… as one who would worship in spirit and in truth.
Relying on Spiritual Cisterns:
In Our Own Lives
Leans on our own values and judgement in pursuit of our personal desires.
Leaves us looking for the “next” replacement when the current one inevitably drys up.
Offered to Others
Presents our own opinions, ideals, expectations, or solutions branded as God’s.
Misrepresents the gospel and inhibits the powerful work of God through our lives to expand His kingdom
Relying on Spiritual Cisterns:
One of the biggest inhibitors to experiencing the powerful move of God in our lives is when we replace him knowingly or otherwise with systems, experiences, or pursuits that appear to meet our needs but ultimately become traps.
Relies on our own values and judgement in pursuit of our personal desires.
Leaves us looking for the “next” replacement when the current one inevitably drys up.
Attempting to interact with others on the Lord’s behalf in a manner that isn’t aligned with His character or mission.
Presents our own opinions, ideals, expectations, or solutions branded as God’s.
Misrepresents the gospel and inhibits the powerful work of God through our lives to expand His kingdom.
Offering Living Water From the Source:
Action not Anticipation - John 4:35
Jesus is intentionally proactive in reaching out.
Identity over Ideology - John 14:6
Jesus presents Himself, not a platform.
Sincerity without Ceremony - Isa 58:2-8
Jesus wants our worship, not our performance.
Decisions before Discipleship - 2 Cor. 5:18-20a
Jesus invites us to follow before He tells us where to go.
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Offering Living Water From the Source:
John 7:38 (ESV) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’”
Christians have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit who is with us at all times, but if we are to effectively lead others to discover the source of life that’s available to them, we must submit to His way. Not simply a set of actions that miraculously reveals the truth to those we engage with but an all encompassing way of life.
Action not Anticipation - Jesus went intentionality out of his way into this town, sacrificed his personal needs (he was hungry and tired), and made a point of engaging with this woman
There’s a time and place to let your life bear witness but we can’t just stand back and wait for God to do our part for us. He has empowered us with His Holy Spirit and commissioned us to make disciples.
John 4:35
Relationship over Ideology - Jesus didn’t lead by addressing the sinful social, cultural, or religious pollution that had led this woman to where she was. He functions outside of these missional distractions, to meet her where she was at and give her the opportunity to respond to Him directly.
Some things appear to be life-giving, problem answering, or even Godly or at least “God-adjacent” but can end up becoming barriers to the miracles God wants to do if either they don’t align with scripture or they eclipse our efforts toward the great commission.
Cultural warfare
Political, social, or religious engagement
Good works
John 14:6
Sincerity without Ceremony - Jesus rejected the complex symbolism of where to worship and what rules to follow in favor of a clear simple truth… “I AM the Messiah.” True worship will draw all eyes to Him as His kingdom expands through our actions.
Jesus explains that the Father is seeking true worshipers; those who worship in spirit and truth. True worship is defined by God as honoring Him with actions and attitudes that reflect His character.
Is 58:2-8
Decisions before Discipleship - Jesus didn’t shy away from acknowledging some aspects of the woman’s life that were misaligned with Heaven but he didn’t prioritize aligning anything except her understanding of who He was and the choice she had to believe.
Jesus begins his good work of sanctification in us after we acknowledge him as our Savior-King. Our message is first and foremost the good news of redemption by grace with the call for repentance as the response.
2 Cor. 5:18-20a
