“Typical”

We heard last Wednesday Jesus declare, in response to Annas’ question about His disciples and His doctrine that He has “spoken openly to the world”. Today we hear a typical example of that conversation Jesus has with the world.

In many ways that’s what the Bible is: snippets of the conversation God has been carrying on with our world since the days of Adam and Eve. Over many centuries, with many different people, from all walks and backgrounds and dispositions, we get to listen in on the conversation God carries on with the world. It is the conversation He carries on with us, if only we have ears to hear.

Jesus stops by a city of Samaria called Sychar near Jacob’s well. Now Jesus told Annas that His way of talking with the world is seeking out the synagogues of the Jews and their temples and preaching there. That’s the normal way—and it filters out from there. But along the way, Jesus gets His Word out in other ways too. The sky above declares His glory. Day unto day utters speech. Night unto night reveals knowledge—no speech, no language, no voice that you hear, but the line goes out to all the world just the same. Today, for example, His Word goes out just because He wants a drink and happens to strike up a conversation with a woman by a well. It’s an ordinary conversation that turns extraordinary. It’s typical of Jesus.

Jesus was just passing through Samaria. It was the short way from the synagogues of Judea to the synagogues of Galilee. When He got to Sychar, it was noontime and He was thirsty. Water was not always abundant in that part of the world. You couldn’t just go to the drinking fountain or turn on the tap to get a drink in Sychar. So Jesus goes to Jacob’s well and sits there. The well is deep. He’s got nothing with which to draw—and they didn’t leave out a bucket. Maybe they were on stage 2 water restrictions?

But along comes this Samaritan woman. She’s got a bucket. Cool. So Jesus sees her and says “Give me a drink”. No preamble, no introduction. Just do it. And quick-like. Here we see how the conversation with Jesus goes. It’s a pattern you can see in most of the conversations He’s been having with people since Adam and Eve. You could learn a lot from paying attention to this little talk.

Jesus often starts the conversation without any polite chatter or introductions. He doesn’t like to give His Name, you see. He doesn’t wear a name tag or stick His hand out and say “Hi! I’m Jesus! What’s your name?” Because, see, He knows your name. And He wants you to know Him—but by what He does and gives, not by easy labels or name tags. It’s just the way He is.

And Jesus often starts the conversation by ordering you to do something. “Hey. Don’t eat any fruit off that tree there. Yeah. That one. In the middle of the garden. Don’t go there. Well, just because I say so, that’s why…” Or, “Follow Me… no, I’m not telling you where we’re going exactly. You’ll see when we get there. No, you can’t go home for dad’s funeral first. Let the dead bury their dead; forget about saying goodbye. Just follow.” Or “Hey kid! Yeah, you there. Go give a little message to My people for Me…” Or, “Quit worshiping idols already! Love the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve!”

Today it’s a pretty simple command, but it is typical of Him to start the conversation with a command. “Give Me a drink.” It’s hot. He’s thirsty. So, give Him a drink. You’ve got a bucket. Snap to it. It’s like He thinks He’s the LORD or something!

Many people get the wrong idea from this commanding sort of start. They think that the conversation is going to all be about what we need to do to make Him happy with us, so they kind of quit listening and just rush off to do this, that, or the other thing. But we’ll see that’s a mistake. The other mistake is to bristle at the Lord being the Lord. That’s the direction the Samaritan woman takes.

She goes, “Hey, how is it that You—a Jew—even talk to me, a Samaritan woman? I thought you Jews were too good, too holy, too high and mighty to talk to Samaritans.” In other words, “Buzz off bud, and get Your own drink.” Because we don’t like to take orders from anyone, even someone who just may be the Lord of Heaven and earth. We still don’t like starting the conversation with a command.

So Jesus smiles, I think. Because the command is really a test of sorts, to see what we have in us, or what we think we have. So He says “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.”

Here we are getting to Jesus’ signature move in the talks He has with us. He starts with a command, something a bit harsh and law-oriented, something commanding to put us in our place. But He doesn’t do this because following commands is what the whole talk is going to be about. Nope. He does it to see if we know also that we have not, cannot keep His commands. He does it to see if we’ll go: “The drink I could get for You is nothing compared to what You could give to me…” He commands us to do what is hard so that we will ask Him to give what is easy. It’s give and take, you see. He wants to be the Giver, wants us to be takers…

But pride gets in our way. The Samaritan woman argues that Jesus has no bucket. Jesus reiterates that anyone who drinks His water will never thirst. It will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Finally, the woman rolls the dice, takes a chance, drops the act, and says: “Okay. That sounds good. Give me this living water that I may not thirst.”

Now we’re talking. Jesus says to call her husband and another wrangle ensues, over morality and religion and an attempt to portray herself as a virtuous woman. We do that same silly thing too, most of us, at exactly this point in the conversation with Jesus. But Jesus sweeps it away by telling her 1) she is ignorant and knows not what she worships but 2) the Jews know; God knows, and is seeking those who will worship Him in Spirit and truth.

The woman says the Christ will straighten this out. Jesus says: “I am He”. So the woman goes and returns with her men as Jesus said. And they all receive the Word, the gift of Jesus. They are all thirsty and Jesus delivers the living water exactly as promised.

You’re thirsty too. And this conversation is so typical—it’s just how Jesus talks to you. He commands what you cannot or will not do. He promises to give you better than what He asks of you. You argue, appeal to your works and piety, but Jesus isn’t buying. No, by repentance and humble faith Jesus is drawing you into the true worship of God, where Jesus leads and you follow. He gives and you take. He dies and you live. He speaks and you say it back. Back and forth, a great dance, the old, familiar steps of the Divine Liturgy.

It always comes down to worship, the Divine Service that we have here. Christ gives: forgiveness, life, salvation; and you take. By faith you drink the living water, and it becomes in you a fountain, springing up into everlasting life. And so you too receive the Peace that surpasses understanding, that guards heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Amen.