11-14

AFFFIRMING THE OTHER

John 4: 5-29, 39-42  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

Rev. Paul Wrightman  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 11/14/21

 

 

THIS IS A SERMON THAT PASTOR PAUL GAVE

SEVERAL YEARS AGO HERE​​ 

AT COMMUNITY CHURCH. ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​  ​​ ​​​​  ​​ ​​​​ ​​ 

 

TODAY'S TEXT FEATURES​​ 

ONE OF THE LONGEST SUSTAINED CONVERSATIONS

THAT WE FIND IN THE GOSPELS

BETWEEN JESUS AND A PERSON​​ 

WHO IS NOT ONE OF THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.

​​ 

HOW DID THIS CONVERSATION COME TO US?

 

IN OTHER WORDS,​​ 

WHO REMEMBERED IT AND WROTE IT DOWN?

 

I SUSPECT IT WAS THE APOSTLE JOHN HIMSELF.

 

WE KNOW FROM​​ WHAT JOHN WROTE

AT THE VERY END OF HIS GOSPEL

THAT HE WAS FOLLOWING CLOSELY BEHIND

JESUS AND PETER AS THEY WERE ​​ 

WALKING​​ ALONG​​ THE SEA OF GALILEE

AND TALKING ABOUT PETER'S CONTINUING ROLE​​ 

AS LEADER OF THE DISCIPLES.

 

JOHN 21:20 TELLS US THAT​​ 

"PETER TURNED AND SAW​​ 

THE DISCIPLE WHOM JESUS LOVED​​ 

FOLLOWING THEM."

 

MY TAKE ON THIS TEXT​​ 

IS THAT JOHN WAS FOLLOWING​​ 

JESUS AND PETER ON​​ PURPOSE

SO THAT HE COULD OVERHEAR​​ 

THEIR CONVERSATION.

 

JOHN AS EVESDROPPER? ​​ DEFINITELY!

AND THANK GOD​​ 

FOR THE FACT THAT HE REMEMBERED

MANY OF THE CONVERSATIONS​​ 

THAT HE OVERHEARD!

 

MY TAKE ON TODAY'S TEXT IS MUCH THE SAME:

 

I SUSPECT THAT JOHN​​ 

HAD CONVENIENTLY POSITIONED HIMSELF

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WELL

SO THAT HE COULD LISTEN IN

ON THE CONVERSATION.

 

I SENSE THAT HE DID THIS OUT OF LOVE FOR JESUS

AND HIS TEACHINGS.

 

GIVEN THE ORAL CULTURE OF THE TIME,

AND THE ACCURACY WITH WHICH THE TEACHINGS

OF A REVERED TEACHER WERE REMEMBERED,

 

I THINK WE CAN SAFELY ASSUME

THAT IN THIS TEXT​​ 

WE HAVE​​ IN ESSENCE​​ A REMEMBERED CONVERSATION

BETWEEN JESUS AND THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

 

NOW FOR SOME GEOGRAPHICAL​​ 

AND POLITICAL BACKGROUND.

 

ISRAEL IS A LONG, NARROW COUNTRY.

 

AT THE TIME OF JESUS,

IT WAS DIVIDED INTO THREE DISTINCT PARTS:

 

GALILEE IN THE NORTH,

JUDEA IN THE SOUTH,

AND SAMARIA RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE.

 

THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF BAD BLOOD

BETWEEN ISRAEL AND SAMARIA.

 

THIS WAS CAUSED​​ CAUSED BY THE FACT THAT

IN THEIR CONQUEST OF THE NORTHERN KINGDOM

IN THE 700'S B.C.E., THE ASSYRIANS DEPORTED​​ 

MUCH OF THE POPULATION

AND IMPORTED VARIOUS CAPTIVE PEOPLES

TO TAKE THEIR PLACE.

 

THE POPULATIONS INTERMARRIED,

AND IN THE MINDS​​ 

OF THE "PURE" JEWISH POPULATIONS

OF JUDEA AND GALILEE,

 

THE SAMARITANS WERE NOTHING​​ 

BUT A BUNCH OF HALF-BREEDS,

WORSE EVEN THAN GENTILES ​​​​ 

BECAUSE THEY HAD DEFILED​​ 

THEIR JEWISH BLOOD.

 

THE "REAL" JEWISH PEOPLE​​ 

OF JUDEA AND GALILEE

IMPOSED THE SAME BOUNDARY-MAINTAINING

TABOOS ON THE SAMARITANS

THAT THEY DID ON THE GENTILES --

 

NO SHARING OF EATING AND DRINKING UTINSELS,

AND AS LITTLE SOCIAL CONTACT AS POSSIBLE.

 

IF ANYTHING, THE SAMARITANS​​ 

WERE EVEN​​ MORE​​ HATED​​ 

THAN "REGULAR" GENTILES

BECAUSE THEY WERE NEITHER FISH NOR FOUL,

NEITHER​​ JEWISH​​ NOR​​ GENTILE.

​​ 

THERE​​ IS​​ A​​ DEVELOPING THEOLOGICAL CONSENSUS​​ 

ON RELOOKING AT THE CONCEPT OF​​ ORIGINAL SIN​​ 

AS "THE REJECTION OF THE OTHERNESS

OF THE OTHER."

 

THE SAMARITANS EXPERIENCED​​ THIS REJECTION

WITH A​​ VENGEANCE.

 

THE​​ USUAL​​ ROUTE FROM JUDEA TO GALILEE

WOULD HAVE INVOLVED​​ AVOIDING

HAVING TO TRAVEL THROUGH SAMARIA

BY WALKING THE NARROW STRIP​​ 

OF ISRAELITE TERRITORY​​ 

BORDERING THE JORDAN RIVER TO THE EAST.

 

WE KNOW FROM THE NUANCES OF THE GREEK

THAT JESUS SPECIFICALLY​​ CHOSE

TO TAKE A ROUTE TO GALILEE

THAT INVOLVED WALKING

RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF SAMARIA.

 

GIVEN JESUS' PENCHANT FOR TAKING

EVERY OPPORTUNITY AVAILABLE TO HIM

TO​​ BREAK​​ WHAT HE CONSIDERED TO BE

ARBITRARY​​ RULES AND BOUNDARIES

OF THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT,

 

HIS CHOICE TO TRAVEL​​ THROUGH​​ SAMARIA

WAS IN ITSELF A​​ THEOLOGICAL ACTION

OF​​ RESISTANCE, OR​​ PROTEST,

 

AN ACTION CALCULATED TO​​ BREAK​​ DOWN

THE BOUNDARY BETWEEN JEW AND SAMARITAN.

 

AS WE KNOW, IT WAS FOR​​ 

BREAKING DOWN BOUNDARIES,

ARBITRARY BOUNDARIES BETWEEN

MEN AND WOMEN,

JEW AND GENTILE,

"CLEAN" AND "UNCLEAN,"

"WORTHY" AND "UNWORTHY,"

​​ 

THAT GOT HIM KILLED.

 

RETURNING BRIEFLY TO AN EARLIER TEXT FROM

JOHN'S GOSPEL, I WANT TO ASK

WHAT DOES "FOR GOD SO​​ LOVED​​ THE WORLD

(John 3:16)​​ LOOK​​ LIKE?"

 

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD" LOOKS LIKE

JESUS GOING OUT OF HIS WAY

TO TRAVEL THROUGH SAMARIA

 

THUS, …"OFFERING HIMSELF TO THOSE

WHOM SOCIAL CONVENTION​​ 

DEEMED​​ UNACCEPTABLE." ​​ (Gail O'Day)

 

"FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD…"

LOOKS LIKE JESUS GOING OUT OF HIS WAY

TO ENGAGE A SAMARITAN WOMAN​​ 

IN CONVERSATION.

 

WE KNOW FROM THE FACT​​ 

THAT THE CUSTOMARY HOUR​​ 

FOR OBTAINING WATER WAS EARLY MORNING,

NOT HIGH-NOON,

 

THAT THE SAMARITAN WOMAN​​ 

WITH WHOM JESUS SPOKE​​ 

WAS SOMETHING OF AN​​ OUTCAST.

 

WE KNOW FROM THE SOCIAL TABOOS OF THE TIME

THAT JESUS BROKE NO LESS THAN THREE OF THEM

IS SPEAKING TO HER:

 

JEWISH PEOPLE WERE NOT SUPPOSED ​​ 

TO FRATERNIZE WITH SAMARITANS.

 

JEWISH MEN, ESPECIALLY RABBI'S,​​ 

WERE FORBIDDEN TO SPEAK WITH WOMEN​​ 

IN PUBLIC.

 

JEWISH PEOPLE​​ WERE FORBIDDEN TO SHARE​​ 

EATING AND DRINKING UTINSELS

WITH SAMARITANS.

 

THE FACT THAT THE WOMAN WITH WHOM

JESUS WAS SPEAKING WAS APPARENTLY A WOMAN

OF DOUBTFUL MORALITY

MAKES HIS ACTION STAND OUT ALL THE​​ MORE.

 

IN HIS CONVERSATION​​ 

WITH THE WOMAN AT THE WELL,

JESUS ENGAGES IN DIALOGUE STRATEGIES

HIGHLIGHTED IN JOHN'S GOSPEL:

 

JESUS MAKES AN ENIGMATIC STATEMENT​​ 

THAT HAS TWO MEANINGS;

 

HIS DIALOGUE PARTNER INVARIABLY CHOOSES

TO GO WITH THE MORE​​ LITERAL ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

OF THE MEANINGS; ​​ 

 

JESUS COUNTERS BY MAKING AN EVEN​​ MORE

OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENT;

 

THE PERSON AGAIN MISUNDERSTANDS;

 

JESUS THEN SPRINGS A​​ TRAP,​​ 

THE EFFECT OF WHICH ENABLES HIM​​ 

TO​​ CLARIFY​​ WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT

IN THE​​ FIRST​​ PLACE.

 

IN TODAY'S CONVERSATION,

WE SEE THESE DYNAMICS​​ 

PLAYING THEMSELVES OUT

IN JESUS ENIGMATIC STATEMENT

ABOUT "LIVING WATER,"

 

WHICH CAN BE UNDERSTOOD LITERALLY

AS RUNNING WATER VS WELL WATER,

 

OR ON A​​ DEEPER​​ LEVEL​​ 

AS THE​​ METAPHORICAL​​ WATER OF​​ ETERNAL​​ LIFE.

 

THE WOMAN, OF COURSE,​​ 

GOES FOR THE LITERAL MEANING,

WHICH ENABLES JESUS TO UP THE ANTE

AND TALK ABOUT NEVER BEING THIRSTY AGAIN.

 

THE WOMAN AGAIN TAKES THIS LITERALLY

AND ASKS FOR THIS "MAGIC" WATER

THROUGH WHICH SHE ASSUMES

SHE WILL NEVER HAVE TO FETCH WATER AGAIN.

 

JESUS SPRINGS HIS TRAP,

ASKING HER TO GO CALL HER HUSBAND,

WHICH BRINGS OUT HER DIFFICULTY​​ 

IN MAINTAINING ANY KIND OF STABLE

MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP.

 

SHE TRIES TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT

BY BRINGING IN RELIGION,

IN THIS CASE THE COMPETING TEMPLES

OF SAMARIA AND JERUSALEM,

 

BUT THIS SIMPLY GIVES JESUS THE OPPORTUNITY

TO CLARIFY WHAT HE'S BEEN GETTING AT

ALL ALONG.

 

DURING THE COURSE OF THIS CONVERSATION

THIS OUTCAST OF A PERSON​​ 

WITH MULTIPLE STRIKES AGAINST HER

RECEIVES FROM JESUS​​ 

THE MOST PROFOUND DESCRIPTION

OF TRUE WORSHIP​​ 

THAT ANYONE RECEIVES IN ANY OF THE GOSPELS

 

("TRUE WORSHIPERS WILL WORSHIP THE FATHER

IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH"),

 

AND MORE THAN A HINT​​ 

ABOUT WHO JESUS REALLY IS.

 

WHEN SHE ASKS ABOUT THE MESSIAH

AND JESUS REPLIES

"I AM, THE ONE SPEAKING TO YOU."

 

AS HER​​ RESPONSE​​ TO THIS ENCOUNTER,

THIS UNNAMED WOMAN​​ 

SHARES THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT JESUS

WITH HER VILLAGE, ​​ 

 

AND BECOMES​​ ANOTHER ​​​​ 

OF MANY WOMEN APOSTLES

MENTIONED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT,

 

THUS TOTALLY​​ CONTRADICTING​​ 

THE STAND OF THE ​​ HUGE MAJORITY ​​ 

OF CHRISTIANS ​​ 

AGAINST​​ WOMEN IN MINISTRY.

 

WHAT DOES "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD…"

LOOK​​ LIKE?

 

IT LOOKS LIKE JESUS​​ 

AFFIRMING​​ THE OTHERNESS

OF THIS SAMARITAN WOMAN,

 

AFFIRMING​​ HER​​ 

AS A WORTHY CONVERSATION PARTNER,

 

AND​​ AFFIRMING​​ HER ABILITIES​​ 

AS A BUDDING THEOLOGIAN.

 

IN THE CONTEXT OF THIS CONVERSATION,

WHAT DOES "FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD…"

NOT​​ LOOK LIKE?

 

IT DOES​​ NOT​​ LOOK LIKE​​ REJECTION​​ OR​​ JUDGMENT.

 

RATHER, THIS CONVERSATION IS ALL ABOUT

THE​​ TRANSFORMATION​​ AND​​ HEALING

THAT CAN COME ABOUT​​ 

THROUGH CONTACT WITH JESUS.

 

THIS IS ONE OF MANY TEXTS IN THE GOSPELS

WHERE I WOULD REALLY, REALLY LIKE TO KNOW

THE TONE OF VOICE AND GESTURES

WITH WHICH JESUS SPEAKS.

 

I HAVE A STRONG SUSPICION​​ 

THAT WHEN JESUS SPRINGS HIS TRAP

AND COMMENTS ON THE WOMAN'S

MULTITUDE OF HUSBANDS,

 

HE DOES SO WITH THE HINT

OF A​​ SMILE​​ ON HIS FACE,  ​​​​ 

AND​​ HUMOR​​ AND​​ COMPASSION​​ IN HIS VOICE.

 

I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU,

BUT THIS STORY​​ DRAWS​​ ME​​ IN.

 

IT MAKES ME FEEL THAT I, LIKE JOHN,

AM OVERHEARING THEIR CONVERSATION.

 

IT GIVES ME A SENSE​​ 

OF WHAT JESUS WOULD SAY TO​​ ME

ABOUT MY​​ OWN​​ AREAS OF BROKENNESS.

 

AND IT GIVES ME THE AWESOME FEELING

OF BEING IN THE PRESENCE

OF EMMANUEL, GOD-WITH-US

IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.

 

ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ASPECTS

OF THIS STORY FOR ME

IS THAT WHEN THE WOMAN AT THE WELL

GOES BACK​​ TO THE PEOPLE IN​​ HER VILLAGE

TO TELL​​ THEM​​ ABOUT JESUS,

 

SHE UNKNOWINGLY USES AN INVITATION

WHICH JESUS HIMSELF HAS USED

EARLIER IN THIS GOSPEL.

 

SHE CHALLENGES HER FELLOW VILLAGERS

TO "COME AND SEE."

 

THEY​​ DO​​ COME TO SEE,

THEY DO COME TO CHECK OUT JESUS,

 

WIND UP INVITING HIM TO STAY WITH THEM,

WHICH HE DOES FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS

 

(IMAGINE HOW MANY RULES ARE BROKEN HERE ​​ --

EATING, DRINKING, EVEN SLEEPING IN THE HOUSE

OF ONE'S "ENEMY!"),

 

AND WIND UP TELLING THE WOMAN AT THE WELL,

 

"IT IS NO LONGER BECAUSE OF WHAT​​ YOU​​ SAID

THAT WE BELIEVE, FOR WE HAVE​​ 

HEARD​​ FOR​​ OURSELVES…" ​​ (John 4:42)

 

THIS, I THINK, IS ONE OF THE KEY ASSERTIONS​​ 

OF THIS TEXT,​​ 

 

THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS

BECAUSE OF WHAT​​ OTHERS​​ SAY,

 

AND BY EXTRAPOLATION

THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BELIEVE IN JESUS

BECAUSE OF WHAT SOME​​ CHURCH​​ 

OR WHAT SOME MINISTER OR PRIEST

SAYS​​ ABOUT​​ JESUS.

 

WE CAN COME TO KNOW JESUS​​ FOR​​ OURSELVES.

 

WE CAN COME TO KNOW HIM

THROUGH STORIES LIKE TODAY'S SCRIPTURE TEXT,

 

AND WE CAN COME TO KNOW HIM

THROUGH OUR​​ OWN​​ CONVERSATIONS WITH HIM.

 

PRAYER​​ MAY NOT SEEM​​ 

LIKE MUCH OF A​​ CONVERSATION,

 

BUT MANY OF US CAN ATTEST TO THE FACT

THAT PRAYER CAN OFTEN BE A​​ GATEWAY

TO EXPERIENCING GOD,​​ OUR FATHER, OR ABBA,​​  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

TO​​ EXPERIENCING JESUS,

AND​​ TO​​ EXPERIENCING GOD'S SPIRIT.

 

AND IN OUR ACTUAL PRAYER​​ EXPERIENCE​​ 

WITH JESUS,

 

WE​​ CAN COME TO KNOW THE​​ TRUTH​​ 

OF WHAT HE MEANS WHEN HE MAKES

OUTRAGEOUS STATEMENTS LIKE

 

…"BUT THOSE WHO DRINK OF THE WATER

THAT I WILL GIVE THEM WILL​​ NEVER​​ BE THIRSTY.

THE WATER THAT I WILL GIVE​​ 

WILL BECOME IN THEM A SPRING OF WATER

GUSHING UP TO ETERNAL LIFE." ​​ (John 4:14)

 

ARE YOU AFRAID OF BEING REJECTED BY GOD?

SOMETIMES I AM.

 

REMEMBER HOW JESUS​​ ACCEPTED​​ AND​​ AFFIRMED

THIS PERSON WITH SO MANY STRIKES AGAINST HER.

 

ARE YOU AFRAID THAT YOU'RE NOT​​ 

GROWING SPIRITUALLY?

SOMETIMES I AM.

 

IN PRAYER, ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE

IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS, GOD-WITH-US,

 

AND YOU WILL EXPERIENCE

A TRANSFORMATION SIMILAR TO THE ONE  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

THAT THE WOMAN AT THE WELL DID.

 

FINALLY, ARE YOU AFRAID OF​​ DYING?

AGAIN, SOMETIMES I AM.

 

REMEMBER THAT JESUS' METAPHOR  ​​ ​​​​ 

OF LIVING WATER LEADING TO ETERNAL LIFE

IS REALLY A METAPHOR ABOUT​​ HIMSELF.

 

AND REMEMBER THAT THE JESUS

WHO REFERS TO HIMSELF​​ 

IN TERMS OF LIVING WATER

ALSO REFERS TO HIMSELF AS ​​ 

 

THE BREAD OF LIFE,

 

THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD,

 

THE DOOR,

 

THE GOOD SHEPHERD,

 

THE VINE,

 

THE TRUE AND LIVING WAY,

 

AND THE​​ RESURRECTION​​ AND THE​​ LIFE.

 

WHAT DOES "FOR GOD SO​​ LOVED​​ THE WORLD…"

LOOK​​ LIKE?

 

IT LOOKS LIKE THE

AFFIRMATION​​ OF THE OTHERNESS OF THE OTHER,

 

THE COMPASSION, THE FORGIVENESS,

THE INSISTENCE ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE,

THE UNRELENTING HOSPITALITY,

 

AND THE PROMISE OF LIFE OVER DEATH

 

GIVEN TO US BY THE VERY INCARNATION,

THE VERY EMBODIMENT OF GOD'S GREAT "I AM,"

JESUS OF NAZARETH.

 

BY REVEALING TO US SO CLEARLY

WHAT GOD REALLY CARES ABOUT

AND WHAT GOD IS REALLY LIKE,

 

JESUS NOT ONLY GIVES US PERMISSION,

BUT ACTUALLY​​ ENCOURAGES​​ US

 

TO "FIRE," SO TO SPEAK,

ANY IMAGES OF GOD THAT WE MAY HAVE

 

THAT ARE VIOLENT, ABUSIVE, AND REJECTING.

 

HOW DO WE KNOW THAT BY PLACING OUR LIVES

IN THE HANDS OF GOD ​​ 

WE'RE IN​​ GOOD​​ HANDS,

 

AND THAT OUR ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

WILL BE ONE OF UNENDING GOODNESS, TRUTH,

AND BEAUTY?

 

WE KNOW BY MAKING THE CHOICE --

JUST AS THE WOMAN AT THE WELL DID --

 

TO ACCEPT OUR ROLE

AS DIALOGUE PARTNERS WITH JESUS.

 

JESUS WANTS EACH OF US TO EXPERIENCE

A CONVERSATION​​ 

 

JUST AS AFFIRMING OF OURSELVES,

 

JUST AS PROFOUND,

 

JUST AS HUMOROUS,

 

AND JUST AS LIFE-TRANSFORMING

 

AS THE WOMAN AT THE WELL.

 

AMEN.

 

 

 

 ​​ ​​​​ 

 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 

 

 

 

Independent and United Church of Christ