Chapter # 4 Paragraph # 2 Study # 9
April 28, 2024
Broadlands, Louisiana
(Download Audio)
Thesis: Jesus reveals Himself to be "The Christ".
Introduction: Last week we considered the beginning of Jesus' revelation of Himself so that the 'second condition' for faith in the promise of a drink that would eliminate "thirst" from a person's relational "problems". The woman has asked for the "drink", but she does not yet know Who it is that is making her the promise of that drink.
The "beginning" of the illumination necessary for "faith in the promise" was the unsettling realities of why it is that people have this "thirst": their sins of idolatrous substitution of "creation realities" for God Himself. This is why Jesus forced the issue of the "husband": "husbands" had been substituted for "God" and the multiplication of them had only led to hopelessness.
This morning we are going to look into that issue: hopeless religion. We are going to raise the question of just what good is a religion that does not resolve the sin problems?
- I. The Conversation Between Jesus And The Woman Of Samaria.
- A. The backdrop is Jesus' statement that if she knew the gift of God and who it is that is speaking to her...
- B. The woman's reaction to Jesus' "knowledge of her pitiful life-style".
- 1. She immediately twists away from her conclusion that He is a "prophet" because that is far too uncomfortable for her.
- a. She is correct in immediately linking His knowledge of her past to the "problem" of His knowledge of her past and the implications for "God's knowledge" of her past.
- b. She inherently knows that her past behavior would never be approved by "God", but she has buried that knowledge as deeply as she is able.
- c. The fact that she so quickly spins away from what God "knows" to the debate regarding where people are to worship reveals how twisted her "theology" is.
- 2. She, unknowingly, opens herself up to what she is by immediately turning to "worship".
- a. The issue of "worship" will now dominate the conversation.
- b. This issue is referenced in 4:20 (twice), 21, 22 (twice), 23 (three times), and 24 (twice) [total of ten including this one] with only two other references in this Gospel (9:38 and 12:20).
- c. This was absolutely the wrong "topic" for her.
- 1) Most fundamentally because it was beyond debate that her "religion" was doing her no practical good (a fact that she blindly ignored every day).
- 2) Also, this topic was one of which she was woefully inadequate to say anything.
- a) Jesus told her that the near future was to wipe out "place" as of any significance.
- b) He then rebuked her for "worshiping" in total ignorance ("what you know not" is couched in terms of "of which you know nothing").
- c) He then declared that "salvation is 'out of'' Judaism".
- (1) This cuts across everything regarding her "religion".
- (2) "Salvation is out of Judaism" means that she is going to have to deal with her strong antagonism to "Judaism".
- d) But the near future will address "true worship" (which is at least partially effective in touching life in real ways in critical times).
- C. The major "point" in this record is that "worship" which leaves people unchanged in terms of both what they "Love" and what they "Believe" is completely worthless.
- 1. The examples are legion -- because they occur every night and day.
- 2. But, no "true worshiper" can be satisfied with the distance they, and God, keep in their so-called "relationship".
- D. The major "fact" in the record is that "God is Spirit" and anyone who claims to "worship" Him must do so in the "right spirit" and "according to truth".
- 1. The "right spirit" addresses the issue of "actual worship" and not merely going through the motions.
- 2. The "according to truth" addresses the "revelations of God by His prophets" so that one's "instructions for approaching God" must come out of the "Jewish" prophets and their words as the words of the only God Who actually exists.
- E. At this point, the woman turns to the issue of the coming of "Messiah" as the ultimate point of reference in a very confusing set of circumstances.
- 1. This "turn" opens the door to the answer to the issue of her "knowledge of Who was speaking to her".
- 2. Jesus told her that He is Messiah, and the conversation was over.
