[0:00] Let us again turn from the portion of scripture we have read, John chapter 4, verse 1 to verse 42.
[0:12] And we especially consider verse 10 to verse 14. Jesus answered, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living waters.
[0:30] And verse 13, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
[0:48] We are told that Jesus made the women of Samaria at the well. In the Old Testament, a well was a romantic meeting place between a man and a woman.
[1:02] Jacob met Rachel at the well. Abraham's servant who went to find a wife for Isaac, met Rebecca at the well.
[1:15] Moses met his wife, Chapora, at the well. However, we don't have Romeo and Juliet-like meeting here.
[1:26] What we have here is the divine love, a love between God and a poor sinner. There is one clear example in the Old Testament to prove this argument.
[1:42] Remember, Abraham's wife Sarah expelled Hagar and his son Ishmael from her house. In Genesis 16, we are told that God found Hagar near the spring in a desert.
[1:59] God provided water for Hagar and Ishmael in the desert. And this is the same God who has come in the form of Jesus to provide living water for the Samaritan woman.
[2:17] And I think Jesus is well aware about this well symbolism as he meets this woman, this needy sinner soul. And Jesus intends to win her heart, not romantically, but as her savior.
[2:35] We are also told that there was a deep-seated hostility between Jews and the Samaritan. Jews called Samaritan half-Jew because they took pagan wives.
[2:52] And you might know that the Samaritan erected their own temple on Mount Gerizim, rival temple on Mount Gerizim. And this temple was destroyed by a ruler in Jerusalem.
[3:05] Before Christ came. So it was destroyed by the Jews. And in return, what Samaritan did was this. They entered into Jerusalem temple and scattered dead bones of human across the area on the eve of the Passover.
[3:26] In order to defile the complex and made it impossible for Jews to observe the Passover feast. So there was a deep-seated, bitter hostility between Jews and the Samaritans.
[3:41] And this is the reason why John says that Jews and had no dealings whatsoever with the Samaritans. It was about six hour that the women of Samaria came to fetch water.
[3:58] Six hour is a midday, probably 12 o'clock in the afternoon. And the scorching heat made Jesus exhausted and thirsty.
[4:10] And in the Middle Eastern culture, women would come in a group to fetch water in the well. And return in their homes in a group.
[4:23] And they would come in the morning and before the sunset. But notice, strangely, this woman appears at the well in the afternoon, 12 o'clock.
[4:36] And notice, she comes alone. And this shows that this woman has no good relationship with other women in the society.
[4:48] And she is possibly socially outcast. Her relationship, as we are told, had broken at least five times. And possibly, her current relationship is messy.
[5:01] She might be disgraceful to her society because she is openly practicing fornication. Her life is poisoned by bitter experiences of past.
[5:14] She had no joy, no contentment. She might be seeking for this reason. She might be seeking for satisfaction, contentment deep down to her soul.
[5:27] But she could not find it. And we know that our Lord had come to seek those who are lost. In verse 4, we are told that Jesus deliberately took the shortest route from Judea to Galilee in order to meet this one poor sinner.
[5:46] It is a three-day journey from Judea to Galilee. The route of the Samaria was the shortest route. However, pious Jews would avoid going via Samaria.
[6:00] They would go around Samaria to avoid ceremonial defilement. They would think that going even via Samaria would defile themselves ceremonially.
[6:13] But notice in verse 4, it says, Now Jesus had to go through Samaria. This language, had to go, reflects the divine compulsion, the divine appointment.
[6:29] In other words, Jesus' meeting with this poor sinner is divinely programmed beforehand. This shows that God's concern, even for this one outcast sinner.
[6:44] God is concerned. God programmed to meet this one poor sinner. Not the woman goes to Jesus, but Jesus goes to her in order to make love with her.
[7:00] Divine love. It is interesting, in Jesus' time, normally when a man sees a woman coming to draw water in a well, a man must withdraw to a distance of at least 20 feet, indicating that it was both safe and culturally appropriate for her to approach the well.
[7:23] Then after, she could move and fetch water. But notice, interestingly, Jesus did not move an inch from the place he was sitting.
[7:36] Also, a religious man would not speak to a woman in a public place. The Pharisee would not speak to their wives even if they passed them on the street.
[7:48] But Jesus not only spoke to this woman, but he asked a drink from her. In order to reach out this discontent soul, Jesus breaks prevalent religious barriers and taboos.
[8:06] What a concern Jesus has for this poor, needy soul. Jesus has come to save not the righteous, but sinners like this woman who openly practices sin.
[8:20] The healthy, as Jesus says, doesn't need a doctor, but a sinner like her does need a doctor. Jesus opened up a conversation.
[8:33] Jesus took an initiative. This is very interesting. Not the woman, but Jesus took an initiative. Jesus asked for a drink. But we know that the woman had prejudice against the Jews, so she refused to give a drink.
[8:50] Jesus then amazes her by saying in verse 10 like this, If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living waters.
[9:04] The one who is thirsty is the one who gives water. You call that in John's cover, Johanna, an irony. It's an irony. Jesus is thirsty, but he is the one who gives water.
[9:16] And the woman can give the water, but the woman is the one who is thirsty. So Jesus is here speaking spiritually, but the woman understands it purely, naturally.
[9:29] She understood naturally. So when Jesus said living water, she thought living water means fresh running water from the new spring. That is in contrast to the stagnant water or motionless water.
[9:44] And this is why the woman replied in verse 11, Sir, you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the water well and drank from it himself, as he did also his sons, his flock and his herds?
[10:05] So she thought Jesus was claiming to supply the running water miraculously and instantaneously. Even Jacob had to find a source of water and had to dig a well.
[10:21] If Jesus could provide the running water right then, then according to the woman, he must be either greater than his father Jacob or he is just a fraud.
[10:33] No doubt, she thought Jesus to be the cheap chartle and the fraud. But Jesus did not give up. Jesus did not give up.
[10:46] He continues. That's why he is God. He knows the human nature. He doesn't give up. And Jesus turns at once on the subject of the dream that permanently conquers thirst.
[11:01] As he said, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
[11:20] In Greek construction, The first phrase, Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. A verb is used in the first clause is a present tense.
[11:32] That means, Jacob's well would not prevent thirst rising again. By contract, Jesus used the past tense. That means, The water Jesus provides shall satisfy the thirst permanently, never to rise again.
[11:48] So that is the contract being shown here. In other words, Once the living water provided by Jesus is drunk, One will never thirst again.
[12:03] Hence, The well water will quenches the thirst temporarily, While the water Jesus will provide quenches the thirst once for all.
[12:14] It is the once for all experience. This is indeed a marvelous revelation to her. But she could not get her head round.
[12:26] Let me unpack, What does Jesus mean when he said, If you knew the gift of God, And what is the living water? So first, The gift of God.
[12:38] What is the gift of God? The gift of God is Jesus himself. As the text says, If you knew the gift of God, And who it is that asks you for a drink.
[12:52] The eternal life brought about by Jesus, Is God's greatest gift for this sinful woman. Jesus is given for her as her savior, As her redeemer.
[13:07] In Matthew chapter 1 verse 22, 21 declares like this, This is the voice of an angel, Gabriel to Mary, A mother of Jesus.
[13:19] And she will birth for a son, And you shall call his name Jesus, For he will save his people from their sins.
[13:30] So Jesus is the ultimate gift of the father, Given to the sinful world, Who will take away the sins of the world. And John 3, 16, For God so loved the world, That he gave his one and only son, That whoever believes in him, Should not perish, But have everlasting life.
[13:51] And Paul calls, In 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 15, Jesus is the inexpressible, Or indescribable gift of the father.
[14:05] So the gift of God is Jesus himself. What is the living water? As the text says, Jesus is the one who gives this living water.
[14:17] He is the bearer, As well as dispenser of it, Because he offers to the woman. But what does this living water mean?
[14:29] The living water is the Holy Spirit. As we shall see, As we see in John chapter 7, Verse 37 to 39, Jesus makes it explicit.
[14:41] I will read for you. On the last day, The great day of the feast, That is the feast of the tabernacle, Jesus stood and cried, Saying, Cried out, Saying, If anyone thirsts, Let him come to me and drink.
[14:56] He who believes in me, As the scripture has said, Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. And John makes it explicit. He comments like this, But he spoke concerning the spirit, Whom those believing in him will receive.
[15:13] So the living water is equated with the Holy Spirit. Let me give you one example, What Jesus is saying to the woman.
[15:25] Long time ago, During the season of sowing, There was no rain for months in Nepal. Because of the scorching heat of the sun, The land soon dried up, And the soil became hard like rocks.
[15:44] As a result, The land began to crack, And there formed crackling little gulf lines in the land. And Nepal is rich in water resources.
[15:55] If you dig 50 to 60 feet, You will easily find a source of water. And in that drought, I remember one man dug a well And supplies water in his entire land.
[16:09] And when, Once the land began to drink water, The soil would soon be soft, And the long crackling holes Would fill up with water.
[16:24] The water supply prepares the ground To receive seed. And there is neither life, Nor production, Or vitality, Without the supply of water.
[16:36] So this is what the woman's heart like. By nature, The woman's soul is like an unwatered, Very dry, Parted land.
[16:49] Her spiritual condition is depicted like the barrenness, And desolation, Without any vegetation, Or production. There is no life from God coursing through her soul.
[17:03] The fruit of the spirit is absence in her soul. Her dry soul lacks love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, And self-control.
[17:17] Her soul is unproductive, Because there was no water supply. That's why she has no satisfaction, No contentment at all in her life.
[17:31] And do you know what God does in a soul like this? What God does is, God opens up a fountain of living water In a desert-like soul of a sinner.
[17:44] What happens then? The soul drinks the water, And quenches its thirst, Like the land does. The hardened soil will become, Will be completely softened, By this divine intervention.
[18:00] And to borrow Isaiah's language, God will water your soul, And satisfy your desire, In the scorched places. When he opens up the fountain of living water, The thirsty ground then becomes a pool.
[18:15] Days are become a rosy garden. Your soul will be like water garden, Like a spring of water, Whose water do not fail. Isaiah 58 verse 11.
[18:28] And we have sung, The blessed man, According to someone, Is like a tree planted by the river of water. Its root is always in the water, So it perpetually drinks water, Sufficient water.
[18:42] As a result, Its leaf shall not wither, And produces fruit in due season. And this is a picture of, Picture of how the Holy Spirit function, In sinner soul.
[18:56] When the Holy Spirit take residence, In your soul, He came there, He comes there to meet your spiritual thirst, As the water meets your physical need.
[19:08] Without the water, Our organs will become dry, And we will die quickly. So God will pour out the spirit, Like water, In the thirsty land.
[19:22] As a result, The spiritual condition of man, Spiritual condition of desolation, Is reversed. God changes, The thirsty land, The unpredicted land, Becomes the water, Well watered, Rosy garden.
[19:42] God brings life, God brings vitality, God brings production. There is however, One big difference, Between the illustration I gave, About the farmer, And what Jesus said here.
[19:59] In the illustration, Despite the water is springing up, The farmer had to use some tool, To get that water out.
[20:09] By construct, The living water, Jesus gives, Is perpetually, Welling up, As well as, Perpetually, Overflowing.
[20:22] Also notice, The well is dug, To retrieve a water. The well, The Jacob well, Was a wall container, Holding rain water, And fed with underground water, Whereas Jesus, The water Jesus gives, Is perpetually flowing, Flowing spring, Supplying, Refreshing water.
[20:44] So there is a contrast, The one is made by human, And one is natural. Jesus is talking about, Naturally flowing water, Not fed by underground water, Or rain water.
[20:57] And this is why, What Jesus offers, To the woman, That quinces her thirst, Permanently. So the spring of water, Created by God, Will irrigate, His, Our heart, Desert like soul, Turning it into, A beautiful, Luxurian garden.
[21:22] In this light, It makes perfect sense, Why Jesus said, That the water he gives, Will become a spring of water, Welling up to eternal life. This is because, The spring, Will neither dry up, Nor cease to flow, But rather, It will perpetually bubble up, To unending life.
[21:44] That is to say, The living water, Produces life, Which will spring, Forward into eternity. In other words, Jesus' revelation, And the Holy Spirit, Perpetually nurture, And strengthen our faith, Satisfying our spiritual thirst, Continually, Until you and I, Are in glory, Until you and I, Are in heaven, The spirit, And the revelation, Of Christ, Will lead us, To home, To heaven.
[22:17] Therefore, We require, No other source of water, No other source of water, Can satisfy, Our thirst. We have the source, Of water within us, In our heart, Let us not stop, The flow, Of living water, In your lives, Let the living water, Nourish you, In every aspect, Of your personality, In every aspect, Of your emotion, Let it irrigate you, In every aspect, Of your life, And producing, The fruit of the spirit, Let it bring vitality, Productivity, And let your heart, Perpetually drink, And perpetually, Quince, The spiritual thirst.
[23:05] However, People in the world, Tried their best, To fulfill, Their unsatisfied thirst, Soul, With various, Worldly means, Money, Sex, Alcohol, Drugs, Entertainment, And many more, But does that satisfy, Their spiritual thirst, No, What it does is, It widens, It broadens, It deepens, And it heightens, The spiritual thirst, For example, If someone takes drugs, Those who do drugs, And those who are alcoholic, They want more, To, To meet their need, But as they take more, They want more, Again, They take more, They want more, They are never quince, It heightens, It broadens, It widens, And it deepens, Their thirst, Yes, It might momentarily, Satisfy their body, But their souls, Remain hollow, And unsatisfied,
[24:08] I'm sure, You know the name, Boris Becker, A German tennis player, He won the Wimbledon, Title twice, And when he won, For the first time, It was when, He was at the age of, When it was, When he, When he was at the age of 17, As soon as he was crowned, With Wimbledon title, A journalist, Asked him this question, Mr. Becker, What's your next, Big challenge, Becker was serious, He looked at the journalist, And said, My next biggest challenge, Is to keep myself, From preventing suicide, My big challenge, My next biggest challenge, Is to keep myself, From, Committing suicide, Friends, We might imagine, Becker must be, One of the happiest, Persons in the world, He had every luxury, To enjoy, In his life, He was a superstar,
[25:10] And a great celebrity, His outlook, Was fit and fine, But he was empty, And hollow, In his heart, Life is empty, As it once was, Until, A sinful soul, Like, A baker, Drinks from Jesus, His, His or her, Hers, Is never quenched, Until God opens, Up the, Until God opens, A well of living water, In your soul, You remain, Dissatisfied, Eternally, Jesus, Jesus is the true source, Of living water, Who can give you, True spiritual drink, Augustine, The great church father, Once famously said, You have made, For yourself, O Lord, And our heart, Is restless, Until it rests, In you, This morning, If you haven't, Drunk, The true spiritual drink, I would strongly,
[26:11] Encourage you, Drink it now, Jesus is offering, It to you, For free, There is no price, You need to pay, It is absolutely free, And in Revelation, Chapter 22, Verse, Chapter 22, Verse 70, Says like this, The spirit invites, Come, And let the one, Who is thirsty, Come, Let the one, Who desires, Takes the water, Of life, Without price, Friends, Until the Holy Spirit, Takes residence, In your body, You will never, Get this spiritual, Satisfaction, And only Jesus, Can give, The spirit to you, Who meet, Your spiritual thirst, Just briefly, To return, Back to the narrative, The woman, Did not understand, Still she did not, Understand what Jesus, Was really saying about, Eventually she understood, But at this, At that point, She did not understand,
[27:13] All the spiritual meanings, Was understood, In a natural sense, That's why she said, In verse 15, Sir, Give me this water, So that I won't get thirsty, And have to keep coming here, To draw water, And we know, Jesus then exposes her sin, Eventually, Eventually she discovered, That Jesus is the prophet, And the Samaritan, They only believed, The five books of Moses, And they believed, That Messiah will come, As prophesied by, Moses, That among, God will raise, A prophet like me, Among you, And then they were, Expecting the Messiah, And the woman said, I know that Messiah, Called Christ is coming, When he comes, He will explain, Everything to us, And Jesus openly confessed, I who speak to you, Am he, And what happens, The woman would run away, And then, He would tell everyone,
[28:14] All the villagers, Come and see, Who, He told me everything, What I have ever done, Can this be Christ, And eventually, The woman would lead them, To Christ, So what is happening here, Just I want to know, Just I want to, Tell you briefly, What is happening here, So we have seen, That Jesus opened up, A spring of living water, In the soul of woman, And Jesus challenges her, To allow it, That water, To flow, To those around her, If you read, The prophecy of Ezekiel, In the Old Testament, He prophesied, About the living water, Flowing out, From the eschatological temple, Eschatological, Means in time temple, The temple coming, In Ezekiel 47, I would like to read, Then he brought me, And this is Ezekiel chapter, 47 verse 1, Then he brought me, Back to the door, Of the temple, And behold, Water was flowing,
[29:16] From below, And the threshold, Of the temple, Towards the east, The water, The water was flowing down, From below the south end, Of the threshold, Of the temple, South of the altar, The water, The source of the water, Is in the temple, And in verse 9, In Ezekiel, It says like this, Wherever this recreational, Water flows, It brought life, Restoration, And you see, There are abundant number, Of fish, And there was life, So what I am trying, To say here, Is this, John is saying, Jesus is that, Eschatological temple, Of Ezekiel's vision, From whom, The living water, Flows out, Bringing life, And healing, In sinner's life, The source of living water, Is Jesus, As we have, Read in, Chapter 7, He is the one, Who is the possessor, Of the living water, So Jesus is the,
[30:16] Ultimate source, Of the water, And his disciples, Are the channels, Of that water, And this is exactly, What's happening here, Jesus opened up, The fountain of living water, In the woman's heart, And he challenged, It to flow out, To others, And that's what's happening, The woman brought, These villagers, To Jesus, And they were converted, And that brought life, That water brought life, Vitality, Healing, In their community, Just as Jesus, Used the woman, To allow the living water, To flow out to others, Jesus, Is also challenging us, To do the same, Jesus, Used the woman, To allow them, To flow this water, Around her, We too should, Be prepared, To flow out, To those around us, And every time, When you evangelize, Or tell something, About Jesus,
[31:17] Actually, You are acting, Like a channel, Like a waterway, Of the living water, And the living water, Is within you, And is flowing out, From you, To give life, To others, Let me briefly, I think it's, Really confusing, I will clarify this, With a short example, Again, Nepal, People make, A paddy fill, On the small mountains, In Nepal, They make paddy fill, This mountain, And they make paddy fill, One layer, Two layer, Three layer, And a steep hill, So, They make many paddy fills, You might have seen, In a picture, And to plant paddy, They need sufficient water, And because the fill, Are on the steep hill, The rain water, Is uncontainable, So the farmers, They make a canal, And connect it,
[32:18] To the river, And the water, Will flow, All the way, Through the canal, And irrigate, The first top, Field, And once, That first, Field is filled, With water, It starts to flow, To another, And another, And another, And another, And all, Will receive, Sufficient water, And the farmer, Would plant, Rice, Paddy, And this is the, Exactly, This is exactly, How the Holy Spirit, Flows, From us, To other, Around us, Jesus, Is the ultimate, Source, Of the spirit, And we are, His channel, Or in this context, Field, Around, According to this illustration, And we flow, To others, Around us, And order will flow, To around us, Bringing life, And quinzing, Spiritual thirst, And I am sure, There are many,
[33:18] Thirsty, Souls, Around you, In Aberdeen, Their souls, Are like, On water, Dry, Parts land, And needs, Living water, They are thirsty, Empty, In their souls, And are completely, Completely dissatisfied, Because of various, Reason, They are dying, Because of thirst, And Jesus, Is only the true drink, For their thirsty soul, That can make, Them spiritually alive, And God has, Entrusted, The living water, To us, So that we might, Act like a channel, And flow to them, Jesus said, In Matthew 16, 15, Go into the world, And proclaim the gospel, To the whole creation, Amen, Shall we, Sing, The concluding psalm, It's huge for you, So that, That's a beautiful thing, That's aини нак, The truth down, Is not the 누가 he rohers,
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