1.
Grace,
mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word this 3rd
Sunday in Lent comes to us from the Gospel of John chapter 4:5-30. Here we see that our sins give us an
unquenchable thirst (vv. 5-18), but Jesus our Savior offers us living water to
quench our thirst (vv. 10-14, 19-26). The
message is entitled, “Quench Your Thirst
with the Living Water,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
“Will you give me a drink?” Jesus asked. New
Yorkers consume 1.5 billion gallons of water a day, and this will increase to
two billion by 2020 when a new water tunnel is finished. Begun in 1970, the 5
billion dollar tunnel will be a mammoth 60 miles long, 200 to 800 feet
underground, and will deliver water to 6,000 miles of distribution mains.
Already 20 workers have been killed and 1,000 injured on the project. All this
to “give a drink” to the thirsty
people of the Big Apple. And, “Everyone
who drinks of this water will be thirsty again” (John 4:13).
3.
The
Scripture lessons for this Sunday emphasize these truths: The Lord saved the
human race from its sins through a Savior, through one Savior. Jesus Son of God
was born into the human race to cleanse us from our sins by his holy life and His
sacrificial death. He came from Abraham’s descent, according to His human
nature. But He is Savior of all. No one can merit the kingdom of heaven. Rather,
those who are of the faith of Abraham receive God’s promise of life
everlasting.
4.
The lessons
for Lent prepare us to properly celebrate Good Friday and Easter. This Sunday
we rejoice to remember that the Savior came for all. Here in John 4 we see Jesus
in all His compassion and love seeking a lost sinner of the Samaritan race. We
see the Son of God’s power in action, a power that works through His Word to
create spiritual life. We see that Jesus
alone can quench our thirst for life with God.
5.
John 4:5-15 says, “5So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that
Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6Jacob’s well was there; so
Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was
about the sixth hour. 7There
came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8(For
his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9The
Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from
me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10Jesus
answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to
you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you
living water.” 11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to
draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12Are
you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it
himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13Jesus said to her,
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but
whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty forever.
The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up
to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water,
so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”
6.
By
observing the Samaritan woman, we see a mirror reflection of ourselves. We have
no right to claim we’re God’s chosen people due to our race, background, or
human effort. Like the woman, we would rush headlong into a lifetime of sin,
trying to gratify that inner craving, that unquenchable thirst for real life,
eternal life. Are not the epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse, the pursuit of
sinful pleasure, and the mad craze for earthly wealth symptoms of this thirst?
7.
The journey
through the barren desert of our fallen, sinful world is hot and dusty business. In the midst of this barren wilderness, we
thirst as our tongues cling to the roofs of our mouths. We search, looking and hoping for some
relief. We’re parched by sin and
threatened by death. We struggle in this
wasteland until our very souls are dried up like a leaf in autumn, threatening
to be blown away by the winds of winter.
We search and look around us, but we see no water for our thirsty
souls. We groan and moan in our
helpless, hopeless condition. In the
midst of this desert, where will we find water?
8.
Nowhere
will we find water in this barren desert.
Nothing can quench our thirst, except our Lord Jesus Christ. He pours out his living giving waters upon us. “Nothing
in my hand I bring; simply to Thy cross I cling… Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior,
or I die.” From the side of our dear
Savior Jesus who was crucified on Calvary’s cross for the forgiveness of our
sins flows the water and the blood. From
His side flows the water of salvation that can quench our thirst. From His side flows the water and the blood,
cleansing us from the guilt and power of our sin. From the side of Jesus we drink of the waters
as they flow over us from the baptismal font.
Through Jesus we quench our thirst
from the living water that flows from His side.
9.
Jesus comes
to us. He offers us the living water of eternal life. By believing in him, we
are drinking of that water freely, fully. Our consciences rest. Our haunting
doubts dissolve. Our vain pursuit for real life, empty and hopeless without
Jesus, is over. Jesus satisfies our thirst. By the gospel in Word and
sacrament, the Holy Spirit has called us to faith in Jesus. The gifts of
forgiveness of sins, peace with God, the confidence to call God our Father, and
fellowship with God now and forever in heaven quench our thirst for eternal life.
10.
Contrary to
popular believe, Religion is still spoken about a lot in America. Students on
college campuses don’t hide their quest for the spiritual. You no longer are
considered odd if you speak openly of your religion. But the religion that’s
popular is false. Many profess to worship in spirit. Their emotional
enthusiasm, their introspective meditation, or their “supernatural” experiences
convince them that they have found true worship. The truth of Christ crucified
and salvation through Him alone, however, is still unpopular. Natural man
rebels in pride against the necessity of a Savior from sin.
11.
Jesus taught
the woman of her need. He’s taught us of our need through His holy law. He’s taught
us of forgiveness through His death and of justification through His resurrection.
Thank God that He’s given you the gift of faith. Worship Him then in spirit and
in truth.
12.
While
religion is still spoken about, confusion reigns. People are searching the
stars for guidance. They consult the gurus of Eastern cults. They seek to find
hope in New Age pantheistic ideas. They look for the god within themselves. Their
thirst rages on. The woman knew that the Messiah could answer her questions.
How she must have been thrilled to hear Jesus say, “I am he!” Take heart in knowing that the same Jesus, the holy Son
of God, is our Savior. He answers our questions about the true God and how to
have life with Him. The news, “I am he,”
will bring peace to our troubled, often doubting and confused hearts.
13.
See again
how Jesus in love, singled out this Samaritan woman. Her past was tarnished.
She had destroyed her life. Her guilt was overwhelming, but Jesus approached
her in love. He patiently led her to see in Him more than a tired, thirsty Jew.
She saw in Him the Christ, the One who could cleanse her from her sin. She
became a believer, for Jesus’ powerful words drew her to faith. She became a
witness, for everyone who trusts in Jesus becomes a missionary. Jesus
alone can quench the thirst for our thirsty souls with His life-giving water! Amen.
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