Living Water Returning to the Well: Stories of Women and Jesus John 4:1 26 August 14, 2016

Transcription

1 Living Water Returning to the Well: Stories of Women and Jesus John 4:1 26 August 14, 2016 The story we just heard is one of Jesus iconic boundary crossing, convention defying moments in scripture. Let s review the various social norms he s disregarding. First, he s talking to a Samaritan. Samaritans and Jews, though they actually had quite a bit in common, had a long standing, bitter dislike for each other, dating way back before Jesus ever walked the earth. Second, that Samaritan is a woman. A woman by herself whom Jesus doesn t know. Third, this Samaritan woman also happens to have had five husbands. We don t know if she was widowed or abandoned or divorced or all three, but we do know that she s now involved with a man who is not her husband at all.

2 For generations and generations, the church has looked at this story and assumed that this woman is at best an adulterer and at worst a prostitute. And they think that when Jesus speaks with her about Living Water, that he is offering her forgiveness for her many sins. It s worth noting, however, that if we read the story that way, we re actually putting words in Jesus mouth. Jesus never once speaks about sin here. He mentions the woman s five husbands in order to demonstrate his prophetic powers, sure. But he doesn t dwell on it. Jesus is far more interested in other things. He wants her to know he is the Messiah, God s chosen one. Although she is a Samaritan, not a Jew, she would ve known exactly what he was claiming. She s even a little suspicious at first, asking him (sarcastically, I think), Are you even greater than our ancestor Jacob? Jesus convinces her, though, in the end. But how does he convince her? Why is she moved by his offer of Living Water? Is it because she is so badly in need of forgiveness for her sins? Maybe.

3 Or maybe the sins that concern Jesus aren t the ones that involve female bodies and sexuality. Maybe the sins that concern Jesus are the ones that created this situation in the first place. The sins of war between the Jews and the Samaritans. The sins of separation from neighbor and from God. The sins of judgment and social neglect, which have left this woman on the edge of society, going to the well all by herself. Maybe, by offering the Living Water, Jesus is saying, it doesn t matter who you are or what station you were born into or what life you inherited. If Living Water is the eternal love and grace of God, then it can t be contained in a well, available only to those with access and means. No, Living Water flows like a flooded river, spilling out over all barriers and boundaries. The only requirement to drink is that you re thirsty. And God knows, everybody thirsts: Jews and Samaritans, woman and men, young and old, free and slave. If being thirsty means you deserve water, then Jesus wants everyone to be satisfied. Now, I ve been talking in metaphorical terms so far, with Living Water as a symbol for God s love. But I want to shift

4 gears and talk about water in more visceral terms. The word visceral comes from the Latin viscera, or internal organs. Guts. To know something viscerally is to know it in your gut. My gut got a crash course in the power of water on our youth learning service trip to Guatemala. Yes, I m talking about the fact that I got sick from contaminated water supply. Don t worry, I won t go into details. But suffice it say, there were a few days of that trip that are a blur to me. A blur of intestinal sadness. I also became so dehydrated that I kept getting migraines, one right after the other. A combination of antibiotics, anti parasite medication, Guatemalan home remedies, and Pedialyte finally brought me back from the brink. Thank you to my partner Will for nursing me through all that. (You re great.) So that was no fun. I ve always known, intellectually, that I m very lucky to live in a country with potable water. But it wasn t until I was talking to Regi about my condition that I really, viscerally understood the impact of contaminated water on people s lives.

5 Regi pointed out that the children at Los Hogares Orphanage have access to many good things: good nutrition, healthcare, and education. All that is wonderful. Yet a key ingredient is still missing. Because they do not have access to clean water, the children are always sick. Their small bodies are engaged in a constant battle with bad bacteria and parasites. Imagine eating good food, but being malnourished anyway because your body can t fully absorb what it needs. Imagine how that would impact your ability to grow; your ability to learn; your ability to work. Last week, one of the youth on the trip, Siri, preached about how it is an accident of birth that she was born into her life, and the orphans at Los Hogares were born into theirs. And she s absolutely right, I think. But what isn t an accident is the terrible disparities between the United States and other countries, or within the United States itself. That disparity has been humanly created and humanly maintained. Greed and consumption and racism and abuses of people and land have brought us to this place. Jesus tells us that Living Water is for everybody. No matter who you are. No matter where you were born.

6 And sure, he was probably talking metaphorically. But after my experience in Guatemala, I m convinced he was also speaking literally. I think Jesus was trying to convey, literally, that everyone deserves what they need to live, including the incredibly basic but essential resource of water. I don t think the historical Jesus could ve possibly imagined our world as it is right now. But he understood the social roots of suffering, and he showed us, again and again, that he was willing to cross lines and be in relationship and do the hard work of healing. Jesus said, Those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. We, as the body of Christ, have inherited this promise that Jesus made to the Samaritan woman. This is our story, our challenge, in this time and place. How will we share the Water of Life, both metaphorically and literally? Maybe we ll literally dig in a well in Guatemala. Maybe. I don t know yet. We have to figure out what we are called to do as a community. But one thing I m clear about is that

7 our recent trip to Guatemala warrants a response of some kind. I look forward to discerning that response together. Amen.