Loving God, you call all who are thirsty to come and receive the living water that you provide by your Spirit.  Today we ask you to give us this water always, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

           When the Samaritan woman came to the well that day, she was hot, and tired, and used to being shunned by others.  We can gather this much because she was going to the well, by herself, to draw water, during the hottest part of the day.  As soon as she saw a Jewish man sitting by the well, her inner dialogue might have been saying, “Great.  More judgment.”  She knew very well that Jews had only contempt for Samaritans, and so she might have expected Jesus to either leave immediately, ignore her, or speak to her in tones of judgment and disdain.

         Thus, when Jesus actually asks her for a drink and engages her in conversation, she might have thought that he was a few bricks short of a load.  After all, Jews won’t even share the same drinking vessels as Samaritans.  And then, he starts talking about giving her living water.

         Admittedly, the thought of never being thirsty again does have a certain appeal, even though she doesn’t quite understand what Jesus is offering.  However, the conversation takes a sudden turn as soon as Jesus mentions her husband.  It turns out that she has had five husbands, and is currently living with a man who is not her husband.  It is perhaps then that our minds also turn to judgment – that is, unless we think about her context.

         There are only two ways that she could have had five husbands in that particular culture.  Either they all died on her, or they all divorced her, or perhaps a little bit of both.  She did not have the power to divorce her husband, and would have been pretty down-trodden and despairing by the time she got to number five or six.  Then, along comes Jesus, who not only knows her history, but is actually speaking to her as if she matters.

         It was not only physical thirst and tiredness that was afflicting this woman, but also a spiritual thirst, and a thirst for love and acceptance.  Jesus, she discovers, addresses the hunger and thirst deep within her, as he speaks to her about worship and spirit and truth.  In fact, this is the only time in the gospel of John that Jesus reveals himself to an individual as the Messiah, and as the great I AM, and he chooses to do it with an outcast woman.

         This Samaritan woman, who was given the name Photina (or, luminous one) by the early church, becomes the first to share the good news of Jesus in Samaria.  She is no longer tired and thirsty and heavy-laden, and cannot wait to tell everybody that she has met the Messiah.  In spite of how others had treated her, she wants everybody to meet the one who knows them, loves them, and can give living water.

         It is, in fact, this same gift that has been shared with Zoey today in holy baptism.  God says to Zoey, and to each one of us, “I know you, I see you, I love you, and I redeem you.”  We are washed with the water that, together with faith and God’s word, becomes “a grace-filled water of life” (Luther’s Small Catechism).  And so, what shall we do with this precious gift?

         Shall we hide it, and keep it to ourselves, and never let anybody know what God has done for us?  Shall we pack it away in boxes, keeping it for some day when we might need it?  Shall we leave it behind and go look for the water of life elsewhere?  Or, shall we drink deeply, opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit, and share the love of God with as many people as possible?

         We saw in the reading from Exodus today what the absence of water can do.  They quarreled with Moses and with one another.  They asked, “Is the Lord among us or not?” – even though they had already seen numerous miracles (Ex. 17:7).  They hardened their hearts and complained.  Still, God provided water for them, out of the rock.  For the time being, their thirst was quenched – for all people need good water to drink.

         Perhaps some similar things happen in the absence of the living water that is the Holy Spirit.  We quarrel with one another and complain.  We ask if God is really with us, and if God even cares about us.  We hunger, and we thirst, and we lay blame.  We judge one another, taking note of those who aren’t quite up to our standards.  Still, God provides for all who seek the love of Jesus, giving the grace-filled water of life to all who come in repentance and faith.

         After Photina brought others to see Jesus, we hear their response at the end of today’s gospel: “we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world” (Jn. 4:42).  May it be so also through us, in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lent 3(A)                                           John 4:5-42

March 12, 2023                                Exodus 17:1-7

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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