More than expected
Notes
Transcript
Good morning, I bet you thought you were done with me last week.
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Intro
Intro
It is hard to believe but we are already about half way through summer break. The band has already started band camp, football is getting ready to start their camp, and get everything going again for the school year. Families are getting in their last minute vacations before the school years start, and if any of yall are like me sometimes you need a vacation from your vacation.
I love to travel but man I feel like i need another week after traveling just to recover from the trip that we just took, because I am exhausted. Well this story we are going to look at today we are actually going to see some of the Humanity of Jesus. Did you know that Jesus got tired after traveling?
Jesus’ Humanity
Jesus’ Humanity
Jesus got tired
Jesus got tired
John 4:3–6 (NIV)
3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
So this actually takes place right after where we left off last week. Right after John makes his statement that I must decrease so will increase, we see Jesus deciding to leave Judea and go back to Galilee.
However there is a very interesting thing that happens here in verse 6. It says and Jesus was tired from his journey.
Now I dont know if many of you are like me, but sometimes I tend to forget about the humanity of Jesus. I get so caught up in Jesus being our savior sometimes I forget that He was not just God, but He was also fully man as well. Which means that as we are going through our daily lives, Jesus went through similar circumstances. Just like here we can see that Jesus got tired from traveling.
So we should remember that as we go through life we dont serve a God that is unaware of our struggles but we serve a God who came to earth and participated in our struggles, and knows what we are going through.
Jesus Wept
Jesus Wept
We also see this shown in what is known as the shortest verse in the Bible. John 11:35
Jesus wept.
This passage is probably the second most popular memory verse of all time behind John 3:16, but if you really look at the context around this verse it means so much.
These two words came from the story of Lazarus, where he had just died, and Jesus was on His way to raise him from the dead, and yet knowing what Jesus was about to do, He stopped and wept with Mary and Martha sisters of Lazarus.
So we can see that even in our trials and difficulties Jesus is still with us, still cares for us, and even weeps with us as we are weeping. Even though He knows what is going to come next and we dont.
Which brings me tells us that Jesus gives us what we need and not always what we want.
Jesus gives us what we need
Jesus gives us what we need
Jesus Gave interaction
Jesus Gave interaction
John 4:7–9 (NIV)
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
There are a few things that make this story stand out from most.
First the Jewish people would generally walk completely around Samaria instead of walking through it because of multiple reasons. One of which was because they had actually taken the 10 commandments and changed them to fit their life styles. Sound familiar?
Secondly it was considered highly inappropriate for Jewish men to speak with women who were not their relatives.
Thirdly the woman came at the hottest part of the day, which implies that she was not welcome to be around the other women of the area. So this woman was likely a social outcast and did not interact with any regularly.
So as we see for this woman that was at the well, having someone acknowledge her, for being a human being was probably a big deal for her. She was so used to being overlooked, and ignored, and yet Jesus even in His exhaustion took the time to interact with her and ignore cultural norms to have a conversation with her.
Jesus Gave what no one else could
Jesus Gave what no one else could
Not only did Jesus have a conversation with her, but He also gave her something that no one else could.
John 4:10 (NIV)
10 Jesus answered her, “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 water.”
Just knowing that this woman was probably in desperate need for interaction, Jesus also knew that deep down her biggest need was for a life transformation through the Gospel which was something no one else could give her.
This woman was coming to the well just get some water for her household to use to drink, and cook with, and whatever other uses she would have needed. However just like in our lives, God sees so much more than just our surface needs. God looks much deeper and further out.
So many times we ask God for the immediate and im sure God is just sitting there telling us if you only knew the plans that I have for you. Just like when Jeremiah wrote this verse.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
however this verse doesnt mean that we wont go through difficulties, because if you read the rest of the story you know that not long after this very message from Jeremiah the Israelites were sent into exile, but what we can take from this is that God has his plan, and I’m sure so many of the Israelites were saying similar things we would be when they were taken into exile.
God you said you would prosper us, you said you would not harm us, you said we had a future, because they would have been focused on the here and now. However God knows the end of the story, and He knows what needs to be done to get you there.
So in order for us to accomplish God’s ultimate goal, God is going to give us what we need instead of what we want so that we can accomplish His goals.
God will use the unlikely
God will use the unlikely
Not only does this story show Jesus’s Humanity, and that God knows our needs, it also shows us that God will use the unlikely to accomplish His goals.
John 4:28–30 (NIV)
28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
After Jesus’ disciples returned we see this woman leave her water jar, and she no longer seems to mind what the other people around her think of her.
We can see that she had a real experience with God. When you meet with God and give your life to Him you cannot help but be changed, not only did her experience change herself but it also changed others around her.
John 4:39–42 (NIV)
Many Samaritans Believe
39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. 41 And because of his words many more became believers.
42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
So we can see that when we have a true authentic experience with the King of the Universe we cannot help but be changed, and when we are changed and tell others about that change it brings others to Christ as well. It doesnt matter what your back ground was. Jesus used a woman who was looked down upon and was in essence hiding from the rest of her town, and used her to bring the town to Him so that they could be saved.
You are never too far gone to be used by God.
So as we finish we can see through this story the Humanity of Jesus, and remind ourselves that God knows our problems and also walked through them when He came to earth. We can also see through this story that Jesus will give us what we need, not necessarily what we want, and finally that God can use us no matter how far we have come.
I hope that you can take comfort that it doesnt matter what you have done you are never too far from the Grace of God and He can use you for His purpose and use us for more than we ever expected.