Bible Text: John 4:1-42 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: John, The One Who Satisfies

Recap of the sermon from January 29:  (John 4:1-42)

1.  In John 4 Jesus has a divine appointment with the Samaritan woman at the well.  Jews had no dealings with Samaritans because of their mixed heritage and aberrant religion.  One writer expressed it this way:  “Samaria, a territory to be avoided if possible by Jews, became the scene of a spiritual triumph: a well, a woman, a witness, the winning of a harvest of Samaritans to faith.  Samaritanism as well as Judaism needed the corrective of Christ; it needed to be replaced by new creation life.” (Dr. Everett F. Harrison)

2.  Jesus uses the woman’s physical thirst to show her her spiritual need.  In the words of Dr. John Mitchell: “My friend, the world has many wells of water, but none will ever satisfy your heart and soul.  The world is running hither and yon trying everything under heaven.  They are like bees going from flower to flower, trying to find enough honey to be satisfied.  Whoever drinks of this water shall thirst again….’If only I had money,’ you say.  If you had money, you wouldn’t be satisfied.  Instead, you would be more dissatisfied than you are today.  ‘If I only had a place of honor,’ you say.  Even that wouldn’t satisfy you. ‘If I only had all the pleasure I want….’  Still you wouldn’t be satisfied.  ‘He that drinketh of this water shall thirst again.’  You can’t find satisfaction outside of yourself, or produce it within yourself.  ‘But if you drink of the water I’ll give you [i.e. the Holy Spirit who regenerates those who put their trust in Christ], you will never thirst again.  It will be in you a well of water.’”

3.  Jesus’ approach to evangelism was to:  ask for something (vs. 7); to provoke her thinking (vs. 10); to create a desire for spiritual things (vv. 13-15); to bring her to recognition of her desperate need (vv. 16-18); he answers her questions, deepens her understanding, taking from what she knows to what she needs to know (vv. 22-24); and He reveals Who He is (vs. 26).