Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: John 4,5-14. Epiphany III

John 4,5-14 1325

3. Sonntag nach Epipanias 17

Titus of Gortyn, Crete, St. Paul’s disciple, Bishop, ✠ Gortyn 96/107

Paula of Rome, Widow ✠ 404

26. Januar 2025

1. ℣ Alleluia, praise Yahweh, all nations:

℟ Extol Him, all peoples (Psalm 116,1 vul lxx).

alleluia laudate Dominum omnes gentes laudate eum omnes populi.

O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, … who has revealed Yourself as the Savior of all men and women; … we beseech You to accept the sacrifice of worship and thanksgiving which we bring to You, O King of Glory. Grant that, by Your Holy Spirit, we may follow the example of the Magi from the East in following with great joy that light which You have kindled in this sinful world. Amen. (Löhe 128-29).

2. »So He arrived at a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as He was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about 12 noon. A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her: „Give Me a drink.“ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The 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. Jesus 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.“ The woman said to Him: „Lord, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.“ Jesus said to her: „Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.“«

3. Water is life (Frank Herbert Dune). After Jacob and Esau had reconciled, Jacob bought some land and a well near Sychar (Genesis 33,18-19). This is the well where Jesus and the Samaritan woman are conversing. The Samaritans viewed themselves as the true keepers of the Sinai covenant, and this well, Jacob’s Well, was a reminder of this lineage and confession. Jesus traces His lineage through Jacob’s son Judah, and is the true Source of living water.

4. The Jews viewed themselves as the true keepers of the Sinai covenant, and the temple in Jerusalem was the reminder of this lineage and confession. The Jews rejected the Samaritan claim to covenantal fidelity. Jesus pointed out to this woman that the Samaritan claim is not correct: »You do not know what you are worshiping. We Jews know what we are worshiping, because salvation comes from the Jews.«

5. Yet in Jesus’ day, there were incorrect understandings about the Messiah and the Messianic age. Nothing has changed 2000 years later. There are all sorts of misunderstandings about Jesus. A week after the presidential inauguration, it is common to hear people interpret Jesus and his teachings through their own political lens, claiming him as a supporter of left-wing or right-wing political ideologies. Or some argue Jesus was anti-religious or against organized religion. Others only speak about Jesus as a moral teacher and ignore or reject His Divine claims.

6. Jesus at Samaritan Sychar dismantled all three of these common American views about Himself. In John 4, Jesus challenges both the left- and right-wing political understandings about Himself. The very conservative Jews often refused to have any dealings with Samaritans, yet here Jesus has no issue traveling through Samaria, conversing with a Samaritan and even preaching the gospel to her and her Samaritan neighbors. Likewise, Jesus calls out the Samaritan view that they are faithful to covenantal Judaism. Jesus corrects their misunderstanding. Jesus also holds in high regard Judaism and the temple with all its attending services. Jesus criticize the bankers and shepherds setting up shop in the temple courtyard. His criticism was not about their activities, but that they had set up their places in the courtyard which hindered people from utilizing the courtyard as a space to worship and pray. Finally, Jesus claims to be God when He tells this Samaritan woman that He gives the living water that wells up to eternal life.

7. Jesus is the Savior of all people – Jew, Samaritan and Gentile. God promised Abraham: »καὶ ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πᾶσαι αἱ φυλαὶ τῆς γῆς. In you all the nations of the earth will be blessed« (Genesis 12,3). Paul says the gospel will be preached to the Gentiles and that God would justify them by faith. (Galatians 3,8). As God’s Heilsgeschichte (salvation history) unfolds throughout history, the gospel is preached to all the nations across all the 7 continents. Just as Jesus told His disciples: »You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth« (Acts 1,8).

8. Salvation is brought to completion at the second advent of Jesus. (Heilseschatologie). The Old Testament Prophets spoke about historical events in the grander Divine plan leading to salvation on the last day. (eschatological). The Prophets are always pointing forward to Christ, for He is the fulfillment of their prophecies. »„Behold, the eyes of the Lord Yahweh are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob“, declares Yahweh« (Amos 9,8). At the Jerusalem Council in ad 40, James, the brother of our Lord, declared.: »„After this, I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles, who are called by My Name“, says the Lord, „who makes these things known from old“« (Acts 15,16-17). James is quoting Amos 9,11-12 and he applies it as a prophecy that the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles (Hummel 318), a prophecy that was being fulfilled in his day.

9. Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see God unfolding His plan of redemption for His fallen creation. It begins with Israel, extends redemption to the Gentiles and finally sends His Son to redeem the whole world. His Church continues to preach this gospel today, to all who will hear, that they might believe and be saved. We receive once more the forgiveness of our sins in partaking of Christ’s body and blood given and shed for our salvation, for Jesus truly is the Living Water who gives eternal life.

10. We do not presume to come to this Thy table, O Merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in Thy manifold and great mercies: we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under Thy table: but Thou art the same Lord, whose nature is always to have mercy: grant us therefore, gracious Lord, so to eat the flesh of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ and to drink His blood, in these holy Mysteries, that we may continually dwell in Him and He in us, that our sinful bodies may be made clean by His body and our souls washed through His most precious blood (1548 Prayer of Humble Access bcp)

11. Praise God the Lord, you nations all,

Praise Him from heart’s deep core,

Exalt Him, peoples, great and small,

Thank Him forevermore.

For He has chosen you gladly,

And imparted His mercy graciously,

In Christ, His Son.

(Lobt Gott den Herrn, ihr Heiden all elkg 295,1 2021 Joachim Sartorius 1591 nach Psalm 117)

This is most certainly true.

12. Et pax Dei, quæ exuperat omnem sensum, custodiat corda vestra, et intelligentias vestras in Christo Jesu. The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4,7). Amen.

13. Let us pray. O Almighty God, vouchsafe so to reign in our souls that Christ may have the sole dominion there, that we may sincerely embrace Him with our whole hearts, honor Him with all our faculties, confess Him with our tongues and glorify Him by our works, together with Thee, O Father, and the blessed Spirit. Amen. (3^rd Sunday after Epiphany, 2^nd Vespers Collect. The Daily Office.)

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, Septuaginta, Vol. I and II 2. Revised Edition © 2006 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 28. Revised Edition © 2012 Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Grace Evangelical-Lutheran

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Sunday, January 26, 2025

John 4,5-14. Epiphany III

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