Exposed!

John 4: 16-26

How easy it is to agree with a sermon that tells us how to meet our physical needs, or gives us a list of rights and wrongs we have no trouble following. It becomes much harder when the sermon reveals sin in our lives, exposing personal rebellion against God's will for us.

The great King David listened carefully to a story of an offense told to him by Nathan the prophet. The story is found in 2 Samuel 12:1-13 and goes like this: There's a rich man with a lot of livestock, and a poor man with one little lamb. The lamb was dear to the poor man. A traveler comes to the rich man, and instead of feeding him from his flock, he goes and takes the poor man's lamb. David is outraged by what this rich man has done to the poor man, and declares, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity." Nathan answers him, "You are the man!" Nathan has just exposed David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah the Hittite, the whole story can be found in 2 Samuel 11. Until Nathan pointed out David's sin, it was easy for him to listen to the story - and even feel righteous anger towards the rich man!

Our Samaritan woman was enjoying her conversation with Jesus. The living water He spoke of was just what she needed to end the drudge of water hauling; so she asks Him to give it to her. And He replies, "Go call your husband and come back." In that sentence she is exposed.

Jesus knows everything about her. Though she will reply that she has no husband, Jesus knew the truth. The man she was now living with was not her husband, and she's had five previous husbands.What she tells Him is the truth, but it doesn't honestly reveal her situation.

She changes the subject to religious obedience - where should she be worshipping? Jesus tells her of a time that's coming when the place won't be an issue. Instead, "...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit, and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

The woman admits to knowing that, "Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us." Isn't that exactly what Jesus was doing out there by the well? He knows her burden, He knows her physical need, He knows her sin, and most of all He knows her spiritual need.

She needs the Messiah - and Jesus declares to her, "I who speak to you am He."

We may be able to hide our sin from those around us, and even become outraged at someone else's sin. But Jesus knows us inside and out. He's not put off by our feeble attempts to cover up. "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

Like the Samaritan woman, we all need the Messiah!