WHAT? NO BREAKFAST?!

John 4:1-14 (NIV):

If you are like me, I won’t book in a hotel that does not offer a complimentary breakfast even if it’s a very light breakfast of toast, pastries, cereal, and perhaps bagels. Having this in your hotel just provide you with additional convenience especially when you’re on vacation and don’t want to wake up early just to find a McDonald or a Diner. I believe most hotel chains would provide this today. I read in the internet that about 59 percent of hotels all over the world are offering it. This means that it is not difficult to find a hotel with this amenity if that’s what you are looking for. Great hotels are committed to do the best they could to meet the needs of their guests.

Spiritually speaking, we also have some needs that must be met in order for our journey to be more meaningful and satisfying. Unfortunately, many are turning to wrong places to find answers only to be led farther from the right one. In our series regarding the reasons that hold back people in pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ, we will find the Samaritan woman pursuing another alternative in place of a relationship with God. Examining carefully the story, I am convinced that many people could easily identify with her as far as what she sought that only led to greater dissatisfaction in life. So far, we have already identified skepticism, conflict of interest, poor image of Christians, and peer pressure. With the Samaritan woman, I will highlight the issue of pleasure or happiness. Let me ask you, where do you think can you find the greatest happiness in life? Or what can give you the greatest satisfaction in life? There are three significant truths you would need to understand:

I. THERE IS A THIRST IN EVERY SOUL:

When God created human beings, He made sure that there is an inside longing in every one of us that only Him may fill. Last Sunday, we learned about Nicodemus. He was a very respectable man, educated, religious and a ruler among the Jews. This morning, our text highlights the Samaritan woman, who stands in sharp contrast to Nicodemus. She was ignorant about religion, an outcast by the Jews because of being a Samaritan, and then outcast even in her own community because of her immoral lifestyle. They are two very different individuals, yet the fact we want to establish is: Both of them had a thirst in the soul that led them to an encounter with Jesus.

The great church father, Bishop Augustine wrote, “You have made us and directed us toward yourself and our heart is restless until we rest in you." It really doesn’t matter, either we are like Nicodemus, living a life as if everything is perfect, but deep inside we know there is something missing; or like the Samaritan woman, whose life is filled with disappointments and frustrations. In both lives there is a hole or a vacuum that must be filled.

With our main text, let’s turn our focus on the Samaritan woman. As most of you know, Samaritans were extremely despised by the Jews because they were the product of intermarriages between the Jews and the Assyrians, which could be traced back to 722 BC when the Assyrians conquered the northern part of Israel. Just to show the extent of hatred between them, Jewish rabbis would say, "Let no man eat the bread of the Cuthites [the Samaritans], for he who eats their bread is as he who eats swine's flesh."

Despite the hostilities between the two groups of people, we would find Jesus choosing to go through Samaria so He could have the opportunity to meet their needs. Notice what verse 4 says, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” Jesus left Judea to go to Galilee. The shortest route is to go through Samaria to Galilee, but most Jews would take a longer route through Perea, east of the Jordan River to avoid Samaria. Jesus personally chose Samaria because He had to bless the Samaritan woman. Amazingly, Jesus would give this woman the opportunity to receive what she had desperately longed for – true happiness in life.

When Jesus met her at the well, He initiated a conversation with her by asking for water. Then, lovingly, He steered the conversation to help her understand that He knew exactly what she needed, and that He was there to fill her deepest need. At first the woman was confused because she was still thinking about the physical water, but Jesus helped her by exposing her emptiness caused by all her failed relationships:

Here is a woman who had tried to fill her emptiness by pursuing relationships and forbidden pleasures. I’m sure we won’t have any difficulty imagining the disappointments she went through in seeking to satisfy her life. Her first marriage probably started out with great excitement that is common to new love. She expected it to last for a lifetime. But something went wrong, and she had been left alone. Then came another man, and the fires began to flame again, though not quite as high as before, only to disintegrate into cold ashes. Then came another. . . and another. . . and another. . . and another. Every time one relationship failed, it left a bigger hole in her life. Jesus looked much deeper than the surface, and saw the deep searching in her heart that had been left unsatisfied for so long!

This woman perfectly illustrates the thirst that is present in the life of everyone.

How about you? Have you recognized your own sense of emptiness? What have you been seeking to fill the emptiness in your life? In the Old Testament, God sent the prophet Isaiah to stand before the people of Israel one day to ask these questions:

God is using the prophet to ask the significant questions – Are you getting what you want out of life? Why are you spending your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which does not satisfy? I believe the question should be asked again to all of us – Are you getting what you want? Are you finding satisfaction? Perhaps some of you are also trying to quench your thirst by chasing your ambitions, some relationships, power, alcohol, drugs, etc. All of these will fail you, because those are not the right answers. Let’s discover the answer in our second point:

II. ONLY JESUS CAN SATISFY US:

The most important part of the passage that we should not miss is the claim Jesus made in verses 13-14:

Jesus clearly revealed that the water from Jacob’s well would only satisfy the body for a moment, but the water He is offering can continually provide satisfaction of needs and longings. Don’t miss the emphasis regarding the inner spring in contrast to the water from the well. It would require hard work to draw water from the well whenever you desire to quench your thirst. Jesus is able to impart water springing from within your inner soul. Obviously, this is the eternal life that Jesus is able to impart through the Holy Spirit when we receive Him into our lives:

The Lord Jesus pointed the Samaritan woman to himself. He was the source of life. He is the only one whom God has provided to satisfy our deepest longings. He is the only one who could bring enduring happiness to life that is not superficial. Not the happiness that is dependent on circumstances. Jesus is able to give us the happiness, which brings contentment even in the midst of the most distressing circumstances and the most adverse environment. This kind of happiness allows us to have peace and contentment no matter what the circumstances may be. With what is going on in our world today, this economic recession we have, we need this peace today more than ever.

Unfortunately, many are struggling to believe that Jesus is really capable of giving this kind of life. My challenge to all of you is to give Him the chance to fulfill His promise. Receive Him into your life and experience the reality of His words. God in the Old Testament expressed His disappointment with the Israelites for their unwillingness to go to Him to quench their thirst:

Let’s not be guilty of digging our own wells, hoping their can satisfy us. Let’s turn to Jesus who alone can give us the water of life that can truly satisfy us.

III. DON’T COME UNACCOMPANIED:

After Jesus revealed Himself to the woman and told her what He is capable of giving her, she quickly responded by asking for the water of life. To her surprise Jesus told her - "Go, call your husband and come back" (v.16). There is an important principle here that we should not miss – We should not avail of God’s rich blessings alone. We should also lead others to Jesus, the only source of life.

The woman did not have difficulty understanding what Jesus wanted to happen. She believed who Jesus was, and after leaving Him, she went to her town and started telling the people whom she had met about Him:

Would they have met the Lord, if not for the testimony of the woman? Her testimony stimulated interest and then faith in the lives of those people in Samaria. We who know Jesus are called to do the same. We are not just encouraged, we are commanded to share Jesus to others:

God doesn’t want you to go to heaven alone. We have to do our best to tell our families, friends, co-workers about Jesus. Sometimes, we think that we need to know everything that needs to be known about the Bible, God, Jesus, all the theological aspects of the faith, before we start telling others about Jesus. Absolutely not! Leading people to Christ is simply helping others know that Jesus is the only Savior of the world. Because of what He is able to give, it is definitely a privilege to introduce Him to others.

This morning, you may be someone who needs to be filled by Jesus. Don’t miss out by going for the substitutes. Remember, only Jesus can really satisfy your soul. For those of us who know Jesus, let’s be faithful in helping others find true happiness in Him.