Dear Christian friends:

The Son of God who in the beginning made all waters and mighty oceans here in our text sits tired and thirsty asking a sinner woman, "Give Me to drink." (verse 7) Why does the mighty God humble Himself like that? Our text shows why.

He has something very precious to give to sinners like you and me. He offered that to this woman and He offers it to you and me today. He calls it "Living Water." He says that His water really satisfies our thirst.

So let us attend to our text and by His Holy Spirit:


As the Samaritan woman needed this water so do you and I. She was a very bad woman. Married and divorced five times. The other women in the city despised her. That is why she came to the well at noon. All the other women came in the evening. She didn't want to meet anyone at the well.

We may think that we are better than this sinner woman, but before God we are not better. We also sin against the Sixth Commandment and commit adultery, if not outwardly, in our hearts and minds. We may despise Dr. Finch and Carol Tregoff for adultery and murdering his wife, but God says our hearts are not better. Jesus says, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matthew 15:19) And Paul says in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"

The Samaritan woman perhaps felt ashamed and mocked. And she wanted the other women in the city to forgive her and accept her as their friend. But she didn't feel the need for God to forgive her and accept her. Her heart was truly empty. She didn't know what she wanted and needed. Jesus had water she needed. You and I also are thirsty and hungry for something.

Often we don't know what we want or need. We are cross and restless, quarreling and not happy. We try this and we try that. We taste this and we taste that. But nothing seems to satisfy or give true happiness and peace in our hearts. The hunger of our souls and the thirst of our hearts, these are perfectly satisfied by Jesus' water.

But we are like many people in the world. We hunger and thirst for the wrong things. Business men keep putting ads in the newspapers and on TV which give us false desires and thirsts in our minds. We buy, buy, buy. Then after we get it we are still displeased, unsatisfied, and unhappy.

Often both husband and wife work to get more and more of these earthly things and after they get them they are still not happy. Jesus told the woman: "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (Romans 3:13-14)

We need Jesus, not more and more toys and junk: boats, motors, guns, extra fine foods etc. that stores keep tempting us to get. They say it will make us happy, but it doesn't really. We need Jesus. Drink His water and you will never thirst again. Drink down Jesus and you will be truly satisfied and in peace with God and one another.

David said, "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1) And Jesus said, "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37)

This Jesus water is here in your church and in the Bible and in the Lord's Supper. Pour out all self-righteousness, self-pride, and self-excuses. Come empty-hearted and thirsty, drink down Jesus and live. Hear the word that says, God loves sinners and forgives them because of His Son's death on the cross.

If you doubt this good news, then eat His body and drink His blood. They are His added seal and guarantee that He forgives us and gives us everlasting life. This is Jesus' water and it satisfies our every desire.

While Jesus told the Samaritan woman that His water satisfies, that she would never thirst again, He did not mean she would only drink His water once and have enough for all time. His water satisfies our souls need and earthly water cannot.

Now as Jesus humbled himself and worked to give His precious water to the sinner woman, so let us also work and talk and visit other sinners and offer Jesus' water to them. This we now intend to do in our Lenten Sharing Christ Plan. Support it.

The deaf in our Twin Cities are also thirsty for Jesus' water and many don't know it. We must help them to know their thirst and then offer the water that satisfies.

Although you may work hard at the club to help the deaf get work or a driver's license and other things that is not as important as helping them to come and drink the water of life everlasting.

Let us support our Sharing Christ Plan with our prayers and with all our might. God help us!

Amen.