19 March 2011

Psalm 55; Deut. 11:18-28; Heb. 5:1-10; John 4:1-26

They were to be a nation of God fanatics, completely obsessed with Him. The commandments, the Law, were to be bound on their hands and before their eyes, literally, all the time. They were supposed to talk about Him all the time to their children, sitting, walking, lying down, rising up. The Words of God were to be written on the doorpost and on the gates. The entire nation, the land itself, was to be full of the Word of God. Has anything changed with Jesus? We are to be God-obsessed as His people. We are to be devoted to the Word of God as well, He is not to be an afterthought. Of all that He has to think about and sustain, He was so obsessed with us that He became one of us in order that we might live with Him forever. How can we not be a people who are obsessed with Him?

Jesus turns every encounter into an opportunity to extend the kingdom, even in Samaria. The woman explains the relationship between Jews and Samaritans and yet Jesus isn’t interested in nationality, He is interested in her soul. This woman, rejected by most in her own village, has to come here to the well in the heat of the day, alone, and here she meets a man, she knows how to banter with men, she has much experience of that, but this man is different. Is he a miracle-worker who can solve her water problem? No, amazingly he reveals Himself to her. Remember we were just told in John 2 that in Jerusalem He would not entrust or reveal Himself to those pilgrims because He knew what was in the heart of man. Here, He fully reveals Himself to her clearly. What was in her heart?

High priests in Judaism and pastors in Christianity have one very basic thing in common, we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The writer here argues that we also have this in common with all we serve. We need to have our sins atoned for before the holy God. That reality and commonality should make us humble before both God and man, should allow us to deal gently with the sins of others, but it doesn’t always do so. Jesus does not have this in common with us, He shared our humanity and was tempted as we are in that humanity, yet He did not sin. In spite of that reality, He is not a self-righteous savior who sits at the right hand of God saying, “I did it, it is therefore possible for you.” Rather, He sympathizes with us in this struggle against temptation and intercedes for us that the Father forgive our sins. With such a great savior should we not be obsessed?

But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;

The saints triumphant rise in bright array;

The King of glory passes on His way.

Alleluia, Alleluia!

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,

Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,

And singing to Father, Son and Holy Ghost:

Alleluia, Alleluia!