Nobody to Somebody

Folks, let me encourage you to do everything that you can, and I mean that, to have John chapter 4 open in front of you.

John 4 · chapter mention

I don't think this is any exaggeration for me to say.

I think this, these verses, are some of my favourite in the whole Bible.

And I'd love for you to see what I've seen this week in them, how glorious they are.

So please get John chapter 4 open in front of you.

John 4 · chapter mention

Anyone ever read Vanity Fair?

Talk about the magazine.

Hans, we've heard of Vanity Fair.

Right, we've heard of it.

Okay, so, good, good.

Madonna did an interview with Vanity Fair in 1991.

An interviewer asked her how she was coping with her newfound musical stardom in 1991, right?

What do you make of what she said?

Here's what she said.

My drive in life comes from this horrible fear of being mediocre.

I still have to prove that I'm somebody.

My struggle has never ended, and it probably never will.

So there's Madonna talking in 1991.

In her words, she longs to be somebody.

And I take it she's talking about that deep longing inside of her

that yearns to be fully known,

fully loved,

and fully satisfied,

and for that combination of those feelings to be in her life and to stay.

So every human being on this planet longs for, right?

To be fully known,

fully loved,

fully satisfied.

And the problem is that we as human beings go searching for this in all kinds of places in our lives.

Job promotions,

house extensions,

romantic relationships,

online purchases,

social media likes.

And is it not true, friends,

that like Madonna,

we find that these things can never quite give us the thing that we're grasping for,

to be a somebody.

I love what C.S. Lewis once said.

He said,

if I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy,

the only logical explanation for it is that I was made for another world.

And you see,

into this human satisfaction vacuum,

the astounding claim that Jesus makes in John chapter 4

John 4 · chapter mention

is that only he can give us what we're searching for.

Right?

Only he can do this in our lives.

And the added wonder of what Jesus says is that he offers it in conversation with a woman who society has concluded is not a somebody.

Society has concluded that she is a nobody.

Now,

if Jesus had a PR manager,

and I've checked,

and I don't think he did,

someone helping him with his public image,

somebody with the job of trying to help him climb the opinion polls,

they would be freaking out at this encounter we read about in John chapter 4.

John 4 · chapter mention

Because it defies the social etiquette and the social expectations of the day.

And what we're going to see here as we journey through this is that Jesus tears up and throws out the boundaries playbook

in just about every conceivable way as he lovingly goes all out in his pursuit of the heart of this woman.

Let's see these, will we?

Here's what he does.

First of all,

he defies the racial boundary.

Verse 4.

Do you see where he is?

Where's he going?

He's on his way with his disciples back up north to Galilee.

And he's going through this area called Samaria.

An area that as far as the Jews of this day are concerned is enemy territory.

You see,

this is historical tension all to do with the kind of people that are living in Samaria.

Who they are,

how they got there,

what they stand for.

And in the eyes of the Jews of this day,

the people just to the north in Samaria,

aren't thoroughbred.

Right?

They are sellout pick and mix Jews whose religious lives are kind of like looking at a knickerbocker glory ice cream.

Right?

If you can picture that in your head.

All sorts of different worldly colors and religious flavors going on in this one bowl.

One of which is Judaism.

It's all kind of mixed up.

And no one really kind of knows what's going on.

All sort of things going on.

And the Jews look at it and they say,

knickerbocker glory.

They are.

But we are pure vanilla.

Right?

We're thoroughbred.

We are the Jewish people.

These guys aren't.

Their very existence makes a mockery of who we are and what we stand for.

And if you look at verse nine,

it's not just my opinion on that.

John tells us at the day,

do you see?

These two groups of people don't mix.

They don't associate.

It goes both ways.

Jews hate Samaritans.

Samaritans hate Jews.

So what Jesus is doing here,

we've got to understand.

It's like a Russian man popping up in a cafe in Kiev and saying,

can I have a latte, please?

This is hot and this is tense,

what Jesus is doing here.

He's defying the racial playbook

and he's defying the gender playbook.

Here is a man talking with a woman.

Here is a rabbi,

a religious teacher,

who in this day to be talking with a woman

would be seen as a waste of his time.

That's why verse 27,

if you cast your eyes beyond our verses this morning in this chapter,

the disciples return to this scene

and they are surprised.

Do you see that word?

As they see Jesus talking to this woman,

they are surprised.

Our English word,

I don't think quite captures the strength of it here.

In Greek,

it's more like they were absolutely gobsmacked

that Jesus was talking with this woman.

He's ripping up the gender playbook

and he's ripping up the social one as well.

Verse 6,

when does Jesus stop for a drink?

And I love all these details that John gives us.

When did he stop for a drink?

Thirsty from the walk as he would have been

as a human being.

He stops at noon.

You see,

he stops at the hottest part of the day

in search for a drink.

Now, have you ever been in a hot country?

You know that feeling.

You plan your day around the morning

and the evening

because in the afternoon,

when it comes,

it's factor 50 on

and you're hunting for the shade.

You're staying inside.

It's what we did when we were in Louisville.

We planned our day around the morning

and Aircon was our friend in the afternoon.

And in this day,

women would go in groups to the well

to get water first thing.

Makes sense, doesn't it?

You wouldn't go at the height of the day.

You would go first thing.

And yet,

here is our woman

on her own,

do you see,

at the height of the day.

Which tells us,

what about her

in terms of how she's viewed

in her community?

It tells us

that she has been shunned.

And it tells us

that her life

is now about

not showing face

in public.

Lest anybody

see you.

Should we be around today?

This would be

baseball cap on,

hoodie up,

shades on,

doing her shopping

in the 24-7 Asda at midnight.

Desperate to get in and out

before anyone clocks

that I'm here.

What is it we would say

if she were around today?

This is somebody

who we wouldn't touch

with a barge pole.

Just don't want to go near her.

Don't associate with her.

Jesus is ripping up

the social playbook.

And,

he's ripping up

the moral one as well.

And this is maybe

where we'll slow down

just a little bit

and think about

what we're told

about this woman.

because as Jesus

meets her,

do you see

how he brings up

and deliberately so

the most painful

feature

of her life

to date?

That's why I never

think

Jesus would make

a good

Brit.

He doesn't do

small talk,

does he?

He goes straight

for the issue.

The Lamb of God

goes for the elephant

in the room.

The very reason

that this woman

is being shunned.

And he does it.

We need to understand

this as we think

about its application

to our own lives.

One of the ways

is that Jesus

does this not

to shame her.

He does it

not to

out her.

He does it

to win her.

This is the woman

that he's come

for.

And this is the

God who knows

her and sees

her as a good

physician,

desperate to treat

the wound

with his scalpel

of grace.

Here is the God

of the psalmist

who would bend

near and knows

the brokenhearted.

Here is the God

who is close to

those who call

on him.

And here he is,

verse 16,

and what does he say?

And this is it.

What does he say?

And it kind of

comes out of left field,

really.

Trying to get my

head around that

all week.

How did it go

from water to husband?

How did it get there?

What does he say?

He says,

go and get your husband.

And she replies,

verse 17,

I have no husband.

You're right,

says Jesus.

You have had

five husbands

and the man

that you're now with

is not your husband.

Jesus,

fully man,

fully knowing God.

Now listen,

we need to resist

the temptation

to think of this woman

like some kind of character

from Sex and the City

or Friends.

Like those sitcoms

that we used to watch

in the 90s.

She is this free

and modern,

independent woman

who's casually

slipping out seamlessly

from one relationship

to another.

Right?

No right,

no wrong,

no rules for me.

This is this woman.

No,

that is to read her

through 21st century

Western eyes.

But she's a first century

Middle Eastern woman.

She's had five husbands

who are no longer

her husband.

And the only way

that that can happen

in this day

as I understand it

is through one of two ways.

It's through death

or it's through divorce.

Friends,

personally,

I know that for many of us

that words will bring

to our minds

all sorts of painful memories.

And I'm so sorry.

But perhaps in particular

this morning,

you need to see

how Jesus loves this woman

for whom that has been

the heartbreaking reality

of her life.

for when it comes to divorce,

as I understand it

in this day culturally,

the expectation

is that the power

to initiate that

is not on her side.

It's on the man's side.

So could it be

that this woman

has been on the receiving

end of divorce

five times?

Could it be

that she's been used

and treated like trash

by men

for what must have felt

like her entire life?

Could it be

that divorce

has only got easier

for him

and more painful

for her

each time it happens

as each husband

comes and goes?

And could it be

that the guy

that she's with now

will not marry her

because he doesn't want

the baggage

that goes with her

and the baggage

that goes with that?

And you bring

all that together.

When she says,

I have no husband,

friends,

our hearts should break

for this woman.

And then our hearts

should be captivated

by how the God

of the universe

come down in human flesh

treats this woman.

As Jesus

and this woman

meet,

friends,

there are alarm bells

going off all over

the shop with this one.

Racial,

gender,

social,

moral.

She is the last person

conceivably

on planet earth

that you'd expect

and you'd be advising

Jesus to associate with

and yet,

and yet,

friends,

he wonderfully does.

And I love

John chapter four.

Do you know why?

Because I think

there's a big banner

that says right above it,

welcome to the

dignity revolution.

welcome to the sexual

revolution.

As Jesus steps in,

maybe even the first man

in this woman's life

interested in her,

not because of what he thinks

he can get from her,

but steps in longing to know her

because of what he can

give to her.

As the one who knows

all things about this woman,

and rather than that knowledge

repelling him from her,

do you see how the knowledge

of that,

it almost as if it wonderfully

draws him to her.

Oh, I love that Nicodemus,

Israel's finest,

and we're trying to

see this in the context

of John,

Nicodemus,

Israel's finest

back at chapter three

came looking for Jesus

here in wonderful

and beautiful

and powerful contrast.

Jesus initiates

the loving pursuit

of Sumeria's worst.

As author Rebecca McLaughlin

so powerfully puts it

in her wonderful

little book,

Jesus Through the Eyes

of Woman,

we see Jesus

as a magnet

for those who feel

like scraps of human metal

on life's junk heap,

picking up the broken

and abused

and drawing them

into his kingdom

of love.

This is who Jesus

is.

And he's still

this Jesus today.

And friends,

what does he offer

her?

He offers her two things.

He offers her,

first of all,

to be the perfect

husband.

Her perfect husband.

And I'd never seen

this before

until probably

about six months ago

when we were planning

and thinking about

this series.

Come with me

and see this.

What number man

is Jesus

on the scene

of this woman's life?

You have a bit

of maths this morning.

What number man

is he

on the scene

in this woman's life?

She has had

five husbands

and the man

that she's with

is not her husband.

Which means

that Jesus

steps on the scene

of this woman's life

as the what number

of man?

The seventh man.

Seven,

that number

in the Bible

that represents

and symbolizes

God's perfection.

Jesus steps

on the scene

of this woman's life

as the seventh man.

Where all before

her previous husbands

had failed her.

Jesus has come.

He knows her.

He's come to win her

and to draw her in

to be part of his bride.

Not through cheap grace,

but through the thing

that every husband

was called to be

and at Jesus

as he personifies this

he calls every single husband

ever since

as we focus on him

to be.

He has come

to win her

through costly

sacrifice.

Jesus will own

her shame.

Jesus will pay

the price

for her mistakes.

Jesus will take

her sins

on himself.

Jesus will bear

the punishment

of the condemnation

that stands over her

if you flick back

to chapter 3

where the world

labels her

damaged goods.

Jesus goes

to the cross

to make her

pure and spotless.

As he dies

and he sheds

his precious blood

on the cross

for her.

The woman

that society

said

was not worth it.

Jesus says

yes she is.

And he says

to this woman

and get this

friends,

daughter

no longer

do your scars

define you.

Come to me

and let my scars

define you.

That's what he offers

us this morning.

life

in his

scars.

That's what she

gets in him

and in turn

by her faith

in him.

That's what Jesus

gives her.

She comes to share

in his perfect

righteousness

and life

and to have

Jesus'

father

as her

father.

Friends,

who's getting

the better deal

here?

Is not the

gospel wonderfully

magnificent?

This is what's

held out to us

this morning

in Christ

as Jesus

embodies the

words that we

hear the groom

vow at weddings.

It's always

one of my

favorite parts.

All that I am

I give to you

and all that I

have I share

with you.

And it's why

I always think

that it's so

profound in our

culture that

traditionally when

a man and a

woman get married

the woman takes

the man's

name as if

to say

everything about

her life is

now caught up

in his name

and who he

is.

And of course

our marriages

friends are

temporary.

They're pointing

to the great

marriage that

is the reality.

That's exactly

what it is to

be the bride

of Christ.

If you're a

Christian here

this morning

your life is

caught up in

his name.

Friends,

the gospel is

astonishingly

good news.

Lord,

to that hymn

that many of

us would have

grown up singing,

I love it,

blessed assurance

Jesus is mine.

Oh,

what a foretaste

of glory divine,

heir of salvation,

purchase of God's,

born of his spirit,

washed in his blood.

Those are things

that are true of you.

See,

Christ offers to be

to this nobody.

He offers to be

her perfect husband.

And he offers

to give her

life,

deep life

satisfaction.

Verse 10,

taking the language

here,

he offers to give

to this woman

living water.

Living water.

Verse 14,

what does he say?

The water I give

you will be like

a spring of water

that wells up

into eternal life.

Of course,

as she goes back

and forth

and back and forth

and back and forth

and back and forth

and back and forth

from her home

to this well

every day.

Jesus taps into

the reality

of her every day.

Home with a bucket,

water runs out,

thirsty again,

back you go,

caught up in this

endless Middle Eastern

cycle of always

being thirsty,

never quite

having enough.

Jesus taps into it

to get her

to understand

the nature

of the restless,

always searching

but never arriving

spirit that human

beings have

and he says,

I can give you

and I take it

by his spirit

in us,

drawing us

to him,

a spring in your

heart

whereby your thirst,

the thirst of your

soul can be quenched

and you need go

searching in life

no more.

No more.

Well friends,

that takes us

to the first

of the two questions

I think we need

to ask ourselves

as we take in

what Jesus is saying

here and it'll be

really quick,

okay?

As we think about

the claim that he

makes,

friends,

what's going

into our systems?

Just think about it,

just take the language

he's using,

are we drinking

from the fountain

of him

that he talks

about here?

What's going

into our systems?

In 1901,

it was an American

doctor called

John Harvey

Gerdner

who coined

the term

New Yorkitis

because he

watched the way

his fellow

New Yorkers

were living

their right

lives.

They were running

around from

thing to thing

and how he

perceived in so

many of them

because of the

way that they

were living,

they were producing

edginess and

impulsiveness

and that was

1901.

That's the world

that we're living

in, isn't it?

That's the

places, the

things that the

world offers

us.

Isn't it

not true that

our world

attaches significance

to a person's

life so often

around their

perceived busyness

and productivity?

Because important

people are busy

people and you're

not important,

you're not busy,

you're not

important.

It's why when

Facebook founder

Mark Zuckerberg

came out,

I can't remember

when it was,

and he talked

about how in

his wardrobe

he's only got

one outfit

because he

doesn't want to

waste time in

the morning

thinking about

what he's going

to wear so he's

got the same

outfit all the

way through.

We hear that,

we love it

because we think

yes, he's

important, he's

busy, that's

what we need

to do.

And yet into

our world that

says your

significance is

tied up with

what you do,

Jesus steps

in and he

saves us out

of it and

says come and

find rest,

little child

in who I

am today

and who

you are

because you're

in me.

Do you find

that in your

heart all the

time as we

live our lives

in this world

running about

from thing to

thing?

It's probably

the biggest

thing that I

was convicted

of in

sabbatical.

Just run

around doing

thing after

thing after

thing after

thing.

And I see

in my heart,

I see what

were the two

things he

said?

Impulsiveness

and edginess.

I see it all

the time.

And Jesus

calls us to

be fully

satisfied in

him.

Do not let

the world

define who

you are,

but to be

fully complete

in him.

Friends,

are we

drinking from

the water

he gives

us?

And that's

a big

challenge of

this passage,

isn't it,

to us?

Are we

drinking from

the water

he gives

us?

Are we

carving out

time to

listen to

his voice

as we

open our

Bibles and

finding rest

for our

souls in

the places

that Jesus

tells us

we'll find

rest?

And it's

why our

gatherings,

as we

gather together

on a

Sunday,

they are

soaked in

scripture.

Because these

are the

words of

eternal life.

These are

places where

we want to

drink as we

feast on

God's word,

get it into

our systems.

Friends,

are you

soaking your

soul and

drinking deep

from the

fountain that

Jesus calls

us to drink

from?

Getting these

things into

our system and

delighting ourselves

in his

promises.

You know,

I've got a

good friend

called Pete

who I see

every day on

the school

run.

And I

clocked a few

weeks ago that

he's got a

tattoo.

Right?

Strange place,

strange tattoo.

It's on his

inner left thigh

he's got a

tattoo.

And it's of a

bird.

And I said to him,

Pete, buddy,

if you don't mind

me asking,

why a bird?

Of all the

things that are

kind of trendy

just now,

bird ain't one

of them.

And do you

know what he

said?

He said,

this tattoo

I've got

here,

it's a

sparrow.

Because what

he does,

he cycles

everywhere in

town,

and I'm

not a

cyclist,

I don't

know,

but apparently

when he

goes to

cycle every

day,

and I

see him

do it,

he lifts

up the

bottom of

his

trousers.

I don't

know why

he does

it,

he just

does it,

he just

lifts up

his

trousers,

and he

sees the

sparrow

every

morning.

And he

says,

every morning

I remind

myself of

what Jesus

said about

the

sparrows.

What did

he say?

He says,

one of

them falls

to the

ground

without my

father

knowing

about it.

And because

that's true,

how much

more does

your father

know your

needs?

How much

more does

he care

for you?

And he

says,

I look

at it

every day

on my

calf as

a cycle,

and it

reminds me

what Jesus

has said

is true

of me

as his

child.

Friends,

every day

drinking from

the fountains

that Jesus

tells us to

drink from.

I'm not

encouraging you

to get a

tattoo,

it's your

call,

right?

But what

can we do

to be getting

Jesus'

life-giving

water into

our systems?

What's going

into our

systems?

And second

of all,

what's going

on in our

hearts?

In terms

of how we

view different

people in

our world.

I love,

and here's

what I love,

and I was

thinking about

it this week,

I love seeing

the young

John,

and I take

it he's

writing here

as an older

man,

let's just

assume that

as he writes

this gospel,

I love

seeing the

young

John in

action as

you read

him in

the other

gospels,

learning the

discipleship ropes

from Jesus.

Now you can

look at this

in your own

time,

in Luke

Luke 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9,

if you look

that one

up later,

you see

Jesus passing

through Samaria

with his

disciples,

and you see

Jesus being

rejected by

the Samaritans.

And it's

John,

along with his

brother James,

who are

fuming that

the Samaritans

have the

brass neck,

to turn

down their

Messiah.

How dare

they?

What do they

say?

If you read

it up,

they say,

Jesus,

will we

call fire

down from

heaven on

them,

and we'll

watch as

the Samaritan

village gets

singed?

Genuine

question.

There's bitterness

raging in

John's heart as

he thinks about

this group of

people.

There's anger

as he thinks

about them.

It's ugly

as you see

John's heart

in Luke

Luke 9 · chapter mention

chapter 9.

And yet,

here he is,

isn't it not

incredible,

writing as an

older man,

with the

spirit of God

having worked

away in him

as he mulls

deeply on who

the crucified

and the risen

Jesus is,

and Jesus'

love for him.

As John

writes his

gospel,

what conversation

that Jesus

has with

anybody

gets the

most air

time?

What is the

one that's

almost right

up top as

if to say

this is who

Jesus is?

It ain't a

conversation

with Nicodemus.

It's a

conversation

with this

Samaritan

woman.

Friends,

I love it.

It's almost

as if John

as he holds

her up,

is holding

his hands

up and

saying,

how wrong

was I?

I went

all anger

and bitterness,

but Jesus

chose compassion

on the cross

and his

way

wins.

And his

way always

wins as we

think about

people in

our world

and as we

take in the

dignity revolution

that Jesus

offers us

here.

Friends,

let me just

give you a

case in

point as

we close.

I'll tell you

about a woman

who most of

us in the

UK,

back in the

early 2000s,

used to

laugh at.

And her

name was

Jade.

Jade Goody,

if that

name means

anything to

you.

She became

famous in

our culture

as one of

the first

contestants ever

to appear

in the UK

version of

Big Brother.

And people

in our world

used to call

her the

blonde

South London

Chav.

That's what

she was

nicknamed

as.

It's always

good for a

funny,

silly line.

But she

made a big

mistake on

a celebrity

edition of

Big Brother.

In the

heat of the

moment,

she uttered

an unacceptable

racist word

to another

contestant,

and it was

caught on

camera.

And she

immediately

apologised to

the lady,

and they

made up.

But that

wasn't caught

on camera.

Damage was

done, and

all of a

sudden, she

becomes the

most hated

woman in

Britain,

spending her

days trying

to avoid the

cameras, avoid

the spotlight with

her young

family.

And Jade

developed

cerebral

cancer years

later after

this, and

the tragedy

was that she

spent a number

of years

believing the

lie that her

cancer condition

was punishment

for what she

said, in

her own

words.

And she

died in

March 2009

at the age

of 27.

By all

thinking it

was a tragic

case.

But here's

what I read

about Jade

only three or

four weeks

ago, and I

can send

you the

link if

you want

it.

Here's what

I didn't

know about

Jade.

Not so

long before

she died,

she became

a Christian.

And at her

funeral, this

is what the

minister of

the church

that she

went to,

who knew

her, talked

about.

He talked

about her

love for

Luke's

gospel.

And he

said this

at her

funeral,

Jade read

there how

Jesus welcomed

those who

weren't

particularly

religious,

and how

Jesus spent

time with

people like

her,

down-to-earth

people whose

lives, like

Jade's,

were at

times flawed

and difficult,

but whose

lives were

precious to

God.

Fully

known,

fully loved,

and I take

it fully

loved, fully

forgiven, and

fully satisfied

in who Jesus

is.

Friends, this is

what he offers

us this

morning.

life.

He offers

us life.

And maybe

just the

band guys

could come

back up if

you want.

There's been

three people

who've been in

my mind and

my heart as

I've been

thinking about

this week,

as we think

about responding

to this.

The first one

is if you

don't know the

life and love

that Jesus is

talking about

here.

Friends,

the invitation

to you today

is to respond

to what Jesus

has said and

to come and

drink from the

living waters

that he gives

us.

Second of all,

friends, if you

hear and you

feel the pain

of this woman

and in some

level you know

what it is to

be at your

lowest,

because I want

you to know

that Jesus

knows you,

he loves you,

he died for

you, and

the same

invitation he

makes to

that woman

is true for

you.

Do not let

your scars

define you.

Come and

let his

define you.

And the

third group

of people,

I love how

often the

psalmist would

talk about

recalling the

joy of our

salvation.

For others

of us here

today, we

need to

recall who

Jesus is,

rejoice in

who he is,

and just

lap up the

living waters

that he gives

us as we

take him in.

So in a

moment I'm

just going to

pray and

then we're

going to

sing two

songs just

to give us

the space and

time for these

truths to sink

in.

Two songs that

talk about who

Jesus is,

where he is

now, and the

fact that one

day he's coming

back.

So let's just be

silent, and I'm

going to pray, and

then we're going to

stand to sing.

Heavenly Father,

thank you that the

psalmist calls you

the father of the

fatherless.

Thank you that that

is who you are.

You are the God

who welcomes the

outsider.

You are the God

who sent your

son to die for

sinners.

And Father, just

pray this morning

for those three

categories that we've

thought about.

Father, for those

who don't know

you, Father, for

those this morning

for whom this is

really painful, life

right now is tough.

And for those of us

here today, Father,

that we would recall

the joy of our

salvation as we

think about who

Jesus is.

Father, be moving

amongst us by your

spirit, I ask and

pray.

Father, would you be

bringing by your

spirit in us healing

and assurance

and knowledge

and joy

and that sense

of peace

because of who

he is.

Father, help this

week our hearts to

be fully satisfied

in Jesus.

In his name we

pray.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.