Hi and thanks for dropping by our website! My name is Rev’d Jane Bearden. I am the priest in charge at Trinity Episcopal Church in Haverhill Massachusetts. In these videos I offer meditations based on our lectionary readings for parishioners who might be traveling or homebound, for those who are searching for a parish home and website surfing, and for those of you who just might be seeking a closer relationship with God. I hope that you find some insights or inspiration in my words and that more importantly it is God’s word that finds its way into your heart. I invite you to join us for worship at Trinity. We are located on White Street in Haverhill and our principle service is at 10 AM on Sunday mornings. My text for this meditation is the 3rd and 4th chapters of John. In these two chapters you will find the story of Nicodemus who comes to visit Jesus by night and the story of the Woman at the Well who engages in a theological discussion with Jesus. I invite you to stop this tape and read the lessons before listening.
The Gospel of John is the source of most of our readings this Lent. John was written toward the end of the 1st century. It is different from the other gospels in that John is not so much a biography as it is a revelation. In John God, is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the “Word” that tells us about God. Jesus is the Good Shepard, who protects and cares for us as God does, Jesus is the bread that nurtures us. In today’s lesson Jesus is the Living Water that slakes our thirst and never ceases to flow. The Gospel of John, at least as I understand it, was not meant to literally tell stories about the human Jesus. It is meant to tell us about the divinity of Jesus, about the nature of God and about us about how we respond to God’s gift of Love in Jesus.
In looking at this lesson we have today I want to juxtapose two lessons – the one we heard last week and this one. They are told in back to back chapters of John so there is at least the possibility that the author of this gospel intended that we look at them together. In studying these stories of Nicodemus and of the woman at the well I don’t want us to get hung up too much on the plot. For sure they both tell rich and full human narratives, but they also give us a rich and full understandings of God’s love and of what our response to God’s love might be.
Last week we heard the story of Nicodemus, the Pharisee, and leader of the Jews, a man, in fact a powerful/educated man, who came to Jesus in the dark of night to protect his image in the society. But when Jesus reveals himself to Nicodemus his response is “How can these things be?” John’s message to us – it is not power and prestige that draw us to God – it is God’s gift to us in Jesus that our love of power prevents us from receiving.
The woman in today’s lesson is the polar opposite, she is a Samaritan, not a member of high society in 1st C Palestine, She was uneducated, her husbands had all either died or abandoned her and so she was dependent on others – on the dole if you will – she was the ultimate of outsiders. Often we recognize that Jesus engages her, is willing to talk to her, but I don’t think that is as one sided as it may sound. Both Jesus and the woman were taking a risk here. She would have known that if she were to step outside of her place in society and express her own thoughts and feelings. she was likely to be blamed. – How many times in our society is the victim in a crime – especially a female victim - blamed for having somehow caused abuse to happen? That’s why they both dance around the conversation with sarcasm at first. They are feeling each other out. Very unlike the Nicodemus story where Jesus is blunt from the beginning.
But in fact they do have a conversation – and it is a powerful one. Something about Jesus draws her out of her fear and somehow about her triggers Jesus’ compassion lets him know of her need and her willingness to receive God’s gift that he is offering.
Both of these stories are packed with Spirit power. Jesus is offering the same thing to each one of them – Nicodemus and the Samaritan women. Being born of water and Spirit and receiving the Living Water are the same gift. Jesus is offering them life that is vigorous, full of vitality – if you go to a lexicon to translate them you will find that this Life giving spirit that we are invited to receive is a real, genuine life that is absolutely devoted to God. It is the gift of acceptance, of compassion, of love, of comfort and nurture. And the response to the gift is to receive it joyfully, to be transformed by this gift of spiritual renewal into a new person, one who shares the gift with others. These words that Jesus speaks are meant to take it to the next level – to up the ante. Jesus wants them to understand and to know God more fully and to be changed because of that intimacy.
So what’s the take home here. My response is that each and every time I read it there is more. I absolutely believe that John is telling two stories of Jesus’ ministry that actually happened. Everything I know about Jesus tells me that this is genuine and true. But I also know that John told these stories not for the storyline itself, but for the deeper messages they convey. To anyone who has ever felt left out or fearful – God is accepting and desiring of you and all the baggage that you bring. To anyone who has ever felt inadequate or unskilled and hesitant about letting God into their life – there are not pre-requisites except a desire to be loved. To anyone who believes that they are in control of their own lives or that real life is earned or merited – forget it. Real life flows freely from God and is there for the taking. To anyone who believes that being a disciple only applies to Sunday morning – there is a whole world out there just waiting for you to share the Good news with them in word and in deed.
So go back and read these stories again. Let the humanity of them catch you up in the heat and thirst of the day or the secrecy of the dark of night. But don’t just read them literally. Let the bigger picture of Jesus revealing God to us catch you also. In what way can you identify with Nicodemus or the woman at the well? What is the one question you would ask Jesus if you were to be in their position? What token of your difficult life would you leave behind or what banner of your new life would you fling out as you move through your day?
This is exciting stuff. It is the stuff of transformed lives. This is the way to Easter. Let it catch you. Amen
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