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Why does Jesus ask the woman for a drink?
I think that is probably just to engage her. I think that he loves her. I think that in the way that we talk about him being God, you know, that he is in love with her in a far deeper way than you could ever understand being in love with Beth. When you look at the depth of the passion that you feel for your wife, you must know that this is a glimmer, a thin slice of what the love is that wells up out of Jesus, the man with the heart of God. I think that if he is in love with her, like Jesus is in love with Mary Lou, like Jesus is in love with me (tough as it may be to believe), as in love as he is with Nancy or with Bobby or with the whole damned creation, then he is desperate to talk to her.
I think he is desperate like a boy passing a Valentine. I think he is the guy with the zit on his face, he is the image of what Isaiah give us. There is nothing about him that is physically special. And yet out of his love he goes for it. He wants her to desperately fall in love with him the way that he has with her.
So I see her name being Anna, or something like that. I can see Anna making her way to the well. Anna ventures out at this time because she knows the rhythms of everyone's day. She lives in this small town where everyone knows each other's business. Anna knows when Susan is making her way over to the place where Jacob built a well. She knows when Sarah is coming back from drawing water. She goes when no one else goes. Anna does not want to see the look in their eyes again. She is the girl that will avoid it all, avoid all contact. Anna thinks that she is strong and she has a mouth on her. Just look at the way she talks to this strange guy at the well. She goes toe to toe with him. But her words cannot match her heart any longer. Anna's spirit cannot stay in step with what she keeps telling herself. She puts one foot in front of the other to get the water everyday. But to see other people? To run into someone else? She can't do it anymore. If the man that Anna is now with is not her husband, then would that not suggest that he might possibly be someone else's husband? Everyone knows who she is. She is the scarlet letter.
And all of this just seems to tell me that we have a guy who sees a girl and he loves her. He knows that she is not perfect. He knows more than she would ever possibly tell him on her own free will. But yet he knows, and he talks, and he engages. And I think that, yes, he is God. He does know her, he knows her past, he knows when she will show up at the well. And yes, at the same time, he is a man. And I think that he must have some longing for her deep down. Deep down in his gut he wants her love. The amazing thing about God is that he never needs us, but he desperately wants us.
I can see Jesus wanting Anna so much that he is willing to say anything. He is willing to do anything. He will go to any length to pursue her. I can see his soul bubbling on the rim of irrationality. Risking everything, risking himself, risking his life to ask this Samaritan to give this Jew a drink of water. Because he somehow believes that it is all about her and without her there is nothing. Its the same idea that Jesus was on the cross and he was thinking about Jason. He was dreaming of Rick.
So what does Jesus do? He risks himself on this one girl. Why? Well, with all of her- with her past and future, with her inner and outer self- she was worth it to him. It was worth the risk to ask for that drink of water. To know her. To love her.
For all of the love that you have for Beth- it is just a reflection of this. It's just a pale reminder. And the beauty of it is that it wasn't just Anna. If Rick Harper had been there, he would have asked you for a drink. If any of us had been there, he would have asked us for the drink. The miracle is that he can love Anna that intensively, that passionately, and yet at the same time, he loves us all with the same love.
I think that is probably just to engage her. I think that he loves her. I think that in the way that we talk about him being God, you know, that he is in love with her in a far deeper way than you could ever understand being in love with Beth. When you look at the depth of the passion that you feel for your wife, you must know that this is a glimmer, a thin slice of what the love is that wells up out of Jesus, the man with the heart of God. I think that if he is in love with her, like Jesus is in love with Mary Lou, like Jesus is in love with me (tough as it may be to believe), as in love as he is with Nancy or with Bobby or with the whole damned creation, then he is desperate to talk to her.
I think he is desperate like a boy passing a Valentine. I think he is the guy with the zit on his face, he is the image of what Isaiah give us. There is nothing about him that is physically special. And yet out of his love he goes for it. He wants her to desperately fall in love with him the way that he has with her.
So I see her name being Anna, or something like that. I can see Anna making her way to the well. Anna ventures out at this time because she knows the rhythms of everyone's day. She lives in this small town where everyone knows each other's business. Anna knows when Susan is making her way over to the place where Jacob built a well. She knows when Sarah is coming back from drawing water. She goes when no one else goes. Anna does not want to see the look in their eyes again. She is the girl that will avoid it all, avoid all contact. Anna thinks that she is strong and she has a mouth on her. Just look at the way she talks to this strange guy at the well. She goes toe to toe with him. But her words cannot match her heart any longer. Anna's spirit cannot stay in step with what she keeps telling herself. She puts one foot in front of the other to get the water everyday. But to see other people? To run into someone else? She can't do it anymore. If the man that Anna is now with is not her husband, then would that not suggest that he might possibly be someone else's husband? Everyone knows who she is. She is the scarlet letter.
And all of this just seems to tell me that we have a guy who sees a girl and he loves her. He knows that she is not perfect. He knows more than she would ever possibly tell him on her own free will. But yet he knows, and he talks, and he engages. And I think that, yes, he is God. He does know her, he knows her past, he knows when she will show up at the well. And yes, at the same time, he is a man. And I think that he must have some longing for her deep down. Deep down in his gut he wants her love. The amazing thing about God is that he never needs us, but he desperately wants us.
I can see Jesus wanting Anna so much that he is willing to say anything. He is willing to do anything. He will go to any length to pursue her. I can see his soul bubbling on the rim of irrationality. Risking everything, risking himself, risking his life to ask this Samaritan to give this Jew a drink of water. Because he somehow believes that it is all about her and without her there is nothing. Its the same idea that Jesus was on the cross and he was thinking about Jason. He was dreaming of Rick.
So what does Jesus do? He risks himself on this one girl. Why? Well, with all of her- with her past and future, with her inner and outer self- she was worth it to him. It was worth the risk to ask for that drink of water. To know her. To love her.
For all of the love that you have for Beth- it is just a reflection of this. It's just a pale reminder. And the beauty of it is that it wasn't just Anna. If Rick Harper had been there, he would have asked you for a drink. If any of us had been there, he would have asked us for the drink. The miracle is that he can love Anna that intensively, that passionately, and yet at the same time, he loves us all with the same love.
Tatum.
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