I See You – John 4:1-42
I love stories. I love hearing other people’s stories, especially how they encountered Christ. So I put it out there last week on social media: who has a story about encountering Jesus? Sure enough, by the time Monday rolled around, I had three messages awaiting me at the office. The topic had ignited something inside each of them, and they wanted to contribute. They had physically encountered Jesus, and their lives had never been the same. They had a story to tell. So I invited them over.
The first to come in was a businessman. His name was Zac. A short fellow dressed in a custom-made Italian suit. All tan, perfect white teeth. Rolex watch. Ray-ban sunglasses. Clearly, he had done well for himself. He noticed me checking him out, and said, “Don’t let appearances fool you. I had the bucks but not the friends. Built a big house on the edge of town, but no one ever came to visit. Can’t say I blamed them, though. I paid for the place with the money I skimmed off their taxes. Nope, no one ever came to see me until the day Jesus came. Right there in the middle of town where everyone could hear, He announced that He was coming to my house. He didn’t have to do that – the diner was down the block, or I could have taken Him to the country club. But no, He wanted to come to my house. And He wanted everyone to know where He was going. He called me by name, my given name… not the names that other people called me. Even though He knew the bad, the very bad, and the ugly, He saw me. And from that day forward, my life was never the same. I was a new man, a changed man.”
After Zacchaeus came a woman. Middle-aged. Simply dressed. A little gray in her hair. A few wrinkles. Said she’d been sick for dozens of years. She’d run out of doctors, money, even hope. Her friends abandoned her, her church neglected her, and she hadn’t been home in years. But then Jesus came to town. He was on his way to see the Mayor’s daughter, who was dying. The crowd was thick, people were pushing, but she was desperate. She followed Jesus at a distance and gradually inched closer to Him until there were only two people between Him and her. She pressed her arm through the crowd and reached for the hem of his jacket – not to grab, but just to touch. And when she did, her body changed. Her face filled with warmth. She could breathe deeply. Her back straightened. She stopped, letting the crowd go by her. But he stopped, too. “Who touched me?” He asked.
She slid behind some tall men and said nothing. “Who touched me?” He asked again. He didn’t sound angry, just curious. So, she spoke up – her hands and voice shook. Jesus stepped toward her and asked to hear her WHOLE story. Now, imagine this, if you will. Everyone waiting and waiting as Jesus listened. The crowd waiting. The city leaders waiting. A girl dying, people were pressing, disciples questioning, but Jesus – He was listening. Listening to the whole story. He didn’t have to. The healing would have been enough. Enough for her, enough for the crowd, but not enough for Him. Jesus wanted to do more than heal her body – He wanted to hear her story. The whole story. The miracle restored her health; the encounter restored her dignity.
But I saved the best for last. It was nearing the end of a long day, when a sweet woman walked cheerfully into my office. She was probably the most joy-filled woman I’ve ever seen! She was humming, smiling, even skipping! Before she even sat down, she said, “I have to tell you about this man I met!” You should have seen me. I rolled my eyes and thought, oh good, she’s in love. She continued, “You see, things hadn’t been going well in my life. I made a lot of bad decisions. Married a lot of men. The people in my town were so ugly to me. They treated me like the outcast of all outcasts. And the women were the worst. They would point and whisper under their breath. They wouldn’t even let me go to the well with them in the morning when it was cool. I had to go in the middle of the day, the hottest part of the day, everyday, by myself. It was so lonely. I was embarrassed and exhausted. And then I met this man! He was sitting by the well, but He had nothing to fetch the water. And, He was a Jew! A Jewish man talking to me, a Samaritan woman?! Our people hate each other! I just knew there was a news crew right around the corner secretly filming us! But then He started talking. He was kind. He was patient and listened to my questions. And He didn’t make fun of me. He told me everything I had ever done. And He had the answer for me! Living Water!
“Jesus saw me. No one had truly seen me in so long. Jesus gave me hope. He gave me an identity. And then HE revealed HIMSELF to ME and gave ME the calling to spread the Word that HE was the Living Water, the Son of God. I have never felt so special, so trusted, so beloved. The encounter with the Messiah changed my life forever.”
***
Encountering Jesus. For the past 25 weeks, Samuel Zepeda, who is the worship leader in the FaithLink service, and I have been talking about Jesus. Every Friday, we get together and host the video series, “Conversations about Jesus.” We’ve explored all characteristics of Jesus – His humanity, His personality, His divinity - but we seem to find ourselves in the same place at the end of each conversation. Jesus changed people’s lives through personal encounters. Once someone met Jesus, their lives were never the same. Think about it! Nicodemus. Mary Magdalene. Saul, turned Paul. Zacchaeus. The woman reaching for the hem of Christ’s coat.
The woman at the well.
It got me thinking about myself, and about you. Where did you first encounter Jesus? When was the last time you encountered Jesus? Like the woman in the crowd, were you desperately reaching out for an encounter with Jesus? Like Zacchaeus, were you willing to climb a tree, or go to any lengths, just to see Jesus? Or maybe you were like the woman at the well, and Jesus sought you? No matter what the circumstance, once we encounter Jesus, our lives are never the same.
Encounters with Jesus are often not what we expect. Zacchaeus and the woman who was healed had heard of Jesus. They searched Him out and had the privilege of seeing Jesus with their own eyes. But think back to the Samaritan woman. She was just minding her own business. Running an errand, fetching water. And just a few minutes later, after a brief conversation with Jesus, her life changed. She had new identity. She felt loved. She felt seen. How often do we yearn for an encounter with Jesus, an encounter with anyone, to authentically feel seen?
When I was in South Africa, I learned a few words in the Zulu language. Instead of saying “hello”, they use the word “sawubona.” S-A-W-U-B-O-N-A. “Sawubona” is literally translated, “I see you.” I see you; you are important to me; I value you. The Zulu people promoted the need to see each other slowly and as they are. They look for moments where they can maintain eye contact with the person they’re talking to. They have learned how to feel and listen to other people, how to embrace another person’s soul, how to find and heal other people’s dark corners and wounds.
Can’t you imagine this is what Jesus did? He said to the woman at the well, “I see you. Despite your mistakes, despite your sins, despite your circumstances, I see you. I value you. You are important to me.” She didn’t expect this. She didn’t see this coming. But her encounter changed her forever.
This reminded me of my first encounter with Jesus. When I was 8 years old, I had a direct encounter with Christ. Now I wasn’t quite comparable to the Samaritan woman at age 8, but I did already have my own story. I had been sick for most of my life up to that point, in and out of doctors’ offices, and no one could figure out what was wrong. All of the doctors assumed that I just wanted attention. One day, I stayed home from school because I felt so badly. My mom took me to the doctor, and they immediately rushed me to the hospital. There was a series of tests. I don’t remember much, but I remember being scared. I was terrified. The machines were cold and loud, and my parents couldn’t come with me. I was laying in the CT scan, latched on to my stuffed bunny, and I started humming Jesus loves me. It’s a song that I had sung hundreds of times at church and with my grandparents. It was in that moment, a still quiet peace overcame me. I didn’t feel alone. When I closed my eyes, I could see someone cuddling me, loving me, and telling me not to cry. Great things were ahead. I was rushed up to surgery the next morning, and I remember my mom and dad trying to hold it together as they wheeled me away. I remember being in the operating room, laying on the table, the nurses and the doctors being so kind, and again that quiet voice inside me saying, I love you. I am with you. There are great things ahead of you.
As an eight-year-old, I didn’t expect Christ to show up. I didn’t understand what was going on, but He did. My life since has never been the same. Of course, there have been ups and downs, disappointments and heartache. But the main theme running through my life is that still, quiet voice from my first encounter with Jesus
– I see you. I am with you. I value you.
Encounters with Jesus may come when we least expect it. They come when we’relooking for Jesus, and they come when Jesus is looking for us.
They often address questions we didn’t even know needed answers.
The woman reaching through the crowd was desperate. She was looking for a miracle, but Jesus also knew she needed compassion. Zaccheaus was living a rich life with everything he thought he needed, but Jesus knew he needed more. The woman at the well didn’t know what living water was. She didn’t know to look for it or even know to ask for it. But Jesus introduced her to this question. As soon as He explained it to her, she’s all in! Even though it seems she doesn’t completely understand what He’s talking about, she’s now the one asking for a drink.
Think about the time in your life before you knew Jesus, or maybe after you knew Jesus but you were wandering or struggling. During those times, did Jesus ever reveal something to you that you didn’t even know you needed?
I’m a perfectionist. A high achiever. I get frustrated easily, especially when dealing with people. <The irony of being a pastor!> The Fruit of the Spirit that I am consistently and constantly working on is patience. Over the course of my life, there have been plenty of times when I’ve come to Jesus wanting Him to help me deal with an annoying or frustrating person. But the question I didn’t know I needed an answer to turned out to be this: “What is it in your heart, Ashley, that needs to change in the way you interact with this person? In what ways are you not relying on Me? In what ways are you not believing that the Gospel message applies to this person? How do you need to focus on being more like Me rather than trying to change this other person?”
Ah, Jesus can be so annoying! But He is always right! He IS patient. He reveals things to us when we need to hear them, in ways that we can respond to. That’s what He begins to do with the Samaritan woman. But then He dig even deeper.
It’s clear from their exchange that the woman at the well knew about Jews. She knew about worship; she knew about prophets. But she didn’t know Jesus until they stood there face-to-face. He slowly peeled away the layers until she got to the point that she knew who she was and who was sitting in front of her. Let me say that again. He slowly peeled away the layers until she got to the point that she knew who she was and who was sitting in front of her.
Truly knowing Jesus includes vulnerability. It means knowing and admitting who we are. It forces us to admit why Jesus is necessary in the first place! That’s an uncomfortable truth. And it was uncomfortable for her, as well. Imagine having Jesus standing in front of you and stripping bare every bad deed you have ever committed in your life. But that’s what makes knowing Jesus all the more glorious!
He says, “I see you. I value you. I love you.”
Jesus knew exactly what this woman’s biggest struggle, biggest sin, was. When He first met her at the well, He could have immediately said this to her: “Honey, you are living a life of immorality. Everyone in town knows that you’ve been with quite a few different men over the last few years. And you’re living in sin with someone right now. You need to make some major life changes.” Can you imagine? If Jesus had said that to me, I would have burst into tears and run away. There would be no follow-up conversation.
But notice that Jesus does not ignore her mistakes and say to Himself: “I know she’s got a lot of sin issues, but I don’t want to offend her or go through the awkwardness of having a hard conversation, so I’ll just ignore it.” That would’ve been wrong, too.
Instead, Jesus knows the importance of revealing sin to the sinner in a loving way. He revealed the ugly parts of the woman’s immorality and brokenness. But He also proved that it’s not enough to make Him run away from her. He stuck around to keep talking with her. He said, “I see you, I value you, I love you.”
When we truly have an encounter with Jesus, He’ll do this with us, too. Sometimes we don’t want to have our sin pointed out to us. We don’t want to make ourselves vulnerable to Christ and lay down our gross parts at His cross. But let’s remember that Jesus is kind and patient. He doesn’t point out our shortcomings without also being there to help us overcome them and change.
This made me think of another personal encounter with Jesus. I had felt the call to ministry pretty early in life. It was clear. But somewhere along the way, I thought I knew better than God. My plans were better than His. In 2001, I graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina with a Political Science degree. I had spent four years studying politics and loving state government. I worked for the Majority Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives, writing press releases, strategizing with the party, and I loved it. I applied to law schools my senior year, and the lawyers in my family had all gone to Wake Forest… And I got wait listed. Instead of wallowing, I decided to follow that call I once had, and spent the next year doing mission work in Honduras and Mexico. Now, one would think this would have been enough to re-route my plans and listen to God’s call. Instead, I applied to graduate schools to study political science. For seven miserable days, I was a student at the University of Georgia, until finally one night, I fell to my knees in my apartment and had a very clear and direct encounter with Jesus. In a quiet room, He revealed my disobedience. And I laid my waywardness before Him. I relinquished my CONTROL to Him. In that moment, He didn’t condemn me; He welcomed me. He loved me. He changed my heart. He said again to me, I see you. I am with you. I value you.
What sin do you need to hand over to Christ? What do you need to relinquish to Him? He already knows. He knows everything about us – the good, the bad, and the ugly. But He’s waiting for you to bring it to Him. 1 John says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is where deep connection happens. This is where we abide in Him, and He abides in us. This is when our connection becomes so close that encounters with Jesus are a daily event. Encounters with Jesus turn into communion, for apart from Him, we are nothing.
And once we’re so closely connected to the vine of Christ, we cannot wait to tell others! Look at how attractive the idea of no longer thirsting was to the woman at the well! Look at how quickly and enthusiastically she jumped at the chance to never thirst again. But Jesus isn’t talking about whetting her palate; He’s talking about a soul that will never rest until it rests in Him. Until it authentically KNOWS Him.
The woman at the well dropped everything and ran into town! She risked looking like a lunatic! She had wild, ridiculous, crazy hope! She was the first evangelist – because He restored her identity. He treated her with kindness and compassion. He loved her, and lavished her with love. He SAW her.
The woman who, just a few hours before, was going to the well, in the middle of the day, to avoid seeing people, comes back into town, running around, gathering up as many people as she can find. The people in town were STIRRED by her enthusiasm. And then THEY encountered Jesus and believed, too!
When we truly know Jesus, and He’s transformed our hearts, we can’t possibly keep it to ourselves. Now, I get it. The word evangelism scares us. We think it means we have to knock on doors and talk to strangers. But an encounter with Jesus changes your life. Jesus LOVES ME! Jesus changed me! And I want everyone to know that!
In John 15, Jesus talks about being the vine, and we are the branches. He calls us to abide in Him, as He abides in us. He says, “If you abide in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
When we’re connected to the vine, we naturally produce fruit – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So maybe I don’t want to knock on a door, and maybe I won’t be like the woman at the well and run into town shouting about Jesus. But I hope.. I hope… someone will come up to me and say, hey, what makes you different? And then I get to tell them about how I have encountered Jesus, and Jesus saw me.
So, if I were to ask you to tell me a story, what would you tell me? When was the last time you had a direct encounter with Christ and could not wait to tell others? When was the last time you felt so engulfed in the presence of Christ, that you knew He was abiding in you and you were abiding in Him?
· Zaccheaus made the effort to climb the tree.
· The woman reached through the crowd.
· The Samaritan woman engaged in conversation instead of just ignoring the creepy Jew at the well!
What do you need to do to find Him? Where do you need to go to feel lavished by His love and overwhelmed by His presence?
· Jesus sees you.
· He loves you.
· He values you.
· Do you see Him?
· Do you love Him?
· Do you value Him?
Maybe your response to Jesus’ Zulu greeting - sawubona - will be the traditional Zulu response - ngikhona (IN-GEE-KHONA) – which means:
· I am here.
· I am fully present with you.
· I bring all of who I am to this place and to this moment.
Jesus, I see YOU. I value YOU. I love YOU.
Amen and Amen.
