Third Sunday in Lent

 Sermon Text: John 4:5-26

 Other Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 and Romans 5:1-8


 

  1. What is the history of the Samaritan people? Read 2 Kings 17:18-33.
     
  2. By this time, the Jews and Samaritans had already had four hundred years of tension. What was a key episode in that tension? Read Ezra 4:1-5.
     
  3. Every week, we confess our faith that Jesus is 100% true God and also 100% true man. What verse(s) proves that Jesus is truly human? What verse(s) proves that Jesus is truly God?
     
  4. Jesus taught the woman that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth” (v. 24). Based on those words, what should you expect from the church you worship at and the pastor who leads worship? Based on those words, what does God expect from you in worship?
     
  5. Our congregation’s mission statement reads, “Living Water Lutheran Church exists to give the triune God’s pure gospel in word and sacrament to thirsty souls in our congregation, community, and the world.” What parts of that statement might be inspired by this text?

 

 

  1. Because the Northern Kingdom of Israel persisted in such egregious sin and impenitence, God used the Assyrians to deport the ten northern tribes. In the absence of the Israelite people, the Assyrians brought in foreigners to live in the land and work it. Those foreigners eventually adopted a number of Jewish religious customs and texts, but they clearly weren’t fully Jewish.
     
  2. When the exiles of the Southern Kingdom (Judah) returned from Babylon, they eventually began rebuilding the temple. The “surrounding peoples,” including the Samaritans, wanted to help. But since they were not the chosen people of God according to the Mosaic Covenant, the Jewish leaders refused to let them take part. Thus, the Samaritans were angry and sent letters to other government officials, hoping to derail the temple building project.
     
  3. We see that Jesus is human especially in the fact that he got tired from his journey. Of course, we see that he is human in the way that he and the women converse, just like normal humans do. We see that Jesus is truly God by his prophetic knowledge of this woman’s personal life. This backs up his claim that he is the divine Messiah.
     
  4. You should expect that your church’s worship is centered completely on the truth of God’s word and that it relies on the power of the Holy Spirit to work through that word. God expects from you that your heart and attitude at worship reflect the fruits of the Holy Spirit and that you treat God’s word as it is–the one and only truth.
     
  5. Our name is inspired, in part, from Jesus’ talk of “living water.” Jesus “gives” the living water freely, just as we seek to give the gospel without cost or required works. Jesus was most concerned about the woman’s inner thirst and soul, and so are we. Jesus acknowledged that everyone has inner, spiritual thirst, and so does our mission statement.