Night vs Light
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night… - John 3:1-2
There are times when a few small words can open up worlds of insight into a story or passage of scripture. In this story, there are two little words at the very beginning of this passage that completely change the way that we read the story of Nicodemus. John makes sure to tell us that Nicodemus, a Pharisee and “ruler of the Jews,” came to Jesus (and here are the words) “by night.” Why would John draw our attention to that little detail? It doesn’t seem like the time of day really matters much to the rest of the narrative. Why do you think that he came to Jesus “by night”?
Well, my Mom told me the answer to that question many times growing up. She would tell me, “Nothing good happens after dark!” I used to roll my eyes at her, but now that I have kids, I find myself wanting to say the same thing to my kids. Why? Because I remember the kind of trouble that I used to get into when I was younger, and I know that there are just more opportunities for trouble when the lights are low. Maybe it’s because there are fewer people out, or you are less likely to be seen, but all I know is that Mom’s wisdom, although I hate to admit it, is pretty accurate.
So, maybe John adds this detail to let us know that Nicodemus was doing something naughty by going to see Jesus. Of course, we wouldn’t see it as naughty at all… from our perspective, we see this as the best possible choice because we know who Jesus really is and we know how much he can help. However, from the perspective of a good “leader of Israel,” to go and learn from this rebel Rabbi named Jesus, would have been highly inappropriate. So maybe Nicodemus didn’t want people to know that he was interested in Jesus.
Hmm. Do you know anyone who sneaks around and sorta wants to hide their faith? We don’t really need the night anymore to hide. We can even hide in our churches. We might be open about our faith in the light of day on Sundays, at church, but what about the rest of the week? I know that there have been times when I have been tempted to hide my faith, or at least to avoid bringing it out into the light. Maybe this is a challenge for us today. What are some ways that we can bring our relationship with Jesus out into the light today?
Josh Rose
Discipleship Pastor
Stay Thirsty My Friends
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” - John 4:7
I find it interesting that the reason that we have this famous story that has been called “The Woman at the Well,” all because Jesus was thirsty. It was Jesus’ thirst that created this moment. It was his thirst that led to a conversation that was life-changing for this unnamed woman. It was his thirst that led her to find enough forgiveness and healing to go out and tell her whole town about a man she just met (a town that had previously treated her as an outcast). In the end, Jesus’ thirst led to a situation in which, “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony” (John 4:39). Aren’t you glad that Jesus was thirsty?
However, I want you to notice that the thirst that Jesus had, led the woman to a deeper thirst. Jesus’ thirst was physical… His body needed H2O (a chemical compound that he had created for physical bodies that he designed to be dependent on). However, the thirst in her that Jesus wanted to satisfy was a spiritual thirst. It wasn’t for a chemical compound but for a spiritual turnaround. She needed to rely on a new source of energy, and this is what Jesus gave. In this way, Jesus’ thirst was contagious. His thirst led to her thirst.
In a way, this is just as true for us as it was for this woman. We need Jesus’ thirst to lead to our thirst. We need Jesus’ thirst to become contagious for us. And this is because this was not the last time that Jesus was thirsty. John records that on the cross, some of Jesus’ final words were, “I thirst” (19:28). This thirst must have been this same mixture of the physical and spiritual. Yes, his body needed H2O, but I think the thirst that Jesus experienced on the cross was much more than that. At this moment he was experiencing the lack of “living water” for the first time in the 33 or so years that he walked this earth. In fact, this was the first and only time that Jesus’ thirst would be spiritual ever! Jesus, the Son of God, did not have a beginning, so for all of eternity, he had drunk freely from these waters of true life. This is why the lack of it, even for a relatively short period, was so excruciatingly painful to him.
But, he endured it, so that we might thirst for those same waters. I hope today that Jesus’ thirst would be contagious for you in a new way today. I pray that we would become thirsty, stay thirsty, and help others become thirsty for the true living water that only Jesus can provide. The best way I can say this is, “Stay thirsty my friends.” I hope you will.
Josh Rose
Discipleship Pastor
When Life Leaves You “High and Dry”
When I was growing up I remember singing a song that had these words in it: “Heartaches, broken people, ruined lives are why you died on Calvary. Your touch is what I long for. You have given life to me.” I thought of the essence of this song’s message as I read and reread Jesus’ interaction with this woman at the well.
Here’s why. After speaking to her in verses 13 and 14 about drinking one kind of water and the certainty of getting thirsty again, and about drinking another kind of water and the certainty of never getting thirsty again, He instructs her to go call her husband. Why would He do that? What does her husband have to do with her thirst? What does Jesus know about her? About us?
Well, He knows that she, like we, all experience on some level and to some degree what the song lyrics point to - heartaches, brokenness, and ruin. And He knows that, like the woman at the well, we are a people who carry around hurts, disappointments, and regrets. (Anyone who has been through what this woman has most likely been through - the pain of divorce or the loss of a spouse - can attest to this.) And because of that, we, like she, thirst for wholeness, healing, acceptance, and a love that will never leave us. In other words, we thirst for “water” that will leave us in a place where we won’t ever get “thirsty” again. Fortunately, we have access to that water, for we have access to Jesus and His Spirit.
Emmanuel Faith, the encouragement from the Scriptures today is to either receive, by faith in Him, the living water that He offers or to remind ourselves that we already have in Him all that we will ever need to quench our thirst, whatever that thirst may be. And the challenge today is simply this: Drink Deeper.
Scott Smith
Care Pastor
Crossing Barriers
Jesus sees beyond the Samaritan’s woman’s ethnicity, gender, and religion. Instead, He sees her brokenness, her heartache, her failed relationships, and her deeply rooted shame and guilt. Jesus comes with love and understanding, but even more than that, He comes with grace and truth to set this woman free; from her sin, free from condemnation and judgment, free to live the life she was created for.
I knew a woman like her; who at 38 years old, needed to be set free from the mess she had made of her life. Two failed marriages prompted one bad choice after another; deeply sinful choices that resulted in public shame and humiliation. Jesus met her at the well and offered her forgiveness and freed her to live the life He created for her. She couldn’t wait to reckon her old woman dead and tell other women how they could find freedom too. She is 68 years old today and still sharing her story with broken women who need Jesus. She never looked back; only moved forward to live the life she was created for; confident in the love of her Savior. This woman is me; forever set free.
Margy Hill
Free for the Asking
Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
As a mother, I always wanted the best for our three sons, but not only did we not have the means to give them everything they may have wanted, I knew that in the long run giving them too much of what they wanted at the moment wasn’t healthy for them. I also knew they needed to be taught early the value of things and that they had to be worked for.
In John 4, Jesus is saying, if the Samaritan woman had asked him for a drink, he would have given her more than she asked for–water that would quench her physical thirst, but also her spiritual thirst and abundant life. But notice he said, “if you knew the gift,” and the giver, and if you asked –he (Jesus) would have given you living water.”
Remember in John 16:24 when Jesus said “Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete”. In John 14:14, Jesus instructs the disciples to ask anything in “his name” and he will do it. Praying in Jesus' name acknowledges his authority. Does that mean we ask and get anything or everything we want? No, but neither will we possibly get the things our Father deems beneficial if we don’t ask. He wants a relationship with us, the honest kind where we express our hurts, desires, or wants as long as we ask according to his good and perfect will. Our sovereign Father sees the motivation of our hearts and clearly sees down the road where we can’t see what is best for us.
The gift Jesus offered the Samaritan woman (and us) has already been paid for and is free. How often is anything in life really free? She didn’t have to do a thing to receive it but ask. Jesus paid the price, he is the living water, and there are no conditions on this gift if we just ask.
Sometimes we find ourselves in a dry desert of life and we need to ask again for a fresh cup of living water. Have you experienced or are you now in a dry desert spiritually? If so, spend time sharing your feelings with Jesus today, ask him for refreshment, then take time to listen and watch for his answer. He loves you and wants to make your joy complete.
Deb Hill
Living Water
It was day four of a seven-day backpacking trip. The summer had been dry, very dry. I was guiding a group of 12 high schoolers through the Colorado wilderness, nightfall was rapidly approaching and we had no water. I was nervous. Looking at my map, I knew that there was supposed to be an intermittent stream coming soon, but I had my doubts that it would have any water running. We got to it and, sure enough, it was dry as a bone. The kids were thirsty, I was thirsty, and we were running out of options. We finally stumbled across a pond created by a beaver dam. Definitely not an ideal source of water, but when you’re that thirsty, anything will do. So, we put a few extra drops of iodine in our bottles and prayed! Water had never been so refreshing.
People who lived in an arid climate 2,000 years ago understood better than we do just how essential water is. Our bodies are made up of roughly 60% water. That’s why, when you go to the hospital, one of the first things they’ll do is get you adequately hydrated. You can only live three days without water. Water is the most fundamental element necessary for life. And so, it was a metaphor that Jesus used to talk about the kind of life he came to offer.
When Jesus came to a Samaritan woman drawing water at noon at a well, he said to her,10 “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” (John 4:10) He goes on and describes this “living water” further by saying, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14) That’s quite the promise! Jesus used “living water” to talk about the kind of satisfaction our souls long for and the very thing he came to offer.
One thing to notice is that Jesus claims the life he brings “wells up on the inside.” He’s saying there is nothing outside of you that can truly satisfy the thirst that is deep within you. There are many ways we assume that external water will satisfy - setting our hope on a relationship, career, political movement, or money. Even if those endeavors are successful, they are like splashing water on our faces - refreshing, but not satisfying.
I think all of us are like that group I was with traveling along that trail. Jesus is our good guide and he knows that there’s a spring bursting forth with living water, but we must follow him to find it. Jesus is your Good Shepherd and he wants to lead to still water. His water. Will you turn to him as your source of soul satisfaction? Will you allow his love to fill you and his Spirit to well up in you? Turn to him today.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
It Is Well
Series: Discovering Jesus | Text: John 4:1-45
Speaker: Pastors Ryan Paulson & Esteban Tapia
June 11, 2023: Pastors Ryan Paulson & Esteban Tapia completed the first portion of our series from the Gospel of John, Discovering Jesus. We hope you enjoyed studying this section of the Scriptures with us. This sermon message was entitled It Is Well.
To Believe is to Obey
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life - John 3:36
I love the way that John wrote this sentence! Especially because it doesn’t say what we expect it to say. The internal logic of the sentence is imbalanced and I think there is a lot for us to learn from that fact. John is setting up a contrast, and after saying “whoever believes…” one would expect him to follow that up with “whoever does not believe…” However, he doesn’t do that. He says, “Whoever does not obey…” It would seem as if John is suggesting that belief and obedience are two sides of the same coin, but before we land on that conclusion, let’s explore the idea a bit.
It is true that in the Hebrew mindset, the concepts of belief and obedience are very closely connected. My Hebrew Professor at Seminary explained this relationship with an all too familiar illustration of being pulled over by a police officer. If an officer walks up to your window and says, “Do you know what the speed limit is?” My professor explained that in the Hebrew language, there is no appropriate way to say “yes” if you were driving faster. You would have to say, “no, I did not know what the speed limit was.” Apparently, the language itself would require you to say, “I was not knowing the speed limit as I was driving.” Likewise, when we are in active disobedience to God, we are not knowing or believing God. This is why Jesus would say, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples” (John 8:31). It isn’t just about believing, it is about holding to them… obeying them.
However, I’m not sure that John would suggest that belief is exactly the same as obedience. There may be a close relationship, but it isn’t a one-to-one relationship. The words aren’t interchangeable. Theologically speaking, you can say, “Whoever believes is also obeying,” but you can’t say “Whoever obeys, also believes.” The relationship between the two concepts only seems to go in one direction. To believe is to obey (or at least it should be), but to obey is not necessarily to believe. A person can obey for all sorts of reasons that don’t depend on belief. Some people obey out of fear of punishment, others for selfish reasons. The act of obeying in and of itself, is not enough. Obedience must be accompanied by belief for it to lead to eternal life. And isn’t that what we want? So maybe, we need to think about our own relationship with the word “obedience.” Maybe it is a bigger deal than we realized.
Josh Rose
Discipleship Pastor
Above All
Jesus Christ’s position and authority are prominent elements of the Apostle John’s introductory chapters. Again and again he emphasizes where Jesus came from.
John 1:1-2, In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
And then he hits that same message again.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
And again.
John 3:3 “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
And then again and again in the same verse.
John 3:31 The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all.
Jesus’ position (from above/heaven) and his power (above all) are fundamental truths. Those truths allowed John the Baptist to humble himself and let his ministry dwindle as Jesus’ ministry grew. “He must increase and I must decrease” John 3:30. Imagine a pastor of a church today happily watching his church shrink while the church down the street grew and grew. That is how John the Baptist’s ministry shrank in relation to Jesus’ growing popularity and following. But it was just what John was waiting for.
Am I trying to outshine Jesus? Am I trying to grow myself or my thing instead of elevating Jesus’ name?
People struggle to take Jesus’ position as the lords of their own lives without ever having Jesus’ perspective. Humans strive to be on top, but are of the earth and speak of earthly things. Only Jesus is “from above” and therefore worthy and able to be above all.
Please pause for a moment and consider if Jesus is “Above All” in your life right now.
Pastor John Riley
Jr. High Ministry
He Must Increase
Several years ago, during a gap between full-time ministry positions, I was able to serve as interim pastor for a small congregation. The church was conducting a search process for its new pastor so I knew my ministry there would be short term. Even so, I felt blessed to preach each Sunday, to work alongside church leadership, and care for the congregation. Before long the congregation selected a pastoral candidate to interview then soon voted to call him as their new pastor. Even though that meant I was given two weeks' notice to wrap up as the interim, I rejoiced that the Lord was providing a new shepherd for that precious congregation. A short time later, they invited me to come back and assist at the new pastor’s installation service. It was a joy to stand beside other leaders as we all laid hands on him and prayed for God’s anointing upon his new ministry. I’m truly grateful to have had a role in helping that congregation during their pastoral search and installation of a new lead shepherd.
During the 1st century, John the Baptist enjoyed a brief but powerful interval of public ministry in Israel. For a short time, he led a group of devoted disciples and untold numbers of Jews responded to his prophetic call to “repent and be baptized!” That all changed drastically when Jesus of Nazareth came down to the Jordan River where John was baptizing and convinced him to officiate over his own baptism. At that moment John saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus from heaven and the Father spoke from above declaring, “You are My beloved son!” After baptizing Jesus, John realized that his ministry “calling” had been fulfilled and that his own influence would now need to decrease rather than increase.
This news was deeply disappointing for John’s disciples. John 3:26-29 tells how John consoled them about this by picturing his own ministry role beside Jesus like that of the best man at a wedding. The best man’s duty is to do all in his power to provide for the needs of the bridegroom on his wedding day. And the best man’s reward is seeing the radiant joy of the bridegroom as the wedding unfolds! John the Baptist had no qualms about exiting the ministry stage and letting the public spotlight shift onto Jesus. In fact, John’s heartfelt desire was for Jesus’ ministry to fulfill all that had been prophesied about the coming Messiah by the prophets of old!
Like John, we all go through seasons of service and times of stepping aside. John 3:26-29 is a reminder that whatever role(s) you may fill during your life, there will likely be times when you are called to step aside, hand over the reins, pass the baton, and celebrate someone new stepping into a role that you once filled. May you find joy in seeing God’s blessing in the lives and success of others around you, especially those called to serve the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ!
Pastor Dave Korinek
