Tag: Robert Alter

Updated: 6/6/2026

Sermon Prep

When I prepped this message, I was on medical leave from 4/13 through 5/25 and had a lot of prep time. The reason I was on leave was because I was being diagnosed for what would eventually be diagnosed as MS (i.e. Multiple Sclerosis) on 5/8 after weeks of various tests and meeting with specialists. With that, beyond appreciating extra family time and de-stressing I worked on this sermon throughout that leave. With that, I did a lot more research than I typically would for a sermon.

Given this is one of the most well known stories of Jesus by the general public, I focused on the wedding aspect of this message. This aspect of John 4 largely originates with Lyle Eslinger and Robert Alter who I relied on for this teaching, along with many others as well. I’ve also heard some say the betrothal-type scene is actually John 2-4, which I made sure to mention when I preached. On that note, here’s the notes below and the YouTube recording:

Sermon Notes

Intro

• There’s nothing quite like wedding portraits (Slide 1). Then annual family pics (Slide 2).

Main Point

• In this wedding portrait of Jesus, he gives living water to all who believe in him as Lord.

Jesus Gives Living Water | John 4 (NRSVue)

“[1] Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” [2] (although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized), [3] he left Judea and started back to Galilee. [4] But he had to go through Samaria. [5] So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. [7] A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” [8] (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) [9] The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) [10] 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.” [11] The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? [12] Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” [13] Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, [14] but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” [15] The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” [17] The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband,’ [18] for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” [19] The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. [20] Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” [21] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] But the hour is coming and is now here when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. [24] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” [25] The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” [26] Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” 

• Jesus had to go through Samaria out of divine necessity for greater mission (John 4:4).
  • Typically Jews went around Samaria believing that Samaritans were unclean.
• Jacob’s Well isn’t in the Bible, but Sychar was gifted to Joseph which had it (John 4:5-6).
• There is a double entendre (i.e. two meanings) at play for these 5 husbands (John 4:18).
  • Assyrians brought 5 Baals (husbands) into Samaria causing covenant infidelity.
• Jesus sidesteps mountain debate declaring worship is where God dwells (John 4:20).

“[27] Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” [28] Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, [29] “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” [30] They left the city and were on their way to him. [31] Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” [33] So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” [34] Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. [35] Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. [36] The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. [37] For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ [38] I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” [39] Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. [41] And many more believed because of his word. [42] They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.””

• Jesus paraphrases Amos 9:11-15 to disciples; Isaiah 55 prophecy fulfilled (John 4:27-38).
• In spite of Jesus’ Jerusalem trips, the Samaritans know Jesus as Messiah (John 4:39-44).
  • Samaritans accepted the Torah, so Messiah is modeled after Moses not David.
    • Therefore, they received Jesus as Messiah (Read Deuteronomy 18:15-22).
• Jesus goes to Galilee and is welcomed because of the first sign (John 2:23 → John 4:45).
• In Cana, a royal official begs Jesus to heal his son who was going to die (John 4:46-47).

“[48] Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” [49] The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” [50] Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way.”

• After inquiring about son; he “believed, along with his whole household.” (John 4:53).
  • Samaritans and the household believed based on Jesus’ own word over wonders.

Why It Matters

• John 4 follows betrothal type-scene found in Genesis 24, 29, and Exodus 2 (meet cute).
  • Bridegroom travels to a foreign land encountering a woman at a well. Water is drawn and the woman runs home to tell family, ending with betrothal/marriage.
  • Genesis/Exodus: well meeting → journey → wedding feast. John 2-4 reverses it.
• The bridegroom is Jesus (John 3:29); the bride is covenant people (Hosea 2 + Ezekiel 16).
• Torah covenants → Jesus is now “the mediator of a new covenant” (Hebrews 12:24).
  • This new covenant decontaminates and washes away sin giving us a fresh start.

Power Text

“[Acts 10:47] Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”… [1 Corinthians 12:13] For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

• This living water is received by the Spirit dwelling in us, then followed by water baptism.
  • For baptized believers, the Spirit’s well of eternal life is a gift that can’t dry up.

Outro

• Is Jesus the best man or the bridegroom? Just an honorable man or husband and Lord?

Final Thoughts

This message in spite of my thorugh prep, didn’t turn out the way I wanted. It was an okay message, but we had lots of sound issues which really bothered me in the moment. Because I was annoyed already, the message delivery wasn’t at my best because of the distraction.

In general, the first half was rough and got better as I went along during this sermon. The table talks were better than the message, which was good but I was still discouraged during that too. Mostly because the whole betrothal type-scene many disregarded altogether. I think the strong medication I had begun taking the Friday before this Sunday may have affected my preaching too. I just couldn’t think straight as I shared this sermon.

Even today as I write this blog I’m feeling a lot more fatigue throughout the day. It’s an unfortunate diagnosis and thing to deal with, but there’s no point in asking why me. The better question is what now? What does God have planned for me now that I have this MS diagnosis? I don’t know what’s next, but I know the God who does. With that, Godspeed and Jesus bless.