Sidney UMC - Third Sunday In Lent - 03/12/23 - Sermon - “Jesus Went To The Rejected!” (“The Journey to the Empty Tomb” Series: Part 3 of 7)

                                  Sunday 03/12/23 - Sidney UMC

Sermon Title:              “Jesus Went To The Rejected!”                                    (“The Journey to the Empty Tomb” Series: Part 3 of 7)      

Old Testament Scripture: Psalm 95                                           

New Testament Scripture: Romans 5:1-11   

Gospel Lesson: John 4:5-42    

          A few times now, I have seen the commercial for an organization out of Green Valley, Texas called “Mercy Ships”. This organization, according to their website, www.mercyships.org provides life changing surgeries and medical procedures for free. Not only this, the doctors, the nurses, and the surgeons on these ships all donate their time. I am not entirely sure about all of the surgeries and all of the medical procedures that “Mercy Ships” provides, but I do know that they do surgeries for cleft lips, cleft palates, and the removal of large tumors. When a child or a person has a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or a large tumor, this is sometimes visually striking.

          As a result of this, sometimes children and people are bullied, treated differently, or they feel rejected by everyone. Since they look different than the majority, they may feel outcast, broken, defective, and unloved. What the organization “Mercy Ships” does however, is provides the child or the person with the surgery or the medical care that is needed. This is often done in very impoverished countries. Should a child or a person be treated differently because they have a cleft lip, or a cleft palate, or a large tumor? No, of course not, but we all know the world that we are living in. People can be cruel and mean.

          So, these medical professionals donate their time, and sometimes it’s their own vacation time from work, so that these children and people can have normal lives, once again. Some of these children and parents are also in great pain because of their health and or medical conditions, and the organization “Mercy Ships” helps to fix or correct these realties (https://www.mercyships.org/about-us/).

          For example, one of the stories that I read from the “Mercy Ships” website was about was about a little girl in Africa named “Adama”. Let me tell you all her story. Here it is:

In central Senegal, a young woman gave birth to a baby — her firstborn child. It should have been a moment of celebration. Yet when she saw her baby, Adama, for the first time, that joy was slowly overshadowed by fear for her daughter’s future. Adama had been born with a cleft lip, and her mother knew there was nothing she could do to fix it. She believed her daughter would have a better life, so she sent her to live with her grandparents. Binta, Adama’s grandmother, took the newborn in and spent the next four years caring for her like her own. It was hard to feed Adama — a common issue for babies born with a cleft lip, leaving many struggling with malnutrition — but Binta kept trying until she was strong enough to survive. Despite the challenges, Adama’s grandparents never gave up.

Thanks to the love she received from her grandparents, Adama grew up strong and filled with curiosity. As soon as she was able, she wanted to help her grandparents work on the farm. “She would always watch us as we did our work,” said her grandfather, Issa. “She was always curious and tried to mimic our behavior to see if she could do the same.” Adama loved pushing the bounds of her curiosity, but her scope for exploration was limited. Due to her cleft lip, Adama was afraid to play with other children, as they would often look or laugh at her. Instead, she decided to stay close to her grandparents, where she felt safe.

Without access to surgery to heal Adama’s condition, Binta had begun to believe that her granddaughter’s future would always be hindered. Then one day, a spark of hope ignited. Binta heard about a hospital ship that was visiting her country. Though she was hesitant at first, she knew that this was Adama’s chance for healing. Fueled by love for her granddaughter, Binta and Adama made the long journey across the country toward the port city of Dakar, Senegal where the Africa Mercy® was docked.

After a few appointments with Mercy Ships’ healthcare volunteers, Binta could hardly believe her ears when she heard the words she never thought she would hear: Adama would receive surgery. While on board the Africa Mercy, Binta noticed her granddaughter healing both in body and spirit. “While we were on the ship, Adama’s curiosity grew immensely,” she shared. “I think it was the people on the ship who helped her to explore that side even more.” Adama even made a new friend on board, Aminata, a girl who was also healing from a cleft lip surgery. The girls became playmates, constantly giggling together and pointing at everyone around them. Thanks to the love and friendships they experienced on board, Adama recovered fully and quickly. As the two prepared for the long journey back to their community, Binta shared her gratitude for Mercy Ships: “I am so happy. Only God can do this. I thank God and all the nurses and the day crew. On the ship, Adama loved playing with the other kids and the nurses.” When Adama and Binta returned home, their whole community was in awe of the change in front of their eyes. Her grandfather, Issa, had tears in his eyes when he saw that his little girl was healed. “We have always wanted the best for her, and we would have never given up on Adama,” Issa shared. “But now she is healed, and that hard time is behind us. It is time for celebration now!” Today Adama’s childhood is free of the limitations she was born with, and her curiosity can take flight. One can only imagine what the future will hold for this little girl (https://www.mercyships.org/adama/).

          Now why would I tell you this story about the organization “Mercy Ships”? Am I getting a commission from them? No. Am I organizing a mission trip to be on one of these ships? Well, I am open to that!

          I tell you this story because it reminds me of the story in our gospel of John 4:5-42 reading for this morning about the Samaritan “woman at the well”. It must have been hard for little “Adama,” the little girl in the story that I just told you about, to be excluded. She didn’t go around the other kids because she was laughed at and felt bad.

          In a similar way, the Samaritan “woman at the well” this morning is like “Adama”. The Samaritan woman, like “Adama,” has largely been rejected by her society. Even so, Jesus meets her individually at the well, and all by himself. Why would Jesus meet this woman all by himself? Why would Jesus go to a woman that has largely been rejected by her whole society?

          Further, as this time in history, men and women did not generally interact alone unless they were family members, or the woman was the man’s wife. It was generally speaking very inappropriate for a man and woman to be alone together in the ancient Jewish culture, and some other cultures, as well. This was the case, because one could assume the wrong thing, if a man and a woman were together alone. Further, Jesus was a Jew and this woman was a Samaritan woman, of a different religion. I can imagine that this Samaritan woman, the “woman at the well” was startled that Jesus meet her at the well.

          Maybe she thought, “why is this man at the well talking to me? Surely, he knows that this is not appropriate”. Yet, Jesus goes to the rejected and largely despised woman at the well. Imagine what it must be like to be so rejected and so despised? “Adama” from the “Mercy Ships” story knows this feeling well, and maybe in different ways so do we.

          Now don’t get me wrong, the woman the well was not perfect, she made mistakes, as we all do. Jesus was not affirming these mistakes, but was instead showing his mercy and compassion. This is why my sermon title for this morning is called “Jesus Went To The Rejected!” Last Sunday, a wealthy and social prominent Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Christ at night, and was saved by Christ. Today, Christ goes not to the top of the societal later, but instead to the bottom.

          In the gospels, Jesus goes to all manner people. Jesus goes to the lepers, to the sick, to the rejected, and to everything else in between. Jesus is not telling us to live wrong, to harm others, or to be sinful, but he is saying that his saving grace and his love is for everyone. Jesus is staying that he is the savior for all the world. Jesus died for every person that we have ever laid our eyes on, and for billions that we will never lay eyes on. Jesus came for us all.

          This makes me think of our scripture for this morning from Psalm 95, that says in 95:6-7:

⁶ O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! ⁷ For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand (Ps. 95:6-7, NRSV). 

          Jesus came for all of us, and this morning “Jesus Went To The Rejected!” So often in the gospels, when Jesus healed someone or restored someone, he would tell them to that their faith has made them well. In our reading for this morning from Romans 5:1-11, we hear once again, starting in Romans 5:1:

5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, ⁴ and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, ⁵ and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us (Rom. 5:1-5, NRSV).

          What will save the “woman at the well,” the Samaritan woman, this morning in our gospel of John 4:5-42 reading? The answer is, faith in Christ. What saves us all? Faith in Christ. What transforms us and restores us? Faith in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. We are reminded in fact, this morning in Romans 5:8

 ⁸ But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8, NRSV).

          Jesus came and died for all us, and we can all be saved through turning from our sin and our brokenness and believing in Jesus Christ.

          In getting back to our gospel of John 4:5-42 reading for this morning, we know that Jesus, a Jew, meets the “woman at the well,” a Samaritan woman. We also know that this was culturally and religiously not appropriate for Jesus meet this woman alone, and vice versa. Yet, as my sermon title says, “Jesus Went To The Rejected!”

          In the beginning of this reading, the gospel tells us that Jesus was tired out from his journey, and that he sat by the well of Jacob, or Jacob’s well, to rest. It was about noon or 12:00 PM and the “woman at the well” came to draw water. Most people would not want to draw water at noon, as it was hottest time of the day. Most people would likely draw water early in the morning when it was cooler.

          In picking up in John 4:7, a Samaritan woman has come to draw water from the well in the middle of the day, or 12:00 PM. Starting in John 4:7, it says once again:

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?” (Jn. 4:7-12, NRSV).

          It seems clear that Samaritan woman at the well is startled to see Jesus, and also startled that he asks her for a drink of water. The Samaritan woman challenges Jesus’s request for water, and Jesus explains a little about who he is. The Samaritan woman then asks Jesus how he could claim that he is the Messiah and has living water. In fact, Jesus then says, picking up starting in John 4:13, once again:

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.” (Jn. 4:13-15, NRSV).

          I would seem that this point that Jesus has gotten through the to the Samaritan woman at the well, and that she is hearing him. Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that the water he can give her will cause her to never thirst again. Taking this literally, the Samaritan woman asks Jesus for this water, as to never have to go to the well ever again. Jesus of course though is talking about spiritual water.

          In response to this, Jesus challenges the Samaritan woman at the well with the reason why she is so rejected and shunned. Jesus says, picking up starting in John 4:16, once again:

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 (Jn. 4:16-19, NRSV).

          Jesus challenged the Samaritan woman, and how she was living. We don’t know her background story, but Jesus brought it to her attention. The Samaritan woman does not seem offended though, but instead seems shocked and amazed that Jesus knows all about her. After a little more conversation between the Samaritan woman at the well and Jesus, Jesus tells this woman that he is the Messiah, the savior. In fact, picking up in John 4:25, it says, once again:

 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.” 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?”                     (Jn. 4:25-29, NRSV).

          The Samaritan woman, the woman at the well, believed in and on Jesus Christ, and she was changed forever. A woman rejected, became a woman spiritually reborn. The African girl “Adama,” became like new, because of the organization “Mercy Ships”.

          Jesus’ disciples then encourage him to eat some food. Jesus then tells his disciples that he has his own food to eat. Jesus however, meant spiritual food to eat. Jesus explains that we need to be feed with and reap spiritual food. We need to save souls and transform lives through the power of the Holy Spirit.

          Further, after the Samaritan woman, or the women at the well returns to the city, the scripture says, picking up in John 4:39, saying once again:

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”                           (Jn. 4:39-42, NRSV).

          So, the Samaritan woman, the “woman at the well,” like the little girl from Africa “Adama” is changed forever. She is no longer rejected, she is changed in Christ, and now she is leading other people to Christ. Jesus came for us all, and this morning we have a great example of how “Jesus Went To The Rejected!” May we do the same! Amen.