Boldness: The Woman at the Well Part 2

00:00:00 Speaker 1: My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. John four thirty six. Dear Lord, you are holy, worthy of praise and the sustainer of life. In you we find our ultimate fulfillment and purpose. We pray that there would be a longing, a craving for your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Just as we seek to nourish ourselves daily with food, we want to intentionally accomplish the work You've set out for us. Give us the vision to see what that work is, give us the strength to accomplish it, and give us joy even when the work is difficult. May the world be blessed by our testimony of faithfulness. In Jesus name, we pray, Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast, dramatized gospel stories to awaken your imagination and strengthen your faith. Remain here for part two of Jesus' interaction with the Woman at the Well. Follow this podcast on whatever platform you're listening to. Doing so will keep you updated, but also help us get discovered by more people. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world. Thanks for making that possible. 00:01:40 Speaker 2: Believe me when I say a time is coming when people will worship the Father. Neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship in ignorance, for salvation comes from the Jews. But I'm telling you a time is coming and has now come, when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Those are the worshippers the Father will seek out. It doesn't matter which hill they praise upon. God is spirit and his worshippers. They must worship in spirit and in truth. 00:02:17 Speaker 1: Zamayra's throat clenched. The thought of being able to worship anywhere seems so foreign, yet so beautiful. Her connection to God had been severed. As of late. She had been made an outcast among the religious and faithful. She dared not enter the common gates of worship. She was too ashamed, too dirty. 00:02:43 Speaker 3: So you say, I know that the Messiah is coming soon, and when he comes, all these debates will be settled. 00:02:51 Speaker 2: He'll explain everything to us. 00:02:54 Speaker 1: Jesus looked at Zamairah for a long time. For a brief moment, a gentle breeze whistled through the arid valley. It was a pleasant balm to the sun's scorched faces. Jesus eyes shone with a wisdom brighter than the sun above him. With the same voice that spoke life and light into the chaotic void, Jesus declared, I the one speaking to you, Am He. 00:03:29 Speaker 4: We've all done something that scares us at some point in our lives, something good that required a leap of faith, but still shook us to our core. It gave us pause before we leapt. Maybe for you, that was the moment you decided to put your faith in Jesus. When we see who Christ is in our lives and the hope that he offers us, it gives us a boldness to follow him and live our lives for him. Welcome back to the Jesus Podcast, a year of biblical storytelling created to awaken your imagination and challenge your faith. I'm Zach, your host frompray dot Com. This week's episode is an exciting continuation of the story of the Woman at the Well. We're a few months into this podcast now, and we've noticed that half the people who listen to the podcast have yet to be following it on Spotify, Apple, or iHeart. Be sure to click that follow button so the episodes are sent directly to you. This is a great way to support the podcast, since more followers helps us to be seen by more people. In this podcast space, it's hard to get noticed, so we appreciate your partnership in making the Gospel known to the masses. In our last episode, we met Zamira, who is a Samaritan woman and an outcast caught in her sin. She scorned by others, and she even scorns herself. She pulls herself away from community and accepted a life of solitude and rejection. She spiraled further and further into her own sin, not just having one husband's but five, going from man to man, living with person to person. But in his loving way, Jesus wants to free Zamia from the life she trapped herself in. He wants to show her the incredible potential that she has in God's eyes. Today's story will not just give us more insight into Jesus's interaction with this woman, but it's also going to give us an important lesson on how we live in boldness before God and others. When Jesus redeems us He transforms us and calls us to step boldly into our destinies. Jesus's words and actions are going to confuse the disciples, but they're going to enliven the hearts of Zamirah and all the other Samaritans in her town. There's an exponential impact that you and I can have when we find joy in the Lord, freedom for our sin, and new life in Christ. 00:05:43 Speaker 2: I the one speaking to you, am He. 00:05:47 Speaker 3: What did you say? 00:05:48 Speaker 1: Samirra's eyes widened. 00:05:50 Speaker 2: You have spoken about the Messiah and have waited to hear the truth from him. I the one speaking to you, am He. 00:05:59 Speaker 1: Samara's rough exterior crumbled in an instant, like the walls of Jericho. Her bottom lip quivered, and a single tear streamed down her cheek. Everything she had just heard, all the talk about living water and worshiping in the spirit, was coming from the Messiah himself. He wasn't just a prophet. He wasn't some random rabbi passing through stopping just to preach to her. He was the I Am, the one from ancient days, and he was speaking to her. An outcast. Zamia's heart was nearly beating out of her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but before she could say anything, she saw Jesus disciples ascending the hill to the well. The disciples marched up the hill from Cycar with sacks of bread and dates. They were less irritated now that they had food, but still uncomfortable about being in Samaria. 00:07:10 Speaker 5: Oh I hate Samaritan. 00:07:11 Speaker 1: Bread, John whined, with his mouth full. 00:07:14 Speaker 5: They don't use the right oil. 00:07:17 Speaker 1: He peered up the hill and saw Jesus speaking with a woman, a Samaritan woman. The disciples couldn't hear what they were saying, but could see that she was trembling and holding back tears. 00:07:31 Speaker 5: What is Rabbi doing with that Samaritan woman? 00:07:33 Speaker 2: Name one rabbi you know that would speak to a Samaritan woman alone? 00:07:38 Speaker 5: Why is he talking to her? Ask him yourself? You ask, I wouldn't dare. 00:07:46 Speaker 2: It doesn't matter. 00:07:47 Speaker 5: Look she's leaving. 00:07:49 Speaker 1: The disciples watched the woman run down the hill without her water jars. She moved swiftly, laughing and crying hysterically. John speculated, mouth still full of bread. The men finally reached Jesus. I'm sure if they should ask him about the woman. 00:08:09 Speaker 2: Rabbi. 00:08:10 Speaker 5: We brought food. The bread isn't as good as back home, but the dates are terrific. 00:08:15 Speaker 1: Jesus gaze was locked on the valley between the well and psychar. He watched the woman run into the city and smiled. He turned to his disciples and replied. 00:08:27 Speaker 2: I have food to eat that you know nothing about. 00:08:30 Speaker 5: I told you he took too long. Did someone bring him food already? 00:08:34 Speaker 1: James whispered to Simon, nudging him accusingly. 00:08:38 Speaker 5: How should I know? 00:08:39 Speaker 2: Maybe that woman fed him my food. James and Simon is to do the will of him who sent me. I am satisfied by finishing his work. 00:08:50 Speaker 1: Jesus approached them and turned them all around. He pointed to the farm land stretched out on the horizon. 00:08:58 Speaker 2: Look here, do you see these fields? Do you see they are ripe for harvest? Even now? There are men working and reaping in those fields who didn't plant the seeds. The ones who sow the seeds and reaped the harvest worked together joyfully. I am sending you to reap where you have not planted. Others will have done the hard work before you, But you, my friends, will get to reap the benefits of their labor. 00:09:29 Speaker 1: The disciples struggle to understand what Jesus was saying. Jesus teachings continually stretched their minds. With a sly smile and nod of his head, he gestured to the city. A large crowd of Samaritans were pouring out of Psychar, swiftly headed toward them. At the front of the crowd was the woman Jesus had just been speaking to. Jesus chuckled to himself and said. 00:09:56 Speaker 2: See for yourself what I mean. The seeds have been and now the harvest has come. 00:10:04 Speaker 1: Zamaira left everything behind and ran down the hill towards Sychar. There was no doubt in her mind that Jesus was exactly who he said he was. Not only had he known about her shameful past, but the things that he said gave her hope, pure and unbridled hope. 00:10:28 Speaker 3: It's him, it's him, He's here. 00:10:32 Speaker 1: Zamira blew into the city like a tornado, turning to everyone she saw, declaring. 00:10:39 Speaker 3: Come, come and see the man who knows everything about me and all I've ever done. We all know what you've done, Zemirah. 00:10:48 Speaker 1: A few of them snickered. For once, Zamaira was unbothered by them. 00:10:54 Speaker 3: You don't understand. This man is a rabbi from Judea. He knew everything about me. He spoke of the spirit truth. 00:11:03 Speaker 1: And Zamirah looked to the hills, tears streaming down her smiling cheeks. She shouted for everyone in the town square to hear. 00:11:14 Speaker 3: You know me, you know what I've done and where I've come from. You know I hide from every one of you. I walked to the well during the day to avoid your judgment. So you know when I tell you this boldly, it means something. Come to the well, Come and see this man. He could be the one. He could be the Messiah we'd been waiting for. 00:11:40 Speaker 1: Zamirah paused and looked out at the sea of faces. She felt a tinge of shame creeping up again. She felt vulnerable, but she knew there was something great to behold, something otherworldly than worth the risk of being judged. Amrah urged them again follow me. She began walking away, unsure if any would follow. She dared not look back, She dared not seek validation by the number of people who followed her. But to her relief and dismay, she heard the footsteps of dozens of people following her. She bit her lip and held back tears. She rolled her shoulders back confidently, quickened her pace, and led the people up to see Jesus. Dozens of Samaritans summited the hill, eager to hear the mens and Myrah called the Messiah. Jesus turned to his disciples, saying, do you see what happens when the seed falls upon good soil. The disciples wore faces of shock and apprehension at the mob of Samaritans. It made them uncomfortable, but everything calmed when Jesus raised his. 00:13:02 Speaker 2: Hands welcome friends. 00:13:05 Speaker 1: He embraced them. They sat at his feet and learned from him. He spoke about the kingdom, what it means to worship in spirit, and the God who loved them. They all came to understand what Zemirah knew he was the Messiah. Jesus remained with them for two days, teaching and enjoying their company. He attended their worship services, sat at their tables, and engaged with their teachers. One by one. The entire village of Saikar was brimming with unbridled hope. At one of jesus teachings, a woman turned to Zamairah with guilt etched in her eyes. She touched Zamayra's shoulder and said, I. 00:13:55 Speaker 3: Believed at first because of what you said, but now I have heard it myself. This man really is the savior of the world. 00:14:05 Speaker 1: Samaira felt a weight lift off her shoulders. For so long she had wrestled with rejection and looked for acceptance in all the wrong places. The shame of her choices left her hiding in the shadows. But now in the presence of Jesus, she felt belonging and boldness. The life she lived before Jesus was gone, the life she lived after him was filled with hope and potential. 00:14:44 Speaker 4: I want you to think about the boldest person you know. Maybe it's an athlete you look up to, maybe it's one of your parents. What qualities do they possess. When we think of boldness, it's often associated with the absence of fear, but in reality, boldness is the ability to overcome fear by finding strength and comfort in something or someone who helps us take a stand for what we believe in as we face our fear and embrace the love of Christ. John tells us in One John four eighteen that there is no fear in love and that perfect love drives out all fear. There's four lessons about boldness that we want to learn from today's story. The first is that Jesus gives us boldness to worship freely. In her deflections, Zamira begins to talk about worship and asks where the proper place to worship is. At this, Jesus takes the time to expand her understanding of what genuine worship of the Lord is. He explains that the Samaritans don't have a comprehensive understanding of worship, but that the Father was calling true worshippers who would worship him in spirit and in truth to something greater, something greater than a temple, something greater than a mount, something greater than a religious system. Jesus explains that the heart of true worship isn't just about a physical space, but also about the posture of our heart. Arts Worship isn't a ritual that makes us right before God. It's a response of adoration and appreciation for His glory and goodness in our lives throughout creation. Worshiping is a moment of connection where we come before God to sing his praises alongside others. Who have found their hope in him as well. When we accept that Jesus is the Messiah, he gives us the boldness to lift up his name in heartfelt and genuine worship, and it inspires and emboldens others as well. The louder your worship, the more emboldened other people feel to worship alongside you. And we're not just talking about musical worship here. We're not just talking about a moment where you sing hymns or you hear a band play on a Sunday morning. We're talking about the worship of our lives. We're talking about the obedience and the response of the call of God to live by the spirit and bless the people around us. As the Disciples enter the scene, we also learn that Jesus gives us a boldness to welcome other people. Perhaps some of us don't fully relate to the woman at the well. Maybe you've been bless by a great community your whole life and you haven't experienced the gravity of the type of sin that Zimira was lost in. Maybe you've been blessed by a great community and close friends, and for you, there's a lot to glean from the Disciples in this situation. As the Disciples return from town, they find Jesus in deep conversation with the woman at the well and are very curious about his actions. In stiffening silence, they observe the Lord, trying to understand his intentions. It's apparent that their customs are skewing the way they see Jesus. Here you see Jesus is welcoming a Samaritan woman, and as we spoke of in our last episode, this was scandalous of the time. Their prejudice and their customs are keeping them from truly embracing the people that Jesus embraced on a daily basis. The Disciples were learning that the Gospel is often offensive to cultural norms. This world operates in contradiction to the Kingdom of God, and Jesus has come to flip it right side up. As they intently watch Jesus and his interaction with the woman at the well, the discipleiples were learning an important and necessary lesson about the Gospel, and he was going to set an example for them. It seems that they had forgotten their own sense of loneliness and worthlessness that they were experiencing when Jesus found them and called them to follow him. But they were going to be reminded that the power of Christ is enough to save anyone from their sin, regardless of background, regardless of sin, regardless of socioeconomic status, culture, or creed. Here's a harsh reality, but a beautiful reality all at once. No one is deserving of God's love and salvation. To say that any one person can't receive it is to say that no one can. Everyone has a debt for their sin to pay. The very act of redemption speaks to Jesus paying that Christ through his sacrifice on the cross, so that we could experience freedom from sin and a sense of belonging to him. We are all outcasts, and Jesus has come to bring every single one of us in. For us to point out a specific people group or a specific person and say, well, they're not worthy of jesus redemption is actually pointing more of an egregious finger towards ourselves. The Gospel of Grace should empower us to welcome everyone into the fold, welcome everyone into the church, welcome everyone into the community of God, just as Jesus has. This story also teaches us that Jesus gives us boldness to proclaim his name. As zamir discovered who Jesus was, she ran off to the city to tell others about what had just happened. She was so overjoyed at meeting the Messiah that she can't contain herself. Despite her past experiences with the people of Csycar, Zamirah wanted others to meet Jesus to experience what she had just experienced. When we have a real encounter with Jesus, it changes the way we view our lives and our pasts. It gives us a new perspective on what actually matters, and so we're no longer held back by shame, but rather experience a boldness and a freedom to go and tell others about what Jesus has done in our lives. For Zamirah, that started with her ability to overcome her fear of others and the judgment that she had always received from them. When Jesus's thoughts towards us are more important than those of the people around us, we can boldly tell others about him without fear. So let me pose that statement in the form of a question. Are you more concerned about the opinions of others than you are with the redemption and the story of God. If we simply focus on his beauty, nothing else matters. But if that first step of faith to profess Jesus as the Lord's sounds intimidating, it's okay. Proclaiming Jesus requires a certain level of vulnerability, but it's called the leap of faith for a reason. We can trust that what God says to us is true, and that He will strengthen and protect us as we spread His gospel in every area of our lives. In Matthew ten, Jesus caused the twelve apostles to himself to send them out to proclaim the message. He says this in verse twenty one through twenty Do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of the Father speaking through you. God gives us the spirit to be bold and provides us with the words to speak to others. As Zamierra begins proclaiming the Gospel, we learn a final and beautiful lesson. Jesus gives us the boldness to approach him. At first, the people of Zaikar are meeting Zamira as they would normally, they make passive, aggressive comments, meriant to tear her down, but she holds onto the boldness that she has found in Jesus and continues to urge them to follow her to meet the Messiah. As she turns around, heart full of hope, the spirit moves in power as people begin to follow her to the place where her life changed forever. It wasn't Zamira who was going to change their hearts. All she could do was act as a messenger. But sure enough, as they see Zamira's passion and approach Jesus themselves, they are given boldness as well. They worship him at that well, and thus fulfilling what Jesus said that the true worshippers were gonna worship in spirit and in truth. It wasn't gonna be about what culture or creed you come from. It wasn't gonna be about whether you went to this temple or that synagogue. It was gonna be you boldly approaching Jesus, feeling at ease and comforted, to be at his feet and learn from him and embrace him as your savior. The author of Hebrews tells us this, Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. If you want the same boldness, it simply starts with coming before Jesus, confessing your sins and receiving his forgiveness, and following him into new life. Be bold and find strength in him today, because there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God. In our next episode, we'll face the concept of grief, loss, and hope. How does Jesus meet us in our despair? Thanks again for joining us for the Jesus Podcast. You know what to do. Make sure to rate, leave a review, subscribe, and share this podcast with a friend. Thanks for being part of this movement, a movement of storytellers, a movement of people that want to be more enamored and immersed in the story of Jesus.