By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, February 22, 2009 · Transfiguration of the Lord
Sermon Text: John 4:1-11
Sermon Theme
On the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James and John see Jesus as they have never seen him before. Jesus is revealed to them in a new way. Throughout the Gospel of John, people see Jesus in ways which change their whole outlook on life. They, like the woman at the well, are often needy and alone. Jesus encounters them and changes their whole life. They think they see Jesus. However, they only see him partially (I Cor. 13:12). Jesus reveals himself as a living, dynamic power they had not known before. He is the “living water.” As we prepare to enter the season of Lent, we may assume that we know Jesus. Yet Jesus, like an underground spring, is about to burst forth. Jesus becomes transformed before our eyes. We need to look with new eyes. We then are changed forever.
Sermon Outline
- Alone. The nameless woman comes to the well alone. There are many examples in scripture of people who come alone and in need to a well. These include Abraham’s servant searching for a wife for Isaac, Joseph fleeing from his brother, and Moses escaping from Pharaoh. Each faces a moment of transformation in an encounter with God they could never have anticipated. This is the experience of Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. It is also the experience of the woman at the well.
- Ask. Jesus takes the initiative in the conversation with the woman. She is skeptical of him, thinking he will condemn her for being “a Samaritan woman.” When we are alone or in dry places in our lives, we frequently only think of God’s condemnation. Yet God is for us and not against us. This woman doesn’t see who Jesus really is. She seems him as a man without a bucket. When we, like the woman, encounter Jesus in our loneliness, we often can only think about the “bucket,” the material problems in our lives. Jesus offers us so much more.
- Alive It is not enough to say that Jesus offers us new life. He ultimately gives us life itself. There are many examples in Scripture of people looking for water that can only take away thirst temporarily. The meaning of the Transfiguration of Jesus is the simple truth that Jesus is not a means to something else. Jesus himself is the answer. We need to see Jesus in a new way as we begin this Lenten season. The woman at the well has to change her perspective and outlook on Jesus. This is a difficult but important step. She sees Jesus transfigured before her. She asks him for the “living water.” We need to be brought to the end of ourselves and to leave behind our very real, but very material concerns. Jesus is our joy and in him our joy is complete.
Questions for Us
- Why do you think this woman seems to assume that Jesus will condemn her for being a Samaritan? What assumptions do we make about whom Jesus will accept or reject?
- The woman can’t take Jesus’ offer of living water seriously because he has no bucket. In her mind, he doesn’t have the material needed to draw water from the well. What are examples of “buckets” in our lives?
- Throughout Scripture, people come alone and in need to wells where they receive “living water.” What are examples of some of the wells in our lives?
