Chapter 22

 

Two Stories of Grace

 

“And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with [his] journey, sat thus on the well: [and] it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.” (John 4:4-7)

 

I am constantly aware of my utter insufficiency for the work of the ministry, for the work of proclaiming the Gospel of Christ to eternity bound sinners. What great wisdom and grace is needed to minister to the souls of men, wisdom and grace that only God the Holy Spirit can give!

 

            We all have different needs, different backgrounds, different experiences, and different circumstances. Yet, we all need the same things spiritually. We all need grace, forgiveness, righteousness, and salvation. In John chapters three and four we see two people who could not have been more different, who were saved by the marvelous, free grace of God in Christ. These two great sinners and Christ our great Savior are set before us in these two chapters of Inspiration in a most remarkable way.

 

“There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:1-3)

 

“And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.” (John 4:4-7)

 

      It is always a mistake to interpret any portion of Scripture without considering the context in which it is found. In fact, it is impossible to interpret the Word of God correctly, if we do not interpret it contextually. Not only did the Holy Spirit inspire the words of Holy Scripture, He also inspired and fixed the order in which we are given things in the Inspired Volume. It is no accident that the two stories of Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman are set before us in the same context. Together they show us that none are beyond the reach of God’s saving grace in Christ.

 

            Nicodemus shows us that none can rise too high, and the Samaritan woman shows us that none can sink too low to be saved by the grace of God. At the end of these two stories of grace, we have this great declaration in John 4:42  –  “This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world!”

 

            The Lord Jesus Christ is the only Savior there is. He is the Savior of Jews and Gentiles, men and women out of every nation, tongue, and position in the world (Acts 4:12). All who are saved are saved in the same way. We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:1-10), through the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinners Substitute (2 Corinthians 5:17-21), by the revelation of Christ in us (2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Galatians 1:15-16).

 

            Yet, we all experience grace in a distinct, personal way. No two sinners experience grace in exactly the same way. This is clearly set before us in these two people. Let’s look at the way our Lord Jesus dealt with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, and see what we can learn from their experience of grace.

 

A Great Separation

 

First, we see that there is a great separation between Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman. Both were chosen of God and saved by His grace. We see this fact with regard to the Samaritan woman in the immediate context. Once the Lord revealed Himself to her, she immediately left her water pots and said to the men of the city, — “Come, see a man, that told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?” (v. 29). Many believed because of her word.

 

      Nicodemus was one of those disciples who in John 19 came to bury the Lord Jesus. He was not converted immediately upon hearing the Gospel. But he was converted. The Master said to him, — “Ye must be born again;” and he was, at the appointed hour, born again by God’s omnipotent mercy.

 

      Here are two sinners, chosen, redeemed, and called by grace; but it would be impossible to imagine two people more distinct and separate from one another. The contrast between Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman is obvious to the most casual reader.

·      Nicodemus was a recognized, important, sophisticated ruler of the Jews, a man of name, rank, and reputation. — She was an unnamed, insignificant nobody.

·      Nicodemus was a proud Jew. — She was a despised Samaritan. Samaritans were a mongrel people, a people who feared the Lord and worshipped their own gods, mixing the worship of God with the worship of idols.

·      Nicodemus was a wealthy, well-educated scholar. — The woman was poor and uneducated.

·      Nicodemus was a man. — The Samaritan was a woman.

·      Nicodemus was a man known and respected for his great morality. — She was an adulteress.

·      Nicodemus came to the Savior by night to protect his reputation. — This woman came to Jacob’s well at noon to avoid other people, because she had no reputation to protect.

·      Nicodemus sought the Lord Jesus. — The Lord Jesus came to Samaria seeking this woman.

·      The Samaritan woman was converted immediately upon hearing the message of Christ. — Nicodemus was converted a good while after he first heard the Gospel from the Savior’s lips.

 

            It would be impossible to find two people more diverse, more unalike, or more separate from one another socially. Yet, these two people, Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, are now seated together around the throne of the Lamb in Glory. Only the grace of God can do that. Only in Christ are social dividers demolished; and in Christ they are demolished (Colossians 3:10-11; Ephesians 2:12-22). Grace reconciles sinners to God; and grace reconciles sinners to one another.

 

A Great Sameness

 

Second, though much separated and distinguished Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman from each other, still there was a great sameness about them.

 

            As I look into the faces of the immortal souls sitting before me every time I stand to preach the Gospel, I see many things which, naturally, distinguish us from one another. Yet, there is a great sameness about us all. Those who are without Christ may look at the person sitting beside them, in front of them, behind them, or across the room from them, and think – “I am not like him, (or her),” but they really are exactly the same in many ways. What did Nicodemus and this Samaritan woman have in common? I am sure there was much more than this, but here are four things they had in common, four things we all have in common.

 

  1. Self-righteousness! — They both thought they were right spiritually, right before God. Without question, neither of them had peace in their hearts. Their souls were troubled. Their consciences were uneasy. But they had both made a refuge of lies, in which they hid themselves in self-righteousness[1]. Both had a religious refuge, which had to be destroyed before they would flee to Christ for refuge. That fact is true concerning all who do not know God (Isaiah 28:14-20).

 

  1. Spiritual blindness! — Neither Nicodemus nor the Samaritan woman had even the slightest spiritual understanding or discernment. Neither could see the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 2:14).

 

  1. Rebellion! — Both the proud Pharisee and the Samaritan adulteress were lost rebels. When he was confronted with things he could neither understand nor refute, Nicodemus poked fun at the Master’s doctrine. He ridiculed what he could not comprehend (John 3:4). When the Lord Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman about living water, because she could not understand his words, she did the same thing (John 4:11-12).

 

            The fact is, this woman and Nicodemus, like all men and women by nature, like all who are yet without Christ, were lost rebels. As it is written, — “All we, like sheep, have gone astray. We have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). — “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12).

 

            If you are lost, it is because you are an obstinate, stubborn, implacable rebel. If you go to hell, it will be because you have broken God’s law, despised God’s Gospel, rejected God’s counsel, laughed at God’s reproof, refused to bow to God’s Son, and hated God in the very core of your being.

 

  1. Emptiness! — Both Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman tried hard, just like we all did, to cover it up; but they had an emptiness in their souls, which could not be filled with the water pots of their religions, or their accomplishments, or their lusts.

 

            Augustine said, “Thou hast made us for Thyself; and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.”

 

“All my life long I had panted

For a draught from some clear spring,

That I hoped would quench the burning

Of the thirst I felt within.

 

Feeding on the husks around me,

Till my strength was almost gone,

Longed my soul for something better,

Only still to hunger on.

 

Poor was I, and sought for riches,

Something that would satisfy,

But the dust I gathered round me

Only mocked my soul’s sad cry!”

 

A Great Savior!

 

Oh, what a great Savior our Lord Jesus Christ is! Let me show you what he did for these two great sinners. The Lord Jesus did not deal with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman the same way. Yet, in a very real sense He did. This is always what Christ does when He comes to save a sinner.

 

            He destroyed the refuge of lies in which they hid themselves. He exposed their rebellion, unbelief, and sin. He made Himself known to them. He crossed them at their point of rebellion. And He conquered them by his grace.

 

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.” (Psalms 65:4)

 

“Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.” (Psalms 110:3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don Fortner

 

 

Listen to sermons at FreeGraceRadio.com

 

 



[1] Self-righteousness flourishes in human flesh, just as fully among adulterers and adulteresses as among Pharisees and Sadducees, just as well in the hearts of criminals as in the hearts of cardinals. – Just as Nicodemus argued theology with the Master, defending himself and his religion, so did this adulteress!