Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of North America

Thursday after Quasimodogeniti

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Pastor Dulas under Devotions
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Scripture: St. John 4:1-27 (NKJV)

1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John 2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), 3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. 4 But He needed to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says 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 nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such 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 tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

27 And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

Devotion

Today we see how Jesus wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge that He is Messiah. We have before us a Samaritan woman who is steeped in sin, but not condemned. She is approached by Jesus and sees the need of receiving the water that quenches everlasting thirst: the water of life; the forgiveness of sins. Having this forgiveness and being brought into a relationship with Christ we are enabled to worship Him, not in Jerusalem, nor on some holy Mountain, but in spirit and in truth.

In these last days as believers of Christ, we also have the opportunity to share this same water of life with whomever we approach. Like Jesus, it is important not to allow barriers such as nationality to hamper our speaking; but to remember everyone has fallen short of the glory of God, and in dire need of hearing that Christ does not condemn anyone. He simply has come to announce that He is the Messiah, the Savior of sin; whose desire is to be everyone’s Prophet, Priest, and King.

As our Prophet, He shows us how Jesus knows all things, that His Word is truth, and worthy of following. As our Priest, we see that Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, dying on the cross for the sin of the world. As our King, He rules our lives with peace, enabling us to trust that sin, death and the power of the devil are destroyed once and for all.

We pray: Christians, on this happy day; Alleluia! Haste with joy your vows to pay. Alleluia! “Christ is risen,” today we cry; Alleluia! Now He lives no more to die. Alleluia! Amen.

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