Add correct line breaks, correct capitalisation, correct punctuation, correct Australian English spelling, and correct KJV Bible verse quotations and references to my paragraphs where applicable. But do NOT — I repeat — do NOT alter or change ANY words from my paragraphs under ALL circumstances. Make meaningful paragraphs and do not format text with your own italics or bolded.
问候弟兄姐妹还有亲朋好友平安 我们感谢主今天可以在这里跟大家分享耶稣基督的福音 我们今天分享这个福音来自于圣经 如果你有圣经可以跟我一起来看这一段的圣经 我来为大家读在约翰福音第四章 我会从第七节读到第三十节 记载的是耶稣遇到一个妇人的故事 基督徒应该对这个故事比较熟悉 我来为大家读这一段的圣经 从约翰福音第四章第七节到第三十节 奉耶稣的名 有一个撒玛利亚的妇人来打水 耶稣对她说请你给我水喝 那时门徒进城买食物去了 撒玛利亚的妇人对她说 你既是犹太人 怎么向我一个撒玛利亚妇人要水喝呢 原来犹太人和撒玛利亚人没有来往 耶稣回答说 你若知道神的恩赐和对你说给我水喝的是谁 你必早求他 他也必早给了你活水 妇人说先生 没有打水的器具井又深 你从哪里得活水呢 我们的祖宗雅各将这井留给我们 他自己的儿子并身处也都喝这井里的水 难道你比他还大吗 耶稣回答说 凡喝这水的还要再渴 人若喝我所赐的水 就永远不渴 我所赐的水要在他里头成为泉源 只涌到永生 妇人说先生 请把这水赐给我 叫我不渴 也不用来这么远打水 耶稣说 你去叫你丈夫也到这里来 妇人说 我没有丈夫 耶稣说 你说没有丈夫是不错的 你已经有五个丈夫 你现在有的并不是你的丈夫 你这话是真的 妇人说先生 我看出你是先知 我们的祖宗在这山上礼拜 你们倒说应当礼拜的地方是在耶路撒冷 耶稣说 妇人你当信我 时候将到 你们拜父也不在这山上 也不在耶路撒冷 你们所拜的你们不知道 我们所拜的我们知道 因为救恩是从犹太人出来的 时候将到 如今就是了 那真正拜父的要用心灵和诚实拜他 因为父要这样的人拜他 神是个灵 所以拜他的必须用心灵和诚实拜他 妇人说 我知道弥赛亚 就是那称为基督的要来 他来了 必将一切的事都告诉我们 耶稣说 这和你说话的就是他 当下门徒回来 就吸起 耶稣和一个妇人说话 只是没有人说你是要什么 或说你为什么和他说话 那妇人就留下水罐子 往城里去 对众人说 你们来看 有一个人将我素来所行的一切事 都给我说出来了 莫非这就是基督吗 众人就出城 往耶稣那里去 我们感谢上帝宝贵的话语 我们一同来做一个祷告 我们在天上的父 我们感谢你在今天下午用着特别的时间 你用你的恩你的爱 吸引我们来到你的面前 也特别的带我们中间一些的朋友 也借这样的机会来听你的话语 更听着福音 就是来明白你那奇妙的 强阔高深的爱 愿你打开我们的心 打开我们的眼睛 然后更让我们明白 在今天这个世界上 我们唯一的盼望 也只有那永恒的盼望 可以使我们得以安慰 更使得我们这干渴的心灵得以饱足 愿你的圣灵就与我们同在 互为我们这样的聚集 除去那一切的拦阻 使得这听见以道的 就在你的道当中 得着永远的生命 只要愿你赐赐我们一下的时间 也保守你软弱的仆人 让他在你的话语的分享上 可以忠心正确 按照你的正义来传讲你的真理 谢谢你听我们的祷告 赐赐我们一下的时间 也赐赐我们在你面前 一切的团契和交通 如此的祷告 都是奉靠耶稣基督得胜的民族 阿们 我们今天会分享这个主题叫 何必干渴 在中国江西景德镇 那个镇是一个以作陶瓷文明的一个地方 然后有一个弟兄他也是基督徒 他就生产那个杯子 专门在那个杯子上写了一句话叫 凡喝这水的还要再渴 所以有一位牧师就买了他那个杯子放在家里 每次他要接待一些朋友 去他家里做客的时候 他都会用这个杯子接水 来给他 所以大家拿到这个杯子都会有很大的压力 因为这个杯子上说喝了这个水还会再渴 圣经却告诉我们说人若喝我所赐的水 但这水是指到基督所赐的水 就永远不渴 所以我们在今天刚刚我们所读的圣经的记载里面 我们看到这样一件事情 耶稣来到撒玛利亚 但我希望大家可以明白一个背景 耶稣为什么会来到撒玛利亚 耶稣主动的去到撒玛利亚去找一个人 就是一个撒玛利亚妇人 在当时的背景下是 撒玛利亚是以色列那些消失的支派 原来的北国的支派 跟外邦人结婚的一个地区 对于当时的犹太人来讲 他们认为那个地方是不洁净的 犹太人是比较纯洁的 他们认为他们是比较纯正的 亚伯拉罕以撒雅各的后裔 他们是属上帝的子民 所以他们认为撒玛利亚那个地方 这些人都是不圣洁的 所以他们甚至都不要往那个地方走 而耶稣基督他本身就是犹太人 他出生在一个犹太的家庭 他的身份是一个犹太人 他是大魏的后裔 所以对于他们的传统来讲 他们都不会往撒玛利亚走 他们不论是从北部的加利利 到下面的耶路撒冷 还是从耶路撒冷回到加利利 他们都很少要经过撒玛利亚 因为他们觉得那个地方的人是不圣洁的 那个地方甚至是不圣洁的 但是在这里我们看到耶稣 其实前面的第三章 约翰逢第三章 耶稣刚刚跟有一个人叫尼戈狄姆 跟他谈什么叫做重生 什么叫做从圣灵生的 什么样的人才是一个真正的有新的生命的人 然后到第四章 耶稣就特意的定义的专门的 故意的去到这个地方 这个时候是一个什么时候 是一个中午的时候 是一个正午的时候 是一个当时大家都不愿意出来 因为太晒 大家都知道巴勒斯坦地区的天气 热的时候是非常的晒 但这个时候有一个妇女 撒玛利亚妇女 她却在这个时候去一个井旁打水 她为什么去 因为其实当时的习惯 大家都会在比较凉快的时候去打水 因为天太热了 白天 所以他们都会放在下午的时间 才去井旁打水 但这个妇女为什么在中午去 因为她自己觉得自己的身份也好 自己的经历也好 是一个被社会边缘化的人 不仅犹太人看不上 而轻看这些撒玛利亚人 这个妇女在撒玛利亚的社区里面 可能都不被接受 在撒玛利亚的社区里面 如同耶稣后面所说的 她已经有五个丈夫 她现在交往的都不是她的丈夫 她的生活好像是一个比较轻浮 随便交男朋友 随便结婚 又随便离婚 是被边缘化的这样一个妇女 然后她在正午的时候来打水 是为了躲避跟社会 跟社区里面任何人的见面 所以她就趁着正午 她不想遇到任何的人 然后来到井边打水 但是上帝却看到这样一个人 耶稣在他自己的全知当中 他知道有这样一个人 需要福音 这就是耶稣来救济他 而这也是约翰福音的 整个一卷书的主题 约翰福音从一开始就在讲 太初有道 道与神同在 道就是神 约翰福音从一开始就让我们看到 上帝他的神性 我们中间有很多人听过福音 但是我可能还要给大家讲 真正的福音是什么 真正的福音是一个 道成肉身的福音 真正的福音是上帝 他的儿子 以肉身的方式来显现 真正的福音是上帝 竟然降杯成为一个人 所以在历史上 我们看过太多的人 人跟神的区别 可能也在这里 真的神是要成为人 而所有的人都想要成为神 不论是中国历史当中的秦始皇 后来的希特勒斯大林 还有一些现代的一些的 这些国家的君王 我们里面都有一个肉体的冲动 就是我想要成为上帝 我想要升上去 我想要成为真神 但是只有一个真神 他是谦卑自己 让自己变成人的样子 来到人的中间 所以你会看到 原来福音 特别是在这个故事的记载里面 也要让我们看到一个 福音的本质是上帝 降杯自己 来到人当中来救人 所以耶稣是主动 趁着天最热的时候 趁着当别人都认为犹太人 你作为犹太人的拉比 你作为犹太人的老师 你怎么可以去到撒玛尔亚地区 然后去跟当时的一个 别人都抛弃的 都认为都看不起的一个妇女 谈话呢 但是耶稣就去了 耶稣定义要去 按照他自己的 对上帝对妇的顺服 他定义要去到这个地方 来寻找这个妇女 所以这就是福音的一个特性 他是谦卑 然后主动的来寻找 我们 主动的来寻找那些 真正的需要救恩的人 所以耶稣来到这里 他遇到一个妇女 单独在打水 然后耶稣就主动给她讲话 因为在当时的社会 女人跟男人讲话都 很少见 女人不会主动跟男人讲话 更不会跟一个女人讲话 更不会跟一个犹太的男人讲话 犹太的男人 也更不会跟一个 撒玛利亚的女人讲话 所以耶稣就主动开口 耶稣说 我们看一开始的 耶稣就问她 请你给我水喝 耶稣主动的 其实我们知道 耶稣到底需不需要水呢 大家看到刚刚整个的故事 到最后耶稣没有喝一口水 但耶稣的开口是 请你给我水喝 他好像是一个有需要的人 所以妇女很惊讶 妇女应该从她的装扮穿着 从她的打扮 从她的说话的方式里面 能判断出来 你不是撒玛利亚人 你是犹太人 然后妇女说 你怎么像我一个撒玛利亚妇人 要水喝呢 我们从来没有来往 耶稣的回答是 你若知道神的恩赐 和对你说给我水喝的是谁 就必早求他 他必早赐给你活水 活水这个词对于妇女来讲更陌生 她不知道什么是活水 所以在这里我们看见 耶稣做一件事情 耶稣是要给她水喝的其实 耶稣以向她要水喝的方式 目的是为了赐给她 远远比物质的水更重要的 活水 树林的水 永生的水 耶稣他自己本身就是这活水的源头 但是他自己成为一个口渴的人 他变成一个需要别人帮助的人 来帮助别人 其实关于人与人之间的词汇 在中世纪的 有一个犹太的拉比 他把人的慈善分成八种 他去讲到底人的慈善有不同的层次 每一种层次是怎么样子的 他基本上会描述人的层次 行善的层次会有这样的一个分别 第一个是你出于责任或者压力 你愿意去帮助别人 愿意去给予 他认为这是非常低等的一个层次 就是你心里面不愿意去帮助 你不愿意去给予 但是迫于舆论也好 迫于道德责任也好 你给了 给予它使得被帮助者得到了满足 得到了帮助 但是从你本身来讲你是很勉强的 这是第一个层次的慈善 第二个层次 他说是一种你愿意去给的 但是你所给的和你实际能给的有很大的差距 就像你见到一个乞丐在路上 他向你行乞讨饭 这个时候你可能从你的口袋里面掏出来20块钱 但是你觉得我不需要给他20 我需要给他10块就好了 然后你又放回去10块 但你愿意给吗 这10块是你愿意给的 但是其实你可以给他20 但是你只给了他10块 所以这是犹太的哲学家分的 你甘心去给 但是你给的远远低于你可以给的 这是第二个层次的慈善 第三个层次的慈善是什么呢 当别人来找你的时候 然后你才给 你发现一个人遭遇患难 他来向你求援 请求你的帮助 这个时候你愿意尽你所能的去帮助他 这是第三个层次的慈善 第四个层次是你知道有人需要帮助的时候 不是因为他来求你 而是你主动的发现了别人需要帮助 你就主动的尽力的去帮助他 你不是等着别人来向你要 你看到这个人这个家庭 他有这样的需要 我主动去帮助他 这就是第四个层次 第五个层次是中国的一句俗语形容的 叫落难者识得恩公 但是恩公不识得落难者 这种帮助是指接受帮助的人 知道谁帮助了他 但是识与帮助之间的关系 但是受帮助的人却不知道自己帮助了谁 第六个层次就反过来 是恩公识得落难者 落难者不识得恩公 就是施助者知道受帮助的是谁 但是受帮助的人不知道谁帮助了他 这两种第五个跟第六个其实是反过来 但是它有区别 区别是那个被帮助的人不知道谁帮助了他 他比第五个高级一点是因为 他接受帮助并不接受帮助他的人对他的操控也好 对他的影响也好 和对他的侵害 这里面并没有直接建立一个人群关系 你帮助了我 所以我要更尊重你 或者你可能有条件的来帮助我 所以第五个和第六个它有这样一个区别 而第六个就更高级一点 然后最后一个第七个层次的帮助 他认为最高的第七个层次的在人之间的帮助是 不论是施助者还是受助者 他们都不知道彼此 他们中间有一个机构 或者有一个中间的中宝来帮助他们 我是给了 但是我不知道我帮助的是谁 那个被帮助的人是接受到了帮助 但是不知道到底谁帮助了我 按照哲学家的分法 他认为 这样就保证了受帮助的人 他没有直接来自于帮助者的压力 他的良心上会更加舒服一点 但是他说还有更高的一层 他说更高的一层叫什么呢 叫自食其力 受之以鱼不如受之以鱼 我们中国的话 所以他是希望你要帮助他 给他可以工作的能力 让他可以自己赚钱 这好像是一个更高的施舍的境界 但是我想让大家看到 上帝的方法和上帝的道路 他的慈爱之道如何高过人 就是耶稣的慈爱 耶稣对在他的救恩当中对人的爱 是怎么样跟人的这种慈善不同呢 耶稣的慈爱是让我们看到 福音他所启示的是一个 道成肉身的基督 道成肉身的上帝 他是一个至高者 但是他变成一个自卑的人 他是一个在荣耀里面的上帝 但是他降卑成为人子 来到人间 他是一个给别人水喝的人 但是他变成一个我需要喝水的人 所以这是上帝他救救尽人的方式 所以其实我们问我们自己的时候 我们从来没有一个人会甘心去帮助一个穷人 然后使自己变成一个穷人 对不对 我们可以帮助 但是我不要让我帮助使我变成一个穷人 因为这是我们不能做到的 但耶稣基督是他要救人 就降到人的中间 他以人的样式出现 他降生在马槽里面 他以一个小孩子然后长成一个成人 然后面对当时的犹太宗教对他最大的恶意 他来到自己的地方 自己的地方的人却不接受他 光照进黑暗 黑暗却不接受他 直到最后他被自己的人钉在死的架上 流出饱血 为什么 为了洗尽人一切的罪 所以这个福音就让我们看到 我们自己无法做到的那一种实实 而只有上帝他自己做到 只有上帝他在福音里面来向我们写明 他如何来爱人 就是他自己进入到罪人当中来救罪人 所以我常常喜欢说 耶稣为什么要降生在马槽 因为那里有罪人 那里有需要被救赎的人 所以耶稣降到至卑微的地方 什么是罪 罪就是我们完全的不认识上帝 我们完全的偏离了上帝的标准 我们里面自己的这种骄傲 我们里面自己的这种私欲恨 甚至我们里面一切的对别人的嫉妒 发怒等等 一切的不合乎上帝心意的 那就是我们的罪 而罪的代价 圣经告诉我们是罪的代价就是死 没有人能可以使我们脱离死亡 圣经说罪的公价叫死 公价的意思就是你工作了 然后别人给你一个工资 好像一句话说 在这位公义的上帝面前 如果我们犯了罪 带来的结果是上帝要给我们死 因为这是我们赚来的 如果上帝不把死给我们 上帝是不公义的 因为罪带来的结果是死亡 但上帝在他永远的慈爱里面 他赐下了他的儿子耶稣基督 降世为人 为我们死在十字架上来救赎我们 脱离这一切罪的捆绑 我们继续往下看这个故事 耶稣以这样的一个需要喝水的方式 来向需要属灵的水的妇人来要水 他以富足的方式变成贫穷的样式 为了救济这个妇人 来使她听见福音 但是我们发现 这个妇女不能马上明白 这也是我们很多的时候 很难马上来看到属灵的事物 因为我们的眼睛太多看到这些物质的 我们的眼睛其实能看到的东西 是有限的 太远了我们看不到 太小了我们看不到 但今天有很多人说我要看见上帝 如果你要寻求你的肉眼看见上帝 那其实是我们自己的一种愚昧 因为我们肉眼能看到的东西太有限了 我们的眼睛所看到的东西 可能还没有一只老鹰看到的多 有很多东西是看不到的 但是它是存在的 然后更何况上帝是一个灵 它不是一个物质 你对上帝的看见就不是用肉眼 而是用属灵的眼睛 所以我们看到接下来的对话 这个妇女就说你那有水 你那水可以喝了让人永远不渴 你就把这个水来分给我 她想的还是肉体上的物质上的需要 如果这个水可以让我不渴 那我为什么不要呢 我省得以后还要忍受太阳的毒辣 来到这个井旁来打水 我可以直接永远不渴 你就赐给我这个水 如果你有的话 她不知道她自己生命里面的需要是什么 这就是人的可怜 人的可怜就在于 我们以为我们在这个世界上我们追求 我们追求education 我们在教育上追求 我们在工作上追求 我们在金钱上追求 我们在名誉上追求 然后这些还不能满足的话 我就用毒品 我就用酒 我就用女色男色来满足我们 中国最近最火的 有一个经济他们叫公狗经济 说那个演员他就 说是表演中国的艺术 但是就不断地 露自己的肌肉 露自己的腹肌 然后有很多的女孩子买单要去看 我们不知道我们里面到底想满足的是什么 但是我们里面有一个地方是 需要被满足的 有一个伟大的哲学家奥古斯丁说 人被造它里面就有一种渴慕 而这个渴慕是只有上帝可以满足他 但是当他不认识上帝的时候 他就想办法找这个世界一切的东西 去填补他里面那个需要 有的时候是钱权名利人关系 你想用这一切去填补 你发现你有1000万不够 你有5000万还不够 你有两个亿还不够 所以你最近看到那些 不管是当官的 甚至一个和尚 他有多少个亿都不够的 因为我们里面这个需要 我们里面的残缺 是唯有比宇宙还大的上帝才能满足 所以这个妇女她不理解 你说怎么能让我不渴呢 你如果有的话这个水就给我了 但耶稣进一步的来告诉她 你自己到底为什么会渴 你知道你其实是在一个干渴的生命当中吗 所以耶稣问她说 把你的丈夫叫过来 耶稣知道她已经有五个丈夫 现在有的不是她的丈夫 我们看到这个女人真正的一个可怜 她为什么会有五个丈夫 不是因为前面五个丈夫死掉了 从圣经的原文来看 这不是指她的以前的丈夫死掉了 而是她离开了 她前面有五个丈夫 现在有一个都不是她的丈夫 当耶稣问她的时候 她都不好意思讲 她说我没有 但耶稣说你没有丈夫是真的 但是你依然有一个男人 他依然跟你保持一种关系 只是你不想或者又不敢又不好意思去承认 你发现这个女人她里面 其实是有一个更深层次的一个需要 就是这个女人她 她的一生好像就是在这些不同的男人之间流浪 在一个不同的关系里面去寻觅 到底什么能使她满足 一个男人这个男人不好 我换一个 那个男人不好 我可不可以再换一个 她在寻找一个灵里面的精神上的一个满足 所以我们说结婚前人们都想象婚姻可以是一段幸福的婚姻 但是没想到结婚后婚姻变成了一段一段的 我不知道中国来的能不能听懂 婚姻变成了一段一段的 因为你经常结婚 然后有矛盾 然后我不满意 我不要再忍受 我就跟他离婚 但是我们发现人里面有一种渴慕 就是我跟他离婚 我认为我一定能找一个比他还好的 不管第三者出现没出现 你里面都有一种假设 假设是我一定能找到一个比他还好的 而这就是你想象出来的 你婚姻里面的第三者 但是结果是什么 你下次又找到一个比他还不好的 然后又离婚,然后又找了一个比她还不好的。 第一个是母老虎,第二个就是母夜叉, 不断地在这样的循环里面,这就是人的可怜。 中国今天的离婚率已经超过了50%, 你看到十个人里面有五个是离婚的。 我们发现我们在人的关系里面找不到一个满足。 就像这个经文里面所提到的撒玛利亚妇人一样, 她已经有五个丈夫,但是现在还是没有一个能让她满足。 她碰到的所有的男人似乎都是一个渣男, 似乎都是臭男人,没有一个人真的是可以做她的丈夫。 这恰恰显明的是什么呢? 她婚姻里面的不满足,她人生里面的一个不满足。 她的婚姻没有保障。 所以我们做基督徒的我们会常常说, 我们能在上帝面前使得我们的婚姻有保障的, 我们需要的只有耶稣基督。 如果耶稣基督能使我的满足, 我的婚姻就不是在我的妻子身上, 我的妻子的满足不是单纯地在我的身上, 因为我不是一个完美的男人, 而我的妻子不是一个完美的女人。 我们两个不完美的人怎么可能 持守一个一生一世, 终贞不渝,坚贞不渝的感情呢? 我们需要上帝。 我们从上帝那里得来的满足, 我们从上帝那里得来的安慰, 和圣灵保守我们的关系, 我们才能一生一世, 一主一信一喜,永远在基督里面。 所以耶稣就借着她的婚姻来指出了 她生命里面的一种干渴,一种需要。 你让她发现, 其实你一段一段一段又一段的婚姻, 其实是因为你灵魂的干渴。 人就是在这样的循环里面, 找不到我们自己的灵魂的落脚的地方。 前一段时间我读到中国的年轻人 说这样一句话, 我觉得很有意思, 他描绘年轻人的一个现状, 他说我一辈子抠抠搜搜的花了很多钱, 叽叽伶伶的上了很多当, 骂骂咧咧的干了很多活, 小心翼翼的闯了很多的祸, 精打细算最后欠了一屁股的债, 认认真真但是犯了很多的错, 掏心掏肺的结了很多的仇, 不明不白的吃了很多的亏, 窝窝囊囊的活了四十年。 这句话反映的是一个人里面, 我就抠抠搜搜的不想花钱, 但是最后很多地方让我不得不花钱, 我以为我又聪明, 但是我最后还是被这个社会, 被骗子骗了很多, 我小心翼翼的不要闯祸, 我的人生里面还是做了很多的错事, 闯了很多的祸, 我精打细算, 但是发现我其实还是一个欠债的, 我欠银行, 我欠朋友, 我掏心掏肺的对我的朋友, 最后可能跟我的朋友变成了仇人, 这就好像一个人, 他一辈子在这样的一个苦里面循环, 我们在这个世界当中忙碌, 我们追求的金钱名利和美色, 而最后这些东西都不能让你满足, 所以耶稣来揭露这样一个女人, 当她在自己的生活里面不断地, 在面对自己的婚姻里面的失败的时候, 耶稣指明其实你里面真正的需要, 是你里面需要一个上帝, 你被造本来是要敬拜神的, 所以人有一个特性, 就是我总要去拜点什么, 我如果不能拜真神, 我一定会找假神来作为我的偶像, 所以我会找钱, 我会找权, 我会找真神以外的东西, 有的时候是我们的孩子, 有的时候是我们的老公, 有的时候是我们的妻子, 有的时候是我们的某些的追求肉体的享受, 因为我们里面有一个需要, 我们总需要一个使命, 一个敬拜的对象, 所以到接下来耶稣跟那个妇女的谈话, 就谈到了敬拜, 然后这个妇女就转, 我们的祖宗在这山上礼拜, 你们倒说应当礼拜在那个山上, 在耶路撒冷, 还是在哪里, 那我们到底应该在哪里礼拜呢? 她自己就把话题转上了, 她对他们来讲, 他们人生的一个最重要的一件事情, 就是我们如何来拜上帝, 我们到底怎么来拜上帝, 我们到底认不认识这位上帝, 然后耶稣就告诉她什么是真正的敬拜, 但是耶稣在让她理解这个真正的敬拜的时候, 也依然在让这个妇女来看到她整个婚姻的破碎, 所显明出来一个人的生命的一种淫乱, 其实在圣经当中, 这个淫乱常常上帝会用来形容他的百姓以色列, 当犯罪远离上帝的时候, 上帝会形容他们的生活是一种淫乱的生活, 是一种不忠于上帝的生活, 而这个妇女她自己的实际的生活, 也是在这样的一个生活里面, 她不断地去有不同的男朋友, 这个能使她满足吗? 你吸毒真的能使一个人满足吗? 当我赚钱赚到五百万一千万, 真的能使我满足吗? 其实这些都不能, 当我们不认识上帝的时候, 我们就把自己交给了这个淫乱的, 不认识上帝的世界, 我们会使得我们的生命被这个世界, 被撒旦以各种各样的方式, 把我们的生命掏走, 直到最终结束在地狱里面。 所以当他转到这个敬拜的话题上的时候, 转到我们到底怎么样去敬拜上帝, 你既然谈到了,指出了我的问题, 那我到底如何在上帝里面得满足? 所以他们提到了, 对今天的教会来讲都很重要的话题, 就是我们到底如何敬拜神? 所以耶稣告诉他说, 时候将到如今就是了, 那真正拜父的要用心灵和诚实来拜他。 那这个心灵不是说, 不像我们拜偶像一样, 拜佛一样, 心诚则灵, 我们拜菩萨, 我们拜观音, 我们拜中国的神就很多, 你拜造神, 你拜门神, 现在还有考驾照, 你要拜车神, 你不拜车神, 你考不下来驾照, 但是你发现中国的神是一个实用主义的, 就是我的神, 我拜他, 他要为我所用, 然后我去到这个庙里面, 我烧一点香, 我可能烧一百块的香, 他要祝福我一千块, 我往那个祈愿坛里面丢两块钱, 但是我的希望是, 我的愿望是, 他可以祝福我两个亿, 这是我们的实用主义, 这是我们里面的贪心, 所有的这些偶像都是我们造出来的, 所以假的神是被人造出来的, 真的神是把人造出来的, 所以圣经的上帝是造人的上帝, 一切的偶像都是被人手所造出来的, 因为人总要找一个对象, 可以来满足他自己的私欲, 耶稣告诉他们, 神是被敬拜的, 我们敬拜他要用我们的心灵, 但这个心灵不是你的心灵, 其实是跟前面第三章耶稣所谈到人的重生有关系, 因为这个灵在英文里面是in spirit and in truth, 在约翰福音当提到灵的时候, 他是指到的是, 首先是圣灵, 上帝的灵, 而上帝的灵重生人的生命, 进入到人的里面, 然后人才有了一个新的生命, 人就有了一个永远的生命, 人就可以看见神的国, 人就愿意进入神的国, 所以这个灵是圣灵在你里面的时候, 你所产生的对上帝的敬拜才是真实的敬拜, 这个诚实原文就是truth, 它是指的是真理, 不是你自己的诚实, 你自己的诚实不可以感动的, 当然我们的文化里面会有这种于公于善, 很多这种我们的道德主义的一种, 我用我的诚心我去打动别人, 但是基督教的上帝不是靠我们的诚心就能打动的, 基督教的上帝是需要上帝的灵进入到我们的里面, 我们被这个真理的圣灵感动, 被这个真理的圣灵光照, 我们明白真理, 我们明白上帝是怎样的, 按照上帝的真理来敬拜, 才会被他接受, 所以他不是按照你自己的心意去拜, 你想怎么拜就怎么拜, 那叫拜偶像, 所以今天基督徒也有什么, 叫真神假拜, 你的对象是真的上帝, 但是你以错误的方式来拜他, 我们以拜偶像的方式来拜一位真神, 这也不是被上帝所接受的, 所以耶稣就启示他, 你真正拜神的是用你的心灵, 你里面有圣灵的内注, 有圣灵跟你的灵的合一, 你要借着这个上帝所赐给你的圣灵, 然后在真理里面去敬拜上帝, 这才是你唯一的满足, 这才是你被创造的目的, 那人为什么被造呢? 我们只能问, 那个创造我们的上帝, 我们今天有手机, 我们要想正确地去使用这个手机, 唯一的方法, 如果正确地使用它, 你就要去看它的说明书, 那个创造它, 设计它的工程师来告诉你, 怎么更好地来用你这个手机, 同样我们是按着上帝的形象造的, 那我们在这个世上活着的目的到底是什么? 吃喝拉撒睡吗? 当然不是, 我们要明白我们被造, 我们只能问上帝, 那个创造者来告诉我们, 我为什么被造, 他会告诉我们, 就是他所启示的圣经, 上帝的话语, 就是在告诉我们, 你为什么被造, 你活着有一个目的, 你有一个开始, 你有一个结束, 你将来要面对上帝, 上帝要根据你所行的一切来审问你, 你不是死了一了百了, 而是你会面对上帝这个宇宙的创造者, 他终极的审判, 而能使我们脱离那个对罪的审判的只有福音, 就是耶稣基督替我们来承担我们罪的结果, 当耶稣把这个真正的敬拜的实质来告诉这个妇女的时候, 也就是在告诉她一个人, 真正的来认识神, 是需要借着圣灵在我们里面的工作, 基督教的话语叫重生, 圣灵给你一个新的生命, 然后你看到你属灵的需要, 你认识耶稣基督就是上帝的儿子, 就是弥赛亚, 你靠着他可以得救, 这就是耶稣所说的真正的敬拜, 真正的敬拜其实就是在上帝面前认识上帝, 然后你承认上帝他是你唯一的救助, 其实在中国的河北十几年前有一个冤案, 叫涅槟宾案, 但是后来有一个警察看到这个案子以后, 就想办法去给他翻那个案子, 因为在别的地方抓到了那个杀人案的真凶, 他承认自己是涅槟宾案里面那个杀人犯, 但是这个过程就比较难了, 我不细讲了, 但最后法庭给了涅槟宾一个公义的判决, 因为涅槟宾已经被枪毙了, 给了他一个公义的判决, 说涅槟宾是无辜的, 然后在法庭上他的母亲听见这个消息以后, 他的母亲大声地喊说, 我的孩子已经回不来了, 我的孩子已经死了, 我的孩子回不来了, 我想借这个案子让大家明白一个真正的福音是指什么呢? 其实真正的福音是指, 我们其实站在上帝的面前的时候, 我们是承认我们是那个罪人, 我们是在上帝的法庭里面来承认, 在这个终极的审判者面前来承认我们是一个罪人, 我们需要被救赎, 我们需要耶稣基督, 我们是那个使耶稣基督钉在十字架上, 为我们流血牺牲的那个终极的凶手, 而这就是福音, 我们不是来找一个偶像, 然后他可以祝福我在这里生活好, 家庭好, 然后工作越来越顺利, 挣越来越多的钱, 当然这些都在上帝的手中, 但是更重要的是, 我们的鼠邻的生命, 我们本身所犯的罪, 所带来的这个永远的在上帝里面的定罪, 和永远的地狱里面的刑罚, 我们可以靠着耶稣基督来逃避这一切, 只有藉着我们承认, 我们承认只有耶稣能来承担我们这一切, 能使我们脱离这一切的罪的控告, 而这是我们在上帝面前的敬拜的开始, 所以这是真正的敬拜。 耶稣把这个敬拜来告诉撒玛利亚的妇女。 然后这个妇女说,你说的对,我们是这样拜这个弥赛亚。 弥赛亚的意思就是我们的救赎者, 他们在盼望一个救赎者,但是他们不认识这个救赎者。 当耶稣再出现在他们面前的时候, 他不认识,这就是我的救赎者。 然后当他说OK,当耶稣来了的时候, 当弥赛亚来了的时候,我就全部明白了。 耶稣告诉他说,这和你说话的就是他。 这和你说话的就是他。 当然在中文不是特别明显, 在圣经的本意的意思是说,这和你说话的就是他。 他用这个词的称呼就是,我就是你所盼的那个弥赛亚。 我就是,这和你说话的就是我是。 这和约翰福音,耶稣七次地在使用, 我是,I am, who I am,这样的一个宣告来告诉他,他就是上帝。 因为这个词对于撒玛利亚人和对于犹太人来讲, 他们很清楚这个词是什么意思。 因为这个词是从一开始上帝启示自己是谁的时候用的一个称呼。 中文的圣经翻译成,我是自有拥有的,我是自存的, 我没有开始,我没有结束,我是上帝。 所以在约翰福音,耶稣就用我是来启示他真实的身份, 他就是上帝,他就是弥赛亚。 我是无所不在的,我是无处不在的,我是超越时间的。 所以上帝是用这个我是来启示他自己, 他是一切,他是所有的所有,他充满万有。 所以当这个妇女听到耶稣这样的宣告的时候才知道, 他就是弥赛亚,他就是我们的祖宗从一开始一直说我们要等候的, 我们要盼望的,能救赎我们的,今天我明白了, 不只是我的口渴不渴的问题, 而是我的灵魂可以在这位弥赛亚面前得到释放。 我的盼望在这个弥赛亚里面得到实现, 就是我脱离了这个世界罪的一切的捆绑, 脱离了这个死亡对我的一切的这种挟制。 所以我们看这个妇女的反应, 这个妇女的反应是在后面,她丢下她的水罐子, 就跑到城里面去跟别人讲, 你们来看,有一个人将我素来所行的一切事都给我说了, 莫非这就是基督吗? 我们看她的一个反应变化很大, 她本来要打水,但是她现在把罐子丢了, 她不用水了,为什么? 她发现她灵魂属灵的需要得到满足, 远远超过了她物质,她的肉体需要得到满足, 所以她丢下罐子,她认识这位弥赛亚以后, 认识这位救主以后, 她认为她更重要的是把这个事告诉别人, 但是她说这个人把我以前的事都讲出来, 你们来看一下,她其实是以一种方式让别人来看, 你们来看看她是不是就是那个弥赛亚, 她是不是就是你们一直所盼望的那个弥赛亚, 她是不是就是你们里面一直渴慕, 想要在这个世界上寻求各种各样的东西来使你得满足, 但是你最终得不到满足的时候, 然后只有这一位能满足你的那一位, 你来看一下,这是她的希望, 然后她跑到人群中间, 她的一个变化原来躲着人, 在中午没人的时候去打水, 现在呢,她跑到人群当中去做见证, 这是人最大的一个释放, 就是人不再活在别人的舌头下面, 人不再活在别人的世界观里面, 人开始知道我活着的目的是为了上帝, 为这个弥赛亚, 你会看到所有的人不认识上帝, 我们都在为一些事情而活着, 老一辈的就是为上一辈的这种期望, 雄心, 然后这种光宗耀祖, 我们期望我自己可以取到什么样的成绩, 达到什么样的一个成功, 然后这就是我活着的目的, 然后年轻的一代是另一个方向, 我什么都不在乎, 我只要我的肉体舒服, 我要吃,我要喝,我要玩, 然后我只要及时地满足, 所以你会看到人总会为什么东西而活着, 但是那个东西往往可能就是这个世界的价值观, 就是别人的价值观, 你想要活成别人眼里面一个幸福的样子, 其实人的幸福往往不是自己幸不幸福, 往往是他会不会觉得我幸福, 我要给他显示我开一台好车的时候, 他就会觉得我幸福, 那就是我的目标, 我最大的幸福是我比别人幸福一点, 其实我们不在乎我们自己幸不幸福, 因为我们不知道什么是幸福, 我们不知道什么是蒙福的, 但是这个妇女在遇见耶稣以后她的变化让我们看到, 一个真正地找到自己活着的价值, 知道自己为什么而活着的人的一个转变, 她得到满足, 她知道她的意义, 她不仅自己知道, 她还要让别人来看她的见证, 她怎么回转的, 她怎么遇到耶稣的, 她怎么在耶稣里面得到满足, 我不再需要在这个世界上, 在男人当中去找一个满足, 我遇到了上帝,遇到了弥赛亚,遇到了我的救主, 他原本为打水而来, 如今他得到了一个树林生命里面的活水, 他原本在政务逃避一切的人群, 但是他遇见耶稣以后奔向了人群, 他原本他认为的一切的羞耻, 在遇见耶稣以后他改变了, 那不再是羞耻, 因为耶稣是把我们一切的羞耻, 一切的羞辱承担了, 解禁了, 让我们在主的里面只有荣耀, 因为耶稣把祂的荣耀, 把祂的公义分享给我们, 遮盖我们, 把祂的圣洁赐给我们来, 洗净我们一切的罪, 使我们也成为圣洁。 所以弟兄姐妹们我们看到, 这个撒玛雅妇人她的经历, 她从被人群驱逐, 她被定罪, 然而当福音临到她的时候, 当她遇到基督的时候, 她重新的进入了社群, 她重新重建了她与社群的关系。 耶稣基督使她脱离一切的统绑咒诅, 使她进入到一个人生的新的生命里面。 当然我还想让大家看到这个故事里面所带来的这个隐含的意思。 这个井旁, 你要熟悉圣经的话, 圣经当中很多的地方会谈到井, 你要了解圣经里面所提到的这些圣徒, 雅各也好, 以萨也好, 摩西也好, 所有他们中间的这些爱情的故事, 就是他们找到他的妻子, 都是发生在井边。 我也想让大家在这里看到, 在这个井房所发生的这个故事, 其实也是一个宇宙当中最伟大的一个爱情的故事, 就是耶稣来爱他所拣选的人。 所以这个妇女找了五个男人, 还没有找到满足, 她最终极的一个爱情其实是发生在这个井旁, 因为她发现了那个爱她的耶稣是无条件地来爱她, 不论你是撒玛利亚人, 还是不论你以前犯过什么罪, 上帝就是爱她, 他无条件地接纳她, 这是一个最伟大的爱情, 一个最伟大的恩典就是这样, 一个最伟大的恩典是不需要条件的, 它是白白赐给你的, 但是中国人很喜欢白白赐给我的东西我不要白不要, 我们喜欢去排队领鸡蛋, 但是我很想让大家理解一点, 真正的恩典它在一定程度上又是否定我们自己的, 这就是圣经的词叫舍己,deny yourself, 真正的恩典如何否定我们自己呢? 我们知道你会看到比如结婚的夫妇, 比如女孩子常常会问她的丈夫你爱我吗? 如果这个丈夫说我爱你, 她接着就会问你到底爱我什么? 如果这个丈夫说我爱你没有条件, 我看不到你身上值得我爱的地方,我爱你没有条件, 这个女孩子是接受不了的, 我们总会觉得你爱我的话, 你要不然因为我漂亮, 要不然因为我贤惠, 要不然因为我温柔, 要不然因为我有钱, 你总得因为点什么你来爱我吧, 要不然我没有安全感, 对不对? 但是上帝要让我们看到他的爱跟人的爱的不同是, 他爱一个人没有条件, 不是因为你做了什么, 不是因为你有什么, 不是因为你的社会地位, 在你很多罪人的时候, 上帝就爱你然后为你死, 这是神的爱, 所以神的爱在一定程度上, 当我们接受这个恩典的时候, 我们就在神的面前来承认主啊, 其实我是没有什么, 我对上帝来讲我没有什么价值, 我不能给这个创造宇宙的神带来一点多的荣耀, 但是他却爱了我, 但是他却让他的儿子耶稣基督为我的罪, 带来十次加赏, 然后第三天从死人中复活, 是我今天有盼望将来离开这个世界的时候, 我不仅要见他, 我还有一个复活的荣耀的身体来见他, 我们也看到这就是耶稣的心, 因为耶稣在这里以后呢, 耶稣也没有喝水, 因为耶稣的旨意是什么? 圣经说我活着就是为了遵循我父的旨意, 耶稣也得以保住, 为什么?因为他就是来找这个妇女, 就是要使这个妇女认识他, 得着永远的生命, 所以你会看到耶稣其实不是真的, 我们不是说耶稣不会渴, 但耶稣最大的满足是在于他按着上帝的心意去活着, 所以这就是我们看到无论是上帝的儿子, 还是上帝所拣选的, 因着耶稣基督成为他儿子的这些基督徒, 我们活着的目的其实也只有一个, 就是使得神的旨意在我们生命当中成全, 而那是我们被造的意义, 那也是我们活着的意义, 其实这段经文再往下看的时候, 当这些人都出来的时候, 当这个妇女说你们来看, 她是不是弥赛亚, 她是不是那个基督, 当这些人都出来的时候, 他们看到耶稣以后, 他们跟他讲话, 他们跟他交流, 带来的结果是他们全部都相信了, 他们说我们原来因为这个妇女我们来看你, 但是我们听见你讲话, 我们看到你的行为, 信的人就更多了, 他说我们现在我们信不是因为这个妇人的话, 而是因为我们亲自的听见了耶稣基督的话, 知道这真是救世主, 这个世界只有一位救世主, 并且我们需要一个救世主, 我们看到这位救世主, 他的降杯, 他的主动的救赎, 他没有罪, 但是他却成为罪人的样式, 他不应该受苦, 但是他却甘心来受苦, 他不应该流血, 但是他成为人的样式, 以便于他可以流血, 来洗净我们的罪, 所以在座的各位的亲朋好友, 我们生命当中其实我们都经过了很多的井, 我们可能甚至喝过了很多的水, 但是结果是我们仍然在渴, 但是我们邀请你今天来到今天教会的时候, 当我们把上帝的话语告诉你的时候, 当有人告诉你这样的福音的时候, 我们邀请你可以今天在这位上帝的面前, 来承认自己的甘渴, 来承认里面对这位万王之王, 万主之主的需要, 因为只有他是我们的救主, 我也盼望我们在座的各位还没有认识耶稣的, 可以像这个妇人一样, 真的说我如果今天知道你是谁, 知道耶稣是谁, 也愿神的灵感动你去祈求他, 来承认你的罪, 使你不再靠着你自己的喜好, 不再靠着你自己的资源, 不再靠着你自己所拥有的这一切, 好像可以在世上使你得满足一样, 而是靠着这一位曾经为你甘渴, 为你降世为人, 为你流血, 为你复活的, 最后把自己永远的生命赐给你的, 使你在他里面得到那永不止息的活水泉源的主, 你来向他张口, 他必亲自的来满足你, 这就是福音, 这也是上帝的信愿。 我们一起来唱一首诗歌来结束我今天的分享。
Greetings to brothers and sisters, and to all our friends and family. Peace be with you.
We thank the Lord that we can share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you today. This Gospel comes from the Bible. If you have a Bible, you can read this passage with me. I will read it for you in John 4:7-30. It tells the story of Jesus meeting a woman. Christians should be familiar with this story. I will read this passage of the Bible for you, from John chapter 4:7-30.
“There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.” (John 4:7–30)
We thank God for His precious words. Let us pray together.
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for using this special time this afternoon to draw us before You with Your grace and love, and especially for bringing some of our friends here to hear Your words and the Gospel, to understand Your wondrous, powerful, and profound love. May You open our hearts and our eyes, and help us understand that in this world today, our only hope, the only eternal hope, can comfort us and satisfy our thirsty souls. May Your Holy Spirit be with us, removing all obstacles to this gathering, so that those who hear the Word may receive eternal life in Your Word. May You grant us one... May the time You give us also preserve Your weak servant so that he may faithfully and correctly proclaim Your truth according to Your justice in sharing Your words. Thank You for listening to our prayers and granting us this time. May You also grant us all fellowship and communion before You. Such prayers are offered by a victorious nation that relies on Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we will share on the theme, "Why Thirst?"
In Jingdezhen, Jiangxi, China, a town famous for its ceramics, there was a brother who was also a Christian. He produced cups and wrote on them the words, "Whoever drinks this water will thirst again." So a pastor bought one of these cups and kept it in his home. Whenever he received friends, he would use this cup to give them water. Therefore, people who received this cup felt a lot of pressure because the cup said that drinking this water would make them thirst again. However, the Bible tells us that if anyone drinks the water I give them—which refers to the water given by Christ—they will never thirst again.
So, in the biblical account we just read today, we see that Jesus came to Samaria. But I hope everyone can understand a background: why did Jesus come to Samaria? Jesus went to Samaria to find a Samaritan woman.
In that context, Samaria was a region where the vanished tribes of the former northern kingdom of Israel intermarried with Gentiles. For the Jews of that time, they considered that place unclean. Jews were considered pure, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they believed themselves to be God's people. Therefore, they considered the people of Samaria unholy and avoided going there altogether.
Jesus Christ, however, was Jewish, born into a Jewish family. He was a Jew, a descendant of David. According to their tradition, they wouldn't go to Samaria. Whether traveling from Galilee in the north to Jerusalem or back, they rarely passed through Samaria because they considered the people there unholy, and the place itself unholy.
But here we see that in Chapter 3 of John, Jesus spoke with a man named Nicodemus about being born again, about being born of the Holy Spirit, and about what constitutes a truly new life. Then, in Chapter 4, Jesus specifically and deliberately went to a certain place. It was midday, a time when most people didn't want to go out because of the intense heat. Everyone knows that the weather in Palestine is extremely hot.
But at this time, a Samaritan woman went to a well to draw water. Why? Because the custom at the time was to draw water when it was cooler. Since it was too hot during the day, they would draw water in the afternoon. But why did this woman go at midday? Because she felt that her identity and her experiences made her a marginalised person in society.
Not only did the Jews look down on and despise Samaritans, but this woman was likely not accepted in the Samaritan community. In the community, as Jesus later mentioned, she already had five husbands, and none of the men she was currently dating were her husbands. Her life seemed rather frivolous; she dated, married, and divorced casually, and was a marginalised woman. She came to draw water at noon to avoid meeting anyone in society or the community. So, taking advantage of the midday hour, not wanting to encounter anyone, she came to the well to draw water.
But God saw this person. In His omniscience, Jesus knew there was such a person who needed the Gospel, and that was Jesus's salvation. This is also the theme of the entire Gospel of John. From the beginning, the Gospel of John speaks of the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) From the very beginning, the Gospel of John shows us God's divinity.
Many of us have heard the Gospel, but I may need to tell you what the true Gospel is. The true Gospel is the Gospel of the Word made flesh; the true Gospel is God, His Son, manifesting in the flesh; the true Gospel is that God descended to become a man. Therefore, in history, we have seen too many instances of man and God. The difference may lie here: God truly wanted to become human, while everyone desires to become God.
Whether it's Qin Shi Huang in Chinese history, Hitler, Stalin, or modern monarchs, we all have a carnal impulse: I want to become God, I want to ascend, I want to become the true God. But there is only one true God who humbles Himself, becoming human and coming among people.
Therefore, you see in the Gospel, especially in this story, that the essence of the Gospel is God descending the cup to come among people to save them. Jesus took the initiative, going even when it was hottest, when everyone else thought, ‘You're a Jewish rabbi, a Jewish teacher, how can you go to Samaria and talk to a woman whom everyone else has abandoned and despised?’ But Jesus went. Jesus defined it as His own obedience to God and to the woman; He defined it as going to this place to find her. This is a characteristic of the Gospel: humility and the initiative to seek us out.
Jesus actively sought out those truly in need of salvation. When He came here, He encountered a woman drawing water alone. Jesus spoke to her, because in that society, it was rare for women to speak to men; women wouldn't initiate conversations with men, let alone with another woman, much less with a Jewish man. Jewish men, in particular, wouldn't speak to a Samaritan woman. So Jesus took the initiative.
Jesus said—look, at the beginning—Jesus asked her, 'Give me a drink.' (John 4:7) Jesus initiated the conversation. We know that Jesus didn't actually need water. As you can see from the story, Jesus didn't drink a drop of water at the end, but He asked her for a drink, as if He were someone in need. The woman was surprised. She could have discerned from His attire, His manner of speaking, that He was not a Samaritan but a Jew. Then she said, ‘Why do you act like a Samaritan woman asking for a drink? We've never met before.’ (John 4:9)
Jesus replied, ‘If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:10) The word "living water" was unfamiliar to the woman; she didn't know what living water was. So here we see Jesus doing something: Jesus was giving her water. Jesus' act of asking her for water was actually a way of giving her living water—the water of the forest, the water of eternal life—which was far more important than physical water. Jesus Himself was the source of this living water, but He Himself became thirsty, someone who needed help to help others.
In the Middle Ages, a Jewish rabbi categorised human charity into eight levels, explaining that there are different levels of charity. He described the different levels of human kindness as follows:
The first level is when you are willing to help others out of a sense of responsibility or pressure. He considered this a very low level—you don't want to help or give, but due to public opinion or moral obligation, you give, satisfying the recipient. However, from your own perspective, you are very reluctant. This is the first level of charity.
The second level is when you are willing to give, but there is a significant gap between what you give and what you can actually give. For example, if you see a beggar on the street asking for food, you might take out 20 yuan from your pocket, but you feel you don't need to give him 20. I need to give him 10 dollars, and then you put 10 dollars back. But are you willing to give it? You are willing to give 10 dollars, but you could actually give him 20. However, you only gave him 10 dollars. So this is the division of Jewish philosophers. You are willing to give, but you give far less than you can give. This is the second level of charity.
What is the third level of charity? When someone comes to you, and you discover that someone is in trouble and asks you for help, you are willing to do your best to help them. This is the third level of charity.
The fourth level is when you know someone needs help, not because they ask you, but because you actively discover that someone needs help and actively try your best to help them. You don't wait for others to ask you for help. You see that this person or this family has such a need, and you take the initiative to help them. This is the fourth level.
The fifth level is described by a Chinese proverb. The first level of help is where the recipient knows who helped them, but the benefactor doesn't.
The sixth level is the opposite: the benefactor knows the recipient, but the recipient doesn't. This means the giver knows who helped them, but the recipient doesn't know who helped them. The fifth and sixth levels are essentially reversed, but there's a difference. The recipient doesn't know who helped them; this is a higher level than the fifth because they accept help but not the helper's manipulation, influence, or harm. There's no direct establishment of a social relationship: you helped me, so I should respect you more, or you might have. The fifth and sixth levels of help are different, with the sixth being a bit more advanced.
The final, seventh level, he believes, is the highest level of help between people. Neither the giver nor the receiver knows each other; there's an organisation or intermediary helping them. I give, but I don't know who I'm helping. The receiver receives help but doesn't know who helped them. According to philosophers, this ensures the receiver doesn't feel pressured by the helper, making their conscience feel better.
But he says there's an even higher level, called "self-reliance" or "giving a fish is worse than receiving a fish." In China, the idea is that you help someone by giving them the ability to work so they can earn their own money. This seems like a higher level of charity.
But I want everyone to see God's methods and ways. His way of love surpasses that of man—that is, the love of Jesus. How does Jesus' love for people in His salvation differ from human charity? Jesus' love shows us in the Gospel. It reveals Christ incarnate, God incarnate. He is the Most High, yet He became a humble man. He is a God in glory, yet He humbled Himself to become the Son of Man and came to earth. He is a person who gives others water, yet He becomes someone who needs water. So this is God's way of saving all people.
So, when it comes to ourselves, none of us would willingly help a poor person and become poor ourselves, right? We could help, but I wouldn't want to help someone and become poor myself, because that's something we can't do. But Jesus Christ, who came down to save people, appeared among them in human form. He was born in a manger, growing from a child into an adult. Facing the greatest malice from the Jewish religion of His time, He came to His own land, but His own people didn't accept Him. His light shone into the darkness, but the darkness didn't accept Him.
In the end, He was nailed to the cross by His own people, His blood flowing freely. Why? To wash away all of humanity's sins. So this Gospel shows us a reality that we ourselves cannot achieve, but only God Himself does. Only God, in the Gospels, reveals to us how He loves others—by entering into the midst of sinners to save them.
That's why I often say Jesus was born in a manger—because there were sinners there, people in need of redemption. Jesus descended to this most humble place. What is sin? Sin is our complete lack of knowledge of God, our complete deviation from His standards, our pride, our selfish desires, hatred, even our jealousy and anger towards others—all things that do not conform to God's will. That is our sin.
And the price of sin, the Bible tells us, is death. No one can save us from death. The Bible says the common price of sin is death. The common price means that you work and someone gives you a salary. It seems there's a saying that if we sin before this righteous God, the consequence is death, because this is something we've earned. If God didn't give us death, He would be unjust, because sin leads to death. But in His eternal love, God gave His Son, Jesus Christ, to come into the world and die on the cross for us, to redeem us from the bondage of sin.
Let's continue the story. Jesus, in a manner that resembled needing water, approached a woman who needed spiritual water. He transformed from a wealthy person into a poor one to help her hear the Gospel. However, we find that the woman couldn't immediately understand, which is also why we often find it difficult to immediately see spiritual things because our eyes, which see so much of these material things, are actually limited in their capacity. Things too far away are invisible, things too small are invisible.
But today, many people say, "I want to see God." If you seek to see God with your physical eyes, that is actually a kind of folly on our part. Because what our physical eyes can see is so limited; what our eyes can see is probably less than what an eagle can see. There are many things we cannot see, yet they exist. Moreover, God is a spirit, not a physical being. Your seeing of God is not through the physical eye, but through a spiritual eye.
So, in the following dialogue, the woman says, "You have water there; your water is drinkable and will never make you thirsty. Please share this water with me." She is still thinking about her physical, material needs. If this water can keep me from thirsting, why wouldn't I want it? It saves me from having to endure the scorching sun to come to this well to draw water. I can be thirst-free forever. Just give me this water if you have it. She doesn't know what her own needs in life are.
This is the pitiful state of humanity. The pitiful state of humanity lies in our pursuit of things in this world. We pursue education, we pursue work, we pursue money, we pursue fame. And if these aren't enough, we'll use drugs, we'll use alcohol, we'll use women and men to satisfy ourselves. Recently, there's been a hot topic in China called the "male dog economy." It refers to actors who claim to perform Chinese art, but they constantly expose their muscles and abs, and many girls pay to see them.
We don't know what we truly want to satisfy, but there is a part of us that needs to be satisfied. The great philosopher Augustine said that man is created with a yearning, and this yearning can only be satisfied by God. But when he doesn't know God, he tries to find everything in this world to fill that yearning. The need within him is sometimes money, power, fame, and relationships. You try to fill that void with all of that, but you find that 10 million isn't enough, 50 million isn't enough, and 200 million isn't enough. That's why you see so many people lately, whether officials or even monks, having hundreds of millions isn't enough. Because this need within us, this deficiency within us, can only be satisfied by a God greater than the universe.
So this woman didn't understand. She said, ‘How can you stop me from thirsting? If you had water, you would give it to me.’ But Jesus went further and told her, ‘Do you know why you are thirsty? Do you know that you are actually living a thirsty life?’ So Jesus asked her, ‘Call your husbands here.’ Jesus knew that she already had five husbands, and the one she was seeing now wasn't her husband.
The truly pitiful woman had five husbands. It wasn't because her previous five husbands died; according to the original biblical text, this doesn't mean her former husbands died, but rather that she left them. She had five husbands before, and now one of them wasn't her husband. When Jesus asked her, she was embarrassed to say, ‘I don't have one. But Jesus said, ‘It's true you don't have a husband, but you still have a man who maintains a relationship with you. You just don't want to, or you're afraid to, or you're too embarrassed to admit it.’ (John 4:17-18)
You discover that this woman actually had a deeper need within her. It seems her entire life was spent wandering among these different men, searching in different relationships for what could satisfy her. ‘If one man isn't good, I'll find another...’ If a man isn't good enough, can I find another one? She's looking for spiritual fulfilment.
So we say that before marriage, people imagine it will be a happy one, but they don't expect it to turn into a series of breakups. I don't know if people from China can understand this, but marriage becomes a series of breakups because you often get married, then there are conflicts, then you're dissatisfied, you can't stand it anymore, so you divorce him.
But we find that there's a yearning in people: ‘I'll divorce him, I think I can definitely find someone better than him.’ Regardless of whether a third party appears, there's an assumption in your mind that you can definitely find someone better than him. And that's the third party you imagine in your marriage. But what's the result? You find someone even worse than him next time.
Then she divorced again, and then found someone even worse than her. The first was a tigress, the second a shrew; she was constantly caught in this cycle—that's the pitiful state of humanity. China's divorce rate today exceeds 50%; you see five out of ten people divorced. We find that we can't find fulfilment in human relationships.
Like the Samaritan woman mentioned in this scripture, she had five husbands, but none of them could satisfy her. All the men she encountered seemed to be scoundrels, all seemed to be vile men; none of them could truly be her husband. What does this precisely reveal? Her dissatisfaction in her marriages, her dissatisfaction in life. Her marriages were insecure.
Therefore, we Christians often say that the only thing that can secure our marriages before God is Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ can make me satisfied, my marriage isn't solely based on my wife; my wife's satisfaction isn't solely based on me, because I am not a perfect man, and my wife is not a perfect woman. How can two imperfect people like us maintain a lifelong, unwavering, and steadfast relationship? We need God. The satisfaction and comfort we receive from God, and the preservation of our relationship with the Holy Spirit, enable us to remain faithful, joyful, and eternally in Christ throughout our lives.
Therefore, Jesus used her marriage to point out a thirst and need within her life. He showed her that her repeated marriages stemmed from the thirst of her soul. Humans are caught in this cycle, unable to find a place for their souls to rest.
Some time ago, I read a statement from a young Chinese person that I found very interesting. It described the current state of young people: ‘I've spent my whole life being frugal, spending a lot of money, being fooled, doing a lot of work while complaining, causing a lot of trouble while being careful, accumulating a mountain of debt despite meticulous planning, making many mistakes despite being earnest, making many enemies while being open and honest, suffering many losses without understanding why, and living a miserable life for forty years.’
This statement reflects a person who is stingy and reluctant to spend money, yet ultimately many things force them to spend. They think they are clever, but ultimately they are still deceived by society and scammers. They are careful not to cause trouble, yet they still make many mistakes and cause much trouble in their lives. They are meticulous in their calculations, but find themselves in debt—debt to banks, debt to friends. They give their hearts to their friends, only to have them become enemies in the end. It's like a person living a cycle of suffering.
We are busy in this world, pursuing money, fame, and beauty, but ultimately these things cannot satisfy us. Therefore, Jesus exposes this woman, who, facing repeated failures in her marriage, points out that her true need is for a God. She was created to worship God, and humans have a tendency to worship something. If they cannot worship the true God, they will find a false god as their idol. Therefore, they will seek money and power. I sometimes seek things other than the true God—sometimes our children, sometimes our husbands, sometimes our wives, sometimes our pursuit of physical pleasure. This is because we have an inner need; we always need a mission, an object of worship.
So, in the next conversation between Jesus and the woman, the topic of worship came up. The woman then turned to the question: ‘Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say they should worship on another mountain, in Jerusalem, or somewhere else. Where should we worship?’ (John 4:20) She herself shifted the focus. For them, one of the most important things in life was how to worship God, how to truly worship God, and whether they truly knew God.
Jesus then told her what true worship was. But while helping her understand true worship, Jesus also showed the woman the breakdown of her marriage, revealing a kind of adultery in her life. In fact, in the Bible, God often uses adultery to describe His people, Israel. When they sinned and turned away from God, God would describe their lives as a life of adultery, a life of unfaithfulness to God.
And this woman's own life was also like this; she constantly had different boyfriends. Could this satisfy her? Can drug addiction really satisfy a person? When I earn five million or ten million, can it really satisfy me? Actually, none of these can.
When we don't know God, we surrender ourselves to this promiscuous world that doesn't know God. We allow this world, Satan, to take away our lives in various ways, until we finally end up in hell.
So when he turned to the topic of worship, to how exactly we worship God, since you've pointed out my problem, how can I find satisfaction in God? So they brought up a topic that is very important for the church today: how exactly do we worship God?
So Jesus told him, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him." (John 4:23) This isn't about worshipping idols or Buddhas, where sincerity is key. We worship Bodhisattvas, Guanyin, and many other Chinese gods. You worship fabricated gods, door gods, and even now, to get a driver's licence, you have to worship the God of the Car. If you don't, you won't pass the test.
But you'll find that Chinese gods are pragmatic: they are my gods, I worship them so they can be used by me. I go to a temple, burn incense—maybe a hundred yuan's worth—hoping for a thousand yuan in blessings. I throw two yuan into the prayer altar, hoping for two hundred million in blessings. This is our pragmatism, our greed.
All these idols are created by us. So, false gods are created by humans, while true gods are created by humans. The God of the Bible is the God who created man, and all idols are created by human hands because people always need something to satisfy their desires.
Jesus told them that God is to be worshipped. We worship Him with our hearts, but this heart is not your own. It's related to what Jesus discussed in Chapter 3 about being born again. The "spirit" in English is "in spirit and in truth." In the Gospel of John, when the spirit is mentioned, it refers first to the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God.
The Spirit of God regenerates life, enters into a person, and then that person has a new life, an eternal life, can see the Kingdom of God, and desires to enter into the Kingdom of God. Therefore, this spirit, the Holy Spirit within you, is the true worship of God.
The original word for truth is "truth," which refers to the truth itself, not your own honesty. Your own honesty cannot move others. Of course, in our culture, there's this kind of public-spirited, good-hearted, moralistic kind of worship—’I use my sincerity to move others.’ But the Christian God cannot be moved by our sincerity alone. The Christian God needs His Spirit to enter into us. We are moved by the Holy Spirit of truth, illuminated by the Holy Spirit of truth, we understand the truth, we understand what God is like, and we worship according to God's truth. Only then will He accept it.
So He doesn't worship according to your own desires; you can worship however you want. That's called idolatry. So what happens to Christians today? It's called false worship of the true God. Your object is the real God, but you worship Him in the wrong way. We worship a true God like idolatry, which is not accepted by God.
Therefore, Jesus revealed to them that true worship is using your heart, having the Holy Spirit infused within you, having the Holy Spirit united with your spirit. You must worship God through the Holy Spirit given to you by God, and in the truth. This is your only satisfaction, this is the purpose for which you were created.
Why were humans created? We can only ask the God who created us. Today we have mobile phones; if we want to use this phone correctly, the only way you need to read its instruction manual. The engineer who created and designed it will tell you how to use your phone better.
Similarly, we are created in God's image, so what is the purpose of our lives in this world? To eat, drink, excrete, and sleep? Of course not. To understand why we were created, we can only ask God, the Creator, to tell us why we were created. He will tell us through the Bible, the Word of God, which tells us why we were created, that we have a purpose in life, a beginning, and an end.
In the future, we will face God, who will judge us based on all our deeds. You don't die and everything ends; you will face the ultimate judgment of God, the Creator of the universe. Only the Gospel can deliver us from that judgment of sin, that is, Jesus Christ bearing the consequences of our sins for us.
When Jesus told this woman the true essence of worship, he was also telling her that to truly know God, we need the work of the Holy Spirit within us. In Christian terms, this is called being born again. The Holy Spirit gives you a new life. Then you see your spiritual needs, you recognise Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, and through Him you can be saved. This is what Jesus meant by true worship.
True worship is actually knowing God before Him and acknowledging Him as your only salvation.
Actually, there was a wrongful conviction in Hebei, China, over a decade ago, called the Nebin case. Later, a policeman saw the case and tried to overturn it because the real murderer in another case had been arrested and confessed to being the killer in the Nebin case. This process was difficult, I won't go into details, but in the end, the court gave Nebin a just verdict.
Nebin had already been executed, but they gave him a just verdict, saying he was innocent. When his mother heard the news in court, she cried out, ‘My child is gone! My child is dead! My child is gone!’
I want to use this case to make everyone understand what the true Gospel means. The true Gospel means that when we stand before God, we acknowledge that we are sinners. We confess before God's court, before this ultimate Judge, that we are sinners, that we need redemption, that we need Jesus Christ. We are the ultimate culprits who caused Jesus Christ to be crucified, to shed His blood for us. This is the Gospel.
We are not here to find an idol who can bless us with a good life, a good family, a successful career, and more and more money—of course, these are all in God's hands. But more importantly, we cannot escape the eternal condemnation in God's eyes and the eternal punishment in hell brought about by the sins we have committed.
We can only escape all of this through Jesus Christ. Only by confessing that only Jesus can bear all of this for us, can we be freed from the accusation of sin. This is the beginning of our worship before God.
So this is true worship. Jesus told this Samaritan woman about worship. The woman said, ‘You're right, this is how we worship the Messiah.’ The Messiah means our Redeemer. They were hoping for a Redeemer, but they didn't know him. When Jesus reappeared before them, they didn't recognise him, but this was their Redeemer.
Then she said, ‘OK, when Jesus came, when the Messiah came, I understood everything.’ Jesus told her, ‘This is the one speaking to you.’ Of course, this isn't very clear in Chinese, but in the original meaning of the Bible, it means, ‘This is the one speaking to you.’ He used this term to say, ‘I am the Messiah you have been waiting for. I am, this is who I am.’
This is similar to the Gospel of John, where Jesus used "I am," "who I am," seven times to tell him that he is God. Because for the Samaritans and the Jews, they clearly understood the meaning of this term. Because this term was the title God used from the beginning when He revealed who He was. The Chinese Bible translation reads, "I am self-existent, I am self-contained, I have no beginning, I have no end, I am God."
Therefore, in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses "I" to reveal his true identity: He is God, He is the Messiah. "I am omnipresent, I am everywhere, I am beyond time." So God uses this "I" to reveal Himself: He is everything, He is all that is, He fills all things.
Therefore, when this woman heard Jesus' declaration, she knew that He is the Messiah, He is the one our ancestors have always told us to wait for, to hope for, the one who can redeem us. Today I understand, it's not just a matter of whether I'm thirsty, but that my soul can be set free before this Messiah. My hope is fulfilled in this Messiah—that I am freed from all the bondage of sin in this world, freed from the control of death over everything.
So we see this woman's reaction. Her reaction comes later; she drops her water jug and runs into the city to tell others, ‘Look, someone has told me everything I've ever done. Could this be the Christ?’ We see a significant change in her reaction. She was going to fetch water, but now she throws away the jug; she doesn't need water anymore. Why? She discovers that her spiritual needs have been met far more than her material, physical needs. So she drops the jug.
After knowing this Messiah, this Savior, she feels it's more important to tell others about this. But she says, ‘This person has told me everything I've done.’ You see, she's actually letting others see, see if He is the Messiah, if He is the Messiah you've always longed for, if He is the one you've always yearned for, the one you've sought in this world to satisfy, but ultimately couldn't find. And then, only this one can satisfy you. You see, this is her hope.
Then she ran into the crowd. A change in her behavior—previously she would hide from people, fetching water when no one was around at midday—now she went into the crowd to give her testimony. This is the greatest liberation a person can experience: no longer living under the judgment of others, no longer living within the worldview of others.
People begin to know that their purpose in life is for God, for the Messiah. You'll see that many people don't know God; we all live for certain things. The older generation lives for the expectations, ambitions, and the desire to bring honor to their ancestors. They expect to achieve certain results and successes—that's their purpose in life. The younger generation is different. They don't care about anything else; they just want their bodies to be comfortable, to eat, drink, and play. They just want immediate gratification.
So you see, people always live for something, but that thing is often the world's values, other people's values. You want to live a life that others perceive as happy. But happiness is often not about whether you are truly happy; it's often about whether others perceive you as happy. When you show them off by driving a nice car, they think you're happy. That is my goal. My greatest happiness is being a little happier than others.
Actually, we don't care about our own happiness because we don't know what happiness is, we don't know what blessing is. But this woman's transformation after meeting Jesus shows us the change in someone who truly finds their value in life, who knows why they live. She found fulfilment; she knew her meaning. Not only did she know it herself, but she also wanted others to see her testimony—how she turned back, how she met Jesus, how she found fulfilment in Jesus.
‘I no longer need to find fulfilment in this world, among men. I met God, I met the Messiah, I met my Savior.’ She originally came to fetch water, but now she received the living water of a forest. She originally fled from the crowds, but after meeting Jesus, she ran towards them.
All the shame she once felt changed after meeting Jesus; it was no longer shame. Because Jesus bore all our shame, all our humiliation, and released us from it, leaving us only with glory in the Lord. Because Jesus shares His glory and His righteousness with us, covering us. He gave us His holiness, cleansing us from all our sins and making us holy as well.
So, brothers and sisters, we see that this Samaritan woman's experience—from being driven out of the community and condemned—was transformed when the Gospel came to her, when she encountered Christ. She re-entered the community and rebuilt her relationship with it. Jesus Christ freed her from all bondage and curses, leading her into a new life.
Of course, I also want you to see the implicit meaning in this story. If you are familiar with the Bible, you'll know that wells are mentioned in many places. You should understand that the love stories of the saints mentioned in the Bible—Jacob, Isaac, Moses—all of them found their wives at wells. I also want you to see here that the story that happened at this well is actually one of the greatest love stories in the universe: Jesus coming to love His chosen one.
So this woman sought out five men, yet still found no satisfaction. Her ultimate love actually occurred by this well, because she discovered that Jesus, who loved her, loved her unconditionally. Whether you were a Samaritan or whatever sins you had committed, God loved you unconditionally, accepting you without question. This is the greatest love, the greatest grace. The greatest grace is unconditional; it is freely given.
But Chinese people often like to accept things given freely, like lining up for free eggs. However, I want everyone to understand that true grace, to a certain extent, negates ourselves. This is what the Bible calls self-denial. How does true grace negate ourselves?
We know you'll see, for example, married couples, where the woman often asks her husband, "Do you love me?"
If the husband says, "I love you," she'll then ask, "What do you love about me?"
If the husband says, "I love you unconditionally, but I don't see anything in you that makes you worthy of my love," the woman can't accept it.
We always feel that if you love me, it's either because I'm beautiful or because I'm virtuous. Either because I'm gentle, or because I'm rich, you have to love me for something, otherwise I won't feel secure, right?
But God wants us to see that His love is different from human love. He loves someone unconditionally, not because of what you've done, not because of what you have, not because of your social status. Even when you are a sinner, God loves you and dies for you. This is God's love.
So, to a certain extent, when we accept this grace, we confess before God, "Lord, I am nothing. To God, I have no value. I cannot bring much glory to the God who created the universe, yet He loved me. Yet He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to bring ten blessings for my sins, and then rose from the dead on the third day."
Today, I have the hope that when I leave this world, I will not only see Him, but I will also have a resurrected, glorious body to see Him. We also see that this is the heart of Jesus. Because after Jesus was here, Jesus did not drink water. What is Jesus' will? The Bible says, ‘I live to do the will of my Father.’ (John 6:38) Jesus was also preserved. Why? Because he came to find this woman, to let her know him and receive eternal life. So you see, Jesus wasn't really thirsty. We're not saying Jesus didn't thirst, but Jesus' greatest satisfaction was living according to God's will.
So this is what we see: whether we are the Son of God or Christians chosen by God to be His sons through Jesus Christ, our purpose in life is actually only one: to have God's will fulfilled in our lives. That is the meaning of our creation, and that is the meaning of our lives.
In fact, when we read further in this passage, when all these people came out, when the woman said, "Come and see, is he the Messiah? Is he the Christ?" when all these people came out, after they saw Jesus, they spoke to him, they communicated with him. The result was that they all believed. They said, "We came to see you because of this woman, but after hearing you speak and seeing your actions, even more people believed." They said, "Now we believe not because of this woman's words, but because we have personally heard the words of Jesus Christ and know that he is truly the Saviour.” (John 4:29, 39-42)
There is only one Saviour in this world, and we need a Saviour. We see this Saviour, his lowering of the cup, his proactive redemption. He has no sin, yet he became the model of a sinner. He should not have suffered, yet he willingly suffered. He should not have shed his blood, yet he became the model of a human being so that he could shed his blood to cleanse our sins."
So, my dear friends and family, in our lives we have all passed through many wells, and we may have even drunk a lot of water, but the result is that we are still thirsty. But when we invite you to come to church today, when we tell you the Word of God, when someone tells you this Gospel, we invite you to confess your thirst before this God, to acknowledge your need for this King of kings and Lord of lords.
Because He alone is our Saviour, I also hope that those of us here who have not yet come to know Jesus can, like this woman, truly say, "If I knew who I am today, if I knew who Jesus is, may the Spirit of God move you to pray to Him, to confess your sins, so that you may no longer rely on your own desires, your own resources, or all that you possess, as if these things could satisfy you in this world. Instead, rely on this Lord who thirsted for you, who came into the world as a man for you, who shed his blood for you, who rose again for you, and who finally gave you his eternal life, so that in Him you may find the unending spring of living water. Open your mouth to Him, and He Himself will satisfy you."
This is the Gospel, and this is God's faith and desire.