Orthodox Sermons & Articles

Our Lord Jesus Christ, accompanied by His disciples, was on His way from Judea to Galilee along the road that passed through Samaria. His disciples went into the town to buy food while He sat down to rest by the well. There came a woman of Samaria to the well and the Lord asked her to give Him a drink of water. The woman was surprised that He had asked for a drink, for the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. I have to mansion here that the Jews were angry with Samaritans. Long time before God had given the Law through Moses to the Israel. According to that Law Jews could not marry other nations surrounding them. But some of them did not follow that Law and they took the pagans' women and married them. They lived separately in Samaria and they accept first five books of Moses and were sure that all Israel should pray not in Jerusalem but on their mountain. Question of prayer-place was the biggest disagreement between those two nations. They did not talk, did not visit, did not respect one another. 

 

Now we can understand why the woman was surprised after Jesus asked Her to give Him a drink -- He was Jew and she was Samaritan. Jesus had answered on her amazement. He 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.

 

Thus, simply and wisely, the Lord leads man to knowledge of exalted Divine Truths. Plain water serves as an image of living water, the Grace of the Holy Spirit. The Samaritan woman now knows of the living water and wants to drink of it. But she does not understand yet that her sinful life hinders her from receiving grace. The Lord in His wisdom does not openly accuse her of her sinful life -- wounds of sin are painful for men. He leads her meekly to the confession of her sins. Go, call your husband, and come here. And she, realizing her sin, says humbly: I have no husband.

 

Thus did Divine Wisdom reveal in person who was completely depraved in the eyes of men, two virtues -- the acknowledgment of her fault, her unworthiness and humility. And upon these, the Grace of God rests and accomplishes the great work of salvation. The realization of her sinfulness made the Samaritan Woman resolve to change, to correct her life, and humility opened the vessel of the heart to receive grace. Scripture tells us that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

 

After Jesus asked her to call her husband, she has seen in Him a Prophet because He knew about her sinful life with sixth man. She lived without marriage therefore it was sinful. Now the woman wants to know about the place for worship. As I mansion before, Samaritans were worshipping on their mountain and Jews were worshipping in Jerusalem. Jesus answered on her question that the true worshipers do not have to seek very special place, like mountain or any city, but they have to worship in spirit and truth. If we go to Church but our spirit is outside the Church in some other place we are wasting our time. We go to Church that we would help each other in prayer of love. Praying for each other we received God’s blessings. But being in the Church without our spirit we just show that there is no truth in us. This is why it is so important to come to Church not because of tradition but because of our true belief and love to God and to all people. We have to believe in Jesus Christ because He is our Savior. The Samaritan woman wanted to know about Messiah, the Savior and Jesus answered to her, “I Who speak with you am He.” There is no doubt in it, because He and His deeds witnessed for it. 

 

This conversation between Jesus and the Woman of Samaria shows us that God loves all of us with the same love -- whether we sin or not. But to receive the living water we can only by changing our sinful life. This conversation has spiritual meaning too. Every soul is living with her unmarried man, that is her sin. The lawful husband is every good deed we do to our neighbors because then we live according to the law of love, that is the law of God. God can visit us and enter the house of our heart only when we change our life on righteous. If we have desire to change ourselves and to follow Christ, we should do it, and God will help us. He will give us Living Water we need for our spiritual growing. The Samaritan woman, after her conversation with the Messiah, begins to preach the Good News to all people of Samaria. So should we do. And I would say that in present time our world needs not only preaching of the Gospel but example of living according to that Gospel. Everybody can remember the words, but not everyone can fulfill them. And it is so not because men are unable to fulfill it, but because many of us do not want to lead our life according to God’s law. This is why Jesus shows us today in the conversation with the Samaritan woman that we cannot receive the living water if we are in sins.

 

So, dear brothers and sisters, let's think about our life, about our attitude to the Church and God. When we see ourselves in sin, as Samaritan woman did, let’s ask for forgiveness, and let’s change ourselves. By doing that we will help not only ourselves, because, in present time, it will be a good sermon about living according to God’s will as well. May God help you on this way to salvation. Amen.