Sunday, February 24, 2008 - Romans 5:1-8

Last Sunday, in my sermon, I mentioned the Samaritan woman at the well we heard of in John’s Gospel. Even she was shocked that Jesus would speak to her. Jews did not speak to Samaritans – especially Samaritan women of poor reputation.

Here comes Jesus offering her the same “water of life” as has been given to the disciples. And in the verses that follow in John’s Gospel – Wow! Were the disciples ever surprised when they came back and saw Him speaking to her. Our Lord again demonstrates the merciful nature and character of God. This woman who has had five husbands and is now living with someone who is not her husband – she doesn’t deserve the attention of our Lord. She certainly doesn’t deserve to drink of Christ’s living water.

But then we look at our Old Testament lesson and we are reminded of how slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love our God truly is. The Israelites were quarreling with Moses, and essentially were quarreling with God. They were hot, they were thirsty, and under the leadership of Moses, God had led them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night out into the Sinai desert.

It may be hard to think in these terms following a cold and snowy week in Illinois – where tap water flows in each of our homes. But I know that if I am hot and thirsty, I can get a little irritable myself. I think back to my days playing football in high school – two-a-days in August in Kentucky. And my coach was “Old School”. He only allowed water on the practice field because the law mandated it. Back in his day, there were no water breaks. Come to think of it, I’m still a little grumpy about it.

Even though we can perhaps empathize with the Israelites being hot and thirsty, they had no right nor did they have any reason to say what they did to Moses and the Lord. He had brought them safely through the waters of the Red Sea. He had sweetened the bitter tasting waters at Marah after they had grumbled and complained (an event that was only three days after passing through the Red Sea).

Then God provided them with Manna (bread from heaven) after they had grumbled and said, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” [Ex. 16:3].

And this morning we hear that they were hot and thirsty. But rather than coming in faith, in trust, and with respect and honor for the Lord to ask that He save them once again – as He has shown numerous times He is willing and capable of doing. Rather than doing that, they act like spoiled children and they grumble.

I believe that it is hard wired into our sinful human nature to grumble against those in authority over us. And the greater the authority, the greater the grumbling. No one would grumble against his congressman nearly as much as he would grumble against the President. Therefore, when we want to grumble, no one has greater authority than God.

That Samaritan woman at the well is not alone in being undeserving of the “living water” which Christ brings. The Israelites were not deserving. The disciples were not deserving. You and I are not deserving.

This is the very point that Paul makes in his letter to the Romans. Paul says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

While we were still sinners God comes to us with this wonderful message of salvation.

Even though we are professional grumblers, God has chosen to set aside our weaknesses, our faults, our shortcomings, and just as He did for the Israelites in the wilderness, He has repeatedly rescued us, repeatedly brought us salvation, and will one day bring us into the Promised Land.

They didn’t deserve that. We don’t deserve that. None of us deserve to taste the “living water” that flows from Christ. But just as Jesus was not embarrassed or ashamed to speak to the Samaritan woman at the well, so also, God is not ashamed to call a poor, miserable, grumbling sinner like you or me His beloved child. As Paul says, “God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Amen.

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