Intentionality | Jesus According to His Alleged Best Friend Week 3 | Anywhere Service

Jesus’ life is full of stories and parables, but what do they all mean? Everything He did, He did for a reason and it all adds up to understanding who Jesus was as a person.

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    - Today on Crossroads, Paco gets into a bar fight.
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    - You didn't see that coming, did you?
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    You ever been in a bar fight?
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    Me neither.
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    And in fact, this isn't even about bar fights,
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    this isn't even about bars.
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    This is about Jesus showing up
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    in the most unexpected places.
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    - Hey, bud, what's wrong?
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    - I'm not the only one.
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    - You're not the only one what?
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    - That Jesus loves.
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    - Well, yeah. He loves everybody. That's okay.
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    - I'm John. Nice to meet you.
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    You may have heard of me,
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    I'm kind of Jesus's best friend. No big deal.
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    In the past week, I've watched
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    every single Marvel movie, every single DC movie,
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    and also Star Wars.
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    By the way, that part, when Luke finds out
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    who his dad was, crazy.
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    Almost as crazy when I found out who Jesus's dad was.
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    Rough day for Joseph.
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    But Jesus could also call you out on your crap.
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    One time in Samaria, Jesus met this woman at a well
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    and let's just say she'd been pretty social.
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    Rather than condemning her for her past,
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    Jesus sat down with her and talked with her
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    and showed her how to live a better way.
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    Kind of like Yoda. [tone]
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    - That story doesn't mean that Jesus doesn't love you.
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    He does. You're special. Come on. You know that.
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    - That's what mom always says. - Yeah.
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    - Just that He thinks everyone's special
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    and He loves everyone
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    and there's nothing He wouldn't do
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    and nowhere He wouldn't go to help anyone,
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    even like go to a bar.
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    - And that's what Paco's going to talk about right now.
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    - There's my guy. Come on. Come on. Yeah.
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    - What is Jesus like?
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    You think He'd like it here?
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    I know I wouldn't have chosen this location.
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    I don't even like bars really.
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    And it's not because I'm anti alcohol,
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    I'm just anti-overpaying
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    for subpar drinks in crowded environments.
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    But I have learned a life hack, though, in my old age.
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    Come to the bar at off hours.
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    Tuesday at 4:00 you get the same overpriced drinks,
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    but more elbow room.
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    Now you don't show up to a bar on accident,
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    something brings you there.
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    Whether it's a breakup, whether it's to meet people,
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    whether it's to celebrate something.
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    Something brings you to places like this.
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    And often times, unexpected relationships happen
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    in environments like this.
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    And today, we're going to explore a story in scripture
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    where Jesus has this interaction with a woman
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    who is not expecting this interaction,
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    and she ends up with some unexpected freedom.
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    It's an unexpected place with an unexpected person
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    and an unexpected result.
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    And the passage of we're going to break down
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    in John 4 today is going to show us
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    something about Jesus that we all need now
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    in our world more than ever.
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    The principle in the passage might be the missing link
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    that you and I need to grow our faith
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    and grow the church.
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    - And actually, before we get started with Paco,
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    I want to talk about giving really quick,
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    because everything at Crossroads is funded by givers,
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    people just like you and me, who step in
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    to make sure that more people can hear this message.
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    By the way, about 10% of people
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    who watch this episode will do that.
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    That's not to guilt trip you by any means,
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    just to say there's an opportunity,
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    if you want to to step in and help more people
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    hear this life changing message. Here's Paco.
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    - All right, it's John Chapter four.
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    Let me set the context of where this story takes place.
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    This story takes place at a well
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    in the middle of the day with a woman who's a Samaritan.
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    Now, why is this unexpected?
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    Well, culturally, rabbis, Jesus was a rabbi,
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    didn't really mess around with pailing water at the well.
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    Secondly, it's the middle of the day.
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    You wouldn't have been at a well
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    in the middle of the day anyway. It's hot.
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    You should have already had your day started.
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    Third, He has this interaction with a woman.
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    Now we've come a long way
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    in our male to female interactions.
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    Don't get me wrong.
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    Back then, they had not come as far as we've come today.
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    So men and women didn't really interact
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    in public like that.
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    And lastly, this woman, she's a Samaritan.
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    That means she's half Jew, half gentile.
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    She would have been a sworn enemy to a Jewish person.
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    And so in verse seven, we pick this up
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    where Jesus is on a trip with His disciples,
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    and they stop at this well.
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    Jesus sends them on a food run.
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    He goes, Look, the delivery service
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    over here is terrible. Go do some pickup,
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    do some carryout, get some fish sandwiches or whatever.
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    Right?
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    So disciples head over there to do the thing.
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    As Jesus is taking a break, this Samaritan woman
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    comes and has this interaction with Jesus.
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    Jesus sees her and goes, "Hey, can you give me a drink?"
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    And the woman is looking around going,
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    "He can't be talking -- I guess He is talking to me.
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    I'm the only other person here."
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    First time she says this, she says:
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    Jesus is looking at her going, "Okay, cool.
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    If you would have asked Me,
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    I would have given you something better."
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    Here's what he says in verse ten.
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    This woman's looking at Jesus going,
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    "Living water. What is He even talking about?"
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    She says back to Him in verse 11:
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    She's looking at Jesus going, "Living water.
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    What are you talking about?
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    You don't even have a bucket. What are you saying?"
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    Jesus replied to her in verse 13:
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    Jesus ups the ante in this conversation.
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    He goes, "Listen, lady, you're talking about water
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    in a well, I'm talking about water in your existence,
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    in your spirit.
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    I'm talking about living water
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    that will well up to eternal life.
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    I'm talking about different stuff than you are."
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    And this woman, it's important to know,
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    that she is definitely a loner.
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    Why do we know she's a loner?
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    Well, we know she's a loner because she's coming
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    to a well in the middle of the day to get water.
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    It's hard for us to understand this because
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    we live in this cultural phenomenon
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    called running water, where we turn a faucet on
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    whatever time it is and we get water out of it.
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    Well, back in ancient times, it wasn't like that.
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    You had to get up early,
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    you had to get your buckets together.
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    You had to go to the nearest well.
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    You had to get all the water.
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    And all of the village would come kind of together
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    because they were all trying to get there
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    before it got super hot.
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    Well, this lady shows up in the middle of the day,
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    so clearly she is uncomfortable with being
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    in the crowd of the other villagers
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    getting water in the morning.
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    Or maybe they've shunned her.
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    Or maybe she's just too ashamed to show her face.
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    Whatever it might be, she's a loner.
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    And there's something about the way
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    that Jesus is treating her that sparks her interest.
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    So in verse 15, she says this:
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    Jesus hears that and he goes, "Okay, cool.
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    You asked for it. Here we go."
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    She's had five husbands
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    and the guy she's with now is not her husband.
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    Could you imagine the shame?
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    No one likes getting called out, right?
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    And Jesus calls it out.
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    It's easy to put all the blame on the woman here
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    in this situation because, like, you know, you think,
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    "Well, she's had five husbands
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    and the guy she's with is not her husband,
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    she's clearly loose."
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    Yeah, that might be true.
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    But it's important to know culturally,
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    she would have had to have been married
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    and/or maybe even sold into marriage to survive.
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    Jesus isn't just calling her out personally here,
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    He's recognizing her pain.
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    He's recognizing that, yeah,
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    there's some decisions that she's probably made
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    along the way that would leave her in this situation.
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    But there's also decisions culturally that
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    have been made that have put her in this situation.
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    And when Jesus calls her out,
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    she has this moment of breakthrough where
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    she realizes Jesus is different than all the others.
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    Verse 19:
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    She starts to have this religious conversation
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    with Jesus about like, "Where should we worship?
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    Should it be on a mountain? Should it be in a temple?
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    Should it be over here or over there?"
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    Jesus says, "Listen, listen.
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    You're having the wrong conversation, lady,
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    because God is Spirit.
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    And if we're going to worship God,
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    we've got to worship Him in spirit and in truth.
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    See all the stuff that you're experiencing.
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    Yeah, that's all good and fine culturally.
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    But I'm Jesus, I'm calling you to more."
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    And the woman said to Him in verse 25:
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    He'll make all of this make sense to us.
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    Jesus says to her, Yeah,
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    that Messiah you're looking for,
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    "I who speak to you am He."
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    Jesus says, "Yeah, yeah.
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    The person that you're looking for for answers,
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    the person you're trying to make sense of your life,
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    the person who is the person you're hoping for,
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    I'm that guy."
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    He says, "Hey, hey, hey.
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    You're looking for deliverance?
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    That's where you'll find it in me.
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    Hey, you're looking for hope. You'll find it in me.
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    Hey, you're looking for purpose.
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    You're looking to take some of the shame
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    and guilt off of your life. I am He."
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    Now, could you imagine what this woman is doing
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    right now in her head?
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    She came up here like on a regular day to get water
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    and go back to her regular life.
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    And she has this moment
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    with the son of God in the flesh.
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    Can you imagine, like, what's happening in her head?
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    And then just as that's happening,
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    the disciples come back from their food run.
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    They got the fish sandwiches, like, what's up?
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    And the woman is talking to Jesus.
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    And the guys, the disciples see them interacting
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    and they're like, well, this is weird.
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    They look at Jesus like, well, Jesus doesn't look fazed.
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    Now imagine what the woman is thinking, right?
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    She's having this moment with Jesus here
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    and having this breakthrough.
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    And then these other guys come over
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    and now she's like,
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    "I'm not supposed to be interacting with people.
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    I'm supposed to be here by myself. I --"
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    All the guilt, all the shame,
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    all the stuff starts coming,
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    and she does something that's absolutely incredible.
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    Verse 29:
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    The people went out of the town, and they were coming to Him.
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    This woman at that moment takes her jug,
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    puts it down and says, "You know,
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    I don't need to do this alone anymore.
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    I got to go tell people about this living water.
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    This water is cool for now,
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    but there's living water now.
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    I'm going to go tell people about this living water."
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    She takes off in the town and goes,
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    "You've got to come meet this guy."
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    Now, what is this all have to do with
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    the character of Jesus?
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    What does this show us about what Jesus was like?
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    Well, I think it shows us a lot of stuff, right?
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    I mean, Jesus can redeem us.
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    Jesus can give us hope, all of that stuff.
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    But I'm going to say the number one thing
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    that this passage shows us about what Jesus was like,
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    and I bet when I say it you are going to eyeroll,
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    either eye roll this way or eye roll that way.
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    Jesus, in this moment with all of this stuff happening,
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    all of this breakthrough starts because
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    Jesus, He was kind.
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    Yeah, I know. Here come the eye rolls. Right?
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    When you say the word kindness today,
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    you shift in the two major camps. Right?
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    We have really bad cultural examples
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    of what kindness means. Right?
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    Because one camp is over here and they're, like,
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    "Yeah, kindness. That means like tolerance
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    and flattery and being a pushover
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    and people pleasing and being soft."
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    And then the other side of the spectrum,
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    you've got people like, "Yeah, kindness, woo.
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    It's my hall pass to call everyone out at all times,
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    no matter what in the name of kindness."
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    Both camps are wrong.
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    See both camps are operating at a place of selfishness
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    and/or maybe even self preservation.
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    If you and I are going to follow Jesus,
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    He calls us to kindness.
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    - Over the past two years of the pandemic,
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    more than half of all educators
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    have considered quitting their jobs.
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    Yet they've responded to these challenging times
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    in many courageous ways.
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    And despite uncertainty, exhaustion and discouragement,
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    they've continued to provide safe
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    and encouraging learning environments
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    for their students, impacting the lives
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    of thousands in the next generation.
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    We see you.
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    We applaud you.
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    We are grateful for you.
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    Join us this spring when for one week
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    we'll pack ourselves a brown bag lunch every day
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    and give the money we save from not eating out
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    straight to hard working educators.
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    Go to Crossroads.net/educators for more info.
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    This is for you.
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    - Pretty cool, right? - Yeah.
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    - We're just going to help our educators.
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    - I love that. If we ever forgot to pack our lunch,
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    Jesus had to, like, make some bread and,
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    like, bless it. It was crazy.
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    - Yeah. And if you want to be part of it,
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    you can get all the details at Crossroads.net/educators.
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    - Yeah, it seems like Crossroads is doing a lot of good
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    and a lot of life change is happening around here.
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    Here's actually something I just heard about recently.
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    Check it out.
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    - Nelson Mandela said:
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    Education is the most powerful weapon
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    which you can use to change the world.
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    We've been partnering with Build the Future
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    in South Africa for the last 15 years
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    where their focus is providing educational services
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    and nutrition to children in impoverished communities.
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    One of the largest problems that communities face
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    is a lack of resources.
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    Build the Future, helps the people they serve
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    get the most out of the land around them.
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    You'll find Build the Future
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    where the streets have no names
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    and the people are forgotten.
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    - In 2014, we put our first school here
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    and we started with seven kids in a small container.
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    And it was always about taking
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    as many kids off the street
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    and putting them in an environment like this where
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    they were going to be fed healthy, nutritious meals,
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    where they were going to be protected,
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    where they were going to get really good education.
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    And it was going to be a place where
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    from that foundation,
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    they would be launched into primary school.
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    And right from the beginning,
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    when when I first got involved in community work,
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    it was always the kids that suffer.
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    And it was, how can we make an impact in these kids?
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    How do we get these kids off the streets?
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    And that was the reason for the school.
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    It was how do we get the kids off the street,
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    educated and fed?
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    And the two come together and make the difference.
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    - It is the relationship with the teachers
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    and their stories, how they are lives
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    that have come out of this community
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    started out as just a helper, you know,
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    became a teacher, now she's the principal.
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    And that's Elizabeth's story. Right?
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    And so it is about the relationships.
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    - From Kya Sand in Johannesburg to Soweto,
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    one of the big things, apart from the financial aid,
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    is the groups that come out
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    and the trips that come to South Africa.
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    The folks on the trips are blessed
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    and they take away something.
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    And the people here are blessed.
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    Simply put, as you know the Scripture,
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    the fields are ready to harvest
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    and the laborers are few.
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    If that wasn't the case, I'd see more vehicles
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    like mine doing stuff, and that's the bottom line.
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    It changes your life.
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    And this is more than a vocation.
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    It's more of a calling than anything else.
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    There's nothing like planting a seed
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    and seeing it grow and watering it and nurturing it.
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    And when you get the response from the children,
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    that's ridiculous.
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    Small steps and you look back
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    and we've made quite an impact, I would say.
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    - So kindness. Right/ It's a polarizing term.
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    It might be a vague term, but Jesus really models
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    what kindness is in this interaction with this woman.
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    See, Jesus's kindness calms the noise.
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    This lady was dealing with all kinds of societal
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    and cultural norms and they
  • 00:16:51
    were super loud and it caused her to kind of
  • 00:16:53
    box herself in because it was really loud
  • 00:16:56
    all the voices all around her.
  • 00:16:58
    Jesus, before He does any preaching
  • 00:17:00
    or gives her a great lecture,
  • 00:17:01
    He converses with her as an equal
  • 00:17:03
    and it immediately establishes care and connection.
  • 00:17:07
    Now. I love a good religious combo
  • 00:17:08
    as much as the next person.
  • 00:17:10
    But Jesus doesn't start there with this woman.
  • 00:17:13
    He starts with connection and it calms all the noise
  • 00:17:16
    and all the rhetoric so that she could hear
  • 00:17:18
    and experience His kindness.
  • 00:17:19
    Second thing is kindness is clear.
  • 00:17:21
    Jesus was super clear.
  • 00:17:23
    He calls out the issues this woman has in verse 16,
  • 00:17:26
    and He makes the claim, "I am the Messiah.
  • 00:17:29
    I am the living water."
  • 00:17:31
    And the third thing Jesus does here is creates freedom.
  • 00:17:35
    See, kindness creates freedom.
  • 00:17:37
    Shame and guilt in our past often times puts us
  • 00:17:40
    in shackles and, like, binds us to stuff.
  • 00:17:43
    And this woman, she had kind of accepted her reality
  • 00:17:45
    of like, "This is just going to be my existence.
  • 00:17:47
    I'm going to come out here alone every day.
  • 00:17:49
    I'm going to carry a giant jug of water back."
  • 00:17:51
    But after this interaction with Jesus, verse 28,
  • 00:17:54
    she drops her jar. She drops her big, huge bucket.
  • 00:17:58
    She says, "I don't need this anymore.
  • 00:17:59
    I've got living water now.
  • 00:18:01
    I'm not bound to this anymore.
  • 00:18:03
    I've got this living water inside of me."
  • 00:18:05
    Now, why did she do that?
  • 00:18:06
    Because she had met Jesus and it changed everything.
  • 00:18:09
    The spot where she felt the most shame
  • 00:18:11
    is the exact spot where Jesus met her
  • 00:18:13
    and His kindness transformed her.
  • 00:18:17
    So to answer the question, What is Jesus like?
  • 00:18:20
    He's kind,
  • 00:18:21
    and His kindness calls you to something better.
  • 00:18:24
    Jesus was kind to her, and He's kind to you, too.
  • 00:18:27
    Here's how the rest of the story plays out. Verse 42:
  • 00:18:30
    The people in the village said to the woman,
  • 00:18:43
    This woman accepts Jesus's kindness and it changes her.
  • 00:18:47
    And from an outflow of that, it changes
  • 00:18:49
    everyone she comes in contact with.
  • 00:18:52
    Now the church is in a unique spot, right?
  • 00:18:54
    Especially right now in the US.
  • 00:18:56
    If we want to see more people exploring faith in Jesus,
  • 00:18:59
    more people will transform by Him,
  • 00:19:01
    it's not going to because we have sweet,
  • 00:19:04
    awesome social pages and over-the-top extravaganzas
  • 00:19:07
    and awesome marketing.
  • 00:19:09
    It's going to be because they see our kindness
  • 00:19:12
    toward each other, the way Jesus has been kind to us.
  • 00:19:15
    We should be doing everything we can
  • 00:19:17
    to reach new people, but it's got to start
  • 00:19:19
    from a place of God being kind to us
  • 00:19:23
    and Jesus transforming us through that kindness.
  • 00:19:25
    We only have the ability to show this kindness
  • 00:19:27
    because it's been shown to us.
  • 00:19:28
    It's from an outflow,
  • 00:19:30
    it's from an overflow of the heart
  • 00:19:31
    that's been changed by the gospel
  • 00:19:33
    and knows it's been given grace.
  • 00:19:35
    And this has been God's way of doing things all along.
  • 00:19:38
    God has been kind since the very beginning.
  • 00:19:40
    He was kind in Creation.
  • 00:19:42
    He was kind in the Fall.
  • 00:19:44
    He was kind during the Flood.
  • 00:19:46
    He was kind to guys like Paul,
  • 00:19:49
    people in the early church.
  • 00:19:50
    He's been kind all throughout history, even now today.
  • 00:19:53
    Anybody who has done anything good in the world
  • 00:19:56
    has experienced God's kindness.
  • 00:19:59
    Anyone who's done anything good in the world
  • 00:20:02
    in the name of Jesus has done that because
  • 00:20:04
    they have experienced God's kindness.
  • 00:20:07
    In the book of Romans, the writer puts it like this,
  • 00:20:09
    says that God's kindness
  • 00:20:13
    is meant to lead us to repentance.
  • 00:20:14
    It's meant to lead us to turn from our ways
  • 00:20:16
    and go to Him.
  • 00:20:18
    I've seen that to be true in my life.
  • 00:20:20
    My relationship with Jesus is a result of
  • 00:20:23
    His patience, His love and His kindness to me,
  • 00:20:26
    even when I don't deserve it.
  • 00:20:29
    And the best news of all of this is
  • 00:20:31
    you can have that too.
  • 00:20:32
    You can experience the kindness of Jesus.
  • 00:20:34
    Maybe you've been burned by unkind people,
  • 00:20:36
    and somehow in your head you've you put it together
  • 00:20:39
    that, like, Jesus is going to be unkind to you too,
  • 00:20:42
    so you want to kind of shy away from Him.
  • 00:20:45
    I want you to take a note from this woman:
  • 00:20:47
    Jesus will meet you in the most unexpected places,
  • 00:20:49
    and His kindness can and will transform you.
  • 00:20:53
    So maybe it's time for you today, even right now,
  • 00:20:55
    to experience maybe for the first time
  • 00:20:58
    what living water is like.
  • 00:21:01
    Well, I want to pray for you
  • 00:21:02
    because Jesus wants to come meet you.
  • 00:21:04
    Jesus wants to come meet you,
  • 00:21:05
    He wants to set you free from the baggage
  • 00:21:06
    and the shame and the guilt that you've experienced.
  • 00:21:09
    He wants to put something inside of you, living water,
  • 00:21:11
    that will transform your life
  • 00:21:13
    and the life of those around you.
  • 00:21:14
    And it all starts with His kindness.
  • 00:21:16
    Let me pray for you.
  • 00:21:17
    God, thank You for Your kindness.
  • 00:21:19
    Thank You that it is Your kindness that leads us to You.
  • 00:21:23
    I thank You that You don't scold us or shame us
  • 00:21:26
    or guilt us, God, that You calm the noise,
  • 00:21:29
    that You're clear in what You're calling us to.
  • 00:21:31
    God, we know that what You're calling us to is freedom.
  • 00:21:34
    So, God, I pray for freedom for
  • 00:21:36
    all those experiencing this right now.
  • 00:21:38
    And I pray that Your living water would fill them up,
  • 00:21:40
    God, and that it would well up in them eternal life.
  • 00:21:43
    Amen.
  • 00:25:57
    - As you watch this episode, if you have any questions,
  • 00:25:59
    feel free to mail me a letter at my house.
  • 00:26:01
    My mom will get it,
  • 00:26:02
    but I'll make sure to read it right away.
  • 00:26:03
    - No, no, just chat with us on our website.
  • 00:26:05
    Just do that. - Oh, yeah, Crossroads Net.
  • 00:26:07
    - Crossroads.net, actually. Yeah. Sure.
  • 00:26:09
    Which is also, by the way, where you can give.
  • 00:26:11
    And I know giving is a strange thing.
  • 00:26:13
    I used to feel like, where does the money go
  • 00:26:15
    and why would it do this in the first place?
  • 00:26:17
    It was very confusing until I understood that
  • 00:26:19
    it's a core part of -- thank you --
  • 00:26:22
    following and trusting God.
  • 00:26:23
    If you want to take a step forward, Crossroads.net/give.
  • 00:26:26
    - Great. And in a couple of weeks come join us
  • 00:26:28
    and we will give your mother a horse.
  • 00:26:31
    Not a personal one, just one to share.
  • 00:26:33
    Mother's Day is coming up
  • 00:26:34
    and we have a huge weekend planned.
  • 00:26:35
    Check it out and we'll see you next time on Crossroads.
  • 00:26:38
    I love saying that. - I know. I know.
  • 00:26:44
    - Come see one of the most memorable experiences
  • 00:26:47
    you'll have in your lifetime.
  • 00:26:51
    Where we witness unbridled raw power.
  • 00:26:54
    Come face to face with a desire to help it thrive.
  • 00:27:00
    Living to your potential requires learning that you were
  • 00:27:03
    created to be free.

Apr 25, 2022 27 mins 26 sec

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