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Lent 3 – Jesus the I AM
Dr. Christopher Graham
Henryk Siemiradzki, Christ and Samaritan (1890)
Lent 3, 2026
Dr. Christopher Graham
John 4
“We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
This morning’s Gospel reading about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is one of those texts that gives me pause to preach or to teach. It is such a powerful story on its own that by giving commentary on it, I risk removing its power. In fact, my guess is that some of you are here this morning because you encountered Jesus, having heard and been moved by just this story. And so this morning, rather than focus on this encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria, we’re going to follow the text’s lead and look at an adjacent element. This is, by the way, not a copout. It is a technique that all of the Gospel writers employ, including John. That is, by placing other stories around a central story, they bring aspects of each story into starker relief, more vivid than looking at each story on its own. This morning we will look at one of these adjacent passages and, in doing so, learn more about this Jesus whom the woman encounters and who we encounter.
The adjacent story we will look at immediately precedes the encounter at the well. If you have a copy of Scripture in front of you, you can find it in the preceding chapter, John 3. If not, I’ve given you a few verses from that in your bulletin. Beginning in verse 22, the focus is on John the Baptist, the Baptizer.
3:22-23: After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized
Notice first the contrast between where John the Baptist is and where Jesus is. John the Baptist is in Judean ministering to the people of Israel and records an encounter amongst Jews. Jesus is in Samaria, ministering to and encountering a Samaritan. Ick. Throughout the Gospels, the Samaritans are the epitome of what it is to be despicable. In a particularly heated exchange between Jesus and his opponents, they say to him “The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed” (John 8: 44-48). When the Greeks come to meet Jesus (John 12) there is no hubbub but those kissin-cousins the Samaritans? There must be a sociological term about the increased hostility we tend to have with those who share enough of our culture with us. It’s like me going to visit my son on the South Side of Chicago. I can wear a Rangers Jersey, but I can’t wear a Cubs jersey.
But as important is the fact that water is central to the story of John the Baptist. He is in a place with water and he is using water in his ministry. But Jesus is in a place there is no water in the encounter with the woman. Oh, it is spoken about and referred to in our passage this morning. There is, presumably, water deep down in the well. But there’s no water here. I wanted to bring in water this morning as a prop. But there is no water in this story. No one gets physical water and she leaves her waterpot empty. This point stands out even more if we were to read the first five chapters of John. There is water, water everywhere. John is baptizing in water in chapter one and again, look at 3:23, where there is much water. There is plenty of water at the wedding feast in Cana. Buckets and buckets. And in the story immediately after this encounter goes to the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. But not here.
Why is this important? Because Jesus is doing something categorically different than what John the Baptist is doing. Something that John the Baptist himself said would be different. Matthew records his words very succinctly: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Indeed, it becomes clearer and clearer through John’s Gospel that this water that yield eternal life is the Spirit. Which Jesus will expound on at great length. Read John 14-16 this afternoon. But John wants to make a different point just here about Jesus. Back to the words of John 3:31-36. John the Baptist is in this land where there’s water from the ground and is doing, he can do with that water. And Jesus does miracles with physical water in the early chapters of John. But Jesus goes deliberately to a place where there is not readily accessible water to demonstrate that John has said:
3:31-32: He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
Jesus alone can bring what is from heaven. He is doing only what only God can do.
You will remember that in Epiphany we saw how John took us to Exodus to show us how Jesus does what only God could do in meeting Moses on the Mountain. Now John shows us how Jesus does what only God can do in meeting Moses in the desert. We heard it read this morning from Exodus.
Through Isaiah, God promises to “satisfy your desire in scorched places. And give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Isa 58:11b
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Matt 5:6.
We know this not only because of the allusions to the Holy Spirit but because of Jesus’s words to the woman, “The One speaking to you, I am he.” Here in this land of Samaria, this is the first time in John that Jesus has acknowledged himself as the Messiah, the Christ who was to come. He even does so with language that in future episodes will be noteworthy. Ego eimi.
Biblical readers are quick to point out in this cases what seems to be a clear reference back to Exodus 3:13-14:
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’
But let me back up one verse in Exodus.
And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
I am the Bread of Life…the Door…the Good Shepherd…the Resurrection and the Life….the Way the Truth and the Life…the True Vine. Faith—Jesus said to them I am the Bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35. This morning, as we confess that our hearts are restless. That we are thirsty and live in a parched land. And this morning, we are here to yield ourselves to the only one who can give a peace to our restless hearts. To the Fount of every blessing. A table in the midst of our enemies. Still waters in the shadow of death. To the One offers us what he offered and gave to the woman at the well: a life rooted in and drawing from the life-giving Spirit.
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By Rev. Doug FloydDr. Christopher Graham
Henryk Siemiradzki, Christ and Samaritan (1890)
Lent 3, 2026
Dr. Christopher Graham
John 4
“We have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
This morning’s Gospel reading about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman is one of those texts that gives me pause to preach or to teach. It is such a powerful story on its own that by giving commentary on it, I risk removing its power. In fact, my guess is that some of you are here this morning because you encountered Jesus, having heard and been moved by just this story. And so this morning, rather than focus on this encounter between Jesus and the woman of Samaria, we’re going to follow the text’s lead and look at an adjacent element. This is, by the way, not a copout. It is a technique that all of the Gospel writers employ, including John. That is, by placing other stories around a central story, they bring aspects of each story into starker relief, more vivid than looking at each story on its own. This morning we will look at one of these adjacent passages and, in doing so, learn more about this Jesus whom the woman encounters and who we encounter.
The adjacent story we will look at immediately precedes the encounter at the well. If you have a copy of Scripture in front of you, you can find it in the preceding chapter, John 3. If not, I’ve given you a few verses from that in your bulletin. Beginning in verse 22, the focus is on John the Baptist, the Baptizer.
3:22-23: After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized
Notice first the contrast between where John the Baptist is and where Jesus is. John the Baptist is in Judean ministering to the people of Israel and records an encounter amongst Jews. Jesus is in Samaria, ministering to and encountering a Samaritan. Ick. Throughout the Gospels, the Samaritans are the epitome of what it is to be despicable. In a particularly heated exchange between Jesus and his opponents, they say to him “The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed” (John 8: 44-48). When the Greeks come to meet Jesus (John 12) there is no hubbub but those kissin-cousins the Samaritans? There must be a sociological term about the increased hostility we tend to have with those who share enough of our culture with us. It’s like me going to visit my son on the South Side of Chicago. I can wear a Rangers Jersey, but I can’t wear a Cubs jersey.
But as important is the fact that water is central to the story of John the Baptist. He is in a place with water and he is using water in his ministry. But Jesus is in a place there is no water in the encounter with the woman. Oh, it is spoken about and referred to in our passage this morning. There is, presumably, water deep down in the well. But there’s no water here. I wanted to bring in water this morning as a prop. But there is no water in this story. No one gets physical water and she leaves her waterpot empty. This point stands out even more if we were to read the first five chapters of John. There is water, water everywhere. John is baptizing in water in chapter one and again, look at 3:23, where there is much water. There is plenty of water at the wedding feast in Cana. Buckets and buckets. And in the story immediately after this encounter goes to the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem. But not here.
Why is this important? Because Jesus is doing something categorically different than what John the Baptist is doing. Something that John the Baptist himself said would be different. Matthew records his words very succinctly: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Indeed, it becomes clearer and clearer through John’s Gospel that this water that yield eternal life is the Spirit. Which Jesus will expound on at great length. Read John 14-16 this afternoon. But John wants to make a different point just here about Jesus. Back to the words of John 3:31-36. John the Baptist is in this land where there’s water from the ground and is doing, he can do with that water. And Jesus does miracles with physical water in the early chapters of John. But Jesus goes deliberately to a place where there is not readily accessible water to demonstrate that John has said:
3:31-32: He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all.He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony.
Jesus alone can bring what is from heaven. He is doing only what only God can do.
You will remember that in Epiphany we saw how John took us to Exodus to show us how Jesus does what only God could do in meeting Moses on the Mountain. Now John shows us how Jesus does what only God can do in meeting Moses in the desert. We heard it read this morning from Exodus.
Through Isaiah, God promises to “satisfy your desire in scorched places. And give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Isa 58:11b
Jesus says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” Matt 5:6.
We know this not only because of the allusions to the Holy Spirit but because of Jesus’s words to the woman, “The One speaking to you, I am he.” Here in this land of Samaria, this is the first time in John that Jesus has acknowledged himself as the Messiah, the Christ who was to come. He even does so with language that in future episodes will be noteworthy. Ego eimi.
Biblical readers are quick to point out in this cases what seems to be a clear reference back to Exodus 3:13-14:
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’
But let me back up one verse in Exodus.
And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.”
I am the Bread of Life…the Door…the Good Shepherd…the Resurrection and the Life….the Way the Truth and the Life…the True Vine. Faith—Jesus said to them I am the Bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst. John 6:35. This morning, as we confess that our hearts are restless. That we are thirsty and live in a parched land. And this morning, we are here to yield ourselves to the only one who can give a peace to our restless hearts. To the Fount of every blessing. A table in the midst of our enemies. Still waters in the shadow of death. To the One offers us what he offered and gave to the woman at the well: a life rooted in and drawing from the life-giving Spirit.