Pastor Dan Mangler's Sunday Sermon

Three Strikes You're Out

Genesis 12: 1-8

February 27, 2005

Three Strikes You're Out

(Sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game) "...and it's one, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game."

We say of those whose circumstances virtually preordain them to fail that they begin with two-strikes against them, and as everyone knows, three strikes and you're out. The woman whom Jesus met at Jacob's well this morning began with three strikes against her, and yet it was to her that Jesus offered that precious living water that would gush up in her to eternal life. To a woman whom others would rank the least worthy Jesus offered the highest prize. To a woman whom by every accepted measurable standard of her day was stopped before she got started Jesus presented, in the words of St. Paul, "the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." - Phil 3:14 (RSV)

The woman at the well begins the encounter with Jesus with three strikes against her. A case can be made that three individual groups judged her unworthy and inferior on three counts.

First, to Jews she would be unworthy and inferior because she was a Samaritan, a woman of Samaria. John in his gospel describes this racism in dialog and by explanation in these words: "The Samaritan woman said to (Jesus), 'How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?' (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)" There was genuine hatred between these two groups.

Second, to men she would be unworthy and inferior because she was a woman. Jewish men in Jesus' time prayed daily that they were thankful not to have been born a dog or a woman. One can hardly imagine sexism more unabashed or brazen.

And third, it has been suggested that to other women she would have been judged unworthy or inferior because of her marital history. Not only had she been married five time, she was now living with a man to whom she was not married. Many Bible commentators point out that the custom was for women to come to the community well for water at the beginning and end of the day, before and after the heat of the day, and socialize at the same time. This woman came during the middle of the day alone, suggesting that she felt more comfortable without the other women around.

Racism, sexism, and self-righteous condemnation - these are cultural and sociological strikes that bring down society's judgments of unworthiness and inferiority. But it was to this woman who began her encounter with Jesus with three strikes against her that Jesus offered the highest prize, the living water that gushes up to eternal life. Jesus will simply not allow the barriers that others construct to impede his gift of living water and his promise of eternal life.

Not only did this woman begin her encounter with Jesus with three strikes against her, but I will make the case that she swung and missed three times on her own as well. She struck out with Jesus.

The first strike was her misunderstanding of Jesus' offer of living water. She was thinking of physical water, perhaps a spring closer to home so she would be sparred the work and embarrassment of coming to the public well. She didn't understand that Jesus was offering something spiritual and eternal.

The second strike was her less than forthcoming answer to Jesus' question about her husband. She told the truth when she said, "I have no husband", but hardly the whole truth. It simply cannot be defended that the fact that she had been married five times before and that she was living with a man to whom she was not married was not germane to the question.

And strike three was her blindness to who Jesus was. To be sure, she was not the only one not to recognize who he was, but it is interesting and sad that she had all the information at her disposal, even to the point that she could say, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ) and "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us" and then not recognize that promise when it was standing right in front of her.

"One, two, three strikes you're out at the old ball game." But Jesus marks the beginning of a new ball game where strikes are counted differently.

When my son, Josh, first began swinging a baseball bat we would occasionally go in the backyard for batting practice. I would lob the ball toward him and he would swing and miss and I would say, "Strike one", then "Strike two", then "Strike three". But I wouldn't say, "Sorry, you're out". Instead I'd pitch the ball again and he'd miss and I'd say, "Strike four". Sometimes we'd get to strike ten before he'd get a hit. But I'd keep pitching until he did. I didn't want him to fail. I wanted him to succeed.

And that is why that the longest recorded conversation of Jesus with any person in the Bible is with the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus didn't want this Samaritan woman to fail spiritually. He wanted her to succeed. He wanted her to get it. Jesus wanted her to accept the living water that would gush up in her to eternal life. And so he kept on pitching until she got it.

There are many instances in the Bible that encourage persistence on the part of the believer. There was the Canaanite woman who cried out, “Have mercy on me, O Lord” and wouldn’t give up until Jesus granted her healing for her daughter. There is Jesus’ parable of the persistent neighbor who came at midnight and wouldn’t leave until he got what he came for, a parable Jesus used to encourage persistence in prayer. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, is sitting by the roadside in Jericho. Bartimaeus is doing what he does daily; he is begging for money. Obviously, he has heard about Jesus. Bartimaeus senses that this is his moment, his chance, so when Jesus comes near, Bartimaeus begins to cry out urgently, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” The crowd tries to shush him. They think Jesus is too busy and too important to be bothered with the likes of Bartimaeus. But Bartimaeus will not be denied. He will not be shushed. No! He cries out more desperately, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus responds.

But as many examples in the Bible of persistence in seeking God’s blessings, there are more of God’s persistence in giving his blessing. It is Jesus' lesson of the parable of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to find the lost one: "So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost." (Matt. 18:14) It is the parable of the lost coin. It is the parable of the prodigal son. It isn’t the old ball game in which competition rules and dictates that if some win others must lose, where three strikes and you’re out. It is the family ball game in which the Father continues to pitch until the son or daughter connects. God doesn't pitch with the intent of getting us out. God repeatedly puts the message of Jesus Christ before us so that one-day we might finally respond. In the closing words from last Sunday’s gospel reading: “For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”

Jesus would permit no barrier to frustrate his effort to bring to this Samaritan woman the living water that would well up to eternal life in her. He would break down the barriers that others constructed, the barriers of racism, sexism, and judgmental self-righteousness; and he would pound away at the obstacles that the woman herself threw up: her misunderstanding, her cunning, and her spiritual blindness.

Jesus continues today to break down barriers built by society that would separate one person from another and impose some artificial judgment of unworthiness or inferiority. He breaks down the barriers of racism and sexism, and transcends the walls of economics and politics. And he continues to pound away at the obstacles of spiritual misunderstanding, blindness, and willful, stubborn disbelief. It is his loving will that we receive and be blessed by that living water that will well up in us to eternal life. Amen.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.