“GOD’S CHIROPRACTOR”

JOHN 4:4-24

5  So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

6  Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.

7  A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."

8  (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.)

9  The Samaritan woman said to him, "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.)

10  Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."

11  The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?

12  Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?"

13  Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again,

14  but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life."

15  The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water."

16  Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back."

17  The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband';

18  for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!"

19  The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet.

20  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem."

21  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

22  You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

23  But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.

24  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

25  The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us."

26  Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."

When was the last time you saw a spiritual chiropractor?  Everyone needs a spiritual chiropractor from time to time. Now you may be wondering what exactly is a spiritual chiropractor?  Well, a spiritual chiropractor is similar to a regular chiropractor. 

A regular chiropractor adjusts your spine so your body is healthy and balanced. 

A spiritual chiropractor adjusts your attitude so your soul is healthy and balanced.

There are lots of reasons why a person might need an attitude adjustment. 

People who are always negative need an attitude adjustment so they can see and appreciate their blessings.  People who are full of anger need an attitude adjustment so they can forgive and let go. People who think they’re better than everyone else need an attitude adjustment so they can begin to care a little more about the people around them.

Everyone needs an attitude adjustment from time to time.  That’s what a priest had to do one morning when he got up and looked out his bedroom window.  There on the lawn in front of the church was a dead donkey.  The priest was horrified and immediately called the police.  When the sergeant on duty answered the phone the priest explained the situation to him and asked him to send someone over to remove the dead donkey.  The sergeant wasn’t in a very cooperative mood, however, and was insulted that the priest wanted them to lug the animal away.  “I sorry,” the sergeant said, “but that’s not our job. You’ll have to find someone else to dispose of the dead donkey or do it yourself, Father.”  Then the sergeant added, “Besides it was always my impression that you people took care of the last rites!”  The priest wasn’t amused. “That’s true,” he said, “but in this case I felt that the least I could do was notify the next of kin.”

Maybe you know someone who needs an attitude adjustment.  Maybe you could use an attitude adjustment yourself.

The woman at the well needed an attitude adjustment and Jesus was just the person to give it to her.  Take a closer look at the conversation that took place by the well that day and you begin to realize that this woman had a bit of a chip on her shoulder.  Jesus asks the woman for a drink of water and she practically tells him to go away. She reminds him that Jews and Samaritans don’t like each other and they certainly don’t talk to each other.

Jesus then tells the woman that if she knew who he was she would be asking him to give her living water.  The woman isn’t impressed.  “So,” she says, “you think you’re going to give me something to drink?  You don’t even have a bucket with you.  Not only that but this well belonged to our ancestor Jacob. He was one of the patriarchs in case you didn’t know. Compared to him you’re nothing special.” 

Jesus then tells the woman that the living water he has to give doesn’t come from a well.  Not only that but he also tells her that if you drink this water you’ll never be thirsty again.  Now the woman is curious and she says to Jesus, “Give me some of that water.”

This is where things get really interesting.  Jesus turns the tables on the woman.  He does that by asking her a question that he knows will put her in her place.  Jesus says to her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”  When the woman says she isn’t married Jesus quickly lowers the boom on her.  Jesus says to her, “You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!”  In other words, “Don’t play games with me woman.  I know who you are and I know all of your embarrassing little secrets.”

So why does Jesus expose the woman like that?  Why did Jesus embarrass the woman like that?  The answer is simple.  He did it for her own good.  The woman’s attitude needed to change.  It needed to change because it was getting in the way of what Jesus wanted to do for her.  Take another look at their conversation and you’ll see that it definitely changes after Jesus asks that question and puts her in her place. The woman looses that chip on her shoulder.  Suddenly she isn’t quite so smug.  She becomes much more humble and because of that she is able to see that Jesus just might be God’s messiah.  She is able to understand and receive the life giving water that Jesus wanted to give to her.  Later on the woman goes back to her village and says to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!”

It was a life changing moment for the woman but it only happened after Jesus gave her that attitude adjustment.  Sometimes Jesus does the same thing to us.  He may be kind and compassionate but he will also give you an attitude adjustment if that’s what you really need.  He’ll give you an attitude adjustment if your attitude is keeping your from that life giving water.  Somehow, someway he’ll let you know that you’re not as smart as you think you are.  You’re not as important as you think you are.  Or, if you’re always putting yourself down he’ll let you know that you’re more deserving of God’s love than you think you are.

That attitude adjustment may come while you’re listening to a sermon.  It might come from a friend who tells you something that you don’t want to hear.  It might from a prayer that isn’t answered.  It might come while you’re dealing with a problem and you suddenly realize that the problem isn’t going away because it has more to do with you than the other person.

There are lots of ways the good Lord can give you an attitude adjustment just like the one he gave to the woman that day at the well.  When that happens just remember this.  The good Lord is only going to give you that attitude adjustment so you can get a good drink of that living water.  You’re only going to get that attitude adjustment so you can drink that living water that will bring you deeper and deeper into the miracle God’s grace and love and peace that passes all understanding.

Ten years ago the Rev. Dr. Peter Gomes gave the graduating class at Harvard University an attitude adjustment.  Rev. Gomes is the chaplain at Harvard University and is a professor of homiletics.  That’s just a fancy word that means he teaches students how to be better preachers.  Rev. Gomes has also written several books on the Bible and preaching.  Someone has described him as a cross between a Shakespearean actor and the character Frasier from the television show “Cheers.”  So, with that imagine in your head listen to what Rev. Gomes told the students at a chapel service the evening before they received their esteemed diplomas from that prestigious institution of higher learning.

The inimitable Rev. Gomes took no prisoners as he began with these words:

"You are going to be sent out of here for good, and most of you aren’t ready to go. The president is about to bid you into the fellowship of educated men and women and," - and here he paused and spoke each word slowly for emphasis - "you know just - how - dumb - you - really - are."

The senior class cheered in agreement.

”And worse than that,” Doctor Gomes continued, “the world - and your parents in particular - are going to expect that you will be among the brightest and best. But you know that you can no longer fool all the people even some of the time. By noontime today, you will be out of here. By tomorrow you will be history. By Saturday, you will be toast. That’s a fact - no exceptions, no extensions. Nevertheless, there is reason to hope," Doctor Gomes promised. “The future is God’s gift to you. God will not let you stumble or fall. God has not brought you this far to this place to abandon you or leave you here alone
and afraid. The God of Israel never stumbles, never sleeps, never goes on sabbatical. Thus, my beloved and bewildered young friends, do not be afraid.”

Sometimes the only thing that stands between you and God’s grace is yourself.  When that happens don’t be surprised if the good Lord finds a way to give you a little attitude adjustment.  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

February 24, 2008