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In the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit! Amen!
Dear brothers and sisters, today we have heard the Holy Gospel of John (John, IV:5-42), where the meeting of Jesus Christ with the woman of Samaria was described. You can talk about it a lot, make very big sermons and take very important knowledge from this meeting, from Jesus' words. But we will try to single out something simple and principal.
When Jesus came to the Samaria land He sent His Apostles to go and bring some food. And He stayed near the source, hoping that somebody would come and would take some water so He would drink. So, He saw the coming woman, she was the woman of Samaria. And He asked her: "Give me a drink".
She saw He was the Jew, maybe because He had long hair, or some accent, maybe the whole appearance or just the clothes revealed them.
And she said to Him: "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" She was so surprised, because at that time Jews tried not to communicate with people of Samaria. Jews thought that they were chosen nation and people from Samaria were the same Jews, who lived all over the world. And when they returned to Jerusalem, they were not allowed to enter, because they were already born from the people of other nationalities. So, that Jews, who live in Ukraine and have got Ukrainian father or mother, could live only in that Samaria land. So, they considered being half-bred and they were not allowed to be on the Jerusalem land, so they lived near. And they worshiped one God on the mountain. And there was the argument between Jews and Samaritans: where was the true God? On the mountain in the Jerusalem or in the Samaria land. Because the source was in the Samaria land, which was dug by Jacob, the man, from whom the Judaic people originated.
And she asked: "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" And, moreover, the man asked the woman and the woman was from Samaria. Lord said her next words, not paying attention to her words: "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." It means the Savior, God's Son. And she said: "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?" She was thinking in the material way, and Jesus said about spiritual. He said: "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again." It means that Jesus gives knowledge, Truth. And when you take it, it will change you, connect with God and the knowledge and Holy Spirit will go through you to other people, like living water, which brings to eternal life. It was said by Jesus. But she did not understand about what water Jesus was talking about and she asked: "Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water." She took care about material things and God saw it and said: "Go, call your husband, and come here." The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, - He saw she was a whore - 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. And at that moment she recovered her spiritual sight. "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet." The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). So, she thought under the influence of Holy Spirit. "Maybe You are the One, who should appear - Messiah, Christ." Jesus said to her: "I who speak to you am he." He said directly about His nature, that He is Savior. When she heard this, she ran with happiness to call people.
When Apostles came back, they offered some food to Jesus, but He was already not hungry. Because when the person fulfils their spiritual mission, they get their spiritual food, not feeling hunger. At this moment the person does not want to eat. And Apostles thought: "Has anyone brought him something to eat?" But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." Again, we see that the level of Apostles was not very high, not much higher than the level of the woman of Samaria. Because they did not understand Him fully. And Jesus maybe was tired to explain them. The person should begin to see spiritually and clearly, then there is no need to explain, he understands everything without words. And here He only told: "I have food to eat that you do not know about." He explained them in such way. He knew that the woman of Samaria would bring a lot of people very soon and He would preach a lot.
And Jesus also told: "lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest." So, the harvest time has come, the time to gather people souls. Because the woman of Samaria would bring that people, who would listen very attentively, and would be very happy. So, He said: "One sows and another reaps." Some people preached that Messiah would come, Christ would come and that is why she understood in Holy Spirit, who was in front of her. "I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor." He said to Apostles. Some people sow - it means preach and the next generation comes, the second one, and they reap. Other people reap and the thirsty souls listen to them attentively. Do you understand?
In our time we have started to sow. God prepares His people, because the time is short and we will have to gather and reap. But first we should sow, that the grains of Truth could grow in human souls.
But there are great deals of werewolves, who put on the frocks and sow the weeds, poisonous knowledge, distort the Christianity. And because of them, many people leave the Orthodoxy, become sinners, such sinners, whom it will be difficult to find even in Sodom and Gomorrah. Such sinners, who are in the Orthodoxy, could be found only there. Because the sowers are false, devil has sent many of them on the Earth.
God wants us to serve sincerely to Him and sow His Word of Truth, which will be gathered with good harvest on the Heavens, to move to the eternal life. And you are one, who have heard a lot, heard the Gospel and heard the lectures. You are one, who knows how to preach, because the God's words are in your heart. When you talk, it will be perceived good and will influence people well. Because if the living water goes through you, or someone drink it, he will also receive the eternal life. And it is very important when saving your soul, you could help to save ten or hundred more people, who are ready to communicate with you, whom God has brought to you, or will bring, to redeem. Maybe, they are your fellow-workers, your neighbors, or maybe they have appeared near you in the trolleybus or train, or somewhere else, where you could meet that people, those souls. And it does not matter whether it is youth or elder people. It does not matter if they look for salvation, look for that living water, Jesus talking about, which should pour from every heart, in the moment when the mouth is opening. And you will feel the great happiness in your heart, when you testify about God's Truth, because the Holy Spirit will preach through you to these people.
Let's remember these words and let the Lord help us to be His good servants, preachers, His Apostles, myrrhophores in this world that this world will change for the better.
Christ is risen!
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Apostle (Acts, 11: 18-26, 29-30):
11
18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they
glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted
repentance that leads to life."
19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution
that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and
Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who
on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord
Jesus.
21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number
who believed turned to the Lord.
22 The report of this came to the ears of the church in
Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he
exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of
faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For
a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And
in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
29 So the disciples determined, every one according to his
ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.
30 And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of
Barnabas and Saul.
Gospel (John, 4:5-42):
4
5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the
field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
6 Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from
his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,
"Give me a drink."
8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food).
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a
Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" ( For Jews have no
dealings 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 nothing to draw
water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well
and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock."
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will
be thirsty again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will
never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a
spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I
will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water."
16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
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 now have
is not your husband. What you have said is true."
19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a
prophet.
20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that
in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."
21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming
when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
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 is
seeking such people 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 (he
who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things."
26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
27 Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he
was talking with a woman, but no one said, "What do you seek?" or, "Why are
you talking with her?"
28 So the woman left her water jar and went away into town
and said to the people,
29 Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this
be the Christ?"
30 They went out of the town and were coming to him.
31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, "Rabbi,
eat."
32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not
know about."
33 So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought
him something to eat?"
34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who
sent me and to accomplish his work.
35 Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the
harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are
white for harvest.
36 Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering
fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another
reaps.'
38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor.
Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
39 Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of
the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did."
40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay
with them, and he stayed there two days.
41 And many more believed because of his word.
42 They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of what
you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that
this is indeed the Savior of the world."
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