4
(This dramatically illustrations are modified from following books: Cotton Patch Gospel and the Message.)
Jesus (V.O.): The word spread that I was making and baptizing more converts than John. However, I wasn’t doing any baptizing, but my students were. Anyway, when I found out about this, I pulled out of there.
On the way out I wanted to go through a very secluded village. It was a small village. There was a well called "Jake’s well."
I was pretty tired from traveling. It was about noon. Thankfully, my energetic students had all gone to buy some food. So, I sat near the well. Sitting there, a local woman came to draw some water. I said to her.
Jesus: Could you give me a drink?
THE WOMAN: How come a Christian looking man like you is asking for a drink from a Muslim woman like me?
Jesus: If you knew who it is asking you for a drink, you would ask him and he would give you living water.
THE WOMAN: You silly, this well is deep. You don’t have anything to draw the water.
Jesus: When you drink this water you get thirsty again. When you drink the water give you, you’ll never again get thirsty. In fact, the water I give you becomes an inner-flowing spring, bubbling over with spiritual life.
THE WOMAN: Really? Gimme that water, so I won’t get thirsty, and so I won’t have to come back here!
Jesus: Okay, you go call your husband.
THE WOMAN: (avoiding eye contacts) I ain’t got a husband.
Jesus: You are right! You have had five men, and the one you’re living with now isn’t your husband. You are absolutely right!
THE WOMAN: Eh, wow, I can tell that you’re a prophet… right?
Well, you know, my people have always said that the best place to worship God is in this mosque over there, but you folks insist in your church. What is up with that?
Jesus: Listen here, ma’am, the time is coming. Yes, the time is coming; it’s here already, when the worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Indeed, the Father is looking for people like that to worship him.
God is spirit! So, when they worship God they must do it in spirit and truth.
THE WOMAN: Oh! I realize that the God promised that the Leader is coming. When he comes, he’ll explain everything!
Jesus: I, the person talking with you, am he!
JESUS (V.O.): Along about this time, my students returned. So the lady left for town, and said to the people there, "Come and meet a fellow who told me everything I ever did. Do you suppose he might be the Leader?" They were surprised.
THE STUDENTS: Come on, Doc, let’s eat.
Jesus: I have some food to eat that you don’t know about.
THE STUDENTS: (start asking one another) Common now, who brought him something to eat?
Jesus: My food is doing the will of my Father. You have a saying that the harvest is four months away, don’t you? Well, listen: Open your eyes and look at those fields. Right now they are at the peak of harvesting. Already the Harvester is hired and he is gathering spiritual crops.
The saying is true that the Planter is one and the Harvester is another. Be glad and jump to work, because you are sent to harvest a crop that you haven’t planted. Now reap the benefit of it, so that the Planter and the Harvester may rejoice together.
JESUS (V.O.): Many local people trusted me simply because the woman said, "he told me everything I ever did." When they gathered about me, they started asking me to spend a while with them. I did so, for two days. A large group of people put their faith in me. Then, they told the woman, "Our faith is no longer based on your story alone, because we ourselves have heard him. He is truly the world’s deliverer."
It was one of those days that everything goes well.
Having been rejuvenated by this incident, I went to Albany. The people welcomed me. They had heard and seen for themselves all that I had done. Well, I returned to where I had made the water into wine.
There was this government bigwig who had a sick son in Canada. Having heard about me, he urged me to come with him and heal his boy.
Jesus: You need to have faith even if you don’t see signs or miracles.
The Bigwig: Please, pastor, come before my boy dies!
Jesus: Okay, you may go now; your boy is well.
JESUS (V.O.): He acted on my words, and went. As he was returning, some friends met him and said, "Your son is well!’ He then asked them what time his boy got better. They said, "About one o’clock afternoon, the fever went away." The father recognized it as the exact time that I had told him, "Your boy is well." So he put his faith in me, as well as his whole family. When my students heard about it and they were delighted.
THE WOMAN: How come a Christian looking man like you is asking for a drink from a Muslim woman like me?
Jesus: If you knew who it is asking you for a drink, you would ask him and he would give you living water.
THE WOMAN: You silly, this well is deep. You don’t have anything to draw the water.
Jesus: When you drink this water you get thirsty again. When you drink the water give you, you’ll never again get thirsty. In fact, the water I give you becomes an inner-flowing spring, bubbling over with spiritual life.
THE WOMAN: Really? Gimme that water, so I won’t get thirsty, and so I won’t have to come back here!
Jesus: Okay, you go call your husband.
THE WOMAN: (avoiding eye contacts) I ain’t got a husband.
Jesus: You are right! You have had five men, and the one you’re living with now isn’t your husband. You are absolutely right!
THE WOMAN: Eh, wow, I can tell that you’re a prophet… right?
Well, you know, my people have always said that the best place to worship God is in this mosque over there, but you folks insist in your church. What is up with that?
Jesus: Listen here, ma’am, the time is coming. Yes, the time is coming; it’s here already, when the worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Indeed, the Father is looking for people like that to worship him.
God is spirit! So, when they worship God they must do it in spirit and truth.
THE WOMAN: Oh! I realize that the God promised that the Leader is coming. When he comes, he’ll explain everything!
Jesus: I, the person talking with you, am he!
JESUS (V.O.): Along about this time, my students returned. So the lady left for town, and said to the people there, "Come and meet a fellow who told me everything I ever did. Do you suppose he might be the Leader?" They were surprised.
THE STUDENTS: Come on, Doc, let’s eat.
Jesus: I have some food to eat that you don’t know about.
THE STUDENTS: (start asking one another) Common now, who brought him something to eat?
Jesus: My food is doing the will of my Father. You have a saying that the harvest is four months away, don’t you? Well, listen: Open your eyes and look at those fields. Right now they are at the peak of harvesting. Already the Harvester is hired and he is gathering spiritual crops.
The saying is true that the Planter is one and the Harvester is another. Be glad and jump to work, because you are sent to harvest a crop that you haven’t planted. Now reap the benefit of it, so that the Planter and the Harvester may rejoice together.
JESUS (V.O.): Many local people trusted me simply because the woman said, "he told me everything I ever did." When they gathered about me, they started asking me to spend a while with them. I did so, for two days. A large group of people put their faith in me. Then, they told the woman, "Our faith is no longer based on your story alone, because we ourselves have heard him. He is truly the world’s deliverer."
It was one of those days that everything goes well.
Having been rejuvenated by this incident, I went to Albany. The people welcomed me. They had heard and seen for themselves all that I had done. Well, I returned to where I had made the water into wine.
There was this government bigwig who had a sick son in Canada. Having heard about me, he urged me to come with him and heal his boy.
Jesus: You need to have faith even if you don’t see signs or miracles.
The Bigwig: Please, pastor, come before my boy dies!
Jesus: Okay, you may go now; your boy is well.
JESUS (V.O.): He acted on my words, and went. As he was returning, some friends met him and said, "Your son is well!’ He then asked them what time his boy got better. They said, "About one o’clock afternoon, the fever went away." The father recognized it as the exact time that I had told him, "Your boy is well." So he put his faith in me, as well as his whole family. When my students heard about it and they were delighted.
