How Much Does It Cost

How Much Does it Cost

Focus Verse: Romans 3:23-24 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus

Part 1: Definitions

What is the definition of Redeem?
-To clear by payment
-Offset
-To buy back

Redeem is derived from the Latin word redimere which means to purchase.

What is the opposite, or antonym, of redeem? Abandon

What does it mean to be redeemable? Capable of being redeemed

How Much is it Worth?
If I offer a car for sale, which I think is worth 7K, and offers are made ranging from 2K to 9K, how much is the car worth? The 7K that I think it's worth? The "low-ball" offer of 2K?
Think about this question, we'll get back to it later in the lesson.

Part 2: Biblical Text

Read John 4:1-9
Palestine was 120 miles in length and was comprised of 3 regions- North=Gallilee
Middle=Samaria, South=Judea
To get from Judea to Gallilee took 3 days, going around takes twice as long
Jacob’s well held many memories for the Jewish people. Interesting to read about in your free time.

This woman walked 1 ½ miles to get water when she could have gotten it in Ssychar. What does that tell you? How high a price do you think that this woman would put on herself?


What was the basis for the relational barrier between Jews and Samaritans? It centered around racial purity. Assyrians conquered the Samaritans and the assimilated into their culture and intermarried which was considered an unforgiveable sin to the jews. When Babylon conquered the Jews they held to their cultural identity. When Jesus and this woman had their conversation the feud was over 400 years old.

Not only was Jesus breaking custom by talking to this Samaritan, but rabbis were forbidden to talk to women in public, even their own wives and daughters.

Here was Jesus breaking all cultural barriers to meet this woman at her point of need.

Read John 4:10-15

What do we learn from this series of verses? Jesus knows that this womans problems run deep and Jesus knows that this will not be an easy fix. She needs his help.

Jews referred to the thirst of the soul for God and they often spoke of quenching that thirst with living water

Read Isaiah 49:10

What is Jesus telling this woman? That he is the Messiah

Does this woman understand what Jesus is telling her?

Read John 16-21

What does this woman come face to face with? her sin

William Barclay states, “ Christianity begins with the realization that life as we are living it will not do. We awake to ourselves and to our need of God.”

Read John 4:22-26

What does Jesus tell her?

Read John 4:27-30

How do the disciples react when they return? Very surprised but didn’t voice their objections at this time.


Small Group Questions

Do you think that Jesus was in this place, at this time by accident?

Did this woman need redemption?

Did she know that she needed redemption?

Do you think this woman was redeemed? She left her pot to return to lead others to Jesus

Why do you think that the disciples did not speak up when they returned and found Jesus talking to this woman?

How do you determine in your own life whether something needs to be redeemed? If the value is high enough. Is it worth it.

What in your life needs to be redeemed? Do you need redemption and if so how can that happen?

Is there a relationship that needs to be redeemed in your life? Your marriage, friendships, or another relationship that has fallen by the wayside because initially you did not find enough value in that relationship or you were not willing to pay the price? Did Christ worry about the price, social status, that it cost to redeem this woman.

Conclusion:
How much is the car we spoke of at the beginning of the lesson worth? The answer is that the car is worth the highest price that somebody is willing to pay.

How much are we worth?

Read focal verse.
Romans 3:23-24

We are so valuable to God that he paid the highest price possible. The price was his son.

We are so valuable to God that he paid the price of his son to redeem us and bring ourselves into a right relationship with him.