One of the things that I remember Mike saying is that when he retired he wanted to open a bar called “Tired of Trying.” He never got that wish.
Several times over the years he’d talk about the “bar dream”, though I never recall him fleshing it out to any great extent. Whenever he talked about it, however, my mind would drift to Cheers. You remember that downstairs Boston bar where Ted Danson and Shelly Long plied their trade. Gary Portnoy described it this way:
“Making
your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got
Taking
a break from all your worries, sure would help a lot
Wouldn’t
you like to get away?
All
those nights when you’ve got no lights, the check is in the mail
And
your little angel hung the cat up by its tail
And
your third fiancée didn’t show
Sometimes
you want to go where everybody knows your name
And
they’re always glad you came
You
wanna be where you can see our troubles are all the same
You
wanna be where everybody knows your name
Roll
out of bed, Mr. Coffee’s dead, the morning’s looking bright
And
your shrink ran off to Europe and didn’t even write
And
your husband wants to be a girl
Be
glad, there’s one place in the world
Where
everybody knows your name
And
they’re always glad you came
You
wanna go where people know, people are all the same
You
wanna go where everybody knows your name”
There’s a lot in Scripture that speaks to the power of
knowing one’s name. Indeed, naming the
animals was the first task God gave Adam in the garden. By naming them God was establishing Adam’s
dominion ever them. And yet, there’s a
longing in every human heart to be known beyond one’s name.
Years ago I was taking a tour of a large church in
Washington, D.C. when the guide noticed that the Senior Pastor had just walked
by. She stopped her speech, turned to
all of us and said, “The most amazing thing about Dr. Evans is that he knows
every one of our names.” And while that
is notable, it begs the question, “What else does he know about you?”
You see, Gary Portnoy is right in saying that every one of
us wants to go where everyone knows your name, and where troubles are all the
same, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg.
The ubiquitous longing of the human heart is to be known by One who
knows everything about us and accepts us unconditionally.
Imagine a place where we can know what Paul refers to in I
Corinthians 13:12(b), “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I
have been fully known.” He’s talking
about a third treasure the Son of God gives to everyone who knows Him – the joy
of living in a place where you are fully known by Him.
This week we will look at how Jesus alone can bring us to
such a place. We will be looking at a
perfect example in His interaction with the (unnamed) Samaritan woman in John
4. In order to comprehend the full
extent of His knowledge of her it is important to juxtaposition her with the
Jewish man He encounters in chapter 3.
In each case, Jesus employs a 3-step process in making His knowledge of
them clear to them. As in the case of
both Jew and Samaritan, Jesus’ knowledge of them produces in them a singular satisfaction
that they had never known before. It’s
the same satisfaction Mike longed for.
It’s the same satisfaction Gary Portnoy sought to capture in his song. It’s the same satisfaction you and I have
always desired.
In preparation for Sunday’s message “Known by the Son”, from
John 4:1-26, you may wish to consider the following:
1. What
does Dale Carnegie mean when he says, “A person’s name is to that person the
sweetest, most important sound in any language?”
2. How
important are names in Scripture?
3. Why
is Nicodemus named by John in chapter 3, but not the Samaritan woman in chapter
4?
4. Where
is Jacob’s well, or the well of Sychar located?
What’s so important about this location in biblical history?
5. Why
does Jesus ask her for a drink? (v. 7)
6. Why
doesn’t she honor His request?
7. What
is the difference between her and Nicodemus?
What are the similarities?
8. What
is the “living water” Jesus says that He can give her? (v. 10)
9. Why
is her thirst much more important than His?
10. What does
her husband have to do with it? (v. 16)
See you Sunday – Father’s Day!
