Sermon Outline: the Value of Human Life

Sermon outline: The value of human life

Summary: Jesus’ appreciation of the value of human life, male and female, is characterised by respect, relationship and revelation. He demonstrates this in his encounter with the Samaritan woman in John 4:1-30.

Introduction:

The Samaritan woman was an ‘outcast’ by

• Birth/descent (She was a Samaritan).
• Gender (she was a woman).
• Lifestyle (she was morally unacceptable because of her multiple marriages and living with a man she was not married to).

She was hardly acceptable to anyone at all, yet she was chosen by Jesus to teach some very important truths. Through this encounter Jesus challenges prejudice on all levels, teaches equality, and demonstrates the value of all human life.

1. Respect

Jesus does not give the woman a command, as he did when addressing the wind, sea and waves during the storm, or illness, or demons. Instead, he shows respect by making a request ‘Will you give me a drink?’ (v 7), not ‘you will..!’ By doing so, he acknowledges her right as a human being, to choose her actions, and to refuse.

Galatians 3:26-29, I Peter 2:17, I Peter 3:15, Philippians 2:3

1. Relationship

Instead of keeping his distance as might be expected, Jesus shows that he values the opinion of the woman by entering into a respectful conversation with her (v 9-26). He relates to her as an equal, acknowledging her intelligence and her right to have an opinion. He also shows that he knows her situation (v 16-18) yet shows no judgement.

Colossians 4:6, Ephesians 4:15

1. Revelation

Jesus demonstrates the worth of the Samaritan woman by choosing to reveal his identity -

• To her, giving a glimpse in v 10 (‘If you knew …’) and confirming clearly in v 26 (‘I am he’).
• Through her, in v 29 (‘come and see! could this be …’) and 39 (‘many believed …’).

Application:

Our challenge as Christians is to live out our belief that human life, no matter how fragile or vulnerable, has value to Jesus. This belief will be lived out in our relationships, our families, our communities and our world, in our reflections, actions and proclamations.

Relevance to Human Trafficking

When people are exploited as with human trafficking, they are treated as a thing to be used rather than as a person of worth. This is completely against our belief that all people are of equal value to God no matter who they are or what they have done.

‘Your ordinary acts of love and hope point to the extraordinary promise that every human life is of inestimable value’ (Archbishop Desmond Tutu).[1]

[1]Tutu, Desmond, Mpho A. Tutu, and Douglas Carlton Abrams. 2010. Made for goodness: and why this makes all the difference. New York: HarperOne.