THE WOMAN AT THE WELL — SAY IT WITH JOY

God does not want any to parish and spend eternity separated from Him. Thus, His pursuit of the woman at the well illustrates His unrelenting pursuit of His children.

Jesus was traveling north from Judea to Galilee and deliberately chose to go through Samaria, an area that people avoided because of overt tension between the Samaritans and the Jewish people. That tension arose from the Samaritans worshipping false gods jointly with the biblical God. However, Jesus was on a saving mission (John 4:4).

Jesus purposefully sent His disciples to town to buy food with the intention of going after the heart of a particular Samaritan woman. He knew everything about her and her unrecognized and desperate need for Him. So, when He arrived at Jacob’s well, the lone Samaritan woman came to draw water.

Jesus not only sought out this woman, but He pursues us because He knows our hearts, everything about us, and our every thought, intention, and need. Nothing is hidden from Him. King David recognized God as the One who knows us intimately:

You have searched me, Lord, and You know me.You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely” (Psalm 139:1-4).

I encourage you to read the rest of Psalm 139:5-24. It will bless you in knowing that God knows you, He is with you, and daily pursues your heart.

The women in the community always drew water in the early morning or the cool of the evening. The Samaritan woman made her trips to the well around noon during the hottest part of the day to avoid the women who viewed her as an immoral woman. Therefore, the midday trip avoided their judgmental eyes and unkind words.

When the woman came to draw water, Jesus gently engaged her in conversation by asking, “Will you give Me a drink?” (John 4:7 NIV) The Samaritan woman answered, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (vs. 4:9). Jesus was breaking a cultural taboo of both race and gender. With love and tenderness, He answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water” (vs 4:10). She immediately asked where she could get living water so she would no longer need to travel to the well.

So, what is “living water?” We discover the answer when Jesus was in the temple surrounded by a throng of worshipers. He suddenly cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, ‘From His innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ “…He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive…” (John 7:37-39).

Then Jesus told her to get her husband. Jesus knows our every thought, our every sin, and our heart’s intentions. There is nothing hidden from Him. The woman quickly answered that she had no husband and Jesus said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true”(John 4: 17-18).

Surprised, she acknowledged He was a prophet and that their ancestors worshiped on that mountain, but Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Jesus responded, …you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (vs. 21-24).

What does it mean to worship in “the Spirit and in truth?” True worship is a connection between the Spirit of God and our spirit, which involves the whole heart and a passion for God’s truth. Knowing truth requires knowledge of God that comes from His Word (Romans 12:1-2).

Why is the Word so important? The answer is found in John 1:1-5. In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word was God. He (Jesus) was with God in the beginning. Through Him (Jesus) all things were made; without Him (Jesus) nothing was made that has been made. In Him (Jesus) was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus is the Word and to know the Word is to know Jesus.

The woman quickly acknowledged that the Messiah was coming soon, not realizing that He was standing before her. And then Jesus said, “I, the one speaking to you—I am He” (vs.27).

The realization stunned her, so leaving her water jar behind (her past), she ran to town to tell all who would hear, Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah? They left town and made their way to Jesus (vs 28-29).

Meanwhile the disciples had returned and urged Jesus to eat, but He refused, saying, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.” “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (vs. 34-35).

Clearly, Jesus’ mission was to bring in the harvest (souls). The woman who shared her story caused many Samaritans to come and ask Jesus to stay, so He ministered two more days. Many were saved and the woman at the well, whose life had changed, was described as “equal to the apostles” as she continued to share her encounter with Christ and how He had changed her life.

The fields are ripe for harvest. The world is in great turmoil, and many are looking for answers. Jesus said, “I am THE way, THE truth, and THE life. No man comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6 NIV).Those people who know Christ as their Lord and Savior have a personal story to share and their story could bring another life into God’s kingdom.

PRAYER: FATHER, we live in troubling times. You are our only hope and comfort. Show me Your will for my life and give me courage to share with others my redemptive relationship with Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET EXPERIENCED YOUR OWN STORY OF REDEMPTION, THEN PRAY:

FATHER, I want a more intimate relationship with You, so that I have a story of redemption to share with others. I acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and ask today that the reality of Christ and His love for me will manifest in my heart. In Jesus’ name, amen.