John 4:10-21

10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17 The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” 19 The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.”

“If You Only Knew…..”

Jesus……”if only you knew who you were actually talking to”. 

If only everyone knew Him…..right? 

And then Jesus hits her with, “I could have given you living water.”

From the woman’s point of view, paraphrasing in my own words…..”Wait a minute. You asked me for a drink, and now you want me to ask you for a drink?? You don’t even have a bucket.” I would be confused too if I were her. And living water? By “living water”, the woman thought He meant flowing water or a river. The woman sharply replies, “Are you greater than Jacob who dug the well?” She is thinking, “Jacob couldn’t find living water (flowing water/a river) in this area when he lived here. That is why he dug this well for his family and animals. Does this man have some inside information on a river in this area that I don’t know about?” A river (living or flowing water) certainly would have made life much easier for this woman. I’m sure pulling a heavy bucket of water up and out of a deep well over and over every single day would have been hard work. Drawing the water out of the well was usually considered the woman’s job, and it was usually done towards the evening of each day when it was cooler. However, this woman had come at the sixth hour of the day to draw water. According to Jewish time-keeping, a day started at 6:00 AM around sunrise. Since the day started at 6:00 AM, instead of midnight like it does for us today, the sixth hour would have been noon…..the hottest part of the day. This woman came to the well in the heat of the day, because she knew no one else would be there at that time. She was shunned by the other women of the  community because of her lifestyle and her past. But Jesus came to that well at noon our time…..in the miserable heat…..to talk to this shunned woman. He could have chosen anyone, but He chose to talk to her. What does this tell us about our past? Does it matter to Jesus? 

And what about this woman’s response to Jesus’ “living water” statement? She was confused, which I can certainly understand. Her confused response to the “living water” reminds me so much of Nicodemus’ confused response to Jesus’ words about being “born again”. Both Nicodemus and this Samaritan woman were focused on physical things, while Jesus was speaking about spiritual things. Their responses were a lot alike even though they were different in many ways. Nicodemis was talking about a physical birth and the woman was talking about physical water, while Jesus was speaking about a spiritual birth and spiritual water. 

The connection between being “born again”  and receiving “living water” is amazing! The “living water” is what brings about our “born again” state of being. Our belief and obedience through baptism brings about that “living water” that Jesus was speaking of. I’m thinking of it this way. Jesus’ blood is what cleanses us spiritually. Water cleanses us physically. Blood within our bodies equals physical life. Around 51% of our blood consists of water. Therefore water also equals life to our physical body. When we are baptized in water, we come in contact with Jesus’ blood. The water that we are baptized in is technically not a “living” thing, but our obedience coupled with Jesus’ blood that He shed for us, causes that water that we are immersed in to “come to life” so to speak, making it “living water”. Without Jesus’ blood we are dead spiritually. Without water baptism, we are also dead spiritually because we cannot access Jesus’ blood any other way. Our blood and water within our bodies are both vital for our physical survival. Jesus’ blood and the water in which we come in contact with it are both vital to our eternal survival. 

Jesus really surprises the woman when He tells her that His water will forever quench her thirst. The woman was spiritually dehydrated just like so many are today. And how do we keep ourselves spiritually hydrated? With Jesus…..He is our living water. John 1:1 says that Jesus is the Word. We access the Words of Jesus through God’s Word. Therefore God’s Word is our living water. We stay hydrated by keeping ourselves in the Word. I can tell when I haven’t spent enough time in God’s Word over the course of a few days. I begin to feel like something is just not right. I get negative, distressed, and stressed out. Then I realize that I’m spiritually dehydrated. I spent many years in a spiritual drought to the point where I didn’t realize what I was missing. I turned to other things to relieve my negative, distressed state of being. Now….I can tell fairly quickly when I’m needing my living water…..Jesus…..God’s Word. 

“Whoever”….. (vs. 14)

This word is powerful. This word shows the impartiality of Jesus. It is a universal call to anyone and everyone. But it’s not universal in the way that much of the world thinks it is. The majority of the world thinks that the living water is just automatically there, and is going to benefit them whether they actually follow Jesus or not. “It’s a gift!” They’ll say. “You can’t earn a gift!” I agree with that. The living water that Christ offers is a gift, and we don’t earn a gift. We don’t earn our birthday gifts. They are given to us because we are special, important, and loved. But what if we don’t accept the gift? What good is an unopened present? I would think we would need to accept it with thanksgiving, and then unwrap it in order to benefit from it. That takes action, right? Remember Jesus’ parable of the wedding feast. Matthew 22:9 says that the king sent his servants to go and invite everyone they met to the wedding feast. Everyone gets an invitation, but you have to accept the invitation, get ready, and travel there to get to attend the wedding feast. It takes effort. Think about physical water. Suppose I am so thirsty that I think that I might die, and someone offers me a glass of water for free. I don’t have to do anything to earn that glass of water. It is sitting right there in front of me. Am I saved from death by dehydration  with the water still sitting there? Don’t I have to put forth the effort to pick up the glass, bring it to my lips, turn the glass up, and then swallow the water? Action, right? Jesus offers living water to every single person who has ever lived or will ever live. The offer is universal. However, we have to accept that living water on Jesus’ terms in order to receive it. Revelation 22:17 says “let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.” The action words are “come” and “take”. Jesus also says in verse 14 of our writing today that once we accept that water, not only will we never thirst again, but the water will become more and more abundant and last for eternity. But what if we stop drinking Jesus’ living water after we accepted it in the beginning. Are we still good to go? Well, let’s compare Jesus’ living water to physical water again. Think back to my example above. I am about to die from dehydration. I drink the water, recover, and live. Am I good to go without water forever now since I’ve had that one glass? Of course not! We all know that we have to consistently drink water to survive physically. It’s no different with Jesus’ living water. We have to accept that water on Jesus’ terms since it is His water, and continue to drink it throughout our entire life. We have to accept and obey Jesus by confessing, repenting, and being baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and then remain faithful until physical death here on earth. (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Rev. 2:10) Then we get that “well of water springing up to eternal life”. 

I also found it so interesting that the woman automatically wanted that water to make her life easier. She was thinking of how much easier her life would be if she didn’t have to worry about drawing water every single day. She pretty much demanded that Jesus give her that water. She did use “sir” to show some respect, but her tone was clear. She meant to get that water! But Jesus didn’t automatically give her the water. He demanded something of her, didn’t He? “You want my water, then go call your husband”. Jesus knew the situation that this woman had gotten herself into. He knew the life she had led. He put her on the spot! Has Jesus ever put you on the spot? I know He has put me on the spot many times. His Word convicts, steps on our toes, and puts us on the spot. And that’s ok with me. I need it! Then, in verse 17, comes the woman’s half-truth…..at least that’s what I call it. She told the truth, but was also trying to hide her past and present shame at the same time. I’ve been guilty of this, but just like the woman at the well, I could never hide from Jesus. Jesus knows everything that I have ever done, every word that I have spoken, and every thought that I have ever had. I’m so glad he will be my mediator…..my defense attorney, on judgment day. 

In verse 18, Jesus exposes her sin just as He exposes each of us when we sin. He exposes us through His Word. Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thoughts and intents of the heart.” The words of Jesus pierced this woman like a two-edged sword exposing her and convicting her…..all the while loving her beyond measure. Jesus exposed her because He loved her, and wanted her to have a better life. He wanted to free her from the sin that held her in bondage. This is the exact same thing that He wants to do for us. The people in Acts 2:38 were pricked (pierced) in their hearts by the words of Peter, who spoke by the Holy Spirit, on Pentecost exposing the fact that they had crucified God’s Son. It is love that drives Jesus to expose the sin of any one of us. Why else would He do this? Jesus woke this woman up! God’s Word will do the same thing to us if we allow it to penetrate our hearts. It will jolt us awake so that we can realize our pitiful state. When I am confronted with my sin, it causes me to face my eternal destination. That, my friends and sisters, is a wake-up call that I have had more than once, and still need regularly. 

The woman thinks that this man must be a prophet, because how else could He know all about her past and present? Then…..the statement about where to worship. It feels as though she is being a bit defensive in this verse by the phrase “you Jews”. She says, paraphrasing, “We worship on this mountain. You Jews say that worship can only happen in Jerusalem. So…..who is right?” They worshiped in that mountain because that is where Moses commanded that an altar be built in Deut. 27:4. It says Mount Ebal, but in the Samaritan Pentateuch, this same verse reads Gerizim instead of Ebal. (New American Commentary) In Deut. 11:29, it says that Gerizim was the mountain of God’s blessing. They had their own temple on Mt. Gerizim, and had their own rules of worship. The Jews had the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus assures her that a new day is coming! It won’t matter where you worship. You won’t need to be in a physical temple or mountain. You will need to be spiritually in Christ. Christ will be the spiritual temple, referring back to His statement in chapter 2, “Tear down this temple, and I will rebuild it in 3 days.” It is like Jesus is saying, “No worries! Someday, the physical place of worship will not matter! Someday, whether you are a Jew or a Samaritan will not matter! We will all be one in Christ!” I am so thankful for worship that is in Spirit and Truth. I’m so thankful for the unity that we have in our worship within the Lord’s church…..the church of Christ (Romans 16:16).

God means for everyone to learn what the Bible teaches about how to be saved. It only takes an open heart for Jesus, and a willingness to put away what we’ve been taught in the past, and truly read what God’s Word says for ourselves…..and then accept what it says and obey it. If I can help you in any way, I would love to! 

Are you walking in the light? Are you in Christ? If you aren’t, I’d love to help you. Are you a member of the Lord’s church, but are struggling spiritually in your walk with Christ? If you are…..believe me, I’ve been there many times, and I’d love to help you. If you have any questions, please reach out. 

God’s Plan of Salvation

Below is the plan that God has set forth in His Word, for humankind to receive His grace that leads to salvation and an eternity with God in heaven. This plan is straight from the Bible. 

We have to hear His word. (Romans 10:17) 

Upon hearing the message of Jesus, we believe it. (Mark 16:16) 

Then, we confess Jesus’ name before men. (Matthew 10:32) 

Next, we repent of our sins. (Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19) 

Finally, we are baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins.  (Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16, Romans 6:3-4, Acts 22:16, 1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:26-27) After baptism, God adds us to His church. (Acts 2:47)

Then, we remain faithful in our commitment to Christ until death. (Revelation 2:10, 2 Peter 2:20-22)