In John 4 we find Jesus sitting at a well. The passage says that it was necessary for Jesus to go through the region called Samaria to meet a Samaritan woman. Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water because he had been on a journey and was passing through the town called Sychar. In John 4:9 The Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan
[and a] woman, for a drink?–For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans–
It was obvious from this passage that Jewish society looked down upon Samaritans and considered them outcasts and to some extent devalued women. It’s interesting that Jesus lead by the Holy Spirit began talking with this woman even though his ethnic back ground discouraged it! God cares about the broken, the wounded, the outcasts and He doesn’t discriminate anyone based on the color of their skin, nationality, male or female, or whether a person is rich or poor. He draws near to anyone who is searching for the Truth.
John 4:10-14 Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God’s gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water. She said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with [no drawing bucket] and the well is deep; how then can You provide living water? [Where do You get Your living water? Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also? Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life.
Jesus used this analogy of water to communicate a huge truth this woman was missing. He was basically saying to her if you understood who was asking you for a drink of water, you would have ask Me instead for living water and I would give it to you because Jesus discerned this woman’s past and saw where she was trying to find happiness.
The passage continues…
John 4:16-18 At this, Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband and come back here. The woman answered, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, you have spoken truly in saying, I have no husband. For you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. In this you have spoken truly.
Jesus was helping her understand where she was placing her trust. This woman had been in 5 marriages and she was living with another man trying to find fulfillment in all the wrong places. She was looking to men to find acceptance, love, security, value and hope because of a deep void in her heart. However, only God could fill this hole. Jesus said that He was the Living Water and if she drank of Him she wouldn’t thirst anymore. In other words, she wouldn’t have to keep looking for more men to make her happy or fulfilled. Jesus was saying that only God can truly satisfy the human heart and fill it where it overflows with life and peace. Notice that Jesus never condemned her for her mistakes or her current sinful condition. He just said come and drink of Me and I will cause your life to be transformed and give you what you really are looking for.
Just as this woman came to Jesus as she was, God wants us to come to Him just as we are. He is the Great Physician and can make us well and whole!
How many of us are trying to find acceptance or our identity in a relationship, a career, a title, or our looks. We jump from one relationship to the next, one job after another, and when we get it, we realize it doesn’t fill the void in our hearts just the way we thought it would. Just as the woman was trying to find her identity in men, are you trying to find yours in things or a relationship?
Only God has the ability to fill the deepest parts of your heart and give you the love and acceptance you are looking for. God doesn’t condemn you for your past mistakes, just as He didn’t the woman at the well. But He is asking you to place your trust and confidence in Him. As you begin to lean your complete trust on Him, He will forgive you of your past and bring healing to those areas of hurt and pain and will give you an amazing future filled with excitement. The woman at the well discovered the Creator of all things and experienced His unconditional love and acceptance. Just think of how she could have a healthy relationship because she was truly experiencing God’s love and forgiveness and now she would be able to extend it to someone else. Instead of being a taker in the relationship, she actually could be a giver because she experienced love from God. She was able to pour out and bless someone else!
Are you a taker in life? Are you looking for love in all the wrong places? Are you struggling with your journey and getting frustrated with the results? Lean into God and He will embrace you and shower you with His love! He will teach you how to overcome the storms in your life and give you the strength to move forward each day. As you take steps of trust in God, out of you will flow streams of living water.
