Text: “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” (John 4:10).
There are many different kinds of water. There is city water, distilled water, spring water, de-ionized water, well water, purified water, mineral water, sparkling water, hard water, boiled water, filtered water, soft water, snow water, rain water, salt water, etc.
Jesus talked about water, but He did not refer to any of these kinds of water. He named a different water. He spoke of “living water”.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall seeing this kind of water on the shelf of any grocery store or any other kind of store. Can anyone acquire this kind of water? Where do we have to go to purchase this “living water”? Is this water available to each one of us?
It is true that we will not find “living water” in the grocery store because it is given by God and not by a producer or maker here on earth. We can’t pop the cap and take a drink. We can’t turn on the faucet and fill a glass. We can’t draw it from a well. It will not satisfy our physical thirst, but it will satisfy a thirsty soul.
This “living water” is available to anyone who has a right relationship with Almighty God. People who have the right desire may obtain the “living water”. The “living water” offered to the Samaritan woman was the Spirit of grace.
Today, Jesus offers us “living water” and that “living water” is the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is to repent of our sins and ask Jesus to take up residence within our heart. He will do this in the Person of the Holy Spirit.
We do not have to go anywhere in particular to acquire this “living water”. Jesus is the fountain of life and once we accept Him as our own personal Lord and Savior, our life will be changed. We will not be the same as we were previously. We will have peace within our heart knowing that one day we will take our place in one of the rooms of the heavenly mansion and forever be with Jesus.
“Jesus left Judea and departed again to Galilee” (John 4:3). Why do you think Jesus left Judea? Remember that not all people were in agreement with Him. In fact, some of the people were very hostile toward Jesus. Knowing this information, Jesus probable left Judea because He knew His life might be prematurely brought to an end.
He wanted to move to an area where His preaching and teaching would be acceptable to the majority of people. His mission was to spread the Father’s Word. He knew what lay ahead of Him. He knew about all the trials and tribulations He would encounter and go through. That is the reason Jesus decided to move forward and His move was in the direction of Galilee.
In order to get to Galilee, Jesus had to go through Samaria. On His journey through Samaria, “He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph” (John 4:5).
Jesus had traveled all day long, evening was coming and He and His disciples were tired. Scripture tells us that they stopped by Jacob’s well to rest. Wells in those days were located outside the city.
The well was a hole in the ground and collected water that seeped down through the rocks and soil. The water lay below the surface of the ground, so that water had to be drawn using some type of rope and bucket or container. After Jesus’ disciples went into the city to buy food, Jesus sat down near the well to rest.
As Jesus sat there, “A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink’” (John 4:7). This was a simple request. If you or I had been in Jesus’ place, we probably would have asked the woman the same question. She most likely would have responded positively and we would have received a cup of water.
The difference here is that Jesus was a Jew. That may not seem like a big thing to us, but the fact is the Jews had no use for the Samaritans. Why was this? What did the Jews do or what did the Samaritans do to create this animosity?
Many years before this time, the northern kingdom fell to the Assyrians. At the time, the northern kingdom’s capital was Samaria. After this event, many of the Jews were sent to Assyria. When that happened, foreigners were brought into Samaria to settle the land and to keep it at peace.
“The king of Assyria brought people…in and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites” (2 Kings 17:24). The result of this was intermarriage between the people brought in and the Jews in Samaria. This intermarriage brought forth a mixed race and the pure Jews in the southern kingdom considered these people to be impure. The Samaritans were thought to have betrayed the pure Jews and the Jewish nation. From that time forward, pure Jews avoided traveling through Samaria.
So, why did Jesus go through Samaria? Keep in mind that He was a Jew, but also keep in mind that Jesus had no intention of stooping or bending down to cultural differences.
I believe Jesus went through Samaria because He knew there was work to be done in the name of His Father. He knew that it was the woman in the family who was sent to draw water from the well. A certain woman would be coming to this particular well at a certain time to draw water. Jesus didn’t want to embarrass her in any way, so He sent His disciples into town to buy food.
He wanted to meet this woman on a one-to-one basis. It is true that He taught and preached to large crowds of people, but Jesus was also known to meet people individually. He met Nicodemus privately. He met the Samaritan woman when she came alone to draw water from the well.
The only thing the Samaritan woman saw when she went to the well was a poor looking Jewish man who had been traveling all day and was dusty and tired. When Jesus asked the woman for a drink, the woman said, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (John 4:9)
The Samaritan woman was considered unworthy by the Jews for the simple reason she was a member of the mixed race. Jesus, and maybe other people, knew this woman was living in sin. The woman came to a public place to draw water.
Any Jewish man who knew these things these things about any woman would not be seen talking to her in public. Jesus was not your average pure Jewish man. He was God incarnate. These things did not stop Him from conversing with the Samaritan woman.
The real truth is that Jesus did not have a problem talking to anyone. He had a message to spread that would bring life to those who would listen and accepts His words.
Jesus didn’t care about the woman’s race, her color, her creed or anything else about her. He never let social status interfere with His relationship with people. We need to follow in His footsteps. Many of us get hung up on where people live, who they work for, the big house they live in, the car they drive, the degrees behind their name, the sinful deeds they have done in life or a host of other issues.
Jesus wanted to share His message with all who would listen. He could meet them on the street, in the marketplace, in their home or in the temple and share His message with them. You and I need to follow Jesus’ example and treat people we meet the very same way.
The “living water” Jesus was talking about was nothing new. Those who knew the Old Testament should have known the meaning of the “living water.” The Psalmist wrote, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1).
Picture a deer running away from danger under the hot sun of the day. The more the deer runs, the thirstier it becomes. This is just like each of us. If we have worked hard and long, we become thirsty. When this happens we desire to have a drink of cool water just as does the deer.
When the deer comes to a stream of water, the deer will satisfy it’s thirst by drinking of the water. We can satisfy our physical thirst for water by going to the faucet or water fountain and drinking. We cannot satisfy our spiritual thirst by drinking water. God does not want us to suffer spiritual thirst or thirst of the soul. He is concerned about us. He cares for us. He wants us to drink of the ‘living water” He offers us. The “living water” fills our empty soul with the good things God offers us. Our thirsty soul will never be satisfied with Almighty God.
The Psalmist also wrote, “For with you is the fountain of life, in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9). This “fountain of life” gives us a vision or picture of fresh cleansing water which quenches our thirsty soul.
Jeremiah calls God, “the spring of living water” (Jeremiah 2:13). God spoke to the Israelites when they turned their attention to the world instead of to Him. When they began to worship idols, their souls became very thirsty. They were drawing water from the empty wells instead of from the “spring of living water.”
When we turn from God and begin to live worldly, we are giving up the “living water.” Our soul will soon get mighty thirsty. We will try to satisfy the thirsty soul by accumulating worldly possessions. Some people turn to alcohol, drugs, money and a host of other worldly things that do not satisfy the thirsty soul.
God is ready to refresh us with ‘living water” just as He indicated to the Samaritan woman. Jesus said, “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” (John 4:10).
Many of us think worldly just as did the Samaritan woman when she said, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?’ (John 4:11).
The woman saw this Jew at the well as a poor tired worn-out traveler. She missed Jesus’ point when He said, “If you knew the gift of God…” (John 4:10). He was saying He is the Messiah, but the woman did not understand. The “gift of God” was the greatest gift of love God had to offer.
There are people today who are like the Samaritan woman. They do not understand or care to understand the gift God offers us. God wants us to ask Him for the “living water.” When we ask, we are asking Jesus to come and live in our heart. The “living water” would be the Holy Spirit who would take up residence in our heart.
The “living water” offered to the Samaritan woman was the Spirit of grace. This “living water” is like water that is constantly running. It is not stagnant, but it is fresh and tasty. The woman thinks worldly by telling Jesus He has nothing to draw water with.
The woman doesn’t stop after asking Him “Where then do You get that living water?” (John 4:11). She proceeds asking, “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?” (John 4:12)
Since the woman thought literally or worldly instead of spiritually or heavenly, she did not understand that Jesus could furnish her with “living water.” She didn’t see a bucket and rope in His hands with which He could draw water, consequently she didn’t think He could draw water.
This is what happens to some people today. They may know what His Word says, but because they cannot see anything visible, they tend to not believe His promises. The woman did not know the fountain of “living water” was hidden within Jesus. All she had to do was ask for a drink from Him.
Jesus said to the woman, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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” (John 4:13, 14).
The water that we drink daily satisfies our physical thirst. The food we eat daily satisfies our physical hunger. The water we drink and the food we eat does not satisfy our spiritual thirst and spiritual hunger. The Samaritan woman did not understand these parallel functions.
We take care of our physical thirst and hunger and we need to take care of our spiritual thirst and hunger. We satisfy our spiritual thirst and hunger by the Living Word, Jesus Christ, and the written Word, which is the Holy Bible.
The woman still did not understand because she said to Jesus, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor came here to draw” (John 4:15). She wanted this water because it would make her life much easier. Her trips to the well would be cut back. Her time could be used some other way.
Perhaps some people accept the “living water” because they believe life will be easier for them and their trial and tribulations will be minimal. When this happens, they are accepting Jesus for the wrong reasons. Jesus never said we would not have difficulties or have to go through trials and tribulations. But He did say, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
God wants us to be challenged because it is during those times we draw closer to Him, cast our burdens upon Him, and form a closer relationship with Him. It is during these times that He gives us the power on the inside to deal with problems on the outside.
Conclusion:
When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman about the “living water” she thought only of how it would quench her physical thirst and save her daily trips to the well to draw water. In other words, she was looking out for herself. This would be a change that she would welcome.
When Jesus speaks to us through the Person of the Holy Spirit, and suggests or tells us to make a change in our life, we may hesitate because it usually means a drastic modification to the foundation or base of our life.
Jesus used the “living water” to bring to the woman’s attention that she was living in sin. After speaking to her about her husband and the five other husbands, that she did not really have, Jesus indicated a change needed to be made in her life. The change would be very difficult for her because her life had been grounded in her present life-style.
That very same thing happens to people today. When people are living outside God standards and guidelines it becomes the basis of their life. When a Christian witnesses to this person concerning what a drastic change Jesus could make in their life, it is often difficult for them to accept the change.
The woman did not immediately accept Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, she said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things” (John 4:25).
When we witness to someone, they may believe or not believe us, but that is alright. The results of our efforts may not come to light, but we must give the person time to weigh the facts. The Holy Spirit will then step in and take over.
Jesus offers all His children “living water.” Each of His children who accepts the “living water” comes into a closer relationship with God the Father. The hunger and thirst of the soul will be satisfied.
There will still be trials and tribulations to pass through, but the child of God will not travel through them alone. The love of God will enable them to live life within the standards and guidelines of the Father.
Jesus said, “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 the everlasting life” (John 4:14).
Amen.
