‘Jesus replied, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring…giving them eternal life.”
John 4:13 (NLT)
Every day, during the hottest time of the day, the woman carried her water jug to Jacob’s well. Why this time of day? Was it to avoid the other women? She was in for a huge surprise! Someone was already there. A Jew from Galilee? Surely she had nothing to fear because the Jews did their best to avoid Samaritians.
In her mind, she was glad to be ignored, grateful too, that in their culture, men did not address women in public. She was in for a surprise.
As she approached the well, the Man startled her, breaking the rules she had counted on to protect her. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink” (Verse 8). JESUS BROKE PROTOCOL. Surprised, the woman wondered what kind of Jew He was! With a toss of her head, she replied, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman, how can You ask me for a drink?
But Jesus wouldn’t be put off. He lets her know that the water He gives becomes a perpetual spring within believers, giving them eternal life (John 4:13). She mistakenly believed that if she received the water Jesus offered, she would not have to return to the well each day. Be reminded, however, that Christ did not come to take away challenges, but to change us on the inside and to empower us to deal with problems from God’s perspective.
This woman did not immediately understand what Jesus was talking about since it takes time to accept something that changes the very foundations of your life.
Jesus kept pressing beneath the surface, inviting this woman to a deeper understanding, hemming her in by revealing His knowledge of the most intimate details of her life. Overwhelmed, she finally admitted the truth (John 4:16-18). And when she did, Jesus startled her with a revelation about Himself. He admitted for the first time that He was the Messiah (Verse 26). Though she hadn’t known it, she had been conversing with her Saviour.
The woman raised an issue about the correct place to worship. Jesus directed the conversation to a much more important point: the location of worship is not nearly as important as the attitude of the worshippers. Jesus told her, “For God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24).
God is present everywhere, and He can be worshipped anywhere, at any time. It is not where we worship that counts, but how we worship. Learn from Jesus!
Read: Matthew 5:6; John 4:42
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 66:13-20; John 13:18-38; 1 Samuel 13; 1 Samuel 14:1-23