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Jesus Seeks the Woman at the Well, Part III - John 4:9-18
In our study we are at Jacob’s well where we are witness to a conversation between our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ and a woman of Samaria, a woman whom Jesus, the Shepherd, intends to bring into his fold.
He has gone there for a purpose, to draw a particular woman unto himself.
He knows the mission given him by His Father is to seek and to save that which was lost and he has come to the well in obedience to his Father’s will.
It is noon, it is the part of the day where the sun is intense, that part of the day where the well is usually without drawers of water for they have come and gone early in the morning.
The particular woman comes to the well and Jesus engages in no small talk but asks of her, Give me to drink.
She, instead of complying with this request, asks of him:
John 4:9-12, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Is this question asked by a woman with chip on her shoulder, is she combative?
But Jesus does not respond to this question for he has not come to the well to argue these kind of issue so:
Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hath nothing to draw with and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
By this statement she reveals her blindness to the glory that is set before her;
She reveals herself as a woman of the world who concentrates upon material things and reveals her lack of faith by worrying about the means rather than the end;
and lastly she reveals her confusion about the source of the living water.
She says, perhaps in a disdainful way, are you greater than Jacob?
Who are you anyhow?
Her response reveals her thoughts to be that this Jew puts himself under obligation to me and wants a drink of water-and he tells me if I knew who he was, I would ask of him and he would give me living water.
But he doesn't even have a bucket or a water pot to get this so called living water.
She examines the situation with eyes of flesh but Jesus is speaking of things only seen with eyes of the Spirit.
She sees water provided by the labor of Jacob and compares this to a man sitting on a well without even a water pot and asks:
You think you are better than Jacob? He gave us this well. What can you do?
Her mind is centered on wells and buckets; her mind is centered on material things; her mind is occupied with the world, its daily duties and responsibilities.
She could not rise to higher thoughts for she was blind to higher thoughts.
This occupation with the things of the world is typical of those who love the world.
Do you not spend your time thinking on the things you love?
The devil does not need anything special to keep the soul from the Savior.
He just uses the common things of daily life.
A waterpot, pleasure, reputation, personal gain, amusement, family duties, lawful employment.
Simple things of this life that we put ahead of trusting God who made us.
She was not rich and full of this world’s goods but trusting a waterpot will do as well as trusting vast estates and fine houses.
Satan can accomplish his ends, "lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
Satan will bring into play the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, to choke the Word.
Note also her concentration upon the means to get the water rather than the "one" who will bring the water.
She says that Jesus has nothing to draw with and the well is deep.
How typical of the sinner to concentrate on the means, or what he perceives to be the means rather than the Savior.
What church should I attend?
What works should I do to please God?
I need to go to a particular church with a particular preacher in order to be in good standing with God.
I must go down the aisle publicly and show my sincerity to the church and to the evangelist, I must repent loudly and with many tears and much sorrow.
Me, Me, Me. Things, things, things.
Not Christ, Christ and Christ alone.
Verses 4:13,14, Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
Jesus makes it clear that he is not talking about the water in Jacob's well.
He makes a contrast between the water that she can only think about and the water that he has to give.
She can only think about the watering holes of the world.
She is typical of the children of this world.
They look to the physical for satisfaction.
Nothing spiritual because they are dead to that world and only Jesus can make them alive to it.
But now Jesus Christ is creating a thirst in this woman's heart for spiritual water.
He tells her that the water of this well will satisfy only temporarily for: Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
She would be satisfied by the water from Jacob’s well today but tomorrow she must come back again and then the next day and on and on, never being eternally satisfied with the water of Jacob's well.
But Jesus has an offer that gives her thought.
He has water that will satisfy her thirst forever.
She will never thirst again.
What, never thirst again!
No, never thirst again!
We’re feeding on the living bread,
As John records later in this gospel, in John 7:38, He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
He is telling her that the fountains of living waters can dwell in the personal life of men and women and with joy they may draw water from the wells of salvation and even have abundant quantities to give to others.
Do you know, as a believer, that you have an inexhaustible source of living water within you that you can draw out as needed, at any time, in any place, in any situation?
This is the fountain of living waters, waters gushing up in continual fashion, that the Lord gives the sinner that has plunged into the fountain filled with blood that was drawn from Immanuel's veins.
This is the living water that satisfies the thirsty soul forever.
It is a well of water that springs up into everlasting life.
She knew that Jacob's well could not do this and therefore she says in:
Verse 4:15… Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to drink.
She is still misunderstanding, but her interest is sparked.
She wants some of this water to lessen her work.
If this water could keep me from having to come to this well every day that would be mighty fine water indeed.
I'm tired of coming here in the heat of the day, hiding from the women of the city.
This man offers me water which will make me never thirst again.
It just satisfies temporarily but then I must come here and get more.
I want some of his water that will quench my thirst forever.
You know, the world offers many wells that are attractive and many there are on the Broadway that are in pursuit of those wells.
People of the world go from well to well seeking satisfaction but never find it.
They go to the money well, but it is not there.
They go to the well of fame, but can't find satisfaction there.
Let's try the well of power to get my thirst quenched but they find it not there.
The well of popularity, the well of honor, the well of public service or the well of selfless giving.
No, these wells have only water, that if we listen, are designed to tell us that there is a true well, a God produced well that we must come to, to receive water that satisfies forever and brings to us gushing springs that flow continually.
Jesus knows she still does not understand of what he speaks so he now speaks to her heart, her sin filled heart.
Verse 4:16,17,18, Jesus sayeth unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
Go and come.
These are the words that Jesus designed to reach the woman's conscience and her heart.
The words "Go, call thy husband," were said by Christ to prick her conscience and to remind her of her sin.
The word "come", was the invitation to the sinner that Jesus extends to the repentant heart.
He is telling her that if you really want this living water you can only obtain it as a poor, convicted, contrite sinner.
Go, face your sin and come to me, Jesus Christ, to receive the living water.
He says to the Samaritan woman, face the truth about yourself and receive the Grace of God.
Choose to not face the truth about yourself and grace will be far from you as the well is deep and the water will be afar.
Verses 4:17,18, The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
She quickly answers the Lord, hoping to put him off.
He is treading in sensitive waters.
Let's get off this subject. I have no husband, she says.
I hope he doesn't delve any further.
It is just like the Lord to know what button to push for he knows our frame.
He knows the sore spots like the great physician he is.
As the great physician, he pushes and pulls and says, does it hurt there or does it hurt here.
Tell me when I touch a sensitive spot.
The physician must sometimes hurt before he can heal.
The Lord knew her frame and he knew her habits and he knew her sin.
But he wanted her to know those things also.
So He lays her heart bare without comment or open rebuke, so she can see herself as she is.
This is what the Word of God is designed to do.
To reveal your heart to you because your heart will not reveal itself to you for the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.
It is so corrupted that it will keep you from knowing what you truly are.
The human heart is so blinded by sin that it is totally incapable of knowing itself.
Only the Word of God can do that.
The Word of God is the only light that will shine brightly into those things of your life that need light.
Those areas of your life that need to be revealed to you so that the Holy Spirit can conform you to the image of the Son of God. I. Verses 4:19,20, The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. |