John 4

Posted on Apr 11, 2017 in Bible (NT) in a Year |

Tuesday

What is significant about Jesus having a woman give him a drink of water at noon?

Jesus is going through a territory known as Samaria. The Samaritans were a sort of half Jewish people. You may remember back to the time in the Old Testament when the Northern Kingdom was taken into captivity by the Assyrians. Well, many of them remained behind and many foreigners moved in and so there was a mixing of the nationalities. (As a Jew this was a bad thing, for God had often told them to not intermingle with the other nations… a command that was often overlooked). These Samaritans were looked down upon by other Jews for having “mixed blood” and so the Jews would do everything possible to avoid encountering a Samaritan. Often walking miles out of their way to keep from going through Samaria.

Jesus as we read, didn’t seem to have a problem with the Samaritans and so on this particular day, he stops at Sychar to have a drink of water at the ancient well of Jacob. There are several cultural things happening here as Jesus speaks to this woman. Because she was there at noon, leads us to believe she is not a woman of good reputation. The other women would have come to the well early in the morning or late at night, not during the heat of the day. It was totally inappropriate for a man to speak to a woman and especially since she was a Samaritan. But Jesus never let society rules dictate to Him and so we find him sharing with this woman.

Stark contrast between Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus and this woman at the well. Covers the whole spectrum I think of who we should be sharing the gospel message with.

Jesus speaks to her of “living water”. In a desert land, water is very precious, water is what keeps you alive. With people whose spiritual life is like a desert, living water is the only thing that will give them life.

So Jesus once again speaks truth to this woman and her life is changed. And it says that “many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony.” (vs 39) Not only did Jesus change her life, but she was able then to witness to many others.

Isn’t it amazing what a brief encounter with Jesus can do. John tells us Jesus stayed there for two more days. It would be interesting to know how many other people he spoke to, or healed. How many more lives were saved, because this woman spoke with Jesus?

Let’s not miss the opportunities that are presented before us to encounter Jesus. Opportunities that can be found in Worship on Sundays, or in Bible Studies, encounters where someone shares what they have learned about Jesus. Don’t miss the opportunities to spend quiet time with Jesus in prayer, in reading His Word.  And be ready to share what you have learned in those encounters with others.

Sharing God’s Word

Pastor Kathy