Anchor My Faith

Living Water

Scripture: John 4:9-11

Let us go back to the account of the woman of Samaria. Jesus was sitting on the stone ring that formed the opening to the well waiting for his expected divine encounter. Right on schedule, she walks up alone to draw water. Jesus turns to her and asks her for a drink. “The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)” (John 4:9 ESV). It was not normal for a Jew to be found alone out in the open in Samaria like Jesus was there at the well. It was shocking to the woman when Jesus asked for a drink from her bucket. I see a picture of a glass wall separating Jesus and the woman. They both know each other is there, but when Jesus speaks his words crash through the glass shattering it and with utter surprise she asks why Jesus would even speak to her.

Jesus avoids the question with the statement: “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10 ESV). A discussion about the tension between the Jews and the Samaritans was not important to Jesus at this time. He was more concerned that the woman understand that she was standing before the Son of God who was offering her the gift of living water. How she responds to the statement Jesus made will reflect her spiritual condition. Will her response reflect spiritual insight or will she respond with a natural response? When Jesus told Nicodemus he had to be born again, his response reflected a natural response by wondering how he could enter again into his mother’s womb and be born again. How did the woman respond?

“Sir,” the woman said to him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get that living water?” (John 4:11 ESV). This woman is just like Nicodemus. He couldn’t understand how to get back into the womb and she wonders where his bucket is that will provide the living water. Both are blind to spiritual things and are unable to see the glory of the only Son of God (John 1:14).

What is this living water that the woman and Jesus are thinking about? In Genesis 26:19 this living water is understood by the woman to be spring water (ESV), running water (NKJV), fresh water (NLT) and flowing water (NASB). It was clearly a natural response, but Jesus had a different understanding. John 7:38 – 39 identifies this living water as the Holy Spirit: “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (ESV). Isaiah spoke of this in a rather interesting way: “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3 ESV). This water from the wells of salvation is the living water of eternal life that Jesus wants the woman at the well to experience.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for the living water you provide for those who believe. You are the source of so much that we need to cause life to be abundant and meaningful. Lord, what you have to offer is not like what the world has to offer, which does not last or truly satisfy, but what you supply is free and requires no maintenance on our part. Thank you for your gift of grace, life, love, peace, joy, and most importantly the gift of yourself.