There is a lot we can learn from the story of the Samaritan
woman at the well. It’s really a pretty
funny story. Jesus is on His way back to
Jesus is sitting alone at the well with no way to draw water, and the woman approaches. This well is a mile out of town, and they would have to go to it several times a day to get water.
John 4:7-15
7 There came a woman of
8 For His disciples
had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Therefore the
Samaritan woman said to Him, "How is it that You,
being a Jew, ask me for a drink since I am a Samaritan woman?" (For Jews
have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered and
said to her, "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."
Hopefully you realize Jesus is talking about salvation! That’s the water:
John 7:38-39
38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'"
39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; …
Back in John 4:
11 She said to Him,
"Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?
12 "You are not
greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us
the well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?"
13 Jesus answered and
said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again;
14 but whoever drinks
of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will
give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to
Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the
way here to draw."
She’s being just a little bit sarcastic! First, she’s shocked that He would even be speaking to her – a Jewish rabbi would never converse with a woman, much less a Samaritan woman, in public! Second, she’s just looking for a way to quit making that hike to the well all the time.
She probably turns to leave, and Jesus says…
John 4:16-21
16 He said to her,
"Go, call your husband and come here."
17 The woman answered
and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have
correctly said, "I have no husband';
18 for you have had
five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have
said truly." (Ouch! That had to hurt!)
19 The woman said to
Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
No kidding! There she goes again being sarcastic! Jesus exposes her sin, and when a person’s sin is exposed, there is only one thing left to do – EXPOSE THE SOLUTION! When someone is looking for a solution to sin, there are two ways you can go. They can either look to works (I’ve got to make up for that sin, or do enough good deeds to balance it out), or they can have the free gift of salvation, which takes care of ALL sin!
But what does she do? She changes the subject! Basically, she says, “since you are so smart, give me the answer to this tough theological issue.”
20 "Our fathers
worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in
21 Jesus said to her,
"Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when
neither in this mountain nor in
Basically Jesus tells her that salvation has nothing to do with location. He’s already said that salvation has nothing to do with race, simply by sharing this message with her. Anyone of any race can drink water!
You can be anybody, anywhere and be saved! The only issue is that you drink of the living water, which is simply to believe in Jesus Christ. You only have to drink one time, and you will never thirst again!
We’ll get into more of this story tomorrow.