Last week, I skimmed the surface of the story of the woman Jesus met at the well in Sychar, Samaria, oh-so-many-years-ago…
These were the immediate lesson she’d want us to hear:
No matter how troubled we are, Jesus hears our cries…and, when the time is right He responds. He arranges a divine appointment with us; and, at the well of our discontent, Jesus shows up… His offer is always to replace that which will never satisfy us with Living Water…
Secondly, no matter how much shame we carry on our shoulders, He wants to remove it. He’ll take those heavy jars that weigh us down, and remove them, if we’re willing to let them go.
Just like we do at times, the woman at the well lived in the “if only’s”…
If only I were….
If only I had…
If only I could…
If only I hadn’t…
If only___________________ (you fill in the blank).
She thought the “if only’s” would equate to happiness, contentment, hope and joy…
What she needed would NEVER BE FOUND in the “if only;” what she needed was the ONE AND ONLY!
Jesus knew what our girl needed….
So, Jesus went to Samaria.
He’ll enter your Samaria, too…
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Here’s the text from John 4 (verses 13-26) for today:
“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
“Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.
“I don’t have a husband,” the woman replied.
Jesus said, “You’re right! You don’t have a husband— for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
“Sir,” the woman said, “you must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?”
Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus told her, “I AM the Messiah!”
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There was no question, the woman Jesus met at Jacob’s Well understood “religion.”
She had all the right answers when it came to this part of the discussion with Jesus.
Oh, how Jesus longed for her to see that it wasn’t religion she needed, but RELATIONSHIP.
In fact, He still longs for us to see the same…
But, first, our gal needed to be down-right-honest with herself, and honest with the One who could change her “old self” with a “new.”
